On H E B. XI. 6. ~ r. Vita. of three forts; 2. Poto. · J· Judicio. firil:, To thofc who <rre practical Athe~fl~, !'ita, in Lift:, \>vho live down th!s truth; denying God in their lives. Sad and certam xt ts, that many who pretend they know God, yet fo live, as if there ~vere no _Deity t? whom the~ mufl: give an acc.ount: fuch an: the !c:curc,. that fle~p in fin, ~o~wlthflandipg all G_od s thunder; and tf e:7er lleep were the true 1mage of death, th1s IS the llecp. The !enfual, who are ro loll m carnal pleafi.trcs, thry fcarcc remcn:ber wh~ther they have a foul ; tf .at any _ttme confctence bcg,ins to murmur, they reheve therr melancfwly thoughtS With therr company and cups·, bkc Sau!, fendmg for the Mufick when the evil fpmt was upon him. The incorrigible, who notwithllanding the defigns of God's mercy to reduce them; although Providrnces, Ordinances conrplrC to bnng them off from their evil wates; yet they perf1tl in their dilobedience : Let fuch con:idcr it is not a loofe and ineffective a!fent to the being and perfe~hons of God wluch w:lllave them ; God 1S not glonfied by an una.'ll\"e fa ith; nay, this \1 1ll put the moll dreadful accent, and the moll k1lhng aggravations on their fins; that believing therr>is a God, they dare prcfumptuoufly offend him, and provoke rhe Almighty to jcaloufie,as ,if they were ~ble either to evade,or to fufiain his wrath; 'tis the greatefr prodigy in the World to bel(evc there is a God, and yet to difobey him; this rende rs them inexcufable at the !all. Secondly, To thofe who are Atheills, Voto, in Defrre, Pfal. 14- T!Je fool batb [aid;, his be.1rt tbere is no God; the heart is the Fountain of delircs, he wifi1es there were no God ; this Atheifm fprihgs from the former; men live as if there were no God, and then wiH1 there were none; guilt alwaies begets fear, and fear hatred; and that firikes at the being of the object that is hated; as Malefactors defire there were no Law nor judge, that they might dcape d' ferved Punifl1ment. Well, thei r defires are as vifibfe to God as their aCtions arc to men, ~and in the day of Revelation there \Vill be a proporti-. on of Wrath •nfiverable to the Wickednefs of their hearts. Thirdly, To thofe who are Atheitls, Judicio, in opinion ; thefc low running dregs of time afiordus many of thcfe Monfl:ers; for many to reconcile their principles with thei r practices, that they may unditlurbedfy enjoy their lulls, take this as an Opiate potion, that there is no God; but this is the moll irrational and impious blafphemy. r. Irrational; for the Name ofGod is written in fo fair a CharaCter upon this univerfal frame, that even whil'll men run t hey may read it; and t herefore God never wrought a miracle to convince Atheifm, bec:mfe his ordinary works convince it : Moreover, the notion of a Deity is (o deeply imprefl on the T ables of all mens hearts, that to deny God, is to kill the foul in the eye, to quench the very principles of common nature, to leave never a vi tal !park or feed of humanity behind; 'tis as if an ungracious foul fl10uld deny he ever had a Father. He that does ungod God, does unman himfelf. 2 . '~is the mofr impious ; 'ris formally Deicidium, o. killing of God as much as in them !Les; but there are no At heifls in hell, the Devils believe and tremble ; he that ]~~;~~~~~a':k~~r;'~~ ~~to!;~';' ~~~~i~~ ~~.~·J'::~~ntl~ss~:ff~d,1I ~e i~~i1ff~u~ ~li::d ~;1i~'e;~; to have hi s head cut off; he goes from inward darknefs to utter darknefs. w~d i; ;;~~r; drr~~~e~ ~~rl',!:i?~~ '~~ ~~~i~~~~~~~\~,~\~~(csi '~1;!1er~~~~/i,~!s~~~ Ufe "' World to their Atheifm and Profanenefs, fo it forete ll s the univerfal difeafe of the !all Age will be Atheiftn and Infidelity. Luk. 18. 8. Ne7!erthelefs wben tbe Son of man cometb, fha/1 be f,cf faith on tbe earth? it were impoflible there /hould be fuch a palpable contraditlion bcmecn the lives of men and this fundamental of Religion, did they with affurance and certamty believe it. P[al. 14. I. i he fool hathfaid in bir heart there ir no God;_ th? are cormpt, they ba-ue done ahomi11able JVorks, there is no11e tbat doth good. 1\tl~~1fin ts the root?~ Prot?hanencfs ; moreover, the fpiritual myfieries of Religion, wh1ch exceed the A1ght of reafon, arc oppofed by many upon the account of thei r Atheifin ; they que!t,on the truth of God's lleing, and therefore disbelieve fuperna tural Revcl:mons; let us then trcafure up tb ts truth: Firrl, As the foundation of faith ; for all the truths of Religion fpring from th is as their common prinCiple ; the w~tering of the root wil l caufe the branches to flou rifh ; fo the confirming of this \Vill render our affent to the doctrine of the Go£i)cl more cle:.tr and arong. tr u7l~c~1~~!IJs t,~~~:te/~u;~::~r;~nd~~~~~~etiletlb~ ll~~~r at~dt[~';~yn~~~1fe~~de:e~~l,Y!f. S sss > mull
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