You see then, there are everlasting promises and threatenings to be fulfilled, both upon the godly and ungodly, " He that believeth " on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the " Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii. 16. The believer shall never see spiritual death, viz. the separation of his soul from God ; and the unbeliever shall never see life, viz. the blessed fruition of God ; but the wrath of God shall abide on him. If wrath must abide on him, he must abide also as the wretched subject thereof, which is another argument of the immortality of souls.
The immortality of the soul is a truth asserted and attested by the universal consent of all nations and ages of the world. " We " give much (said * Seneca) to the presumption of all men," and
* Multum dare solcmus prevsumptioni omnium hominum : cum de nnirruc atemiicite dis» serimus, none levc 7,io},ie->ite?7i apud nos habet, consensus hominum aut timPntiwh i7rf<:ro*t aut colentivm. Senec. Ep. 1~.
564- A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAX,
that justly ; for it would be hard to think that an error should ob- tain the general consent of mankind, or that God would suffer all the world, in all ages of it, to bow down under an universal decep- tion.
This doctrine sticks close to the nature of man ; it springs up easily, and without force from his conscience. It hath been al- lowed as an unquestionable thing, not only among Christians who have the oracles of God to teach and confirm this doctrine, but among Heathens also, who had no other light but that of nature to guide them into the knowledge and belief of it. Learned Zan- chius * cites out of Cicero an excellent passage to this purpose. " In every thing saith he, the consent of all nations is to be accounted " the law of nature ; and therefore, with all good men, it should u be instead of a thousand demonstrations ; and to resist it, (as he " there adds) what is it, but to resist the voice of God ?" and how much more, when, with his consent, the word of God doth also consent ? As for the consent of nations, in this point, the learned author last mentioned, hath industriously gathered many great and famous testimonies from the ancient Chaldeans, Grecians, Pytha- goreans, Stoics, Platonists, &c. which evidently shew they made no doubt of the immortality of their souls. How plain is that of Phocylides ? -\ayr\ hi afojarog zou ayr^oc £jj bia -czavrog. Speaking of the soul, in opposition to the body, which must be resolved into dust, he saith, " But for the soul, that is immortal, and never " grows old, but lives for ever.1" And Tresmegistus, the famous and celebrated Philosopher-)-, gives this account of man, " That " he consists of two parts, being mortal in respect of his body, " but immortal in respect of his soul, which is the best and princi- pal part." Plato J not only asserts the immortality of the souls of men, but disputes for it : and among other arguments, he urges this ; " That if it were not so, wicked men would certainly have " the advantage of righteous and good men, who, after they have " committed all manner of evils, should suffer none." But what speak I of philosophers ? the most barbarous nations in the world constantly believe it §. The Turks acknowledge it in their Alco- ran ; and though they grossly mistake the nature of heaven, in
* In omni re consemio ommium gentium lex natures putanda est : cogue instar mille demonstrationum talis cunsensio apud bonos esse debet. Zanchius de immortalitate anima- rum. p. 644.
T Av^aivTog cW/.sc, hia ro <fu/j,ct ^vrjrog, aQavurog jy oia ^v%rjvy rov xGiwbri av^^ugov.
£ E/ /msv yc6£, &c. Si enim mors dissolutio esset utriusque (corporis sc- et animaj lu- crum foret mails cum moriantur. Plato in Epist.
§ Why do I speak of the Turks, Tartars, Muscovites, Indians, Persians, and all other nations which are at this day barbarous ? None is so barbarous and
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN". 5G5
fancying it to be a paradise of sensual pleasures, as well as the way thither, by their impostor Mahomet ; yet it is plain they believe the sours immortality, and that it lives in pain or pleasure after this life.
The very savage and illiterate Indians are so fully persuaded of the soul's immortality, that wives cast themselves cheerfully into the flames to attend the souls of their husbands ; and subjects, to attend the souls of their kings into the other world.
Two things are objected against this argument.
1. That some particular persons have denied this doctrine, as Epicurus, &c. and by argument maintained the contrary.
To which I answer, That though they have done so, yet (1.) This no way shakes the argument from the consent of nations, be- cause some few persons have denied it : we truly say, the earth is spherical, though there be many hills and risings in it. If Demo- critus put out his own eyes, must we therefore say all the world is blind ?
(2.) It is worth thinking on, whether they that have questioned the immortality of the soul, have not rather made it the matter of their option and desire, than of their faith and persuasion. We distinguish Atheists into three classes, such as are so in practice, in desire, or in judgment ; but of the former sorts there may be found multitudes, to one that is so in his settled judgment. If you think it strange that any man should wish his soul to be mortal, Hierocles * gives us the reason of it : "A wicked man (saith he) " is afraid of his Judge ; and therefore wishes his soul and body " may perish together by death, rather than it should come to God's " tribunal*
Object. 2. Nor can the strength of the argument be eluded, by saying, " All this may be but an universal tradition,'1 one nation receiving it from another.
Sol. For as this is neither true in itself, nor possible to be made good ; so if it were, it would not invalidate the argument : for if it were not a truth agreeable to the light of nature, and so easily re- ceived by all men upon the proposal of it, it were impossible that all the nations in the world should embrace it so readily, and hold it so tenaciously as they do.
Argument IV. The immortality of the soul may be evinced from the everlasting
wicked, but he is convinced, that, after death, there are plaoes in which souls are either punished for their bad actions, or rewarded aud blest with delights for their good actions. Zanch.
* O xa/cos a@ava.Tov uvar tyjv aura ^vfflv vcj {lt, wro/wr) rifia»g/J4ni tttn f$avrc7ov sxei dixairjv, Ilieroc.
566 A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAX.