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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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1. The Matters revealed in them are truly worthy of GOD to reveal and necessary for Man to know 2. The Manner of their Revelation is such that the hand of GOD doth visibly appear in it 3. The Success which the Doctrine of these Writings hath had is such as none but GOD could give it In sum They are such things as if there be a GOD we would judge it most fit for him to make known and such as are made known in such a manner as we would think it most proper for him to reveal them in and such as have had such success as we would think it well becoming him to give them 1. The Matters contained in the Holy Scriptures are such things as are truly worthy of GOD if there be one to reveal and necessary for us men to know 1. The History of the Creation of the World and of all things in it and of Man especially of God's Universal Providence and Government and of his Special Providence over those that serve him Of his Iudgments executed on the Wicked and his special Mercies to and Deliverances wrought for the Righteous this is certainly apt to beget in us the most high thoughts and esteem of GOD the greatest Reverence and most humble Adoration of the Divine Majesty the most free submission and chearful Resignation to him and an entire Dependance on him as our Maker Owner Preserver and Governor on whose Goodness and Favour depends our Life and Happiness and whose Displeasure and Wrath must needs be our Destruction And can we think it unbecoming GOD to acquaint us with this or needless for us to know it 2. To have a true Information of the Special Goodness of GOD to us Men even from first to last Of his Making Man at first in his own Image with an Immortal Soul and a Beautiful Body and his providing all things needful for the good and welfare of both and his giving him the Dominion over and the free use of most other Creatures How Man fell from this good and honourable State into all manner of Misery by disobeying GOD. How the World the good Work of GOD became both so wicked and so full of Troubles and Sorrows What wise and gracious Methods GOD has used to preserve in all Ages and in the midst of a world of wickedness an holy Generation of People for himself and what wonderful means he hath of his Infinite Goodness through JESUS CHRIST provided for us whereby notwithstanding our natural Corruption and Guilt we may yet again be restored to his Favour and our Blessedness 3. To afford us such a sight of GOD's Nature and Attributes as we are capable of in this life his Majesty Immensity Power Wisdom and Goodness and all things necessary to be understood of him in order to our Duty towards him and Happiness in him To open unto us those unfathomable Mysteries of the Incomprehensible TRINITY in UNITY One undivided GOD in the Three distinct Persons of FATHER SON and HOLY GHOST of the wonderful INCARNATION of the Eternal SON of GOD for the Redemption of Sinners of his Passion Resurrection Ascension Intercession and coming again to Iudgment Of the Miraculous sending of the HOLY GHOST his Inspiring of the Apostles with Gifts and Graces befitting their Office These and the like are such things as men could never attain to the knowledge of but by Divine Revelation 4. To give us Laws whereby we are to govern our selves and such Laws as our own Reason being made judge are most Holy and Iust and Good all visibly tending to advance among us the Honour and Glory of GOD who gave them and promote the Happiness of Men to whom they are given binding us to nothing but to pay unto GOD such a Homage and Duty as we must confess we naturally owe him and are by our Nature fitted to pay him to do our selves and others all the good we can and no hurt at all and to do every one of us what lies in our-power to make this world whilst we live in it a pleasant peaceable and comfortable place of habitation to us 5. To certifie us What shall become of us when by Death we shall go out of this world what Rewards there are for the Good and what Punishments for the Wicked To shew us the twofold Eternal Future State of Happiness and Misery and that our present Life is our Time of Trial and of Discipline and as we behave our selves doth certainly bring us to one of these two To assure us That our Souls do never dye and that our Bodies after Corruption shall be rais'd again Incorruptible And that we must in Soul and Body be brought to Iudgment and by the Laws under which we have lived be either finally condemned or acquitted Let any one say what things he can suppose if there be a GOD more worthy of Him to reveal or more needful for us to know than such as these Could we be better instructed in the Knowledge of either GOD or our selves Could we be better directed how to Honour GOD or to do good to our selves Could we have had any greater Encouragements to Goodness or any greater Discouragements to live wickedly Could we desire a fairer or more satisfactory account of things not otherwise knowable and yet fit to be known by us Had we not been at an utter loss and in a lamentable confusion about these things had they not been thus revealed to us Have any of the wisest men in the world been able to give us any rational account or but indifferent satisfaction about the Original of the World or of us Men or of what shall be after Death what we may either fear or hope for In what a confounded state had we been and what very Beasts must we have lived and died without some knowledge of these things And who could ever have made us know these things but GOD And can we then any longer think that these things are not most worthy of GOD to make known unto men 2. The manner of Revelation is such that the Hand of GOD doth visibly appear in it GOD hath spoken unto us in his Word in in as Visible and Audible and every way convincing a manner as we can conceive how if there be a GOD he should do GOD as was said is in his Nature Invisible nor hath he a Voice as Bodies have to be heard by yet hath he been seen and heard speaking unto men so as an Invisible and Incorporal Being or Spirit can be seen or heard and so as men may know it 's He that speaks unto them For his Word was delivered 1. With many visible and audible significations and tokens of his Presence 2. With Prophecy foretelling things within the compass of His knowledge only 3 With Miracles which are the proper works of Divine Power 1. The Atheist would for his satisfaction see and hear GOD speak If it will satisfie him That GOD hath been seen and heard speaking
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