Considerations of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul, with…

In treating of the Souls Immortality I shall not insist on nice and subtle Speculations, that evaporate and leave nothing substantial for conviction or practice: but consider those proofs that may induce the mind to assent, and ⟨p. 148⟩work upon the will to make its choice of objects with respect to their endless consequences hereafter. And first, it must be premised, that Immortality is not an inseparable perfection of its nature; for 'tis capable of annihilation. What ever had a beginning may have an end. God only hath immortality in an absolute sense, and communicates it according to his pleasure. The perpetual existence of Souls is a privilege that depends on his sustaining virtue, without which they would relapse into a state of not Being. His Will is the measure of their duration. I shall therefore consider such things as strongly argue that God will not withdraw his conservative influence that is necessary to their Immortality. The Arguments are of two sorts, Natural ⟨p. 149⟩and Moral. The first prove that God has made the Soul incapable of Death by any Internal Causes of perishing from its Nature, and in that declares not obscurely that he will ever preserve it. The second sort are drawn from the Divine Attributes, the visible Economy of Providence in the government of the World, that are infallible, and will produce a sufficient conviction in minds equally inclined.

In treating of the Souls Immortality I shall not insist on nice and subtile Speculations, that evaporate and leave nothing substantial for conviction or practice: but consider those proofs that may induce the mind to assent, and ⟨p. 148⟩work upon the will to make its choice of objects with respect to their endless consequences hereafter. And first, it must be premised, that Immortality is not an inseparable perfection of its nature; for 'tis capable of annihilation. What ever had a beginning may have an end. God only hath immortality in an absolute sense, and communicates it according to his pleasure. The perpetual existence of Souls is a priviledge that depends on his sustaining vertue, without which they would relapse into a state of not Being. His Will is the measure of their duration. I shall therefore consider such things as strongly argue that God will not withdraw his conservative influence that is necessary to their Immortality. The Arguments are of two sorts, Natural