Now, That the Lord is really thus the King of the World, there are all the Arguments to perfuade us, that can be defir'd;

It is the Voice of Reason; it is the Voice of all Mankind; it is the Voice of GOD himself, both in his Works, and in his Word.

Give me leave to give you a Specimen in all thefe Ways of Arguing, and but a Specimen, because it would be rather the Work of a Book, than of a Sermon, to dilate upon these Matters.

Firft, I fay, Reafon tells us it must be thus: for admitting that the World did not make itfelf, but was made by God; it will follow, that the fame God that made it, muft ftill govern it; for, the fame Ends, and Designs, and Motives (whatever they were) that induced God to make the World at firft, will oblige him for ever to take care of it, and look after it. Unless we fuppofe God to contrive and act as uncertainly and unfteadily, and with the fame Inconftancy and Levity of Mind, that fome of us Mortals here upon Earth do.

Secondly, It is the Voice of all Mankind.; For, otherwife how comes it to pafs, that among all Nations, and in all Ages, there has been fome Religion or other practised.

Ι pray, what is the Meaning of Worshiping God, of putting up Prayers and Supplications to him for the Things we need; of returning Thanks for the Benefits we have received; of appointing Religious Rites and Methods for the Expiation of Guilt, or the Averting of impendent Calamities (all which Things have been practifed in all Nations, from the beginning of the World to this Day;) I fay, what

is the Meaning of all this, unless it was hereby meant to be fignified, That there is a God who concerns himself in the Affairs of Mankind, and who doth dispense Good or Evil to them, as they well or ill behave themselves towards him? The Truth is, To fay, that God doth not govern the World, is to fay, that all Religion is a Cheat; and, that all Mankind, except a few debauch'd Wits in the most polite Countries, and a few Brutes in the very barbarous ones, (who are of no Religion at all) have been, and are a Company of credulous Fools. For this is certain, whatever Argument, either Jew, or Turk, or Pagan, or Chriftian, can fuggeft to himself, for the convincing him, that it is his Concernment, or his Duty, to worship God, or to be of any Religion at all, nay, or to make any confcience of any Action he does; fay, all these Arguments do not only prove, but fuppofe, that God both knows and orders the Affairs of the World.

Thirdly, It may likewife be as ftrongly proved from Effects; from the Tracks and Footsteps of a Divine over-ruling Providence, which are to be feen in the Events that happen in the World, which is what I call the Voice of God in his Works.

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Thefe are indeed fo many, and fo vifible, that whofoever hath either read History, or hath made Observations, muft needs have taken notice of them.

If ever there were any extraordinary Deliverances vouchfafed to Kingdoms, or Cities, or particular Perfons; or ever any remarkable Judgments inflicted upon any of thefe, which

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fo

fo carried the Marks and Signatures of God's Hand in them, that the one could not in Reafon but be attributed to the Care that he had, that Religion or Innocence fhould not be oppreffed; and the other muft in Reafon be interpreted as a Divine Vengeance, that pursued the Guilty for their Crimes:

If ever there were any Prophecies that did punctually fore-tell a Particular Event, that came not to pass till many Years after, and fuch an Event as was perfectly contingent, and depended upon the Wills of Men:

If ever there were any Notices given of Approaching Calamities, by Voices from Heaven, by ftrange Appearances in the Air, and fuch other like Prefages, not naturally to be accounted for :

If ever there were any Apparitions, any Witchcraft, any Effects of a Diabolical Power, by which it may appear, that there are a fort of Invifible Beings in the World, which do bear ill Will to Mankind, but yet are so curbed, that they cannot do all the Mischief they would:

If ever there were any Miracles wrought either by Mofes and the Prophets, or by Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles, for the Confirmation of the Jewish or the Chriftian Religion :

Laftly, If ever any Good Man did receive any Bleffing, or avoid any Misfortune, which he might rationally look upon as an -Anfwer to the fervent Prayers that he had put up to God, or others had put up for him:

I fay, If any of thefe Things that I have now named be true (as all Hiftories give us

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a World of Inftances of the Truth of all of them; and as for fome of them, I do not doubt but they fall within the Compass of our own Obfervation and Experience;) I fay, if any of thefe Things be true, then have we a convincing Proof, that there is a Power that doth interpofe in the Affairs of the World, fuperiour both to that of Nature, and to that of Mankind, and which moderates all Things, according as it seems good unto him. /

But in Truth, we need not go to fupernatural Events, or to particular Providences for the Truth of this: For, in my Opinion, the daily Effects that every one of us fees and feels; the very Subfiftence of the World for fo many Ages, in that regular Frame that it was at firft; and the fair Treatment and Encouragement (how unequally foever Things feem to be diftributed) which vertuous and religious Men have always found, and ido yet find, notwithstanding that far the greatest Number of Men are of another Stamp: Ifay, thefe very Things feem an Argument beyond Exception, That there is a God that prefides over us, and takes Care of us.

But, Fourthly and Laftly, God has yet given us a further Proof of this, by his own many Authentick Declarations in the Holy Scriptures (which we call his Word.)

One of the main Bufineffes of which is, to affure us, That He rules in the Kingdoms of Dan. 4. Men, and difpofeth of all their Affairs.

There he is fet forth as the Author of all Events, both good and bad; fo that no Evil happens in a City, but the Lord doth it.

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Amos 3.6.

There

Pfal. 33. 16.

Pfal. 33. 14.

There he is reprefented as the Searcher of all Hearts, the Judge of all Mens Designs and Actions, the Avenger of all Evil Practices, and the Refuge of all Good Men.

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There we are told, that He is the God of Battels, and that no King is faved by the Multitude of his Armies; nor any mighty Man delivered by his own Strength: but Salvation is from the Lord. And fo are Disappointments..

There we are affured, that He from his Habitation looketh down upon all that dwell on the Earth. He fafbioneth the Hearts of them; he Prov. 19. understandeth all their Ways. And though many are the Devices that are in their Hearts, yet it is his Counfel only that fall ftand.

21.

In a Word, it is God (as the Apostle tells Eph.1.11.us) that worketh all Things, and he worketh them all according to the Counfel of his own Will. So that nothing comes by Chance, nothing is done in vain; but all Events are in Pursuance of a Defign.

Nay, not fo much as the Event of cafting a Lot (which feems the moft fortuitous, contingent Thing in the whole World) is left at random: For even in that Cafe, the Difpofal of the Lot (as Solomon tells us, Prov. 16. 33.) is from the Lord.

All this is not only the Doctrine, but in a great measure the very Language and Expreffion of thefe Holy Books. And, what can we defire more? Or, what Words can we invent, that shall declare more fully the Thing we are fpeaking of?

None can, that I know of, except perhaps thofe of our Saviour, with which I shall shut

up