Tbe jmmortality of the Soul. ~ they are compounded, and the feparable parts of which they confifl, and into which ~ they are refolved. Therefo re all mixt and material Beings are fubj eCl to diffolution. But l l '''~'""'.fi"'· t he humane Soul is a Spirlmal Subflance, 11 fimple without any difagreemg qualities, as pia all/ml n~- heat and cold, mo1Cl:ure and dnnef5, the Seeds of Corruption. The Effcnces of things ~~tf[~~ {:que are bd\: difcover'd by thejr peculiar operations, that argue a rea l difl:inction between q~!cquo1m ad- them, and from whence ari[e the different notions whereby they are conceived. The Soul of a Brute, performs the fame vital aCls as the Soul of a Plam, yet 'tis vifibly ofa more le, 11on _ elevated _nature, bccaure it performs the functions of the fenfitive life- that are proper to it. ~i~ ~~&nett. T_he RatiOnal Soul performs the fame fenfit_ive acts ~s the ?oul of Brutes, b~t that it is of a h1gher order of Subl\ances, appears by Jts pecuhar ObJeCls and immed1ate Oporations nponthem. The twoprinciple Faculties of the humane Soul are the Underl\anding and the Will and the AClrons flowing from them exceed the power of the mofl refined matter howeve; modified, an1 tranfcend any Principle that is only endowed with the powers offenfe and imagination confined toMatter. To proc,.d orderly, I will firfl confider the Mind with refpeCl to the quality of its objects, and mannerhow it 1s converfam about them. r. . The conception of things purel y fpi ritual, God,. Angels, feparate Souls, Analogies, the differences, and vanous refpeCls of thmgs, argue 1t to be of a Spiritual Nature. For 'tis an evident principle, there mufl ?e an Analogy betwee? the Facul ty and the ObjeCt A.matenal Glafs cannotrepre~ent aSpt rit ; It has no re~eprtvtty to take into it an object Without figure, colour and d1verfity ofparts, the affeChons of matter. A fpirimal object can onl y be apprehended by a fpiritual operation, and that can only be produced by a fpiritual Power. The being of things is the root of their working. Now rarifie matter to the highetl: finenefs, reduce it tQ imperceptible Atoms, 'tis as truly Matter as a grofs Body. For lightnefs and tenuity are as proper Attributes of Matter, as weight and denfity, though lefs !enfibl e. If a Beaflcould apprehendwhat difcourfe is, it were rational. TheSoul therefore that underl\ands the Spirituality of things is Spiritual ; otherwife it fhould aCl extra Sph<£ram. The IntelleClnal Eye alone flu Him that i< invifible, underflands the rea[ons of Truth and Jullice, look5 beyond the bright Hills of Time into the Spiritual Eternal World, fo that 'tis evident t here is an affinity and likenefs in Nature between them. 2 . Mat~ria l Faculties are confin'd to the narrow compafs of fingular and pref~nt things; but the Mmd abflraets from all md!Vlduals, thm pure Nature, and forms therr Univerfal Speciu. The Eye can only fee a colour'd objeCt before it, the Mind contemplates the Nature of Colours. It afcends above all the dil\inllions of Time, recolleCls what is .. pafl, forc[ees what is to come. 11 No interval of fpace or time can hinder its fight. Be- ~~!',;t,;;;• fid es the * fwift flight of rh; ~oughts over Sea and Land, the _f~aring of the Mi,n~ in a m111ulo,&omni moment above the Stars, as if Its effencewere all v1gour andaChv1ty, prove that us not a .tve: Pa~. &n. materi3.l Power ;~~~J,.fi;h}:::O: 3· Senfe onlY acts in a direlt way, without reflel!ing upOn its felfor its own operations. qlal.m tan~11. ce- 'Tis true there is an experimental perception included in vital and fenlible Acts~ but 'tis far ~i!EJ~;:,e· ~~~~fl;'~~~;~~f~ifu~· rr;~e :J~:~~~~~;f~~tt~~~~i~bo~ ~~~~~e~t~e~~n~~~~~~i~!tiliar~: ~~~:m,;J~:: the fenfes, cannot frame an Ima~e ?f it felf, and gaze upon it, t~ere bein.g no fuch re.. t~a, t~t fcien- femblacce conveyed by the mediatiOn of the outward Organs. But the ratiOnal Soul not tr.t,t@'m;nta, only contemplates an objee:r, but reflelt:s on its own contemplation, and .retir'd from all ::a~~;.: commerce with External th1ngs, ''iews it·felf, its qualities and frate, and by this gives m tm contint t teft:imony ofits Spiritual an.d Immortal Nature. ;;:"'m <ffr. 4· The Mind reCl ifies the fa!fe reports of the Senfes, and forms the Judgment of things not according to their impreilions, but by fuch rational evidence of which they are not capable. When the Objeer is too diflant, or the Medium unfit, or the Organs difremper'd, the Senfes are deceived. The Stars of the btightel\ magnitude feem to be trembling [parks of Light: But the Underl\anding confiders that the reprefentarions of things are imperfeCl and le[s diflinCl proportionably to their dil\ance, and conceives of their magnitude accordingly. A l\raightOarappearscrooked in the Water, but Reafon otferv.es the error in the RefraClions, when the Image paiTes through a double Mediuvt of unequal cl earnefs. Sweet things tafle bitter to one in a Feaver, but the mind knows that the bitternefsi s not in the things but in the viciated Palat. Moreover, how many things are coll<Cled by Reafon that tranfcend the power of Fancy to conceive, nay, are repugnant to its conception? What corporeal Image can reprefent the immmfity of the Heavem, as the Mind by convincing arguments apprehends it? The Antipodes walk ereCl upon the Earth, yet the Fancy. cannot conceive them but with their Heads downward. Now
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=