John Gill
Having undertaken to write a
System of Theology, or a Body of Doctrinal Divinity; and Theology being nothing
else than a speaking of God, or a discoursing concerning him; his nature,
names, perfections, and persons; his purposes, providences,
ways, works, and word: I shall begin with the Being of God, and the proof and
evidence of it; which is the foundation of all religion; for if there is no
God, religion is a vain thing; and it matters not neither what we believe, nor
what we do; since there is no superior Being to whom we are accountable for
either faith or practice. Some, because the being of God is a first principle,
which is not to be disputed; and because that there is one
is a self-evident proposition, not to be disproved; have thought it should not
be admitted as a matter of debate {1}: but since such is the malice of Satan,
as to suggest the contrary to the minds of men; and such the badness of some
wicked men as to listen to it, and imbibe it; and such the weakness of some
good men as to be harassed and distressed with doubts about it at times; it cannot be improper to endeavour to fortify our minds
with reasons and arguments against such suggestions and insinuations. And my
1. First argument to prove the
Being of a God, shall be taken from the general consent of men of all nations,
in all ages of the world; among whom the belief of it has
universally obtained; which it is not reasonable to suppose would have
obtained, if it was not true. This has been observed by many heathen writers
themselves. Aristotle says {2},
``all men have a persuasion of
Deity, or that there is a God.''
Cicero observes {3},
``There is no nation so wild
and savage, whose minds are not imbued with the opinion of the gods; many
entertain wrong notions of them; but all suppose and own the
divine power and nature.''
And in another place {4} he
says,
``There is no animal besides
man that has any knowledge of God; and of men there is no
nation so untractable and fierce, although it may be ignorant what a God it
should have, yet is not ignorant that one should be had.''
And again {5},
``It is the
sense of all mankind, that it is "innate" in all, and is, as it were,
engraven on the mind, that there is a God; but what a one he is, in that they
vary; but that he is, none denies.''
And to the same sense are the
words {6} of Seneca,
``There never was a nation so
dissolute and abandoned, so lawless and immoral, as to believe there is no
God.''
So Aelianus {7} relates,
``None of the barbarous
nations ever fell into atheism, or doubted of the gods whether they were or
not, or whether they took care of human affairs or not; not the Indians, nor
the Gauls, nor the Egyptians.''
And
Plutarch {8} has these remarkable words,
``If you go over the earth,
says he, you may find cities without walls, letters, kings, houses, wealth, and
money, devoid of theatres and schools; but a city without temples and gods, and
where is no use of prayers, oaths, and oracles, nor sacrifices to
obtain good or avert evil, no man ever saw.''
These things were observed and
said, when the true knowledge of God was in a great measure lost, and idolatry
prevailed; and yet even then, this was the general sense of mankind. In the
first ages of the world, men universally believed in the true God,
and worshipped him, as Adam and his sons, and their posterity, until the flood;
nor does there appear any trace of idolatry before it, nor for some time after.
The sins which caused that, and with which the world was filled, seem to be
lewdness and uncleanness, rapine and violence. Some think the tower of Babel
was built for an idolatrous use; and it may be that about that time idolatry
was set up; as it is thought to have prevailed in the days
of Serug: and it is very probable that when the greater part of the posterity
of Noah's sons were dispersed throughout the earth, and settled in the distant
parts of it; that as they were remote from those among whom the true worship of
God was preserved; they, by degrees, lost sight of the true God, and forsook
his worship; and this being the case, they began to worship
the sun in his stead, and which led on to the worship of the moon, and the host
of heaven; which seem to be the first objects of idolatry. This was as early as
the times Job, who plainly refers to it, #Job 31:26,27. And, indeed, when men
had cast off the true object of worship, what more natural to substitute in his
room than the sun, moon, and stars, which were above them, visible by them, and
so glorious in themselves, and so beneficial to the earth
and men on it? Hence the people of Israel were exhorted to take care that their
eyes were not ensnared at the sight of them, to fall down and worship them; and
which in later times they did. #De 4:19 #2Ki 21:3. It appears also that men
took very early to the deifying of their heroes after death, their kings, and
great personages, either for their wisdom and knowledge, or for their
courage and valour, and martial exploits, and other things; such were the Bel,
or Belus, of the Babylonians; the Baalpeor of the Moabites. ;and the Molech of
the Phoenicians, and other Baalim lords, or kings, mentioned in the Scriptures:
and such were Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Hercules; and the rest of the
rabble of the heathen deities; and indeed their Lares, and Penates, or
household gods, were no other than the images of their
deceased parents, or more remote ancestors, whose memory they revered; and in
process of time their deities became very numerous; they had gods many and
lords many: even with the Jews, when fallen into idolatry, their gods were
according to the number of their cities, #Jer 2:28. And as for the Gentiles,
they worshipped almost everything; not only the sun, moon, and stars; but the earth, fire, and water; and various sorts of animals, as
oxen, goats, and swine, cats and dogs, the fishes of the rivers, the river
horse, and the crocodile, those amphibious creatures; the fowls of the air, as
the hawk, stork, and ibis; and even insects, the fly; yea, creeping things, as
serpents, the beetle, &c.; as also vegetables, onions, and garlic; which
occasioned the satirical poet {9} to say, "O sanctas gentes quibus haec nascuntur in hortis, numina!" O holy nations,
whose gods are born in their gardens! Nay, some have worshipped the devil
himself, as both in the East and West Indies {10}; and that for this reason,
that he might not harm them. Now though all this betrays the dreadful depravity
of human nature; the wretched ignorance of mankind; and the sad stupidity men
were sunk into; yet at the same time such shocking
idolatry, in all the branches of it, is a full proof of the truth and force of
my argument, that all men, in all ages and countries, have been possessed of
the notion of a God; since, rather than to have no God, they have chosen false
ones; so deeply rooted is a sense of Deity in the minds of all men.
I am
sensible that to this it is objected, that there have been, at different times,
and in different countries, some particular persons {11} who have been reckoned
atheists, deniers of the Being of a God. But some of these men were only
deriders of the gods of their country; they mocked at them as unworthy of the
name, as weak and insufficient to help them; as they reasonably might; just as
Elijah mocked at Baal and his worshippers. Now the common
people, because they so behaved towards their gods, looked upon them as
atheists, as such who did not believe there was any God. Others were so
accounted, because they excluded the gods from any concern with human affairs;
they thought they were other ways employed, and that such things were below
their notice, and not becoming their grandeur and dignity to regard;
and had much the same sentiments as some of the Jews had, #Eze 9:9 Zep 1:12.
But these men were not deniers of the existence of God, only of his providence
as to the affairs of the world: and others have been rather practical than
speculative atheists, as the fool in #Ps 14:1 who not only live as if there was
no God; but wish in their hearts there was none, rather than believe there is
none; that so they might take their fill of sin, without
being accountable to a superior Being. The number of real speculative atheists
have been very few, if any; some have boldly asserted their disbelief of a God;
but it is a question whether their hearts and mouths have agreed; at least they
have not been able to maintain their unbelief long {12} without some doubts and
fears. And at most this only shows how much the reason of man may be debased, and how low it may sink when left to itself: these
few instances are only particular exceptions to a general rule; which is not
destroyed thereby, being contrary to the common sense of mankind; even as it is
no sufficient objection to the definition of man, as a rational creature, that
there is now and then an idiot born of his race, so not to the general belief
of Deity, that there is now and then an atheist in the
world.
It is further objected, that
there have been whole nations in Africa and America, who have no notion of
Deity. But this is what has not been sufficiently proved; it depends upon the
testimonies of travellers, and what one affirms, another denies; so that nothing can with certainty be concluded from them.
``I should rather question,
says Herbert, Lord Cherbury {13}, whether the light of the sun has shone on the
remotest regions, than that the knowledge of the Supreme Being is hidden from
them; since the sun is only conspicuous in its own sphere; but the
Supreme Being is seen in everything.''
Diodorus Siculus {14} says, a
few of the Ethiopians were of opinion there was no God; though before he had
represented them as the first and most religious of all nations, as attested by
all antiquity. The Hottentots about the Cape of Good Hope have
been instanced in, as without any knowledge of Deity: and certainly they are a
most beastly and brutish people that can be named, and the most degenerate of
the human species, and have survived the common instincts of humanity {15};
yet, according to Mr. Kolben's account of them, published some years ago {16},
they appear to have some sense of a Supreme Being, and of inferior deities.
They express a superstitious joy at new and full moons; and
it is said they pray to a Being that dwells above; and offer sacrifice of the
best things they have, with eyes lifted up to heaven {17}. And later
discoveries of other nations, show the contrary to what has been asserted of
them; which assertions have arose either from want of intimate knowledge of
them, and familiar acquaintance with them, or from their dissolute, wicked, and irreligious lives; when, by conversing with them,
it appears that they have a notion of the sun, or sky, or something or another
being a sort of deity. Thus it has been observed of the Greenlanders {18}, that
``they had neither a religion
nor idolatrous worship; nor so much as any ceremonies to be
perceived tending to it: hence the first missionaries entertained a
supposition, that there was not the least trace to be found among them of any
conception of a divine Being, especially as they had no word to express him by.
But when they came to understand their language better, they found quite the
reverse to be true, from the notions they had, though very vague and various,
concerning the soul, and concerning spirits; and also from
their anxious solicitude about the state after death. And not only so, but they
could plainly gather from a free dialogue they had with some perfectly wild
Greenlanders, that their ancestors must have believed a supreme Being, and did
render him some service; which their posterity neglected by little and little,
the further they were removed from more wise and civilised nations; till at last they lost every just conception of the Deity;
yet, after all, it is manifest, that a faint idea of a divine Being lies
concealed in the minds even of this people, because they directly assent,
without any objection, to the doctrine of a God, and his attributes.''
And as to
what is concluded from the irreligious lives of the inhabitants of some
nations, we need not be sent to Africa and America for such atheists as these;
we have enough of them in our own nation; and I was just ready to say, we are a
nation of atheists in this sense: and, indeed, all men in an unregenerate
state, be they Jews or Gentiles, or live where they may, they are ayeoi,
"atheists"; as the apostle calls them, #Eph 2:12
they are "without God in the world, being alienated from the life of
God", #Eph 4:18 otherwise there is such a general sense of Deity in
mankind; and such a natural inclination to religion, of some sort or another,
though ever so bad, that some have thought that man should rather be defined as
a religious than a rational animal. I take no notice of the holy angels, who
worship God continually; nor of the devils, who believe
there is one God and tremble; my argument being only concerned with men.
2. The second argument shall
be taken from the law and light of nature; or from the general instinct in men,
or impress of Deity on the mind of every man; that is, as soon
as he begins to have the exercise of his rational powers, he thinks and speaks
of God, and assents to the Being of a God. This follows upon the former, and is
to be proved by it; for as Cicero {19} says,
``The consent of all nations
in anything, is to be reckoned the law of nature.''
And since all nations agree in
the belief of a Deity, that must be a part of the law of nature, inscribed on
the heart of every man. Seneca {20} makes use of this to prove there is a God;
he says:
``because
an opinion or sense of Deity, is "implanted" in the minds of all
men.''
And so likewise Cicero, as
observed before; and who calls them the notions of Deity implanted and innate.
And whoever believes the Mosaic account of the creation of man, cannot doubt of
this being his case, when first created; since he is said to be made in the image, and after the likeness of God; for the
image of God surely could not be impressed upon him, without having the
knowledge of him implanted in him; and though man by sinning has greatly come
short of this image and glory of God, yet this light of nature is not wholly
obscured, nor the law of nature entirely obliterated in him; there are some
remains of it. There are some indeed among us, who deny
there are any innate ideas in the minds of men, and particularly concerning
God: but to such writers and reasoners I pay but little regard; when the
inspired apostle assures us, that even the Gentiles, destitute of the law of
Moses, have "the work of the law written in their hearts", #Ro 2:15
which, as it regards duty to God, as well as man, necessarily supposes the
knowledge of him; as well as of the difference between good
and evil, as founded upon his nature and will: and though this light of nature
is not sufficient to lead men, in their present state, to a true spiritual and
saving knowledge of God; yet it furnishes them with such a sense of him, as
puts them upon seeking him; "if haply they may feel and grope after him,
and find him", #Ac 17:27. These notices of a divine Being do not flow from
the previous instructions of parents and others; but from a
natural instinct; at most, they are only drawn forth by instruction and
teaching; Velleius, the Epicurean, says {21},
``that there is a Deity nature
itself has impressed the notion of on the minds of all men;
for what nation, or sort of men, ''
he adds,
``that has not a certain anticipation
of it without being taught it, ''
or before taught it, as Julian
{22} expresses it: nor do these notices take their rise from state policy; or
are the effects of that originally: if this was the case, if it was the
contrivance of politicians to keep men in awe, and under subjection, it must be
the contrivance of one man, or more united together. If of one, say, who is the
man? in what age he lived, and where? and what is his name,
or his son's name? If of more, say, when and where they existed? and who they
were that met together? and where they formed this scheme? And let it be
accounted for; if it can, that such a number of sage and wise men, who have
been in the world; that no man should be able to get into the secret, and
detect the fallacy and discover it, and free men from the
imposition. Besides, these notices appeared before any scheme of politics was
formed; or kings or civil magistrates were in being. Plato {23} has refuted
this notion; and represents it as a very pestilent one, both in private and in
public. Nor are these notices by tradition from one to another; since
traditions are peculiar to certain people: the Jews had theirs, and so had the
Gentiles; and particular nations among them had separate
ones from each other; but these are common to all mankind: nor do they spring
from a slavish fear and dread of punishment; for though it has been said {24},
that fear makes gods, or produces a notion of Deity; the contrary is true, that
Deity produces fear, as will be seen in a following argument.
Under this head may be
observed the innate desires of men after happiness, which are so boundless as
not to be satisfied. Let a man have ever so great a compass of knowledge and
understanding; or possess ever so large a portion of wealth and riches; or be
indulged with the gratification of his senses to the highest degree; or enjoy all the pleasure the whole creation can afford him; yet
after all, according to the wise man, the conclusion of the whole is, "all
is vanity and vexation of spirit", #Ec 2:17. Now these desires are not in
vain implanted, there must be an object answerable unto them; a perfect Being,
which is no other than God; who is the first cause and last end of all things,
of whom the Psalmist says, "Whom have I in heaven but
thee? and there is none on earth my soul desires besides thee", #Ps 73:25.
3. The third argument, proving
the Being of God, shall be taken from the works of creation; concerning which
the apostle says, "the invisible things of God, from the creation of the world,
are clearly seen; being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead", #Ro 1:20. Plutarch {25}, in answer to
a question, Whence have men the knowledge of God? replies,
``They first receive the
knowledge of him from the beauty of things that appear; for nothing beautiful
is made in vain, nor by chance, but wrought with some art: that the world is beautiful, is manifest from the figure, the
colour, and magnitude of it; and from the variety of stars about the world.''
And these so clearly display
the Being and power of God, as to leave the heathen without excuse, as the
apostle observes; and as this, and other instances, show. Most admirable
was the reasoning of a wild Greenlander {26}, which he declared to a missionary
to be the reasoning of his mind before his conversion; he said to him,
``It is true we were ignorant
heathens, and knew nothing of God, or a Saviour; and, indeed, who should tell
us of him till you come? but thou must not imagine that no Greenlander
thinks about these things. I myself have often thought: a "kajak" (a
boat) with all its tackle and implements, does not grow into existence of
itself; but must be made by the labour and ingenuity of man; and one that does
not understand it would directly spoil it. Now the meanest bird has far more
skill displayed in its structure, than the best "kajak"; and no man
can make a bird: but there is still a far greater art shown
in the formation of a man, than of any other creature. Who was it that made
him? I thought myself that he proceeded from his parents, and they from their
parents; but some must have been the first parents; whence did they come?
common report informs me, they grew out of the earth: but if so, why does it
not still happen that men grow out of the earth? and from whence did this same earth itself, the sea, the sun, the moon, and
stars, arise into existence? Certainly there must be some Being who made all
these things; a Being that always was, and can never cease to be. He must be
inexpressibly more mighty, knowing, and wise, than the wisest man. He must be
very good too, because that everything that he has made is good, useful, and
necessary for us. Ah, did I but know him, how would I love
him and honour him! But who has seen him? who has ever conversed with him? None
of us poor men. Yet there may be men too that know something of him. O that I
could but speak with such! therefore, ''
he said,
``as soon as ever I heard you
speak of this great Being, I believed it directly, with all my heart; because I
had so long desired to hear it.''
A glaring proof this, that a
supreme Being, the first cause of all things, is to be concluded
from the works of creation. The notion of the eternity of the world has been
imbibed by some heathens, but sufficiently confuted by others. And even
Aristotle, to whom it is ascribed, asserts {27}, that
``it was an ancient doctrine,
and what all men received from their ancestors; that all things
are of God, and consist by him.''
And those that believe the
divine revelation, cannot admit of any other doctrine; but must explode the
notion of the eternity of the world, and of its being of itself; since that
assures us, that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth": also that all things were made, "not of things
which do appear", but out of nothing, #Ge 1:1 Heb 11:3 for, be it, that
the heavens and the earth were made out of a chaos, or out of pre-existent
matter; it may be reasonably asked, out of what was that pre-existent matter
made? the answer must be, out of nothing; since it was by creation, which is
the production of something out of nothing: and which can never be performed by the creature; for out of nothing, nothing can be
made by that. If therefore all things are originally produced out of nothing,
it must be by one that is almighty, whom we rightly call God. No creature can
produce itself; this involves such contradictions as can never be admitted; for
then a creature must be before it was; as that which makes must be before that
which is made: it must act and operate before it exists;
and be and not be at one and the same time; which are such glaring
contradictions, as sufficiently confute the creature's making itself; and
therefore its being must be owing to another cause; even to God, the Creator;
for between a creature and God, there is no medium: and if it could be thought
or said, that the most excellent creatures, men, made themselves; besides the
above contradictions, which would be implied, it might be
asked, why did not they make themselves wiser and better; since it is certain,
they have knowledge of beings superior to them? and how is it that they know so
little of themselves, either of their bodies or their souls, if both were made
by them? and why are they not able to preserve themselves from a dissolution to
which they are all subject? It may be further observed;
that effects, which depend upon causes in subordination to one another, cannot
be traced up "ad infinitum" {28}; but must be reduced to some first
cause, where the inquiry must rest; and that first cause is God. Now here is an
ample field to survey; which furnishes out a variety of objects, and all proofs
of Deity. There is nothing in the whole creation the mind can contemplate, the
eye look upon, or the hand lay hold on, but what proclaims
the Being of God. When we look up to the heavens {29} above us; the surrounding
atmosphere; the air in which we breathe, which compresses our earth, and keeps
it together; the stellar space, and spreading sky, bespangled with stars of
light, and adorned with the two great luminaries, the sun and moon, especially
the former, that inexhaustible fountain of light and heat;
and under whose benign influences, so many things are brought forth on earth;
whose circuit is from one end of the heaven to the other; and there is nothing
hid from the heat thereof: when we consider its form, magnitude, and virtue;
its proper distance from us, being not so near us as to scorch us; nor so
remote as to be of no use to us; the motion given it at first, in which it has
proceeded without stopping, but once as is supposed, in the
days of Joshua; a motion it has had now almost six thousand years; the course
it has steered, and steers, so that all parts of the earth, at one season or
another, receive benefit by it; and the way it has been guided in, without
varying or erring from it all this while. Whoever reflects on these things,
must acknowledge it to be the work of an all wise and almighty agent, we call God; and that it must be upheld, guided, and directed by his
hand alone. When we take a view of the earth, of the whole terraqueous globe,
hanging on nothing, like a ball in the air, poised with its own weight; the
different parts of it, and all disposed for the use of man; stored with immense
riches in the heart of it, and stocked with inhabitants upon it; the various
sorts of animals, of different forms and shapes, made, some
for strength, some for swiftness, some for bearing burdens, and others for
drawing carriages, some for food and others for clothing: the vast variety of
the feathered birds that cut the air; and the innumerable kinds of fishes that
swim the ocean. The consideration of all this will oblige us to say,
"Lord, thou art God, which hast made the heaven, earth, and sea; and all
that in them is", #Ac 4:25. In short, there is not a
shell in the ocean, nor a sand on the shore, nor a spire of grass in the field,
nor any flower of different hue and smell in the garden, but what declare the
Being of God: but especially our own composition is deserving of our notice;
the fabric of the body, and the faculties of our souls. The body, its form and
shape; while other animals look downwards to the earth, "os homini sublime
dedit Deus", as the poet says {30}, man has a lofty
countenance given him, to behold the heavens, to lift up his face to the stars;
and for what is this erect posture given him, but to adore his Creator? And it
is remarkable that there is a natural instinct in men to lift up their hands
and eyes to heaven, when either they have received any unexpected mercy, by way
of thankfulness for it; or are in any great distress, as supplicating deliverance from it; which supposes a divine Being, to whom
they owe the one, and from whom they expect the other. Each of the parts and
members of the body are so framed and disposed, as to be subservient to one
another; so that "the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee;
nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you". The same may be observed
of the other members. The inward parts, which are weak and
tender, and on which life much depends, were they exposed, would be liable to
much danger and hurt; but these are "clothed with skin and flesh, and
fenced with bones and sinews"; and every bone, and every nerve, and every
muscle, are put in their proper places. All the organs of the senses, of sight,
hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling, are most wonderfully fitted for the
purposes for which they are made. Galen, an ancient noted
physician, being atheistically inclined, was convinced of his impiety by barely
considering the admirable structure of the eye; its various humours, tunics,
and provision for its defence and safety. The various operations performed in
our bodies, many of which are done without our knowledge or will, are enough to
raise the highest admiration in us: as the circulation of the blood
through all parts of the body, in a very small space of time; the respiration
of the lungs; the digestion of the food; the chylification of it; the mixing of
the chyle with the blood; the nourishment thereby communicated; and which is
sensibly perceived in the several parts of the body, and even in the more
remote; which having been weakened and enfeebled by hunger, thirst, and labour,
are in an instant revived and strengthened; and the
accretion and growth of parts by all this. To which may be added other things
worthy of notice; the faculty of speech, peculiar to man, and the organs of it;
the features of their faces; and the shape of their bodies, which all differ
from one another; the constant supply of animal spirits; the continuance of the
vital heat, which outlasts fire itself; the slender threads and small fibres spread throughout the body, which hold and perform
their office seventy or eighty years running: all which, when considered, will
oblige us to say, with the inspired Psalmist, "I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right
well": and will lead us to ascribe this curious piece of workmanship to no
other than to the divine Being, the God of all flesh living {31}.
But the soul of man, the more
noble part of him, more fully discovers the original author of him {32}; being
possessed of such powers and faculties that none but God could give: it is
endowed with an understanding, capable of receiving and framing ideas of all
things knowable, in matters natural, civil, and religious; and with reason, to put these together, and compare them with each
other, and discourse concerning them; infer one thing from another, and draw
conclusions from them: and with judgment, by which it passes sentence on things
it takes cognizance of, and reasons upon; and determines for itself what is
right or wrong; and so either approves or disapproves: it has a
"mind" susceptive of what is proposed unto it; it can,
by instruction or study, learn any language; cultivate any art or science; and,
with the help of some geographical principles, can travel over the globe, can
be here and there at pleasure, in the four parts of the world; and in a short
time, visit every city of note therein, and describe the situation of every
country, with their religion, manners, customs, &c. it can reflect on
things past, and has a foresight of, and can forecast and
provide for things to come: it has a "will", to accept or reject, to
embrace or refuse, what is proposed unto it; with the greatest freedom of
choice, and with the most absolute power and sovereignty: it has affections, of
love and hatred, joy and grief, hope and fear, &c. according to the
different objects it is conversant with. There is also the conscience, which is
to a man as a thousand witnesses, for him or against him;
which, if it performs its office as it should do, will accuse him when he does
ill, and commend, or excuse him, when he does well; and from hence arise either
peace of mind, or dread of punishment, in some shape or another, either here or
hereafter: to which may be added the memory, which is a storehouse of
collections of things thought to be most valuable and useful; where they are laid up, not in a confused, but orderly manner; so as
to be called for and taken out upon occasion: here men of every character and
profession lay up their several stores, to have recourse unto, and fetch out,
as their case and circumstances may require. And besides this, there is the
"fancy or imagination", which can paint and describe to itself, in a
lively manner, objects presented to it, and it has entertained
a conception of; yea, it can fancy and imagine things that never were, nor
never will be: and, to observe no more, there is the power of invention; which
in some is more, in others less fertile; which, on a sudden, supplies with what
is useful in case of an emergency. But above all, the "soul" of man
is that wherein chiefly lay the image and likeness of God, when man was in his
pure and innocent state; and though it is now sadly
depraved by sin, yet it is capable of being renewed by the spirit of God, and
of having the grace of God implanted in it, and is endowed with immortality,
and cannot die: now to whom can such a noble and excellent creature as this owe
its original? but to the divine Being, who may, with great propriety, be
called, the Father of spirits, the Lord, the Jehovah, who "formeth the
spirit of man within him".
4. The fourth argument will be
taken from the sustaining and government of the world; the provision made for
the supply of creatures, and especially of man, and for his safety. As the
world, as we have seen, is made by a divine Being, so by him it consists. Was there not such an almighty Being, "who
upholds all things by the word of his power", they would sink and fall.
Did he not bear up the pillars of the earth, they would tremble and shake, and
not be able to bear its weight: the most stately, firm, and well built palace,
unless repaired and maintained, will fall to decay and ruin; and so the grand
and magnificent building of this world would soon be dissolved,
did not the divine agent that made it, keep it up: as he that built all things
is God, so he that supports the fabric of the universe must be so too; no less
than an almighty hand can preserve and continue it; and which has done it,
without any visible appearance of age or decay, for almost six thousand years;
and though there is such a vast number of creatures in the world, besides men,
the beasts of the field, and "the cattle on a thousand
hills", the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea; there is food
provided for them all, and they have "every one their portion of meat in
due season": and as for man, he is richly provided for, with a plenty and
variety of all good things; not only for necessity, but for delight; every man
has a trade, business, and employment of life; or is put into such a situation
and circumstances, that, with care, diligence, and
industry, he may have enough for himself and family, and to spare: the earth
produces a variety of things for food and drink for him; and of others for
medicine, for the continuance of health, and restoration of it. And can all
this be without the care, providence, and interposition of a wise and almighty
Being? Can these ever be thought to be the effects of blind chance and fortune?
Is it not plain and clear, that God hereby "has not
left himself without a witness of his existence and providence, in that he does
good to all his creatures, and gives rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons;
filling mens' hearts with food and gladness"; and continuing the certain
and constant revolutions of "summer and winter, seedtime and
harvest"; as well as night and day, cold and heat; all which have their
peculiar usefulness and advantages to human life; and
cannot be attributed to anything else than the superintendency of the divine
Being.
And as there is a provision
made for the wants of men, so for their safety: were it not that God had put
the fear of man upon the wild beasts of the field, and the dread of him in them, there would be no safety for him, especially
in some parts of the world; and had he not put a natural instinct into them to
avoid the habitations of men, and to resort to woods and deserts, and dwell in
uninhabited places; to prowl about for their prey in the night, and in the
morning return to their caves and dens, and lurking places; when men go forth
to their work, they would be in the utmost danger of their
lives: yea, were it not for the overruling providence of God, which governs the
world, and restrains the lusts of men, "homo esset homini lupus";
"one man would be a wolf to another"; neither life nor property would
be secure; but must fall a prey to the rapine and violence of powerful
oppressors. Human laws, and civil magistracy, do something to restrain men, but
not everything; notwithstanding these, we see what outrages
are committed: and how greater still would be their number, was it not for the
interposition of divine providence: and even it is owing to a divine Being that
there are human forms of government, and political schemes framed, and laws
made for the better regulation of mankind, and these continued; for it is by
him "kings reign, and princes decree justice": and particularly, was
it not for a divine agency, such is the rage and malice of
Satan, and his principalities and powers, whose numbers fill the surrounding
air; and who go about our earth like roaring lions, seeking whom they may
devour; were they not chained by almighty power, and limited by the providence
of God, the whole race of men would be destroyed by them, at least the godly
among them.
5. The fifth argument may be
taken from the uncommon heroic actions, prodigies, wonders, and miraculous
things done in the world; which cannot be thought to be done without a superior
and divine influence. Heroic actions, such as that of Abraham, who, with three
hundred household servants, pursued after, and engaged with
four kings who had beaten five before, and recovered the goods they had taken
away: of Shamgar, who fought with and killed six hundred Philistines with an ox
goad: and of Samson, who slew a thousand of them with the jawbone of an ass: of
Jonathan, and his armour bearer, who attacked and took a garrison of the same
people, and threw a whole army of theirs into a panic and confusion; who had
been for some time a terror to the whole land of Israel:
and of David, a stripling, fighting with and conquering Goliath, a monstrous
giant. These are scripture instances; and if scripture is only regarded as a
common history; these merit our notice and credit, as any of the relations in
profane history; in which are recorded the magnanimous actions of heroes,
kings, and generals of armies; their wonderful successes, and amazing
conquests; as of the Babylonians, Persians, Grecians, and Romans; which made
such strange revolutions and changes in kingdoms and states; all which can
never be supposed to be done without superior power, and the overruling,
influencing providence of the divine Being; who inspired men to do things
beyond their natural skill and courage; prodigies, strange and wonderful
events; for which no natural cause can be assigned; such as
the strange sights seen in the air, and voices heard in the temple, before the
destruction of Jerusalem; with other things, related by Josephus {33}, and
confirmed by Tacitus {34}, an heathen historian; to which might be added many
others, which histories abound with: but besides these, things really
miraculous have been wrought, such as are not only out of, and beyond the course of nature, but contrary to it, and to the settled
laws of it; such as the miracles of Moses and the prophets, and of Christ and
his apostles; which are recorded in the scriptures; and others in human
writings; which are so well attested as oblige us to give credit to them: now,
though these were not done to prove a divine Being; which needs them not; yet
they necessarily suppose one, by whose power alone they are
performed.
6. The sixth argument may be
formed from the prophesies of contingent future events, and the exact
fulfilment of them. This is what is challenged and required from heathen
deities, to prove their right to such a character; as being what none but God can do: "Let them bring forth and show us what
shall happen: or declare us things for to come: show the things that are to
come hereafter; that we may know that ye are gods {35}: which is what none but
the true God can do, and has done; and which being done, proves there is a God,
and one that is truly so; instances of which there are many in the sacred
writings; prophesies which relate both to particular
persons and to whole kingdoms and states; which have had their exact
accomplishment: but not to insist on these, since those who are atheistically
inclined, disbelieve the divine revelation; let it be observed, that the
heathens have had their auguries, soothsayings, divinations, and oracles; by
which pretensions have been made to foretell future events. That there is such
a thing as divination, is said to be confirmed by the
consent of all nations; and is explained of a presension and knowledge of
future things {36}: now this being granted, it may be reasoned upon, that if
there is a foretelling of future things, which certainly come to pass, there
must be a God; since none but an omniscient Being can, with certainty, foretell
what shall come to pass, which does not depend on necessary causes; and cannot
be foreseen by the quickest sight, and sharpest wit, and
sagacity of a creature.
7. The seventh argument may be
urged from the fears of men, and the tortures of a guilty conscience, and the
dread of a future state. Some are terribly frightened at thunder and lightning,
as Caligula, the Roman Emperor, used to be; who, at such times,
would hide himself in, or under his bed; and yet this man set himself up for a
god. Now these fears and frights are not merely on account of the awful sound
of the thunder, and the dreadful flashes of lightning; but because of the
divine and tremendous Being who is supposed to send them: the Heathens were
sensible that thunder is the voice of God, as the scriptures represent it, and
therefore called their Jove, "Jupiter tonans";
"the thundering Jupiter". Many have been so terrified in their
consciences on account of sin, that they could get no rest, nor enjoy peace any
where, or by any means: as Cain, under the terrors of an evil conscience,
fancied that "everyone that found him would slay him": and those
wicked traitors, Catiline and Jugurtha: and those wicked emperors, those monsters
in impiety, Tiberius and Nero {37}, and especially the
latter, who was so tortured in his conscience, as if he was continually haunted
by his mother's ghost, and by furies with burning torches: and Hobbes, our
English atheist, as he was reckoned, was wont to be very uneasy when alone in
the dark: and Epicurus, the philosopher, though he taught men to despise death,
and out brave it; yet, when he perceived that he himself was about to die, was most terribly frightened; and this has been the case
of many others: bold and "strong spirits", as atheistical persons
love to be called, have been sometimes found to be very timorous and fearful.
And, indeed, this is natural to all men, and which is proof of a superior
Being. Thus a wild Greenlander {38} argued, before he had knowledge of the true
God:
``Man has an intelligent soul,
is subject to no creature in the world; and yet man is afraid of the future
state: who is it that he is afraid of there? That must be a great Spirit that
has dominion over us, O did we but know him! O had we but him for our friend!''
Now what do all these fears
and tortures of conscience arise from, but from the guilt of sin, and a sense
of a divine Being; who is above men, and will call them to an account for their
sins, and take vengeance on them? And, indeed, the eternal punishment that will
be inflicted on them, will greatly lie in the tortures of their conscience, which is the worm that will never die; and, in a
sense of divine wrath, which is that fire that will never be quenched.
8. The eighth and last
argument shall be taken from the judgments in the world; not only famine,
sword, pestilence, earthquakes, &c, but such that have been inflicted on wicked men, atheistical persons, perjured ones, blasphemers,
and the like. Not to take notice of the universal flood, which swept away a
world of ungodly men; and of the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, with other
cities of the plain, by fire and brimstone from heaven; which yet are
abundantly confirmed by the testimonies of heathen writers; nor of the awful
instances in the New Testament, of Herod being smitten by
an angel, and eaten of worms, and died, while the people was shouting him as a
God, and he assented to their flattery; and of Ananias and Sapphira, being
struck dead for lying unto God: besides these, there are innumerable instances
of judgments, of the same or a like kind, in all ages and countries, recorded
in the histories of them; and in our nation, and in our age, and within our
knowledge; and who now can hear or read such awful
judgments, and disbelieve the Being of God?
--------------------------------------
{1} So Aristotle says, every
problem and proposition is not to be disputed; they that doubt
whether God is to be worshipped, and parents loved, are to be punished, and not
disputed with. Topic. I. 1. c. 9.
{2} De Coelo, l. 1. c. 3.
{3} Tusculan. Quaest. l. 1. c.
13.
{4} De Legibus, l. 1.
{6} Ep. 117.
{7} Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 31. So
Plato de Legibus, 1. 10. p. 945.
{8} Adv. Colotem. Vol. II. p.
1125.
{9} Juvenal, Sat. 15. v. 10.
{10} Peter
Martyr de Angleria. Decad. l. 1. 9. Vartoman. Navigat. l. 5. c. 12, 23 and l.
6. c. 16, 27.
{11} Plutarch. de Placitis
Philosoph. l. 1. c. 7.
{12} Plato observes, that no
man that embraced this opinion from his youth, that there is no God, ever
continued in it to old age. De Legibus. l. 10. p. 947.
{13} De
Relig. Gent. c. 13. p. 225.
{14} Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 148.
{15} See the Philosoph.
Transac. Abridged. Vol. V. part 2. p. 154.
{16} See Dr. Watts's Strength
and Weakness of Human Reason, in Vol. II. of his works, p. 262, &c.
{17} See
Ovington's Voyage to Surat, p. 489, 498. and Dampier's Voyages, Vol. I. p. 541.
{18} Crantz's History of
Greenland, Vol. 1. b. 3. ch. 5. p. 197, 198.
{19} Ut supra.
{20} Ut Supra.
{21} Apud
Ciceron. de Natura Deorum, l. 1.
{22} Apud Grotium de jure
Belli, l. 2. c. 20. s. 45. Annotat. in ibid. p. 334.
{23} De Legibus, l. 10. p.
948.
{24} "Primus in orbe Deos
fecit timor", Statii Thebaid. l. 3. v. 661.
{25} De Placitis Philosoph. l.
1. c. 6. p. 879.
{26}
Crantz's History of Greenland, ut supra.
{27} De Mundo, c. 6.
{28} amfoterwv de adunaton eiv
apeiron ienai, Aristot. Metaphysic. l. 2. c. 2.
{29} "Quis est tam vecors,
qui aut cum suspexerit in coelum deos esse non sentiat", Cicero. Orat. 30.
De Harusp. resp. So Plato de Legibus, l. 12. p. 999. Zaleucus apud Diodor. Sicul. l. 12. p. 84. Ed. Rhodeman.
{30} Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1.
fab. 2. v. 84, 85. Vid. Ciceronem de Natura Deorum, l. 2. Hence the Greeks call
man anyrwpov, from his looking upwards, Lactant. de Orig. err. l. 2. c. 1.
{31} See an excellent treatise
of Dr. Nieuwentyt, called, The Religious Philosopher; in
which the Being and Perfections of God are demonstrated from the works of
creation, in a very great variety of instances.
{32} So Plato proves the Being
of God from the soul of man, de Legibus, p. 998.
{33} De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 5.
s. 3.
{34} Hist. l. 5. c. 13.
{36} Cicero de Divinatione, l.
1. c. 1. et de Legibus, 1. 2.
{37} Sueton. Vita Tiberii, c.
67. et Nero. c. 34. Tacit. Annal. l. 6. c. 6.
{38} Crantz's History of
Greenland, ut supra.