4²24 K View of tbe DEISTIOAI Writers. Let. 24.
fluence, and yet in ſuch a way as is perfectly agreeable to their rational natures, and which may not put any conſtraint upon the freedom of their wills. And many caſes be ſuppoſed, in which his doing ſo may anſwer valuable ends. It may alſo be eaſily conceived, that he can make impreſſions upon men's minds by various other means, which he may make uſe of in his wiſe and ſovereign providence to this purpoſe, without at all in- fringiog the order of things in the natural or moral world.
He farther argues, that to ſuppoſe a providence extending to individuals, and particular occaſional interpoſitions,“is to ſup- „“poſe that there are as many providences as there are men: or, as he elſewhere expreſſeth it, that“common providence .would break into a multitude of particular providences for * the fupply of wants, and grant of petitionsb.“ But there is no real foundation for this pretence. There is one univerſal providence, which may be conſidered as extending to particular perſons and caſes, all of which are perfectly known to God, and(as was before hinted) occaſion no confuſion or diſtraction in his infinite mind. Our author indeed declares, that„they *¹who have attempted to ſnew that God may act by particular «αand occaſional interpoſitions, conſiſtently with the preſerva- ¹ tion of thegeneral order, appeared to him quite unintelligiblei.“ If it were ſo, our not being able diſtinctly to ſnew how parti- cular occaſional interpoſitions may conſiſt with the doctrine of a general providence, would be no argument at all againſt it. Since, as he himſelf obſerves upon another occaſion,“ It is ¹„ impertinent to deny the exiſtence of any phænomenon merely becauſe we cannot account for it b., And yet we may eaſily conceive in general, that they are perfectly reconcileable, ſince, as hath been already hinted, theſe occaſional interpoſitions are uſually no more than the applications of the general laws of providence to particular caſes and circumſtances. That there may be, or that there have been ſuch interpoſitions, he does not
retend abſolutely to deny: but, he ſays, that“ we have no
„¹ foundation for them in our own experience, or in any hiſtory *¹Mexcept that of the Bible ¹.“ And yet ſoon after obſerves, that,“ every religion boaſts of many inſtances, wherein the di- been thus exerciſed.“ And certain it js, that this hath been the general ſentiment of mankind. Be- ſides the ordinary coun ſe of things which is to be regarded as under ihe conſtant care and direction of a ſovereign providence,
e have been events of
«* viné providence has
ther b Vol. iii p. 420. i Ibid. p. 414. Ibid. p. 468. 1 Vol. v. p. 414. m Ibid. p. 413. tudh hough
a remarkable and uncommon nature,
—————