FEW ages have been deeper in dispute about religion, than this. The dispute about religion, and the practice of it, seldom go toge­ther. The shorter, therefore, the dispute, the better. I think it may be reduced to this single question, Is Man Immortal, or is he not? If he is not, all our disputes are mere amusements, or trials of skill. In this case, Truth, Reason, Religion, which give our Discourses such pomp and solemnity, are (as will be shewn) mere empty sounds, without any meaning in them. But if man is immortal, it will be­ho [...] him to be very serious about eternal consequences; or, in other Words, to be truly religious. And this great fundamental truth, unestablished, or unawaken'd in the minds of men, is, I conceive, the real source and support of all our infidelity; how remote soever the particular objections advanced may seem to be from it.

Sensible appearances affect most men much more than abstract reasonings; and we daily see bodies drop around us, but the soul is invisible. The power which inclination has over the judgment, is greater than can be well conceived by those that have not had an experience of it; and of what numbers is it the sad interest, that soul should not survive! The heathen world confessed, that they rather hoped, than firmly believed immortality! and how many heathens have we still amongst us! The sacred page assures us, that life and immortality is brought to light by the gospel: But by how many is the gospel rejected, or overlooked! From these considerations, and from my being, accidentally, privy to the sentiments of some particular persons, I have been long persuaded, that most, if not all, our infidels (whatever name they take, and whatever scheme, for argument's sake, and to keep themselves in countenance, they patronize) are support­ed in their deplorable error, by some doubt of their immortality, a [...] the bottom. And I am satisfied, that men once thoroughly convinced of their immortality, are not far from being Christians. For it is hard to conceive, that a man fully conscious eternal pain or happi­ness will certainly be his lot, should not earnestly, and impartially, inquire after the surest means of escaping one, and securing the other. And of such an earnest and impartial inquiry, I well know the con­sequence.

[Page] Here, therefore, in proof of this most fundamental truth, some plain arguments are offered; arguments derived from principles which infidels admit in common with believers; arguments, which appear to me altogether irresistible; and such as, I am satisfied, will have great weight with all, who give themselves the small trouble of looking seriously into their own bosoms, and of observing, with any tolerable degree of attention, what daily passes round about them in the world. If some arguments shall, Here, occur, which others have declined, they are submitted, with all deference, to better judgments in this, of all points, the most important. For, as to the being of a God, that is no longer disputed; but it is undisputed for this reason only, viz. Because where the least pretence to reason is admitted, it must for ever be indisputable. And of consequence no man can be betrayed into a dispute of that nature by vanity; which has a prin­cipal share in animating our modern combatants against other articles of our belief.

AS we are at war with the power, it were well if we were at war with the manners, of France. A land of levity, is a land of guilt. A serious mind is the native soil of every virtue; and the single charac­ter that does true honor to mankind. The soul's immortality has been the favourite theme with the serious of all ages. Nor is it strange; it is a subject by far the most interesting, and important, that can enter the mind of man. Of highest moment this subject always was, and always will be. Yet this its highest moment seems to admit of increase, at this day; a sort of occasional importance is superadded to the natural weight of it; if that opinion which is ad­vanced in the Preface to the preceding Night, be just. It is there supposed, that all our infidels, whatever scheme, for argument's sake, and to keep themselves in countenance, they patronize, are betray'd into their deplorable error, by some doubt of their immortality, at the bottom. And the more I consider this point, the more I am per­suaded of the truth of that opinion. Tho' the distrust of a futurity is a strange error; yet it is an error into which bad men may naturally be distressed. For it is impossible to bid defiance to final ruin, with­out some refuge in imagination, some presumption of escape. And what presumption is there? There are but two in nature; but two, within the compass of human thought. And these are,—That either God will not, or can not punish. Considering the divine attributes, the first is too gross to be digested by our strongest wishes. And since omnipotence is as much a divine attribute as holiness, that God cannot punish, is as absurd a supposition, as the former. God cer­tainly can punish, as long as the wicked man exists. In non-existence, therefore, is their only refuge; and, consequently, non-existence is their strongest wish. And strong wishes have a strange influence on our opinions; they bias the judgment in a manner, almost, incredi­ble. And since on this member of their alternative, there are some very small appearances in their favour, and none at all on the other, they catch at this reed, they lay hold on this chimaera, to save them­selves from the shock, and horror, of an immediate, and absolute, despair.

[Page] On reviewing my subject, by the light which this argument, and others of like tendency, threw upon it, I was more inclin'd than ever, to pursue it; as it appeared to me to strike directly at the main root of all our infidelity. In the following pages, it is, accordingly, pur­sued at large; and some arguments for immortality, new (at least, to me,) are ventured on in them. There also the writer has made an attempt to set the gross absurdities and horrors of annihilation in a fuller and more affecting view, than is (I think) to be met with else­where.

The gentlemen, for whose sake this attempt was chiefly made, profess great admiration for the wisdom of heathen antiquity: What pity 'tis, they are not sincere! If they were sincere, how would it mortify them to consider, with what contempt, and abhorrence, their notions would have been received, by those whom they so much ad­mire? What degree of contempt, and abhorrence, would fall to their share, may be conjectured by the following matter of fact (in my opinion) extremely memorable. Of all their heathen worthies, So­crates ('tis well known) was the most guarded, dispassionate, and com­posed: Yet this great master of temper was angry; and angry at his last hour; and angry with his friend; and angry for what deserv'd acknowledgment; angry, for a right and tender instance of true friendship towards him. Is not this surprising? What could be the cause? The cause was for his honour; it was a truly noble, tho', perhaps, a too punctilious, regard for immortality: For his friend asking him, with such an affectionate concern as became a friend, Where he should deposit his remains? it was resented by Socrates, as implying a dishonourable supposition, that He could be so mean, as to have a regard for any thing, even in himself, that was not immortal.

This fact well consider'd, would make our infidels withdraw their admiration from Socrates; or make them endeavour, by their imita­tion of this illustrious example, to share his glory: And, consequently, It would incline them to peruse the following pages with candor and impartiality: Which is all I desire; and that, for their sakes: For I am persuaded, that an unprejudiced infidel must, necessarily, receive some advantageous impressions from them.

July 7. 1744.