THE EARTH. 199 



just equipoise of the whole globe. Thus the 

 Northern Ocean balances against the Southern ; 

 and the New Continent is an exact counterweight 

 to the Old. As to any objection from the ocean's 

 occupying too large a share of the globe, they 

 contend, that there could not have been a smaller 

 surface employed to supply the earth with a due 

 share of evaporation. On the other hand, some 

 take the gloomy side of the question ; they either 

 magnify Its apparent defects,* or assert, that 

 what seems defects to us, may be real beauties to 

 some wiser order of beings.t They observe, that 

 multitudes of animals are concealed in the ocean, 

 and but a small part of them are known ; the 

 rest, therefore, they fail not to say, were certainly 

 made for their own benefit, and not for ours. 

 How far either of these opinions be just, I will 

 not presume to determine ; but of this we are 

 certain, that God has endowed us with abilities 

 to turn this great extent of waters to our own 

 advantage. He has made these things, perhaps, 

 for other uses ; but he has given us faculties to 

 convert them to our own. This much agitated 

 question, therefore, seems to terminate here. 

 We shall never know whether the things of this 

 world have been made for our use ; but we very 

 well know that we have been made to enjoy them. 

 Let us then boldly affirm, that the earth, and all 

 its wonders, are ours ; since we are furnished 

 with powers to force them into our service. Man 

 is the lord of all the sublunary creation : the 



* Burnct's Theory, passim. f Pope's Ethic Epistles, passim. 



