775

780

What level'd mountains! and what lifted vales!
O'er vales and mountains fumptuous cities fwell,
And gild our landfcape with their glittering fpires.
Some mid the wondering waves majestic rise;
And Neptune holds a mirror to their charms.
Far greater ftill! (what cannot mortal might?)
See, wide dominions ravish'd from the deep!
The narrow'd deep with indignation foams.
Or fouthward turn; to delicate and grand,
The finer arts there ripen in the fun.
How the tall temples, as to meet their gods,
Afcend the skies! the proud triumphal arch
Shews us half heaven beneath its ample bend.
High through mid air, here, ftreams are taught to flow
Whole rivers, there, laid by in bafons, fleep.
Here, plains turn oceans; there, vaft oceans join
Through kingdoms channel'd deep from fhore to shore;
And chang'd creation takes its face from man.
Beats thy brave breaft for formidable scenes,
Where fame and empire wait upon the fword?
See fields in blood; hear naval thunders rife ;
Britannia's voice! that awes the world to peace.
How yon enormous mole projecting breaks
The mid-fea, furious waves! Their roar amidst,
Out-fpeaks the Deity, and fays, "O main!
“Thus far, nor farther; new restraints obey.”
Earth 's difembowel'd! meafur'd are the skies!
Stars are detected in their deep reccfs!
Creation widens ! vanquish'd nature yields !

785

790

795

Her fecrets are extorted! art prevails!
What monument of genius, fpirit, power!

800

And now, Lorenzo! raptur'd at this scene, Whofe glories render heaven fuperfluous! fay, Whose footsteps these?—Immortals have been here. Could lefs than fouls immortal this have done? Earth's cover'd o'er with proofs of fouls immortal; And proofs of immortality forgot.

805

To flatter thy grand foible, I confefs,

These are ambition's works: and these are great:

But this, the least immortal fouls can do;

810

Transcend them all-But what can these transcend?

Dost ask me what?—One figh for the diftreft.

What then for infidels? A deeper figh.

815

'Tis moral grandeur makes the mighty man :
How little they, who think aught great below!
All our ambitions death defeats, but one;
And that it crowns. Here cease we but, ere long,
More powerful proof shall take the field against thee,
Stronger than death, and smiling at the tomb.

NIGHT THE SEVENT H.

BEING

THE SECOND PART

OF

THE INFIDEL RECLAIMED.

CONTAINING

THE NATURE, PROOF, AND IMPORTANCE, OF IMMORTALITY.

A

PREFACE.

S we are at war with the power, it were well if

we were at war with the manners, of France. A land of levity is a land of guilt. A ferious mind is the native foil of every virtue; and the fingle character that does true honour to mankind. The foul's immortality has been the favourite theme with the ferious of all ages. Nor is it strange; it is a fubject by far the most interesting, and important, that can enter the mind of man. Of highest moment this fubject always was and always will be. Yet this its higheft moment feems to admit of increafe, at this day; a fort of occafional importance is fuperadded to the natural weight of it; if

that

that opinion which is advanced in the preface to the preceding Night, be juft. It is there fuppofed, that all our infidels, whatever scheme, for argument's fake, and to keep themselves in countenance, they patronize, are betrayed into their deplorable error, by fome doubts of their immortality, at the bottom. And the more I confider this point, the more I am perfuaded of the truth of that opinion. Though the diftruft of a futurity is a ftrange error; yet it is an error into which bad men may naturally be diftreffed. For it is impoffible to bid defiance to final ruin, without fome refuge in imagination, fome prefumption of escape. And what prefumption is there? There are but two in nature; but two, within the compafs of human thought. And thefe are-That either God will not, or can not punish. Confidering the divine attributes, the firft is too grofs to be digefted by our strongest wishes. And fince omnipotence is as much a divine attribute as holiness, that God cannot punifh, is as abfurd a fuppofition, as the former. God certainly can punish as long as wicked men exift. In non-existence, therefore, is their only refuge; and, confequently, non-existence is their ftrongest wish. And strong wishes have a strange influence on our opinions; they bias the judgment in a manner, almoft, incredible. And fince on this member of their alternative, there are fome fmall appearances in their favour, and none at all on the other, they catch at this reed, they lay hold on this chimæra, to fave themselves from the fhock and horror of an immediate and abfolute despair.

very

On

On reviewing my fubject, by the light which this argument, and others of like tendency, threw upon it, I was more inclined than ever to purfue it, as it appeared to me to ftrike directly at the main root of all our infidelity. In the following pages it is, accordingly, pursued at large; and fome arguments for immortality, new at least to me, are ventured on in them. There alfo the writer has made an attempt to fet the grofs abfurdities and horrors of annihilation in a fuller and more affecting view, than is (I think) to be met with elsewhere.

The gentlemen, for whose fake this attempt was chiefly made, profefs great admiration for the wisdom of heathen antiquity: what pity it is they are not fincere! If they were fincere, how would it mortify them to confider, with what contempt and abhorrence their notions would have been received by those whom they fo much admire! What degree of contempt and abhorrence would fall to their share, may be conjectured by the following matter of fact (in my opinion) extremely memorable. Of all their heathen worthies, Socrates (it is well known) was the moft guarded, difpaffionate, and compofed: yet this great master of temper was angry; and angry at his laft hour; and angry with his friend; and angry for what deferved acknowledgement; angry for a right and tender instance of true friendship towards him. Is not this furprizing? What could be the caufe? The caufe was for his honour; it was a truly noble, though, perhaps, a too punctilious, regard for immortality: for his friend