igà STUDIES Of NATURE. 



to them with tears of joy, and calling them by 

 their names, it was no longer poffible to retain a 

 fingle man on board ; they all fprung afhore, and 

 it became neceflary, according to the cuflom of 

 the port, to employ another fet of mariners to 

 bring the vefTel to her iiioorings. 



What, then, would be the cafe, were we in- 

 dulged with a fenfible difcovery of that Heavenly 

 Country, inhabited by thofe who are moft dear to 

 us, and who alone are moft worthy of our fublime 

 affeftions ? All the laborious and vain folicitudes 

 of a prefent life would come to an end. The paf- 

 fage from the one world to the other being in every 

 man's power, the gulf would be quickly fliot : 

 but Nature has involved it in obfcurity, and has 

 planted doubt and apprehenfion to guard the paf- 

 fage. 



It would appear, we are told by fome, that the 

 idea of the immortality of the foul, could arife only 

 from the fpecuLations of men of genius, who, con- 

 lidering the combination of this Univerfe, and the 

 connection which prefent fcenes have with thofe 

 which preceded them, muft have thence conclud- 

 ed, that they had a neceflary connexion with fu- 

 turity ; or elfe, that this idea of immortality was 

 introduced by Legiflators, in a ftate of poliflied 

 fociety, as furnifliing a diftant hope, tending to 



confole 



