DISCOURSE XIII. 295 shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture, and they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever, it is in the presence of the holy angels as well as in the presence of the Lamb. Angels and other innocent beings may improve such a sight to valuable purposes. Objection the seventh, when we remember that Jesus Christ himself bath assured us that but few shall be saved, and that the broad way is full of sinners running down to destruction and death ; if we suppose these punishments to be endless, some will be ready to says, What ! shall the greatest part of God's crea- tures be made miserable for ever and ever ? Is this consistent with the wisdom and goodness of the blessed God, to form such an immense multitude of souls dwelling in bodies, to make them for ever miserable ? What will a God of goodness have to prove his goodness to his creatures, if far the greatest part of them are left in everlasting sorrows ? Answer. The for greatest part of the creation of God may he holy and happy still : For this world of ours, even all man- kind, is a very small portion of God's immense dominions ; and when the transactions of our earth, and God's present govern- ment of it shall be finished, he has a thousand other dominions among the planets and stars, which has been proved by the rea- son of men to a great degree of probability ; and these he go- verns by righteous laws; and though he has not revealed much of them to us in this life, yet he has discovered something of this kind in his own word : He has acquainted us with his wise and righteous government over fallen angels, and what was their sin, viz. their pride and ambition, and what was their punishment for their first rebellion ; Jude, verse 6. and this is done by the wisdom and mercy of God to affright men from sinning, while we behold how those fallen spirits,are exposed and set forth as terrible examples for our warning. And why may not the ever- lasting punishment of sinners among the children of men be made a standing monument of God's justice, to deter many other worlds from offending him ? Other worlds, I say, of un- known creatures, which perhaps may inhabit the planetary globes rolling round the same sun as our earth does ; and their state of trial perhaps is not yet begun, or it may be half run out, and yet shall not be finished for some thousands of years ? Or perhaps there are other worlds of spirits, and invisible, incorporeal, intelligent creatures in a state of trial, may perse- vere in glorious innocence and complete happiness, to the eternal praise of their Maker's goodness, and may yet be kept in their constant duty and obedience, by having always in their view the eternal punishment of wicked men. See this subject treated of at large in a book called, G° The Strength and Weakness of Hu- man Reason."
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