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A39251
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The folly of atheism demonstrated to the capacity of the most unlearned reader by Clement Elis ...
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Ellis, Clement, 1630-1700.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing E555; ESTC R17534
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80,333
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176
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be known unto men And therefore if he have all these ways manifested himself unto us he is a Fool that doth not own him I. It must be granted very reasonable to expect That if there be a GOD who is our LORD and GOVERNOR he should give us such significations and tokens of his Being and Will as we may know him and how to behave our selves towards him And if it be such an evidence of him that the Atheist would have for his satisfaction I say he hath it in that which we call GOD's WORD in the Holy SCRIPTURE If he say He would believe there is a GOD because of his WORD if he were sure that it is GOD's Word I ask What he means by saying so Is it this That he would believe there is a GOD because of his Word were he first sure that there is a GOD whose Word it may be This is all one as to say That what he calls for as an evidence of a GOD can be no evidence for he cannot be persuaded 't is his Word till he be first sure that He is This is to play the Fool downright He will not believe there is a GOD till GOD hath revealed himself by his Word GOD reveals himself by his Word and he will not believe it to be his Word because he is not sure there is a GOD. If he say he means no more but this That what you shew him for the Word of GOD is not such as may be thought worthy of GOD or has not enough in it to convince one that it is not a Forgery of man If this be his meaning then I ask him What is wanting to it to make it appear worthy of GOD and not to be a Forgery of man If he cannot shew this and yet excepts against it he 's a Fool for either that evidence wherein no defect can be discover'd must be a sufficient evidence or there can be no such thing as a sufficient evidence in the world Well then We say GOD hath revealed Himself and his Will by clear significations of both in his Word And this Word we have now written in a Book which we call the Bible and the Scripture If this Scripture or Writing be true then is it the Word of GOD for so much it affirmeth of it self The Truth of it therefore is the only thing we are to inquire into And to make this Enquiry as short as may be let it be considered That this Book is made up of divers smaller Books whereof some are called The Books of the Old Testament others of them The Books of the New one And we need do no more but inquire into the Truth of the latter of these at present for if what is written in these be true then is that so too which is written in the former For these bear witness to the Truth of those Our Saviour in the New Testament approves of the Law of Moses and of the Prophets and of the Psalms which make up the Old Testament Luke 24. 44. And of the same St. Paul saith All Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3. 16. And St. Peter That the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost â— Pet. 1. 12. And the Apostle to the Hebrews saith That God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unâ—o the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son Heb. 1. 1 2. If then the Writings of the New Testament be true the Books of the Old Testament contain the Word of GOD. And to satisfie our selves that they are true we need but to understand Three Things 1. That there were such men as are said to have written these Books and that these are their Writings 2. That they were sufficiently qualified for writing these Books 3. That what they have written hath all the Characters of Divine Truth 1. There were once such men as are said to have written these Books and these Books were written by them If any one doubts whether there were once such men as St Matthew Mark Luke Iohn Paul Peter Iames and Iude or that the Books which bear their Names were written by them how would he have it proved These men died about Sixteen hundred Years ago and therefore he will not surely be so unreasonable as to say Shew me the Men or I will not believe that ever they were But look what reason he hath to believe any thing that was before he was was born and now he seeth not the same he hath to believe that these men once were and that they wrote these Books Histories make express mention of them one Generation to another from their time to this hath preserved their Memory and the Books we have are their lasting Monuments We have the Testimony of all Christians of all Ages since their time who have own'd these Books as theirs who have commented on them and written in defence of the Doctrine contained in them recorded their Travels and the Churches which they planted And these Witnesses are no inconsiderable Persons but the most learned of their times and such as made the most diligent search into the truth and were so well satisfied as to shed their blood in vindication of it and ventured their Salvation upon it Neither is this all but we have the testimony of their Enemies of those who persecuted them unto death and wrote against the Truth which they deliver'd Now what can any one desire more than this to satisfy him That there were such men and that they wrote these Books We have the Books in our hands and all sorts of Historians Friends and Enemies making mention of them and all Christian Churches being the best most learned and most civilized part of the World acknowledging receiving and even unto death maintaining them Have we not the faith to believe that there were once such men as Cyrus Darius Alexander or Iulius Caesar Do not we believe that Cicero Demosthenes Homer and Virgil once were and that we have their Books Believe we not that we have had Kings of this Realm in former days and that we have now Laws which they enacted Nor yet that we had Grandfathers and Great-Grandfathers and Inheritances derived from them And what better Reasons can we have to believe any of these things than such as we have to believe that these men were and wrote these Books Truly he that will not believe that once a thing was when all the evidence of its having been is given him which can be given of any thing past must needs be a very unreasonable Fool and not to be discours'd withal but laugh'd at For at this rate nothing that ever was and is not now can be believed without better evidence of it than can be given if it was which is impossible 2. These men were sufficiently qualified for writing these
Books For all that can be thought necessary to qualify them for writing these Books is First Sufficient knowledg of the things whereof they wrote and Secondly Honesty to write no other things than what they certainly knew 1. We cannot in any reason suspect them to have wanted sufficient knowledg because they had all opportunities of well informing themselves They write either of the Life and Deeds of JESUS CHRIST whereof they were Eye-witnesses or of his Doctrine and Preaching which they were Ear-witnesses of Or else of the Deeds and Sufferings of themselves and their Fellows whereof they were either Actors and Sufferers or Spectators That which they had seen and heard declared they unto us and that in writing as St. Iohn saith 1. Ioh. I. 1 2 3. They have delivered these things to us which from the beginning were eye-witnesses and Ministers of the word And it seem'd good unto them having had perfect understanding of all things from the beginning to write unto others that they also might know the certainty of these things as we gather from St. Luke chap. I. v. 2 3 4. Now that there was such a Person as JESUS CHRIST that he was born in the Reign of Augustus Caesar and was Crucified in the Regn of Tiberius Caesar being sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate and that he had such Disciples and Followers not only the Testimony of Christians but that of Iews and Heathens bitter Enemies to Christianity assures us And what should hinder these men to have sufficient knowledg of what they write 2. We have no less reason to believe they were honest men who had no design to deceive the World For First It is to be seen in their Writings by all who read them that they professed and taught Sincerity Truth Simplicity plain and upright Dealing condemning all Hypocrisie Lying and Guile as odious to GOD and damnable in men denouncing the heavy wrath and indignation of GOD against the Practicers of these Vices And as they taught so they lived and for this they durst appeal to all who knew them Ye are witnesses saith St. Paul and God also how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved our selves among you 1 Thess. II. 10. We have renounced saith he again the hidden things of dishonestry not walking in craftiness not handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every man's conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. IV. 2. Secondly For the truth of the chief matters of fact which they relate they were bold to appeal to the knowledg of great multitudes then living who might easily have disproved them had they told any falshood They told them of the wonderful Birth and Life of JESUS mentioning the very time of his Birth the place the manner his manifestation to the Shepherds to the Wise-men of the East his Persecution by Herod with all the remarkable Circumstances thereto belonging His Doctrine and Preaching his Miracles some whereof thousands at once tasted of his Death without Ierusalem notorious to all his Resurrection witnessed by his appearing to hundreds his visible Ascension into Heaven his sending the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost to the astonishment of many who heard the Apostles by him enabled to speak to every one in his own Language and many more things of this kind concerning some of which St. Paul was not afraid to tell Festus the Governour in the presence of King Agrippa The king knoweth of these things before whom also I speak freely for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him for this thing was not done in a corner Acts XXVI 26. How easie now had it been for the Iews to have proved these men Lyars had they been so And would they not have done it if they could Thirdly They were men but of a very mean Education most of them and of no leâ—â—ning and cannot reasonably be thought able to contrive and invent what they write of their own heads and when they had done to defend it so bravely as they did for real truth It must needs be supposed they were instructed well in their business and had a Teacher wiser and more powerful too than themselves or indeed as it will appear than all the World besides And this was well known to be JESUS CHRIST the Eternal Wisdom of GOD and his Holy Spirit of Truth which He according to his Promise sent upon them Acts II. to guide them into all truth Joh. XVI 13. 'T was He alone who could as he had promised give them a mouth and wisdom which all their adversaries were not able to gainsay or resist Luke XXI 15. Indeed it appears whatever their Education had been they were when they preached to the World and wrote men of good sense and understanding who could teach a Religion which now for above Sixteen hundred years hath prevail'd over the most learned part of Mankind who could dispute with the Learned Grecians Acts IX 29. And though the Scribes and Pharisees the most Learned Iews Though they of the Synagogue of the Libertines and Cyrenians and Alexandrians of Cicilia and Asia disputed with them Acts VI. 9. Tho the Philosophers of the Gentiles the Stoicks and Epicureans encounter'd them Acts XVII 18. yet were none of these able to resist the Wisdom and the Spirit whereby they spake Acts VI. 10. Fourthly Supposing them men of Wit enough for such a Contrivance yet can they not at the same time be thought such Fools too as to contrive such things without any rational motive or inducement to it surely they must have some great things to propound unto themselves as the end for which they did this They well foresaw that what they did would expose them to all the Evils of this World And therefore when they first undertook it they voluntarily left all they had in this World to follow CHRIST They were taught by him to deny themselves and to take up the cross Matth. XVI 24. And told that they must be sent as Sheep in the midst of Wolves be deliver'd up to Councils and scourg'd in the Synagogues and hated of all men for his name's sake Matth. X. 16 17 22. That in this world they should have tribulation John XVI 33. and be persecuted Joh. XV. 20. Put out of the Synagogues and killed Joh. XVI 2. All this they knew and expected They went forth to preach a Doctrine which by the Wise-men of the World would be accounted foolishness 1 Cor. I. 23. And look'd on themselves as men set forth of God as it were appointed to death and made a spectacle to the world 1 Cor. IV. 9. They hungred and thirsted were naked and had no certain dwelling-place Being reviled they blessed being persecuted they suffer'd it being defamed they intreated they were made the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. IV. 11. 2 Cor. IV. 8. They constantly and stoutly indured all that befell them rejoycing