Matter has precisely such a motion, and such a quantity of motion, without which the Laws of Mechanism would be useless, and the composition of the World impossible. He will acknowledge, that none but the primary Caufe can produce Thought, or that principle which thinks in an Organised Body; and upon this distinction betwixt Spiritual Qualities, and Material Qualities, is founded all his Doctrin of Sensations. Embrace the Notions of Democritus and Epicurus, their Atoms, their motion, and the different Determinations of that motion which is so just and regular, will in like manner lead you to the knowledge of God. If therefore the general Confent of Men who judge of a Truth, and cannot be suspected of judging with any Prejudice, be sufficient to put it past all doubt, consider what force and weight there is in the universal Confent of Men, sup. ported by those Four other kinds of Confent already taken notice of, which all perswade us of the same Truth, in spite of Five other forts of Agreement, which are First, The Agreement of our Senfes in not perceiving this Deity. Secondly, The Agreement of the Imagination of all Men, in not being able to comprehend or represent it. Thirdly, The Agreement of contrary Prejudices, arising from those Two Fountains. Fourthly, The Agreement of all our Paffions, in seeking their own fatisfaction. And Fifth The Agreement of our Sins, which always Terror, till we can affure our selves of This is the First Comparison to be tween the Two Opinions; , CHAP. XVII. Wherein we continue to shew the Absurdity of Atheism, by comparing it with the true Opinion. T IS certain, that a Man who believes there a God, hazards nothing or very little, if he be deceived, to use the Atheists Expression; and on the contrary, he that does not believe a God, runs an infinite hazard, if he be in an error, there being no manner of proportion between the disorderly pleasure which Religion makes us loose, and the Eternal Salvation which Atheism makes us renounce, were the Two Opinions equally probable, which they are very far from being. A Little Book intituled, La Delica. reffe. It has been objected to Monfieur Pascal, who has endeavoured to illustrate this Reflection, that we should not always believe what we defire; and if we find our selves perswaded of any thing that way, we should distrust an Opinion arifing from our Defires, and therefore that we ought to prove the Existence of God, and not to shew that it is our interest to believe it. Those who reason thus, are not acquainted with the right use of this Reflection, which is not designed to convince the Understanding, but to take away the Aversion of the Heart to this Truth, and to answer those secret Objections jections of Self-Love: viz. But how if Religion should not be true? How if there were no God? And there is no reason to fear this nice kind of interest we find in believing the Existence of God should delude us. We have Two very different Interests, one of which always deceives us, and the other never; viz. The Interest of Man, or the Rational Creature, and the Interests of our Lufts and Paffions. The latter deceives our Reason, because it prevents all Reflections of the Mind; but 'tis impossible the former should impose upon our Reason, because 'tis from the purest Lights of Reason it self, that it springs. Thus an Honest Man finds it his Interest to be Temperate, Just, and Charitable; and this is a reasonable Interest that never deceived any Man, and which we are not wont to distrust. A Vitious Man on the contrary, finds it his Interest to Revenge himself, to be debauched, or to satisfy himself any manner of way. But this is the interest of his Appetite and Lufts which are used to deceive, and which we know we ought to beware of. Since therefore it is evident, that it is the common Interest of all our Passions, to oppose the Truth of God's Existence; and that on the contrary, it is the interest of our Reason, and whatever thwarts onr Passions within us, to embrace that Truth; it follows from hence, that it would be meer folly to deliberate one Moment which of those Two Opinions were to be chosen. This Truth will more evidently appear, if we consider in the Third Place, the dreadful Consequences of Atheism. If the Opinion of the 14 Atheist Atheist takes place, Vertue is nothing but a Chimera, a Combination of Atoms, a meer Name; Probity is nothing but a vain Scruple; Sincerity, only Simplicity or Hypocrifie; all Trust and Confidence among Men ceases. For who would trust those Men who owning no Deity, own no Law neither, more Sacred than that of their own Interest? If that Opinion be admitted, Conscience is but a Prejudice, the Law of Nature but an Illusion, Right and Justice but an Error; the Kindness and Good Will Men have one for another, has no longer any Foundation; the Bonds of Society are all loosed; Fidelity is taken away; the Friend is ready to Betray his Friend; the Citizen to deliver up his Country; the Son to assasinate his Father, that he may enjoy his Estate, as soon as ever Opportunity serves, or Authority or Secresse will secure him from the Secular Power, which is all that is then to be feared; the most inviolable Rights, and the most Sacred Laws, are no longer to be regarded, but as Dreams and Visions. But I confess, I cannot conceive any thing more ridiculons and extravagant, than to imagin, that all the kinds of Vertue, Sincerity, Probity, Justice, Humility, Temperance, Fidelity, all the Bonds of Society, the justest Laws, and most equitable Rules and Orders, the best established Tribunals, the right use of our Reason, the Government and Command of our Paffions, Wisdom, Confcience, natural Law, every thing in fine, that raises the Character of Man, and distinguishes him from other Animals; there is nothing, I say, more ridiculous, than to imagine that all these things should be the issue and product of such a supposed Error, as as our Opinion of the Existence of God. And that on the contrary, Sin and Debauchery, Injustice, Perfidiousness, Hypocrifie, the disturbance of Society, whatever causes the overthrow of States and Families, the ill use of our Reason, Irregularity, all our most confessed Passions and Vices, and the greatest disorders that can be committed, should spring from a Truth, as the Opinion of the Atheists would be, if their senseless Supposition should take place. But if you had rather compare the Difficulties of these Two Opinions, than the Consequences of them, we agree to it. Eternity and Infinity are the Two Springs from whence are derived all the Difficulties Incredulous Persons find in our Principle. And yet the Atheists themselves are forced to attribute those Two Qualities to Matter. For if there be no avowed Principle that has limited Extension, Reason will have us conceive it, without any bounds. And though we could not prove Bulk or Magnitude Infinite, yet the Demonstrations of Geometry will force us to acknowledge Infinity in Smallness. Neither can they avoid ascribing Eternity to the World, that is, to Matter, or to the whole frame of Things, or to the Atoms which Bodies are composed of; because these having no principle for their Existence, must either in themselves, or at least with respect to the parts they are composed of, subsist from all Eternity. What Extravagance then is this in the Atheist, to renounce the light and evidence of his Understanding, and the general consent of Men, only to fall into all the fame Difficulties he obbjects against the true Opinion? |