The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 8 – Chapter 9
CHAP. VIII. Of Atheiſticall thoughts.
HAving before ſpoke of ſeverall kindes of Atheiſts: I ſhall here ſpeak of the Atheiſticall thought; A thought ſo black, Irrationall, Bruitiſh and horrid as can be thought. A thought which may be darted and haply glance at a gracious heart, but can onelyonly find footing and ſtick with a heart altogether graceleſſe. To ſhew the heinouſneſſe and hatefullneſſe whereof, I may boldly ſay five things.
1. That it cannot poſſibly be received but where the man hath firſt worne out his conſcience and all principles of religion. It doth ipſo facto, unſaint a Saint upon its firſt admiſſion. Some other Errors poſſibly may ſtand with grace, this entertained cannot.
2. Nor doth it ever ſtick, but where the man hath loſt his reaſon and his braines too, as well as his conſcience: It is not onelyonly againſt the light of Scripture, but nature (even corrupted nature) and doth conſequently not onelyonly un-ſaint the Chriſtian, but un-man the man. Some other Errors have ſome ſeeming reaſon on their ſide, This utterly none. It is the fool onelyonly who ſaith (that is, imagineth) in his heart, There is no God. And have they no knowledge ſaith he afterwardes? No indeed, none Pſal. 14. 1. and 4.at all, either ſpirituall, or ſo much as naturall. The whole Hoſt of heaven and earth, and all the creatures, animate, and inanimate, combine together to bear witneſſe againſt this folly and impiety. They are all Gods witneſſes, and ſay to man if thou denyeſt a God, thou art a lyar, or if thou doubteſt thou art a fool, and we will prove it. For who could make theſe viſible heavens but the inviſible Deity? Who could make the eye but he who is all eye? and give the underſtanding, but he who is all underſtanding? Though many of the creatures are mute and cant ſpeak another word they all plainly pronounce this one word, A God, a God. This is the ſound of the harmony of the heavens, and the note of the whole univerſe, there is no ſpeech, nor language, where this voice is not heard. So much Divinity at leaſt is received for Orthodox among all Nations, eſtabliſhed not by particular, nationall, or general Counſells, convened (as ſome other points) but by the Oecumenicall counſell of mankind, (though never convened together) and ſubſcribed to man, by man, all the world over, and hath gained univerſall conſent in all ages, and places, as the firſt, if not onelyonly principle of naturall beliefe, and our mother natures Creed. Some Nations have one Creed, ſome another; ſome have altered their preſent Creeds, this was never altered, but received by all without diſpute, or contradiction. There be ſome people that admit of ſome books of holy Scripture onelyonly, as the Samaritans of old, and the Turk at this day, of the five books of Moſes, Some receive the Old Teſtament entirely, as the Jowes; Some receive the old and New Teſtament both, as the ſound Chriſtian Churches; Some admit the Apocrypha and unwritten Traditions too, as the Papiſts; Some reject all the whole Bible, and have no written Scripture. But all have this Scripture written in their hearts, the moſt ancient Scripture in the world, before there were any penman of holy Writ. And this is univerſally received, and read in all nations in their mother Tongue, and expounded in their ſeveral, and different (the moſt corrupt) exerciſes of religion and worſhip. There have been ſeveral Sorts of Philoſophers in the world, one oppoſing and thwarting anothers Axiomes; there have been ſeveral ſects of Hereticks in the Church, all oppoſing other truthes, and rejecting the ſoundeſt Creeds. There have been oppoſitions in all ſciences, diſputes againſt every thing ſaid or practiſed in all arts, trades, profeſſions. But all ſorts of Philoſophers, hereticks, of all arts, trades, profeſſions and ſciences have unanimouſly concurred in this, when nothing elſe, There is a God. However People are divided by Lands and Seas, diſſonant in their Language, and complections, more different in their lawes, cuſtomes, manners, apparell, yet in this, all Nations by a divine inſtinct harmoniouſly agree, there is, and of force muſt be acknowledged, There is a God. And a little reaſon will ſerve to prove it, for, as when I ſee a ſon, I muſt needs yeeld this child had a Father, ſo when I ſee the creatures I muſt needs grant a Creator, who is the Lord. Therefore hold this faſt.
3. This is the moſt Deſtructive thought and error in the world. Some errors are about the Superſtructure, this a fundamentall error; ſome fundamentall errors impugne ſome one article of faith, or principall doctrine; This is deſtructive of all Religion; deſtroyes all divinity and humanity too, it leaves us never an article of faith, never a command in the Decalogue, and never a point of doctrine. It leaves not a ſtone upon a ſtone, but pulls down all. This ſmites the glorious Statute of Body of Religion upon his feet, and breaks all to pieces, and brings it down to the ground, deſtroying piety, civility, humanity, curteſy, and the improvements of common reaſon, as that ſtone which ſmote that Image in Daniel, ſo that Gold, Dan. 2. 24.ſilver, braſſe, iron, and clay, all crumbled in pieces, and became like the chaffe in the ſummer threſhing-flore.
4. This Atheiſm in the thought, is a Mother ſin, a big-bellied monſtrous ſin, having in its womb all manner of impiety, and like Babylons Cup, is full of all manner of abominations. Atheiſm never goes alone; Therefore it is added, Pſal. 14. 1, 2. The fool ſaid there was no God: Corrupt are they, and have done abominable works, &c.
5. The fifth and laſt thing I ſhall obſerve is, that there is ſo much Irrationallity in this thought, that it is baniſhed the world and excluded the ſociety of man; and ſo much of Impiety in it, that it is not onelyonly excluded heaven, but this of all other ſins is excluded out of hell too. There is no Atheiſm to be found in hell, there is blaſphemy, malice, envy, &c. no Atheiſme. The Atheiſt goes to hell, Atheiſme doth not,
Nullus in Inferno eſt Atheos, ante fuit.
And is not this a mad and monſtrous impiety which can be harboured in the heart, when neither heaven, earth, or hell it ſelf, will own it? The devils and damned are herein ſounder then thou art, they believe and tremble. And the Atheiſt herein is the devils Proſylite, two fold more a child of hell then his maſter.
Yet for all this, haply, if we be not more aware, we may find this fools Bolt ſhot into our hearts, and theſe fiery darts injected by the Prince of darkneſſe, who as he deceived our firſt Parents with this cheat, would put the ſame upon us; You ſhall be as Gods. A godly ſoul may ſometime be dog'd and hanted with ſuch tentations, but take heed of parlying with them, or pauſing on them. Reſiſt this devil and he will fly from you. This Cerberus cannot chuſe but affright and terrifie, when he barks in thy ears, Believe no God, worſhip no God, renounce God, abjure Religion, Curſe God and dye, or eat and live. fall down and worſhip, and thou ſhalt riſe and be worſhipped. But take heed of giving the leaſt entertainment to ſuch a thought, or ſo much as to debate them, but break off abruptly with Michaels farewell; The Lord rebuke thee Satan.Jud. v. 9.
I have read of a little Vermin in Guiana, in the Weſt Indies, leſſe then the leaſt flea, Heylin in Guiana. Gage diſcovery of the Weſt Indies.no bigger then a pins point, called by the Spaniard, Nignas, which getting into the leaſt Toe, multiply there to infinite numbers, breed a bladder full of nits, which cauſe a fearfull burning and itching, with intolerable torments, unleſſe ſpeedily prevented, and it hath cauſed their feet to feſter, and hath coſt many their lives; They find no better remedy, then to pour melted wax hot on the place, which being puld off when cold, hath drawn the Vermin away, ſometimes 800 at a pull. Do thou ſo, let not one of theſe nits reſt, they will fearfully multiply. As the Magicians ſaid of their Lice, This is the finger of God, ſo mean a Exod. 8. 9.Creature could never elſe have cauſed ſo great annoyance; So ſay thou when thou …eeſt any of theſe Vermin in thy ſoul, This is the finger of the Devil; The hand of Satan is palpable in this, for it can have no other father, then the father of Lies.
Therefore ſaith learned Weems; This Atheiſm is the center of all ſins, and the Atheiſt, the vileſt of all Creatures: Therefore when he had compared them with Balaam the worſt of Southſayers, and falſe Prophets, with the Samaritans, the worſt of Iſraelites, with Epicures, the worſt of Philoſophers, with Hereticks, the worſt of Chriſtians, and with the Devil, the worſt of Creatures, and Beings; he ſaith, the Atheiſt is worſe then any of them. Therefore ſaith he, let us abhorre Atheiſm above all other ſinnes, and ſhun the company of theſe damnable Atheiſts who are appointed for hell and damnation.
CHAP. IX. Of Injurious and Erroneous Thoughts.
THERE are Injurious and Erroneous Thoughts, which men are apt to harbour of God, which are ful of helliſh impiety; Theſe charge God fooliſhly, and horridly with their wickedneſs, Pſ. 50. 12. the Lord tells the wicked what his deeds were, and what his thoughts; Thou ſaweſt a thief and conſenteſt, haſt been partaker with adulterers, thou ſatteſt and ſpakeſt againſt thy brother, and ſlandereſt thy mothers Son; Theſe things thou didſt and I kept ſilence, thou thoughteſt that I was altogether ſuch a one as thy ſelf, but I will reprove thee, and ſet them in order before thine eyes. As who ſhould ſay, thy deeds were very bad, but thy thoughts were far worſe. And we may obſerve that God keeps a Regiſter for Thoughts, as well as acts and words; and in the day of Judgement, Proceſſe ſhall iſſue out againſt Thoughts, as well as either. Imprimis, will God begin, So many evil words, oathes, idle and ſcurrilous ſpeeches. Item, So many evil acts, at ſuch a time thou ſatteſt there, and didſt ſo, another time in that place thou ſtoodeſt and didſt thus (place, and day, and very geſture, and company, all ſet down together) But above all, in comes this talent of lead, to make the Ephath of iniquity full weight, thou hadſt ſuch and ſuch Thoughts of me at that time, which is worſt of all: Erroneous and impious thoughts, are as bad as Atheiſticall, Deus & bonus convertuntur, God and good are convertible; Tolle bonitatem, tollis Deitatem, take away Gods Piety, and you take away his Deity. We can faſten no greater contumelies or diſhonour upon God, then by injurious thoughts, to charge God with Neſcience, the Lord ſeeth us not, Ezek. 8. 12. or with negligence, the Lord regardeth us not, or with forgetfullneſſe, the Lord hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never ſee, Pſal. 10. 11.or with ſupine oſcitancy, and unadvertence, he will neither do good or evil, Zeph. 1. 12. Above all, to make God ſuch a one as hath pleaſure in wickedneſſe, not to reprove and puniſh it, or to have no ſuch pleaſure in holineſſe as to approve and reward it, is the higheſt, and moſt daring impiety that can be. With the Familiſts and Gnoſticks, to think all our acts are of Gods acting in us, and there is no difference of good and evil, or with the miſguided Zelot, to think to ſet up his own way by violence, and to take away Miniſtery, Ordinances and old duties, as Antichriſtian forms, is to do God ſervice. Theſe erroneous and deceitfull thoughts, are ſuch high ſteps to all impiety, as you can hardly go further. For the Gentiles to make a God of gold and ſilver, was too groſſe and ſimple, but for Chriſtians to make a God of impiety and impurity, is ten thouſand times worſe. There was God repreſented in the likeneſſe of man, but here in the likeneſſe of Satan. And indeed Plutarch was not out when he ſaid, Superſtitious and impious thoughts of God were worſe then downright Atheiſm, when he ſpeakes of the impious, barbarous, inhumane and obſcene ſervice many Pagans did tender to their gods. It had been well, ſaid he, if thoſe Typhones, Cyclopes, and Gyants, had overthrown thoſe gods, rather than that they ſhould be thought to be honoured with ſuch Victimes and Sacrifices; As I had rather, ſaid he, that any ſhould ſay there is no ſuch man as Plutarch, than to ſay Plutarch is an angry, furious, unchaſt, and vitious perſon.