It, State the Doctrine of a particular SERM. V. Providence.

IIdly, Shew the Poffibility of it.

IIIdly, I fhall prove the Certainty and Truth of it.

IVthly, Subjoin and conclude with fome practical Reflections.

If, Then, I am to state the Doctrine of a particular Providence.

ift, We must not expect, that God's particular Providence would interpofe, where our own Endeavours are fufficient. For that would be to encourage Sloth and Idleness, instead of countenancing and supporting Virtue. Nor ought we to expect to be relieved from Difficulties and Diftreffes, into which our own Mifmanagement and criminal Conduct have plunged us. But when without any Fault of ours our Affairs are fo perplexed and intangled, that human Affiftance will be of no Avail; then we must have Recourse to God, that he would give us Wisdom to conduct us through all the Labyrinths and Intricacies of Life, Refolution to grapple with Difficulties, and Strength to overcome them. In this Light K 4

the

SERM. V. the Prayer, which Jofephus puts into the

Mouth of Mofes juft before his Paffage through the Red Sea, is very just and beautiful. Unpaffable Rocks barred his Escape one Way, the numerous Hoft of the Egyptians blocked up others: Before him stood the Red Sea. In this Situation Mofes, juft upon the Brink of Ruin, applies himself thus to God: "Lord, thou knoweft that no Strength, Wisdom or Contrivance of ours can here be of any Significancy. It "is in thy Power alone to find out a Way " for the Deliverance of this People, who

by thy Command and under thy Con"duct have left Egypt. Despairing of all "other Ways, we flee to thee alone for "Succour; Lord, let it come speedily;

give us a full Proof of thy Almighty « Power and Veracity. We are in great "Straits, great and unfurmountable by us; "but to Thee flight and inconfiderable. "The Sea is thine and it obftructs our Progrefs: The Mountains that shut us up, are thine too. Thou canft divide "this Sea, or turn its Waves into firm "Land, or make us find a fafe Paffage "through the Deep*"

*Jofephi Opera, Vol. 1. Pag. 90. Hudfon's Edit.

Here was a Knot too hard for any but SERM. V. the Deity to unty: and therefore the Deity defcended upon the Scene to unravel the perplexing Difficulty. But in common Cafes the best Way is to rely upon Providence, as if all human Endeavours and Refources were useless, as indeed they are, without it; and yet to exert our Endeavours as vigorously, as if Providence would not interpofe at all. For God will not proAtitute his Power to fuperfede our Endeavours as to what we can do; He will only fupply, what we cannot do.

2dly, We must not expect that Providence would fo far confult our private Intereft, as to counterwork that of the whole. Those general Laws, which are calculated for the Good of the Whole, may, in fome Cafes, be detrimental to some few Persons ; but, in the main, are beneficial even to them. For if God fhould, upon no extraordinary Emergency, for no prepollent Good, deviate from his Laws; the utmost Reach and Compass of Thought would avail no more, than Childhood and Ignorance: All human Induftry and Forefight would be at a Stand, which depend on Things going generally on in a stated Track. For there could be

no

SERM. V. no Room for Counfel, Deliberation and Fore

caft, where there was no orderly Conftitution, no fettled Courfe of Nature. It would not fignify to till the Ground, that we might reap the Fruits of the Earth in due Seafon: There would be no Dependance upon the ebbing and flowing of the Waters at fet Times, and fo in a thousand other Cafes. It is for the Interest even of that Man, who is uneafy because the Settlement of Nature is not changed in compliance with his Wishes; that God has given Things a Law, which shall not be broken upon every frivolous Occafion. For if the Deity should depart from his uniform Manner of Acting upon his Application in any material Point; why should he not do so to gratify the Importunity of other Perfons? The Confequence of which would be, we should live in an irregular disjointed World, where there would be no Harmony, no Order, no Law; but all would be Confufion and Anarchy. God can and does govern the rational World, without fubverting and unhinging the Frame of the natural.

3dly, We are not to expect that Providence upon our repeated Requests would grant what we imagine a Bleffing; there

I

being several Things which we think to be SERM. V. Bleffings, that are not fo upon the Whole, or not fo to us. And Providence is not like an over-indulgent Parent, who deftroys the future Happiness of his Children, by complying with their importunate Petitions, and removing their prefent Uneafiness.

We must distinguish likewife between natural and fantastic Wants. Providence has generally made ample Provision for the former, but not for the latter. Befides thofe Defires, which are inborn, there are several, which are inbred in us, by early Custom and by a Neglect of Reason: Such are those of high and fumptuous Food, of Honours, and all the Pride of Life. Now every regular Inclination, every Plant, which our heavenly Father hath planted, he will take care, in concurrence with our own Endeavours, to feed and nourish. But we ourselves, if we will not part with them, must maintain thofe fpurious and illegitimate Defires, which we have begot in our-felves. There would be as exact an Adjustment of the Means of Subfiftence to the refpective Wants of the rational Creation, as there is to those of the animal World; if Men unfatisfied with Neceffaries and Conveniencies