a Guide who confesseth himself to be blind 2. When he persuades us to believe there is no GOD it cannot but be very fit to ask again Is it safe so to do Or Is it unsafe to do otherwise He cannot assure us 't is safe to believe there is no GOD because he cannot make us know that there is none And he must needs confess 't is not unsafe to believe there is a GOD because it can do no hurt Is it reasonable then to leave the safe way we are already in that we may follow him into another wherein he cannot promise us any safety at all 3. If he would have us to believe there is no GOD 't is not unreasonable to ask him Why would he have us to believe it Or What good will it do either him or us If it will do neither any good Why should he persuade us or we be persuaded to an unprofitable thing There is danger in it and what reason is there to do what we know 't is dangerous to do till we see what good may come of it 4. If he say 't is fit to believe it merely because 't is a truth We must needs ask again How doth he know 't is a truth But yet 't is in vain to ask him this because 't is impossible for him to tell us how he knows it or to know it And therefore we have yet no reason to believe it is a truth because he only calls it so who doth not know that it is so But suppose it were I hope it may be fit to ask him again Is he in good earnest and would he indeed have us to belive it for a truth If he be not willing we should believe it why doth he tempt us to believe it If he would indeed have us believe it would he not also have us behave our selves as men of that belief If not to what purpose are we to believe it If he would have us behave our selves as men that believe not a GOD then may we do what we will and can we may rob his House take his Money defile his Wife and cut his Throat If he deny this let us ask him What is it that can make it unlawful for us to do any of these things What should restrain men from doing any thing they can for their own advantage This is all that the Atheist can gain by persuading men to be of his Opinion That he lays himself at every man's mercy to deal as he will with him and cannot say That man sins that knocks him on the head for his good advice 2. If there be a GOD every one that is VVise will not only think himself highly concern'd to believe it but so to live and behave himself in the world as may be most pleasing and acceptable to GOD. To what purpose can it be tobelieve that there is a GOD or what good can this belief do us if it do not engage us to live as men who are sensible that they have a GOD over them whom they are concern'd to please in all things Certainly if there be a GOD who made us and all things He must needs be concern'd with us and we with Him And as we can expect no good thing but from Him who is the Author and Disposer of all things so neither can we hope to receive any good thing from him if we do not our endeavour to please Him Why should we thinkHe will bless us according to our desire if we be not careful to serve and honour him according to his Will That therefore we may reap the good and benefit of this so necessary a Belief we are to consider well what it is that we believe and what duty that belief must needs bind upon us That which we believe is That there is a GOD and to be GOD is to be the first Cause and Author the Maker Preserver Lord and Governour of the whole World and all things therein the Fountain of all Power and Wisdom and Goodness and therefore the highest Power the greatest Wisdom and the chief Good Now if GOD be all this then it is very easy for every one to see certain duties lying upon us as we are the creatures of GOD which naturally arise from what we believe even from this one point That there is a GOD. 1. GOD being the first Cause Author and Maker of all things He is the very Fountain and Original of all Being and Life Power Wisdom and Goodness All these are in him originally as in the inexhaustible Spring and Fountain and there can be nothing at all of any of these things in the World but what is derived from him neither can any of these be any longer in the world than it pleaseth him All this must needs be very plain to every Understanding If then we will live as men who are sensible that there is a GOD by whom we live and without whom nothing can have either life or being We must needs First have the highest and most honourable Thoughts of GOD the greatest reverence and esteem for him that can possibly be in the heart of man We are not to conceive of him as of one whose excellencies and vertues tho' they exceed those of any other Being whatsoever are yet contain'd within such or such bounds or limits or are at such a degree and no higher but we are to think of him as of one who in the Perfectictions of the Divine Nature is infinitely above all the thoughts of Men and Angels of incomprehensible Glory and Majesty of boundless Power Wisdom and Goodness such as is to be always admired and adored but never to be fully seen or understood We are however to labour every day to know more and more of him that the more we know the more we may admire and love and rejoyce and even be ravish'd with those unconceivable excellencies which to discern more clearly will be our eternal happiness in Heaven Our hearts therefore should be always fill'd with and our mouths should sound forth the praises of GOD every one singing with the holy Psalmist Bless the LORD O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Psal. CIII 1. Bless the LORD O my soul. O LORD my GOD thou are very great thou art clothed with honour and majesty Psal. CIV 1. While I live will I praise the LORD I will sing praise unto my GOD while I have any being Psal. CXLVI 2. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD Psal. CL. 6. Be thou exalted O GOD above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth Psal. CVIII 5. Blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise Neh. IX 5. Secondly It must needs be our Duty to walk humbly before GOD and to abase our selves in his Presence whose eyes are continually open upon us We must always bear in mind that he is our GOD and Maker and we are at best but the work
and prosper What 's that to us GOD is but doing his pleasure with his own Have we not all and more than is our due And hath not he whose own are all things a right to distribute them as he pleaseth Hath GOD given others any thing that was ours And is it not of his free and undeserved Gift that any thing is ours Fret not thy self because of evil doers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity Psal. XXXVII 1. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for him fret not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way because of the man that bringeth wicked devices to pass v. 7. But wait on the LORD and keep his way v. 34. What have we to do to murmur at GOD's disposing of his own Do we suffer evil things Why should we not if it seem good unto GOD Are we not his And may he not use his own as he will What ever the evils be or by whomsoever they are brought upon us we are to submit with patience No instrument could hurt us if he did not permit it and may he not permit what he will to be done to his own Are we rob'd or spoyl'd let us say The LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away blessed be the name of the LORD Job I. 21. It is the LORD let him do what seemeth him good 1 Sam. III. 18. Whatever befals us let us say Behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good unto him 2 Sam. XV. 26. I was dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it Psalm XXXIX 9. Is our present Condition scanty uneasy unpleasant unsuitable to our minds What are we that we should think to chuse for our selves this or that condition of life which we think best who are not our own neither can chuse whether we shall live or die Is not our Condition whatever it be better than we deserve And is it not of GOD's chusing for us And is it not fit he should place his own Goods in his own House where and how he pleaseth Have we not all that we have right to have when we have what it pleaseth GOD to give us And are we not in the condition we should be in when we are as it hath pleased GOD to dispose of us Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it what makest thou Isa. XLV 9. Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour Rom. IX 20 21. Having food and raiment let us be therewith content 1 Tim. VI. 8. Yea this is our duty to learn in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content Phil. IV. 10. 3. If there be a GOD who made both us and all the world then is he our LORD and the Governour of all the world As he alone by reason of his infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness can be thought fit to rule the world so can he not have a more absolute Soveraignty over it or Right to govern it than that which is founded in Propriety nor any Propriety more sure and unquestionable than that which ariseth from Creation or his making all things of nothing Therefore The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all Psal. CIII 19. It is then our duty to be subject to his Laws and Government in all things To submit to his Providence in ordering all the Affairs of the world and to approve of all his wise Dispensations whatever changes or alterations he makes in States or Kingdoms To obey all his Laws and apply our selves diligently to the learning of them that we may frame our whole lives by them It must needs concern us to be in the fear of the LORD all the day long Prov. XXIII 17. To stand in awe and not sin Psal. IV. 4. Again If GOD be our Governour it must be our duty to trust to his Government and rejoyce therein For how can we be safer or happier than to be under the Government and Protection of infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness The LORD reigneth let the earth rejoice let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof Psal. XCVII 1. Let us be careful for nothing Phil. IV. 6. Neither take thought for the morrow Mat. VI. 34. but trust in the LORD and do good so shall we dwell in the land and verily we shall be fed Psal. XXXVII 3. The LORD will bless the righteous with favour will he compass him as with ashield Isa. V. 12. 4. If there be a GOD who is the first Cause of all things he must needs be the Fountain of all Blessedness and the chief good no good thing can be expected but from him alone and all our happiness must consist in his favour and love And therefore The whole desire of our Souls should be to continue in his favour and to have his love Nothing should be so much our study and endeavour even all the days of our life as how in all things to please him and to do such things only as we know to be most acceptable to him Next It must certainly be our duty to love GOD above all things for 't is most unnatural not to love that best which is best in it self and doth us most good It is therefore our duty to love nothing more than GOD nothing so much as GOD nothing but in Subordination or in Relation to him That is nothing but what GOD allows us to love and so as for the love of GOD we can any time be willing to part with it nothing but what may help us the better to love GOD and nothing that abates our love to GOD. We are to love GOD in all the things we love because nothing hath any loveliness but what is from GOD. And because GOD is the chief good we are to be content with GOD whatever else we want and whatever else we have never to be satisfied with it or to make account that we have any thing at all whilst we can find no good ground to hope that GOD is our GOD and that we are in his favour And Finally Seeing GOD is the Author of all Goodness we are on all occasions most humbly to address our selves to him in Prayer for a supply of all our wants of what sort soever and to return him our daily Praise and Thanks for every good thing we enjoy He that doth not thus behave himself towards GOD is no better for believing that there is a GOD neither whatever he may pretend shall he easily persuade any considering man that he believes any such thing FINIS Books Published by the Reverend Mr. Elis. A Letter to a Friend Reflecting on some Passages in a Letter to the D. of P. in Answer to the Arguing Part of his first letter to Mr. G. 4to The Reflecters Defence of his Letter to a Friend against the furious Assaults of Mr. I. S. in his Second Catholick Letter in four Dialogues 4 to The Protestant Resolv'd Or A Discourse shewing the unreasonableness of his turning Roman-Catholick for Salvation 4 to Religion and Loyalty inseparable A Sermon Preached at the Assizes held at Nottingham Septemb. 5. 1690. 4 to The Necessity of Serious Consideration and Speedy Repentance as the only way to be safe both Living and Dying 8 vo The Lambs of Christ sed with the Sincere Milk of of the VVord In a short Scripture-Catechism 12 s A Practical Discourse concerning Death 8 vo The Fifth Edition A Practical Discourse concerning a Future Judg ment 8 vo Both by William Sherlock D. D. Dean of St. Pauls Master of the Temple and Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties The True Effigies of his Grace Iohn Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Engraven from an Original lately Painted by Mrs Mary Beal by Robert White on a large Sheet of Paper Price 12 d. All Printed for William Rogers
Countrey by Cyrus The Succession of the Four Famous Monarchies in Daniel The Coming of our Lord JESUS and his Sufferings The Final Destruction of the Temple and of the whole Iewish Nation And these things with many more there foretold have been undeniably fulfilled And is not this a demonstration that these mens Prophecies were GOD's own Word Let them bring forth their strong reasons saith GOD by his Prophet and shew us what shall happen Let them shew the former things what they be that we may consider them or declare us things for to come Shew us the things that are to come hereafter that we may know that ye are gods Isa. XLI 22 23. Tell ye and bring them near let them take counsel together Who hath told it from that time Have not I the LORD And there is no GOD else besides me Isa. XLV 21. I am GOD and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying My Counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Isa. XLVI 10 11. 3. This Word hath been deliver'd with Miracles to confirm it which are the Works of Divine Power only We know that it is not in the Power of Man or of any thing else but of the Great GOD of Nature and LORD of the World to alter any thing in the Course of Nature to do things which exceed the Power of Natural Causes or to make things act quite contrary to their Natures When therefore we see such things done we must acknowledg a Power above all Natural Power whereby they are done Yet is it as certain as History and Observation can make it that such things have been done and by those very men from whom we have what we call the Word of GOD. Indeed all things in the World from the greatest to the least are truly wonderful to us as being far above not only our Skill to imitate but also our Reason throughly to understand yet we call not all things Miracles Only such things as rarely happen and not according to the ordinary course of Nature are accounted Miracles As when the Fire refuseth to burn those that are cast into it when the Water divides it self and stands up like two walls on each hand to let men pass through it on dry ground when the Sun stands still in Heaven and doubles the length of the day When men without any Medicinal Art or help by a touch or a word only either take away or restore sight hearing health and strength dispossess Devils command Winds and Seas take life from the living and give life to the dead These things above the power and contrary to the course of Nature are Miracles And these with others many have been done Not indeed every day and ordinarily for then would they have been disregarded as common things and cease to be Wonders Not secretly neither nor in some close corners only for then few could have witnessed and fewer would have believed them Neither yet were they done upon any slight or trivial occasion for then would they have been look'd on only as Casualties and odd Chances But they were done rarely to encrease the wonder yet openly to gain belief and upon special and weighty Occasions that the Cause might be more noted They who did them own'd that it was GOD who extraordinarily enabled them and that not for their sakes but for his own Glory and in confirmation of the truth of what he had sent them to teach In a word all was to make GOD known unto men and to persuade men to seek their happiness in him By such Works did GOD bear witness to his own Word And every one but a Fool will say Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel who only doth wondrous things Psal. LXXII 18. Thou art great and dost wondrous things thou art GOD alone Psal. LXXXVI 10. Understand ye brutish among the people and ye fools when will ye be wise Psal. XCIV 8. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD Psal. CVII 43. 3. The Success which the Doctrine contain'd in the holy SCRIPTURE hath had has been such as none but GOD alone could give it If the Men who wrote these Books we speak of had not given great satisfaction to the World that they spake from GOD how came the Doctrine which they taught to gain belief How came it so to take root and grow and spread as it hath undeniably done Why have not its Enemies the Wise-men of this World after so much straining of their Wits and using all their Art and Policy to that end been yet able to convince men of its solly vanity or falshood Why have not all the Mighty Powers on Earth bending their whole force against it been able to suppress and stifle it Whatever Stratagems the Devil or Man could invent have been made use of to this purpose Iews and Gentiles conspired together to crush it in the Egg. The Heathen raged and the people imagined a vain thing The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers took counsel together against the LORD and against his Anointed saying Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us As David prophesied of them Psal. II. 1 2 3. The Kings of the Earth have persecuted this Religion with Fire and Sword The Lusts of mens hearts rise up in open war against it continually Yet hath it taken root and flourish'd it has conquer'd and made the most wonderful change imaginable in mens hearts and lives This success it has had not among a few simple ones easily deceived but among the most learned and understanding and judicious And what can this be imputed to but to the light and power of Divine Truth Indeed by its own light men may easily see all things in it which can be proper to commend it to all who think fit to be govern'd by Reason as all but Fools do If it be said That Idolatry is yet reigning over the greatest part of the World and the foolish Religion of Mahomet hath had very wonderful Success and hath triumph'd over and quite extinguished Christianity in many places so that the least part of the World is at this day Christian And therefore the Christian Doctrine gains little credit by its success in the World In answer to this we say these things First Whichsoever of these Religions Heathenism Mahometism or Christianity prevail most or be thought truest yet is it true still That all the World is of some Religion and owns a GOD. And therefore this is noObjection against what we at first undertook to prove That there is a GOD Only it may seem to weaken one of our Arguments whereby we would prove this But indeed it doth not weaken it at all For secondly We are now only proving that our Scripture is the Word of GOD and this is but one of the many
desire nothing more than to hear him prove what he says yea they would reward him at any rate for his pains It 's a very easie thing to persuade men unto what they love and a weak argument is strong enough to make men believe what they would fain believe Why then is the wicked man's good friend the Atheist so sparing of his Reasons when he may so fairly hope to convince men by them The truth is by all this it plainly appears both that they are very strong Reasons that prevail with men against their own corrupt inclinations to believe a GOD and that the Atheist has no Reason at all on his side seeing he is not able to convince men who fain would have it so That there is no GOD. Fourthly What end had this Imaginary man which the Atheist talks of in putting this Opinion of a GOD into mens heads It was saith he to make men more tame and to bring them under Government and Laws And 't is very true that men may easily be made sensible that without Government and Laws we should all be like so many wild beasts of prey tearing and devouring one another and that nothing can make men more governable than the belief of a GOD. But after all this what does that which the Atheist saith amount to This we will readily grant him 1. That considering the general wickedness of mankind Government and severe Laws are very necessary things 2. That the belief of a GOD is that which above all other things will soonest bring men to submit to Government 3. That if the belief of a GOD were an invention of man it were a very proper invention for the making men more governable But now the thing which we would hear proved is That the belief of a GOD is but an invention of man for that end Government indeed will never be upheld in the world without this belief and therefore this belief is necessary to uphold Government But will it now follow from hence That this belief is only a device of man to uphold Government No certainly but this follows which the Atheist has no mind to hear of That he who thinks there is no GOD is an Enemy to Government and ought not to have the Protection of Government nor to enjoy the Privileges of a Subject but ought to be banish'd from all Societies of men as the greatest enemy to them in the world And now seeing it is granted by the Atheist That this belief is so necessary for the maintaining of Civil Government in the world I will be bold hence to infer a Conclusion quite contrary to his viz. That it is the more likely for that to be true and to come from GOD and not to be an invention of man And the reasonableness of this Inference will thus appear 1. Government and Laws are on purpose to tie men up to live by Rule to restrain them within the bounds of Iustice and Sobriety to keep them from taking the liberty they would otherwise take and from having their own wills in every thing that they may have a longing mind unto Now that which could persuade men to be thus tied up and restrain'd must needs appear to them very reasonable in it self otherwise they would never be brought to thrust their Necks into a Yoke for the sake of something which they saw not before-hand good reason to believe If the Atheist say That though they saw no reason before-hand to believe that there is a GOD yet the benefit of good Government and the desire of safety which they could not have without Government was enough to make them content whether they believed it or no that it should pass for a truth In saying this he confutes himself for if the desire of safety not to be had without Government was it that persuaded them to admit this opinion of a GOD true or false and merely for the sake of Government because without it they could not be safe Then did their own safety sufficiently convince them of the necessity of Government and was enough to persuade them to admit of it without the belief of a GOD. And so the Atheist's Politician was only a Politick Would-be and would seem wise in inventing a thing there was no need of for 't is plain that the belief of a GOD was not necessary in order to Government if the desire of safety was enough to persuade men to it But this very pretence of the Atheist That the Opinion of a GOD was set on foot to uphold Government is a confession that all other motives to subjection without this belief are insufficient and seeing this belief is the principal motive to admit of Government men must needs before-hand see good reason for it for otherwise it could be no motive at all 2. If the belief of a GOD be the principal thing that holds men in subjection to Civil Government and within the bounds of Iustice and Sobriety then if it be not a true belief it must be granted That a Lie is the very foundation of all Vertue and Goodness Peace and Order Iustice and Honesty Fidelity and Safety among men and it is for the great good of the whole World and so the duty of all men to believe a Lie And that there is nothing so wicked because nothing can be so dangerous mischievous and pernicious to Mankind as to believe the Truth It is a truth saith the Atheist that there is no GOD. Then is truth and the belief of it the fountain of all evil and mischief disorder and confusion 'T is a Lie saith he again to say there is a GOD. Then a Lie and the belief of it is the fountain of all Goodness and Vertue and of all the happiness too in the World Can any one but a Fool believe this And yet he must believe it that believes the Atheist saying That the belief of a GOD is only an invention of man to keep the World in good order This is enough to be said of our Second Argument to demonstrate the Atheist's folly taken from the general Consent of Mankind And surely he can hardly be thought a Wise-man himself who ventures to call that man wise whom the whole World as we have seen calls a Fool. III. I come to the Third Argument grounded on the Works of GOD And this I may call the Testimony of the whole Creation of all things animate and inanimate If there are such Works as are the visible Effects of an Eternal Being of Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness there must needs be a GOD and he must be a Fool that saith there is none And here again we have a far more likely cause of the Universal Consent of Mankind in this belief than that which the Atheist imagined as possible only By the Effect the Cause is known If we see things made we know they had a Maker Men generally have seen such things in the World as they could not conceive to be the