and Circumstances, their Bodies and Souls, their Perfons and Families, and, in a Word, to all the Good and Evil which befalleth them. And it is the constant Doctrine of the holy Scriptures, that all Events whatfoever are under the Superintendency of God's most wife Providence, and that nothing happens to us without his Direction or Permiffion. Our Saviour could not more fignificantly exprefs this than by declaring as he doth to his Disciples, The very Hairs of your Head are all numbered. The Expreffion is manifeftly proverbial. When David promises the Woman of Tekoab that there fhould be no Hurt done to her Son, he fignifies it by faying, There Shall not an Hair of thy Son fall to the Earth. 2 Sam. xiv. 11. And St. Paul intending to affure those that were with him in the Ship, that none of them should come to any Harm, faith, There fhall not an Hair fall from the Head of any of you. Acts xxvii. 34. In like Manner our Saviour tells his Apostles, The very Hairs of your Head are all numbered. Not one of them fball fall to the Earth, not the leaft Evil fhall befall you, any farther than God in his wife and fovereign Providence fees fit to permit The Phrafe is very proper to fignify that even the most inconfiderable Things which relate to us, are under the

Care of Divine Providence; much more eafy may this be concluded with regard to the more important Events that concern

us..

That Events are not abfolutely in our own Power a little Reflection and Obfer

vation may convince us. With regard to Life itself, which is the Bafis of our prefent Enjoyments, and upon which many other Events depend, it is evident that as the Commencement of it did not depend upon our own Pleasure, fo neither is it in our Power to prolong it as we think fit. This dependeth upon the Will of the fupreme Lord, who can lengthen or shorten the Term of our Continuance in this State of Trial, as feemeth fit to his infinite Wifdom. In bis Hand, as Job speaks, is the Soul of every living Thing, and the Breath of all Mankind. Job xii. 10. And the Psalmist addreffing himself to God faith, My Times are in thy Hand, i. e. at thy Disposal. Pfal. xxxi. 15. And as our Times, fo the Events of Time are not wholly in our own Power. Many Things happen in the Course of human Affairs, which oblige us to acknowledge with the Prophet, I know, O Lord, that the Way of Man is not in bimfelf, it is not in him that walketh to direct his Steps. Jer. x. 23. i. e. it is not in his Power to order the Events of Life as

he pleaseth. We must not imagine that Men are entirely and abfolutely the Masters of their own Fortune, and can affign to themselves what Lot and Condition in the World they think propereft. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 1 Sam. ii. 7. 'It dependeth upon God the fupreme Disposer, who knoweth what is fitteft with regard to every particular Perfon, to appoint what his outward Circumftances and Opportunities fhall be, whether he fhall be in a high or low Condition, whether his Endeavours fhall meet with the defired Succefs or not. There are indeed general Rules of Providence, according to which the Events of Things are ordinarily conducted. As there is in the material World what we usually call the Course of Nature, i. e. a stated Order of Things according to which Providence fees fit to act for producing certain Effects in a regular Way; under which general Laws are comprehended a numberless Variety of particular Inftances: fo there are in the Government of reasonable and moral Agents, ftated Rules of Procedure, formed and established with great Wisdom, which are generally obferved by Divine Providence in the ordering and governing Men and the Events relating to them, and which may be called

the

the Course of Providence in the moral, as the other is in the natural World. Without this, God's providential Government of his reasonable Creatures, would only be a loose Heap of fudden arbitrary Expedients, without any certain Method or Connection, which would be unworthy of a wife Governor. Nor could any Man in that Cafe know how to act, or what to expect, what to hope or to fear; no Man could understand the Meaning of the divine Administration, or form any Rules of Conduct from it. But then, on the other Hand, God's governing by general Laws must not be understood as if he only prescribed or appointed fome general Methods of Procedure in the Beginning, and afterwards concerned himself no farther. These general Laws and Conftitutions do by no Means exclude the conftant Prefence and Influence of Divine Providence, which extendeth to particular Cafes and Perfons, and ordereth and difpofeth the Circumstances and Events relating to them as seemeth most fit to his fovereign Wisdom; and that in fuch a Manner as is no way inconfiftent with thofe general Laws, and without disturbing or confounding the usual Course of Things.

Thus e. g. it may be regarded as a general Law of Providence, which is laid Q3

down

down by the Wife-man, Prov. x. 4. that the Hand of the diligent maketh rich. But this is not to be understood, as if God in his Providence only established this general Conftitution, and left the rest wholly to Men themselves, and put it entirely in their own Power whether they shall be rich or not. All that can be justly concluded from it is, that Diligence and Industry is the moft probable Way, according to the ordinary Courfe of Things and Appointment of Divine Providence, for acquiring Riches, and without which we cannot reasonably expect to obtain them. But then it must still be remembered, and fo this general Rule must be understood, that it doth not depend upon a Man's Industry alone, but that feveral Circumstances and Opportunities muft concur. And it is evident from common Obfervation and Experience, that it is not abfolutely in Mens own Power to order thofe Circumftances and Opportunities as they please. It dependeth upon the Appointment of Divine Providence to order and difpofe Circumftances fo for this or that particular Perfon, that his Diligence fhall have the Effect. And another Man may be fo fituated, that though he ufeth equal Diligence, it is not in his Power to acquire Riches. Other Inftances might be produced to the

fame