The
Contents
of
An Antidote Against Atheism
1. The Authour’s Apologie for writing this Treatise, there being so many already on the same Subject.
2. That what he has wrote are the proper Emanations of his own Mind, and may have their peculiar serviceableness for men of the like Genius.
3. That he affects not Rhetorick, nor Philologie, nor the pompous numerosity of more popular Arguments, but solid and unresistible Reason in a perspicuous Method.
4. That he has undeniably demonstrated the Existence of God, this one Postulate being but admitted, That our Faculties are true.
5. His peculiar Management of the first Argument of Des-Cartes:
6. And the Reasons of his Rejection of the rest.
7. His caution and choiceness in the managing such Arguments as are fetch’d from the more general Phænomena of Nature:
8. As also in those from Animals.
9. His carefull choice in such Histories as tend to the proving of Spirits.
10. His assuredness of that kinde of Argument.
11. The reason of his declining the recital of the miraculous Stories of Holy Writ.
12. His studied Condescension and compliance with the Atheist to win him from his Atheism.
Book I.
Chap. I. 1. That the Proneness of these Ages of the World to winde themselves from under the awe of Superstition makes the attempt seasonable of endeavouring to steer them off from Atheism. 2. That they that adhere to Religion in a mere superstitious and accustomary way, if that tye once fail, easily turn Atheists. 3. The usefulness of this present Treatise even to them that are seriously Religious.
Chap. II. 1. That there is nothing so demonstrable, that the Mind of man can rationally conclude that it is impossible to be otherwise. 2. That the Soul of man may give full Assent to that which notwithstanding may possibly be otherwise, made good by several Examples. 3. A like Example of Dissent. 4. The reasons why he has so sedulously made good this point. 5. That the Atheist has no advantage from the Authour’s free confession, that his Arguments are not so convictive but that they leave a possibility of the thing being otherwise.
Chap. III. 1. That we are first to have a settled notion What God is, before we goe about to demonstrate That he is. 2.The Definition of God. 3. That there is an Idea of a Being absolutely perfect in our Mind, whether the Atheist will allow it to be the Idea of God or not. 4. That it is no prejudice to the Naturality of this Idea, that it may be
