and form Conceptions having no alliance to Matter? Muft not that Man be a very Bruit who imagines that the Faculty whereby we apprehend that there is a God, difpute of a Spiritual Eternal Effence, and of its Infinite Properties and Perfections, of Angels alfo, and feparate Human Souls, differs nothing but in a various modification of Parts, in a more exalted degree of Vital Heat and rarefaction of our Blood and Animal Spirits, from the Powers and Faculties of Irrational Beafts?

3. God who made us has implanted feveral things in our Nature, which have an evident tendency and relation to another Life, and which render us as capable of an after-Account and Recompence as 'tis poffible we should be rendered capable.

For first, as concerning the things bearing a manifeft refpect to another Life, the Defire in all Men of living in fome one part of them without end, and of having their Beings commenfurate to Eternity, is, I fuppofe, of this nature; as is alfo the natural vehement Abhorrence which is in us, to a State of Annihilation, which Defire of Immortality and strong Averfion to its contrary, evidenceth it felf by a great folicitude and carefulness in us, extending to what fhall happen after our Deceafe, and putting us upon Projecting for the future prefervation of our Names and Creditable Memories, by our Building Stately Houfes, Atchieving Noble Exploits, Writing Learned Books, Procreating of Off-fprings to keep up our Families, and the like; now this Anxious concerning our felves with what fhall befall us after our Death feems to me no obfcure Prefage or Indication that we die not wholly when we depart hence, but

looks

looks as if it would fome way or other appertain to us hereafter, what fhall be done to the things once belonging to us, or at leaft as if we furviving in another State fhould be pleafed therein with the recollection that we left all things well behind us here; for in vain is the Defire of pofthumous Memory and after-Exiftence inferted into our Nature, if there be not another Life to gratify that Defire, and anfwer thofe Expectations; but God creating and enduing his Creatures with no Appetites in vain, thefe our Defires confequently and Hopes of Immortality, undoubtedly have their proper Objects of Gratification really exifting.

Another thing in the very frame of our Minds having refpect to an after-State, is the Law of Nature originally written in our Hearts; by which we have diftinct and clear Notions of certain Moral Differences of things Effential to their Nature, whereby we conceive them good or bad, not only upon a Natural Account, but alfo upon an higher, viz. a Religious one; which Sentiments of the eternally Moral difference and distinguishableness of Actions into virtuous or vicious ones, we find no other Creature befides Man endowed with, and vet by his having fuch a Rule of his Performances, we cannot but conceive him obliged to govern himfelf according to it, and accountable whether he does fo or no: now to what end fhould Man he either obliged to obferve this Rule, or to render an Account of his having or not having obferved this Law of his Mind, were he defigned an Inhabirant of this World only? The Morality of Human Actions imprinted on our Souls, feems to me to bear a reference to fomewhat more than the things

of

of this Natural Life, and strongly to infer another more Spiritual one.

Moreover Man being a Creature endow'd with freedom of Choice, whereby to act agreeably or difagreeably to the aforefaid Law of Nature, or the diftinguishing Notions of Moral Good and Evil inferted into his very Frame, is by this his liberty of Will made yet more refpecting and capable of a future State of Divine Reckoning with him; inafmuch as his free power of felf-determination in the choice of this or that Moral Object renders all his Actions properly his own, either Virtuous or Vicious, either Rewardable or Punishable; and confequently a free Agent's Actions, (as is Man) being his own proper Actions, are to him alone imputable, and bind him over to the anfwering for them either in this World or in the other: But it often happening that vicious Actions go unpunish'd, unaccounted for in this Life, therefore there must be another for them to be accounted for in, as I proved in my firft Argument drawn from a Confideration of the Divine Attributes.

Furthermore, the apparent Strife and Combate of Reafon against the Corporeal Appetites in Man, (which even Ariftotle, and other Natural Philofophers, as well as St. Paul, have plainly acknowledged) affords a manifeft Evidence that their Natures differ wholly and abfolutely, for fince there is no Shadow of fuch Conteft and Reluctancy in Brutes, which follow the Conduct of their Senfuality without any reftraining Principle or inward Check of Mind, and that the fame is found in the moft diffolute Men, in whom the Powers and Faculties of Reafon, if they fubdue not Mens inordinate Paffions and Affections, yet they will caufe

the

the Indulgers of them to Condemn and give Verdict against themselves on the account of their Indulgence; it hence follows, that this conflicting Faculty, Human Understanding, which Wars against the fenfitive Inclination, must be of a quite different Nature from Senfe and Matter, muft derive its Original from fomething that is naturally deftitute of Senfuality, and confequently which is not Corporeal, even from a Spiritual Subftance: For were a Man all of one piece, and made up of nothing else but Matter, thefe Bodily Senfual Motions would never check or controul themselves; but if Reafon and they proceeded from the fame Material Principle they would amicably accord and agree, not ftruggle with one another, or by their own ftrength endeavour to bring the one into fubjection to the other; the Principles therefore of thefe mutual Conflicts are naturally different, as different as Flesh and Spirit, and that makes their Struggles and Tendencies different, things of the fame Nature ufing to agree and unite together; and if any Man can conceive thefe Conflicts between Reafon and the fenfitive Appetite to be nothing but a meer fighting of the malecontented pieces of Matter one against another, each striving for Superiority and Preheminence, I fhould not think it worth my while to argue with fuch a Perfon, as looking upon him to be endued with no higher a Soul than that which moves in Beafts and Plants, or that he made no higher ufe of his than they do of theirs, as it fhould feern by his low and mean Conceptions concerning his own Spiritual Powers and Operations.

Befides, 'tis farther provable that there is a Life after this, or that the Soul of Man is immortal,

in that it would reflect a Difparagement on God's Goodness and Wifdom, as well as on his Juftice. and Equity, for him to have made Man, the nobleft part of his vifible Creation, in his own Image, with a rational Soul, with liberty of Will, with an Univerfal Empire and Dominion over all things here below, with a capacious Memory, and unbounded flight of Thought and Invention, with a kind of infinity of Defire, and an inbred longing after a future State; in vain, I fay, has God made Man fuch an Excellent Creature, confidering there are feveral of a much inferior Rank, (fuch as Crows, Daws, Ravens, and Eagles) which far furpafs Man in continuance here on Earth, in vain, was he created were he a Being of this Life only, were he to take a Walk of a few Years only on the Surface and Stage of this World, and then to ceafe his Existence, and were there no after-Condition to fuit thofe his Defires of Immortality, to correfpond unto and fatisfy thofe his longing Expectations of future Blifs and Glory.

But further yet, the troublefome rebukes of Confcience and fearful forebodings of after Punishments, which the generality, it not all Wicked Men, much against their Wills, are more or lefs poffeffed with upon the commiffion of any wilful and heinous Crime, does evidently appear an Inftinct or natural Anticipation in Mankind, directly respecting a future State, and moft powerfully inferring its Existence.

For altho' we fuppofe the Sin which occafioned this Terror of Mind to have been committed in fecret, fo that no Punishment from any one on Earth could be fufpected to arife therefrom; altho' likewife we fuppofe the Perfon offending to have

been