fully on the minds of men. It speaks fo clearly and conftantly in behalf thereof, and is fo plain and peremptory in its declarations, that its teftimony ought not to be rejected; and indeed cannot, without great violence done to the frame and conftitution of our own minds. The foul of man is not only apt to smart under a sense of guilt, but is also liable to fecret mifgivings, and painful apprehenfions of what is to follow. When a man has notoriously violated the laws of heaven, or the dictates of right reason, his conscience not only rebukes him for it, but is frequently fpreading before his eyes the terrors of futurity, and the fad apprehenfions of a miserable doom. On the other hand, when a man has maintained his innocence, and held faft his integrity; when he has carefully discharged his duty, and lived up to the dignity of his nature; his confcience not only applauds him for it, but cheers his heart with affurances of a future recompenfe, and pleasing expectations of a happy hereafter. Now, if there be no real foundation for these things; if this man's hopes, and the other man's fears, are altogether groundless and chimerical, what account is to be given of either? How came they to spread fo wide, and be fo deeply rooted in human nature?-This argument feems A a 3 feems equally conclufive, whether we mean by confcience merely the operation of our intellectual faculty, or an instinctive principle fuperadded thereto. For upon either fuppofition, we are manifeftly so framed, as naturally and unavoidably to fall into fuch a perfuafion, and fix in it. Nay, when fin and wickednefs have made it men's interefts to shake it off, and to wish and strive against it as much as poffible, they can feldom or never accomplish it. The expectation of a future ftate fticks faft in their minds; haunting and terrifying them, in spite of all their arts and endeavours to the contrary. Whatever means may be used, confcience is never to be quite filenced; and very often it speaks fo loudly and awfully, as to ftartle the finner, and make him tremble in the midst of his vicious purfuits, and criminal enjoyments. What then can be the meaning of these natural anticipations? If there be nothing to come hereafter, how ftrangely is man amused, and how unaccountably misled! All appearances without him, and every principle within him, confpire to deceive him. If the grave was his utmoft limit, why should he find himself under a neceffity of looking beyond it? To what end were fuch clear profpects opened, and fuch ftrong expectations kindled? kindled? By what ftrange fate is he compelled to walk in a vain shew, and difquiet himfelf in vain? But the truth is, fuch a suppofition is deftitute of all manner of foundation; as being directly repugnant both to the nature of God and man; as will further appear hereafter. Whatever confcience prefages, whatever uncorrupted reafon fuggests, may fecurely be relied on, and confidered as the voice of Him who can never disappoint his creatures, or falfify thofe expectations which he has given them. And indeed 'tis impiety to suppose that infinite wisdom cannot govern the world without the help of fallacy and fiction. This argument drawn from natural confcience will appear yet ftronger, if we consider the extent and universality of it. It is not a notion or an impulfe that prevails here and there, at fome certain times, and in fome particular parts of the world; the voice of it has been heard in all ages and in all nations; and its convictions fpread over the face of the whole earth. Scarce an exception to be found even among the most uncivilized and barbarous people. There is, indeed, and has been all along, a great difference in men's ideas of a future ftate, according to the lights received among them, and the degrees of their A a 4 their improvement; but the doctrine itself, in fome drefs or other, has univerfally prevailed. Which plainly fhews it to be, in the ftricteft fenfe of the word, natural; as arifing from the frame and constitution of our minds, and the genuine principles of humanity. Was it not founded on nature, and perfectly agreeable to unprejudiced reafon, how should it ever be fo deeply rooted in the minds of men? even of the beft and wifeft* men, in a more peculiar manner; and those too destitute of supernatural light, and the benefit of revelation. This confideration may be justly accounted a strong prefumption in behalf of the doctrine before us. For certainly it would be very ftrange, if men's minds were fo framed and turned, that even the wifeft and worthieft of them should naturally run into fuch fentiments concerning this matter, as had no foundation in truth or nature. What should give mankind fuch an invincible bias to error, fuch an univerfal It is true, indeed, that we find feveral of the wifer ancients rejecting the doctrine of a future ftate. But what doctrine, and how understood? The popular and poetical doctrine, dreffed up by the fabulous poets according to their own imaginations. In this fenfe, and, I believe, this only, was the doctrine opposed by the wifdom of antiquity. tendency |