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MORAL HISTORY OF OTHER WORLDS. 



miserable world. Their bodies, which were 

 once fair and glorious, are now covered with 

 every mark of vileness and deformity, They 

 have no delight in contemplating the glories of 

 their Creator s workmanship, for they have de 

 faced every beauty which creation displayed, 

 when it came fresh and fair from the hand of its 

 Maker; and the intelligence and wisdom they 

 formerly possessed, are now obliterated, and 

 changed into ignorance and folly. 



&quot; At the commencement of this affecting 

 scene of depravity, a messenger was despatched 

 by their Almighty Sovereign to warn them of 

 their danger, and to urge them to reformation ; 

 but, as they had not then felt the full effects of 

 that wretchedness into which they were plung 

 ing after a few temporary pangs of remorse, 

 they returned every one to his evil ways. 

 Holy intelligences, from other worlds, have oc 

 casionally been sent, to contemplate the gloomy 

 aspect, and the sad desolations of this wretched 

 world ; in order that they might bring back in 

 telligence to the worlds with which they are 

 more immediately connected, of the dismal ef 

 fects produced by the violation of those eternal 

 laws of rectitude whish the Governor of the uni 

 verse has ordained. The Creator has, for many 

 ages, permitted those physical and moral disor 

 ders to exist not because he delights in the 

 misery of any of his creatures, but because he 

 has a regard to the ultimate happiness of the 

 whole intelligent, system. He leaves them, in 

 the mean time, to eat of the fruit of their own 

 ways, that they may feel the full effects of their 

 apostacy and wickedness. He has permitted 

 them to proceed thus far in their rebellion and 

 depravity, in order that surrounding worlds may 

 be fully apprised of the dismal effects that must 

 inevitably ensue on every infringement of moral 

 order. This desolated world and its wretched 

 inhabitants are doomed to remain in their pre 

 sent deplorable state, for ages yet to come, till 

 an extensive and indelible impression be made 

 on the inhabitants of every province of God s 

 empire, of their eternal obligation to conform to 

 those laws and principles of moral order which 

 his infinite wisdom has established for the regu 

 lation of the intelligent universe ; and also, that 

 those miserable beings themselves may be 

 aroused to consideration, led to humble them 

 selves in his presence, and made to feel some 

 emotions of contrition for their impiety and in 

 gratitude. When these ends are accomplished, 

 a bright effulgence shall suddenly illume the 

 darkness of their night, their atmosphere shall 

 be cleared of its vapours, and the glorious orbs 

 of heaven shall once more burst upon their view ; 

 the astonished inhabitants shall lift up their eyes 

 vith amazement at the wondrous and unlooked- 

 for spectacle, and a divine messenger, arrayed 

 in splendid majesty, shall proclaim, Peace 

 from heaven Good-will from Jehovah to this 



guilty world. In both hemispheres of this globe, 

 shall the joyful message be proclaimed. This 

 sudden and unexpected announcement will arrest 

 the attention of every inhabitant, and rekindle 

 in his breast those sparks of gratitude, which 

 had been so long extinguished. To prove the 

 sincerity of this annunciation, the Power of the 

 Highest will be interposed to purify the atmos 

 phere, to restore the desolations which had been 

 produced, and to renew the face of nature. A 

 series of moral instructions will commence, and 

 be carried on with vigour, till all be fully con 

 vinced of the folly and impiety of their conduct. 

 Order will be gradually re-established; affec 

 tionate intercourses will commence; an indelible 

 impression of their ingratitude and wickedness, 

 and of the justice and benevolence of God, will 

 be for ever fixed in their minds, which will secure 

 them, at all future periods, from a similar apos 

 tacy ; and peace, truth, and happiness shall finally 

 reign triumphant.&quot; 



On such topics as these, may we suppose out 

 Redeemer, in the character of Mediator, occa 

 sionally to expatiate, with irresistible eloquence, 

 when presiding in the assemblies of his redeemed ; 

 and the emotions produced by such communica 

 tions, will doubtless excite them to join in unison 

 in celebrating the divine character and adminis 

 tration, in such strains as these: &quot;Halleluia! 

 the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. True and 

 righteous are his judgments. Salvation, and 

 glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our 

 God. Thou art worthy to receive glory, honour, 

 and power ; for thou hast created all things, and 

 for thy pleasure they are and were created.&quot;* 



Thus I have endeavoured to show, that even 

 that portion of the universe which lies within 



* I hope none of my readers will consider the 

 supposition of the Redeemer occasionally deliver 

 ing lectures on divine subjects to an assembly of his 

 saints, as either improbable, extravagant, or roman 

 tic. Since writing the above, I find, that the pious 

 and philosophic Dr. I. Watts entertained a similar 

 opinion. In his sermon, &quot; On the happiness of sepa 

 rate spirits,&quot; when describing the employments of 

 the upper world, he thus expresses his sentiments 

 on this topic; &quot;Perhaps you will suppose there is 

 no such service as hearing sermons, that there is no 

 attendance upon the word of God there. But are 

 we sure there are no such entertainments? Are 

 there no lectures of divine wisdom and grace given 

 to the younger spirits there, by spirits of a more ex 

 alted station ? Or, may not our Lord Jesus Christ 

 himself be the everlasting Teacher of his church? 

 May he not at solemn seasons summon all heaven 

 to hear him publish some new and surprising dis 

 coveries which have never yet been made known 

 to the ages of nature or of grace, and are reserved 

 to entertain the attention, and to exalt the pleasure 

 of spirits advanced to glory ? Must we learn all by 

 the mere contemplation of Christ s person ? Does 

 he never make use of speech to the instruction and 

 joy of saints above. Or, it may be, that our blessed 

 Lord (even as he is man) has some noble and un 

 known way of communicating a long discourse, CT 

 a long train of ideas and discoveries to millions of 

 blessed spirits at once, without the formalities 01 

 voice and language, and at some peculiar seasons he 

 may thus instruct and delight his samts in heaven.&quot; 



