SERM.

II. THESE Events are more particularVIII. ly the Effects of Divine Providence, and yet even in these God doth not fo interpofe as to introduce a fatal Neceffity, or Stoical Fatality, into the World; that is, hẹ doth not determine all Things by an abfolute Decree, so that they must produce certain Events, and could not act otherwife; for, though God might justly do what he pleased with his own, yet his Goodness inclines him to deal with his Creatures with infinite Mercy and Benignity, and to govern them according to their different Natures, and those innate Propenfions and Appetites which he had furnished them withal; and he expects, that they should act, according to that Rank and Order of Being in which he hath placed them in the World: From reasonable Beings he expects a reasonable Service, the Pursuit of what is good, freely and voluntarily; from the animal Nature a neceffary Clofing with these Propen fions and Instincts he has placed in them; and from thefe Rules he never varies, unlefs upon extraordinary Cafes, when his Honour and Glory is nearly concerned, and it is for the Good of his Creatures fo to do; fo that we may very fafely affirm, that the World for the most Part

is governed by fecond Caufes, and God, SERM. having made it in due Weight, Measure, VIII. and Proportion, fuffers it to go on in that Order it was at first disposed, unless when he in his wonderful Wisdom fees fit to interpose, and, in fome fingle Inftances, to reverse his own Orders, and to dispense with his stated Laws. This, being confidered, will give us Light into the dark and mysterious Difpenfations of Divine Providence; and it will plainly appear, that

God doth concur and bear fome Part in all the Tranfactions of his dependent Creatures; and that this Concurrence of his is properly termed his Providence, or, which is the fame Thing, that Provision which he has made, for the Being and Wellbeing of his Creatures. To all neceffary Agents God concurs to the natural Act; to all voluntary Agents by propofing fuitable Motives, and enlightening their Understandings, and furnishing them with those good Things they labour after, but are not able to obtain without his Affiftance and thus he conveys his good Gifts to all his Creatures in Proportion to their Capacities, and their Qualifications to receive them; which being granted, it will ap

pear,

M 4

III. THAT

SERM. III. THAT the Belief of a Providence VIII. doth by no Means interfere with the Liberty of Man's Will; for, Man being a rational Creature, endowed with a Freedom of Will and Liberty of acting, God has adapted his Laws to his Nature, and is pleased to move the Wills of Men by fuch Means as do not put any Force upon them; but fweetly attracts them to fuch Things as are good and convenient for them, and averts them from those which are evil; and this is the Reason why he doth not reclaim Sinners by any irrefiftible Impulfe of his Power, or uphold the Virtuous by irrefiftible Grace; but leaves them so much at their Liberty, and gives them fo much Affistance only, as that the evil Man may by the Use of these Means, together with his own Endeavours, turn from the Evil of his Ways and live; and the good Man may perfevere in Goodness; and, on the Contrary, the evil Man may refift the gracious Overtures of God's Affiftance, and hereby harden his Heart, and give himfelf over to commit Sin with Greedinefs; and the virtuous Perfon, by neglecting to make Use of that Grace God has entrufted him with, may fall from his Goodness, run into the Paths of Wicked

nefs

nefs and Errors, and finally miscarry; fo SERM. that, upon the Whole, it appears, that the VIII. Belief that God governs the World, even in the smallest Matters, the most minute Circumftances of Action, doth by no Means interfere with the Belief of the free Actings of our Wills.

IV. IT is evident from hence, that those Games, which depend wholly on Chance and Fortune, are not abfolutely unlawful.

IT is true there have been several pious and learned Men, who have held, that all Games, depending on Chance, are utterly unlawful, and they have inveighed bitterly in their Sermons, and wrote many Books to maintain their Opinions. The narow Compass of a Sermon will not fuffer me to give you the Substance of what they have said on this Subject; but it will be very useful to observe, that all their Arguments feem to be built upon a fandy Foundation, which, being undermined, will utterly fubvert the whole Superftructure, or elfe levelled against the Abuse of thofe Games, which must be confeffed to be very great. Now the Ground they go upon is this: That Chance and Fortune are Words of the fame Import with God's Providence, and that,

where

SERM. where there is moft Chance, there the VIII. Actings of God's particular Providence are

moft vifible; whereas the Contrary to both thefe is true; First, That there is a wide Difference between Fortune or Chance, and Divine Providence; the one being the Act of the Creator, confidered as ruling and governing the World, the other the Effects of the Creature, confidered as a free Agent. And, Secondly, it is evident, that, in Things fubject to Chance and Fortune, God concurs only by his general Provi dence; and that Cafuality is an Affection of the Operation of the Creature; which being confidered, it will appear, that all thofe Arguments which feem to prove, that there is a particular Providence, which orders and disposes of Lots, or fuch Games as depend on them, and that God doth particularly determine what shall fall out, and what shall be every particular Man's Lot and Share, are very fuperftitious and inconclufive, and by no Means prove what they are defigned for. The Lot is, indeed, caft into the Lap, and the whole Difpofing thereof is of the Lord; but God doth difpofe of them differently, according to the different Nature of the Subject they are exercised about, and Lu/o rious Lots being of the leaft Importance,

and