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

Plato represents his admirable Socrates after an unjust Condemnation to Death,¹ in the Prison at Athens encompassed with a noble circle of Philosophers discoursing of the Souls Immortality, and that having finished his Arguments for it, he drank the Cup of Poison with^‖ an undisturbed Courage, as one that did not lose but exchange this short and wretched life for a blessed and eternal. For thus he argued, That there are two ways ⟨p. 230⟩of departing Souls leading to two contrary states, of felicity and of misery. Those who had defiled themselves with sensual Vices, and given full scope to boundless lusts in their private conversation, or who by frauds and violence had been injurious to the Common-wealth, are dragged to a place of torment, and for ever excluded from the joyful presence of the blessed Society above. But those who had preserved themselves upright and chaste, and at the greatest distance possible from the contagion of the flesh, and had during their union with humane bodies imitated the Divine Life, by an easy and open way returned to God from whom they came. And this was not the sense only of the more virtuous Heathens, but even some of those ⟨p. 231⟩who had done greatest force to the humane Nature, yet could not so darken their Minds, and corrupt their Wills, but there remained in them stinging apprehensions of punishment hereafter. Histories inform us of many Tyrants that encompassed with the strongest Guards have been affrighted with the alarms of an accusing Conscience, and seized on by inward terrors, the forerunners of Hell, and in the midst of their luxurious stupefying pleasures have been haunted with an evil Spirit, that all the Music in the World could not charm. The persons executed by their commands were always in their view, showing their wounds, reproaching their cruelty, and citing them before the High and Everlasting Judg the righteous Avenger of innocent ⟨p. 232⟩Blood. How fain would they have killed them once more, and deprived them of that life they had in their memories? but that was beyond their power. Of this we have an eminent instance in