618 -STRENGT/1 AND WEAKNESS,OF HUMAN ,REASON= round the sun. The wisdomof a God does not aim at such pòor and unworthydesigns, by such stupendous fabrics as these rolling worlds. .Caucasus, or Teueriff, or a taller mountain, if it were made only for the birth or residenceof 'a mouse; would be a more proportionate contrivance, and, perhaps, a Wiser design. And what if we make yet another excursion beyond the circle wherein Saturn rolls, which is the most distant of our planetaryglobes ? 'What ifWe suppose, with seine' Modern vir-. tuosas, that every fixed star is a sun, ercentral fire, to enlighten and warm a whole set of planetary worlds, which may roll round it ? And what if all .these worlds are furnished with in- tellectual inhabitants ? What a stupendous idea sliáll we have of the Magnificence of the works of God and the extent of his innumerable dominions ? Where is the hurt or danger of it, if we should yield to these reasonings, and to the philosophy of the Age,. so far as to imagine these innumerable worlds to he the ap- pointed residences of conscious beings ? Let us suppose them all inhabited by animal and intellectual creatures of God, and perhaps, better peopled than this our earth is, especially if sin and death have not entered amongst them. Now though we are not favoured with the knowledge of the state; or laws, or circumstances of the inhabitants of those worlds, because we are a rebellious and criminal province of God's dominion, and deserve to dwell in ignorance and darkness ; yet those upper regions and worlds may be favoured with a . large and particular account of the state and circumstances of this earth, and of the conduct of God- towards the rebel inhabitants of it: And this notice of the degeneracy and rebellion of man- kind, together with the severity of God, our common Gover- 'nor, against a great part of men, may have a happy influence to secure their obedience, and to preserve the inhabitants of those Worlds in an everlasting, state of duty and happiness. 'As it has pleased God, in his wisdom and goodness, to re- veal to us the haevy and endless punishment he has inflicted on the -evil angels for their first rebellion and disobedience, and has toldus, " That he spared not the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell, and has reserved them in everlastingchains under darkness unto the judgment cfthe great day," and some greater punishment to.ensue, in order to warn us of the dau- gerous crimes of pride and rebellion ; 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. 1 Tina. iii. 6. So itis very probable, that the saine divine wisdom and goodness has madeour crimes and punishments on this globe of earth a monument of his just severity, togive warning to some vast adnd unknown regions of upper worlds, lest they also should sin against their Maker, after our example, and fall under his dreadful displeasure, as mankind has done. Though it shouldappear at the great day of judgment, that
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=