8. To recite what I said, and speak it plainlier, I confess it greatly quieteth my mind against this great objection of the numbers that are damned and cast off for ever, to consider how small a part this earth is of God's creation, as well as how sinful and impenitent. Ask any Astronomer, that hath considered the innumerable number of the fixed Stars and Planets, with their distances, and magnitude, and glory,1 and the uncertainty that we have whether there be not as many more, or an hundred or thousand times as many, unseen to man, as all those which we see (considering the defectiveness of man's sight, and the Planets about Jupiter, with the innumerable Stars in the Milky way, which the Tube hath lately discovered, which man's eyes without it could not see,) I say, ask any man who knoweth these things, whether all this earth be any more in comparison of ⟨p. 389⟩the whole creation,2 than one Prison is to a Kingdom or Empire, or the paring of one nail, or a little mole, or wart, or a hair, in comparison of the whole body. And if God should cast off all this earth, and use all the sinners in it as they deserve, it is no more sign of a want of benignity or mercy in him, than it is for a King to cast one subject of a million into a Jail, and to hang him for his murder, or treason, or rebellion; or for a man to kill one louse, which is but a molestation to the body which beareth it; or than it is to pare a mans nails, or cut off a wart, or a hair, or to pull out a rotten aching tooth.3 I know it is a thing uncertain and unrevealed to us, whether all these Globes be inhabited or not: but he that considereth, that there is scarce any uninhabitable place on earth, or in the water, or air, but men, or beasts, or birds, or fishes, or flies, or worms and moles do take up almost all, will think it a probability so near a certainty, as not to be much doubted of, that the vaster and more glorious parts of the Creation are not uninhabited; but that they have Inhabitants answerable to their magnitude and glory (as Palaces have other inhabitants than Cottages): and that there is a connaturality and agreeableness there as well as here, between the Region or Globe, and the inhabitants. But whether it be the Globes themselves, or only the inter-spaces, or other parts that are thus inhabited, no reason can doubt, but that those more vast and glorious spaces are proportionably possessed:
8. To recite what I said, and speak it plainlier, I confess it greatly quieteth my mind against this great objection of the numbers that are damned and cast off for ever, to consider how small a part this earth is of God's creation, as well as how sinful and impenitent. Ask any Astronomer, that hath considered the innumerable number of the fixed Stars and Planets, with their distances, and magnitude, and glory,1 and the uncertainty that we have whether there be not as many more, or an hundred or thousand times as many, unseen to man, as all those which we see (considering the defectiveness of man's sight, and the Planets about Jupiter, with the innumerable Stars in the Milky way, which the Tube hath lately discovered, which man's eyes without it could not see,) I say, ask any man who knoweth these things, whether all this earth be any more in comparison of ⟨p. 389⟩the whole creation,2 than one Prison is to a Kingdom or Empire, or the paring of one nail, or a little mole, or wart, or a hair, in comparison of the whole body. And if God should cast off all this earth, and use all the sinners in it as they deserve, it is no more sign of a want of benignity or mercy in him, than it is for a King to cast one subject of a million into a Jail, and to hang him for his murder, or treason, or rebellion; or for a man to kill one louse, which is but a molestation to the body which beareth it; or than it is to pare a mans nails, or cut off a wart, or a hair, or to pull out a rotten aking tooth.3 I know it is a thing uncertain and unrevealed to us, whether all these Globes be inhabited or not: but he that considereth, that there is scarce any uninhabitable place on earth, or in the water, or air, but men, or beasts, or birds, or fishes, or flies, or worms and moles do take up almost all, will think it a probability so near a certainty, as not to be much doubted of, that the vaster and more glorious parts of the Creation are not uninhabited; but that they have Inhabitants answerable to their magnitude and glory (as Palaces have other inhabitants than Cottages): and that there is a connaturality and agreeableness there as well as here, between the Region or Globe, and the inhabitants. But whether it be the Globes themselves, or only the inter-spaces, or other parts that are thus inhabited, no reason can doubt, but that those more vast and glorious spaces are proportionably possess'd:
- 1Of the probability of the habitation of the Planets, see Gassendus, and his reasons, that the inhabitants are not men of our species, but that the inhabitants are diversified as the habitations are, and other things in the universe.
- 2Though Cicero frequently derideth the superstitious fear of Hell, yet he meaneth not of all future punishment of the wicked, but of the Poets fables of Styt, Cerberus, Tantalus, and Sisyphus kind of penalties, and of Minos and Rhadamanthu• the infernal Judges.Though Cicero frequently derideth the superstitious fear of Hell, yet he meaneth not of all future punishment of the wicked, but of the Poets fables of Styt, Cerberus, Tantalus, and Sysiphus kind of penalties, and of Minos and Rhadamanthu• the infernal Judges.
- 3Sed Gegenetis Christus humani (inquitis) conservator advenit cur non omnes aequali munifi•entia liberat? Resp. Aequaliter liberat, qui aequa•i•et omnes vocat: Haud ab ind•lgentia principali quemquam repellit, aut respuit: qui sublimibus, infimis, servis, &c. uniformiter potestatem ven•endi ad se facit? Patet omnibus fons vitae, neque ab jure potandi quisquam prohibetur. Si tibi fastidium tantum est, ut oblati respuas beneficium muneris, quinimo si tantum sapientia praevales, ut ea quae offeruntur à Christo ludum & ineptias nomines quid invitans peccat, cujus solum sunt hae partes, ut sub tui juris arbitrio fructum suae benignitatis exponat? —An orandus es ut beneficium salutis à Deo digneris accipere, & tibi aspernanti, fugientique longissime, infundenda est in gremium divinae benevolentiae gratia? Vis sumere quod offertur, & in tuos usus converter consulueris tu tibi. Aspernaris, contemnis & despicis, te muneris commoditate privaveris. Nulli Deus infert necessitatem. Object. Nolo (inquis) & voluntatem non babeo. Resp. Quid ergo criminaris Deum, tanquam tibi desit? Opem desideras tibi ferre, cujus dona & munera non tantum asperneris & fugias, verum in alia verbà cognomines, & jocularibus facetiis prosequaris. Arnob. adv. Gent. l. 2.Sed Gegenetis Christus humani (inquitis) c•nservator advenit cur non omnes aequali munifi•entia liberat? Resp. Aequaliter liberat, qui aequa•iet omnes vocat: Haud ab indlgentia principali quemquam repellit, aut respuit: qui sublimibus, infimis, servis, &c. uniformiter potestatem venendi ad se facit? Patet omnibus fons vitae, neque ab jure potandi quisquam prohibetur. Si tibi fastidium tantum est, ut oblati respuas beneficium muneris, quinimo si tantum sapientia praevales, ut ea quae offeruntur à Christo ludum & ineptias nomines quid invitans peccat, cujus solum sunt hae partes, ut sub tui juris arbitrio fructum suae benignitatis exponat? —An orandus es ut beneficium salutis à Deo digneris accipere, & tibi aspernanti, fugientique longissime, infundenda est in gremium divinae benevolentiae gratia? Vis sumere quod offertur, & in tuos usus convertere consulueris tu tibi. Aspernaris, contemnis & despicis, te muneris commoditate privaveris. Nulli Deus infert necessitatem. Object. Nolo (inquis) & voluntatem non babeo. Resp. Quid ergo criminaris Deum, tanquam tibi desit? Opem desideras tibi ferre, cujus dona & munera non tantum asperneris & fugias, verum in alia verbà cognomines, & jocularibus facetiis prosequaris. Arnob. adv. Gent. l. 2.
