CONFERENCE 1V. 619 the largest part of the inhabitants of this our earth are condem- ned togreater or less degrees of unhappiness, yet, as I before hinted, perhaps all this earth, with all the number of .its inha- bitants put together, are not so much in comparison of the holy and happy worlds of intellectual beings which God has created, as Newgate is in comparison of thepopulous citiesof Westminster and London : And if by the punishment of a few criminals there are millionspreserved iu duty and happiness, then thegreat and blessedGod will have a spacious and most illustrious display of his goodness above and beyond the exercise of his more awful perfectionsof justice or vengeance : And even the exercise .of these awful perfections upon a few of the subjects ofhis dominions, will become as it were a means in the hind of his goodness, to makemillions of them for ever blessed. Thus though the largest part of mankind may be sinful and unhappy, yet.I am persuaded, that die far largest part of God's whole intelligent creation are holy and happy beings; and if there are some thousands of miserable immortal souls on this little globe, yet there may be, perhaps, above a thou- sand whole worlds of conscious beings, who are happy in the favour of the God who made them, who love and serve him, and rejoice in his love through all the ages of their immortality. How unreasonable is it then for us to pass a judgment either on the conduct of God, or òn the state of his intellectual crea- tion, by such a narrow and limited survey of his wisdom, jus- tice, and goodness, as this our little planetary globe of earth can afford us ? Loo. Well, Sophronius, .I am wonderfully pleased with this last speech of yours. This seems effectually to secure the honour of the divine perfections against all charges. If you could shew us the inhabitants of these castles in the air, these mtherial worlds. But are not all these mere suppositions of wild fancy, and imaginary scenes? What certainty have you of such unknown creatures and unknown dominions of God the Creator ? Som. It is granted, Logisto, that these are suppositions, but they are such suppositions as I have shewn you are plainly built upon principles of reason : the force of argument that maintains them is so strong, that, in my opinion, it rises to a very high degree of probability, and therefore they are not to be called imaginary' scenes or the airy castles of wild fancy. If these reasonings are good and solid, then it will follow, that these unknown worlds are so far from being mere fancies, that they are thesolid and real structures of God him- self. Besides, Sir, as I remember, it was mentioned by Pi- thandetir, that if we can but find out any such hypotheses or suppositions which may solve real difficulties in the conduct of
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