20 The Exiftence of G 0 D. ~ of mifery ; nay, according to the degrees of their knowkdge, are the degrees of their (;bap. 5· farrow. ~ 4· Thunder and Lighming are terrible to "thofe who underf\and the natural caufesof them as well as to the ignorant; there being in every Man a tacit apprehenfion of them as the preparedinf\rumenrsof Vengeance in God"shands, who haslet up a Tribunal in Confcience, and pronounces a fecret Sentence there. In ibort, Confcience is an immortal power infeparable from Man, and thcnght, AcC11fng or Excufng are infeparable from the remembrance of his AIJ:ions. 'Tis evident therefore that God is the Author ofConfcience, and as he has not left himfclf witho~tt an Exte,-nal Witueji in the Works of Creation and Providence, fonotwithout an inward Witnefs in the Breafl: of Man, that can never be totally filenc· d. 3· Tis objell:ed, that there are fpeculative Atheijh who deny the Exif\ence of a God. To this Ianfwer. t. Suppofing that fame are Atheif\s in opinion, it doth not follow that the belief of the E>eity is not a pure Univerfa l Principle of Nature. For by all Men, we muf\ underfraud rhofe in whom t t e lenfeof Nature is not perverted. T hings of thecleareft: certainty have beendenied by fame. We h l Motion, y.ra Philofopher difputed agmn!lit. The Argument is convmcing that~now is whae, becaufe itappearsfo to all Mens Eyes· though to the Eye rlnt wants its na.ri.v ftnc~rity- , and i~feCI;ed wirh a vicious tinCture, i~ appears of another .colour. Now tt~ cenam that Athe1fm 1s no~ produced by generation from the namral d1fcourfes of the Mmd, but fforn the putre£1C:bon and rottennefs of Manners. Thofe who have loft their Re~J~n in Senfuality, and fubmit their Underfl:andinrrs to the guidance of their corrupt Affdbons, t-hat is the feeing faculty to the Blind, a~e mort inclin'd to Atheifm. And they can never come to that impious height without obliterating in the guiltie!l manner, the Jivelycharall:ers of Reafon and HumiLity. Such are as prodigioufly irregular from the true con!litntion ar;d perfection of the minds of Men in 11 El o. <J;,yi· refpea of belief, as a Jl Bird without wings would be from the natural compofure of the r~ iV,~ the Bodiesof all others, in refpec:t of parts. Monfterscannot~i!honour, and are no patJ!~i~:11-::r¥ tern of the fpecies. And fhall the contradiction of a few brib'd by their luft, difautho- ~ 7 ffi; ~9~:~ rife the confenting ten-imony of mankind? :,;:~~~:~~ 3· There is no abfolute Atbeift i.e. offuchafirmperfwafionthatrhere isnoOod, as U.7i{'f4l!P-t~' " excludes all doubrs and fears of the contrary. 'Tis true, as a pretext for their licenriouf- 1::,:..t;;"" nefs, and to give hold refs to their fearful impiety, fame obdurate wretches may defpeJ.JPm 'b.t~·W rately deny the Supream Eternal P~J\ver, to w.hom they are accountable; But no violence ,..(; ~f ~~v· can intirely choke this11atural notion and beliefof the Deity, it has fuch deep and flrong ~¥f ~~:1@., root in the Humane Spirit. The viml fpark will fly in their Faces, notwithftanding all ~1 ~~~~' their endeavours to tread it out. As the Principle ofLife appears not in a fwoo~ing fit, yet M;~~fi;;. 'tis only retir'd from the o~nward pa.rts and ~Ill ~ema~ns in the Body; fo tht.s principle though not fenfible for a time, yet rs not extmgurfht m the Son!. Sharp affirll:ions will awaken theapprchmfionsof a God in the mof\. f\upificd Confciences, and infpire them with new Life and MotJOQ, and make them breathe out hurn~le fupplications, for mercy and help, to the Deity whom they denied before. Of this we have numerous inf\ances: I \vill produce fame that were fignal. One is recorded by lEfcWn,. ThatthePerfm Meffenger in his Narrative to rhe 1\ing, of the overthrow of his Army by the Grecians, related that tho(eGallants who before the Fight in the mid!! of their Cups and Bravery denied God and Providence as fecure ofVictory, yet afterwards when furiouOy purfu"d by their enemies, they came to the River Strymon, that was frozen and began to thaw, then upon r"" ,,~ fr•· their knees they mournfi.rlly implord the favor of <?od, tbat ~he Ice '_Ilight hold and give a; cu"! .rorr:r~ themfafe paffageover from rhe purfuers. Nature m extrenut1es has trrefiftable workings, 1," fP"""' ' ' ' and the inbred notions of the Deity, though long fuppre!l by imperious luf\s, will then r~:s~~a~~ rife up in Men Souls. TuUus Ho{tilius is another example, whodifdain'd to e.xprefs fubbllmimn rtgi·. miffion to God by aCts ofwor£hip, as a thing unbecoming his Royal ftate, but when hi• -::;,:;';,~'";:;, !lubborn fierce mind was broke in his difeafed body, he ufed all the ferv ile Rites of fuperrtptnt; omni~s fl:ition, and commanded the people to joyn with him, thinking by his flattering De.voW- 'J~ftit~:;~i[: ons to appeafe the incenfed Deity. Bion the Philofopher, was a declared Atheift, till Qb"?X:iu~dtgmt , !\:ruck wirh a mortal Difeafe, and then as a falfe Witne~s on the Rack, confefr the truth, ~~~:~bu{;::;fe- and addreft himfelf by Prayers and Vows to God for h1s Recovery. Egregious folly, as m.Li..Jib. ' · the \IHif\orianobferves, to think that God would bebrib"d with l1isgi!ls, and wasor U,;: 1'"'d1 ":' 0~ was not according to his fancy. And thus it happens to many like him. As a Lamp ti~;~~~e~-.v near expiring fhines more clearly, fo Confcience that burn'd dimly for a time, gives a ~~~·~:nE!i;~: ~~~~~~f~;rtl:~~~~~c~sv;rH~~;,::1~i~11a~~j;~~e~~~~:~ ~r~~a~~~~i'bat ~~~~~l~ j~~i~~f: t. ' · phers, by urging a captious Argument, again!! the poflibility of Motion. ' For thus he argued:
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