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416 A View of tbe DsisricAL Writers. Let. 24.

It is an abſurd and inconſiſtent ſcheme. He pretends to allow that God's providence extends to nations and large communities, that it regards men collectively, but not individually. But it is hard to conceive how a proper care could be taken of col- lective bodies, if the individuals of which they were compoſed were abſolutely neglected, and no regard had to them at all. A human government, that would have no regard to the caſes of particular perſons, to do them right or ſecure them from wrong, could ſcarce be accounted a government. Beſides, it may be aſked what his lordſhip means by collective bodies. There was a time when men had not yet formed themſelves into political ſocieties, muſt it be ſaid that they were then not the objects of providence at all? or, will it be allowed that provi- dence extended its care to them whilſt they were only in fami- lies? Aud how could families, either larger or ſmaller, be taken care of, if the individuals, of which families conſiſt, were neglected? And when ſeveral families united together, and formed larger communities, muſt it be ſaid, that providence quitted its care of the families to which it had extended before, and confined its inſpection to thoſe larger communities? And then it might be enquired, how large muſt a community be, in order to its being the proper object of divine providence? Does providence take notice of fingle cities, or ſmaller republics, or only of thoſe communities which are become ſo numerous as to be united into large nations or empires? It may be farther aſked, In what ſenſe is it to be underſtood, that providence extends its care to collective bodies? All that he underſtands by it ſeems to be this: That ˙the courſe of things has been „always the ſame, that national virtue and national vice have « always produced national happineſs or miſery in a due pro- * portion, and are by conſequence the great ſanctions of the * law of nature?.“ The appointing this general conſtitution then ſeems to be all the concern that he allows to divine provi- dence with regard to large communities or collective bodies; and the only ſanctions he allows of the law of nature(as I ſhall have occaſion more diſtinctly to ſhew, when I come to conſider the account he gives of that law) are the public happineſs or miſeries of large ſocieties or nations; and theſe are often ſome ages in operating. It frequently happens that nations and large communities continue for a conſiderable time in great outward proſperity, when there is little national virtue remaining. And our author himſelf acknowleges, that the motives drawn from

p Vol. v. P. 472. the