Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The true Notion of Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts. Blaſphemy committed three ways. Atheiſtical Thoughts Tranſient and Volatile, or more Fixed and Permanent. Thoſe more Fixed, either ſtudied by us, embraced, and improved, or elſe ſuch as are the Souls Burthen, Trouble and great Affliction. The Diſcourſe reſtrained to the laſt.
DAvid telleth us, The Fool hath ſaid in his heart, There's no God; Pſal. 14. v. 1. By the Fool is to be underſtood not the Natural Fool (hindered in the exerciſe of his Reaſon) but the Spiritual Fool, the Wicked Man; nor is there any, to whom the Notion of a Fool more properly agreeth, than to the Preſumptuous bold Sinner, whether you by Fool underſtand one that wanteth knowledge and wit, or him that wanteth wiſdom to guide his knowledge in exerciſe to the beſt ends of Humane Life: to diſcern, chuſe, and judge of things according to truth and reality, and for the beſt advantage. This Fool (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) ſaith in his heart, that is, he thinks and believeth there is no God; whatſoever he profeſſeth with his lipps, theſe are his inward thoughts. The Philoſopher diſtinguiſheth betwixt our inward and more external Speech, we ſpeak nothing with our lipps, but what we have firſt ſaid in our hearts: though we ſay much in our hearts, which Shame, or Moral Prudence, reſtraineth us from ſpeaking with our lipps: Every wicked man doth not ſpeak it with his lipps, but he ſaith in his heart, he thinketh there is no God, and he ſpeaketh it in his life; his actions ſpeak it, he lives without a God in the World. Now this being the Character of a wicked man, one that is a ſpiritual Fool, the impreſſions of them upon honeſt ſouls, often proves a ſad temptation to them; uſhering in temptations to Self-murther and Deſpair. This hath made me reſolve ſhortly to handle this Argument, that I may by it give ſome relief to Souls thus tormented; and likewiſe help others with ſomething to ſay to Souls under theſe miſerable circumſtances. I ſhall reduce the whole of my Diſcourſe to theſe few Heads;
1. I ſhall ſhew you what I underſtand by Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts, and diſcourſe ſhortly of the kinds and differences of them.
2. We will inquire, what Tempters a Soul may have to them.
3. What Bait, or ſeeming good, the Tempter can imaginably propound to the Soul to intice it to them.
4. What Arguments Tempters may uſe with any colourable reaſon, to bring over a Soul to ſuch a perſwaſion.
5. We will inquire, Whether all ſuch kind of Thoughts be the Souls guilt, or no, or what are, what are not.
6. Laſtly, I ſhall offer my beſt advice both for Souls not as yet under theſe circumſtances, for the Prevention of them; and for Souls under this great preſſure, for the Arming and Supporting of them againſt and under them, and procuring them Liberty from them.
1. Qu. What are thoſe thoughts that deſerve the name of Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous? The term Atheiſme is taken ſometimes more ſtrictly for a denyal of God: ſometimes more largely for a denyal of any of the Perfections of God. In the firſt Senſe, for a man to think, That there is no God, or that the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghoſt, is not God, is Atheiſme; when it is onelyonly a denial in the Heart, it is an Atheiſtical Thought, when we deny it with our Lipps they are Atheſtical words: more largely for a man to deny Gods Wiſdom, Power, Knowledg, Mercy, or any other of his Perfections, is Atheiſm. Blaſphemy is committed three ways. 1. By denial of the Perfections that are in God. If any ſhall deny God to be one in Eſſence, or the three Perſons in the God-head, or that God is a Spirit Omnipotent, Omniſufficient, &c. is Blaſphemy: It is an evil and injurious ſpeaking of God. 2. When the Divine Perfections are attributed to the Creature, ſuch I mean as belong to God onelyonly, as to think any Creature Infinite, Omnipotent, Eternal, Omniſufficient, &c. 3. When the Imporfections of Creatures are aſcribed to God; as if any thinketh in his heart, That God is mortal, that he is the Author or Countenancer of Sin, or any thing of like nature which agrees to the Creature, onelyonly in regard of the imperfection of it. Thus you ſee there may be a great variety of Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts, according to the variety of the Object, which may be the Being of God, or the Perfections of God, &c.
Again, Such kind of Thoughts when they are fixed and permanent, are either ſtudied up by us, bugg'd, and imbraced, and inlarged upon, ſo as the Soul ſtudies to feed them and maintain them; which are hardly found in any but Atheiſtical Souls, that find it their intereſt to ſecure their luſts, by ſuch principles: Or elſe they are the Souls trouble and burthen, and great Afflictions; like a Viper ſticking to their hands, and there 'twill ſtick. They cry out and roar, and endeavour to ſhake theſe thoughts off, but they recurr, and are like an ill ſounding noiſe in their ears, and inconceivably afflict them: They ſay, Get thee behind me Satan, but he will not be gone. They cry to God, but he is pleaſed not to take the thorn out of their ſouls. Theſe are Temptations, and they are Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts, thus circumſtanced, that I now deſign to ſpeak ſomething to: So that I exclude out of my Diſcourſe,
1. More tranſient and volatile, Atheiſtical, and Blaſphemous Thoughts. The wiſe, the ſpiritually wiſe and good man, may have ſome of theſe; God is a Spiritual Being, and ſo removed from the cognizance of our Senſes. Who hath ſeen his ſhape at any time? And the Infiniteneſs of his Being and Perfections, is ſo much beyond the ſpan or fathom of our Reaſon, that the best of men have their doubts ſometimes about the Divine Being and Perfections; which indeed taking their Notions of God from Scripture, they chide away, are humbled for them, ſuffer them not to abide with them; and endeavour to eſtabliſh their ſouls againſt them, by teſtimonies of Scripture, which they firmly believe, and make the only Rule of their Faith, and Director of their apprehenſions concerning God. 2. I alſo exclude from my Diſcourſe ſuch permanent fixed thoughts of Atheiſm and Blaſphemy, as breed in the Soul, and the Soul delighteth in, is well pleaſed with, ſtudies to fortifie and make good by Argument. For theſe are only found in Atheiſts, who are either ſuch avowedly and profeſſedly, and are not aſhamed by the words of their lips to declare that ſuperfluity of vileneſs that is in their hearts. Or elſe they are ſuch, as in heart thinketh ſo, though in words they profeſs otherwiſe: Such as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of, Tit. 1. 16. Who profeſs that they know God, but do in works deny him, being abominable, diſobedient, and to every good work reprobate. I ſhall very little concern my ſelf as to either of theſe; only conſider what may be ſaid as to thoſe who have ſuch impreſſions, but they are their intollerable burthen and affliction. Indeed they are rather to be called impreſſions, than thoughts; and let us firſt inquire into this bitter ſtream, from what ſource and fountain it floweth.