aOODNESS OF THE UEITY. 319 



by sensitive beings of differeut sorts, than by sensitive beings 

 all of one sort. It is likewise probable, that it may be bet- 

 ter replenished by diilerent orders of beings rising one above; 

 another in gradation, than by beings possessed of equal de- 

 grees of perfection. Now, a gradation of such beings implies 

 a gradation of imperfections. ' No class can justly complain 

 of the imperfections which belong to its place in the scale, 

 unless it were allowable for it to complain that a scale of 

 being w^as appointed in nature ; for which appointment there 

 appear to be reasons of wisdom and goodness. 



In like manner, finitencss, or what is resolvable into 

 finiteness, in inanimate subjects, can never be a just subject 

 of complaint ; because if it were ever so, it would be always 

 so : we mean, that we can never reasonably demand that 

 things should be larger tfr more, when the same demand 

 might be made, whatever the quantity or number was. 



And to me it seems that the sense of mankind has so far 

 acquiesced in these reasons, as that w^e seldom complain of 

 evils of this class, when we clearly perceive them to be such. 

 What I have to add, therefore, is, that we ought not to 

 complain of some other evils which stand upon the same 

 foot of vindication as evils of confessed imperfection. We 

 never complain that the globe of our earth is too small, nor 

 should we complain if it were even much smaller. But 

 where is the difierence to us, between a less globe, and part 

 of the present being uninhabitable ? The inhabitants of an 

 island may be apt enough to murmur at the sterility of some 

 parts of it, against its rocks, or sands, or swamps ; but no 

 one tloinks himself authorized to murmur, simply because 

 the island is not larger than it is. Yet these are the same 

 griefs. 



The above are the two metaphysical answers which have 

 been given to this great question. They are not the worse 

 for being metaphysical, provided they be founded — which I 

 think they are — in right reasoning ; but they are of a nature 

 too wide to be brought under our survey, and it is often dif 



