offered himself a Sacrifice upon the Cross was made a Curse died was buried rose again and is sat down at the right hand of God that thereby he might redeem us from our Iniquities and from the Curse of the Law be a propitiation for our Sins and reconcile us to his Father through his Blood that our Trespasses might not be imputed to us but that by his Obedience we should be made righteous That he might become the Mediator of a new and better Covenant between God and Man than that which God made with the People of Israel when he brought them out of the Land of Egypt and that he might abolish the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances and break down the middle Wall of Partition between Jew and Gentile that so both might be united in one Building of which Christ was the chief Corner Stone and all of us be Members of one Body or Church of which Christ is the Head That he might be an Advocate with the Father when we sin and make continual Intercession for us that so upon our Confession and Repentance God might forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness And lastly That he might obtain a Kingdom and by that means spoil Principalities and Powers triumphing over them destroy the works of the Devil and put all Enemies under his feet and that when Death the last Enemy is destroyed he might raise the Dead and judge the World Part of which he has already performed and the rest he does and will hereafter fulfil The most remarkable matters that occur in the New Testament concerning the Nature Condition and Circumstances of Mankind are these Adam was the first Man Adam was first form'd then Eve the first Man Adam was made a living Soul the last Adam by which is meant Christ was made a quickening Spirit which two different Expressions are distinguish'd as Natural and Spiritual Earthly and Heavenly by one Man Sin entered into the World and Death by Sin and so Death passed upon all Men for that all have sinned Adam was not deceived but the Woman being deceived was in the Trangression notwithstanding she shall be saved in Child-bearing if they continue in Faith and Charity and Holiness with Sobriety Death reigned from Adam unto Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam 's Transgression who is the Figure of him that was to come A Man is the Image and Glory of God but the Woman is the Glory of the Man notwithstanding which all that are of the race of Mankind are stiled and accounted in the Scriptures sinners ungodly enemies of God dead in trespasses and sins servants of sin and corruption Children of the Devil by nature Children of Wrath of whom it is said further That Sin dwelleth in us and reigneth in our Mortal Bodies that when we would do good evil is present with us and we find the Flesh lusting against the Spirit and a Law in our Members warring against the Law of our Mind and bringing it into Captivity to the Law of Sin The Jews are represented as subject to Ordinances and a Law which had only a shadow of good things to come and as in bondage to weak and beggarly Elements and all other Nations are reckoned as Aliens and Strangers from the Covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the World This is the state of Mankind considered without relation to Christ but by Christ we are cleansed from our sins we are made free we are justified by Faith in him and by his righteousness we are saved But the advantages which accrue to Mankind by the means of Christ and the change that is made in our Condition by him will be more fully understood from these following passages As by one Mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous as sin hath reigned unto death so shall Grace reign through righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ Cursed is every Man that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them the Man that doth them shall live in them but this being impossible 't is evident that no Man is justified by the Law in the sight of God if there had been a Law given which could have given life righteousness should have been by the Law but the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise of Faith by Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe In many things we offend all but if we repent and are baptized and believe and shew our Faith by our Works and persevere unto the end we shall be saved but if we believe not the Truth and have pleasure in unrighteousness and repent not of the evils we have committed we shall be damned Those that have embraced and obeyed the Gospel of Christ are said to have put off the Old Man with his Deeds and put on the New Man which is renewed in Knowledge after the Image of him that created him Thus through Christ only we are to expect Salvation there being no other Name given under Heaven whereby we might be saved which Salvation if we neglect we shall be condemned by God at the last day when he comes to judge the World in Righteousness by his Son whom he has appointed Judge of the quick and dead Then shall we be raised from the dead by Christ and receive every Man according to his Works As in Adam all died so in Christ shall all be made alive and since by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead The dead shall be raised incorruptible their mortal corruptible Bodies shall put on immortality and incorruption and those which are alive at the coming of Christ shall be changed in a moment at the last Trump As we have born the Image of the earthly Man Adam so we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly Man Christ Then shall they which have done evil be condemn'd to everlasting torment and misery and they which have done good shall be rewarded with everlasting joy and happiness in the presence of God and his holy Angels This is the substance of what is taught and proposed to the Faith of Mankind in the New Testament which I have express'd as near as ever I could in the very language of Scripture as my design plainly obliged me to do The other Branch of the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ which concerns the Practice of a Christian and may properly be stiled Christian Morality consists of such rules and measure of Action as every one that believes in Christ is obliged to conform his life to and without which his Faith is dead and vain he is still in his sins and he must expect the Wages of them Eternal Death The principal Heads of Christian Duty are these To love God and the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart and with all our power to honour praise
delivered in the Old and New Testament are obligatory to us so far as they are there declared to be so that is they are to be believed and observed in the Way and Manner and upon the Reasons and Motives there proposed and consequently that at present the true and adequate Rule of Human Life is what we call the Christian Religion But because as 't is plain from the nature of all Revelation the truth of what is pretended to be revealed must depend upon the proof of Matters of Fact I shall take this Method of establishing the Certainty of the Christian Revelation 1. Having premised some things concerning those particular Facts I design to insist upon I shall give a short Abstract or Summary of the Christian Scheme as we find it delivered in the New Testament 2. I shall prove by such direct Arguments as Matters of Fact are proveable by that all the principal Matters of Fact related in the New Testament are true 3. I shall endeavour to make good the same Proposition indirectly by shewing the Absurdity of a contrary Supposition and the weakness of all the Difficulties and Objections raised against the truth of those Facts or of Revelation in general 4. I shall shew the sufficiency of such a proof as shall be given under the former Heads to induce us to believe the Christian Religion and to render us inexcusable if we do not As to what concerns those particular Facts I design to insist upon for the proof of the Christian Religion there are these three things necessary to be observed First I take all this for granted viz. That there are such Books as those I call the Old and New Testament that they are in the hands of a great number of People of different Countries in the World and are with a very little variation the same every where That the greatest part of those in whose hands they are who are called Christians profess to believe that the Matters of Fact there Recorded are true and that the Doctrines came from God and are appointed by him as the Rule and Measure of their Actions but more especially those delivered in the New Testament which they look upon to contain a full Scheme of their Duty That a large Sect of Men called Jews profess to believe the same of the Old Testament as the Christians do but reject the New and make the former only the Rule and Measure of their Duty and that a great many of these both Jews and Christians do really and sincerely believe what they profess and endeavour to order their Lives accordingly All which Matters of Fact are such as I have no manner of reason to suspect any body will deny me Secondly I insist wholly upon the proof of those Matters of Fact which are recorded in the New Testament not only because the Christian Religion the Certainty of which I have undertaken to establish is fully confirmed by the truth of those Facts But because the Old Testament is supposed and every where appealed to in the New as true and authentick upon which account a thorough effectual proof of the latter will be of it self a sufficient establishment of the former Besides many of the same Arguments that I shall make use of to support the Christian Revelation are in like manner applicable to the Jewish And therefore I shall only consider the Old Testament as a Book that was extant long before the Christian Religion appeared in the World and which was then and had been long before esteemed by the whole People of the Jews as a Book that contained the Revelations of God and I shall concern my self no farther in the proof of these ancient Writings than to defend them from the little Cavils and Objections raised against them by Modern Unbelievers with a design to weaken the Certainty of Divine Revelation in general and consequently to invalidate the proofs of the Christian Religion Thirdly I distinguish all the Matters of Fact observable by us in the New Testament into Common and Extraordinary such as are conformable to those Facts we have often taken notice of before or to those Notions we have of the Natures and Powers of the Agents which appear to be the immediate Authors of them and such as exceed all our Knowledge and Observation of what we call Nature and natural Powers which Extraordinary Facts mentioned in the New Testament I distinguish further into two kinds such as were immediately perceivable by some of the Senses of those before whom they were done and such as were knowable only by reasoning from the Natures of Things and other concurrent or consequent Facts Of the first kind are Prophesies and Miracles of the second are Divine Assistance and Revelation And thus I shall endeavour to establish the Certainty of the Christian Religion by proving the truth of all the principal Matters of Fact contained in the New Testament according to the Order and Distinction of them before mentioned viz. Common Historical Facts Prophecies and Miracles Divine Assistance and Revelation I. But for a better and clearer prosecution of my Design I shall in the first place before I enter upon this proof give a short Abstract or Summary of the Christian Scheme as we find it delivered in the Books of the New Testament Wherein I shall consider the Matter and Subject of these Books and the Manner in which they are writ with all the important Circumstances belonging to them that offer themselves upon a careful and impartial reading Which general view of of all the Christian Facts the truth of which I have undertaken to maintain will not only prevent a great many inconvenient Repetitions and shew the force of the subsequent Proofs in a stronger light but give us such an Idea of the Christian Religion as if carefully weighed and attended to would render any further attempts to prove it unnecessary It is plain to any one that reads over the New Testament that it contains in short a History of the Publication and Propagation of certain Doctrines and Rules of living proposed to the Belief and Practice of Mankind together with an Account of the several Discourses Actions Writings Sufferings and other remarkable Circumstances in the Lives of the first Publishers and some of the principal Propagators of those Doctrines and Principles which make up the New Scheme of Religion here delivered But to take a more particular Survey of the New Testament according to the several Parts or Volumes into which it is divided In the first Four Books of it call'd the Gospels we find a very large and particular Account of the Birth of Jesus Christ the first Author as is there affirm'd of that Religion which is now term'd Christian and his Birth is related to have been after an extraordinary manner in all the Circumstances of it viz. That he was conceiv'd by the Spirit of God and the over-shadowing of his Power That he was born of a Virgin That his Conception was foretold
and worship God in Spirit and in Truth with purity of heart and intention to submit our Wills to his and to aquiesce in all the dispensations of his Providence with the utmost resignation of Mind and Judgment possible To love our Neighbours as our selves to do unto all Men as we would they should do unto us to forgive and love our Enemies to bless and pray for those that despightfully use us and persecute us to do good against evil and to endeavour as much as in us lies to live peaceably with to do good unto and to promote the Salvation of all Men. To deny our selves and to mortifie all our Lusts and Affections to take off our Affections from things on the Earth and set them upon things above and to have our conversation in Heaven to live chastly and soberly in this present World avoiding all manner of excess and intemperance to bridle our Tongues to take care that we offend not in word and to bring every thought into Captivity to the Law of Christ to think lowly of our selves with all humility preferring each other to humble our selves in the presence of God and when we have done all that we can to say we are unprofitable Servants to take up the Cross of Christ and not only to bear Afflictions patiently but to glory in them and rejoyce that we are thought worthy to suffer These and all other the particular Duties derived from them we are required constantly and sincerely to endeavour to perform without a willful allowance of our selves to offend in one point or to do evil that good may come of it and whenever we have transgress'd any of these Rules of Life prescribed us to act by we are immediately to break off our sins by repentance All which we are obliged to do for the Glory of God in pure obedience to his Word and Command in love and gratitude for all the Mercies we receive from him and in hope and expectation of enjoying Eternal Happiness and escaping Eternal Misery in another life and upon no other account or prospect whatsoever these being the only true Ends and Motives of Human Action and the only Grounds of Duty and Obligation We have considered the Character of Jesus Christ and taken a short view of the Gospel or Religion he taught and recommended to Mankind In the next place let us see who and what sort of Men they were that first believed in him who assisted in the publishing and propagating his Gospel and who they were that opposed the Establishment of it and persecuted Christ and all that bore Testimony to him Those that were any ways concern'd in the receiving publishing and propagating the Gospel of Christ were John his Forerunner his Twelve Apostles other Apostles and Disciples and such as were particularly set apart for the Ministry and Common Believers John who is stil'd The Forerunner of Christ and one that was to prepare the way before him was born of Parents who were righteous before God and walked in all the Commandments of the Lord blameless his Conception and Birth were attended with many extraordinary Signs and Wonders then it is said of him That he grew and waxed strong in Spirit and was in the Desarts till the day of his shewing unto Israel and his Rayment was of Camels hair and his Meat was Locusts and wild Honey afterwards he came Preaching in the Wilderness of Judea saying Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and many were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins all he Preached to and baptized he acquainted with the Character and near approach of Jesus Christ whom in a particular manner he preferr'd to himself and and by that means satisfied them that he was not the Christ which before they doubted of Little more is recorded of his Preaching or Discourses but only some particular advice to some Persons that enquired of him what they should do and his reproof of the Multitude that came to him and of Herod for which last he was put in Prison by him and afterward beheaded He did no Miracles but the Austerity of his Life the Authority of his Preaching and Baptizing and the Holiness of his Conversation made him lookt upon by all People as a Prophet Jesus Christ says of him that he was more than a Prophet and even Herod himself that beheaded him fear'd him while alive and observ'd him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly knowing him to be a just Man and a holy The Twelve Apostles were all of them Persons of a low Rank and mean Occupations all the time they followed Christ they seem'd not to be fully acquainted who he was or what he design'd several of his Discourses they understood not but wondered what the meaning of them should be they were several times by their Master reproach'd for want of apprehension and knowledge in the Scriptures after the plain Discourses he had made of himself to them and for want of Faith and Courage notwithstanding the many Miracles and mighty Works he had done before them and they themselves had done by his Commission they lookt upon him as a Temporal Messiah or Deliverer who was to restore the Kingdom again to Israel and they had several little Contests among themselves who should be greatest in the Kingdom they fancied their Master came to establish they acknowledg'd him to be the Christ the Son of God but they seem'd not to have rightly understood what they said when he was apprehended to be put to death one of them betrayed him all the rest were offended because of him and fled but one of them that return'd after him solemnly deny'd him and immediately repented and he that betrayed him repented and hang'd himself After his death we find some of them bewailing themselves as disappointed in all the hopes and expectations they had conceived of him and when it was reported that he was risen again none of them would believe it till they saw him themselves and one of them was more remarkably incredulous in this point than the rest till he had received the satisfaction he desired But after the Ascension of Christ and the choice of another Apostle in the room of him that had hang'd himself we find the Twelve Apostles maintaining a different Character from what they had in their Master's life-time Now they appear perfectly instructed in all things concerning Christ whatsoever before seem'd strange to them either in his Actions or Discourse is all unriddled and the Scriptures which before were difficult to be understood are now made plain and manifest And as their Knowledge is enlarg'd their Faith is strengthened no doubts or distrusts are now entertain'd but they Preach the Gospel of Christ with Authority and full Assurance insomuch that we find many more converted at their Preaching than at Christ's they are endued with new Powers which they had not whilst their Master lived and which did not shew forth
as does evidently appear from the Reflections before laid down But if it be further Objected notwithstanding the Evidence before given which plainly proves the contrary that all these things we call Miracles would have happen'd according to the Establish'd Course of Nature at the time and in the manner they did happen whether Christ and his Apostles had used such previous Signs as made them appear to be the Authors of them or not and so all the Facts are to be ascribed to other natural Causes tho' they could not be Effected by Man if this I say should be urged and the supposition allowed then must all the Miracles with respect to the pretended Authors of them be resolved into Prophecies and that will amount to the same thing For the foretelling all those wonderful Events Recorded in the New Testament as done by Christ and his Disciples will plainly appear by what has been already said upon the Subject of Prophecies to be as much above the Power and Skill of Man as the doing of them would be The vast number of Miracles done the multitude of Persons concern'd in them the publick Manner of doing them and the Times and Places in which they were done take off all imaginable suspicion of Confederacy if the Natures of the Facts would have admitted it as 't is certain they would not and therefore I shall not suppose that Objection and nothing more can possibly be urged And as the Miracles and Prophecies which concern the Christian Dispensation did certainly proceed from some Higher Power and Knowledge than that of Men so likewise did the Gospel it self by which I mean that whole Scheme of Doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles as we find it contained in the Books of the New Testament 'T is allowed on all Hands that there never was so Just and Noble a Draught of Morality as the Christian so full and consistent a Scheme of Humane Duty laid down in so plain and simple a Manner without any Art or Ostentation and press'd upon Mankind with so much Earnestness and Authority without any visible Interest or Advantage of the Preachers and Writers and without any Worldly Dignity or Title that made them Superiour to the lowest of those they Preach'd and Writ to It must be likewise confessed that the Grounds and Reasons upon which the Practise of this Morality is inforced by the Preachers of it are very New and Surprizing that the things they require Men to believe in order to render their Practice of the Duties injoyned them effectual are very shocking and repugnant to the common Opinions and Prejudices of Mankind but especially those of that time in which they were first Published and that the very Language and Forms of Expression in which the great Articles of the Christian Faith are delivered in the Scriptures are very different from whatever we find used upon any other Occasion Now these Things being granted I cannot possibly conceive how any Man should at once invent such a System of Morality as the Christian so very different from all others known before and so contrary to all the Passions and reputed Interests of Men nor how he should take upon him to injoyn several Duties as necessary whichnone of the Learned in these Matters had judg'd so before as bearing and forgiving Injuries doing Good for Evil and the like should possitively affirm some Things as certain which were doubted of till then as the Resurrection of the Body and a future state of Happiness and Misery c. should command every thing he said to be believed or done under the severest Penalties imaginable and all this barely upon his own Word and Authority without consulting any other Principles or Rules of Action which had before obtained or giving any Reasons to prove his own were better and therefore ought to be submitted to But if any Man can be supposed to have invented all the Christian Morality himself what force of Imagination what turn or agitation of Thoughts could have helpt him to conceive that Set of Notions which make up the whole Christian Faith in the way and manner they are joyned together in the New Testament If they had entered into his Mind what Reason or Motives could he have to believe them And had he believed them himself how could he expect to make others assent to the truth of them How could he imagine that these Opinions would recommend his Morality to the World Why should he think himself obliged to propagate them to insist upon them as necessary to make the danger of disbelieving them as great as neglecting the Duties of his Morality and yet give no other Reason to the World for what he said but his bare Saying it Besides were all these Christian Doctrines relating both to Faith and Practice found out by meer Humane Sagacity 't is extreamly difficult to imagine that neither the Contrivers nor Publishers of them should any where in their Preaching or Writing arrogate any Thing to themselves upon this account but should constantly renounce the Honour of the Discovery and never betray any design of procuring to themselves Esteem or any other Advantage of Life whatsoever for obliging Mankind with so beneficial a Scheme of Things as the Gospel proposes And to carry this Point yet farther If it be so very hard to imagine how any Person whatsoever should frame such Notions and Opinions to themselves and afterwards act upon such Motives and observe such a Conduct in the Publication of them 't is much more inconceivable how ignorant and unlearned Men of very low Education and constantly imployed in mean Affairs should do all this And 't is particularly unaccountable how Jews should give such a Character and Representation of their Messiah and his Office and Business in the World so directly contrary to all the Opinions and Expectations of that whole People and upon that account so very unlikely to be entertained or credited 'T is moreover impossible to conceive how so many Men as were concern'd in the Preaching and Propagating Christianity in several parts of the World at the same time should before any thing was committed to Writing all agree upon the same Set of Doctrines use the same open sincere unartful Method of delivering them and the same bold authoritative way of inforcing them and should all shew the same Courage and Resolution in maintaining the Truth of what they Preach'd and in bearing all manner of Losses and Afflictions for the sake of that Testimony This I say is not to be conceived or accounted for if they were not assisted by continual Revelations and constant supplies of Spiritual Strength and Force which proceeded from some more powerful and knowing Being than Man That they were all firmly persuaded they were thus assisted is the least that can possibly be supposed and how the invention of the whole Christian Scheme and the conduct of those that Publish'd and Preach'd it to the World and Suffered for it can be ascribed
came first by these Opinions that 't is highly suitable to the Nature of God to give Men true Notions concerning himself to acquaint them how and in what manner they ought to Obey and Worship him and to direct them in the Knowledge and assist them in the Attainment of their Happiness We are very sensible of our own Ignorance Misery and Impotence We cannot by any Arguments of Reason find out how or when we were made what should be the occasion of that contrariety of Principles and Inclinations we experience within us why we should act contrary to what we our selves think our selves obliged to act and be more disposed so to act than otherwise why we should be determined to pursue Hapness and yet be Miserable why the injoyment of several Pleasures we are inclined to should be often attended with greater degrees of Pain and acting as our Reason approves and prescribes should be oftentimes as prejudicial to our present Happiness why we should look upon it as our Duty to serve God and yet in several Instances indure more Trouble and Misery upon that account than those who live in defiance of Religion these are Things our Reason is puzled to explain to us And if there should be a future State after this Life as we have very good grounds to believe there is how can we be sure our Religion or Piety was acceptable to God And supposing our service was proper so far as it went what assurance can we have that the many constant violations of our Duty which our own Consciences accuse us of may not render our small Service ineffectual Besides the Bounds and Limits of our Conduct and Behaviour with regard to our selves and one another must be very uncertain and precarious when we have no other Guide but our unassisted Reason and no Man is obliged to submit to any other Judgment but his own for in this Case every Man according to the difference of his Passions Prejudices and Interests must have a different Standard to regulate his Actions by These are Things we are all sensible of now and which without allowing Revelation we are not able to account for or satisfie our selves about notwithstanding all the improvements of Rational Knowledge we at present enjoy And the expediency of being rightly inform'd in all these Matters is esteemed so great that 't is urg'd by some as an Argument against the Truth of the Jewish and Christian Revelation that they have not been Universal enough it being look'd upon by the Objectors as a Thing inconsistent with the Goodness of God to suffer so great a part of the World in all Ages to live in a State of gross Ignorance Barbarity and Disorder as Ancient History and Modern Experience inform us of Since therefore we cannot but be satisfied from Reflections upon our own Nature improved and from Observations upon the wretched State of a large part of Mankind who live in Ignorance that the Difficulties which concern the Knowledge of Religion are very great that the Effects and Consequences of the want of Religion are very Dismal and Calamitous and that Men in such a State of Ignorance as we find some whole Countries are would very probably never by any force of their own Faculties without foreign Helps and Assistances reach to that Knowledge of Natural Religion that some Nations of the present Age are arrived to which is manifestly owing to those Books they have among them and which they look upon as communicated to them from God Since we are further convinced that Persons in such a State of Ignorance as we now suppose if they should be allowed to make some advances in the Knowledge of Natural Religion could not by meer Reason without Revelation proceed so far as upon good grounds to be fully assured of the Truth and Obligation of what they knew and the Advantages or Dangers that attended their Performance or Transgression of the Rules they laid down that they would never be able to explain any of the Difficulties before mentioned and that in a short Time by the over-ruling prevalence of present Pleasures and Passions working differently in different Men they would relapse into their former State again Upon all these Accounts it seems very expedient that God should give Men a true and perfect Scheme of Religion agreeable to the Reason and fitted to all the Wants and Exigencies of Mankind However I dare not venture to argue that because it appears so very expedient for us and so suitable to the Nature of God that there should be some Revelation made to the World therefore God has actually done it because I cannot comprehend all the particular Reasons and Ends of God's acting with regard to Men here nor what allowance he will be pleased to make in his Future Judgment upon them in order to an other State But if there be a Revelation pretended to and I find upon a strict Examination of it that it has all the Marks and Characters of such a Revelation as our Reason tells us Men wanted and was very proper and becoming God to give and such a one as has been proved before Man himself could not be the Author of I must be convinced from hence that it came from God And such a Revelation as this is the Christian There we find a very just and rational Account of the Nature and Attributes of God of the Original Formation of the World and particularly the Creation of Man the change and alteration of his first Condition and the unhappy Consequences of it from thence we are enabled to explain these contrary Tendencies and Principles of Action we experience in our selves that unequal Composition of Perfections and Weaknesses Capacities and Wants we are sensible of the Ignorance of which makes Man the most unaccountable part of the whole Universe There we are acquainted with the most proper suitable way of Worshipping and Serving God There we have the truest draught of Morality the best and most exalted Scheme of all the Duties which concern the Government of our selves and our Behaviour to one another By this Revelation we are assured that the observance of Religious Duties in such a manner will be acceptable to God all our Doubts about the Imperfections of our Obedience are removed and our Consciences intirely satisfied a way being there shewed us how our Piety and Vertue may be rendred well pleasing to God notwithstanding the many failings they are accompanied with the Wisdom and Kindness of which Expedient we cannot but acknowledge and admire The same Revelation does likewise fix and ascertain our Belief of a Future State and proposes such Rewards and Punishments in another World as are proper and sufficient Motives to determine us to the Practice of Religion in this and gives us a satisfactory Explication of all the present Inequalities of Providence in the conduct of Humane Affairs This is certainly a very rational Scheme of things and very agreeable to all the Notions our