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A51679 The mystery of atheism, or, The devices made use of to countenance and propagate it together with the evil and danger of them, set forth in several letters to a friend : wherein is made appear, that 'tis not want of evidence, but sincerity that makes men atheists / by the author of the Mystery of phanaticism. A. B. 1699 (1699) Wing M3183; ESTC R32115 53,436 138

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be trac'd up to the first Author in which the Atheist is at the same loss as he was before in running up the rise of this Tradition If these Fears proceed from the inward suggestions of our own Mind which is apt to fancy terrible things it may be ask'd who or what is it that brings to mind those terrible things and occasions those suggestions Why this can be nothing but the sense of some invisible Powers whom we have some way or other offended which may cause some remorse and imprint some fears of his displeasure And let the Atheist give any other account of it if he can Beside does not the Notion of a God imply a Being of infinite Mercy and Goodness that is always ready to take care of to support and comfort his Creatures And since the Object of Fear is always something that is dreadful how can Fear create the Belief of such a Being which is rather the Object of desire than dread and deserves muchmore to be lov'd and wish'd for than to be fear'd by us So that fear alone could never produce this Noble Effect it might indeed beget an opinion of some stern sour and severe Being to be dreaded and shun'd by all that hear of him but could never form a Notion of a Gracious Merciful and tender-hearted Lord that is to be lov'd and desir'd by all that know him And therefore the Atheist to make his Hypothesis the more plausible must join Love and Hope to Fear to compleat this Glorious and Divine Atchievement Moreover the Love of so benign gracious and amiable a Being is sufficient to overcome and expel fear and nothing but the sollicitation of sensual Lusts could keep Mankind from admiring and doteing upon him There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment he that feareth is not made perfect in love 1 John 4. 18. Indeed the Love and Relation we bear to a bountiful Creator may well enough admit of a filial fear consisting in an unwillingness to offend or displease him but no servile tormenting fear can consist with the love that is due to so excellent a Being So that Fear is so far from making a God that it tends rather if it were possible to unmake him to turn him into Tyrant and consequently to make him the object of our hatred and aversation for he that hath such dreadful Apprehensions cannot but wish there were no God and from thence is but one remove from believing there is none Yea This slavish fear tends to bebase Mankind and even to unmake him too by degrading him to a lower Species for Degeneres animos Timor Arguit Such a fear sinks him beneath the dignity of his Nature and makes him like the Beast that perisheth Furthermore If there were no Being of such infinite Perfections to employ our Contemplation the highest and noblest faculties of the Soul would be vain and useless the Understanding would want an Object suitable to the Capacity of its Apprehension the Will would have none commensurate to the largeness of its desires the Affections would be destitute of an object worthy of its Love and Complacence yea Fear it self would want both an Object and a Reason for those frequent terrors that haunt and assault the Mind Now there being no Power or Faculty in the meanest Creature but what there is some Reason and Use for can it be conceiv'd that the Noblest Faculties of the Soul should be planted in it in vain and become all useless for want of a suitable Object to employ them In short if there were no God Mankind would have nothing but temporal good things to desire and nothing but temporal Evils to fear of both which the brute Beasts have a quicker sense than he Yea his Reason which is the Perfection and Glory of Humane Nature would serve for no other end but to be a Caterer to the Senses and provide for the gratification of a Carnal Appetite which may be as well if not better gratified without than with it So that without a Deity as all Fear would be in vain so all the superior Faculties of the Soul viz. Understanding and Reason would be useless and insignificant as having no Object fit to exercise or entertain them I am SIR Yours A. B. LETTER VII SIR I Find you sensible in your last that Fear could not be the Cause but the Effect and Consequent of a Belief of a Deity and that no tolerable Reason can be given of the natural fear and dread of a God if there were no such Being So that the Atheist being beaten out of this Subterfuge I proceed in this to Another Device which he seeks to take shelter in and that is to ascribe the Notion of a Deity to State-policy and to make the Belief of it a Contrivance of cunning Men to keep the World in awe This is a new Device invented and propagated by some in this latter Age who as a great Man hath told us imagine that some great Prince or Politician like Nebuchadnezzar set up this image of a Deity and commanded all People and Nations to fall down and Worship it And this being found an useful Engine of State to keep Men in obedience to Government hath been receiv'd by all Princes and States ever since A goodly device indeed and no doubt the issue of some wise and politick Head-piece and to make it the more plausible they insist at large upon the Reason why it should be cherish'd and countenanc'd by all Princes viz. Because of the good influence it hath upon the awing the People into Obedience Again They tell us of the Peoples readiness to comply with the humours and practices of Princes who giving their Example and Encouragement herein are easily followed and imitated by their Subjects by which means this Notion having the Stamp of Authority upon it hath pass'd current and is generally embrac'd and kept up in the World This is the summ of what they have to say in this Matter Now here we may observe 1. That this Device plainly supposes the Usefulness of Religion towards the Peace and Welfare of Mankind and how greatly it conduces to the good Order and Government of the World which shews it to be the interest of Mankind to wish it true and this one would think should rather incline Men to embrace than evade so useful a Notion But by whom was this Engine of State devis'd where or when did this great Prince or Politician live that first found out this Arcanum imperii this great Secret or Mystery of Government what proof is there alledg'd for any such Contrivance Why none at all no discovery hath been yet made of the Author of this Invention it still remains a Mystery as well as an Engine of State a Cobweb spun out of some fanciful and subtle Brain in a Word t is a mere Conjecture taken up without the least appearance of Reason or proof for any part of it Indeed