when compared with the knowledge, skill and power of him who founded Hell, which I fhall here call the kingdom of Lucifer; a building fo folid and well fortified, that all the attempts that prince of darkness has made, during fo many ages, to get out of this his present dwelling, and regain Heaven, his former abode, have been to no purpose. Neither was it the work of men, nor devils themselves: For how could men have made it, fince it fubfifted before they existed? And for the devils, as it was ordained to be a perpetual prison for them; it is not to be fufpected they would labour in the erecting it. No, that would be making rods to whip themfelves, and it is well known that they are too cunning to fall into fuch follies.

PERHAPS you will, following Plato's opinion, tell me, that it was made by heavenly beings, who, having more knowledge, and greater power than all mankind together, raised this building the fame way as he tells us they founded the universe.

To this I answer, that, if this famous man to whom the ancients have given the furname of Divine, had but perused the holy fcriptures, he would have been careful of advancing that paradox. In fhort, he would have perceived, that there were in Hell a vast number of those celeftial beings, who were fuffering in the flames for the crime of their rebelling against God, at the very time of the creation.

IT

IT therefore appears from all this, that Hell is the workmanship of the fupreme, omnifcient, omnipotent Being, the Creator of every thing, who, as the greatest of the prophets testify, has lighted a fire there, which has burned fince that time, and will burn for ever. Therefore, if the fun, the moon, and the ftars; if all the conftellations which shine in the firmament; if all the elements; if animals and infects; even the smallest of reptiles are the objects of our praise, because God made them, would it not be unjuft to refuse the fame encomiums to Hell, fince, as I have demonftrated, he made it also ?

THE Hebrew author of the book intitled Ecclefiaftes, in looking upon the fun, celebrates its praise, but it is with regard to him who made it. He is feized with amazement at beholding it, but the great object of his fenfations is turned upon him who had created this furprising ball. O how fupreme is he, who hath made thee! he cries out in a transport of admiration. We agree with thee he is fo; but he, who created Hell, is as powerful. It would be a great impiety not to give him praise on this account alfo.

THERE is another reason, which fhould make us give Hell all the respect and praise which are its due, which is, that the works of God are far fuperior to those of men. The latter, however well performed, are found to have fome defect or other, which makes them lofe fome of their merit. Homer, for exam

ple,

ple, the prince and most ancient of the Grecian poets, however excellent his Iliad may appear, has fome dull places in it, which weary the reader, and has made one of the greatest poets exclaim against him,

Nay, fometimes, renowned Homer tastelefs grows.

NOTWITHSTANDING the great character of Apelles as a painter, and how furprising foever his pictures were, yet he himself frequently difcovered faults in them, which had efcaped him in the hurry of compofing them. But God is not thus with any of his works. As he himself is perfection, he cannot do wrong. His works are as perfect as they can be, and are therefore above all criticism and reproach. It does God an injury therefore to speak ill of Hell. It is failing in the refpect which is due to him. In fhort, it is infulting revelation, which teflifies in exprefs terms in the facred writings, that the whole works of God, not excepting Hell, are not simple, but very good. "And God faw all that he had "made, and behold it was very good."

СНАР.

Hell an admirable place on account of its fituation.

F the origin of Hell fhould render it most respect

ed by us, its fituation ought not to do lefs. If we refer to all the teftimonies of antiquity, either heathen or chriftian, upon this point, we shall find them all agree, that Hell is in the centre of the world. Moreover, I remember to have read of Anaxagoras, an ancient philofopher, who, when he was just expiring, being asked by thofe who were attending him where he would chufe to be buried, answered, Wherever you pleafe; and he gave them a very good reason for his indifference with regard to this, adding, In whatever place upon the earth you may lay my body after my death, it will have no greater way to go from either fide of the globe, to get the way to Hell a reply which perfectly agrees with truth, and which is founded upon the fureft demonftration of geometry. In fhort, the philofopher, knowing that the earth is round, and that Hell was in the middle of it, was certainly very right in faying, that his journey thither would be equal on whatever fide he fet off, and confequently it was no great matter where they buried him.

Now

Now this is a great proof of the excellence of Hell; for all good things are always placed in the middle in this world.

THE ancient geographers have remarked, from this confideration, that Jerufalem, that holy city, where God refided when on earth, that capital of his beloved people, the dwelling of the kings who had the honour to fucceed him in the government of that nation, that metropolis of the univerfe, where its facred Redeemer was to appear, to preach, and to be put to death, was, by God's permiffion, fet in the middle of the earth, that is, in the exterior centre, as Hell is in the interior. It is alfo for the fame reafon that the fun, which, next to God, is the king and foul of all nature, occupies the middle of the heavens, and makes the point round which the planets revolve. For that reafon it is that virtue, which is the most eftimable thing in Heaven, and upon earth, is always found in the juft centre, as every one knows, who have but the leaft tincture of morality. In fhort, if a king should dwell always in the centre of his dominions, as Calanus the philofopher once faid to Alexander, it is but juft that Lucifer, who in the holy writings has been called, and in reality is, as we fhall presently fee, the Prince and the Power of darkness, has likewife fixed his abode in the middle. of the earth. An honourable fituation, without doubt, and which, befides its great convenience, raifes the glory of Hell to a great pitch.

CHAP.