are said to observe ftrict Juftice among themselves, and never to defraud a Comrade of his share of the Booty. But if we could imagine a whole Nation to be Cut-purfes and Robbers; would there then be kept that square-dealing and equity in fuch a monftrous den of Thieves? And if Atheism should be fuppofed to become univerfal in this Nation (which seems to be design'd and endeavour'd, though we know the gates of Hell shall not be able to prevail) farewell all Ties of Friendship and Principles of Honour; all Love for our Country and Loyalty to our Prince; nay, farewell all Government and Society it self, all Profeffions and Arts, and Conveniencies of Life, all that is laudable or valuable in the World.

May the Father of Mercies and God of Infinite Wifedom reduce the Foolish from their Errors, and make them wife unto Salvation; Confirm the Sceptical and wavering Minds, and fo prevent Us, that stand faft, in all our doings, and further us with his continual help, that we may not be of them that draw back unto Perdition, but of them that believe to the faving of the Soul. Amen.

Matter and Motion cannot think:

OR, A

CONFUTATION

OF

ATHEISM

From the

Faculties of the Soul.

The Second SERMON preached April 4. 1692.

Acts XVII. 27.

That they should feek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him; though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we Live, and Move, and have our Being.

T

Hefe words are a part of that Discourse which St. Paul had at Athens. He had not been long in that inquifitive and pragmatiActs17.18. Cal City, but we find him encountered by the Epicureans and Stoicks, two forts of people that were very

20, xgrav, xetters. fapiens antecedat Deum: ille na

† Arriani Epictet. 1. 1. C. 12.

Seneca Ep. 53. Eft aliquid que

turx beneficio, non suo fapiens eft.

ill qualified for the Christian Faith: the one by reafon of their Carnal Affections, either believing no God at all, or that he was like unto themselves, diffolv'd in Lazinefs and Eafe; the other out of Spi-ués. ritual Pride presuming to affert, that † a Wife Man of their Sect was equal, and in some cases superior to the Majefty of God himself. These men corrupted through Philofophy and vain deceit, took our Apoftle, and carried him unto Areopagus, v. 19; (a place in the City, whither was the greatest refort of Travellers and Strangers, of the graveft Citizens and Magiftrates, of their Orators and Philofophers;) to give an account of himself and the new Doctrine that he spoke of. For, say they, thou v. 20. bringeft ftrange things to our ears; we would know there fore what these things mean. The Apoftle, who was to speak to fuch a promifcuous Affembly, has with moft admirable Prudence and Art, fo accommodated his Discourse, that every branch and member of it is directly opposed to a known Error and Prejudice of fome Party of his Hearers. I will beg leave to be the more prolix in explaining the whole;. because it will be a ground and introduction not only to this present, but fome other subsequent Discourses.

From

in Philo

ftrat.de vi

ta

fan. in Eli

v. 25.

From the Inscription of an Altar to the Unknown God, which is mentioned by Heathen Authors, Lucianus Lucian, Philoftratus, and others, he takes occafion pat. Philo- (V. 24.) to declare unto them, that God that made the # Apol. 1. World and all things therein. This first Doctrine,though 6.c.2. Pau- admitted by many of his Auditors, is directly both acis. against Epicureans, that ascribed the Origin and Frame of the World not to the Power of God, but the fortuitous concourse of Atoms; and Peripa tetics, that supposed all things to have been eternally, as they now are, and never to have been made at all,either by the Deity or without him. Which God, fays he, feeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth, dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he need ed any thing, feeing he giveth to all Life and Breath and all things. This is opposed to the Civil and Vulgar Religion of Athens, which furnish'd and serv'd the Deity with Temples and Sacrifices, as if he had really needed Habitation and Sustenance. And that the common Heathens had fuch mean apprehenfions about the Indigency of their Gods, it appears plainly, to name no more, from Ariftophanes's Plutus, and the Dialogues of Lucian. But the PhilofoLucret. phers were not concern'd in this point; all Parties 2. Ipfa fuis and Sects, even the Epicureans themselves, did bus, nihil maintain (ò avtagnis) the self-sufficiency of the God

pollens opi

indiga no

firi.

head:

Tertul. Apolog. cap. 46. Quis enim Philofophum facrificare com

pellit? Quinimmo & deos veftitiones veftras commentariis quo

ftros palam deftruunt, & fuper

que accufant.

head: and seldom or never facrificed at all, unless in compliance and condescension to the custom of their Country. There's a very remarkable paffage in Tertullian's Apology, Who forces a Philofopher to facrifice, &c.? It appears from thence, that the Philofophers, no less than the Christians, neglected the Pagan Worship and Sacrifices; though what was conniv'd at in the one, was made highly penal and capital in the other. And hath made of one v. 26. blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the Earth; and hatb determin'd the times before appointed, and the bound of their habitation. This Doctrine about the beginning of Humane Race, though agreeable enough to the Platonifts and Stoics, is apparently levell'd against the Epicureans and Ariftotelians: one of whom produced their Primitive Men from meer Accident or Mechanism; the other denied that Man had any beginning at all, but had eternally continued thus by Succeffion and Propagation. Neither were the Commonalty of Athens unconcern❜d in this point. For although, as we learn from Ifocrates, Demofthenes and others of their Ifocrates Countrymen, they profeffed themselves to be Demofth. avróx doves, Aborigines, not transplanted by Colonies Cicor. pro or otherwise from any Foreign Nation, but born ripides. out of their own Soil in Attica, and had the fame

*

Earth

in Paneg.

in Epitaph.

Flacco. Eu

&c.