i

CDhap. 9. PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOVERIES. Zyr

serve, we know not \ and are at a loss to conceive how thisplanet, without any atmosphere, vapours, or seas, (as is, nowthe common opinion of astronomers) can serve for like pur-poses as our earth.. We observe sudden and surprizing revo-lutions on the surface os the great planet “Jupiter, which wouldbe fatal to the inhabitants of the earth. We observe, in themall, enough to raise our. curiosity, but ..not to satisfy it. Fromhence, as well as from the state of the moral world,, and manyother considerations* we are induced to believe, that our pre-sent state would be very imperfect without a subsequent one.;wherein our views of nature, and of its great author, may be moreclear and satisfactory. It does not appear to be suitable to thewisdom that shines throughout all nature, to suppose that weshould.see so far,, and have our curiosity so much raised con-cerning the works-of God, only to be disappointed at the end.As man is undoubtedly the chief being upon this. globe, andthis globe may be no less considerable, in the most valuablerespects, than any. other in>the. solar system,, and this system,for ought we know, not inferior to any in the universal sy-stem ; so, if we should suppose man to perish, without everarriving at a more complete knowledge os nature, than the veryimperfect one he attains in his present state ; by analogy, orparity of reason, we might * conclude, that the like desireswould be. frustrated in the inhabitants of all the other planetsand systems; and that the beautiful scheme of nature wouldnever be unfolded, but in an exceedingly imperfect manner, toany of them. This, therefore, naturally leads us to consider,our present state as only the dawn or beginning of our exi-stence, and as a state of preparation; or probation for farther..'advancement: which appears to have been the opinion of themost judicious philosophers of old. And whoever attentivelyconsiders the constitution of human nature, particularly thedesires and passions of men, which appear greatly superior to

their.