2. The contempt of gospel light and Christian religion, as it is supernatural (which is the beginning of transgression unto all atheists among us), begets in and leaves on the mind such a depraved, corrupt habit, such a congeries of all evils, that the hatred of the goodness, wisdom, and grace of God can produce, that it cannot but be wholly inclined unto the worst of evils, as all our original vicious inclinations succeeded immediately on our rejection and loss of the image of God. The best things corrupted, yield the worst savour ; as manna stunk and bred worms. The knowledge of the gospel being rejected, stinking worms take the place of it in the mind, which grow into vipers and scorpions. Every degree of apostacy from gospel-truth, brings in a pro- portionate degree of inclination unto wickedness into the hearts and minds of men; 2 Pet. ii. 21. and that which is total, unto all the evils that they are capable of in this world. Whereas therefore multitudes, from their darkness, unbelief, temptation, love of sin, pride and contempt of God, do fall off from all subjection of soul and conscience unto the gospel, either notionally or practically, deriding or despising all supernatural revelations ; they are a thousand times more disposed unto downright atheism, than persons who never had the light or benefit of such revelations. Take heed of decays. Whatever ground the gospel loseth in our minds, sin possesseth it for itself and its own ends.
Let none say, it is otherwise with them. Men grow cold and negligent in the duties of gospel worship, public and pri- vate ; which is to reject gospel light. Let them say and pre- tend what they please, that in other things, in their minds and conversations, it is well with them : indeed it is noL so. Sin will, sin doth, one way or other, make an increase in
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them proportionate unto these decays ; and will sooner or later discover itself so to do. And themselves, if they are not utterly hardened, may greatly discover it, inwardly in their peace, or outwardly in their lives.
3. Where men are resolved not to see, the greater the light is that shines about them, the faster they must close their eyes. All atheism springs from a resolution not to see things invisible and eternal. Love of sin, a resolved conti- nuance in the practice of it, the effectual power of vicious inclinations, in opposition unto all that is good, make it the interest of such men that there should be no God to call them to an account. For a supreme unavoidable judge, an eternal rewarder of good and evil, is inseparable from the first notion of a divine being. Whereas, therefore, the most glorious light and uncontrollable evidence of these things shines forth in the Scripture, men that will abide by their interest to love and live in sin, must close their eyes with all the arts and powers that they have, or else they will pierce into their minds unto their torment. This they do by down- right atheism, which alone pretends to give them security against the light of divine revelation. Against all other con- victions, they might take shelter from their fears, under less degrees of it.
It is not therefore unto the disparagement, but honour, of the gospel, that so many avow themselves to be atheists, in those places wherein the truth of it is known and professed. For none can have the least inclination or temptation there- unto, until they have beforehand rejected the gospel, which immediately exposeth them unto the worst of evils.
Nor is there any means for the recovery of such persons. The opposition that hath been made unto atheism, with ar- guments for the divine being and existence of God, taken from reason and natural light, in this and other ages, hath been of good use to cast contempt on the pretences of evil men, to justify themselves in their folly. But that they have so much as changed the minds of any, I much doubt. No man is under the power of atheistical thoughts, or can be so long, but he that is insnared into them by his desire to live securely and imcontroUably in sin. Such persons know it to be their interest, that there should be no God, and are willing to take shelter under the bold expressions
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and reasonings of them, who by the same means have har- dened and blinded their minds into such foolish thoughts. But the most rational arguments for the being of the Deity, will never prove an effectual cure unto a predominant love of, and habitual course in, sin, in them who have resisted and rejected the means and motives unto that end declared in divine revelation. And unless the love of sin be cured in the heart, thoughts in the acknowledgment of God, will not be fixed in the mind.
2. There are those of whom also it may be said, that God is not in all their thoughts, though they acknowledge his essence and being. For they are not practically influenced in any thing by the notions they have of him. Such is the person of whom this is aflirmed; Psal. x. 4. He is one who through pride and profligacy with hardness in sin, regards not God in the rule of the world; ver. 4, 5. 11. 13. Such is the world filled withal at this day, as they are described, Tit. i. 16. ' They profess that they know God, but in works deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.' They think, they live, they act in all things as if there were no God, at least as if they never thought of him with fear and reverence. And for the most part we need not seek far for evidences of their disregard of God ; the ' pride of their countenances testify against them ;' Psal. X. 4. And if they are followed farther, cursed oaths, licentiousness of life, and hatred of all that is good, will con- firm and evidence the same. Such as these may own God in words, may be afraid of him in dangers, may attend out- wardly on his worship ; but they think not of God at all in a due manner; he is not in all their thoughts,