THE PHILOSOPHY OF A FUTURE STATE. 



tence, of the inscrutable depths of infinite 

 wisdom, of the overruling providence of the 

 Almighty, of the benevolent care he exercises 

 over all his creatures, and of the unlimited extent 

 of those dominions over which he eternally pre 

 sides. 



The faculties by which man has been enabled 

 to make the discoveries to which I have alluded, 

 were implanted in his constitution by the hand 

 of his Creator; and the objects on which these 

 faculties are exercised, are the works of the 

 Creator, which, the more minutely they are 

 investigated, the more strikingly do they display 

 the glory of his character and perfections. Con 

 sequently, it must have been the intention of the 

 Creator that man should employ the powers he 

 has given him in scientific researches ; other 

 wise, he would neither have endowed him with 

 such noble faculties, nor have opened to his 

 view so large a portion of his empire. Scientific 

 investigations, therefore, are to be considered as 

 nothing less than inquiries into the plans and 

 operations of the Eternal, in order to unfold the 

 attributes of his nature, his providential proce 

 dure in the government of his creatures, and the 

 laws by which he directs the movements of uni 

 versal nature. It is true, indeed, that every one 

 who calls himself a philosopher may not keep 

 this end in view in the prosecution of scientific 

 acquirements. He may perhaps be actuated 

 merely by a principle of curiosity, by a love of 

 worldly gain, or by a desire to acquire reputation 

 among the learned by the discoveries he may 

 bring to light, just in the same way as some theo 

 logians are actuated in prosecuting the study of 

 the Christian system. But the discoveries 

 which have been made by such persons, are, 

 notwithstanding, real developements of the plans 

 of the Deity, and open to a devout mind a more 

 expansive view of the power, wisdom, and be 

 nevolence of Him who is &quot; wonderful in council, 

 and excellent in working.&quot; It is our own fault 

 if we do not derive useful instruction from the 

 investigations and discoveries of philosophy; it 

 is owing to our want of intelligence to discrimi 

 nate between the experiments of men, and the 

 operations of God, and to the want of that reve 

 rence, humility, and devotion, which ought to 

 accompany us in all our studies and contem 

 plations of nature. Science, therefore, from 

 whatever motives it may be prosecuted, is, 

 in effect, and in reality, an inquiry after God: 

 it is the study of angels and other superior 

 intelligences ; and we cannot suppose there is 

 a holy bein throughout the universe that is not 

 employed, in one mode or another, in scien 

 tific research and investigation; unless we can 

 suppose that there are moral intelligences who 

 are insensible to the displays of the divine glo 

 ry, and altogether indifferent, whether or not 

 they make progress in the knowledge of their 

 Creator. 



OBJECTS ON WHICH THE FACULTIES Of 

 CELESTIAL INTELLIGENCES WILL BE EM 

 PLOYED. 



Let us now consider the objects on which tria 

 faculties of celestial intelligences will be employed 

 in the way of scientific investigation. 



The grand scene of universal nature that 

 august theatre on which the Almighty displays, 

 to countless myriads, his glorious perfections 

 will remain substantially the same as it is at 

 present, after all the changes in reference to our 

 globe shall have taken place ; and the clear and 

 expansive view of its economy, its movements, 

 and its peculiar glories, which will then be laid 

 open to their inspection, will exercise the faculties, 

 and form a considerable portion of the felicity of 

 renovated moral agents. 



That the general system of nature will remain 

 materially the same, when the present fabric of 

 our globe is dissolved, may be argued, 1. From 

 the immense number and magnitude of the bo 

 dies of which it is composed. In every direction 

 to which we can turn our eyes, the universe ap 

 pears to be replenished with countless orbs of 

 light, diffusing their splendours from regions im 

 measurably distant. Nearly one hundred mil 

 lions of these globes are visible through telescopes 

 of the greatest magnifying power ; and it is more 

 than probable, that beyond the reach of the finest 

 glasses that art has ever constructed, thousands of 

 millions exist in the unexplored regions of im 

 mensity, which the eye of man, while he remains 

 in this lower world, will never be able to descry. 

 All these luminous globes, too, are bodies of im 

 mense magnitude ; compared with any one of 

 which, the whole earth dwindles into an incon 

 siderable ball. It is probable that the smallest of 

 them is at least one hundred thousand times 

 larger than the globe on which we live. 2. All 

 these bodies are. immensely distant from the earth. 

 Although we could wing our course with a swift 

 ness equal to ten thousand miles a-day, it would 

 require more than five millions of years before 

 we could reach the nearest star ; and the more 

 distant of these orbs are placed in regions so im 

 mensely distant, that the imagination is oewil- 

 dered and overpowered when it attempts to grasp 

 the immeasurable extent which intervenes be 

 tween us and them. This circumstance proves, 

 that these bodies are of an immense size and 

 splendour, since they are visible at such dis 

 tances ; and consequently demonstrates, (hat each 

 of them is destined, in its respective sphere, to 

 accomplish some noble purpose, worthy of the 

 plans of a Being of infinite wisdom and good 

 ness. 3. The whole of this vast assemblage of 

 suns and worlds has no immediate connexion with 

 the present constitution and arrangement of oui 

 globe. There are no celestial bodies that have 

 any immediate connexion with the earth,, or di 

 rect influence upon it, except the sun, the moon, 



