Who sees us? Who will know?
(Thomas Brooks, "London's Lamentations" 1670)
Atheism reigns in the hearts and lives of sinners.
The covetous make their gold their god.
The drunkard and glutton make their bellies their god.
The ambitious make honors their god.
The voluptuous make pleasures their god.
The religionists make pious duties their god.
The moral make virtue their god.
"The fool says in his heart--There is no God!"
Psalm 14:1
Atheism denies God either:
in opinion--saying there is no God; or
in affection--wishing there were no God; or
in practice--living as if there were no God.
What abundance of atheists there are in the land!
"He says to himself--God has forgotten; He covers
His face and never sees." Psalm 10:11
"They say--How can God know? Does the Most
High have knowledge?" Psalm 73:11
"They say--The Lord does not see; the God
of Jacob pays no heed." Psalm 94:7
What horrid blasphemy, what gross atheism is here!
How do these atheists ungod the great God! How do
they deny His omnipotence and omniscience! What
an idol-god do they make the great God to be!
There are many who sin freely in secret, who can
be drunk and filthy in the dark, when the eye of man
is not upon them. Certainly those men's hearts are
very atheistic, who dare do that in the sight of God
--which they tremble to do before the eyes of men!
How many are there who flatter themselves in their
sins, and conclude that surely the bitterness of hell
and wrath is past, and that they are in a fair way for
heaven--when every step they take is towards the
bottomless pit, and divine vengeance hangs over
their heads, ready every moment to fall upon them!
"On earth are atheists many,
In hell there are not any."
"Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their
plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness
and think--Who sees us? Who will know?"
Isaiah 29:15