Now how is it possible, in the face of these direct and reiterated assertions of the Psalmist,That" in death there is no remembrance of thee" (the Lord)," Ps. vi. 5;--that "man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish ;”—“ he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light," Ps. xlix. 12, 19;-that he (the Psalmist) was "free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou (the Lord) rememberest no more," Ps. lxxxviii. 5, and then inquires, ver. 10, 11, 12, as if assured of the impossibility of the thing, "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee?" " Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction ?" "Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?"— that "the dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence," Ps. cxv. 17;-and that when "man's breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish," Ps. cxlvi. 4;how, I ask, is it possible to deny that the Psalmist believed human consciousness to cease with life? Moreover, although the passages just extracted have been selected as among the more striking and decisive proofs of the notions entertained by the authors of the Psalms, yet they are far from being the only, or perhaps even the strongest, indications of their accordance with those maintained

in this work, since the whole tenor of these compositions-which for the most part are prayers or thanksgivings for deliverance from temporal evils, hymns of praise, and historical recollections--shews that the writers had chiefly reference to the prosperity of the Israelites and their posterity in the land of Canaan,-to mercies shewn to David, and to the continuation of the royal dignity in his house: all objects of a temporal

nature.

It remains only to notice the few passages in the Psalms which are supposed to predict or allude to a resurrection. Of these, by far the most clear as well as the most important, because expressly quoted and applied to Christ,* is in Ps. xvi.

Ps. xvi. 8. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved,

9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever

more.

The following also have been thought to have reference to a restoration from death: Ps. xlix. 15, for which see p. 67 ; Ps. cxliii. 6, 11, p. 65 ; and,

Ps. lxxi. 20. Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

The texts from Ps. xvi. having been expressly quoted as prophetic of the resurrection of our Saviour, must be admitted at once to have been written with that intent; and as the others quoted shew a strong hope of a resuscitation from the grave, they may fairly be considered as expressing the belief of these authors, and that belief evidently was, that the body should be restored to life, and again resume its functions. So far, therefore, are these passages, and particularly those in Ps. xvi., from countenancing the doctrine of a state of existence for man, independent of his body, that they appear to furnish one of the strongest arguments against such an opinion which the Old Testament affords.

The only observation which remains to be made on the Psalms is a repetition of what has before been said of Abraham, Moses, and others, namely, that as the greater part of them was the production of David, the chosen of the Lord, the man after God's own heart, from whom the Messiah was to descend, according to the flesh, it seems utterly unaccountable, had such really been the fact, that no distinct intimation of the separate existence of the soul should be found throughout them, and affords one more link in the chain of evidence against the truth of that notion.

The Book of Proverbs, the greater part of which is the work of Solomon, though it do not contain

much which bears directly upon the question, yet indirectly affords an argument in favour of the views maintained in this Essay, by constantly describing death as the termination of existence, using the word soul in some of the senses enumerated in ch. iii., and having no passage* which refers to a future state of existence, at least to any state of consciousness distinct from the body. Now as Solomon was not only inspired, as well as the other authors of the Scriptures, but was also endued with supernatural wisdom, it adds to the difficulties of believing in a doctrine no traces of which are to be found in his writings, any more than in those of his predecessors.

Though the maxims laid down in the Proverbs are applicable to mankind in all ages and countries, yet they have a peculiar reference to the children of Israel as the immediate subjects of Jehovah; long life and prosperity being constantly represented as the reward of wisdom, or obedience to the law, and misfortunes and death as the result of foolishness, or disobedience; that

* Perhaps, ch. xiv. 32, "the wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death," may be thought to intimate such a belief in a future state, but if it do, it makes nothing in favour of the soul as an immaterial principle; vide the passage in Hewlet, referred to in the note to p. 73. The Septuagint has ὁ δὲ πεποιθὼς τῆ ἑαυτῶ ὁσίοτητι δίκαιος; "but the righteous is confident in his holiness."

the rewards and punishments, however, have both a reference to this life only, may be seen by consulting the texts, (some of which are noted below*) scattered over almost every chapter.†

A few quotations will be sufficient to shew that Solomon uses the term soul in some of the various senses mentioned in Chap. III. of this Essay; in no place to denote necessarily an immaterial principle, but in most incompatible with such a notion.

Ch. vi. 32. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

Ch. xvi. 17. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

Ch. xxix. 10. The bloodthirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul.

In these passages the soul evidently means life. In the next quotation the same word is used in three different senses in the space of four

+ In Hewlet's Bible (which ought to be in more hands than it is) is a note on Proverbs, xv. 10, so very pertinent to many portions of his argument, that the author cannot avoid here recommending it to the attentive perusal of the reader: it will be found, with a few observations on it, in an Appendix.