force to the moral qualifications which he possesses, and the obstructions with which they meet during his continu→ ance here. Man possesses great qualifications for doing good and producing happiness. Instances might be pro duced of persons who, under the influence of pious feelings, have, as far as their present mode of existence would admit, spent their lives in diminishing the miseries and increasing the comforts of man. But he can only exercise these powers in a very partial manner while here. The earthly pursuits in which most are engaged, the weak ness of their material system,-their imperfect knowledge: of objects of misery, their liability to fall the prey of infectious disorders, the limited sphere of their movements, the destructive quality of foreign climes, and the short duration of human life, prevent their usefulness,” damp their energies, and unnerve their souls.

bu Can we then, in the exercise of plain common sense, admit the idea to have place in our minds, even for a mo- › ment, that the Almighty has imparted to us vast powers of mind, which shall never, in any profitable way, be brought a into exercise? Is it not far more consistent to conclude, that when the scene of dissolution is passed, our rationale a part will exist in a region more congenial to its nature, and the qualifications which it possesses, and where its powers will have their unlimited range?

→t I have now considered those arguments connected with the world which, in my opinion, possess weight and evi-s dence in favour of the immortality of man. In what light they may be viewed by you I know not, but with me they possess considerable force; and, though I do not think them decisive on the point, yet, I view them as furnishing a species of evidence which is very presumptive. If this world was planned by the Divine mind, and formed by histon hand; that he might manifest his glory, and promote the happiness of man; if it be possessed of great harmony→

and beauty, is the object of Divine regard, and tinged with his glory;-if it passes through numerous changes and modifications without any part being annihilated;—if it be the theatre of many disorders and irregularities, which often alike involve the good and the worthless;-if the pious are frequently destitute of the common necessaries of life, and are placed under the most painful circumstances, while many of the most abandoned wretches are placed amidst the greatest plenty;-if this world be the seat of numerous natural evils which harass and afflict its rational possessors, and frequently are as severe to the 'pious as the prophane;—if the most aggravated crimes be committed in it, for which the delinquents receive no adequate punishment, many of whom after the most glaring atrocities, spend their days in bodily ease, human honours, and earthly affluence; and if, while here, man be surrounded by numerous obstructions which prevent the full exercise of his powers, both natural and moral, and which so limit his views and the sphere of his movement, that he is prevented from making proper and full advances in knowledge, and arriving at the perfection of his soul;— may we not rationally conclude, that he is destined to survive the disasters and troubles of this trying life, and the dissolution of his humanity; and that he will live for ever in some happier clime? We must either admit this conclusion or come to the melancholy and blasphemous decision that the Creator and manager of the universe is neither just nor good!

LECTURE VI!.

The matter of the three preceding Lectures alluded to.—The second class of arguments entered upon, namely, the common consent of nations.—The universal extent of the doctrine of a future state of existence considered.-The striking agreement in the sentiments of various nations on this subject.—A brief sketch of the opinions of men, both ancient and modern, on the immortality, and future condition of the soul.—The origin from which these opinions must have been derived stamps them with authority.—The arguments arising from the consent of nations summed up and concluded.

In the preceding lectures I have considered the arguments in favour of man's immortality, which are connected with the world. In doing this, I have viewed it purely as the residence of rational intelligences; and have endeavoured to ascertain whether, when considered in this light, it gives its decision in favour of man only having existence here, or whether it furnishes us with any reasons to expect a future state. In admitting the former of these suppositions, I have been met with numerous difficulties. The origin of the world,-its beauty and harmony,-the changes through which it passes without any part being annihilated,—the moral disorders of which it is the theatre, the unequal distribution of its contents,—the natural evils which discommode and punish its rational possessors, the vast mass of crime committed in it, for which men go unpunished,—and the obstructions which it

furnishes to the full exercise of man's powers, all have combined to perplex me. They have risen in rapid succession one behind another, have met me with objections which I could not answer, bewildered me in mazes in which I should have been lost, and have obstructed my way with mountains over which I could not pass without wrapping creation in darkest shades, and involving the Creator of souls in folly, cruelty, and injustice. But on admitting the latter supposition, namely, that man is an immortal being, the perplexities have vanished, the objections have been solved, my path has been illuminated, mountains have sunk down before me, and creation has been gilded with the light of eternity. Notwithstanding all the natural evils to which it is subject, and the moral disorders found among its possessors, connected with the cheering light of immortality, it has appeared a vast storehouse of means amply fitted to bring round the prudent designs of its Author, and to promote the endless havpiness of his creatures, while it leaves the Divine Being invested with wisdom, justice, and goodness. Hence, I have concluded, and I hope on solid grounds, that this world viewed as residence of man, gives its decision in favour of-the immortality of his soul. I will now proceed to consider,

the

SECONDLY, Those arguments which arise from the common consent of nations. It is a most striking fact that in nations where no Bible is found, no Gospel preached, nor any rational instructions conveyed concerning religion. and eternity, still they have some vague notions about the soul surviving death, a future state of existence, and of their eternal duration in happiness or misery. Connected with this theme are three things which claim our particular regard. The universal extent of this opinion,-the striking agreement of their numerous sentiments,—and the origin from which these sentiments have been derived. We will consider,

1. The universal extent of this opinion. Wherever men journey, and however far their inquiries are carried into the natural and moral condition of the human race, they find numbers among them cheered with a hope that their souls will survive death, that they will rejoin their friends from whom they now are separated, and enjoy their company in a state of existence superior to that which they now possess. Whether we associate with the tenants of the polar regions, the olive coloured race of Japan, the blacks of Asia and Africa, or the copper coloured natives who roam amidst the wastes and forests of America, among all we find some idea of futurity. If we carry our inquiries backward far as the nations of antiquity, and consult the records of the most ancient historian; or if we conduct them among the countries most recently discovered, and converse with them ourselves, or receive it from those who have inquired into the fact, still we are met with the same amazing truth. It is espoused by every nation under heaven. No matter whether they shiver amidst the eternal snows of Lapland, or faint beneath the burning sun in India;-whether they prowl like hungry beasts of prey amidst the uncultivated scenes of a desert, or regale themselves with all the luxuries produced in the earth;-whether they groan beneath the tyranny of despots, or enjoy all the freedom congenial to their species;-whether their powers are expanded and their information increased by the light and influence of a generous science, or their intellect narrow, and their present condition scarcely elevated above the beasts that perish;-whether they are blessed with that Gospel by means of which life and immortality are brought to light, or shrouded in darkness, such as devils feel;--whether they convey their sentiments in the glowing imagery of eastern poetry, the moving pathos of persuasive eloquence, the sober style of a faithful historian, or the familiar dialect of