——

4²² A View of ibe DEisT IoA. Writers. Let. 24.

But he urgeth farther, that if providences were directed ¹⁴laccording to the particular deſires, and even wants of perſons „¹ equally well qualified and intitled to the divine favour, the „c whole order of nature, phyſical and moral, would be fſub- ** verted, the affairs of mankind would fall into the utmoſt con- « fuſion— And if this ſcheme were true, the world would be * governed by miracles, till miracles loſt their name ¹.“

But all this proceeds upon a great miſtake of the point in queſtion. None of the divines that hold a particular provi- dence; i. e. 2 providence which extendeth its care to particular perſons or individuals of the human race, maintain or ſuppoſe rhat God muſt interpoſe to ſatisfy all the different deſires and prayers of men, many of Which, as he obſerves, are repugnant to one another. If the prayers be of the right kind, ſuch as reaſon and religion preſcribe, they muſt be always offered up with this condition or limitation, which the Scripture expreſly directs us to; viz. that we muſt deſire the things we pray for, ſo far and no farther than they are agrecable to the divine wlll, and to what it ſeemeth fit to God in his infinite wiſdom to ap- point. Suppoſing therefore a good man doth not obtain the particular bleſſing he prays for, he may reſt ſatisfied in this, that it was what the divine wiſdom did not ſee fit to grant; and he only deſired it under that condition. Or, if he receives that particular good thing he prayed for, and regards it as an anſwer to his prayer, ſtill there is nothing miraculous in the caſe. There is nothing done in contravention to the uſual courſe of things which the divine wiſdom hath eſtabliſhed. It may juſtly be ſuppoſed to be a law of the moral world, that it is proper for us, in teſtimony of our dependence upon God, and in ac- knowlegement of his providence, to apply to him by prayer for the blefſings we ſtand in need of. And that prayer ſo qualified as God requireth, proceeding from an honeſt and upright heart, and from good affections and intentions, and accompanied with. the uſe of proper endeavours on our parts, is among the means appointed by divine wiſdom for obtaining the moſt valuable be- nefits, eſpecially thoſe of a ſpiritual nature. And the bleſſings thus communicated may be jutly ſaid to be communicated not jma miraculous way, but in a way that is perfectly agrceable to che general laws of providence, and the order which the divine wiſdom hash appointed. Any one that conſiders this will eaſily ſee how little what our author has here offered is to the purpoſe; and yet he goes on to declaim after his manner, that particular

——

——

4 Vol. v. p. 460 providence