O'er juft, o'er facred, all-forbidden ground, Drunk with the burning fcent of place or power, 980 Or, if for men you take them, as I mark Loud croaks the raven of the law, and fmiles: Who perish at their own request, and, whelm'd at laft And death's approach (if orthodox my song) Is haften'd by the lure of fortune's smiles. 985 990 995 1000 1005 And 1010 And art thou still a glutton of bright gold? By the strong strokes of labouring hinds fubdued, The confcious foreft trembles at the shock, 1020 These high-aim'd darts of death, and these alone, Should I collect, my quiver would be full. A quiver, which, fufpended in mid air, Or near heaven's archer, in the zodiack, hung, 1025 (So could it be) should draw the public eye, The gaze and contemplation of mankind! A constellation awful, yet benign, To guide the gay through life's tempeftuous wave; "From greater danger to grow more fecure, 1030 Was warn'd of danger, but too gay to fear. He woo'd the fair Afpafia: fhe was kind: 1035 In youth, form, fortune, fame, they both were bleft: All who knew, envy'd; yet in envy lov'd: Can fancy form more finisht happiness ? Fixt Fixt was the nuptial hour. Rofe on the founding beach. Her stately dome The glittering spires 1040 The rifing ftorm forbids. The news arrives : Now, round the sumptuous, bridal monument, 1045 1050 And the rough failor paffing, drops a tear. A tear? Can tears fuffice?-But not for me. How vain our efforts! and our arts how vain! The diftant train of thought I took to shun, 1055 Or ne'er to meet, or ne'er to part, is peace- O the foft commerce! O the tender tyes, 1060 Which, broken, break them; and drain off the foul 1065 NIGHT THE SIXTH. THE INFIDEL RECLAIMED. IN TWO PARTS. Containing the NATURE, PROOF, and IMPORTANCE, of IMMORTALITY. PART THE FIRST. Where, among other Things, GLORY and RICHES are particularly confidered. то THE RIGHT HON. HENRY PELHAM, FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER OF THE TREASURY, AND CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. FE PREFACE. EW ages have been deeper in difpute about religion than this. The dispute about religion, and the practice of it, feldom go together. The fhorter, therefore, the difpute the better. I think it may be reduced to this fingle queftion, Is man immortal, or is be not? If he is not, all our difputes are mere amuseinents, or trials of skill. In this cafe, truth, reason, religion, which give our difcourfes fuch pomp and folemnity, folemnity, are (as will be fhewn) mere empty found, without any meaning in them. But if man is immortal, it will behave him to be very serious about eternal confequences; or, in other words, to be truly religious. And this great fundamental truth, unestablished, or unawakened 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 feem to be from it. Senfible appearances affect most men much more than abstract reasonings; and we daily fee bodies drop around us, but the foul 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 fad interest that fouls fhould not furvive! The heathen world confeffed, that they rather hoped, than firmly believed immortality! And how many heathens have we still amongst us! The facred page affures us, that life and immortality is brought to light by the Gofpel: but by how many is the Gospel rejected, or overlooked! From thefe confiderations, and from my being, accidentally, privy to the sentiments of fome particular persons, I have been long perfuaded that moft, if not all, our infidels (whatever name they take, and whatever scheme, for argument's fake, and to keep themfelves in countenance, they patronize) are supported in their deplorable error, by fome doubt of their immortality, at the bottom. And I am fatisfied, that men once thoroughly convinced of their immortality, are not far from being Chriftians. 5 |