godly; next they habituate themselves to their vitious practices, which is ftanding in the way of finners; and then at laft they take up and fettle in a contempt of all religion, which is called fitting in the feat of the fcornful. For when men once indulge themselves in wicked courfes, the vitious inclinations of their minds sway their understandings, and make them apt to disbelieve those truths which contradict their lufts. Every inordinate. luft and paffion is a falfe bias upon mens understandings, which naturally draws towards Atheism; and when mens judgements are once biaffed, they do not believe according to the evidence of things, but according to their humour and their intereft. For when men live. as if there were no God, it becomes expedient for them, that there fhould be none; and when they endeavour to perfuade themselves fo, and will be glad to find argu ments to fortify themselves in this perfuafion. Men of diffolute lives cry down religion, because they would not be under the reftraints of it; they are loth to be tied up by the strict laws and rules of it: it is their intereft, more than any reason they have against it, which makes them defpife it; they hate it, because they are reproved by it. So our Saviour tells us, that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one that deth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved, John iii. 19. 20. I remember it is the faying of one, who hath done more by his writings to debauch the age with Atheistical principles, than any man that lives in it, "That when reafon is against a man, then a man will be against " reafon." I am fure this is the true account of fuch mens enmity to religion. Religion is against them, and therefore they fet themselves againft religion. The principles of religion, and the doctrines of the holyfcriptures, are terrible enemies to wicked men; they are continually flying in their faces, and galling their confciences; and this is that which makes them kick a gainst religion, and fpurn at the doctrines of that holy book. And this may probably be one reafon why many men, who are obferved to be fufficiently dull in other matters, yet can talk profanely, and speak against reli gion, with fome kind of falt and fmartnefs; because religion is the thing that frets them: and, as in other things, fo in this, vexatio dat intellectum; the inward trouble and vexation of their minds gives them fome kind of wit and sharpness in rallying upon religion. Their confciences are galled by it; and this makes them winch and fling as if they had fome mettle. For, let men pretend to what they will, there is no eafe and comfort of mind to be had from Atheistical principles. It is found by experience, that none are more apprehenfive of danger, or more fearful of death, than this fort of men: even when they are in prosperity, they ever and anon feel many inward ftings and lafhes; but when any great affliction or calamity overtakes them, they are the most poor-fpirited creatures in the whole world. The fum is: The true reason why any man is an Atheift, is, because he is a wicked man. Religion would curb him in his lufts, and therefore he casts it off, and puts all the fcorn upon it he can. Befides, that men think it fome kind of apology for their vices, that they do not act contrary to any principle they profefs: their practice is agreeable to what they pretend to believe; and fo they think to vindicate themselves, and their own practices, by laughing at those for fools who believe any thing to the contrary. III. The third thing I propounded was, to reprefent to you the heinoufness and the aggravations of this vice. And to make this out, we will make these three fuppofitions, which are as many as the thing will bear. 1. Suppose there were no God, and that the principles of religion were falfe. 2. Suppofe the matter were doubtful, and the ments equal on both fides. argu 3. Suppofe it certain, that there is a God, and that the principles of religion are true. Put the cafe how we will, I thall fhew that the humour is intolerable. ift, Suppofe there were no God, and that the principle of religion were falfe. Not that there is any reafon for fuch a fuppofition, but only to fhew the unreafonablenefs of this humour. Put the cafe that these men were in the right, in denying the principles of religion, and that all that they pretend were true; yet fo long as the generality of mankind believes the contrary, it is cer tainly a great rudenefs, or incivility at least, to deride and fcoff at these things. Indeed, upon this fuppofition, there could be no fuch thing as fin; but yet it would be a great offence against the laws of civil con. verfation. Suppose then the Atheist were wiser than all the world, and that he did, upon good grounds, know that all mankind, befides himself and two or three more, were mistaken about the matters of religion; yet, if he were either fo wife or fo civil as he fhould be, he would keep all this to himself, and not affront other men about these things. I remember that that law which God gave to the people of Ifrael, Thou shalt not speak evil of the rulers of thy people, is rendered by Jofephus in a very different sense, What other nations account God, let no man blafpheme. And this is not fo different from the Hebrew as at first fight one would imagine; for the fame Hebrew word fignifies both gods and rulers. But whether this be the meaning of that law or not, there is a great deal of reafon in the thing. For though every man have a right to difpute against a falfe religion, and to urge it with all its abfurd and ridiculous confequences, as the ancient fathers did in their disputes with the Heathen; yet it is a barbarous incivility for any man scurriloufly to make sport with that which others account religion, not with any defign to convince their reason, but only to provoke their rage. But now the Atheist can pretend no obligation of confcience why he should so much as difpute against the principles of religion, much less deride them. He that pretends to any religion, may pretend confcience for op. pofing a contrary religion; but he that denies all religion, can pretend no confcience for any thing. A man may be obliged indeed, in reafon and common humani. ty, to free his neighbour from a hurtful error; but fup. pofing there were no God, this notion of a Deity and the principles of religion have taken fuch deep root in the mind of man, that either they are not to be extinguifhed; or if they be, it would be no kindness to any man to endeavour it for him, because it is not to be done, but with fo much trouble and violence, that the remedy would be worse than the disease.' For if this notion of a Deity be founded in a natural fear, : fear, it is in vain to attempt to expel it for whatever violence may be offered to nature, by endeavouring to reafon men into a contrary perfuafion, nature will still recoil, and at laft return to itself, and then the fear will be augmented from the apprehenfion of the dangerous confequences of fuch an impiety. So that nothing can create more trouble to a man, than to endeavour to difpoffefs him of this conceit; because nature is but irritated by the contest, and the man's fears will be doubled upon him. But if we fuppofe this apprehenfion of a Deity to have no foundation in nature, but to have had its rife from tradition, which hath been confirmed in the world by the prejudice of education, the difficulty of removing it will almost be as great as if it were natural; that which men take in by education being next to that which is natural. And if it could be extinguished, yet the advantage of it will not recompence the trouble of the cure for, except the avoiding of perfecution for religion, there is no advantage that the principles of Atheism, if they could be quietly fettled in a man's mind, can give him. The advantage indeed that men make of them is, to give themselves the liberty to do what they pleafe; to be more fenfual and more unjust than other men; that is, they have the privilege to furfcit themselves, and to be fick oftener than other men, and to make mankind their enemy, by their unjust and dishonest actions; and, confequently, to live more uneafily in the world than other men. So that the principles of religion, the belief of a God, and another life, by obliging men to be virtuous, do really promote their temporal happiness. And all the privilege that Atheism pretends to is, to let men loofe to vice; which is naturally attended with temporal inconveniencies. And if this be true, then the Atheist cannot pretend this reafon of charity to mankind, which is the only one I can think of, to difpute against religion, much lefs to rally upon it. For it is plain, that it would be no kindness to any man to be undeceived in thefe principles of religion, fuppofing they were falfe: because the principles of religion are fo far from hindering, that they promote a man's happiness even in VOL. I. F this this world and as to the other world, there can be no inconvenience in the mistake; for when a man is not, it will be no trouble to him that he was once deceived about thefe matters. And where no obligation of conscience nor of reason can be pretended, there certainly the laws of civility ought to take place. Now men do profefs to believe that there is a God, and that the common principles of religion are true, and to have a great veneration for thefe things: can there then be a greater infolence, than for a man, when he comes into company, to rally and fall foul upon those things for which he knows the company have a reverence? Can one man offer a greater affront to another, than to expofe to fcorn him whom he owns and declares to be his best friend, the patron of his life, and the greatest benefactor he hath in the world? and doth not every man that owns a God fay this of him? But when the generality of mankind are of the fame opinion, the rudeness is ftill the greater. So that, whoever doth openly contemn God and religion, does delinquere in majeftatem populi, et humani generis: "He does offend against the majefty of the people, and that reverence which is due to the common apprehenfions "of mankind, whether they be true or not;" which is the greateft incivility that can be imagined. 66 This is the first confideration, and it is the leaft, that I have to urge in this matter; but yet I have infifted the longer upon it, because it is fuch a one as ought efpecially to prevail upon those who, I am afraid, are too often guilty of this vice; I mean those who are of better breeding, because they pretend to understand the laws of behaviour, and the decencies of converfation, better than other men, 2dly, Suppofing it were doubtful, whether there be a God or not, and whether the principles of religion were true or not, and that the arguments were equal on both fides; yet it would be a great folly to deride thefe things. And here I fuppofe as much as the Atheift can, with any colour of reafon, pretend to. For no man ever yet pretended to demonftrate, that there is no God, nor no life after this: for these being pure negatives, |