Thought, and it seems impoffible for us to reafon ourselves into the Belief of it; if it be at all to be submitted to, it must be, by fufpending our Reason, and indulging a brutish Stupidity. At the fame time, when we look beyond this Life, we encounter nothing but an Abyss of Darkness; whilst we hope and believe, that, that Part of us, which in the Body thinks and defires in fo noble and extensive a manner, will continue to think and defire, when feparated from the Body, more extenfively and freely; yet the prefent Laws of our Being render it impoffible for us to form any Conception of the Manner in which it will act, or be acted upon, in that State. All, at prefent, is perform'd by the Mediation of the Body, and in compliance with its Organization: What the State of the Soul will be, when 'tis uncloath'd, nothing but our Own own Experience can inform us. We cannot but conclude, that the Inequalities of this Life will be rectify'd in the next; that the future Scene of Things will be fo adjusted, that the Divine Wisdom, and Goodness, and Justice shall be apparent to all; but our Reason is unable to carry us on to any further Particulars. Now if there are any Writings in the World that can confirm to us these our Forebodings of Eternity; that can insure thefe important Conjectures and Expectations beyond the Poffibility of Doubt or Scruple; if there was a Perfon fent from Heaven to instruct Mankind in heavenly Things, the very Perfon who is appointed of God to be Judge of Quick and Dead, the Author and Giver of Life, who is himself to difpenfe the Rewards and Punishments of our future State; if this very Perfon has, in the most express and determinate manner, manner, declared to us the Conditions of our Salvation; if he has before-hand exhibited to us the very Articles of Examination, he will proceed by, in the great Day of Retribution; if he has represented the Circumstances of our future State, both of the Good and Wicked, under the strongest and most affecting Figures, the only Language we are capable of understanding in this Cafe; if he has approved himself to be this extraordinary Perfon, not only by his Words or Doctrine, but alfo by extraordinary Works, particularly his Resurrection; I fay, if fuch Perfon has appeared in the World, in fuch manner, and given us fuch Instructions and Affurances, then the Obligations we are under to fearch those Writings, in which these Things are contained, are very apparent. Thefe are the Things we are most highly concern'd in, the Things in which the World World wanted most to be inftructed, and confequently the Things which demand our best Diligence, as well as Attention. The Account we have in the Alts of the Apostles, xix. 19. of a great Number of Curious Books which were burnt before all Men, by those who had received the Gofpel, is very natural, it was a proper Testimony of the fuperior Value they fet on its marvellous Light and Inftruction. We who are bred up, from our Infancy, in a Familiarity with the Inftructions of the Gospel, who imbibe them together with our ordinary Notions, and fo have no Opportunity of proving the Strength of our Natural Reason, upon thofe Subjects which we are before inftructed in from Revelation, we wanton in the Light, we confider not its Glory, neither can we eafily conceive the Advantages of it, having never known its Want. Could we place ourselves under those Circumstances of Ignorance in which the Jews and Heathens were involved, before the Manifestation of the Gofpel; could we feel their Doubts, and Fears, and Mifgivings, before we were made acquainted with the good News and glad Tidings brought us by Chrift, they must appear to us in quite another Light from what they now do; our Value and Efteem, our Thankfulness and Application must be greatly rais'd. But notwithstanding this, as things now are, Eternal Life is fuch a Motive, as all others must give place to, and retreat before; our familiar ufe of the Words cannot destroy the Importance of the Idea. This prefent Life, with all its Glories, is a mere Blank in comparison of it; it appears to the first View, the one Thing needful. And unless we are obftinately refolv'd to act at ran dom, |