N01010:530
War with the devil, or, The young man's conflict with the powers of darkness,…
War with the devil, or, The young man's conflict with the powers of darkness, in a dialogue discovering the corruption and vanity of youth, the horrible nature of sin, and deplorable condition of fallen man, also, a description of the power and rule of conscience, and the nature of true conversion. : To which is added, an appendix, containing a dialogue between an old apostate and a young professor, worthy the perusal of all, but chiefly intended for the instruction of the younger sort. / By B.K. author of Zion in distress, or The groans of the Protestant church.War with the devil, or, The young man's conflict with the powers of darkness, in a dialogue discovering the corruption and vanity of youth, the horrible nature of sin, and deplorable condition of fallen man, also, a description of the power and rule of conscience, and the nature of true conversion. : To which is added, an appendix, containing a dialogue between an old apostate and a young professor, worthy the perusal of all, but chiefly intended for the instruction of the younger sort. / By B.K. author of Sion in distress, or The groans of the Protestant church.
New York: printed by William Bradford, 1707
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Professor. Dare you your Maker, thus with impudence, Deny and tread upon? Such insolence What Soul can hear! what Age can show the like, Where so much Light hath been! shall Mortals strike At the great God, and glorious Deity? Whose dreadful Being and Existency The Heathens did find out, and greatly fear▪ His God-head did to them most plain appear ⟨p. 168⟩By the Creation, Man, as in a glass May there behold who his Creator was. 'Tis time to arm my self, and look about, When by an Atheist I am challenged out: When the' whole of all Religion lies at stake, 'Tis time to rouse, and also for to shake Off sloth and Idleness, and to engage With such a Foe in this my Pilgrimage· If once I should unto an Atheist yield, And treach' rously also acquit the Field; The strongest hold of Truth betray should I Into the hands of its worst Enemy: And should Unman my self of Christian too, And my dear Soul of reason overthrow. I should debase my self, should I deny My Noble Birth from the great Deity. Man's chiefest glory springs from's Supreme Hea• ▪ In his descent from him, who made and br•d And brought him forth, and doth his life maintain▪ From hence Man doth his greatest honour gain, 'Tis power Divine that Man doth greaten thus As to make, him King of the Universe. Who e'er disowns his blessed Pedigree, Doth prove himself Unnatural for to be. For Man to say, he came by hap or chance, As 'tis a piece of wilful Ignorance, Himself also he doth depose thereby, From his own honour and rare Dignity; And vile Contempt upon himself doth bring, As well as dirt upon that Essence fling, Who formed his Soul, and gave to him his Bre••• And made him Ruler here upon the Earth. ⟨p. 169⟩But to proceed, and lend my helping hand, In the defence of Sacred Truth to stand, And vindicate my great Creator's Cause, By Natures Light, and also by those Laws Which Supernatural are, and most Divine, Whose Light excels, yea, and whole Glories shine. You ask me, How I can make it appear, There is a God, Attend, and now give ear, And weigh my Arguments and Reasons found, And let not Satan more your Soul confound, And Reason quite destroy as he hath done, Lest to the Devil you do head-long run.