44 _ The Immortality of the Soul. r--....A./"'. part, but cannot immediately touch the Soul, th e principal caufe, by whofe influence Chap. 12. humane aCtions arc vicious, and juf\ly punifbable . From hence it follows, that fuppofiog '-'"'r--..J the Wicked fbould feel the utmolt feverity of Civ il Laws, yet there remains in an0ther World a dreadful arrear of mifery to be endured as their jult and full recompence. 4· In teltimony of this Truth, that the Souls ,of Men are Immortal to Rewards and Pnnifbments, not only the wife{( Men but all Na tions have fubfcrib'd. The darkelt Pagans have acknowledged a Deity and a Providence , and confeqnently a future Judgment. Indeed this fpark was a!mort drown'd in an Abyfs of Fables : For in explicating the Procefs and Recompcncesof the lalt Judgmentthey mixt many abfurdfill:ions wid1 trutb: But in different manners they acknowledged the fame thing, that there remains another Life, and twocontraryltates according to our ACtions here. Of this wehavea perfeCt 1! Et o;flum ~r._e conviCtion from the immortal hopes in good Men , and the endlefs fears in the wicked fi~~n11at:;:;; The direCtive Underfb.nding that tells Man his Duty, has a reflexive power,and approv~; su:r:~:;:~ ~e~~~~~mi~5 t~!~h ~~~tc~~~ethfo 5f~~r=~~n~~~tt, ~~e: j~n{h~~~~;y a ;~~int~ili~Flj~[l a,, t !trllm _m cqarges, and fufl:ains aMan under the moft crueJ Sentence, being perfwaded of a .fupc!- ~::.':'[ren~';;'.c· riour Tribunal that \vill reB:ifie the errors of Man 's Judgment: But when guilty, terrifies Ita t?im cen~c- the Offender with the AafueS1 of J udgm:nt to come, though he may efcape prefent fuffer- ~~!~2~~,~ ingp/at;=>~e~~~e:~~~i~ ~~~:abJ~ ~~~;~~~;c~f!e~~! ~1~1u~ 1rco1~d~~n~~~~P:~s.Dead~, in ~~£rC:m~o~- the Prifon at At.hen.r cncompal1 WI.th a n_oble ~ncle of Philoforhers difcourfing of the u~cnti11.f:.N~m Soul's Imr~ortahry, an~ that havmg fimfht ills Argume~ ts for It, he drank the Cup of q~1 fc b~~.man'! Poifon w1rh 1\ an undJfl:urbed Courage, as one that d1d not l o[e but exchange this ~;ff~r~&fr~~- Short and Wretched .Life for a Ble~ed and Et€rnal. For thus he argued, That there a re t iff !ibidinib_ll.s two ways of departmg Souls leadmg to two comrary States, of Felicity and of Mifery '"'f!."'·1'Z.m Thofe who had defiled themfelves with fenfual Vic es, and given full fcope to boundlef; ~:;~:~~itiU& Lufl:s in their private Converlion, or who by frauds and violence had been injurious to Jlag~tiU fdnJ~ti· the Common-wealth, are dragg'd to a place qf Torment, and for ever excluded from ;;!,~[;;;:;;;. the joyful prefence of the Blelfcd Society ab9ve. But thofe who had preferv'd themSiEJt~~;:: ~~:~dh:i~~~ a~~' ~!~~g t~~~ ~~i~~ !~~hth~~~~~nSJdi~~~~u{~~e~ t~; ~7~~~~ 0~Je~ '!'i11.mz~;ddam by an eafie and open way returned to God from whom they camr. And this was not {u~ e£~t~~~: the fenfe only of the more vertuous Heathens, but even fame of.thof~ who had done vw,m. IJ.Y; greatelt force to the humane Nature, yet could n ot lb darken the1r Mmds, and corrupt ~~?£0S. ~fKo~sil~~'r!: ~hse~~ :a~~n~~~~~~et~a~~~~~~p:ft~~~~~~n~~~[efr 1~~:~~~th~~:a[~~~ 6~fq~c fijffit affrighted with the Alarms of an accufing Confci ence, and [eized on by inward Terrors, :;::,7:J/s'':. the forerunners of Hell, and in the mid!\: of their LuxuriousStupifying Plea[ures have '"''·f"''"' been haunted with an Evil Spirit, that all the Mufick in the World could not charm. hl:j/7J'tr!:;;, The Perfons executed by their Commands were always in their view, fh ewing the~r ~:co~r~fs h;. Wounds, reproaching their Cruelty~ and citing them before ~he High and Everla!\:ing ~'w"'"~'"" . Judge, the Righteous Avenger of innocent Bloo d. How fam would they have kill'd b'::~J~u::~Jim, them once more, and deprived them of that Lif e they had in their memories? But that tt~~r~~ :t~t~e~Y~~d :~=i~e~;;e~.pen?J ~1~ i:,~a 1:dv~~:~d!~~t~~fi~~~=~~ ti~bf~~,w~~~~ ~f T»ll.d<Soc"'· Defpair, as might have mov'd Pity in thofe who were under the continual fear of his llb. ~ Tufc. Tyranny. No Punifhment is fa cruel as when th e Offender and Executioner are the ~"nw;,m "'" fame Perfon. Now that fuch Peace and Joy are the EffeCts of confcious Integrity, /~rtiiTia, n~n fo· that fuch Difquiets and Fears arife from Guilt, th at incomparably exceed all that is fweet ;:h:;,esqt(tc- or affliCting in the \Vorld, is a convincing Arg ument that the Divine Providence is tc;mmtaptliD- concern'd in the Moral ACtions of Men whether Vertuous or Wkkeddone here. That ~~~:ifo/e:;. the Righteous God has Rewards and Punifhme nts infinitely above all the good and '"·T"''· evil things of the prcfentState; and confequemly that the comforts of Holy Souls are the firlt fruits of Eternal Happinefs, and the terro rs of the Wicked, are the gradual beginnings of farrows tbat !ball never end. Before I finifb d1is Difcourfe it will be requiGte to anfwer two ObjeCtions that Infidels are ready to make. 1. They argue again!'t the reality of future Recompences; That they are Invifible, and we have no teltimony from others who know the truth of them by experience. As Alex•nder's Souldiers after his ViCtories in the Ea!'t, refufed to venture over the Ocean with him for the Conquelt o f other Kingdoms beyond it, alledging, facile ifta fing1mtur quia OceamH navigari non potefl. The Seas were fa vaO: and dangerous that no Ship could pafs through them. Whoever returned that was there? Who has given Tefiimony from his own fight of fuch rich and pleafant Countries? Nothing can
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