__ Thelmmortality of the Soul. that the pleafantoperations of Life ceafe, they may releafe themfelves by a voluntary ~ eafie Death, and fall into a Sleep never to be di(!urb'd; fo that they would be efleem'd ~- the only happy Perfons. . . . In !hort, if we only regard thmgs as they pafs m the fenfible World, we !ball be m danger of being over-tempted to Atheifm, and to rob God of l11s Glor~ and Wor!btp, and that Faith, Fear, Love and Obedience that are due to !urn. 0~ thtSI will produce only twoExamples. Diagorll.f faw a Servant of hiS nealmg r:om htm, and upon h!S denial of the Theft, brought him before the Statue of Jupzter rhund; ru1g, and confirained him to adjure Jupiter for the honour of his Deity, and of JuflKe and Ftde!tty, to (!rike him Dead at his Feet with Thunder, if he were guilty of the Faft, and after three times repeating the dreadfizl Oath, he went away untouch'd without harm. Upon the fight of this DiagorM cried out, as in the Poet ; -----Audi< Jupiter hd!t, nee labra move.;, cum mittere vocem Debueras vel marmure111, vel ah.eneus ? Juvenai . Satyr. ' l· -----Do'flhear i~~ J::'& 0~~~;~~·~t~ ~ips, when fit it were And whereas be !bould have been convinc'd that a Statue could not be a God, he impiou!ly concluded that God was nothing but a Statue; and from that time was hardned in irreclaimable Atheifm. So that other 11 Athetfl reports of fomeofthe. Romans, that JIA!;;;,;pJw· they fuccefsfully deceived ~y falfe Oaths, even in their rnoft f~cred Tempie in the pre· ::;.1::£~~~':,~, ~:~~e0~~h~~[uf~~~f?t~~\~~~t;~~u8~~~: t~e~~~~o~~J~~':f~o !~:C b~~:Cbu~~~~ 'IJ';;;• J;;:;; World and Nature, uncoctcern'd in the governing humane affairs. The disbelief of the ];;.~;,· Phn. future fute ftrikes through the vital principles of Religion, that there is a God, the rewarder of Mens good or evil ACtions. It may be objeCted, that God's Dominion over the reafonable Creature is abfolute : For Man owes to him intirely his Being, and all that his Faculties can produce, fo that without reflel:tion on Juflice, God may after a courfe of obedience, annihilate him. ' To this Ianfwer. The SovereigR Dominion of God in its exercife towards Men is regulated by hisWifdom, and limited by his Will, that is Holy, Jufl, and Good. Hence though the Creature can challenge nothing from God as due to its fervice, yet there is a Jumce of Condecence that arifes from the excellencies of his own Nature, and is perfea:Iy confiflent with the liberty of his Etfence, to beflow the eminent EffeCt; of his Favours on his fuithful Servants. His Holinefs inclines him to love the image of it in the Creature, and his Goodnefs to reward it~ His Government is paternal, and fweetned by defcending Love in many Favours and Rewards to his obedient Children. There is a refemblance of our Duty to God, and his Rewards to us in the order of Nature among Men. Parents may require of their Children entire obedience, as being the fecond Caufes of their Natural Life. And Children may expeCt from their Parents what is requifite for theirwelfure. Now God, who is the Father of Men will be true to his own Rules, and deal with thetn accordingly, but in a manner worthy of his infinite Greatnefs. There is not the lea!\ obligation on him, but his unchangab!e Perfefr ions are the (!rongefl Atfurances, that none of his !ball obey him to their final prejudice. "Tis a direll contrariety to his Nature, that Men for Confcience of their Duty !bould part with temporal Happinefs in hopes ofeternal, and lofe both. 2. It may be objeCted, That fuch is the etfential beauty of Holinefs that it fbould ravifu our AffeCtions without Ornament or Dowry, that 'tis its own Reward, and pro"' duces fuch a fweet Agreement in the Rational Faculties, as full y compenfa tes the lofs of all lower delights, and fweetens the troubles that befal a vermous Maq in the fin cere praCl:ice of it. And on the contrary, that fuch is the native foul deformity of Sin, as renders it mofl odious for it felf, that 'tis its own punilbment, being attended with mward difquiets and perplexities, much exceeding all its feeming pleafures. Therefore we cannot certainly inferr there will be future recornpences. But this receives acleare2 r Anfwer. 1. Tis true, 'that Holinefs is mofl amiable in it felf, and in true comparifon infi nitely excells all the allurements of Sin. 2. 'Tis true, that as natural aCtions that are neceffary to preferve the Species or the Individuals, are mixt with fenfible pleafures, as an attraB::ive to the performance of them; fo ther~ is joyn'd to aCtions of Vertue th3t are more excellent, a pleafant co~placency of a fupenour Order to all carnal pleafures. But "•is a frigid conceit that thiS JS the enttre G . reward.
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