Yet Thou waft only near me; not myself.
Survive myself?-That cures all other Woe.
NARCISSA lives; PHILANDER is forgot.
O the foft Commerce! O the tender Tyes,
Clofe-twifted with the Fibres of the Heart!
Which, broken, break them; and drain off the Soul
Of Human Joy; and make it Pain to live-
And is it then to live? When fuch Friends part,
"Tis the Survivor dies-My Heart! no more.

The NATURE, PROOF, and IMPORTANCE, of IMMORTALITY.

PART THE FIRST.

Where, among other Things, GLORY and RICHES are particularly confidered.

Humbly Infcribed to the Right Honourable HENRY PEL HAM, First LORD COMMISSIONER of the TREASURY, and CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.

PREFACE.

FEW Ages have been deeper in Dispute about Religion, than this. The Dispute about Religion, and the Practice of it, feldom go together. The shorter, therefore, the Dif pute, the better. I think it may be reduced to this fingle Queftion, Is Man Immortal, or is he not? If he is not, all our Difputes are mere Amusements, or Trials of Skill. In: this Cafe, Truth, Reafon, Religion, which give our Dif

courfest

courfes fuch Pomp and Solemnity, are (as will be fhewn) mere empty Sounds, without any Meaning in them. But if Man is Immortal, it will behove him to be very ferious about eternal Confequences; or, in other Words, to be truly religious. And this great fundamental Truth, uneftablished, or unawaken'd in the Minds of Men, is, I conceive, the real Source and Support of all our Infidelity; how remote foever the particular Objećtions advanced may feem to be from it.

Senfible Appearances affect moft Men much more than abftract Reafonings; and we daily fee Bodies drop around us, but the Soul is invifible. The Power which Inclination bas over the Judgment, is greater than can be well coneived by thofe that have not had an Experience of it; and of what Numbers is it the fad Intereft, that Souls should not furvive! The Heathen World confeffed, that they rather hoped, than firmly believed Immortality! and how many Heathens have we still among ft 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 Perfous, I have been long perfuaded, that most, if not all, our Infidels (whatever Name they take, and whatever Scheme, for Argument's fake, and to keep themselves in Countenance, they patronize) are Supported in their deplorable Error, by fone 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. For it is hard to conceive, that a Man fully confcious eternal Pain or Happiness will certainly be his Lot, fhould not earnestly, and impartially, inquire after the fureft Means of escaping One, and fecuring the Other. And of fuch an earnest and impartial Inquiry, I well know the Confequence.

Here, therefore, in Proof of this most fundamental Truth, fome plain Arguments are offered; Arguments derived from

Principles

Principles which Infidels admit in common with Believers ; Arguments, which appear to me altogether irresistible; and fuch as, I am fatisfied, will have great Weight with all, who give themselves the Small Trouble of looking seriously into their own Bofoms, and of obferving, with any tolerable Degree of Attention, what daily passes round about them in the` World. If fome Arguments hall, Here, occur, which Others have declined, they are fubmitted, with all Deference, to better Judgments in this, of all Points, the most important. For, as to the Being of a God, that is no longer difputed; but it is undifputed for this Reason only; viz. Because where the leaft Pretence to Reafon is admitted, it must for ever be indifputable. And of confequence no Man can be betrayed into a Difpute of that Nature by Vanity, which has a principal Share in animating our modern Combatants against other Articles of our Belief.

HE* (for I know not yet her Name in Heaven)}

CHE

Not early, like NARCISSA, left the Scene;
Nor fudden, like PHILANDER. What Avail ?.
This feeming Mitigation but inflames;
This fanfy'd Med'cine heightens the Difeafe..
The longer known, the clofer ftill fhe grew;
And gradual Parting is a gradual Death.
"Tis the grim Tyrant's Engine, which extorts.
By tardy Preffure's ftill-increafing Weight,
From hardeft Hearts, Confeffion of Diftrefs.

O the long, dark Approach thro' Years of Pain,,
Death's Gall'ry! (might I dare to call it fo)
With difmal Doubt, and fable Terror, hung;
Sick Hope's pale Lamp, its only glimm'ring Ray:

Referring to Night the Fifth.

There

There, Fate my melancholy Walk ordain'd,
Forbid Self-love itself to flatter, There.
How oft I gaz'd, prophetically fad!

How oft I saw her dead, while yet in Smiles!
In Smiles fhe funk her Grief, to leffen mine.
She spoke me Comfort, and increas'd my Pain.
Like pow'rful Armies trenching at a Town,
By flow, and filent, but refiftlefs Sap,

In his pale Progress gently gaining Ground,
Death urg'd his deadly Siege; in spite of Art,
Of all the balmy Bleffings Nature lends
To fuccour frail Humanity. Ye Stars!

(Not now first made familiar to my Sight)

And thou, O Moon! bear Witnefs; many a Night
He tore the Pillow from beneath my Head,

Ty'd down my fore Attention to the Shock,

By ceaseless Depredations on a Life

Dearer than that he left me.

Dreadful Poft

Of Obfervation! darker ev'ry Hour!

Lefs dread the Day that drove me to the Brink,
And pointed at Eternity below;

When Soul fhudder'd at Futurity;
my

When, on a Moment's Point, th' important Dye
Of Life and Death fpun doubtful, ere it fell,
And turn'd up Life; my Title to more Woe.

But why more Woe? More Comfort let it be.
Nothing is dead, but that which wish'd to die;
Nothing is dead, but Wretchedness and Pain;
Nothing is dead, but what incumber'd, gall'd,
Block'd up the Pass, and barr'd from real Life.
Where dwells that With most ardent of the Wife?
Too dark the Sun to fee it; highest Stars -
Too low to reach it; Death, great Death alone,
Q'er Stars and Sun, triumphant, lands us There.

Nor