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tion is here directed as having been produced from an invisible cause. The term alvas being used in the plural number, evidently intimates that there are more worlds than one, and that there may be thousands or millions; but, independently of this direct intimation of a plurality of worlds, the passages formerly quoted, when viewed in a proper light, and considered in all their references and bearings, may be considered as conclusive proofs of the same position, and as intimating to us, not simply a plurality of worlds, but extending our views of their number and magnificence as far as science has yet conducted us, and even beyond the range of astronomical discovery; for we are told that the Divine perfections are displayed "above," or beyond, the utmost range of "the visible heavens."

Many other passages besides the above might have been pointed out as bearing on the same subject, but the remarks already made on the passages which have been selected may serve as a key to illustrate many others, as they happen to occur to the intelligent student of the Scriptures. We read, for example, of the Almighty operating, by his moral government and arrangements, "among the army" or armies "of heaven," as well as "among the inhabitants of the earth;" and that the whole population of our world "is reputed as nothing in his sight." We find, in different portions of the Psalms, the inhabitants of the heavens and "the heaven of heavens;" the "angels who excel in strength;" "all his hosts," or legions of intelligences, "in all places of his dominions, who do his pleasure, hearkening to the voice of his word;" we find all these ranks of beings called upon to join in one united chorus of praise and thanksgiving to "Him whose name alone is exalted, and whose glory is above the earth and heaven." We read in the Book of Job, among many other descriptions of the grandeur of Deity, that "by his Spirit he garnished the heavens ;" and that the astonishing displays of his omnipotence they contain "are but parts of his ways," and that "the thunder of his power none can understand." All of which representations, and many others, may be considered as imbodying the idea, not only of a plurality, but of myriads of worlds existing in the universe.

There is one general remark which may be applied to all that we have stated in this chapter, and that is, It is not necessary to suppose that the inspired writers had revealed to them

all the wonders of modern astronomy. They appear, in some instances, to have been ignorant of the precise meaning and the extensive references of the language they used. The prophets are said to have "inquired and searched diligently what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow ;" intimating that they were partly unacquainted with the precise references of the predictions they uttered. They were only the amanuenses of the Divine Spirit, and were directed to such language as was accordant with the Divine economy and with the facts existing in the universe, although they themselves might not be aware of the grandeur of those objects to which their expressions referred; and the correspondence of their language with the phenomena of the heavens and the earth, and the discoveries of modern times, constitutes one evidence among others of the truth of Divine revelation.

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CHAPTER XVIII.

ON THE PHYSICAL AND MORAL STATE OF THE BEINGS THAT MAY INHABIT OTHER WORLDS.

On the enunciation of this topic, some readers will probably be apt to surmise that the author is attempting to go beyond the range of subjects within which the human understanding should be confined. We have never seen the inhabitants of other worlds; we have been favoured with no special revelations respecting them; we have not even caught a glimpse of the peculiar scenery of the globes in which they reside, excepting a few portions of their celestial phenomena; and while we are chained down by the law of gravitation to this sublunary sphere, we cannot fly on the wings of a seraph to visit any of the distant orbs of the firmament. It is true, that on such a subject we cannot attempt to descend into particulars. But there are certain general and admitted principles on which we may reason, and there are certain phenomena and indications of design exhibited in the structure of the

universe from which certain general conclusions may be deduced; beyond such generalities I do not intend to proceed, nor to indulge in vague conjecture. There are many things of which we have acquired a certain degree of knowledge, and yet have never seen. We do not see the air we breathe, nor most of the gaseous fluids: we do not see the principle of life, or the rational spirit which animates our bodies; we cannot possibly see the Divine Being, although his presence pervades all space. But, in regard to all these objects, we have acquired a certain degree of information; and therefore, although we have never seen any of the inhabitants of other planets, and never will so long as we remain in our present abode, yet we may form some general conceptions respecting them, both as to their physical and moral state. All that propose on this point may be comprehended under the following general remarks:

1. The planets, wherever they exist, in our own or in other systems, are inhabited by sentient beings. The formation of material fabrics, such as all the planetary bodies are, necessarily indicate that beings connected with material vehicles and organs of sensation were intended to inhabit them. The arrangements for the diffusion of light, heat, and the influence of the power of attraction, and other material agencies, evidently show that such agents were intended to act on beings formed with organical parts and functions, capable of being the recipients of impressions from them. All such beings, therefore, must be considered as furnished with bodies constructed with organical parts analogous to what we find in man or other animated beings on our globe; but the size and form of such bodies, the parts of which they are composed, the functions they respectively perform, their symmetry and decoration, and their powers of locomotion, may be very different from those which obtain in our sublunary world; and it is not unlikely, from a consideration of the variety which exists in the universe, that there is a certain difference, in these and other respects, in every planet and world that exists throughout immensity.

2. The principal inhabitants of the planets and other worlds are not merely sensitive beings, but are likewise endowed with intellectual faculties. This may be inferred from the scenery connected with their habitations. Connected with the planet Jupiter, we behold four splendid moons larger than

ours, performing their revolutions around it in regular periods of time, without the least deviation from their courses. The general aspect of these moons, their diversified phases and rapid changes, along with their frequent eclipses, must produce a sublime and variegated appearance in the nocturnal sky of that planet; while, from the surface of the moons themselves, the still more splendid appearance of Jupiter and the phases of the other moons will present a nocturnal scene of peculiar sublimity and magnificence. Connected with the planet Saturn, we find scenes still more august and diversified; besides seven large moons, two resplendent rings of vast extent surround the body of this planet, producing the most sublime and diversified phenomena, both to the planet itself and to all its satellites, adorning the firmament of those bodies with a splendour and magnificence of which we can form but a faint conception. Were we permitted minutely to inspect the surfaces of these planets, we should doubtless find many beautiful arrangements in the scenery of nature with which they are adorned, probably far surpassing in picturesque variety and grandeur what appears on the surface of our globe. When we inspect the surface of the moon through a good telescope, we behold a beautiful diversity of extensive plains, of lofty mountains, in every variety of size and form; of plains and valleys surrounded with circular ramparts of hills; of mountains towering far above, and vales and caverns sinking far below the general level of the lunar surface, with many other varieties; and we have only to suppose the general surface of that orb adorned with vegetable productions somewhat analogous to those of our globe, in order to present a scene of picturesque beauty and magnificence.

Now it appears a natural, if not a necessary conclusion, that such grand and beautiful scenes could only be intended for the contemplation and enjoyment of beings endowed with rational natures, since mere sentient beings, such as the lower animals in our world, are insensible either to the beauties of the vegetable kingdom or the glories of the spangled firmament. If our globe had been created merely for the support of such beings, it is not probable that it would have been adorned with all the beautiful arrangements which now exist, and the splendid and diversified scenes with which it is furnished.

* For a particular description of the scenes here alluded to, the reader is referred to "Celestial Scenery," chap. viii.

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The lion, the tiger, and the hyena find every accommodation they desire in dens, deserts, thickets, and forests; and they appear to feel no peculiar enjoyment in flowery fields, expansive lakes, beautiful landscapes, or the sublimities of a starry firmament. If, then, there were no rational intelligences in the planetary worlds, we cannot suppose that so many grand and magnificent arrangements as we find existing would have been made; particularly, we cannot suppose that the motions of the planets and their satellites would have been so accurately adjusted as to perform their reyolutions with so much precision as we find they do. The regularity and precision of these motions are evidently intended to serve as accurate measures of time or duration, a circumstance which must always be a matter of importance to rational beings wherever existing, but which seems to be scarcely attended to, and perhaps not in the least appreciated, by merely sentient beings, such as the lower orders of animated nature which exist around us.

From what has been now stated, we may conclude that the inhabitants of the planets are not purely spiritual beings; for pure spirits, entirely divested of material vehicles, cannot be supposed to have a permanent connexion with any material world or system; nor could they be supposed to be affected by air, light, colours, attraction, or other material influences which operate on the surfaces of all the planetary bodies. If pure intelligences, disconnected with matter, exist in the universe, they must be conceived to have a more expansive range than the limits of any one globe, and those material agencies which affect the organs of sensitive existence cannot be supposed to operate upon them; and, consequently, their modes of perception must be altogether different from those of organized intelligences. We may therefore, with certainty, conclude that the intelligent beings connected with the planetary worlds, either of our own or of other systems, are furnished with bodies, or corporeal vehicles of some kind or other. These may differ in size and form in different planets; perhaps their size may depend on the amplitude of space which the different planets may contain. But I cannot acquiesce in a supposition lately thrown out by a certain reviewer, that "in some worlds the inhabitants may be as large as mountains, and in others as small as emmets." In the one case, comparatively few inhabitants could live in a world where every one was a walking

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