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Redemption of the reclaimable Part of his fallen Creatures required fuch Satisfaction to be perform'd by their Creator, the Place he would make bis Appearance in for the Performance of it was alone in the Counsel of his infinite Wisdom; as was alfo his Defcent, which was promifed to the Seed of Abraham; which could be but in one Family at last, no more than his Appearance in this way could be but upon one Globe: Yet as by his Incarnation in one Family all the Families of the Earth might be bleffed, fo by his Appearance upon one Globe, by his perfect Obedience and infinite Satisfaction, he might become the Mediator of a New Covenant to all the fallen, rational, reclaimable Inhabitants of the whole Creation. Befides,

It may be question'd, whether any of his Creatures, upon any other Globe whatsoever, would have treated him in the Way and Manner he was treated here; and whether there could be found any created, rational Beings fo hard to be convinced of the Truth of Reveald Religion: And when we confider the Stubbornness and Obftinacy of the Human Race, and the great Difficulty of perfuading many to believe and comply with the Means of Salvation; when we confider also the Probability, that the rational, reclaimable Inhabitants upon other Globes may with lefs Difficulty receive reveal'd Religion, and the offer'd Mercies of a Mediator; we shall fee Reafon

to

to fuppofe that this Part of his Creation was the most proper for this GREAT TRANSACTION. But these things being Secrets to us, and it being fufficient to our Salvation, that we believe what the Scriptures reveal, and live fuitably to their Precepts; I Should not fo far have pry'd into them, but only to make the following Inference, viz. That it being poffible to give a rational Account how and by what Means Chrift's Merits might be convey'd to the whole univerfal Creation, that have not fallen into total Apoftacy; fo the Opinion of a Plurality of Worlds, with various Inhabitants rational and irrational, and that many of the rational Inhabitants of them may have fallen from their first pure Eftate, is no juft Ground for the Maintainers of it to run into Herefy, in not acknowledging the Divinity of our Bleffed Saviour, but is on the contrary a strong Confirmation of it; because 'tis thro' his Divinity only that he could make fo infinite a Satisfaction, and thro' bis abfolute Perfection of Obedience that he' became the Mediator and Saviour of all his reclaimable rational Creatures; allowing the Suppofition I have gone upon, that many of the Inhabitants upon other Globes may have fallen from their first pure Eftate, and be capable of Recovery from their Fall.

This therefore being fufficient to our present Purpofe, I fhall forbear making any further Suppofitions of their Ufes at prefent, and proceed to the Work intended; in which I have endea

vour'd

A

vour'd to rectify Men's mistaken Notions in Religion, and to lead them to the Truth: And that my Endeavour to this End may have the propofed Effect upon the Readers, and that a fuitable Practice may be confequent thereupon, is the Defire and hearty Prayer of

Him that wisheth

Your future Happiness,

B. P.

Philo

Philofophical Meditations,

WITH

Divine Inferences, &c.

W

HEN I behold the Glories of the Heavenly Bodies, even those of our Solar System, and confider the Beauty, Order, and Harmony thereof, and obferve feveral Bodies not vifible to the naked Eye; as for Example, the Satellites of Saturn and Jupiter; I must hence conclude these things to be the Product of infinite Wisdom and Power, and not the Effects of Inactivity and blind Chance, (of which more hereafter) but the Works of Intelligence, Forefight, and Contrivance; and of which we have fufficient Footsteps upon our own Globe to convince any reasonable Man B

of,

But what

of, who is not biafs'd by Vice. are these Works of our System, in comparifon of those of the whole Universe, which, as far as our Sight can reach, we find interfpers'd with glorious Bodies, which in all Probability do all or most of them equal the Splendor of our Sun, and for ought we know (and as 'tis reasonable to believe) have the like Ufes in being ferviceable to concomitant Planets, which are revolving round them, as we, the Inhabitants upon this Globe, with our neighbouring Planets, do round our Sun, the Centre of our System? These things duly look'd into, one would think fhould be fufficient to filence all Atheism for ever; which indeed had never had any Entertainment in the World, had not Immorality, Vice, and Wickedness firft caufed Men to lofe their Hopes of future Rewards; and that the Fears of future Punishments might not be an Allay to their fenfual Pleafures, they would thence perfuade themselves that there is no future Reckoning for them. How weak and foolish these Perfuafions are, and how difmal the Confequences will be, I fhall endeavour to set forth in the following Difcourfe; in which I fhall, as agreeable to my Purpose, make ufe of feveral Topicks, and draw proper Conclufions from them.

First, I fhall prove a neceffary, eternal, self-existent, and independent Being, upon which

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