456 MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS. prevent the rewards of the righteous, nor to convey himself out of the reach of his Maker's vengeance. And may it not be hence inferred, in the first place, that the soul of man is so immortal, that it is not in the pòwer of any mere creature to kill it ? For it doth not seem fit that the great Lord of the universe should give the prerogative of rewards and punishments so far out of his own hand, as to put it entirely into the power of a creature, to defraud the righteous of their re- ward, or secure the wicked from due punishment. It is fit that God only, who gave life, and being, and consciousness, to the soul, should be able to destroy it, or take away its conscious- ness, or make it cease to be. May we not also infer yet farther, in the second place, that there is no such thing as the sleep of the soul ; or at least that neither the soul itself, nor any other creature, can put the soul into a sleeping state ? For this is a state without perception or con- sciousness ; and if this could he done, then the designed rewards and punishments of divine justice might be as effectually disap- pointed by creatures as if they could kill or annihilate the soul. Perhaps you will here say also, that the soul may be awaken, eel again by divine power to receive punishments or rewards. To this I answer, that if the soul is laid to sleep, or sinks into an insensible state when the animal body dies, will it ever awake again of itself naturally to be punished or rewarded ; or can any creature awaken it? If not; then God alone, who works super- naturally, can awaken it. And thus, in the order of nature, there is no capacity In this soul to be punished or rewarded, nor can it be done without a miracle. I think therefore we may draw this conclusion, namely, that every intelligent being, as it is made capable of virtue and vice, of rewards and punishments, so it must necessarily be made im- mortal in its own nature, and bath such an essential and perpe- tual consciousness belonging to it, as is not in the power of crea- tures either to stupify or destroy, lest the recompenccs of vice and virtue be wrested out of the hands of God, as the God of nature, the wise Creator, and the righteous Governor of all intel- ligent creatures. And may we not draw a`third inference also, namely, that the mere death of the body is not the only punishment of the sin óf man against the God of nature, and against the natural law? for then the worst of criminals, by a dose of opium, or a halter, might finish his punishment at once, he might convey himself away from the reach of punishing justice, and the crimes of men could not be punished in proportion to their aggravations. It is the immortality of the soul that lays the foundation of different degrees of punishment according to crimes. After all, perhaps some persons may raise another objection
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