The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God (Psalm
xiv.1); or rather, No God; in other words, it is not want of understanding, but
moral corruption, the state of the affections, that leads to atheism. The
impenitent sinner desires that there should be no God to bring him into
judgment, and thus seeks to persuade himself that there is none. He that doeth
evil hateth the light; neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be
reproved (margin, discovered). He loves darkness rather than light, because his
deeds are evil. And hence Psalm xiv. Goes on to describe the moral condition of
the man who has succeeded in persuading himself that there is no God. They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works. I have been led to these reflections
by the perusal of an article bearing the title at the head of this paper, and
which was itself extracted from A Narrative of Parish Work.
The above title is given, as the expression was used by a
christian woman in conversation with an atheist, to whom she said, You will
find infidelity a rotten plank some day.
This man had accosted her in very offensive language,
interlarded with oaths and curses. He had formerly been a religious professor,
and was well acquainted with the letter of scripture. The woman whom he had
addressed, having seriously expostulated with him on his profanity, added a
solemn reference to the name of God. He replied, first by a denial of His
existence, and then with an impious challenge to his Creator to prove His
existence by smashing himself to pieces. These words were deliberately
repeated; and in louder tones, as the woman whom he addressed fled in terror
from his presence, whilst the blasphemer called upon her to take his message to
her God.
On the very next morning, which was Sunday, this wicked man
was with some of his infidel companions, on his way to a neighboring town, in
his usual health and spirits, when he suddenly fell to the ground with a
shriek. It was afterwards ascertained that the whole of one side of his body
was completely powerless, which of course accounted for his sudden fall, the
attack being one of hemiplegia, or palsy of one half of the voluntary muscles
of the body-a disease well known to physicians.
Although no word was spoken, divine power was as really in
exercise as in the case of the impotent man in John 5., whom Jesus cured by a
word, and told to take up his bed and walk. Each of these acts of divine power,
testify to the mercy of God, though the one apparently resulted only in
restoring to bodily health, and the other, though at first judicial in its
character, resulted in spiritual and eternal blessing.
To return to our narrative. The poor stricken blasphemer was
carried home, and on reaching it, immediately requested that an evangelical
clergy-man, whom he had formerly known, might be sent for. On the arrival of
the minister, his first words were, Oh! There is a God there is a God _ the
Lord be merciful to me a sinner.
The Christian minister spoke to him of the grace of the Lord
Jesus, and before he left his bedside the poor penitent found peace. The
passages of scripture especially used by the Spirit of God for blessing to his
soul, were 1 John 1.7, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin, and John vi.37, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. He died
in a few days, constantly rejoicing in the Lord, but none of his infidel
friends came near him.
I omitted to mention above that, in the impious message to
the Almighty, he had defied Him to strike him down as the womans old Bible said
He had Saul of Tarsus; and there were certainly some points of resemblance
between the cases sudden and overwhelming judgment in each, followed by a
marvelous display of sovereign grace oer sin abounding.
May the Lord graciously grant that the striking
exemplification of the truth which this narrative affords, that His all-seeing
eye marks the footsteps of the transgressor, and that there is no darkness nor
shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves, may not be
without fruit for His glory, and the conviction and conversion of sinners.
J.H.S.