been cut and graven; and that upon a time (as tales usually begin) the materials of that building, the stone, mortar, timber, iron, lead, and glass, happily met together, and very fortunately ranged themselves into that delicate order in which we see them now so close compacted that it must be a very great chance that parts them again. What would the world think of a man that should advance such an opinion as this, and write a book for it? If they would do him right, they ought to look upon him as mad: but yet with a little more reason than any man can have to say that the world was made by chance, or that the first men grew up out of the earth as plants do now. For can any thing be more ridiculous and against all reason, than to ascribe the production of men to the first fruitfulness of the earth, without so much as one instance and experiment in any age or history to

countenance so monstrous a supposition? The thing is at first sight so gross and palpable, that no discourse about it can make it more apparent. And yet these shameful beggars of principles, who give this precarious account of the original of things, assume to themselves to be the men of reason, the great wits of the world, the only cautious and wary persons that hate to be imposed upon, that must have convincing evidence for every thing, and can admit of nothing without a clear demonstration for it.

§ II.

Speculative Atheism is unreasonable, because it gives no reasonable account of the universal consent of mankind in this apprehension, That there is a God. That men do generally believe a God, and have done in all ages, the present

experience of the world, and the records of former times do abundantly testify. Now how comes this persuasion to have gained so universal a possession of the mind of man, and to have found such general entertainment in all nations, even those that are most barbarous? If there be no such thing as God in the world, how comes it to pass that this object doth continually encounter our understandings? Whence is it that we are so perpetually haunted with the apparition of a Deity, and followed with it wherever we go? If it be not natural to the mind of man, but proceeds from some accidental distemper of our understandings, how comes it to be so universal that no differences of age, or temper, or education, can wear it out, and set any considerable number of men free from it? Into what can we resolve this strong inclination of mankind to this error and mistake? How come all

nations to be thus seduced?

It is alto

gether unimaginable but that the reason of so universal a consent in all places and ages of the world, and among all differences of persons, should be one and constant. But no one and constant reason of this can be given, but from the nature of man's mind and understanding which hath this notion of a Deity born with it and stamped upon it; or which is all one, is of such a frame, that in the free use and exercise of itself it will find out God. And what more reasonable than to think, that if we be God's workmanship, he should set this mark of himself upon all reasonable creatures, that they may know to whom they belong, and may acknowledge the Author of their beings? This seems to be a credible and satisfactory account of so universal a consent in this matter. But now, what doth the Atheist resolve this into? He is not at one with himself

what account to give of it, nor can it be éxpected he should: for he that will overlook the true reason of a thing which usually is but one, may easily find many false ones, error being infinite. there are three which he principally relies upon, fear, tradition, and policy of state. I shall briefly consider these.

But

First. He would make us believe that this apprehension of a God doth spring from an infinite jealousy in the mind of man, and an endless fear of the worst that may happen; according to that divine saying of the poet, which he can never sufficiently admire,

Primum in orbe Deos fecit timor,

Fear first made Gods. So that it is granted on both sides that the fear of a Deity doth universally possess the minds of men. Now the question is, Whether it be more likely that the existence of a God should be the cause of this fear, or that this fear should be the cause why