"'Tis a thousand pitties, that by the Dispute about the Two Evenings before and after the LORDS-DAY, the LORDS DAY itself should suffer any Injuries. The Lords-Day has an Evening that belongs, as a part of Holy Time, unto it. But Good men, and some very Godly Observers of the Lords-Day, are not agreed, which Evening is to be observed, that which goes before, or that which comes after: And the corruption of many (who I suppose would count it a very hard Law, which was Enacted as long ago as K. Edgars Time in England, That the Sabbath should begin on Satureday at three a Clock in the Afternoon and continue till break of Day on Monday :) takes occasion from this Disagreement, for to keep no Evening at all; Yea, between two neglected Evenings, the Lords-day falls to the Ground. I will not here undertake to decide the Controversy; I will concede unto both Opinions, & yet you shall Suffer me a little, and I will show you, that I have yet to speak on Gods behalf. First, Those of you, my Brethren, that won't allow the preceding Evening, to be a part of the Sabbath; altho' you cannot but confess, it was of old so: Yet, Syrs, You will allow, that there should be, A Preparation for the Sabbath. It seems implied in that word, Remember the Sabbath day; Be mindful of it, make Ready for it, Let it not surprize you unprepared for it. It was the Custome of the Jews, to begin that præparation at Three a Clock in the Afternoon. And shall we Christians, do nothing for Preparation! When the Lords-day is coming the Lord Himself is in some sort Coming; And, Wilt thou not prepare to meet thy God, O Christian? The Lord Jesus Christ calls to thee afore-hand, as to Zacheus, Make haste, and come down, for this Day I must be with thee. Dispose and Dispatch thy Encumbrances off thy Hand, yea, and off thy Mind also, as the Lords-Day is approaching. And be Engaged in suitable Devotions, on the preceding Evening. Certainly, 'Tis a proposal that cannot be Cavilled at! At least, the Renowned Churches of Bohemia, I am sure, did not think it so, when they made and kept such strict Orders, about this Evening, as we know they did. People sometimes continue drowned in the Hurries of this World, after 'tis Dark, the Evening before the Sabbath. Ask 'em, and they'l tell you, They have not yet begun the Sabbath. Alas, man, at this rate, I am afraid, Thou wilt never Begin a Sabbath at all. But a more dreadful word than that, cannot be spoken? Secondly Those of you my Brethren, that won't allow the Ensuing Evening to be a part of the Sabbath; but suppose that the Stars of Heaven are hung out for to proclame unto us, a liberty to return unto the Things of Earth: Yet, Syrs, you will allow, that Serious Christians, will be loth to let the Impressions of the Sabbath, wear off immediately. It is a Lamentation, and should be for a Lumentation, unto all the Friends of God, That there is more Sin against the Lord committed the Ensuing Evening after the Lords-Day, than perhaps on any one Day of the Week beside; and that we so often then let our Children and our Servants, run into so much Temptation. Christian, Why should we lose the Heat of the Day, (as one aptly Expresses it,) in the cool of the Evening? Why should we let useless Discourses, hurtful Distractions, carnal Excursions, in the Evening, Extinguish the Frame which the Devotions of the Day had Enkindled in us? Why should we not confine our selves to Savoury Conferences, if we must Salley forth to Conferences ; and confine our Houses to a Regular Discipline, that the Lords-Day may not be buried in its Evening, & be put out in obscure Darkness? Bells, and Saints, of a good Metal, will keep the Sounds when the Strokes are over. In brief, much of Scandal might be prevented if the Two Evenings were less Invaded. And less Invaded they would be, if our Delight in God were what it ought to be. Delight in God would make us on the Lords-Day, even to say, if we could with Joshua Thou Sun, stand still! Or to wish at least with a Jewish Rabbi, Let my portion be to begin the Sabbath with those of Tiberias. who begin it sooner than others; and to conclude it with those of Tsepphore, who continue it longer than others. Miscellaneous. into existence. How extensive the works of God are, cannot be determined. As the light of the fixed stars is primary, and not reflected, and as the sun, if removed to an equal distance, would appear equally small, it has been inferred that the stars are suns to other systems, inhabited by other orders of intelligent creatures. But allowing that all these worlds, with their inhabitants, exist, this world is, doubtless, more distinguished by divine goodness, than any other in the wide range of cretion for it is certain the Son of God" did not take on him the nature of angels," and it is not reasonable to suppose, that he has more than one body, or that he has suffered more than one death. In no other world, then, has the Son of God become incarnate: in no other has divine grace been displayed in providing an atonement for sin: to the inhabitants of no other is the prospect opened of so glorious and blessed an immortality. But there are reasons to doubt, that there is so great a multiplicity of inhabited worlds. It appears to be the object of God in his works to accomplish a design, in which his perfection shall be most fully displayed and the greatest good produced. It is not necessary to infinite goodness to bring into existence as many creatures as are capable of happiness; more than it is necessary to infinite power to create all things possible. That God has never caused this world to be fully inhabited is a presumptive evidence, that he has not created other similar worlds mere ly to increase the number of crea tures. Other reasons may be assigned for the creation of stars, than that they are suns to other inhabited planets. They are are highly ornamental and useful, and expressive of the great wisdom and power of God. If without them this world would not be perfect, then, as immense bodies of light, placed at inconceivable distances, are necessary to form stars, they were not created in vain. But should their shining in the night, and other purposes to which they are subservient for the instruction and advantage of man, not be considered sufficient reasons for their creation, especially as the light of some of them has been but lately discovered, and as many of them are distinguished only by telescopes, and around some of them planets are in this manner seen to revolve, an additional reason may be assigned for their creation, which, though not inscribed on the rolls of Philosophy, is more consonant to the Mosaic account of Creation, and to the nature and declarations of the gospel, and therefore may be considered more probable, than that they are suns to innumerable worlds inhabited by creatures like ourselves. This world was originally made for man as innocent. If it were not, natural evil is not a consquence of sin. The whole material universe was probably then completed, and so far as related to man, was adapted to his state as innocent. But had man continued innocent, he would have been immortal in body, as well as in soul; and in the course of endless generations, as many worlds would have been necessary for his posterity, as are now supposed to exist: and successive generations might have been translated to them, with less of a miracle, than the translation to an invisible state of the bodies of Enoch and Elijah. But as man transgressed and became frail, these would remain vacant. His posterity, instead of inhabiting them, and "shining," in a natural sense, "like the brightness of the firmament, and the stars, forever," are fading, as the flowers of the field, and soon mingle with the dust. In this view, the material universe is like a Palace, with many rooms, which a King built for his son and daughter, newly married, and which there was a prospect that their progeny would occupy; but in consequence of the successive deaths of their children at an early age, there is a use for but one suit of apartments; the residue remain silent and desolate. Yet the creation of other worlds, as habitations for men, may not now be in vain for as this world is to undergo a change at the last day, other material systems, if connected with it, may be involved in the con : flagration and as nothing is to be blotted from existence, but only changed, (for what God doeth is forever,) other material worlds may be renewed with this, in a manner corresponding to the bodies of men, and in the morning of the resurrection may be laid open as the places of their everlasting abode. That the stellary systems will be involved in the final fate of this world is not only probable, from their connexion with it, but may be inferred from scripture, which represents "the heavens and the earth as passing away with a great noise," and not only "the sun and moon as darkened," but the "stars as falling;" from which it appears that the dissolution of material systems will be general. This hypothesis is more consonant to the scripture account, both of Creation and Redemption, than the one, that there are other material worlds now inhabited. In the account of the creation, Gen. i. 16. it is said, "God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also." From this it is plain, that the moon was designed for the principal light by night; and as the moon gives several hundred times more light than all the stars, and yet as one star is several thousand times larger than the moon, there is ground for the conclusion, that though the stars do in fact give light by night, this was not the chief object of their creation. In the Mosaic account of creation and redemption, only the first principles of things are related: principles which, in their developement, are extensive and sublime, beyond conception. In the account of the work of Redemption, it is simply stated, Gen. iii. 14th, 15th. "The Lord God said unto the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed and it shall bruise thy : head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Though this threatening seems to be addressed to a natural serpent, yet we know that it refers to satan and all the powers of darkness and though the promise appears to express merely man, or one born of a woman, yet we know that it denotes the Son of God: so that the passage is a summary of all the mysteries, the conflicts, the triumphs and wonders of the work of Redemption. There is a similar example in the covenant into which the Lord entered with Abraham, in which the promise of a son, and of the land of Canaan for an inheritance, included the promise of the Messiah, and the everlasting inheritance of the saints, in light. To consider the stars as suns to other systems would not be a great er enlargement of our views of creation, than our present knowledge of the plan of redemption is an enlargement of those views which naturally arise from the first account of the subject in scripture: or from subsequent accounts till after the calling of Abraham. : That other worlds, if created, are not inhabited, may be inferred from the doctrines and nature of the Gospel. It is asserted of Christ, John 1, 2, "That all things were made by him," not only this world, but created existence universally and Philip. i. 10." That every tongue shall confess him Lord, whether of things in heaven, or things in earth;" i. e. creatures in every part of the universe, whether on the earth, or in places above or below us. It is likewise asserted, Ezek. iii. 9, 10. That "God hath created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent, that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known by the church," or by means of the church; "the manifold wisdom of God." we is the fullest and clearest manifesta- The gospel is a fuller and clearer manifestation of the character of God, than the work of creation. It VOL. VI.-No. 9. 59 If other beings, like us, inhabit other worlds, it does not appear that they behold the glory, or promote the kingdom of Christ, as Redeemer-that they have any connexion with the Church, as they do not visit us or any agency in the gospel. That reason cannot, therefore, be assigned for their existence, which is, in fact, the reason for the existence of all created beings that are known. And as it is necessary to believe, that intelligent creatures were made to view the highest manifestation of God, and as this manifestation is made, not only in Christ, but by means of the Church, intelligent creatures who have no opportunity to be acquainted with the Church, and to subserve its welfare, there is no reason to suppose exist. With respect to empty worlds, as future abodes of men, it may be ob served that there is reason to believe, that both heaven and hell will be local. As the bodies of men will be raised, consistency leads to the conclusion, that there will be some place in which they shall reside. In the end of time their number may be so great as to require many worlds for their reception, and may be sufficient to people the numerous worlds in existence. If the work of creation was finished in the beginning of time, new worlds will not be created for their reception, but they will occupy those which were at first produced. That these worlds will have remained so long vacant does not imply any less, since they will subserve the ultimate design of their creation; and since a similar objection might be made to the long sleep of the dead in the grave, and to the uninhabited state of this world, from its first creation to the present day. In speaking of the future abodes of the righteous, Christ said to his disciples, John xiv. 2. "In my Father's house are many mansions I go to prepare a place for you." The house of God is the created universe. Different worlds are only apartments, or mansions, in this house and therefore numerous worlds may be the dwelling places of saints. As "one star differs from another star in glory," of which there will be a resemblance in the saints after the resurrection, so in the renovated worlds, one may be superior to another, corresponding to the comparative attainments of the saints and adapted to their progressive improvements, and the saints may have intercourse, like those who occupy different mansions in the same building; for as their bodies will be spiritualized, they may move in thought, or inclination, and swifter than on the wings of the morning, from one world to another. It was promised to Abraham, Gen. xv. 5. that his posterity should be"numerous as the stars of heaven," and that they should be "innumerable," and his spiritual children, including the Gentiles, may not only be as numerous as the stars, but sufficient to people all the worlds which the stars, as suns, illumine. The evangelist John, in his view of the blessed, in prophetic vision, Rev. vii. after mentioning immense mumbers of the tribes of Israel, says, "I beheld and lo! a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb;" which proves that the number of the redeemed only, will be incalculably great. Should it, however, be thought incredible that the human race should be so numerous as to people all the worlds in existence, it may be observed, that they will inhabit them not to build houses, or cultivate the soil, but as scenes in which is most fully displayed the character of God, as Creator. A much larger field is nesessary for study, than as a subject of cultivation. Even in this world, distant as we are from the stars, the study of them is highly conducive to moral purposes, and adapted to enlarge and exalt our ideas of God; so that it is justly said, un undevout astronomer is mad. But how much more fully will the creative wisdom and goodness and power of God be known when these worlds, in the most improved state, shall be visited under every possible advantage to understand them. Should it be objected, that a revelation may be made of the gospel to the inhabitants of other worlds who may therefore unite in the praises of the Redeemer, it may be observed, that their state does not admit of that full view of which their nature is capable, for they who are in the flesh cannot see Christ as he is. Souls connected with material bodies and confined to material worlds cannot perceive the glory of Christ as it will be manifested to the saints after the resurrection, and as the inhabitants of other material worlds would perceive it, were they to experi |