172 An Essay on the

our constitution more perfect, perhapscould not have observed these different n 1 'lures with so much ease and certainty. *all had been a blank of thought and c 011 'sciousness in sleep, the soul would have seen 1 'ed to be of the same nature with the body :if there had been no difference of thoughand consciousness then and at other tim e5 ’the body would have appeared to be of th efame nature, with the foul } nor could th ethinking principle have been so distinguish'able. There are so many useful and instruC'tive appearances belonging to this phænom e 'non, that I am sure a curious, fair EnqiH'rer would not wish it removed out of na-ture. Whatever the Sceptick may fay, heseeks to deny, diminis: , or pervertcircumstance relating to it. How uncom-fortable would it be to lye down in a tem-porary state of non-existence ! How delight-ful is it to think that there is a world °^spirits j that we are surrounded with in-telligent living Beings, rather than in a lo ne 'ly, unconscious Universe , a wilderness ojter ! It is a pledge given us of immortaland'that we shall not be extinguish-ed all at once, nor cut off from existence*