Section II.

An Argument Founded Upon the Common Sentiment of Mankind.

That the heathen world believe that the soul survives the death of the body, and is imperishable, will not be denied by any one who has investigated the subject.

The following summary of the evidence on this point we quote, ready prepared to our purpose, from "The Philosophy of a Future State," by Thomas Dick.

"That the thinking principle in man is of an immortal nature, was believed by the ancient Egyptians, the Persians, the Phenicians, the Scythians, the Celts, the Druids, the Assyrians,-by the wisest and most celebrated characters among the Greeks and Romans, and by almost every other ancient nation and tribe whose records have reached our times. The notions, indeed, which many of them entertained of the scenes of futurity were very obscure and imperfect, but they all embraced the idea, that death is not the destruction of the rational soul, but only its introduction to a new and unknown state of existence. The ancient Scythians believed that death was only a change of habitation; and the Magian sect, which prevailed in Babylonia, Media, Assyria and Persia, admitted the doctrine of eternal rewards and punishments. The doctrines taught by the second Zoroaster, who lived in the time of Darius, were, 'that there is one Supreme Being, independent and self-existent from all eternity:

that under him there are two angels, one the angel of light, who is the author of all good; and the other the angel of darkness, who is the author of all evil; that they are in a perpetual struggle with each other; that where the angel of light prevails, there good reigns; and that where the angel of darkness prevails, there evil takes place; that this struggle shall continue to the end of the world; that then there shall be a general resurrection and day of judgment, wherein all shall receive a just retribution according to their works. After which, the angel of darkness and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall suffer in everlasting darkness, the punishment of their evil deeds; and the angel of light and his disciples shall also go into a world of their own, where they shall receive, in everlasting light, the reward due to their good deeds; that after this they shall remain separated forever, and light and darkness be no more to all eternity.' The remains of this sect, which are scattered over Persia and India, still hold the same doctrines without any variation, even to this day.

"It is well known that Plato, Socrates, and other Greek Philosophers, held the doctrine of the soul's immortality. In his admirable dialogue entitled, 'The Phaedon,' Plato, represents Socrates, a little before his death, encompassed with a circle of philosophers, and discoursing with them on the arguments which prove the eternal destiny of man.

"'When the dead,' says he, 'are arrived at the rendezvous of departed souls, whither their angel conducts them, they are all judged. Those who have passed their lives in a manner neither entirely criminal, nor absolutely innocent, are sent into a place where they suffer pains, proportioned to their faults, till, being purged and cleansed of their guilt, and afterwards restored to liberty, they receive the reward of the good actions they have done in the body. Those who are judged to be incurable, on account of the greatness of their crimes, the fatal Destiny that passes judgment upon them, hurls them into Tartaras, from whence they never depart. Those are found guilty of crimes, great indeed, but worthy of pardon, who have committed violence, in the transports of rage, against their father or mother, or have killed some one in like emotion, and afterwards repented-suffer the same punishment with the last, but for a time only, till, by prayers and supplications, they have obtained pardon from those they have injured. But those who have passed through life with peculiar sanctity of manners, are received on high into a pure region, where they live without their bodies to all eternity, in a series of joys and delights which cannot be described.' From such considerations, Socrates concludes, 'If the soul be immortal, it requires to be cultivated with attention, not only for what we call the time of life, but for that which is to follow, I mean eternity; and the least neglect in this point may be attended with endless consequences. If death were the final dissolution of being, the wicked would be great gainers by it, by being delivered at once from their bodies, their souls, and their vices; but as the soul is immortal, it has no other means of being freed from its evils, nor any safety for it, but in becoming very good and very wise; for it carries nothing with it, but its good of bad deeds, its virtues and vices, which are commonly the consequences of the education it has received, and the causes of eternal happiness or misery.' Having held such discourses with his friends, he kept silent for some time, and then drank off the whole of the poisonous draught which had been put into his hand, with amazing tranquility, and an inexpressible serenity of aspect, as one who was about to exchange a short and wretched life, for a blessed and eternal existence.

"The descriptions and allusions contained in the writings of the ancient poets, are a convincing proof, that the notion of the soul's immortality was a universal opinion in the times in which they wrote, and among the nations to whom their writings were addressed Homer's account of the descent of Ulysses into hell, and his description of Minos in the shades below, distributing justice to the dead assembled in troops around his tribunal, and pronouncing irrevocable judgments, which decide their everlasting fate, demonstrate that they entertained the belief that virtues are rewarded, and that crimes are punished in another state of existence. The poems of Ovid and Virgil contain a variety of descriptions, in which the same opinions are involved. Their notions of future punishment are set forth in the descriptions they give of Ixion, who was fastened to a wheel, and whirled about continually with a swift and rapid motion-of Tantalus, who for the loathsome banquet he made for the gods, was set in water up to the chin, with apples hanging to his very lips, yet had no power either to stoop to the one to quench his raging thirst, or to reach the other to satisfy his craving appetite-of the Fifty Daughters of Danaus, who, for the barbarous massacre of their husbands in one night, were condemned in hell to fill a barrel full of holes with water, which ran (jut again as fast as it was filled-of Sisyphus, who for his robberies, was set to roll a great stone up a steep hill, which, when it was just at the top, suddenly fell down again, and so renewed his labor-and of Tityus, who was adjudged to have a vulture to feed upon his liver and entrails, which still grew and increased as they were devoured. There notions of future happiness are embodied in the descriptions they have given of the Hesperian gardens, and the Elysian fields, where the souls of the virtuous rest secure from every danger, and enjoy perpetual and uninterrupted bliss.

"And as the nations of antiquity recognized the doctrine of a future state of existence, so there is scarcely a nation or tribe of mankind, presently existing, however barbarous and untutored, in which the same opinion does not prevail. The natives of the Society Isles believe that after death, there is not only a state of conscious existence, but degrees of eminence and felicity, according as men have been more or less pleasing to the Eatova, or Deity, while upon earth. The chief of the Friendly Islands believe in the immortality of the soul, which, at death, they say, is immediately conveyed in a fast-sailing canoe, to a distant country called Doobludha, which they describe as resembling the Mahometan paradise,-that those who are conveyed thither are no more subject to death, but feast on all the favorite productions of their native soil, with which this blissful abode is plentifully furnished. Thu New Zealanders believe that the third day after the interment of a man, the heart separates itself from the corpse, and that this separation is announced by a general breeze of wind, which gives warning of its approach, by an inferior divinity that hovers over the grave, and who carries it to the clouds. They believe that the soul of the man whose flesh is devoured by the enemy, is doomed to a perpetual fire, while the soul of the man whose body has been rescued from those that killed him, and the souls of all who die a natural death, ascend to the habitations of the gods. The inhabitants of the Pelew Islands, according to the account of Captain Wilson, although they have few religious rites and ceremonies, believe in one Supreme Being and in a future state of rewards and punishments. In the religion of the Kalmuck Tartars, the doctrine of a future state holds a conspicuous place. They believe that hell is situated in the middle region, between heaven and earth, and their devils are represented with all sorts of frightful forms, of a black and hideous aspect, with the heads of goats, lions, and unicorns. Their holy Lamas, who have a victory over all their passions, are supposed to pass immediately into heaven, where they enjoy perfect rest, and exercise themselves in divine service. The Samoiedians, of Northern Tartary believe that there is one Supreme Being, that he is our all-merciful and common Parent, and that he will reward with a happy state, hereafter, those who live virtuously in this world. The Birmans believe in the transmigration of souls, after which, they maintain that the radically bad will be sentenced to lasting punishment, while the good will enjoy eternal happiness on a mountain called Meru.

"The various tribes which inhabit the continent of Africa, in so far as we are acquainted with their religious opinions, appear to recognize the doctrine of a future state. 'I was lately discoursing on this subject,' says Mr. Addison, in one of his Spectators, 'with a learned person, who has been very much conversant among the inhabitants of the most western parts of Africa. Upon his conversing with several in that country, he tells me, that their notions of heaven, or of a future state of happiness, is this-that everything we there wish for will immediately present itself to us. We find, say they, that our souls are of such a nature that they require variety, and are not capable of being always delighted with the same objects. The Supreme Being, therefore, in compliance with this taste of happiness which he has implanted in the soul of man, will raise up, from time to time, say they, every gratification which it is in the human nature to be pleased with. If we wish to be in groves or bowers, among running streams or falls of water, we shall immediately find ourselves in the midst of such a scene as we desire. If we would be entertained with music, and the melody of sounds, the concert arises upon our wish, arid the whole region about us is filled with harmony. In short, every desire will be followed by fruition; and whatever a man's inclination directs him to, will be present with him.' The negroes and other inhabitants of the interior of Africa, according to the account of Mr. Park, believe in one Supreme Ruler, and expect hereafter to enter into a state of misery or felicity. The Gallas of Abyssinia, though they reject the doctrine of future punishment, admit the reality of a future state. The Mandingoes, the Jaloffs, the Feloops, the Foulahs, the Moors, and all the other tribes who have embraced the Mahometan faith, recognize the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and of future rewards in a celestial paradise. The natives of Dahomy entertain the same belief; and hence it is a common practice with the sovereign of that country, to send an account to his forefathers of any remarkable event, by delivering a message to whoever may happen to be near him at the time, and then ordering his head to be chopped off immediately, that he may serve as a courier, to

convey intelligence to the world of spirits.

The Persians are said to leave one part of their graves open, from a belief, that the dead will be reanimated, and visited by angels, who will appoint them to their appropriate abodes in a future state. From a similar belief, thousands of Hindoo widows annually sacrifice themselves on the funeral pile of their deceased husbands, in the hope of enjoying with them the felicities of eternal life. The Japanese believe that the souls of men amid beasts are alike immortal; that a just distribution of rewards and punishments takes place after death; that there arc different degrees of happiness, as well as of punishment, and that the souls of the wicked transmigrate, after death, into the bodies of animals, and at last, in case of amendment, are translated back again into the human form. From a conviction of the reality of a future world, the Wahabee Arabs regard it as impious to mourn for the dead, who, they say, are enjoying felicity with Mahomet in paradise; and the Japanese make several feasts, on the decease of their friends and relations, to commemorate their entrance into a world of bliss. The North American Indians believe that beyond the most distant mountains of their country, there is a wide river; beyond that river a great country; on the other side of that country, a world of water; in that water are a thousand islands, full of trees and streams of water, and that a thousand buffaloes, and ten thousand deer, graze on the hills, or ruminate in the valleys. When they die, they are persuaded that the Great Spirit will conduct them to this land of souls.

"Thus it appears, that riot only the philosophers of antiquity, and the most civilized nations presently existing on the globe, have recognized the doctrine of the immortality of man, but that even the most savage and untutored tribes fortify their minds in the prospect of death, with the hope of a happiness commensurate to their desires, in the regions beyond the grave.

'Even the poor Indian whose untutored mind

Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind,

Whose soul proud science never taught to stray

Far as the solar walk or milky way-

Yet simple nature to is his hope has given

Behind the cloud-topt hill, an humbler heaven;

Some safer world in depth of woods embraced,

Some happier island in the watery waste,

Where slaves once more their native land behold,

No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold-

And thinks, admitted to you equal sky,

His faithful dog shall bear him company.'-Pope.

"Among the numerous and diversified tribes that arc scattered over the different regions of the earth, that agree in scarcely any other sentiment or article of religious belief; we here find the most perfect harmony, in their recognition of a Supreme Intelligence, and in their belief that the soul survives the dissolution of its mortal frame."

The above proves the point beyond the power of contradiction, that a belief in the immortality of the human soul is common to our race, and we submit it as very strong presumptive evidence of the truth of the doctrine.

We ask then, in conclusion, from whence did this almost universal belief in the immortality of the soul spring If it were local, we should infer that it was the offspring of some local cause, but as it is general, pervading all ages, and all lands, and all societies, it most have a cause as general as the effect produced.

If the doctrine of a future existence be an error, it is the most general one that ever entered the world, and must have been introduced in the most insidious manner. Other errors may generally be traced to their sources, and their authors, and the time of their introduction be pointed out; but no account of the origin of the doctrine of life of the soul after the death of the body can be given, on the supposition that it is false. If some errors cannot be traced back to their origin, they are not general in the world, but are peculiar to particular nations, tribes, or sects; while the sentiment in question is a general one, and prevails most where the Scriptures are most known and read. The doctrine must have had its origin; and as it prevails generally in the world, and as no account can be given of its introduction, it follows that it must have sprung from some one of the following sources :-It must be instinct, the result of natural reason, from the light of nature, the impression of God's spirit on the mind, or the principle of revelation contained in the Bible. Now, if it be instinct, it must be from the Creator, if it be the result of natural reason, it cannot be unreasonable; if it be from the light of nature, it is a revelation from God; if it be the impression of God's Spirit on the mind, it is no less a Divine revelation; and if it be the sentiment of the Bible, none but infidels will deny it. If destructionists can prove that the doctrine in question had some other origin or if some other sentiment can be named, manifestly false, and equally common in the world, of the origin of which no account can be given, we acknowledge that they will evade the force of this argument; but until this be done, the argument must prove ruinous to their theory.