served Obedience, without difputing, without repining, without the leaft Diftruft and Diffidence, with an heroical Refolution, invincible Courage, and unwearied Conftancy. And if Examples can fignify any thing, there cannot be greater and more convincing Examples than thefe. It is certain that those Men are in very good earnest, that they do heartily believe another Life, and heartily defire the Happiness of it, who are ready to forego any present Enjoyments, and to submit to the greateft Hardships and moft difficult Trials to obtain it. This is another Kind of Argument, than merely to hear Men profefs their Belief of another Life, and their Defire of it, when the whole Course of their Lives contradicts fuch a Faith and Hope. The Wickedness of Men can't confute the natural Belief and Defires of Immortality; but the Examples of fuch good Men give a mighty Confirmation to it; especially when God himself gave fuch a glorious Teftimony to them, as he did to Abel, Enoch, and Noah; and in an eminent Degree to Abraham, with whom he entered into Covenant, and chofe his Pofterity for his peculiar People, and took upon himself the Name of the God of Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob. So that though we do not find any exprefs Promise of another Life under the Law, this falls very little fhort of it. And this Evidence the Jews had from the Hiftory of Mofes, and the Examples of their Forefathers recorded there.

SECT.

SECT. III.

The Mofaical Evidence of a Future State, from the Divine Providence.

4.

T

HE next natural and moral Argument of a Future State, is the Wisdom and Juftice of Providence. And we have fufficient Evidence of this from the mere Light of Nature, to make it a very fenfible and convincing Argument: But the Hiftory of Mofes gives new Strength and Clearness to it, as giving us an ocular Demonftrátion of those Principles from whence this Conclufion is drawn, and a new Evidence of the neceffary Connexion between these Principles and the Conclufion. The Strength and Certainty of the Conclufion must bear Proportion to the Certainty of the Promises, and to the Evidence of the Connexion. And therefore, when we prove the Immortality of the Soul and a Future State from the Divine Providence, our Evidence for a Future State can't exceed that Evidence we have, that God governs the World; that he is a wife and a juft Governor, and therefore will certainly, at one time or other, reward good Men, and punish the Wicked. Now though we have very good natural Proofs of all this, yet we must grant, that they fall very short of that Evidence, which the History of Mofes gives us. There is the fame Difference between them, that there is between the mere Conclufions of Reason, how plain foever they may feem to be, and the certain Evidence of Senfe.

If we believe the Hiftory of Mofes, which the Jews most firmly did, and which was therefore a Divine Evidence and Authority to them, we there see the Providence of God, and the Wisdom and

Juftice

Justice of his Government, in the most unqueftionable and furprizing Events.

The Deftruction of the old World by a Deluge of Water, was a terrible Proof of a juft and righteous Providence. This was God's doing: For he forewarned Noah of it, and commanded him to prepare an Ark, to preserve himself and his Family to people the new World. And herein God made a vifible Distinction between good and bad Men, that when he deftroyed the whole World of Sinners, he preferved Noah and his Family, who was the only righteous Perfon then living. His confounding the Language of the Builders of Babel, and their Difperfion into all Parts of the Earth, is another fenfible Proof of the divine Providence. Mofes tells us, that all this was done by the immediate Power and Command of God; and the Events themselves prove it: For none can deftroy the World, but he who made it: And the natural Unaccountablenefs of an univerfal Deluge, which fome Men have so perplexed themselves to affign the philofophical Caufes of, proves, that it was a fupernatural Vengeance. And tho' the Confufion of Languages has not so much Terror in it, yet it is to the full as furprizing and mysterious. For it is impoffible that any Power, but that which firft formed the Mind of Man, should in a Minute's Time wipe out all their old Ideas of Words, and imprint new ones in their room.

The Hiftory of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who liv'd under the immediate Government of God; the Life of Mofes, and all thofe Wonders God wrought by him in Egypt, and in the Red-Sea, and in the Wilderness, especially that terrible Appearance on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law; and all that long Series of Wonders and Miracles, whereby God gave them Poffeffion of the Land of Canaan; the Hiftory of their Judges, their Kings,

and

and the whole Form and Administration of their Government; their frequent Captivities, and wonderful Deliverances from their Enemies, which were a punctual Accomplishment of the Threatnings and Promises of their Law: I fay, all this made the divine Providence and Government as vifible to Ifrael, as a King is vifible on his Throne, in his Minifters and Laws, and publick Adminiftration of Juftice.

Now how ftrong foever the natural Arguments for a Providence are, no Man can think them equal to fuch a visible Government. The natural Proofs we have of the Difference of Good and Evil, are not like the Publication of the Law from Mount Sinai in an audible Voice, with all the most awful and visible Solemnities. The natural Perfuafions we have of the Juftice of God in rewarding the Good, and punishing the Wicked, are not like exprefs Promises and Threatnings, and the visible Execution of them: And the greater Evidence we have of the Divine Providence, the better is the Argument from the Divine Providence to prove a Future State. That God governs this World, does not immediately prove a Future State; but the Conclufion refults from the Juftice of Providence, and the prefent unequal Adminiftration of it. If God governs the World, thofe natural Notions we have of God, affure us that he is a righteous and holy Governor; and therefore that he will reward good Men, and punish the Wicked: And fince he does not always make fuch a vifible Diftinction between good and bad Men in this World, we reafonably enough conclude, that there is another World, wherein this Diftinction will be made. And this is a very good Argument, when we have fuch an Affurance of the Divine Providence, as no myfterious and unaccountable Events can ftagger. But we know there are many Men which make

1

that

that an Argument against a Providence, which we urge, upon a Supposition of a Providence, as an Argument for a Future State: That all things happen alike to all; That there is not an equal and uniform Diftribution of Juftice in the Government of this World, is, fay they, a plain Argument that God does not govern the World, becaufe the World is not justly governed. Now though it be eafy to vindicate these Inequalities of Providence, üpon Suppofition of a future State; and thefe unequal Administrations are very good Arguments of a Future State, upon a Suppofition of a Divine Providence; yet, instead of proving a Future State by it, this is a very untoward Objection against Providence, if our original Proofs of a Providence be not very evident and certain. As for my own part, I am abundantly fatisfied that our natural Proofs of a Providence are much stronger than this Objection is against it. But yet when there are Arguments on both Sides, and nothing but Reason to appeal to, all Men do not judge equally and impartially, but very often determine the Question by Inclination, or fome appearing Intereft: And then, as we fee too many do, they may reject the Belief of a Providence, for the Sake of fuch unequal Administrations; and the Belief of another World, for want of a Providence. But when we have fuch undeniable Proofs of the divine Government and Providence, as the History of Mofes gives us, which no Man can believe, and deny a Providence; their Objection against a Providence proves a very good Argument for a Future State. And this is a great Advantage the Jews had, above the reft of Mankind, for the Belief of a Future State. They were more vifibly governed by God, and had more fenfible Proofs of the Divine Truth and Juftice, in the publick Bleffings and Profperity of their Nation, when they obeyed God; and in thofe