could have no imaginations* of Jupiter or Mars, of Minerva or Isis, if there were not actually such beings in nature to emit those effluvia, which, gliding into the soul, must beget such imaginations.†And thence it was, that those philosophers adapted their description of the Deity to the vulgar apprehensions of those times; gods and goddesses innumerable, and all of human figure, because otherwise the conceptions of mankind about them could not possibly be accounted for by‡ their physiology. So that if Epicurus and Democritus were in earnest about their philosophy, they did necessarily and really believe the existence of the gods. But then, as to the nature and authority of them, they bereaved that Jupiter of his thunder and majesty; forbidding him to look or peep abroad, so much as to inquire what news in the infinite space about him; but to content himself and be happy with an eternal laziness and dozing, unless some rambling troops of atoms, upon the dissolution of a neighbouring world, might chance to awake him. Now, because no Israelite in the days of the Psalmist is likely to have been so curious about natural knowledge, as to believe the being of a God for such a quaint and airy reason as this, when he had once boldly denied his dominion over the world; and since there is not now one infidel living so ridiculous as to pretend to solve the phenomena of sight, fancy, or cogitation, by those fleeting superficial films of bodies; I must beg leave to think, both that** the fool in the text was a thorough confirmed Atheist, and that the modern disguised Deists do only call themselves so for the former reason of Epicurus, to decline the public odium and resentment of the magistrate, and that they covert the most arrant Atheism under the mask and shadow of a Deity; by which they understand no [* imaginations; 1st ed. "imagination."-D.] [§ But then, as; 1st ed. "But as."-D.] [of a God; 1st ed. " of God."-D.] [¶ since; 1st ed. "seeing that."-D.] [** think, both that; 1st ed. "think that."-D.] [++ and that they cover; 1st ed." and do cover.”—D.] more than some eternal inanimate matter, some universal nature, and soul of the world, void of all sense and cogitation, so far from being endowed with infinite wisdom and goodness. And therefore, in this present discourse, they may deservedly come under that character which the text hath given of them, of fools, that have said in their hearts, There is no God. And now, having thus far cleared our way, in the next place we shall offer some notorious proofs of the gross folly and stupidity of Atheists. If a person that had a fair estate in reversion, which in all probability he would speedily be possessed of, and of which he might reasonably promise to himself a long and happy enjoyment, should be assured by some skilful physician, that in a very short time he would inevitably fall into a disease which would so totally deprive him of his understanding and memory, that he should lose the knowledge of all things without him, nay, all consciousness and sense of his own person and being: if, I say, upon a certain belief of this indication, the man should appear overjoyed at the news, and be mightily transported with the discovery and expectation, would not all that saw him be astonished at such behaviour? would they not be forward to conclude, that the distemper had seized him already, and even‡ then the miserable creature was become a mere fool and an idiot? Now, the carriage of our Atheists or Deists is infinitely more amazing than this; no dotage so infatuate, no frenzy so extravagant as theirs. They have been educated in a religion that instructed them in the knowledge of a supreme Being; a Spirit most excellently glorious, superlatively powerful, and wise, and good, Creator of all things out of nothing; that hath endued the sons of men, his peculiar favourites, so far from being endowed; 1st ed. "endued with none at all, much less."-D.] [t which; 1st ed. "that."-D.] [and even; 1st ed. " and that even."―D.] with a rational spirit, and hath placed them as spectators in this noble theatre of the world, to view and applaud these glorious scenes of earth and heaven, the workmanship of his hands; that hath furnished them in general with a sufficient store of all things, either necessary or convenient for life; and, particularly to such as fear and obey him, hath promised a supply of all wants, a deliverance and protection from all dangers:* that they that seek him shall want no manner of thing that is good.d Who,t besides his munificence to them in this life, hath so loved the world, that he sent his only-begotten Son,e the express image of his substance, and partaker of his eternal nature and glory, to bring life and immortality to light, and to tender them to mankind upon fair and gracious terms; that if they submit to his easy yoke and light burden, and observe his commandments, which are not grievous,h he then gives them the promise of eternal salvation; he hath ** reserved for them in heaven an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away; he hath†† prepared for them an unspeakable, unconceivable perfection of joy and bliss, things that eye hath‡‡ not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.k What a delightful and ravishing hypothesis of religion is§§ this! And in this religion they have had their education. Now let us suppose some great professor in Atheism to suggest to some of these men, that|||| all this is mere¶¶ dream and imposture; that there is no such excellent Being, as they suppose, that created and preserves them; that all about them is dark senseless matter, driven on by the blind impulses of fatality and fortune; that men first sprung up, like mushrooms, out of the mud and slime of the earth; and that all their thoughts, and the whole of what they call soul, are only various action and repercussion of small particles of matter, kept awhile a-moving by some mechanism and clock-work, which finally must cease and perish* by death. If it be true, then, (as we daily find it is,) that ment listen with complacency to these horrid suggestions; if they let go their hope of everlasting life with willingness and joy; if they entertain the thoughts of final perdition with exultation and triumph; ought they not to be esteemed most notorious fools, even destitute of common sense, and abandoned to a callousness and numbness of soul? What then, is heaven itself, with its pleasures for evermore, to be parted with so unconcernedly? Is a crown of righteousness, a crown of life,m to be surrendered with laughter? Is an exceeding and eternal weight of glory" too light in the balance against the hopeless death of the Atheist, and utter extinction? 'Twas a noble saying of the Emperor Marcus, That he would not endure to live one day in the world, if he did not believe it to be under the government of Providence. Let us but imagine that excellent person confuted and satisfied by some Epicurean of his time, that all was but atoms, and vacuum, and necessity, and chance: would he have been so pleased and delighted with the conviction? would he have so triumphed in being overcome? Or rather, as he hath told us, would he not have gone down with sorrow and despair to the grave? Did I but once see an Atheist lament and bewail himself, that, upon a strict and impartial examination, he had found, to his cost, that all was a mistake; that the prerogative of human nature was [* must cease and perish; 1st ed. " ceases and perishes."-D.] [t men; 1st ed. "they."-D.] 1 Aleov kal áλoyov kal àvaíσOntov Yévos. Max. Tyr. Diss. 1. [= Diss. xvii. ed. Markl. ἄθεον, . . . καὶ ἀναισθὲς γένος . . . ἄλογον, κ. τ. λ.-D.] m 2 Tim. iv. 8. Jam. i. 12. VOL. III. C n 2 Cor. iv. 17. vanished and gone; those glorious hopes of immortality and bliss, nothing but cheating joys and pleasant delusions; that he had undone himself by losing the comfortable error, and would give all the world to have better arguments for religion there would be great hopes of prevailing upon such an Atheist as this. But, alas! there are none of them of this temper of mind; there are none that understand and seek after God; they have no knowledge, nor any desire of it ;* they thrust the word of God from them, and judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life ;P they willingly prefer darkness before light; and obstinately choose to perish for ever in the grave, rather than be heirs of salvation in the resurrection of the just. These certainly are the fools in the text, indocile intractable fools, whose stolidity can baffle all arguments, and bet proof against demonstration itself; whose end (as the words of St. Paul do truly describe them), whose end and very hope is destruction, an eternal deprivation of being; whose God is their belly, the gratification of sensual lusts; whose glory is in their shame, in the debasing of § mankind to the condition of beasts; who mind earthly things; who, if (like that great Apostle) they were caught up to the third heaven, would (as the spies did of Canaan) bring down an evil reports of those regions of bliss. And I fear, unless it please God by extraordinary methods to help their unbelief, and enlighten the eyes of their understanding, they will carry their Atheism with them to the pit; and the flames of hell only must convince them of their error. This supine and inconsiderate behaviour of the Atheists is so extremely absurd, that it would be deemed incredible, if it did not occur to our daily observation; it proclaims aloud, that they are not led astray by their reasoning, but • Ver. 2 and 4 of this Psalm. P Acts, xiii. 46. [ it; 1st ed. "instruction."-D.] [t be; 1st ed. " is.”—D.] [ end and very hope is; 1st ed. "end is."-D.] [§ debasing of; 1st ed. “debasing and villanizing of.”—D.] 4 Phil. iii. 19. r 2 Cor. xii. 2. Mar. ix. 24. Eph. i. 19 [18]. Numb. xiii. 32. |