Now this is arraigning the "All-wise" before the
tribunal of his subjects to answer for the mistakes in his government.
Can we look into the council of the "Unsearchable" and see what means
are made to answer their ends? We do not know but the destruction of
the soul may, in the government of God, be made to answer such a
purpose that its existence would be contrary to the dictates of
wisdom.
The great desire of the soul for immortality, its secret, innate
horror of annihilation, has been brought to prove its immortality. But
do we always find this horror or this desire? Is it not much more
evident that the great majority of mankind have no such dread at all?
True that there is a strong feeling of horror excited by the idea of
perishing from the earth and being forgotten, of losing all those
honors and all that fame awaited them. Many feel this secret horror
when they look down upon the vale of futurity and reflect that though
now the idols of the world, soon all which will be left them will be
the common portion of mankind--oblivion! But this dread does not arise
from any idea of their destiny beyond the tomb, and even were this
true, it would afford no proof that the mind would exist forever,
merely from its strong desires. For it might with as much correctness
be argued that the body will exist forever because we have a great
dread of dying, and upon this principle nothing which we strongly
desire would ever be withheld from us, and no evil that we greatly
dread will ever come upon us, a principle evidently false.
Pages:
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39