fuffer an utter Destruction. I conclude this Head in the elegant Words of the Pfalmift, when he celebrates the great Creator, for fome

remarkable Inftances of his Providential Care Pfal. civ. over his Creatures: O Lord, how manifold are 24, &c. thy Works! in Wifdom haft thou made them all: The Earth is full of thy Riches. So is this great and wide Sea, wherein are things creeping inuumerable, both small and great Beafts. There go the Ships: There is that Leviathan, whom thou haft made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou may'ft give them their Meat in due Seafon: That thou giveft them they gather: Thou openeft thine Hand, they are filled The Glory of the Lord fhall endure for ever; the Lord fhall rejoice in his Works. ---I will fing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will fing Praife unto my God while I have my Being. But to proceed. We farther learn from this Syftem of the World,

with Good.

(8.) That this Supreme God, the Creator and Preserver of the World, and the Author of the Power of Gravity, and of all other the Immechanical Powers of the Universe, is a Free Agent, no way limited by any Neceffity or Fate, but acting ftill by Choice, and according to his own good Pleasure. This Attribute of the Divinity, without which the Supreme Being himfelf would be below Mankind, a meer Fatality, and no way worthy of any Veneration, or Love, or Gratitude from his Creatures, fully demonftrated under fo many of the foregoing Obfervations from the Syftem of the World, that I fcarce need quote any one of them in Particular. And I appeal to all that we now know of this entire Universe about us, whether

is

whether there be one fingle Indication of such a rigid Fatality, and Neceffity therein. "Tis true, fuch ftrange Reafoners as Hobbs and Spinoza, &c. pretend by Metaphyfick Arguments to demonstrate this Fatality and Neceffity, even as to the Actions of the Supreme Being, or it felf. But then, they do by the like Metaphyfick Reasoning, as ftrongly pretend to demonstrate the fame Fatality and Neceffity of Human Actions alfo; which last we are fure, from our own certain, conftant Experience, all our Lives long, is utterly falfe and ridiculous; and therefore we have no Reason to depend on the like Subtilties in the other Cafe: Efpecially while inftead of Metaphyfick Subtilties on one side, we produce the plainest Experiments, Observations, and Demonstrations from Nature, and the Syftem of the Univerfe, on the other: And while Dr. Clarke has, with great Sagacity, fhew'd the Inconsistency of that Metaphyfick Reafoning, and the Freedom of the Divine Being, and of Human Actions, even in their own Way, both in his Sermons at Mr. Boyle's Lectures, and Anfwers to an Anonymous Author already quoted, to which I fhall refer thofe Readers, who have a mind to deal in that way of Reasoning. As for my felf, while I clearly fee that the conftant Experience of all Men, and the entire Phænomena of the whole Universe, directly prove the Freedom of Human and Divine Acti ons, I am not much concern'd what may be alledg'd to the contrary from Metaphyfick Uncer tainties; efpecially when I find it every-where confirm'd by Divine Revelation alfo ; which always teaches us to render fuch Praife and Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the Mercies,

Pfal. ciii. &c

of Creation and Providence, as would be perfectly ridiculous, if all fuch his Operations were entirely fatal, and involuntary. Blefs the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, blefs bis Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his Benefits: Who forgiveth all thine Iniquities, who bealeth all thy Difeafes: Who redeemeth thy Life from Deftruction, who crowneth thee with loving-Kindness, and tender Mercies. Blefs the Lord, all his Works, in all Places of his Dominion: Bless the Lord, O my Soul.

9. We learn from the true Syftem of the World, that this Supreme God is an Intelligent and Omniscient Being, and that he knows the entire State and Condition of every Body contain'd in this entire Universe, at what Distances, and in what Circumftances foever; and that in every Moment of Time from the Beginning of this Syftem, till its Conclufion. This is derived from Obfervations 21ft and 22d foregoing; and is a moft unquestionable Deduction from the Phænomena of the Universe. I use the Word Omniscience here, as fuch Words are commonly ufed in Scripture, and Ancient Authors, for fuch a Degree of Knowledge, whether in it felf abfolutely infinite or no, which extends every-where to the whole vifible Universe, and takes in all the particular Parts of the fame, to the utmost Limits of our Examination and Computations, without Exception. For in this Senfe only, can the Phænomena of Created Beings, which must be every way finite, become Demonftrations of the Attributes of their Uncreated Original Creator; which alone can be, ftrictly speaking, efteemed

abfolutely

abfolutely Infinite. Nor are we here, or in other Cafes, concerned any farther. For if the Supreme Author of our Univerfe, does certainly and exactly know whatfoever is, or is done in this Universe, what does it concern us, whether he equally knows whatsoever is, or is done in any other Invisible or Imaginary Syftems beyond it? Although he who believes that this Omnifcience, or other fuch infinite Attributes, belong truly to the Supreme God, its Author, to the utmoft Extent of this grand Syftem, must be a very strange Perfon, if he can deny, or doubt whether the Omniscience of the fame Supreme Being, extends to the reft of the other invisible Syftems alfo; fuppofing there be fuch other Systems, and that they are the Workmanship of his Hands alfo, as well as ours. All which confirms the Words of Elibu, when he thus exhorts the great Example of Patience; Hearken unto Jobxxxvii this, Ofob, ftand still and confider the wondrous 14,15,16. Works of God. Doft thou know when God difpofed them, and caufed the Light of his Cloud to Shine? Doft thou know the Balancings of the Clouds, the wondrous Works of him that is perfect in Knowledge?

(10.) We learn further from the true Syftem of the World, that this Supreme God does not barely know and understand all the Bodies, and all that is done by all the Bodies, in this entire grand System, but he moft Wifely and Prudently, and Sagaciously Orders and Difpofes of all the faid Bodies, and particular Systems thereto belonging. This is fuch a known and frequent Confequence of the foregoing Obfervations from the true Syftem of the World, that almost one half of them demonftrate the undoubted

I 3

doubted Truth and Certainty of it. Nor could there be any Occafion for enlarging on this Head, were it not that the Moral or Living World, does not here always feem to agree with the Natural or Aftronomical one. In the latter there is plainly and every where Marks of fuch Exactness, Harmony, Prudence, Sagacity, Wifdom, and Conduct, that not only perfectly Convinces, but Amazes and Astonishes us, even all of us, who throughly confider the particular Inftances, the innumerable, clear, irrefragable Inftances of the fame, in every Part of the Universe: And he must be stupid to the utmost Degree, who can go a Course of Mechanicks, of Anatomy, of Botanicks, and efpecially of Aftronomy, without the most fatisfactory Conviction in this Cafe. Those natural Sciences, particularly Aftronomy, will fully demonstrate what the Sacred Writings have already inform'd us of; not only that God telleth the Number of the Stars, and calleth them all by their Names; that great is our Lord, and of great Power, and that of bis Understanding there is no Number; civ. 24. but alfo, that His Works are manifold, and in Wisdom has be made them all. But then, how it comes about that we do by no means perceive the fame Exactness and Harmony, in the Moral and Living World; which we everywhere fee in the Material and Phyfical, is a great and noble Problem; though not belonging to this Place. I have my felf occafionally touch'd upon it in my other Writings; but acknowledge it to deferve a much larger and fuller Difquifition. In the mean time, I must confefs, that I have met with no Accounts thereto relating, fo Authentick, fo Rational and

Pfalm cxlvii.4,5.

fo