NIGHT THE SEVENTH. BEING THE SECOND PART OF THE INFIDEL RECLAIMED. CONTAINING The NATURE, PROOF, and IMPORTANCE, OF IMMORTALITY. THE PREFACE. A$ S we are at war with the power, it were well if we were at war with the manners, of France. A land of levity is a land of guilt. A ferious mind is the native foil of every virtue; and the fingle character that does true honour to mankind. The foul's immortality has been the favourite theme with the ferious of all ages. Nor is it ftrange; it is a fubject by far the most interefting, and important, that can enter the mind of man. Of highest moment this fubject always was, and always will be. Yet this its bigbeft moment feems to admit of encrease, at this day; a fort of occafional importance is fuperadded to the natural weight of it; if that opinion, which is advanced in the preface to the preceeding Night, be juft. It is there fuppofed, that all our infidels, whatever scheme for argument's fake, and to keep themselves in countenance, they patronize, are betray'd into their deplorable error, R by fome doubt of their immortality, at the bottom. And the more I confider this point, the more am I perfuaded of the truth of that opinion. Tho' the dif truft of a futurity is a strange error; yet is it an error into which bad men may naturally be distressed. For it is impoffible to bid defiance to final ruin, without fome refuge in imagination, fome prefumption of escape. And what presumption is there ? There are but two in nature; but two within the compafs of buman thought. And these are,---that either GOD will not, or can not, punish. Confidering the divine attributes, the first is too gross to be digefted by our strongest wishes. And fince omnipotence is as much a divine attribute as holiness, that GOD caunot punish, is as abfurd a fuppofition, as the former. GOD certainly can punish, as long as the wicked man exifts. In non-existence, therefore, is their only refuge: and, confequently, non-existence is their strongest wish. And frong wishes have a Strange influence on our opinions; they bias the judgment in a manner, almoft, incredible. And fince on this member of their alternative, there are fome very small appearances in their favour, and none at all on the other, they catch at this reed, they lay hold on this chimera, to fave themselves from the fhock and horror of an immediate, and abfolute, defpair. ON reviewing my fubject, by the light which this argument, and others of like tendency, threw upon it, I was more inclin'd, than ever, to pursue it; as it appear'd to me to ftrike directly at the main root of all our infidelity. In the following pages, it is accordingly purfu'd at large; and some arguments for immortality new (at least to me) are ventur'd on in them. There alfo the writer has made an attempt to fettbegrojs abfurdities,andborrors, of annihilation in a fuller, and more affecting view, than is (I think) to be met with el ferbere, THE gentlemen, for whofe fake this attempt was chiefly made, profess great admiration for the wif. dom of beatben antiquity: what pity 'tis, they are not fincere? If they were fincere, how would it mortify them to confider, with what contempt, and abhorrence, their notions would have been received, by those they fo much admire ? What degree of contempt, and abhorrence, would fall to their share, may be conjectured by the following matter of fact, (in my opinion) extremely memorable. Of all their beatken worthies, Socrates ('tis well known) was the mɔft guarded, dispassionate, and composed : Yet this great mafter of temper was angry; and angry at the last bour; and angry with his friend; and angry for what deferv'd acknowledgment; angry, for a right, and tender inftance of true friendship towards him. Is not this furprizing? What could be the caufe? The caufe was for his bonour R 2: it. |
