which the blood in its circulation rifes upwards within us, be underftood upon any principles of mechanics, or be refolved into divine caufe.

any

but a

Secondly, That power, by which the feveral parts of matter, fuch as ftone, wood, or the like, firmly hold together, fo as to make them hard and not easily dividable, is certainly no neceffary effect of matter, but depends on the meer arbitrary pleasure of God, who exerts every moment an immediate act of his power, in thus binding, and retaining its parts together.

Again, thirdly, that attraction, which the earth has, or power of drawing all heavy bodies to itself, by which they naturally gravitate and fall to the ground, I say, this attraction is easily seen not to be any effential property of matter as fuch, but to be an immediate and conftant impreffion of the divine power.

But I forbear to mention any more parti

:

culars on this head and fhall only add, that thefe and the like inftances prove the providence of God to act in a masterly way, and to direct the feveral parts of the wonderful crea

tion. Here then is a leffon to every man of love and thankfulness, of worship and piety to his divine benefactor. Mofes faw the glory of God in a bush, and the Jews faw it conftantly refiding amidst their tabernacle in the wilderness: but we, who think aright upon the works of his hands, may fee his glory every where, in every one, even in the meaneft of his creatures; in every tree and every field, in the planets and stars which shine over our heads, and in the earth which yieldeth her fruit after its kind under our feet. We carry about with us a plain proof of providence: God gives us breath to praise him, and reason whereby to discover, as much as is neceffary for us to know, of his nature and will. We not only received from him the bleffing of life: but we daily receive it from him : it is his continued gift, the repeated effect of his goodness, which thus acts in our favour, and of his wifdom which thus teaches us that we are entirely dependant upon him.

But, to come to our fecond head, besides this fuftaining part of God's providence, there is another which is his directing power in the affairs of mankind.

For,

For, if there ever was any one real prophecy in the world, and furely among fo many which history speaks of there must at least have been one real prophecy, it must have come from God, and fhews effectually that he interposes in the business and actions of man.

Or, if there ever was any one true miracle, and fome there have been fo well attefted as to exclude all reasonable doubt, there must be a providence, because a miracle is an alteration in the course of nature, or at least an effect produced by more than a human power.

Or, can any of us doubt whether there is an actual providence exercised among the fons of men, when we confider, that nothing but this could have kept up, as it has done, for fo many thoufand years, the due proportion between the numbers of the different fexes of the feveral animals? in man, where this is most neceffary, it is most visible; for in every age this proportion has been fo constantly and fo well preserved, that mankind has not only hitherto fubfifted, but the number of both fexes has been near upon an equality.

The

The prefervation of government too, mean the general government of the world, is another ftrong argument in favour of this truth: for, whereas, in every state the majority confifts of evil and self-interested men, who judge nothing to be their advantage or happiness, but what is prefent and visible: whereas kings and other governors are but fingle men, and mortal as their subjects, yet by the help of pomp and fhew, and what authority their station gives them, they appear as the gods of the earth, and the body of mankind has in every age fubmitted to the yoke of fome fort of government or other, and taken its laws and cuftoms from men like themfelves, but guarded, no doubt, by the interpofition of a divine providence, imprinting on the minds of the people a reverence of their magistrates, and a willingness in the main to live under them in a godly and prudent fubjection.

Let it not be faid, that fear of punishment from their princes, or a fenfe of the advantages which they find from government, is the fole caufe of this great and univerfal effect. They contribute much, no doubt, to

the

the general obedience: but these alone, though they may influence many, are not likely to retain the bulk of mankind in a dutiful fubjection to their governors. Nothing lefs than a providence can accomplish this great bleffing for mankind and to that we muft affign it, if we would not be thought very defirous of excluding providence from the management of human affairs.

After all, there remains one more argument for a providence, which from the principles of reafon feems very strong and conclufive. If God created the world (as we are now to take for granted) he must be defirous, that it fhould be known, that there is a God, the creator of it. And how can this great article be fo clearly feen as by his exercifing a providence over his works? we must conclude then both from the goodness and wisdom of God, that he does exercise a providence over the world, because it seems highly agreeable to these attributes which we juftly afcribe to him, that he should give us this image of himself in his operations.

But enough has been faid on this point of fuch importance to religion, and the fubftance