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IMMORTALITY

OF THE

SOUL.

35

(1) THE ingenuity of Scepticism has been long admired, but here the author boldly out- does all his former out-doings. Much has been faid against the authenticity of religion, on the supposition that the evidence to which fhe appeals, is not either fufficiently general or intelligible to the bulk of mankind. But furely an argument is not conclufive in one cafe, and inconclufive in another. Admit this reafoning against revelation to be valid, and yoù must also admit it against our author's hypothefis. There never at least was an objection started that could, in the remoteft degree, affect the truths of the gofpel, more intricate, metaphyfical, and abstracted, than that by which our effsayift would destroy the popular doctrine of the foul's immortality. How many live and die in this falutary conviction, to whom thefe refined fpeculations must for ever remain as unintelligible as if they had never been formed! It is a fentiment fo congenial to the heart of man, that few of the fpecies would chufe to exift without it. Unable, as they are, to account for its origin, they cordially and univerfally indulge it, as one of their tendereft, beft, and laft feelings. It inhabits alike the rudest and most polished minds, and never leaves any human breaft, which is not either wholly engroffed by criminal pleasure,

deadened by selfish purfüits, or perverted by false reasoning. It governs with all the ardor and influence of infpiration, and never meets with any oppofition but from the weak, the worthlefs, or the wife above what is written. All the world have uniformly confidered it as their last resource in every extremity, and for the moft part ftill regard and cherish the belief of it, as an afy. lum in which their beft interefts are ultimately fecured or depofited, beyond the reach of all temporary disaster or misfortune. Where therefore, is the probability of exterminating fo popular and prevailing a notion, by a concatenation of ideas, which, perhaps, not one out of a million in any country under Heaven is able to trace or comprehend ?

(2) The natural perceptions of pleasure or pain cannot be faid to act on the mind as one part of matter does on another. The fubftance of the foul we do not know, but are certain her ideas must be immaterial. And these cannot poffibly act either by contact or impulfe. When one body impels another, the body moved is affected only by the impulfe: But the mind, whenever roufed by any pleafing or painful fenfation, in moft cafes looks round her, and deliberates whether a change of ftate is proper, or the present more eligible; and moves or refts accordingly. Her perceptions, therefore, contribute no further to action, than by exciting her active powers. On the contrary, matter is blindly and obftinately in that state in which it is, whether of motion or reft, till changed by fome other adequate caufe. Suppose we reft the ftate of any body, fome external force is requifite to put it in motion; and, in proportion as this force is great or fmall, the motion must be fwift or flow. Did not this body continue in its former ftate, no external force would be requifite to change it; nor, when changed, would different degrees

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of force be neceffary to move it in different degrees of velocity. When motion is impreffed on any body, to bring it to reft, an extra-force muft always be applied, in proportion to the intended effect. This refistance is obfervable in bodies both when moved in particular directions and to bear an exact proportion to the vis impreffa, and to the quantity of matter moved. Were it poffible to extract from matter the qualities of folidity and extenfion, the matter whence fuch qualities were extracted would no longer refift; and confequently refiftance is the neceffary refult of them, which, therefore, in all directions must be the fame. The degree of refiftance in any body being proportionate to the vis impressa, it follows, when that body is confidered in any particular ftate, whether of motion or reft, the degrees of refiftance must either indefinitely multiply or decrease, adcording to all poffible degrees of the moving force. But when the fame body is confidered abfolutely, or without fixing any particular ftate, the refiftance is immutable; and all the degrees of it, which that body would exert upon the acceflion of any impreffed force, muft be conceived as actually in it. Nor can matter have any tendency contrary to that refiftance, otherwise it must be equal or fuperior. If equal, the two contrary tendencies would deftroy each other. If fuperior, the resistance would be deftroyed. Thus change would eternally fucceed to change without one intermediate inftant, fo that no time would be affigned when any body was in any particular ftate. Gravitation itself, the moft fimple and univerfal law, feems far from being a tendency natural to matter; fince it is found to act internally, and not in proportion to the fuperficies of any body; which it would not do, if it were only the mechanical action of matter upon matter. From all this, it appears, that matter confidered merely as fuch, is fo far from having

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a principle of fpontaneous motion, that it is stubbornly inactive, and muft eternally remain in the fame ftate in which it happens to be, except influenced by fome other

that is, fome immaterial power. Of fuch a power the human foul is evidently poffeffed; for every one is conscious of an internal activity, and to dispute this would be to difpute us out of one of the most real and intimate perceptions we have.

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Though a material automaton were allowed poffible, how infinitely would it fall fhort of that force and celerity which every one feels in himself. How fluggish are all the movements which fall under our observation. How flow and gradual their tranfitions from one part of fpace to another. But the mind, by one inftantaneous effort, measures the diftance from pole to pole, from heaven to earth, from one fixed ftar to another; and not confined within the limits of the vifible creation, shoots into immenfity with a rapidity to which even that of lightning, or fun-beams, is no comparison. Who then fhall affign a period to the mind which, though depreffed with so much dead weight, is ever active, and unconfcious of fatigue or relaxation? The mind is not only herself a principle of action, but probably actuates the body, without the affiftance of any intermediate power, both from the gradual command which the acquires of its members by habit, and from a capacity of determining, in fome meafure, the quantity of pleasure or pain which any fenfible perception can give her. Suppofing the interpofing power a fpirit, the fame difficulty of fpirit acting upon matter ftill remains. And the volition of our own mind will as well account for the motion of the body, as the formal interference of any other fpiritual fubftance. And we may as well afk, why the mind is not confcious of that interpofition, as why she

is ignorant of the means by which fhe communicates motion to the body."

(3) It is always bad reasoning to draw conclufions from the premises not denied by your adverfary. Whoever, yet, of all the affertors of the foul's immortality, prefumed to make a monopoly of this great privilege to the human race? Who can tell what another ftate of existence may be, or whether every other species of animals may not poffefs principles as immortal as the mind of man? But that mode of reasoning, which mi litates against all our convictions, folely on account of the unavoidable ignorance to which our sphere in the universe subjects us, can never be fatisfactory. Reason, it is true, cannot altogether folve every doubt which arifes concerning this important truth. But neither is there any other truth, of any denomination whatever, against which fophiftry may not conjure up a multitude. of exceptions. We know no mode of existence but those of matter and fpirit, neither of which has uniformly and fuccessfully defied the extreme fubtilty of argumenta. tion. Still a very great majority of mankind are staunch believers in both. So well conftituted is the present difpofition of things, that all the principles effential to human life and happiness continue, as it is likely they ever will, to operate, in fpite of every fort of clamor which fophiftry or fcepticism has raised or can raise against them..

(4) There is not a fingle word in all this elaborate and tedious deduction, which has not been urged and refuted five hundred times. Our ignorance of the divine perfections, as is ufual with this writer, is here stated as an unanswerable exception to the conclufion ufually drawn from them. But he very artfully overlooks, that this great ignorance will be equally conclufive as applied o either fide of the argument. When we compare,

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