Man, feeble and shortlived as he appears on earth, is destined by his Maker to live for ever— that ages hence, when we and our remotest posterity shall have been long forgotten on earthand countless ages yet beyond, when this Earth itself, and perhaps a long succession of other worlds, shall have come to an end-we shall still be living; still sensible of pleasure or pain, to a greater degree perhaps than our present nature admits of, and still having no shorter space of existence before us than at first-these are thoughts which overwhelm the imagination the more, the longer it dwells upon them. The understanding cannot adequately embrace the truths it is compelled to acknowledge and when, after intently gazing for some time on this vast prospect, we turn aside to contemplate the various courses of earthly events and transactions, which seem like rivulets trickling into the boundless ocean of eternity, we are struck with a sense of the infinite insignificance of all the objects around us that have a reference to our present state alone; while every the most minute circumstance, that may concern the future life, like a seed from which some mighty tree is

to spring, rises into immeasurable importance, as the awful reflection occurs that perhaps something which is taking place at this very moment may contribute to fix our final destiny. There is no one truth, in short, the conviction of which tends to produce so total a change in our estimate of all things.

The powerful influence which such a belief is likely to have on the conduct of those who keep it habitually before them, is too obvious to need being insisted on: but it may be interesting, and not unprofitable, to inquire, by whom a doctrine thus sublime in contemplation, thus important in practice, was first proposed to us; by whom "life and immortality were brought to light:" proposed, I mean, not as a matter of curious speculation, and interesting conjecture, but of general, and well-grounded, and practical belief; brought to light, not as an ingenious and pleasing theory, but as an established truth; displayed to us, not as a wandering meteor that serves but to astonish and amuse us, but as the great luminary which is destined to brighten our prospect, and to direct our steps.

Now, that "Jesus. Christ brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel," and that, in the most literal sense, which implies that the revelation of this doctrine is peculiar to his Gospel, seems to be at least the most obvious meaning of the Scriptures of the New Testament. The doctrine in question, which occupies a very prominent place in the preaching of the Apostles, appears in general to be taught by them not as one already well established, resting on sufficient evidence, and which they had only to acknowledge and confirm, but as a part of the revelation which they were commissioned to communicate.

That infidels who admit the doctrine should reject this account of its establishment, is at least consistent; but there are not a few among Christians who seem to regard it as a truth, not only discoverable, but actually discovered, by unassisted human reason; and who have maintained, that though debased and perverted in form by ignorant superstition, it has been in substance fully and generally admitted, in almost all ages and countries. And there have been others, who, though not going the length

of making this knowledge a part of natural religion, and ascribing it to the Pagan nations of antiquity, have yet insisted that it is a part of the revelation given through Moses to the Israelites.

§ 2. In favour of the first of these opinions, it is often pleaded, in addition to the direct arguments drawn from the Pagan writers, that to deny the power of reason to establish this truth, is to weaken the foundation of natural religion, and to diminish the support it affords to Christianity: it is even contended by one writer of no small repute, that "the natural revolutions and resurrections of other creatures render the resurrection of the body highly probable. The day dies into a night, and is buried in silence and in darkness; in the next morning it appeareth again and reviveth, opening the grave of darkness, rising from the dead of night; this is a diurnal resurrection. As the day dies into night, so doth the summer into winter;" &c. &c. &c. In favour of the latter also of the above-mentioned opinions, it has been urged, that to acknowledge no revelation of a future state

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in the law of Moses, is "derogatory to God's honour, injurious to the Mosaic dispensation, a very erroneous and dangerous doctrine," &c. &c. and this in a discourse on the very text which asserts that "Jesus Christ brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel!" To reconcile this passage with such opinions, (which a Christian who entertains them is evidently bound to do,) has been attempted in a manner which may fairly be designated explaining away those words of the Apostle; and indeed not those words only, but the general tenor of the whole of the preaching of the Apostles, as far as relates to the point in question; so as to lay them open to the censure of giving an overcharged representation of the Gospel scheme, when they characterize it as "bringing life and immortality to light."

I shall not, however, at present dwell on this inconsistency; because as long as the notion remains unrefuted, that the doctrine of a future immortality could be known, and was known, independently of the Gospel, any arguments which go to prove that the first preachers of Christianity professed to exhibit the first revelation