will be destroyed, by the change which takes place at the moment of his dissolution. That change, however great and interesting to the individual, may be not more wonderful, nor more mysterious than the changes which take place in the different states of existence to which a caterpillar is destined. This animal, as already stated, is first an egg, and how different does its form appear when it comes forth a crawling worm? After living some time in the caterpillar state, it begins to languish, and apparently dies; it is incased in a tomb, and appears devoid of life and enjoyment. After a certain period it acquires new life and vigour, burst its confinement, appears in a more glorious form, mounts upward on expanded wings, and traverses the regions of the air. And, is it not reasonable, from analogy, to believe, that man, in his present state, is only the rudiments of what he shall be hereafter in a more expansive sphere of existence? and that, when the body is dissolved in death, the soul takes its ethereal flight into a celestial region, puts on immortality, and be comes "all eye, all ear, all ethereal and divine feeling?"

Since, then, it appears that annihilation forms no part of the plan of the Creator in the material world, is it reasonable to suppose, that a system of annihilation is in incessant operation in the world of mind? that God is every day creating thousands of minds, endued with the most capacious powers, and, at the same time, reducing to eternal destruction thousands of those which he had formerly created? Shall the material universe exist amidst all its variety of changes, and shall that noble creature, for whose sake the universe was created, be cut off for ever in the infancy of its being, and doomed to eternal forgetful ness? Is it consistent with the common dictates of reason to admit, that matter shall have a longer duration than mind, which gives motion and beauty to every material scene? Shall the noble structures of St. Paul and St. Peter survive the ravages of time, and display their beautiful proportions to successive generations, while Wren and Angelo, the architects that planned them, are reduced to the condition of the clods of the valley? Shall the "Novum Organum" of Bacon, and the "Optics" and "Principia" of Newton, descend to future ages, to unfold their sublime conceptions, while the illustrious minds which gave birth to these productions, are enveloped in the darkness of eternal night? There appears a palpable absurdity and inconsistency in admitting such conclusions. We might almost as soon believe that the universe would continue in its present harmony and order, were its Creator ceasing to exist. "Suppose that the Deity, through all the lapse of past ages, has supported the universe by such miracles of power and wisdom as have already been displayed merely that he might please himself with letting

it fall to pieces, and enjoy the spectacle of the fabric lying in ruins "-would such a design be worthy of infinite Wisdom, or conformable to the ideas we ought to entertain of a Being eternal and immutable in his nature, and possessed of boundless perfection? But suppose, farther, that he will annihilate that rational nature for whose sake he created the universe, while the material fabric was still permitted to remain in existence, would it not appear still more incompatible with the attributes of a Being of unbounded goodness and intelligence? To blot out from existence the rational part of his creation, and to cherish desolation and a heap of rubbish, is such an act of inconsistency, that the mind shrinks back with horror at the thought of attri buting it to the All-Wise and Benevolent Creator.

We are, therefore, necessarily led to the following conclusion: "That, when the human body is dissolved, the immaterial principle by which it was animated, continues to think and act, either in a state of separation from all body, or in some material vehicle to which it is intimately united, and which goes off with it at death; or else, that it is preserved by the Father of spirits for the purpose of animating a body in some future state." The soul contains no principle of disolution within itself, since it is an immaterial uncompounded substance; and, there fore, although the material creation were to be dissolved and to fall into ruins, its energies might still remain unimpaired, and its faculties "flourish in immortal youth,

"Unhurt, amidst the war of elements, The wrecks of matter and the crush of worlds." And the Creator is under no necessity to annihilate the soul for want of power to support its faculties, for want of objects on which to exercise them, or for want of space to contain the innumerable intelligences that are incessantly emerging into existence; for the range of im mensity is the theatre of his Omnipotence, and that powerful Energy, which has already brought millions of systems into existence, can as easily replenish the universe with ten thousand millions more. If room were wanted for new creations, ten thousand additional worlds could be comprised within the limits of the solar system, while a void space of more than a hundred and eighty thousand miles would still intervene between the orbits of the respective globes; and the immeasurable spaces which intervene between our planetary system and the nearest stars, would afford an ample range for the revolutions of millions of worlds. And, therefore, although every soul, on quitting its mortal frame, were clothed with a new material vehicle, there is ample scope in the spaces of the universe, and in the omnipotent energies of the Creator, for the full exercise of all its powers, and for every enjoy

ment requisite to its happiness. So that in every point of view in which we can contemplate the soul of man and the perfections of its Creator, it appears not only improbable, but even absurd in the highest degree, to suppose that the spark of intelligence in man will ever be extinguished.

SECTION XI.

ON THE GLOOMY CONSIDERATIONS AND ABSURD CONSEQUENCES INVOLVED IN THE DENIAL OF A FUTURE STATE.

The denial of the doctrine of a future state involves in it an immense variety of gloomy considerations and absurd consequences.

If the doctrine of a future existence be set aside, man appears an enigma, a rude abortion, and a monster in nature, his structure is inexplicable, and the end for which he was created an unfathomable mystery; the moral world is a scene of confusion, the ways of Providence a dark impenetrable maze, the universe a vast, mysterious, and inexplicable system, and the Deity a Being whose perfections and purposes can never be traced nor unfolded.

Let us suppose, for a few moments, that there is no state of existence beyond the grave, and consequently, that the supposed discoveries of Revelation are a mere delusion; and consider some of the gloomy prospects and absurd consequences to which such a supposition necessarily leads. I shall suppose myself standing in an attitude of serious contemplation, and of anxious inquiry respecting the various scenes and objects which surround me, and the events that pass under my review :

I first of all look into myself, and inquire, whence I came? whither I am going? who pro duced me? of what my body is composed? what is the nature of my senses? of the thinking principle I feel within me? and for what purpose was I ushered into being? I perceive in my body a wonderful mechanism which I cannot comprehend: I find by experience, that my will exercises a sovereign power over my muscular system, so that my hands, feet, arms, and limbs, are disposed to obey every impulse, and, at the signal of a wish, to transport my body from one place to another. I find my thinking principle intimately connected with my corporeal frame, and both acting reciprocally on each other; but I cannot fathom the manner in which these operations are effected. I feel ardent desires after enjoyments in which I never shall participate, and capacities for knowledge and improvement which I never can attain. I feel restless and uneasy, even amidst the beauties of nature, and the pleasures of the senses. I ask whence proceeds the

want I feel amidst all my enjoyments? Wherefore can I never cease from wishing for something in addition to what I now possess? Whence arises the disgust that so quickly succeeds every sensitive enjoyment, and the want I feel even in the midst of abundance? I ask why I was called into existence at this point of duration, rather than at any other period of that incomprehensible eternity which is past, or of that which is yet to come? why, amidst the vast spaces with which I am encompassed, and the innumerable globen which surround me, I was chained down to this obscure corner of creation from which I feel unable to transport myself? why I was ushered into life in Britain, and not in Papua or New Zealand? and why I was formed to walk erect and not prone, as the inferior animals? To all such inquiries I can find no satisfactory answers, -the whole train of circumstances connected with my existence appears involved in impenetrable darkness and mystery. Of one thing only I am fully assured, that my body shall, ere long, be dissolved and mingle with the dust, and my intellectual faculties, desires, and capacities for knowledge be for ever annihilated in the tomb. I shall then be reduced to nothing, and be as though I never had been, while myriads of beings, like myself, shall start into existence, and perish in like manner, in perpetual succession, throughout an eternity to come.

I look backward through ages past-I behold every thing wrapped in obscurity, and perceive no traces of a beginning to the vast system around me,-I stretch forward towards futurity, and perceive no prospect of an end. All things appear to continue as they were from generation to generation, invariably subjected to the same movements, revolutions, and changes, without any distinct marks which indicate either a beginning or an end.-I look around on the scene of terrestrial nature-I perceive many beauties in the verdant landscape, and many objects the mechanism of which is extremely delicate and admirable-I inhale the balmy zephyrs, am charmed with the music of the groves, the splendour of the sun, and the variegated colouring spread over the face of creation. But I behold other scenes, which inspire melancholy and terThe tempest, the hurricane and the tornado; the sirocco, the samiel and other poisonous winds of the desert; the appalling thundercloud, the forked lightnings, the earthquake shaking kingdoms, and the volcano pouring fiery streams around its base, which desolate villages and cities in their course.-I behold in one place a confused assemblage of the ruins of nature in the form of snow-capped mountains, precipices, chasms and caverns; in another, extensive marshes and immense deserts of barren sand; and, in another, a large proportion of the globe a scene of sterile desclation, and bound in the fetters of eternal ice. I know not

ror.

what opinion to form of a world where so many beauties are blended with so much deformity, and so many pleasures mingled with so many sorrows and scenes of terror, or what ideas to entertain of Him who formed it. But I need give myself no trouble in inquiring into such subjects; for my time on earth is short and uncertain, and when I sink into the arms of death, I shall have no more connexion with the uni

verse.

I take a retrospective view of the moral world in past ages, in so far as authentic history serves as a guide, and perceive little else but anarchy, desolation and carnage the strong oppressing the weak, the powerful and wealthy trampling under foot the poor and indigent-plunderers, robbers, and murderers, ravaging kingdoms, and drenching the earth with human gore. I behold the virtuous and innocent persecuted, robbed and massacred, while bloody tyrants and oppressors roll in their splendid chariots, and revel amidst the luxuries of a palace. In such scenes I perceive nothing like regularity or order, nor any traces of justice or equity in the several allotments of mankind; for since their whole exist ence terminates in the grave, the virtuous sufferer can never be rewarded, nor the unrighteous despot suffer the punishment due to his crimes. The great mass of human beings appear to be the sport of circumstances, the victims of oppression, and the dupes of knavery and ambition, and the moral world at large an assemblage of discordant elements tossed about like dust before the whirlwind. I hear virtue applauded, and vice denounced as odious and hateful. But what is virtue? A shadow, a phantom, an empty name! Why should I follow after virtue if she interrupts my pleasures, and why should I forsake vice if she points out the path to present enjoyment? It is my wisdom to enjoy life during the short period it continues; and if riches be conducive to my enjoyment of happiness, why should I fear to procure them either by deceit, perjury, or rapine? If sensual indulgence contribute to my pleasure, why should I refrain from drunkenness and debauchery, or any other action that suits my convenience or gratifies my passions, since present enjoyments are all I can calculate upon, and no retributions await me beyond the grave.

I feel myself subjected to a variety of sufferings, disappointments and sorrows-to poverty and reproach, loss of friends, corporeal pains and mental anguish. I am frequently tortured by the recollection of the past, the feeling of the present, and the dread of approaching sufferings. But I see no object to be attained, no end to be accomplished by my subjection to such afflictions: I suffer merely for the purpose of feeling pain, wasting my body and hastening its dissolution: I am sick only to languish under the burden of a feeble emaciated frame-perplexed and downcast

only to sink into deeper perplexities and sorrows; oppressed with cares and difficulties only to enter on a new scene of danger and suffering. No drop of comfort mingles itself with the bitter cup of sorrow: no affliction is sweetened and alleviated by the prospect of a better world; for the gloomy mansions of the grave bound my views and terminate all ray hopes and fears. How, then, can I be easy under my sufferings? how can I be cordially resigned to the destiny which appointed them? or how can I trace the benevolence of a superior Being in permitting me thus to be pained and tormented for no end? I will endeavour to bear them with resolute desperation, merely because I am borne down by necessity to pain and affliction, and cannot possibly

avoid them.

I lift my eyes to the regions above, and contemplate the splendours of the starry frame. What an immensity of suns, and systems and worlds burst upon my view, when I apply the telescope to the spaces of the firmament! How incalculable their number! how immeasurable their distance! how immense their magnitude! how glorious their splendour! how sublime their movements! When I attempt to grasp this stu pendous scene, my imagination is bewildered, and my faculties overpowered with wonder and amazement. I gaze, I ponder; I feel a longing desire to know something farther respecting the nature and destination of these distant orbs; but my vision is bounded to a general glimpse, my powers are limited, and when I would fly away to those distant regions, I find myself chained down, by an overpowering force, to the diminu tive ball on which I dwell. Wherefore, then, were the heavens so beautifully adorned, and so much magnificence displayed in their structure, and why were they ever presented to my view; since I am never to become farther acquainted with the scenes they unfold? Perhaps this is the last glance I shall take of the mighty concave, before my eyes have closed in endless light. "Wherefore was light given to him that is in misery,-to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?" Had I been enclosed in a gloomy dungeon my situation had been tolerable, but here I stand as in a splendid palace, without comfort and without hope, expecting death every moment to terminate my prospects; and when it arrives, the glories of the heavens to me will be annihilated for ever.

I behold science enlarging its boundaries, and the arts advancing towards perfection; I see numerous institutions organizing, and hear lectures on philosophy delivered for the improvement of mankind, and I am invited to take a part in those arrangements which are calculated to produce a general diffusion of knowledge among all ranks. But of what use is knowledge to beings who are soon to lose all consciousness of existence? It requires many weary steps and sleepless nights

implies this obvious absurdity-" that two straight lines may enclose a space." This mode of proving the truth of a proposition is considered by every geometrician, as equally tenclusive and satisfactory, as the direct method of demonstration; because the contrary of every falsehood must be truth, and the contrary of every truth, falsehood, And if this mode of demonstration is conclusive in mathematics, it ought to be considered as equally conclusive in moral and theological reasoning. If, for example, the denial of a future existence involves in it the idea that God is not a Being possessed of impartial justice, and of perfect wisdom and goodness-notwithstanding the striking displays of the two last-mentioned attributes in the system of nature-we must, I presume, either admit the doctrine of the immortality of man, or deny that a Supreme Intelligence presides over the affairs of the universe. For, a Being divested of these attributes, is not entitled to the name of Deity, nor calculated to inspire intellipent minds with adoration and love; but it is reduced to something like uncontrollable fate, or mere physical force, impelling the movements of universal nature without a plan, without discrimination, and without intelligence. On the same principle (the reductio ad absurdum,) we demonstrate the earth's annual revolution round the sun. The motions of the planets, as viewed from the earth, present an inexplicable maze contrary to every thing we should expect in a well arranged and orderly system. These bodies appear sometimes to move backwards, sometimes forwards, sometimes to remain stationary, and to describe looped curves, so anomalous or confused, that we cannot suppose an Infinite Intelligence the contriver of a system of such inextricable confusion. Hence the astronomer concludes, on good grounds, that the earth is a a moving body; and no one thoroughly acquainted with the subject ever calls it in question: for when our globe is considered as revolving round the centre of the system in concert with the other planetary orbs, all the apparent irregularities in their motions are completely accounted for, and the whole system appears reduced to a beautiful and harmonious order, in accordance with every idea we ought to form of the wisdom and intelligence of its author.

In the same way, the admission of the doctrine of a future state accounts for the apparent irregularities of the moral world, and affords a key for a solution of all the difficulties that may arise in the mind respecting the equity of the Divine administration in the present state. In apposition to the desponding reflections and gloomy views of the sceptic, it inspires the virtuous mind with a lively hope, and throws a glorious radiance over the scenes of creation, and over every part of the government of the

Almighty. It exhibits the Self-existent and

Eternal Mind as an object of ineffable sublimity, grandeur, and loveliness, invested with unerring wisdom, impartial justice, and boundless benevolence, presiding over an endless train of intelligent minds formed after his image, governing them with just and equitable laws, controlling all things by an almighty and unerring hand, and rendering all his dispensations ultimately conducive to the happiness of the moral universe. It presents before us an unbounded scene, in which we may hope to contemplate the scheme of Providence in all its objects and bearings, where the glories of the divine perfections will be illustriously displayed, where the powers of the human mind will be perpetually expanding, and new objects of sublimity and beauty incessantly rising to the view, in boundless perspective, world without end. It dispels the clouds that hang over the present and future destiny of man, and fully accounts for those longing looks into futurity which accompany us at every turn, and those capacious powers of intellect, which cannot be fully exerted in the present life. It presents the most powerful motives to a life of virtue, to the performance of beneficent and heroic actions, to the prosecution of substantial science, and to the diffusion of useful knowledge among all ranks of mankind. It affords the strongest consolation and support, amidst the trials of life, and explains the reasons of those sufferings to which we are here exposed, as being incentives to the exercise of virtue, and as "working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." It affords us ground to hope that the veil which now intercepts our view of the distant regions of creation, will be withdrawn, and that the amazing structure of the universe, in all its sublime proportions and beautiful arrangements, will be more clearly unfolded to our view. It dispels the terrors which naturally surround the messenger of death, and throws a radiance over the mansions of the tomb. It cheers the gloomy vale of death, and transforms it into a passage which leads to a world of perfection and happiness, where moral evil shall be for ever abolished, where intellectual light shall beam with effulgence on the enraptured spirit, and where celestial virtue, now so frequently persecuted and contemned, shall be enthroned in undisturbed and eternal empire.

Since, then, it appears, that the denial of a future state involves in it so many difficulties, absurd consequences and blasphemous assumptions, and the admission of this doctrine throws a light over the darkness that broods over the moral world, presents a clue to unravel the mazes of the divine dispensations, and solves every difficulty in relation to the present condition of the human race-the pretended philosopher who rejects this important truth must be considered as acting in direct opposition to those