⚫tion of our Lord, which they saw so ftre· nuously afferted by the Apostles, whose • miracles they also faw and owned, (A&s iv. 16.) seems to have ftruck them, and 'many of them were converted (Acts 'xv. 5.) even without a miracle, and the reft stood still, and made no oppofition. 'We see here what the part was, which 'the Pharifees acted in this important 'conjuncture. Of the Sadducees, we meet 'not with one in the whole apostolic history, that was converted. We hear of no miracles wrought to convince any of them, though there was an eminent one wrought to reclaim a Pharifee. St. Paul, we see, after his conversion, al'ways gloried in his having been bred a Pharifee. He did fo to the people of 'Jerufalem, to the great council, to King 'Agrippa, and to the Philippians. So that from hence we may justly infer, that it was not their inftitution, which was in itself laudable, which our bleffed Saviour found fault with, but it was ❝ their hypocrify, their covetousness, their oppreffion, their overvaluing themselves ' upon upon their zeal for the ceremonial Law, and their adding to that yoke by their "traditions, all which were not properly "effentials of their inftitution, that our 'Lord blamed. But I muft not run on. What I 'would obferve, Sir, is, that atheism is more dreadful, and would be more 'grievous to human fociety, if it were invefted with fufficient power, than religion under any fhape, where its profeffors do at the bottom believe what they profess. I despair not of a Papist's 'converfion, though I would not willingly lie at a zealot Papift's mercy; and no Proteftant would, if he knew what popery is, though he truly believes in our Saviour. But the Freethinker, 'who scarcely believes there is a God, ' and certainly disbelieves Revelation, is a 'very terrible animal. He will talk of 'natural rights, and the juft freedoms of 'mankind, no longer than till he himfelf gets into power; and, by the instance before us, we have fmall grounds to hope for his falvation, or that God will ever youchfafe him fufficient grace to reclaim him from errors, which have 'been fo immediately levelled against 'himself. If these notions be true, as I verily believe they are, I thought they might 'be worth publishing at this time, for ' which reason they are sent in this manner to you by, SECTION XL 3; ཎྞཾ། £$ » IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, AND A FUTURE STATE. I NESCIO QUOMODO INHÆRET IN MENTIBUS QUASI SECULORUM QUODDAM AUGURIUM FUTURORUM : IDQUE IN MAXIMIS INGENIIS ALTISSIMISQUE ANIMIS EXISTIT MAXIME ET APPARET FACILLIME. Cic. Tusc. QUEST. 'SIR, To the SPECTATOR. I AM fully perfuaded that one of the beft fprings of generous and worthy actions is, the having generous and worthy thoughts of ourselves. Whoever has a mean opinion of the dignity of his 'nature, will act in no higher a rank than 'he has allotted himself in his own efti'mation. If he confiders his being as ' circumfcribed by the uncertain term of 'a few years, his defigns will be con'tracted into the fame narrow span he imagines is to bound his existence. • How How can he exalt his thoughts to any ❝thing great and noble, who only believes 'that, after a fhort turn on the stage of 'this world, he is to fink into oblivion, ' and to lose his consciousness for ever? For this reafon I am of opinion, that 'fo ufeful and elevated a contemplation, as that of the Soul's Immortality, can( not be resumed too often. There is not ' a more improving exercise to the human 'mind, than to be frequently reviving its ' own great privileges and endowments; 6 nor a more effectual means to awaken in us an ambition raised above low ob'jects and little purfuits, than to value 'ourselves as heirs of eternity. It is a very great fatisfaction to confi'der the best and wifeft of mankind in all 'nations and ages, afferting, as with one 6 voice, this their birth-right, and to find 'it ratified by an express revelation. At 'the fame time, if we turn our thoughts 'inward upon ourselves, me may meet ' with a kind of secret sense concurring 'with the proofs of our own immor'tality. 'You |