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THE PHILOSOPHY OF A FUTURE STATE. 



it is highly probable, if not demonstratively cer 

 tain, that the peopling of worlds with rational 

 creatures is intended chiefly to display the moral 

 character of the Creator in his providential dis 

 pensations, and in the whole series of his moral 

 administration towards the numerous worlds and 

 orders of creatures which exist throughout 

 his dominions. All his other perfections, par 

 ticularly his power and intelligence, appear to 

 be exerted in subserviency to this grand object, 

 and to the distribution of happiness through 

 out the universe. In so far, then, as the facts 

 respecting his moral government, in other 

 worlds, are made known to the redeemed in 

 heaven, in so far will their views of his moral 

 attributes, and of the principles of his adminis 

 tration in the universe, be enlarged and expand 

 ed. In the disclosures which, in the course of 

 ages, may be made on this subject, displays of 

 the eternal righteousness of Jehovah, of his retri 

 butive justice, of his &quot; tender mercy,&quot; and of his 

 boundless benevolence, may be exhibited, which 

 will astonish and enrapture the mind more highly 

 than even the magnificence and grandeur of his 

 physical operations, and fill it with admiration 

 of the amiable and adorable excellencies of the 

 Sovereign Ruler of the universe. It&quot; we account 

 it a pleasant study to investigate the habits and 

 economy of some of the insect tribes ; if we 

 should reckon it highly gratifying to learn the 

 history of all the events which have befallen 

 every nation and tribe of mankind since the 

 world began, particularly those which relate to 

 our first parents in paradise, and after their ex 

 pulsion from it, to the antediluvians, to the ten 

 tribes of Israel, to the Christians in the first cen 

 turies, to the Waldenses, to the Assyrians, Baby- 

 l(/nians and American Indians, how delightful 

 and gratifying must it be, to learn the history of 

 angels, principalities and powers, and to become 

 acquainted with the leading transactions which 

 have occurred among beings of a higher order 

 and of different species, dispersed among ten 

 thousands of worlds ! Great and marvellous as 

 the history of our world, and of human redemp 

 tion appears, it may be far surpassed by the 

 events which eternity will unfold. &quot; The day 

 is coming,&quot; (to use the words of a celebrated 

 modern writer *) when the whole of this wond 

 rous history shall be looked back upon by the 

 eye of remembrance, and be regarded as one 

 incident in the extended annals of creation, and 

 with all the illustration, and all the glory it has 

 thrown on the character of the Deity, will it be 

 seen as a single step in the evolution of his de 

 signs ; and a.s long as the time may appear, from 

 the first act of our redemption to its final accom 

 plishment, and close and exclusive as we may 

 think the attentions of God upon it, it will be 

 &quot;bund that it has left him him room enough for 



Dr. Chalmers. 



all his concerns, and that on the high scale of 

 eternity, it is but one of those passing and ephe 

 meral transactions, which crowd the history of a 

 never-ending administration.&quot; 



Under the department of Philosophy may oe 

 included all those magnificent displays whicn will 

 be exhibited of the extent, the magnitude, the 

 motions, the mechanism, the scenery, the inha 

 bitants, and the general constitution of other sys 

 tems, and the general arrangement and order of 

 the universal system comprehended under the 

 government of the Almighty. On these topics, 

 with all their subordinate and infinitely diversified 

 ramifications, the minds of redeemed intelligences 

 from this world will find ample scope for the ex 

 ercise of all their powers, and will derive from 

 their investigations of them perpetual and unin 

 terrupted enjoyment, throughout an endless ex 

 istence. 



That the subjects of contemplation now stated, 

 will, in reality, form the chief employments of 

 renovated men and other intellectual beings, in a 

 future state, may also be proved from the repre 

 sentations given in the word of God of the pre 

 sent exercises of these intelligences. In the 

 book of Revelation, the angels, under the figure 

 of &quot; living creatures full of eyes,&quot; and the &quot; el 

 ders,&quot; or representatives of the church of the 

 redeemed, are represented as falling down before 

 the throne of the Eternal, saying, &quot; Thou art 

 worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, honour, ana 

 power, for thou hast created all things, and for 

 thy pleasure they are and were created.&quot; Here, 

 the material works of God are represented as the 

 foundation or reason of the thanksgiving and ado 

 rations of the heavenly host ; and the language 

 evidently implies, that these works are the sub 

 ject of their contemplation that they have beheld 

 a bright display of divine perfection in their struc 

 ture and arrangement that they are enraptured 

 with the pnlarged views of the divine glory 

 which these works exhibit and that their hearts, 

 full of gratitude and admiration, are ever ready to 

 burst forth in ascriptions of&quot; glory, honour, and 

 power to him&quot; who called the vast assemblage 

 of created beings into existence. In another 

 scene, exhibited in the same book, the saints who 

 had come out of great tribulation, and had gotten 

 the victory over all enemies, are represented 

 with the harps of God in their hands, celebrating 

 the divine praises in this triumphant song, 

 &quot; Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord 

 God Almighty just and true are thy ways, thou 

 King of saints.&quot; The first part of this song 

 may be considered as the result of their contem 

 plations of the magnificent fabric of the universe, 

 and the or&quot;&quot;&amp;gt;notent energies which its move 

 ments display ; and the last part of it as the re 

 sult of their study and investigation of the moral 

 government of God in his providential arrange 

 ments towards men and angels, and towards all 

 the worlds whc 3e moral economy may be opened 



