But when your Rylands, and Balguys and Beatties, and Watsons and
Halls make a merit of abusing those who cannot believe as they believe,
what can be hoped or expected from the tribe of illiterate canters, who
'go about Mawworming?'
It is nevertheless true, that Atheists have been helped to some of their
best arguments by adversaries. Bishop Watson, to wit, has suggested
objections to belief in the Christian's Deity, which they who hold no
such belief, consider unanswerable. In his famous 'Apology' he desired
to know what Paine thought 'of an uncaused cause of everything, and a
Being who has no relation to time, not being older to day than he was
yesterday, nor younger to day than he will be to-morrow--who has no
relation to space, not being a part here and a part there, or a whole
anywhere? of an omniscient Being who cannot know the future actions of
man, or if his omniscience enables him to know them, of the contingency
of human actions? of the distinction between vice and virtue, crime and
innocence, sin and duty? of the infinite goodness of a Being who existed
through eternity, without any emanation of his goodness manifested in
the creation of sensitive beings? or if it be contended that there was
an eternal creation of an effect coeval with its 'cause, of matter not
posterior to its maker? of the existence of evil, moral and natural, in
the work of an Infinite Being, powerful, wise, and good? finally, of the
gift of freedom of will, when the abuse of freedom becomes the cause of
general misery?' [20:1]
These questions imply what, to the author of this Apology, appears an
ample _justification_ of Atheism.
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