providence puts a force on the mechanical laws of nature, and on the freedom of the will in a multitude of inftances; and that those who maintain this doctrine fuppofe that the laws of gravitation must be fometimes fufpended, fometimes precipitated, in compliance with men's defires, and the tottering edifice muft be kept miraculously from falling *. Among the extraordinary interpofitions of divine providence, he reckons the metaphyfical or phyfical influence of fpirits, "fuggestions, filent communications, injections of ideas. These "things, he declares, he cannot comprehend; and he compares them to the altering or fufpending the course of the "fun, or revolutions of the earth, in the phyfical fyftem. "And that all fuch interpofitions in the intellectual system, 66 as fhould give thoughts and new difpofitions to the minds of But men, cannot be conceived without altering in every fuch in"ftance the natural progreffion of the human understanding, " and that freedom of the will which every man is conscious that he has f." Our author has here let us know what he thinks of all revelations, infpirations, or communications from God the Supreme Spirit, or from fubordinate created spirits to the human mind; that he regards them as inconfiftent with the laws of the intellectual system, and the natural progreffion of the human understanding, or effential freedom of the will. whence could he know enough of the laws of the intellectual fyftem, to be able to pronounce that this is inconfiftent with those laws? That one man may fuggeft or communicate thoughts and ideas to another by words and language, and that there is nothing in this contrary to the nature and order of the understanding, or freedom of the will, is univerfally acknowleged and why then should it be thought inconfiftent with thefe for God himself, or fpiritual Beings fuperior to man, to communicate thoughts and ideas to the human mind? The moft natural way of working upon men as reasonable creatures, and of influencing their actions in a way agreeable to the juft order of their faculties, is by fuggesting proper thoughts or ideas to their minds, and our not being able particularly to explain how this is done is no just objection against it. This writer himself elsewhere, speaking of that extraordinary action of God upon the mind which the word Infpiration is now used to denote, exprefly acknowleges, that" it is no more incomprehenfible "than the ordinary action of mind on body, or body on mind "." And indeed it cannot without the highest abfurdity be denied, that God can work upon the spirits of men by an immediate in• Vol. v. p. 460. f Ibid. p. 414, 415. Vol. ii. p. 468. : E € 4 fluence, fluence, and yet in fuch 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 cafes be fuppofed, in which his doing fo may answer valuable ends. It may also be eafily conceived, that he can make impreffions upon men's minds by various other means, which he may make use of in his wife and fovereign providence to this purpose, without at all infringing the order of things in the natural or moral world. 66 He farther argues, that to fuppofe a providence extending to individuals, and particular occafional interpofitions, "is to fuppofe that there are as many providences as there are men:" or, as he elsewhere expreffeth it, that "common providence would break into a multitude of particular providences for "the fupply of wants, and grant of petitions." But there is no real foundation for this pretence. There is one univerfal providence, which may be confidered as extending to particular perfons and cafes, all of which are perfectly known to God, and (as was before hinted) occafion no confufion or distraction in his infinite mind. Our author indeed declares, that "they "who have attempted to fhew that God may act by particular "and occafional interpofitions, confiftently with the preferva ❝tion of the general order, appear to him quite unintelligible1.” If it were fo, our not being able diftinctly to fhew how particular occafional interpofitions may confift with the doctrine of a general providence, would be no argument at all against it. Since, as he himself obferves upon another occafion, " It is impertinent to deny the existence of any phænomenon merely "because we cannot account for it *." And yet we may easily conceive in general, that they are perfectly reconcileable, fince, as hath been already hinted, thefe occafional interpofitions are ufually no more than the applications of the general laws of providence to particular cafes and circumftances. That there may be, or that there have been, fuch interpofitions, he does not pretend abfolutely to deny: but, he fays, that "we have no foundation for them in our own experience, or in any history "except that of the Bible." And yet foon after observes, that every religion boasts of many inftances, wherein the di "vine providence has been thus exercifed "." And certain it is, that this hath been the general fentiment of mankind. Befides the ordinary courfe of things which is to be regarded as under the conftant care and direction of a fovereign providence, there have been events of a remarkable and uncommon nature, h Vol. iii. p. 420. i Ibid. p. 414. * Ibid. P. 468. " 1 Vol. v. p. 414. Ibid. p. 43. though Hume's Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals; relat ing to Self-denial, Mortification, and Humility. An account of Mr. Douglas's book, intitled, The Criterion; or General remarks on Lord Bolingbroke's pofthumous works. An inquiry into Lord Bolingbroke's proofs of the Being and Attributes of GOD, and his fentiments concerning the divine Lord Bolingbroke's account of the doctrine of divine providence ORD. Bolingbroke's fentiments concerning the immortality Obfervations on Lord Bolingbroke's account of the law of nature. An examination of what Lord Bolingbroke has offered concern Lord Bolingbroke's strange representation of the Jewish revela Lord Bolingbroke's objections against the divine original and au LETTER XXX. P. 127.' Farther objections of Lord Bolingbroke against the Mofaic writings, and the fcriptures of the Old Teftament, confidered. LETTER XXXI. P. 162. Reflections upon the favourable reprefentation made by Lord Bolin gbroke, of the exellent nature and defign of the original Christian revelation. Thofe paffages which feemed defigned to expofe the doctrines, and invalidate the proofs and evidences of Christianity, confidered. LETTER XXXII. P. 197. Lord Bolingbroke's objections against the laws and doctrines of Christianity. LETTER XXXIII. P 221. The Chriftian doctrine of future retributions vindicated. Conclufion of the obfervations on Lord Bolingbroke's pofthumous works. LETTER XXXIV. P. 243. Defigned to introduce the Reflections on the late Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Use of History, which are fubjoined at large, LETTER XXXV. P. 350. The account of the Deiftical Writers clofed, with general reflec tions on thofe writers. LETTER XXXVI. P. 366. A Summary of the evidences of Christianity. The CONCLUSION. P. 397. N. B. For a fuller account of the Contents, fee the Head preceding each Letter. And for the fubject-matter of the Reflections on Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Ufe of. Hiftory, fee the Contents prefixed to that Piece, Vol. II. p. 245, &c. A VIEW have been under the care and fuperintendency of divine providence, and even of a particular providence in the fenfe in which we are now confidering it; i. e. a providence which extendeth to the individuals of the human race, infpecting their actions, and difpofing and governing the events relating to them. But they were not under the Jewish theocracy, which was a peculiar conftitution, established for very wife purposes, the reafons and ends of which I fhall afterwards have occafion more particularly to confider. At prefent I fhall only observe, that though under that constitution we may justly suppose there were extraordinary interpofitions in a way of mercy and judg ment, both national, and relating to particular persons, more frequently than there would have been under another conftitution; yet the design of it was not, as our author fuppofes, that providence fhould interpofe for giving a present immediate reward to every good man, and every good action, and for immediately punishing every bad one. We find frequent pathetical complaints even under that difpenfation, of the calamities and fufferings of good men, and the profperity of the wicked. This gave occafion to the 37th and 73d Pfalms. See alfo Pfalm xvii. 14. Jer, xii. 1, 2. The proper ultimate reward of good men, and punishment of the wicked, was still reserved for a future ftate of retributions, which though not exprefly mentioned in their law, was believed and expected; as appeareth from what Solomon hath faid concerning it, Ecclef. iii. 16, 17. xii. 14. I fhall conclude this letter with taking notice of an obfervation of our author, which is defigned to take off the force of an argument that Mr. Wollafton had offered. "It will be of little "fervice," faith he, to the fcheme of particular providences, to fay, like Wollafton, that there may be incorporeal, or at leaft invifible beings, of intellect and powers fuperior to "man, and capable of mighty things: and that thefe beings "may be the minifters of God, and the authors of thofe pro "vidences." He pretends, that there is no proof that there are fuch beings; and ridicules the doctrine of Genii or Dæmons, as having been "owing to ancient astrologers, and the knaves or madmen that profeffed theurgic magic." And he argues, "that if these angels act by the immediate command of God, "it is in oppofition to his general providence, and to fupply "the defects of it; and that it is to give up the government "over mankind to thofe beings'." But it is with an ill grace hat this writer feems here to queftion the existence of angels, Vol. v. p. 463, 464. when |