Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A30929
|
Natural theology, or, The knowledge of God from the works of creation accommodated and improved, to the service of Christianity / by Matthew Barker ...
|
Barker, Matthew, 1619-1698.
|
1674
(1674)
|
Wing B777; ESTC R20207
|
99,798
|
210
|
Triâ—megist If Idolaters be charged with brutishness that worshipped false gods Jer. 10. 14 18. how much more the Atheist that denies a God And if the Apostle saith of them that their foolish heart was darkened when they debased him in their vain Rites and Modes of Worship Rom. 1. 18. how much more are such dark'ned with folly that deny his Being Though Hell be the Seat of perfect Wickedness yet this Speculative Atheism is not to be found there The Devils themselves believe and tremble And what a monstrous thing then is it that it should be found upon Earth And especially in that part of the Earth where Men have not only the Book of Nature but the written Word of the God of Nature as a Comment upon the works of it for men to think it an height of Wit to be able to dispute against a Deity and a piece of Gallantry to live above the fear of it Men that are rational enough in other things yet in this their Reasons are strangely blinded which shews the strange degeneracy of their Souls in things that concern another World while they are ripe and pregnant enough in things that concern this World For did Men exert their Reason in those things as they can and do in these it would conclude nothing more strongly than that God is It is the proper Office of Reason to argue from the Effect to the Cause why should it not then argue when it beholds the wonderful Works of this Creation these must needs proceed from some Infinite Cause and thereby be led up to the Being of God As when a man seeth a Tree that is extended into Boughs and Branches his thoughts are naturally led to some Root out of which it springs and so when he seeeth a River his thoughts will lead him to some Spring out of which it ariseth why then should we not when we see this visible World have our thoughts as it were naturally led up to a first Being God hath sufficiently by his Works of Creation evidenced to Mankind his Being that they might seek after him And therefore there will be no room left for any such plea in the day of Judgment for any people whatsoever in any part of the world If we had known there had been a God we would have sought him served and worshipped him Doth Man plead I never saw his Being Will we believe nothing but what our eyes see We never saw those Souls that dwell within us shall we therefore not believe we have Souls do not their operations sufficiently evidence their Being in us Nay we do not see the Air in which we breath and yet no Man denies but there is Air. And doth not the Text tell us of the invisible things of God and therefore not to be seen Or will Man plead he was not present when God made this World how shall he then know that he made it If we see an House erected according to the Rules of Art shall we not believe it is the work of some skilful Artificer though we did not stand by and see him build it But of these profest Atheists we have not many instances we read in Ancient Writers of such as Protagoras Diagoras Theodorus c. who denyed or disputed all Deity whom I find quoted and confuted by learned Bradwardine as they were before condemned by the Athenians Brad. lib. 1. Coral 1. pars secund and indeed such were exploded by the Heathen And those that were so yet were not constantly so as to maintain this Opinion to the end In mens serious and retired thoughts especially if they be under some smart affliction the Belief and Sence of a Deity returns upon them Nullus eorum in hac Opinione quod Dii non sunt ab adolescentiâ ad senectutem perseveravit Plato 1. 10. de legibus As a motion that is against Nature will some time or other recur And therefore the Philosopher said that no Man persevered in this Opinion from Youth to Old Age. Nature cannot utterly forget her first and fundamental Lesson that God is and that first Verity that is so deeply rooted in Nature that it cannot be totally blotted out Licet enim noster animus multis inquinamentis abducatur à suo naturali proposito frequens tamen illud recurrit ut exprimat innatos veritatis igniculos Pamel Adnot in Tertul. C. 17. Apo. As that Renowned Carver did grave his own Image into the Buckler of Pallas with such singular Art and Cunning that it could not be removed without defacing the whole Work For the Soul being from Divine Inspiration God hath put the Character of himself upon it which cannot be utterly defaced while its Being continues And therefore the Opinion that denies a Deity is rather a Frolick a Fancy a Dream than a grounded Opinion And when the Soul of Man is itself and converseth with it self and beholdeth the Legible Characters of God's Being written upon this whole Creation such Opinion vanisheth away But yet we find many have this sence of a Deity very weak and the Notion of it very dark in their Souls and many staggerings in their minds about it And not only amongst Heathens but even amongst themselves where the Gospel is profest and preached Yea we find in many that live under the Gospel less sence of a Deity upon their hearts than amongst the most barbarous Nations of the World But of all others these are the most monstrous who study to make themselves Atheists who set their wits on work to frame Arguments against a Deity And they do it to deliver themselves from Service and from Fear 1. From Service that they might be free from the Yoke of serving God for if they own a Deity their Reason tells them they ought to give him Worship and Service and this they account a Yoke and Burthen As those said in Malachi 1. ver 13. Behold what a weariness is it and ye have snuffed at it They think they cannot be perfect free men till they have freed themselves from all Belief and Sence of a Deity Aug. de verâ Relig C. 36. To. 1. As Austin to this purpose Quidam propterea putant nihil colendum esse ne serviant Some think no Deity is to be worshipped that they might not serve And Lucretius boasts of Epicurus that he was the first that delivered the World from the burden of Religion Humana ante oculos foedè cum vita jaceret In terris oppressa gravi sub Religione Primum Graius homo mortales tollere contra Est oculos ausus c. But are not these Men much mistaken when they have cast off the Service of God Deo parere libertas est Sen. de vita beata which is the true Liberty of Man are they not given up to the Service of base Lusts which is true Bondage And made Drudges to the God of this World who will not be the servants of the true God
Though the Orator define Liberty to be this Libertas est facultas vivendi ut velis Cicero Liberty is a power of living as a Man will Yet to be obedient to a corrupt Will is Bondage not Liberty True Liberty is not as one well speaks Sibi servire sed sibi imperare Not to serve a Mans self â—otherby Atheomasâ—ix p. 118. but to rule over himself So that in this they miss their end 2. They design to deliver themselves from fear But they are not able to accomplish this end neither For though in their Cups and Caresses they can discharge their fear Non quenquam vidi qui magis ea quae timenda non esse dixit magis timeret mortem dico Deos. yet let them fall under some sharp affliction or draw near the King of Terrours and their fears of God and Judgment will be ready to return upon 〈…〉 As Tully observed of Epicurus though he disputed against the Being of God and that Death ought not to be feared yet saith he I never observed any Man to fear more those very things which he said ought not to be feared namely Death and the Godds Now the Causes that Men are led into Atheism by are such as these 1. Is the Course and Efficacy of second Causes They observe how all things come to pass by some visible Causes which are either Natural or Voluntary In Natural Causes if the Cause be sufficient the Effect follows if not the Effect miscarries So that it is not a God say they that governs the Events of Nature but the Natural Cause doth all So in Voluntary Causes that depend upon the will of Man If it be a good thing that is designed and endeavoured yet it falls short if the Cause be not sufficient if it be a bad thing it comes to pass if there be sufficient means prepared for it But let me answer as I go along 1. Is it an Argument against the Being of God because there are second Causes Because inferiour Ministers are made use of in the Affairs of Government doth this prove thar there is no Supreme Governour May there not be second Causes and yet the concurrence of a first Cause also that doth steer and influence them in their Operations 2. And it is not alwayes that these second Causes how sufficient soever they may seem that they produce their end Sometimes Nature miscarries in her Productions and none can give a reason for it And so in Voluntary Causes The Race is not always to the swift nor the Battel to the strong nor Riches to Men of understanding as Solomon observes Though for the most part the second Cause doth accomplish the Effect according to to the Law and Ordinance God hath setled in the World yet sometimes it miscarries and fails that Men might not place their confidence there 3. Where the Effect miscarries through the Deficiency of second Causes those Deficiences are ordered and regulated by God as well as the Efficacy of Causes When God intends an Effect he will Order and Influence the second Cause so as to produce it where he intends otherwise he will so suspend or divert it that the Effect shall not succeed And under this Head I may take notice that the long cessation of Miracles may be some occasion of Atheism For Miracles are wrought above or against the course of second Causes and when Men see them they are then even forced to say as Pharaoh's Magicians Hic Digitus Dei Here is the Finger of God But when men for a long time together have observed that Nature keeps its course and things come to pass by the use of means they grow into an Opinion that all things are by Nature and that there is no Providence and so no God Object But why doth not God then in every Age work Miracles to convince the World of his Being Answ Because the ordinary course of Nature is sufficient to it if men did not shut up their eyes and refuse to see And God thinks it not meet to put Nature out of its ordinary course that he setled at the beginning unless on some extraordinary occasions and for some extraordinary end But is it not as wonderful in it self to see the Sun move in a constant Line from one end of the year to the other as to see it stand still And to see a watery Sap rising out of the Earth to be turned into Wine as to see Water in a Vessel turn'd into Wine as it was in the Miracle of Christ wrought at Cana John 2. 3. Or to see Bread brought of the Earth as to have it rained down from Heaven as it was upon Israel in the Wilderness 2. Another cause is Guilt in the Conscience Though it is not an immediate yet it is a remote cause of Atheism For Guilt working in the Conscience is an immediate proof of a Deity and Judgment to come but it proves a remote cause of Atheism For it makes men wish there was no God and so are thereby the more disposed to believe there is none For the old Proverb is Quod valdè volumus facilè credimus What a Man earnestly desires might not be he is inclinable to believe it not to be And hereupon are ready to extinguish those innate Notions of a Deity that are within themselves or such as may be gathered from without and to comply with any suggestions to that end that may be administred either by Satan their own corrupt Hearts or prophane Men. Guilt begets Fear Fear begets Torment this Torment doth disquiet Mens Peace and much allayes the pleasure of Sin That they may therefore provide a Remedy for themselves they are willing enough to believe there is no God As Moralists tells us of an Ignorance that is Ignorantia pravae Dispositionis of a wicked Disposition Such is that when men seek to darken that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which they may be Nature know of God that they may sin with the greater freedom and peace But this is just as if a Man to prevent a Danger should hood-wink himself that he might not see it It 's true if there was no Remedy provided Man of God against this Guilt and fear arising out of it this might seem to be a rational course but seeing there is a Remedy provided it is Man's Wisdom to seek after it whereby to have his fear and his Danger also removed together 3. A third Cause is The strange administration of things in the World Men cannot see Justice Goodness or Wisdom manifested therein But it often falls out to the Wicked according to the Work of the Righteous and to the Righteous according to the Work of the Wicked as Solomon speaks Hence Men conclude there is no Government of the World and if so then no God Marmoreo Licinus tumulo jacet Cato parvo Pompeius nullo Quis putet esse Deos As those said that were of Pompey's Faction in Rome Base Licinus