The Immortality of the Soul. ~ ferr fevere Wi fdom before the fweete!t Follies, unpl eafing Truth before all the dear DeChap.q . ccits of (en[ual Per[ons. ~ In Chart, Faith removes the thick Curtain offenfible things, that intercepted the Eye of the Mmd,and us firflEtfe{bs to Chew the mcomparable dt fpropor!!On between what is prefent and what is future : And this tsas great as between thehving ofa few years, and an incorruptible O:ate ; between the wretched enjoyment of things rbat cannot fatisfie the Senfes and the enjoyment of an univerfal Good that can fill all the defires of the Soul· as be~ rween an inch of Time and entlft Eternity; betweenNothingrnask'd with a'falfe appearance, and infinite felicity. o. T he confideration of the Soul's Immdrtality Chould reconcile ouratfefrion to all thin os that may be£111 us here, [o far as they are preparatory for our well-being in the futu~e !late. The Original Pri nciple from.whence are derived all Rules for prad:ice, and of main influence upon our Comforts is, tbar Man is created for a fuperna tural happinefs hereaft er, and that prefent things are to be chofen or refu[ed wi th re[pefr to our obtaining of it. For the: mea~1s, whatever they are in their abfolutc Nature, yet conlider'd as fuch in order to an end, are qualified and become either good or evil, as conducive te it or unprofitable, and prejudicial. A Way that is thorny, or dirty , or fieep, or fiony' is good if it leads me to I~Y Country where I can o~ly live happily. On the contrary: aplainAowrycarpetWayiSbad, thatleadsmefromtt. Now fincethe pre[ent life conveys us to another, Poverty.~r R.iches, S1cknefsor J:Iealth, fplendor of.Name or Obfcu- ~~trr;e~11J;!~~r~~1: }~;o~~~~g~nd~~~J:d fn~ ~re;i1~:~t~; f~~na~~or~~F~tie cl:~r~!fsb~f this principle be obfcur"d, we Chall fl umbl e every flep, and wander from the Way of Life. . But duly confidered, it makes us judge of things as theJ: are, not as they appear. This unravels the doubts of the mtangled Mmd, correfrs the mtflakes of the erring Eye levels the greateft Difficulties, clears all the Objed:ions again!t Providence and make; an afllifred flare not only tolerable, butfo far a~1iableas it _promotes our ft;pream Happinefs. Let os confider the two Worlds, the V1fible wherem we are, and the invifible to which we are going, and impartiaJJy compare what is proper to the one and th~ other; the prefent and the _future, the fenlible and divine, the apparent and real, the tranfitory and perpetual Happmefs. And what reference thefe two Worlds have to Man the one ferves him only as a Falfage, the other is his ever-blelfed Country. Therefor; whatever the prefent!tate has offweetor bitter, whatever is defir"dor fear'd, as it paffes with Time, Chould little move us. Who is there, unlefs diforder'd in his Mind that when the Sun is prefent in its full luf\:re before his Eyes, r ejoice~ to. have, or. i; ferry that he has not a Candle, that he may fee more clearly? And thJSLlfe to Etermty is not [o much as a !park ofLight to the Sun, and accordingly the Profprrity or Adverfity of it Chould not tranfpnrt us to an exce[s _of Joy or Sorrow, but wirh an equal temper ofMind, and calm Affefrions, we Chould rece1ve the dtfpenfatwns of ProvJdence. '3· How jufl is it that the Soul Chould have the preeminence in all refpefrs above the Body. The one is the fading off-fpring of the Earth, the other of an Heaven!y exrrafrion and lncormptible Nature. When \\ Pberecides the Affirialt fir({ taught 3trJona the . Gr~cians the DoCtrine of t\Je So_ul's Immortali ty, hisDifcourfe fo prevail' cl on Pytha- ,,~;:~~;;i~.t~- gorlll of Sm110I, that it chang~d h1m from an Ath~et4 into. a Philofophcr. He that be- ~il7~a~~~a ;~r~h;~~~ier~~t~~~~~~~~; ,i~st~~y~0pi~a~~~!s,e~h~1n ~ag~1~1~~~1b~~n~f~H~~' i~~~~~~ immortalita·. and advance his Soul mKnowledge and Vertue. And tf the ghmmermg appearances of ~:~~~~;;;~ !~l~ a~r:~v~~~~~~f~~e~o~~;~~~:l t~p~~k~i~; c~~flym~~~~~o;~e~~~~~frth~fc~~a: ~~!o~~~ :~,~i/~~~- pa~he ftate of N~~ture reqr:ires, that Reafon fhould have the fupremacy in Man, and r:~?~Zo~~~ ~a~r~on~~~:u~~~~ ~ot~o~ t~efo~w~:~~~~?:nl}:ife~:~, t~~d~~~;!~~;a~~~ ~~a}o:;:jb~ ex ~thleta '" verified in a more ignoble fenfe, 'tis the greatefl: degeneracy and vilification of the humane ~~fr?/:.11";,.,1/M Nanue. Now the predominant ObjeCt djfcovers '~hat is the ruling Fan1lty. If fenfua l ver11 q11ad ait things have the fupcrior efl:ee?1 and love, Senfe tetgns. And what ~ contumeiy ~s i_t to ~;;;~~!'~:~; Ma~, when the _Und~rft~ndmg, tha.t was made to C?~template ObJects .of a tpintual nll{cit~n . Aug. fubhme Nature, ts prmapally exerCJfed for the acqumng of :Earthly th:ngs, and the Ep.•d Vol. Afftfrions that are capable of enjoying heavenly delights, run with a full frrcam in the Channels of Cmicupi[cence. As if the rea[onabl e Soul wt re not for higher ends than ro be the Oave oftbe Body, to be imployed ro digeftthe confu[edChaor of Meats and Drinks ~~~[~~~~~ · ~sti!~:d t~f %:J;::l w~:~~.~p~~~~.t~'bt~f~~~t~~~~~r~~~cf~~l k~;rri:: ~~fi~·d0~f our
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