382 OhjeBions to the immateriality

youth makes a comfortable old age(/>). Aridthen we are on the confines of the kingdom ofreason-, ready, and (by going through thislast and best part of our life) in some mea-sure prepared, to enter into the society of itsInhabitants (q). And if this be a rational ex-pectation, there is an end of the Sceptic’sobjection; for a rational delusion is a con-tradiction (r).

IX. The next argument brought to provethat the foul is nothing but the result of themechanical disposition of the body, is, th itin some distempers of the body it is deliriori’and mad, and speaks wild things, and thatthe power of medicine cures it again, as it

(p) Aptissma omnino sent, Scipio , & Lali, arma fe“neEtutis , artes , cxercitationcsque virtutum : qua in on0 lestate cult a, cum multum diuque vixeris, mirificos afferUtdfruSius.

(q) 0 praclarum diem cum ad illud divimrum anime-rum concilium , cœtumque proficiscar !

(r) Must it not appear absurd to any thinking pets 011 *

to say, Man may contrive something more reasonable th# 1God hath ? This in general is contradictory. And 1{tthe present case the contradiction is flagrant, if we shouldfay, an infinitely rational Being may frustrate his crea-tures of a rational expectation. ,