760

770

775

What ties thee to this life proclaims the next.
If wife, the caufe that wounds thee is thy cure.
Come, my ambitious! let us mount together,
(To mount Lorenzo never can refufe)
And from the clouds, where Pride delights to dwell,
Look down on earth.-What feeft thou? wondrous
Terreftrial wonders, that eclipse the skies. [things!
What lengths of labour'd lands! what loaded feas! 766
Loaded by man for pleasure, wealth, or war!
Seas, winds, and planets. into fervice brought,
His art acknowledge, and promote his ends.
Nor can th' eternal rocks his will withstand:
What levell'd mountains! and what lifted vales!
O'er vales and mountains fumptuous cities fwell,
And gild our landfcape with their glitt'ring fpires.
Some 'mid the won'dring waves majestic rife,
And Neptune holds a mirror to their charms.
Far greater still! (what cannot mortal might ?)
See wide dominions ravish'd from the deep!
The narrow'd deep with indignation foams.
Or fouthward turn, to delicate and grand,
The finer arts there ripen in the fun.
How the tall temples, as to meet their gods,
Afcend the fkies! the proud triumphal arch
Shews us half heav'n beneath its ample bend.
High thro' mid air here ftreams are taught to flow;
Whole rivers there, laid by in bafons fleep.
Here plains turn oceans; there valt oceans join
Thro' kingdoms channell'd deep from fhore to fhore,
And chang'd creation takes its face from man.
Beats thy brave breaft for formidable scenes,
Where fame and empire wait upon the fword?
See fields in blood; here naval thunders rise;
Britannia's voice! that awes the world to peace.
How yon enormous mole projecting breaks
The mid fea, furious waves! their roar amidst
Out fpeaks the Deity, and fays, "O Main!
"Thus far, nor farther; new restraints obey."
Earth's difembowel'd! meafur'd are the skies!
Stars are detected in their deep recefs!

780

785

790

791

Creation widens ! vanquish'd Nature yields
Her secrets are extorted! art prevails !
What monument of genius, fpirit, pow'r!

And now, Lorenzo! raptur'd at this scene, Whofe glories render heav'n superfluous! fay Whofe footsteps thefe ?-Immortals have been here; Could lefs than fouls immortal this have done? Earth's cover'd o'er with proofs of fouls immortal, And proofs of immortality forgot.

To flatter thy grand foible, I confefs

805

Thefe are Ambition's works; and these are great:
But this, the leaft immortal fouls can do,

810

Tranfcend them all.-But what can these transcend?

Doft afk me what? one figh for the diftreft.

What then for Infidels ? a deeper figh.
'Tis moral grandeur makes the mighty man.
How little they who think aught great below?
All our ambitions death defeats but one,
And that it crowns.-Here ceafe we; but, ere long,
More pow`rful proof shall take the field against thee,
Stronger than death, and smiling at the tomb.

815

819

NIGHT VII.

THE INFIDEL RECLAIMED.

PART II.

Containing the

Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality.

A

PREFACE.

S 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 ferious mind is the native foil of every virtue,and the fingle character that does true honour to mankind. The foul's immortality has been the favourite theme with the ferious of all ages: nor is it ftrange; it is a fubject by far the moft inte cfting and important that can en ter the mind of man. Of higheft moment this fubjec always was, and always will be: yet this its higheft mo ment feems to admit of increase at this day: a fort of occafional importance is fuperadded to the natural weight of it, if that opinion which is advanced in the preface to the preceding Night be juft. It is there fuppofed, that all our infidels, whatever fcheme, for argument's sake, and to keep themselves in countenance, they patronize, are be trayed into their deplorable error by fome doubts of their immortality at the bottom: and the more I confider this point, the more I am perfuaded of the truth of that opinion. Though the diftruft of a futurity is a ftrange error, yet it is an error into which bad men may naturally be diftreffed; for it is impoffible to bid defiance to final ruin without fome refuge in imagination, fome prefumption of escape. And what prefumption 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 cannot, punish. Conf dering the divine attributes, the first is too grofs to be digefted by our strongest wishes; and, fince omnipotence is as much a divine attribute as holiness, that God cannot punish is as abfurd a fuppofition as the former. God certainly can punish as long as wicked men exift. In nonexiftence, therefore, is their only refuge; and, confe quently, non-existence is their strongest wish: and Arong wishes have a ftrange influence on our opinions; they bias the judgment in a manner almoft incredible. And fince on this member of their alternative there are fome very fmall appearances in their favour, and none at all on the other,

they catch at this reed-they lay hold on this chimera, to fave themfelves from the fhock and horror of an immediate and abfolute despair.

On reviewing my fubject, by the light which this argument, and others of like tendency, threw upon it, I was more inclined than ever to purfue it, as it appeared to me to ftrike directly at the main root of all our infidelity. In the following pages it is, accordingly, pursued at large, and fome arguments for immortality, new at least to me, are ventured on in them. There, alfo, the writer has made an attempt to fet the grofs abfurdities and horrors of annihilation in a fuller and more affecting view than is (I think) to be met with elsewhere.

The gentlemen for whofe fake this attempt was chiefly made, profefs great admiration for the wifdom of heathen antiquity; what pity it is they are not fincere! If they were fincere, how would it mortify them to confider with what contempt and abhorrence their notions would have been received by thofe whom they fo much admire? what degree of contempt and abhorrence would fall to their fhare, may be conjectured by the following matter of fact, (in my opinion) extremely memorable. Of all their heathen worthies, Socrates (it is well known) was the most guarded, difpaffionate and compofed; yet this great mafter of temper was angry, and angry at his last hour; and angry with his friend; and angry for what deferved acknowledg ment; angry for a right and tender inftance of true friendfhip towards him. Is not this furprifing? What could be the caufe? The caufe was for his honour; it was a truly noble, though, perhaps, a too punctilious regard for immortality for his friend afking him, with fuch an affectionate concern as became a friend, where he should depofit his remains? it was refented by Socrates, as implying a dishonourable fuppofition that he could be fo mean as to have regard for any thing, even in himself, that was not immortal.

This fact, well confidered, would make our infidels withdraw their admiration from Socrates, or make them endeavour, by their imitation of this illuftrious example, to hare his glory; and, confequently, it would incline them to perufe the following pages with candour and impartiality, which is all I defire, and that for their fakes; for I am perfuaded that an unprejudiced infidel muft neceffarily recive fome advantageous impreffions from them.

Contents.

In the Sixth Night arguments were drawn from nature in proof of immer tality: here others are drawn from man: from his difcontent, Ver. 295 from his paffions and powers, 64; from the gradual growth of reafon, 81; from his fear of death, 86; from the nature of hope, 104, and of virtue, 139, &c. From knowledge and love, as being the mot effential properties of the foul, 253; from the order of creation, 290, &c. from the nature of ambition, 337, &c. avarice, 460; pleafure, 477; a digreffion on the grandeur of the paffions, 521. Immortality alone renders our prefent state intelligible, 545. An objection from the Stoics disbelief of immortality anfwered, 585. Englefs queftions unrefolvable, but on fuppofition of our immortality, 606. The natural, moft melancholy, and pathetic complaint of a worthy man, under the perfuafion of no futurity, 653, &c. The grofs abfuraities and horrors of annihilation urged home on Lorenzo, 842, &c. The foul's vaft importance, 99, &c. from whence it arifes, 1078. The diffculty of being an infidel, 1131, the infamy, 1148, the caufe, 1183, and the character, 1203, of an infidel ftate. What true free-thinking is, 1217. The neceffary punishment of the falfe, 1271. Man's ruin is from himself, 1303. An infidel accufes himfelf of guilt and hypocrify; and that of the worst fort, 1319. His obligation to chrittians, 1337. What danger he incurs by Virtue, 1345. Vice recommended to him, 1364. His high pretences to virtue and benevolence exploded, 1373. The conclufion, cn the nature of faith, 1427. Reaton, 1439; and hope, 1443; with an apology for this attempt, 1470.

EAVEN gives the needful, but neglected call.

HEAVEN

s;

human

[hearts,

To wake the foul to fenfe of future fcenes ?
Deaths ftand, like Mercuries, in ev'ry way,
And kindly point us to our journey's end.
Pope, who couldft make immortals! art thou dead?
I give thee joy; nor will I take my leave,
So foon to follow. Man but dives in death,
Dives from the fun, in fairer day to rife,
The grave his fubterranean road to blifs.
Yes, infinite indulgence plann'd it fo;
Thro' various parts our glorious story runs
Time gives the preface, endlefs age unrolls
The volume (ne'er unroll'd) of human fate.
This earth and fkies* already have proclaim'd. 15
The world's a prophecy of worlds to come,
And who what God foretels (who speaks in things
Still louder than in words) fhall dare deny?
If Nature's arguments appear too weak,
Turn a new leaf, and ftronger read in man.
If man fleeps on, untaught by what he fees,
Can he prove infidel to what he feels?
He, whofe blind thought futurity denies,
Unconscious bears, Bellerophon! like thee,

Night the Sixth.

20