a Superintendency over them. The Care of the Divine Providence towards the brutal Kinds is frequently represented in the facred Writings. Remarkable to this Purpose is that beautiful Paffage of the Pfalmift: Thefe all wait upon thee, that thou mayeft give them their Meat in due Seafon. That thou giveft them they gather; thou openeft thy Hand, they are filled with Good. Thou bideft thy Face, they are troubled; thou takeft away their Breath, they die and return to their Duft. Thou fendeft forth thy Spirit, they are created, and thou reneweft the Face of the Earth. P. civ. 27, 28, 29, 30. Agreeable to this is the Doctrine of our bleffed Saviour. Behold, faith he, the Fowls of the Air; for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into Barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Matt. vi. 26. And he affureth us, that not one of them is for gotten before God. Luke xii. 6. If we had a diftinct View of all the various Kinds of living Creatures, and the Provision that is continually made for them, what a high Idea would it give us of the immenfe Power, Wisdom, and Benignity of the univerfal Lord, who fo governeth the animal World, that all the Orders of fenfitive Beings, even the lowest and meaneft, have each of them their proper Exercifes and Gratifi

Gratifications filled and accommodated to their several Natures and Capacities, and are also made to contribute to the Ufe and Service of thofe of an higher Rank in the Scale of Beings. And particularly it is evident that the feveral Species of Animals on this our Globe are kept in a Subordination and Subferviency to Man; and that God in his over-ruling Providence maketh ufe of them as Inftruments for executing his Purposes, whether of Mercy or Judgment, towards the human Race. When we confider these Things, how fhould we call upon all the Creatures that live and move around us to blefs the great Lord of the Univerfe! And, fince the brute Animals are unable to do it of themfelves, let us offer up a Tribute of Praise to God on their Account as well as on our own, and lend them our Voice and Songs; a noble Specimen of which we have in the rapturous Strains of the devout Pfalmift in the cxlviiith Pfalm, where he calleth upon Beafts and all Cattle, creeping Things, and flying Fowl to praise the Lord.

But this leadeth me to obferve, that, if the Care and Government of Divine Providence extended to the inferior brute Animals, much more to the rational and nobler Part of the Creation. God's Government

of

of moral Agents is the most admirable Part of the Divine Administrations, and in which his glorious Perfections are made most illus triously manifeft. To govern Numbers which no Man can number of reasonable Beings, fo very various in their Thoughts, Inclinations, and Counfels, each of whom have a Will of their own, and a Power of determining their own Actions; to inspect their very Hearts and Thoughts, as well as their outward Actions, and accordingly to dispense to them proper Retributions, and to order Events fo as not to infringe that Liberty of chufing and acting which belongeth to them, as intelligent and accountable Beings; I fay, thus to govern them must needs argue a Wisdom, as well as a Power, which exceedeth our Comprehenfion, and can only be found in the infinite Mind; and, as Man is the only Creature in this lower World that can properly be regarded as a moral Agent, God's providential Government towards the human Race is what it moft nearly concerneth us to confider. And a conftant Regard to this is what eminently diftinguisheth the truly good and religious Man; it neceffarily entereth into his Character, and is indeed the great Support and Comfort of his Life.

1

For, Firft, He holdeth it as a certain

Principle, that, as God's Government over us is founded on the justest and most unquestionable Right, fo it is always adminif tered in the beft Manner. For this the im mutable Perfection of his Nature gives us the highest poffible Security. As his Understanding and Wisdom is infinite, he must needs know in every poffible Instance what is fitteft to be done. As his Power is almighty, he must be always able to execute his most wife Purposes. As he is prefent to the whole Creation, he hath every Thing under his own Eye. As he is of perfect Righteoufnefs and Equity, he can never be biaffed to do a wrong Thing. And, as he is of boundlefs Goodness and Benignity, the End he hath in View, in his Government of reasonable Beings, is to promote their Happiness, in fuch a Way as is worthy of himself, and suited to their reafonable Natures, and confiftent with their moral Agency. His Government is indeed in the strictest Senfe independent, fupreme, and abfolute, and accountable to none. Nor is there any Thing in this, if rightly confidered, which fhould be Matter of Terror and Difcouragement to a good Mind. On the contrary, abfolute Power and Sovereignty, when it is in Conjunction with the most perfect Wisdom, Righteousness,

and

and Goodness, is the most comfortable Thing in the World. The more abfolute it is in this Cafe the better, and the greater is our Security. For this must needs raife him. above all Poffibility of being tempted to Evil, and he muft needs be poffeffed of an infinite Generofity of Mind, which will carry him to do the greatest Good, this being the nobleft Exercife of abfolute Power and Dominion. A Perfuafion of this naturally tends to fill the Heart of a good Man with a Divine Confidence and Joy.

Secondly, He firmly believes that all the Events which befall us, whether profperous or adverfe, are under the Direction and Superintendency of Divine Providence. This is the conftant Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures. Hence God is introduced as declaring, I form the Light, and create Darknefs: I make Peace, and create Evil: I the Lord do all thefe Things. If. xlv. 7. where by Light and Peace we are to understand Profperity and Comfort, and by Darkness and Evil we are to understand Trouble and Adverfity; and it is fignified that both the one and the other are under his fupreme Direction. This is especially true of all thofe Events in which the Public is concerned. The Revolutions of Kingdoms and States, to whatsoever Caufes they are immediately