paves the Way to our Belief of it, and is indeed an additional Proof of it.

But in what after all does this mighty Embarraffment lie, that this Doctrine is faid to throw on the Refurrection? If the Soul, tho' without fuppofing its Immortality, or its Power to continue Senfation without a Body, or without a Body properly difpos'd, may yet ftill remain one and the fame individual Substance, the Sleep of Death, tho' of ever fo long Continuance, can be of no more Avail to alter or change the Soul, or make us ceafe to be the felf fame Perfons, than what we call a dead Sleep does at prefent, or that Death like Refemblance, occafion'd by fome Kind of Fits. If you expect indeed I fhould define the Soul, or go about to determine precifely its phyfical Effence, you will find yourfelf greatly miftaken. Philander here I think was juftly ́modest, and highly worthy of our Imitation. For tho' it can't be denied there is unthinking Matter, and that therefore all Kind of Matter is not endu'd with Thinking, there may yet for ought we know be fome that does Think as well as a great deal of Matter void of Life, and yet much on the other hand that seems living Matter. But be that as it will, I am no ways inclin'd to difpute it. Let the Philofophers fettle it

amongst

amongst themselves, our Faith as Chriftians is not much concern'd with it. It is enough for us to believe, as Scripture teaches us, that he that made us at first with living Souls, has declar'd his Intention to raise us again after Death, and that such as by a patient Continuance in well doing feek for it, shall then have Glory, Honour, and Immortality. And this is furely a better Foundation to build our Faith on, than any Philofophy of Souls whatever, in which the further we go, we but meet with the greater Perplexity, and as Milton fays, in another Cafe, of the fallen Angels, can find " in wandering Mazes loft."

no End,

Let me add, that it does not seem to be quite fo reasonable, to expect a Reward while confider'd as under a Curfe; or that the Days of Eternity should have as many Beginnings, as there are different Times for every Ones Deceafe; not that I charge a Proceeding of this Kind with any Injustice, for God has a Right to reward or punish us when he pleases; but only offer it to be here confider'd, whether the Reverse of this does not seem to be much more rational, as well as more agreeable to Scripture; as it not only makes every Ones final State begin together, but puts an End in the Interim either to longing Hopes, tormenting Doubts, or worse tor

menting Fears. I had almoft forgot to take Notice of one more Advantage, that arises from this Scheme more than from any other. It must be very well known to all that know the Scriptures, that they teach us to look on, and value long Life as a Bleffing, and a Reprieve from Death, tho' only for fome few Years, as no mean Mark of the Regard of Heaven. And it must be own'd, that if Death is a total Ceflation of Life, or of every Senfation of Life till fuch a Period, all additional Time upon Earth is fo far Gain to us, as it is fo much Time redeem'd from the Days of Death, the Days of Silence, and Infenfibility. But if after Death our Souls then live in earnest, and much more perfectly than they did in this Life, and are remov❜d from hence to other, and better Regions, and to which there is nothing upon Earth comparable; it is not eafy to affign a Reason, why our Blessed Lord fhould call his beloved Lazarus, be it from Heaven, or Paradife, or where you pleafe, and expofe him again to Trials, and fresh Temptations, only for the Sake of fojourning a while longer here. But as I truft I have anfwer'd now your chief Objections, I shall add no more than that I

am,

Yours, THEOPHILUS.

LETTER

LETTER V.

CRITO to THEOPHILUS.

Am much obliged to you for the Trouble you have taken, in anfwering the Objections I fent you; but must trefspass once more on your Patience by fending fome fresh Ones. It is alledg'd, that ma terial Souls is a plain Abfurdity, and that we have not only no Inftances of thinking Matter, but no Reafon to think there is any fuch Thing in the World; and befides all this that there are certain Texts, which will not bear Philander's Explanation; as that of being abfent from the Body, and prefent with the Lord, which without a manifeft Force on the Words can mean no lefs, than that we are prefent with the one, at the very Time, that we are abfent from the other. Nor can lefs they alledge be inferr'd from that other Paffage, in which he afferts his Defire to depart, and to be with Chrift, and which he fo exprefly declares is far better than living in this World; fince, let Time be of ever fo fever 1 little Account to the Dead, if the fooner he died, he did not think to be the fooner with Chrift, why should he here give the Preference, as he plainly does, to the ManL 2

fions

A

fions of Death before those of the Land of the Living? It is further urg'd, that he tells the Theffalonians, that God has not appointed us to Wrath, but to obtain Salvation, by our Lord Jefus Chrift; who died for us, as he adds, that whether we wake or Sleep, that is, as moft understand it, whether we live or die, we should live together with him. And that when St. John is ordered to write, bleffed are the Dead that die in the Lord; yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their Labours, if their Bleffednefs here means no more than their refting in Death, that the Wicked are in this Refpect as bleft as they Your Anfwer to this will further oblige,

A

Yours, CRITO.

LETTER VI.

THEOPHILUS to CRITO.

S the pretended Abfurdity of material Souls, as I have no where affirm'd or afferted, the Souls are material, but only that they may be fo for what I know; it may fuffice to reply, that notwithstanding all this Outcry of Abfurdity, there have been great Philofophers who have thought it none; and that as I do not affert it, it is neither my Bu-·