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REMARKS 
 
 O N 
 
 Mr. Tho. Chubb's yZ)^r/ DtjJertatio7i 
 on Frovideiice. 
 
 WITH 
 
 A N I M AD VE RS I O NS 
 
 O N H I S 
 Turtle Go/pel of Jesus Christ ajferted. 
 
 In the Order following. 
 
 SeSf. I. Remarks on his de- 
 finitions and diftin6tions 
 of Providence ; together 
 with his critldfm on the 
 facred hiftorian. 
 
 Se£f. II. On his true Gofpel 
 of yefus Chriji ajjerted. 
 More particularly, on his 
 fixth Sedllon^ viz. what is 
 not the true Gofpel. 
 
 grounded on New Tejla^ 
 ?ne.nt authority. 
 
 Se^. IV. On his more ab- 
 ftraft reafonings on Provi- 
 dence. • 
 
 SeSfN. The doctrine of Pro- 
 vidence farther explained, 
 and his fcheme compa- 
 red with what is here ad- 
 vanced. 
 
 Se^. III. His fcheme of Seii. VI. Inferences drawn 
 Providence confidered, as ) from the whole. 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 Introductory Epistle, 
 
 WHEREIN 
 
 Thefe Remarks are particularly offered to 
 Mr. ChubbIs Confideradon. 
 
 By an ADVOCATE 0/ //jf Christian 
 Revelation. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for D. Farmer, at />?>^ King's Arms in St. Paul*s 
 
 Church Yard. M.dcc.xxxviii. (Price u. 64.) 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arcinive 
 
 in 2011 witii funding from 
 
 Princeton Tlieological Seminary Library 
 
 littp://www.arGliive.org/details/remarksonmrtliocliOOflem 
 
[iii] 
 
 A N 
 
 Epifile Dedicatory 
 
 T O 
 
 Mr. THOMAS CHUBB, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 LTHO" the following Jljeets 
 contain fo?ne Remarks on your 
 late Trad:, caW d the true 
 Gofpel of Jefus Chrift afferted ; and 
 your fhort Differtation on Providence ; 
 yet I would faiji hope^ I have execu- 
 ted it in fuch a mamier^ as will 
 throw no undue rejleElions o?t your 
 performance. " / would neither be 
 " fo unjuft nor ungenerous as to 
 " deem or reprefent you as an enemy 
 '' to that Gofpel which you have af- 
 A 2 ^^ fertedy 
 
iv An Epiftle Dedicatory 
 
 *' ferted^^ being fully perfuaded that 
 you have dejignd [as you fay you have 
 done^ p. 8. of your Preface) " to ren^ 
 " der the Gofpel of Chrifl defendable 
 " upon rational principles, by fepara^ 
 " /"/V/g* from it thofe things which 
 
 '' have been blended with itj^ 
 
 yet it is poffble that you may in fepa- 
 rating have gone too far ; and have 
 pulled up fome of the wheat with the 
 tares. Which feems to me to be the cafe 
 in your Hxth Section, to which I have 
 chiefly had my eye^ as you II fnd in 
 my fecond Section. If then what I 
 have offered fjjould carry with it a 
 greater and higher degree of probabi- 
 lity, tha'n what you have advanced ifi 
 that part of your true Gofpel, &c, 
 it will [on your own principles^ Pref. 
 p. 12.) be no rational nor fufficient 
 ground for your rejeBijtg it. For 
 as you well obferve^ " Wheji a7iy que- 
 " flion admits of a difpute^ common 
 " j'^^if^^ce requires that every thing 
 " fjould be brought into the cafe 
 
 '' which 
 
To Mr. Thomas Chubb. v 
 
 which makes either for, or againft 
 thai qtiejiion ; a?id where ever^ 
 upon a fair comparifon^ the great- 
 er a7id higher degree of probability 
 lies., that ought i?i reafon to deter- 
 77iine our judg77ie7tts either for, or 
 againft that quefHon^ Now al- 
 tho' you have applied this to a few 
 difficulties fiarti7zg agai72/i Revelati- 
 on^ yet it will hold as a good rule in 
 a7iy 77tatters of C07ttroverfy^ a72d there- 
 fore I hu77ibly beg y oil II keep this ex- 
 cellent rule in Tnind^ whilfl you go 
 over the followi7ig re7narks, 
 
 I fhould 710 1 indeed have venturd 
 to undertake a tafk fo difficulty as to 
 animadvert upon a writer of fo great 
 reputation ; hut from an apprehenfeon 
 that you have too much narrowed the 
 true Gofpel of Chrift. // may^ i7i- 
 deed^ be owing to 7ny wa72t of penetra- 
 tion^ but I profefs I ca7Wot fee that 
 you have left the writers of the New 
 Teftament the leafl degree of autho- 
 A 3 ritjr 
 
vi An Epiftle Dedicatory 
 
 ntjmore than what belongs to any other 
 common writers, — For^ upon your 
 fcheme, / ca7i have 720 certai77ty whe- 
 ther the whole of the writings of the 
 Evangelifts and Apoftles were not 
 their private opinions \ much lefs can I 
 tell how to feparate what was not, 
 frofn what was. "This 77tujl lead 7ne 
 to pay as great a regard to the autho- 
 rity of a Plato or a Socrates. And of 
 confeque7tce^ to talk of the Gofpel of 
 Jefus Chrift, or of K'i^^^.^ni'^Q the 
 TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ, does 
 i72 this light appear to fne to he no 
 more than a piece of pleafantry ; it 
 being thereby quite flripped of all its 
 i77tportance^ as the Gofpel of Chrift. 
 
 Neverthelefs I am well fatisfed 
 with you ^ that there have been abun- 
 dance of things i7ttroduced a7id blend- 
 ed with the true Gofpel ; even fo 
 ma7ty^ that if we look for it amo7ig 
 the writi72gs of the moft orthodox, in 
 almofl a7iy age of Chrifiia7tity^ we 
 
 pall 
 
To Mr, Thomas Chubb. vii 
 
 Jhall fcarce difcern one of its true, 
 features, Nay^ it has varied with the 
 feveral periods // has pafs'd through^ 
 as the author of the five Schemes, 
 lately publifjed^ has mofi judicioujly 
 obferved^ " It has been known one 
 ^' while ^ by nature and grace. Another 
 " while ^ by church and facraments. 
 *' Another while ^ ^Chrift /s:;? J faith." 
 And if ever we would expeB to fijtd it 
 in its own pure^ fimple^ and. native 
 drefs^ we mufl look for it where it is^ 
 and always was to be founds viz. in 
 the writings of the Evangehfts and of 
 the Apoftles. 
 
 How happy would it have been for 
 the Chriftian church, if nothiitg had 
 ever been allowed to be a part of the 
 true Gofpel of Jefus Chrift, but what 
 is to be found in the writings of the 
 New Teftament ! l^his furely would 
 have prevented innumerable evils that 
 have ar if en from the drefs, ornament, 
 ««^ difguife, that men have labour d 
 A 4 to 
 
viii An Epiftle Dedicatory 
 
 to put upon it. Let thefe be removd^ 
 in God's name, but don t let us ven- 
 ture to mangle^ curtail^ or invalidate 
 thofe facred writiitgs themfelves^ which 
 contaiji the true Gofpel ! This^ me- 
 thi?iks-, is a dreadful extreme ; as it 
 naturally would be atte7ided with the 
 ruin ^Wdeftrudlion of the thi?2g it f elf: 
 And for 710 other reafon than becaufe 
 others have abufed it, T'his would be ab- 
 furd and cruel ufage eve?i to a Friend^ 
 fjould we difne^nber him^ becaufe a 
 painter had drawn his limbs as if they 
 were really prepoflerous.— T'hus you 
 fee the motive to my drawing up thefe 
 remarks 07tyour true Gofpel, &^c. 
 
 But as the firfl defg7t of the fol- 
 lowing pages was to fettle the ftotion 
 of a particular Providence, difiinB 
 fro7n the ic\\a\iQ you feem to have ad- 
 vanced ; / ^Dall here alfo^ with the 
 fame freedom and ope7t7iefs declare^ by 
 what motive / have bee7i direSied i7i 
 that part of my U72dertaki72g, A7id 
 
 it 
 
To Mr, Thomas Chubb. ix 
 
 it is this J yoti feem to requif^e i7tyour 
 Difiertation, that we poould dijlinguijlj 
 hetwee?i God's immediately interpoling, 
 to a7tfwer feme great and good ends 
 upon extraordinary occafions^ and his 
 frequently (3fc/;7g* yij p. 232. and yet 
 you have no where proved^ that there 
 may not be frequent occajions of great 
 and good ends heijig anfwered by di- 
 vine interpofals i7i the affairs of the 
 world. You likewife feetn to make a 
 miraculous iftterpoftion effential to 
 the idea of a particular and fpecial 
 Provide?ice^ without offerijtg afty thing 
 in proof that there cajtnot be particu- 
 lar and fpecial interpofals without a 
 miraculous interpoftion. And i?tfortj 
 yotc feem to have wrote fo very per- 
 plexly 071 the fubjeEi {very co?2trary 
 to your ufual way of writing) that it 
 is difficult to know what it is you aim 
 at ; fometijnes granting as much^ in 
 words ^ as you before had. de?iied. 
 
 If 
 
X An Epiftle Dedicatory 
 
 If I have mijlook you^ it has not^ 
 I do ajfure you^ been owing to delign ; 
 as I hope my remarks^ when taken 
 together^ will clearly evince. Neither 
 have I faid any thing but what I 
 thought a regard for Truth de- 
 manded, 
 
 I have chofen to copy after you ^ by 
 placing thefe fny remarks in the order 
 or manner of Sed;ions ; as this gave 
 me the better opportu7iity of becomiftg 
 more diflinSi and iittelligible. And al- 
 though I all along im7nediately addrefs 
 my f elf to you i?i a7i epiftolary way, / 
 beg you II 7iot fuffer the u7icom7nG7inefs 
 of fuch divijions to render it lefs ac- 
 ceptable to you^ efpecially^ fe7ice I 
 hope you II fi7idj that I have ohferved 
 that more ejfential rule^ viz. that of 
 writino- with calnmefs a7id ^ood te7n- 
 per through the whole ; for^ Sir, / 
 agree with you^ ^' That eve7t a7t Infi- 
 ^^ del ought to have jujiice do?te hi77i ; 
 
 " a7id 
 
"To Mr. Thomas Chubb. xl 
 
 *' and if he has aiiy thing to offer 
 *^ againjl Chrijiia7iity as the ground 
 " of his i?ifidelityj he ought to he 
 *' heard and anfwered in the fpirit of 
 '' the G of pel of Chrifl^ which is a 
 ^^ fpirit ^meeknefs, forbearance, ajid 
 *' love." As this would be the mofl 
 likely way of reco7nmendi?tg our holy 
 Religion to their good opinio?! a7id 
 acceptance^ who have flight not io^ts of 
 Revelation ; fo tlye contrary methods 
 have always hee?i experienced to have 
 had as contrary tendencies. 
 
 Tide conclusions which I have 
 drawn from your fcheme, appear to 
 me to he natural and unforced ; altho' 
 at the faine time^ many of theifi are 
 direEily oppofite fentifnents to what 
 you have elfewhere defended. To me 
 there is a fir i El con?teBion difcovered ; 
 to you there may poffibly appear 7W 
 dependajice. — Whether the genera- 
 lity of thofe who read your trad:, a?id 
 7nay read thefe rem_arks, fdotdd think 
 
 you 
 
xii An Epiftle Dedicatory, ^c. 
 
 you c?r / mijiakeity is of no great im- 
 portance to the real merits of the ar- 
 gument, 
 
 To add no more^ I am well fat isfied 
 that I have been governed by an hearty 
 affeSlion for truth, and more particu- 
 larly for the Christian Revelation, 
 as a fyflem of truth recommended by 
 divine authority. —And doubt not of 
 your candid acceptance of what I hum' 
 bly offer to your confderation. 
 
 am, 
 
 ingenious Sir, 
 your humble fervant. 
 
 REMARKS 
 
irt, 
 
 ■ft 
 
 [ 13 ] i\ j-^ 
 
 
 y. o. ii»o '' ':». Q'A 
 
 REMAR 
 
 ' ■<?. -$> 
 
 O N 
 
 V 
 
 Mr. 7})omas Chuhb\ fhort Diflertation 
 on Providence, ^c. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Remarks on your definitions a7td di- 
 JiinSiions of Provide7ice ; together 
 with your Criticism on the fa^ 
 cred hifiorian. 
 
 YOur definition o^ 2i general Providence, 
 as contained in the ten firil pages of 
 your Dijfertation^ is too long to 
 tranfcribe ; I ("hall therefore infert the great 
 Woolaftoiis, given us in lefs than a fingle 
 quarto page, which, I think, contains all 
 that is material in your defcription of a ge- 
 neral providence. 
 
 " Firji^ The world may be faid to be go- 
 " remedy if there are laws^ by which natu- 
 ^' ral caufes adl, the feveral phenomena in ic 
 
 *< fuc- 
 
1 4 Re7narh on Mr. Tlio. Chubb' j 
 
 ** fucceed regularly, and, in general, the 
 " conftitution of things is preferved: If 
 ** there are rules obferved in the produ(flioii 
 " of herbs^ trees^ and the like : If the feveral 
 *' kinds of animals are in propornon to their 
 *' feveral degrees and flations in the animal 
 " kingdom, furnifl-ied with faculties proper 
 *' to direct and determine their actions ; 
 " and when they a(fl according to them, 
 ** they may be faid to follow the law of 
 " their nature, if they are placed and pro- 
 " vided for fuitabiy to their refpedive na- 
 " tures and wants — i^ particular cafes re- 
 *' lating to rational Beings 2LVQ taken care of 
 *' in fuch a manner as will at lead agree bed 
 ** with reafon, 
 
 " Secoridhy If there are fuch laws and 
 *< provijions^ they can come originally from 
 ^* no other being, but from him who is the 
 *' author of nature. For thofe laws, which 
 «' refult from the nature of things, their 
 *« properties, and the ufe of their faculties, 
 « and may be faid to be written upon the 
 « things rbemfelvcs, can be the laws of no 
 «* other ; Nor can thofe things, whofe very 
 «' being depends upon God, exift under any 
 " condition repugnant to his will ; and 
 " therefore can be fubjed: to no laws or dif- 
 " pofitions, which he would not have them 
 « be fubjedl to i that i^, which are not his. 
 «' Befide> there is no other being capable of 
 " impofing laws, or any fcheme of govern- 
 
 *' ment 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ 6cc. 1 5 
 
 * ment upon the world, becaufe there is no 
 
 * other, who is not himielf part of the 
 
 * world, and whofe own exiftence does noc 
 ' depend upon him. 
 
 *' Thirdly^ By the Providence of God I 
 < mean his governing the world by fuch 
 « laws, and making J'lich provifions, as are 
 
 * mentioned above. So that if there are 
 ' fuch there is a divine Providence. 
 
 " Lajll)\ It is not impoffible that there 
 
 * fliould be fuch'. On the contrary, we 
 have jufl reafon to believe there are." 
 
 Religion of Nature^ P- 95- 
 
 Thus far, aS/>, I prefume, you and / may 
 be agreed, as to the firft ellabli(hment of 
 things. Nor will I differ with you in call- 
 ing it 2^ general Providence — But then, if I 
 rightly underfland you, this general Provi- 
 dencej or " firft fettlement of things is like a 
 *' watch, or a clock, that is fo well made, 
 " that it needs no affiftance by patching or 
 ** mending, p. 210. i.e. it does not wane 
 " the conjiant a.ndjpecial attendance of the 
 " Deity to do any thing at it, ^. 211. fo thac 
 ** although God may upon extraordinary 
 " occafions in a particular ^nd fpecial man- 
 " ner interpofe, yet that he does not fofre- 
 " guentfyy smd almojl perpetually imerpoie in 
 " the affairs of the world -, for a man may 
 " efcape confiderable dangers, or partake 
 *' of any confiderable good without the im- 
 <* mediate and fpecial interpofition of the 
 «* Deity," />, 209. Your 
 
1 6 Remarks on Mr, Tho, Chubb'^ 
 
 Your definition of z particular Frovidence 
 is, " That it is a fpecial and particular //z- 
 ** terpojition of the Deity^ in the produdtion 
 ** or prevention of fuch efFedls upon this 
 " globe as are above or befide the ordinary 
 " courfe of nature, or of thofe lawi by 
 *' which the world is governed, in the 
 *' courfe of God's general Providence; and 
 " therefore could not have been produced 
 *' nor prevented by nature's frrid; adherence 
 " to thofe laws," p. 207. 
 
 I would alii you, *S/r, what idea you 
 have of the ordinary courfe of nature? 
 Whether you think it to be any thing diffe- 
 rent from that energy of power and wifdorn 
 that conftituted and fettled at firft the feve- 
 ral phenomena of beings or things ? Or that 
 beings or things continue to exill, without 
 that energy being continued which firfl 
 caufed their exiftence ? Your fcheme oi ge- 
 neral Providence mud certainly appear very 
 irrational and unphihjophical^ as well as un- 
 fcriptural, if you fuppofe the creative power 
 to be withdrawn as ibon as exerted. There 
 are no parts of the creation thaj[ can at any 
 time admit the abience of this foundation of 
 being. Providence then muft include, in 
 the idea of ir, a perpetual and conjtant pre- 
 fence or application of the J'ame power to 
 the prefervation, as was to the creation of 
 the feveral clafies of beings in order to their 
 anfwering the end of their firfl eitablilhment. 
 2 And 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. z-j 
 
 And although man^ as a free-agent, m 'il 
 not be fuppofed to be ^^Ti^tx fuch laws as i.Ti- 
 pofe an abfolute necejjit\\ and to which 
 merely paffive and inanimate beings are Aib- 
 jed:, yet, as Mr. Woolajion well ohferves, 
 <* He may make a part of that Providence 
 ** by which God adminifters (he affairs of 
 «' the world. Whatever advantages I ob- 
 <* tain by my own free endeavours, and 
 «^ right ufe of thofe faculties and powers I 
 ** have, "I look upon them to be as much 
 *' the effecfts of God's Providence and go- 
 ** vernment, as if they were given me im- 
 «* mediately by him, without my adling ; 
 ** fince all my faculties and abilities (whac- 
 " ever they are) depend upon hinty and are 
 *' as it were inftruments of his Providence 
 " to me, in refpecSt of fuch things as may 
 
 ** be procured by them, " p. 97. Bcfide, 
 
 if we concemphce thofe irregularities and 
 deviations 10 the original conftitution which 
 have been introduced by man, we {hall be 
 inclined to think a particular Providence 
 does take place in the government of the 
 
 world. ^But of this argument, more in 
 
 another Sedhon. 
 
 I fhall, in this place, defire you would 
 turn your eye to revelation^ where the do- 
 (flrine appears to be wrote as with a fun 
 beam, 
 
 — He Jhall give his angels charge over 
 thee,-^ 
 
 B Thefe 
 
1 8 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb'x 
 
 nefe — all wait on tbee^ that thou mayeji 
 give them their meat in due Jeafon j that 
 thou givejl them, they gather : thou openeji 
 thy handy they are filled with good. 
 
 Thou hideji thy face, they are troubled', 
 
 thou takeji away their breath, they die, and 
 
 return to their dufi ; thou fendefi forth thy 
 
 fpirit, they are cremated : and thou renewejl 
 
 the face oj the earth. 
 
 Take heed, fays our Saviour, that ye de- 
 fpife not one of thefe little ones j for I fay 
 unto you, that in heaven their angels do be- 
 hold the face of my Father which is in 
 heaven. 
 
 I add, that if our Lord • knew any thing 
 of the matter, he, in the moft exprefs man- 
 ner, afTerts the do(ftrine of a particular 
 Providence, Johny. 17. My Father work- 
 ETH HITHERTO, and I work. To fee the 
 conclufivenefs of this declaration, we muft 
 attend to the occafion of it. And we are 
 told, that our Saviour had been healing or 
 curing a lame man on the Jewijh fabbath, 
 which had given great offence to the Jews: 
 but in his own defence, he pleads, that 
 this beneficent adt of his, was no more 
 than a copying after the kind Father oj the 
 univerfe ; who had been vouchfafing to re- 
 lieve and fuccour his creatures hitherto. 
 Now, iftherebeany analogy between our 
 Lord's performing that cure, and his Fa- 
 ther's working, it cannot agree with your 
 
 fcheme 
 
Dijfertation on P?^ovidence, &c. i o 
 
 fcheme of a general Providence^ which 
 fuppofes, " That God did indeed bring a 
 ** world into being at firft, and then fixed 
 ** all its laws ; and by nature's ftrict adhe- 
 " rence to thefe laws, the world has been 
 " governed ever fince, without frequent 
 ** and almofl perpetual interpofals. " — So 
 that here is nothing that will agree with the 
 Father's working hitherto j for to fuppofe 
 that there has been frequent and almofl: 
 perpetual interpofals of Providence, would, 
 according to you, be only a patching and 
 mending ; consequently, the Father cannot 
 have worked hitherto by fuch frequent fpe- 
 cial interpofals. — Nor will it agree with 
 your fchenie of particular Providence^ for- 
 afmuch as that only admits of very rare in- 
 flances of interpofals, viz. in fome extraor^ 
 dinary circumflances. So that if our Savi- 
 our had intended any analogy here, or 
 meant any thing by what he faid, it fhould 
 have been put thus, As my Father has not 
 IS or he d hitherto hut upon extraordinary 
 .OCCASIONS, no more do /, therefore you 
 ; Jews need not be Jo offended at me. — But 
 this, Sir^ you will perceive will not bear, 
 when you coniider tfiat our Lord went about 
 continually doifig good ; the time of his pub- 
 lick miniflry was filled up v^-'ixh jrequent^ 
 and almofl perpetual interpofals of tdts of 
 kindnefs to mankind ; and this was in dired: 
 
 B 2 in.i- 
 
20 Remarks on Mr, Tho. ChubbV 
 
 imitation of his Father, who thus worketh 
 hitherto. 
 
 You, on the other hand, fuppofe, that 
 frequent, and almofl perpetual interpofals 
 of divine power and goodnefs, would be to 
 fuppofe the original conilitution imperfedt, 
 and imply a fort of mending and patching of 
 it. — Concerning which, I would ask you, 
 whether you have any folid reafon to fup- 
 port fuch a fuppofition ? or how you come 
 to know, that iht frequent exercife or inter- 
 pofals of divine power and goodnefs does 
 imply any defeSi in his operations ? If 
 you do not know this, I fhould think you 
 are too ra{h in your determinations. 
 
 Notwithftanding this, probably you will 
 fay, that what I have offered is nothing at 
 all to the purpofe ; forafmuch as you have 
 proved from thofe moft remarkable dif- 
 courfes of our Saviour's about Providence, 
 that there is no fuch thing as a particular 
 Providence ordinarily exercifed towards our 
 world. 
 
 I (hall therefore proceed to take that pare 
 of your performance under a more parti- 
 cular confideration. And the firft difcourfe" 
 of our Lord's, which you take notice of, 
 is, Matt. vi. 25. to the end. — " Therefore 
 " I Jay unto yoUy take no thought J or your 
 " lifey what ye fiall eaty or what ye fiall 
 " drink \ Tioryetfor the bod\\ what \e fiall 
 
 ' " fut 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 2 1 
 
 " put Oft : Is not the life more than ineat^ 
 ** and the body than raiment ? Behold the 
 ** fowls of the air ; for they fow not, neither 
 " do they reap^ nor gather into barns ; yet 
 " your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are 
 " ye not much better than they ? Which of 
 ** you by taking thought can add one cubit to 
 " his ftature ? And why take ye thought for 
 *' raiment ? Confider the lilies of the fields 
 " how they grow j they toil not^ neither do 
 *' they f'pin : And yet I fay unto you^ that 
 *' Solomon in all his glory ^ was not arrayed 
 " like one of thefe. Wherefore^ if God fo 
 *' clothe the grafs of the fields which to day 
 *' n, and to morrow is cafi into the oven, 
 *' floall he not much more clothe you^ O ye of 
 *' little faith .? Therefore take no thought, 
 *' jaying, what jlo all we eat ? or what Jloall 
 *' we drink ? or wherewithal floall we be 
 *' clothed ? (for after all thefe things do the 
 *' Gentiles Jeek) Jor your heavenly Father 
 ** knoweth that you have need of all thefe 
 *' things. But Jeek ye firji the kingdom of 
 ** God^ and his right eoujnefs^ and all thefe 
 *' things Jh all be added unto you. Take there- 
 *' jcre no thought jor the jnorrow ; Jor the 
 ** morrow Jljaii take thought Jor the things 
 *' oj ttfelj' 'j J'ufficient unto the day is the evil 
 *' thereof. As this difcourfe was written 
 " many years atter it was fpoken by our 
 *' Lord; fo, probably, through a defe^ of 
 *' memory in the hijlorian, wiiac our Lord 
 B 3 " fa\d 
 
2 2 Remarks on Mr, Tho. ChubbV 
 
 " faid immediatel} before it, which intro- 
 " duced it, and was made the ground or 
 " reafon of it, wasforgotfen j ard t'ue'efore 
 " was not related by him. This dilcourfe, 
 «' as it now ftands in the biftory, begins 
 ** thus : 'Therefore take no thought for your 
 " life^ &c. which words fuppofe fometliir.g 
 " to have been faid before, to which they 
 ** were related, and from which they fol- 
 «' low as a confequence or conclufion ; 
 " whereas the words that immediately pre- I 
 " cede them, they have no conue^ftion .vith, 
 " or dependance upon. Ver. 24. 'No man 
 *' can jerque two mafters ; for either he will 
 ** hate the one, and love the other ; or elfe he 
 *' will hold to the one, and defpife the other : 
 *' ITe cannot ferve God and mammon. There- I 
 " fore take no thought for your life, &c. \ 
 ** Here I obferve, that a man cannot ferve 
 " God and mammon; yet it does not fol- i 
 ** low thac therefore he ought to take no | 
 " thought for his life j the latter of thefe ' 
 " proportions does not follow as a ne- 
 " cefTary confequence, or as a juft con- 
 *' clufion from the former; and there- , 
 »^' fore, as I faid before, the hijlorian mud I 
 " have dropped that part of our Lord's 
 <* difcourfe, which immediately preceded 
 '« that difcourfe I now refer to, and which 
 " was made [he ground or reafon of it. '* 
 /•, ^14, 215, 2l6. 
 
Differ tat ton on Providence^ Sec. 23 
 
 I fhall in my remarks, firfl expofe the fat- 
 Jity of your criticifm, and then enter into 
 the merits of your argument. 
 
 Pardon me, «S/r, for faying if, but fuch 
 
 a criticifm as yours could only arife from 
 
 an unacquainrednefs with, or an unattenti- 
 
 on to the difcourfe of our Saviour, or elfe 
 
 todefign: as will appear at firft view, from 
 
 a confideration of the thread of our Lord's 
 
 reafoning. In the i()ihver. he begins to 
 
 condemn 2i prco ailing, ox firft regard to the 
 
 things of this world, as being both vain 
 
 and criminal : ' Lay not up for your felves 
 
 ' treafures upon earthy where moth and rufi 
 
 ^ doth corrupt^ and where thieves break 
 
 ' through and Jleal. But lay up for your 
 
 ^Jelves treajures in heaven^ where neither 
 
 ' moth nor ruji doth corrupt^ and where 
 
 ' thieves do not break through nor Jleal. 
 
 ' Here he expofeth this vice of the mind 
 
 « from the nature of the treafure \ as ics 
 
 < being fubjedt to decay, and liable to be 
 
 ' raviflied from us by injuftice or violence. 
 
 ' — He adds, "uer. 21. For where your trea- 
 
 * SURE /\ there your heart will be alfo. 
 ' q. d. what is fubjedl to dec ay .^ or alienation^ 
 'is not a treafure fit to engage and cngrofs 
 ' the heart. But fuch is the difpoiition of 
 
 * human nature, that what is efteemed its 
 ' treafure^ or beft enjoynient, cannot but 
 
 * have the heart fixed upon it. This argu- 
 ' ment he illuftrates, ver, 22, 23. T^he light 
 
 B4 "f 
 
24 Remarks o?2 Mr. Tho. Chubb' ^ 
 
 ^ of the body is the eye ; if there foi-e thine eye 
 ' be 'Jingle^ thy whole body fiall be full of 
 ' light : but tf thine eye be evil^ thy whole 
 
 * body Jhall be full of darknefs. If therefore 
 ' the light that is in thee be darknefs^ how 
 
 * great is that darknefs f As if he had faid, 
 ' as the eye is the only organ of vifion, by 
 
 * which the body is guid' d and dired:ed ; 
 
 * if this organ fliould be iingle, /. e. pure, 
 ' and without films, and its humours free 
 ' from diforder, then it can ferve all the 
 ' purpofes of fuch an organ ; but if it be 
 'evil, or under fuch diftempers as do hin- 
 ' der its ufefulnefs, then the whole body 
 ' muft be as if it was without any eye, i. e, 
 ' no way the better for ir. — And fo it is in 
 ' the prefent cafe, with regard to the mind, 
 ' if thy heart or foul be fixed on any of thefe 
 '- things as its treafure^ it will difcover thy 
 ' ignorance and darknefs, it will prove that 
 ' the candle cf the Lord within thee is put 
 ' out and extinguidied.' But left they fhould 
 not difcern clearly the truth of the propo- 
 fuion firft laid down, our Lord throws 
 farther light upon it from another y?w/7^, 
 ' ver. 24. No man can Jerve two mafters ; 
 ' for either he will hate the one^ and love the 
 ' other ; cr elfe he will hold to the one^ and 
 ' ^^JP\I^ ^^^^ cz/^^r ; Te cannot ferve God and 
 ' mammon : q. d. two men of oppofite dif- 
 ' pofitions and intercfts cannot both fliare 
 * our dutiful regards. We cannot ferve 
 
 ' God 
 
Differtation on Providence^ 6cc. 25 
 
 * God and this 'world : or in other words, 
 ' we cannot make both our treafure. T.here- 
 ^fore take no ^thought for your ///>, &c. As 
 'if he had faid, if you would obferve the 
 
 * rule 1 have laid down about what fhall be 
 
 * your treafure^ and where it muft be depo- 
 'fitedj you muft take no thought, nor ex- 
 
 * prefs any anxiety about your life, or the 
 ' means of its fupport, as if that was your 
 
 * treafure. To do fo, would be entirely 
 ' wrong, forafmuch as your having laid up 
 ^ your treafure in heaven, will forbid any 
 'y^/f^ thoughtfulnefs. Nay, iht confideration 
 ' of it, as a moft fubftantial evidence of 
 ' your being the children of my Father in 
 ' heaven will forbid it, fince his Providence 
 ' does undoubtedly include a care for your 
 ' lives and bodies, and the means of their fup- 
 ' port and accommodation. — You muft not 
 ' then take any folicitude about them, for 
 ^ that would be to ad: the part of Gentiles ; 
 ' but do you firft feek the kingdom of God, 
 ' and his righteoufnefs, i. e. lay up your 
 ' treafure in heaven, and all thefe things 
 ' ihall be added.' 
 
 Thus I think the difcourfe of our Lord 
 muft be underftoodj as it feems to be the 
 plain and moft obvious drift of his reafon- 
 ing ; in which paraphraje the connection is 
 ftridly preferved, and the various points of 
 light in which he enforced the precept ap- 
 pears beautiful. In your criticifm nothing 
 
 of 
 
26 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb '^ 
 
 of this does appear, bur inftead of it the 
 connexion is broke, a conclulion drawn 
 without a premife ; and in order to ac- 
 count for it, nothing lefs than the imputa- 
 tion of JefeSf of memory^ and an imperfeSf 
 relation of the hijiorian is moft exprelly 
 aflerted. 
 
 But, as I know there are fome gentlemen 
 who greatly value any performance, that 
 they imagine gives a {hake to the credibility 
 and reputation of the new tefiament writers; 
 I (hall therefore in this next Sedllon offer 
 fomething to your farther confideration, 
 which hath a more immediate regard to 
 that their credit and reputation. 
 
 SECT. 
 
Differ tat ion on Providence^ 6cc. 27 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Some Remarks on your true Gofpel of 
 Jefus Chrift afferted. 
 
 YOUR charging the hifiorian with 
 defeSt of memory, plainly intimates, 
 that you fuppofe him under no affiftance 
 from injpiration ; which is indeed known to 
 be your profeffed opinion. Whether that 
 your opinion has any good foundation, or 
 no, may perhaps appear, whilfl I give you 
 fome remarks on the Vlth SeStion of your 
 true gofpel, &c. In that SeBion you tell us, 
 Jirji, '*• The gofpel of Jefus Chrift is not an 
 " hijlorical account of matters of fa5i : As 
 *' thus; Chrift fufFered, died, rofe from the 
 '' dead, afcended into heaven, &c. Thefe 
 " are kijiorical fadis, the credibility of 
 " which arifes from the ftrength of thofe 
 " evidences which are, or can be offered in 
 " their favour : but then thofe facfls are not 
 *' iht gofpel of Jefus Chrift, neither in whole 
 " nor in part. " And the reafon you affign 
 for it, is, '' Becaufe the gofpel was preach» 
 " ed to the poor anteceden'ly to thefe tranf- 
 " adlions. " You alfo cite feveral paffages 
 of fcripture, which you determine to be 
 only the ptivate opinions of the writers. 
 
 That 
 
28 Remarks on Mr. Tho'. Chubb's 
 
 That the gofpel was preached to the poor 
 by our Lord himfelf, antecedently to thefe 
 tranfa(flions, is no proof that the whole of 
 the gofpel had been preached to them, 
 Luke vii. 22. even upon your own fcheme ; 
 except you can prove, that our Lord had 
 already told them, that God had appointed 
 a day in 'which the Jon of man^ i. e. yefus 
 Chrift, Jljall judge the world in righteoujhefs. 
 —For the twelve^ and afcerward the J'e- 
 i)enty, to be fent out to proclaim the 
 kingdom of heaven was at hand^ or was 
 nigh them j and to heal the fick and dif- 
 eafed, was, undoubtedly, good newSy or 
 gofpely to the people. But after the refur- 
 ledion of our Saviour, there was an ap- 
 parent addition to this gofpel, or good news, 
 when the dodlrine was to be, not only re- 
 fnijjion of fins, as the confequent of repen- 
 tance ; but this likewife as plainly con- 
 firmed and attefted by Clirift's reJ'urreBion 
 Jrom the dead, and his being inveiltd with 
 all power. It follows hence, that ihoiigh 
 the gofpel was preached antecedently to the 
 fadls of Q\\x\QC% fufferingSy deatl, 6cc. yet it 
 does not follow, that all that now belongs 
 to the true gofpel of Chrid, was then 
 preached, when you fay it was. — You own, 
 *' that the liifloryof thefe fads, when well 
 " attefted, may be offered as an evidence of 
 " the divinity of Chrift's miflon \ but then 
 " this hiflorv, as far as it is an hiftory of 
 
 " fuch 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 29 
 
 ^^ fuch fads only, can be no pare of that 
 '* miffion ; and confequently can be no part 
 « of Chrift's gofpel. "/>. 44, 
 
 Here we have you acknowledging thefe 
 fadis to be capable of being offered as an 
 evidence of the divinity of Chrift's mif- 
 lion J but then faying they are no part of 
 that miffion. True, the evidence of a fa(5t 
 cannot be ihcfa^ itfelf, which inty evince. 
 But take away the eviden'^es of ^ fad, or 
 thofe circumllances by which u is prove- 
 able, and then tell me how I (hall d'fcern 
 the fad. So in tl^e prr f Jt caie, rake away 
 the miraclet; and i^ida, .0 wnich our Lord 
 refers as evidences of his divine riuffi on, and 
 add to this, a denial of inlpiration in the 
 hiftorian, and then tell me how the diVine 
 miffion of our Saviour will ap;jt:ur, any 
 more than that of a Marcus Aurelim An» 
 toninuSj or a Seneca, 
 
 But I need not flay here ; for you have 
 made 2i fa6t a part of your true golptl of 
 Jefus Chrill:, which feems to have depended 
 upon thefe other fads, viz. of hii iuffer- 
 ings, death, refurredlon, &c. whicti I 
 now proceed to a particular confideration 
 of. 
 
 In Seci. II. p. 18. you give us what you 
 thir.k is the true gofpel of Jefus ChriJ}^ un- 
 der three particular heads j one of which, 
 you have made the fubjed of your Vth 
 Sedf, and is as follows ; " That God hath 
 
 *' ap- 
 
30 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb'y 
 
 *^ appointed a day in which the fon of man, 
 •^ /. e. Jefus Chrift, (hall judge the world 
 " in righteoufnefe j or a declaration that God 
 *' will moft certainly judge the world by 
 ** him ; at which event, Chrift as a righte- 
 *^ ous judge will approve or condemn, re- 
 '^ ward or punifli every man, according as 
 " there has been an antecedent fitnefs, or 
 " unfitnefs, worthinefs, or unworthinefs, in 
 « the perfon judged. — And that this appoint- 
 «« ment was a part of the original fcheme of 
 ^^ Providence, when this world was^r/?cal- 
 '' led into being. '* 
 
 Here you exprefsly acknowledge that the 
 difcovery of xhtfuture judgmenty as executed 
 by Jefus Chrift, and the rule of judgment ^ 
 do both belong to the true go/pel : fince you 
 have done this, it muft follow, that if our 
 Lord himfelf has alfo taught, that tbe Fa^ 
 ther gave him authority to execute judgment^ 
 becaufe he was the Son of Man ; and that 
 his incarnation was to this end, viz. that he 
 might by dying bear witnefs to the truth. — 
 That his fufferings were pre-requijite to his 
 entrance into glory ; — And that he would lay 
 down his life that he might take it up again, 
 —That he was the reJurreBion and the life : 
 —I fay, it will hence follow, that the hi- 
 flory of thefe fad:s muft alfo belong to the 
 true gofpel. And for this reafon, viz. be- 
 caufe if we have no infallible alTurance of 
 the truth of thefe fa(Ss foretold by Jefus 
 
 Chrift 
 
Dijfertafion on Providence^ &c. 3 1 
 
 Chrift himfelf, concerning himfelf, and as 
 fadts that were previous to his executing the 
 office of judge, we can have no infallible 
 alTurance that he will execute that office : 
 forafmuch as the lieraclty of his declara- 
 tion concerning himfelf, will hold no far- 
 ther in the one cafe, than it will hold in 
 the other. We are likewife alTured, that 
 the Apoftles were of opinion, that all power 
 being given to our Lord both in heaven and 
 in earthy was the reward and confcquence 
 of hisfufferings and dearh. — -^Philip. ii. 8, 9. 
 And bti?tg found in fafhion as a inan^ he 
 humbled himfelf and became obedient to 
 deaths even the death of the crofs ; where- 
 fore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and 
 given him a name above every name. Heb, 
 ii. 10, For it became him for whom are all 
 things^ and by whom are all things^ in bring- 
 ing manyfons unto glory ^ to make the captain 
 of their falvation perfect through fuffer^ 
 ings. 
 
 Chap. V. 8, 9. Though he was a fon^ yet 
 learned he obedience by the things which he 
 fuff'ered: and being made perfe^i, he became 
 the author of eternal falvation to them that 
 obey him. 
 
 Ch. xii. 2. Looking unto Jefus the author 
 
 {or beginner) and fnijher of our faith^ who 
 
 for the joy that was fet before him^ endured 
 
 the croJ'Sy defpifing the P^ame^ and is fet down 
 
 at the right hand of the throne of God. 
 
 Nov/ 
 
3 2 Remarh on Mr, Tho. ChubbV 
 
 Now left you (hould fay of thefe palTages, 
 that they prove nothing to you, they are 
 only particular private opinions^ like that of 
 Sr. Johns about the word, or logoSy which 
 you mention, p. 46. I have, for fear of this, 
 referved for you the words of our blefled 
 Lord himfelf, John x. 17. Therefore 
 iiotb my Father love me^ becaufe I lay down 
 my life^ that I might take it again. For as 
 the Father hath life in himfelf ^ fo hath he 
 given to the Son to have life in himfelf ; and 
 hath given him authority to execute judgment 
 alj'o, BECAUSE he is the Son of Man. Chap. 
 V. 26, 27. In ver. 30. he declares, that 
 the judgment he fhall execute will be juji, 
 becaufe he Jeeks not his own willy but the will 
 of the Father which fent him. And in ver. 
 36. he fays, that the works which the Fa- 
 ther had given him to finish, borewitnejs of 
 him^ that the Father fent him. 
 
 Compare John vi. 51. — And the bread 
 that I will give y is my fe/h, which I will 
 GIVE /or the life of the world. 
 
 So that the death of Chrift, and his re» 
 furrc5lion, are exprcfly foretold by himfelf, 
 as pre rcquifites 10 his exercihn^ uie office 
 of judge. And, fince you declare that his 
 exercifing the ofice of judge Is a pare i;f the 
 true go/pel^ I fee nu reaibij why the pre- 
 requifites, and necelTary quaHficanonb for 
 that office, fliould not alio belong to the 
 true gofpel. 
 
 What 
 
Dijjertation on Providence^ &c. 'i^'}^ 
 
 What reply you will make to this I do 
 not know ; you mud either allow thefe a 
 part of the true go/pel^ or elfe fly to your 
 old refuge, and fay, that it is a miftake in- 
 troduced by the hifiorians through a defeci 
 oi memory. You cannot but fee, if you re- 
 gard the hijlorians as honeft men, that our 
 Saviour was not invefted with the character 
 of judge till after his refurredion. This 
 teflimony he gave of himfelf, John iii. 17. 
 *That Godjhit him net into the iiDorld (in the 
 character of judge) to condemn the world -y 
 but that the world through him might be 
 Javed. And again, chap. xii. 47. If any 
 man hear my words, and believe not, I judge 
 him not : for 1 came not to judge the worldy 
 but tojave the world. 
 
 Thus I think the matter is beyond doubt, 
 'uiz. that the Jufferiugs, death, and refur- 
 region of Chriil:, were pre-requifites to his 
 executing the office of judge ; and as fuch, 
 a certainty about them is neceflary to a cer- 
 tainty dhoux. his executing that office: other- 
 wife, we might as well pretend to draw a 
 conjequence without a premije, which, in tlie 
 very nature of things, is impoffible. 
 
 Your faying, *' that ihk judgment is to be 
 *' confidered, not as any arbitrary inftitu- 
 *' tion, or a particular appointment of God, 
 " in thefe latter ages j but as a part of the 
 *' original Jcheme of Providence, when this 
 " world was firft called into being j " will 
 
 C "do 
 
34 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb' ^ 
 
 do you no fervicc in the prefent argument : 
 for though it was, yet, by that original 
 J'cbeme of Providence^ it was not known, or 
 difcovered to mankind, that Jefus Chrlft 
 was to execute the office of judge. So that 
 this difcovery being y^r/? made by Jefus him- 
 felf, you have with great propriety made it 
 a part of the true gofpel. 1 do not doubt 
 but you will abide by it as fuch ; and if fo, 
 you will find your felf under obligation to 
 retra(^^ what you have faid about the fadts of 
 Chrill's fufferings^ deaths refurreBion^ &c. 
 and mufl take them in, at leaft, as necef- 
 fary fupports of one part of your true gofpel. 
 And rather than fuffer the evidences, on 
 which their credibility depends, to be weak- 
 ened, I would advij'e you to allow the hijio- 
 rians, who agree in thefe fadls, to have 
 been under the guidance of a divine Spirit 
 in drawing up the hi/lory of that great 
 FRIEND)?/ mankind \ who, you declare, ca?ne 
 not to be minijlered unto, but to minifler^ 
 and to give his life a raNsom for many^ 
 .p. 63. And whofe great end, and profefjed 
 defgn, you own, in coming into the world, 
 \i2i% to J'ave tJiem fouls, p. i. 
 
 Again, fnould we look on that difcovery 
 of the rule of judgment as a motive, viz. 
 that Chrift will approve and reward with 
 eternal life the fincere and pious; — then 
 this being in the nature of a promife, mufl 
 al/o, in this view of it, oblige your re^ 
 
 cantation ; 
 
Differ t at i 071 on Providence^ &c. 3 c; 
 
 cantation : for if this his promife of being 
 the fmsiljucige and rewarder of the faith- 
 ful and obedient, may be depended upon 
 as an undoubted truth, from the credit of 
 him that fpoke it j then, his declaring 
 that the comforter, the holy ghost 
 (whom the Father would fend in his name) 
 jhould teach the?n all things, and brijig 
 ALL things to their remembrance^ what- 
 foever be faid to them, John xiv. 26. muft 
 be depended upon as an undoubted truth 
 likewife. And if fo, then the hiftorians 
 could be in no danger of a defedf of me- 
 mory^ whilfl: writing the hillory of their 
 Lord and mafter. — Can any man think they 
 could be liable to any fuch defetf^ if what 
 our Lord faid was true ; and that the Spirit 
 did teach them all things, and did bring 
 ALL THINGS that evet he had faid to them, 
 to their remembrance ? — It is no cbjedion, 
 that the/ewr hiftorians did not record every 
 thing that he had faid, fince that would 
 have made his hiftoi-y too volum.inous. But 
 it would occalion a very great ditiiculty to 
 fuppofe them under the guidance of divine 
 infpiration^ and yet guilty of drawing #n 
 inference without a premife, or inferting a 
 conclufion without any thing to fupport it! 
 we cannot imagine that the wijdom of Gcd 
 was capable of fuch incorre(5tnels. On the 
 other handy fhould we fuppofe that that 
 promife of our Saviour's was never made ; 
 
 C 2 or 
 
36 Remarh Q?t Mr. Tho. Cliubb'j 
 
 or that if it was, it was never fulfilled : 
 which loever of thefe fuppofitions we 
 make, we thereby deftroy the credibility of 
 that part of the true gofpel^ viz. that J ejus 
 Chrijt 'will be the judge of men^ and finally 
 reward the ^virtuous : for if the hijiorian has 
 related zjalfity about Chrill's promifing his 
 difciples the Spirit to bring all things 
 to their remembrance^ he might relate 2. fal^ 
 Jity like wife about Chrijl's being the final 
 judge and rewarder, — If then we fuppofe 
 that Chrift did fay, that the Spirit rfiould 
 be fo fent, but it was not ; neither was any 
 of his difciples under fuch an infallible di- 
 redion : he may have faid likewife that he 
 fhall act as judge, and finally reward the 
 upright, but he may fail of the perfor- 
 mance, and never a(5l as judge. — And of 
 confcquence, this third part of your true 
 gofpel would fall to the ground. 
 
 jf you faw thefe con/equences when you 
 v^TOte your ti'ue gojpel^ you mufthave ailed 
 from very unworthy principles j fince you 
 profeficdly own your felf to be an advocate 
 i^ cbrijtianity : but if you faw them not, 
 and had no defign of weakening the credi- 
 bility of the chriftian revelation^ every 
 wife and reafonable man will forgive you. 
 
 ylgain, That pafiage you mention of St. 
 Peters, i Pet. iii. 19, 20. about Chrift's 
 going to preach to the fpirits in prifon in 
 the days of Noah^ — ^does not feem to be fuch 
 
 a dark 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 3 7 
 
 a dark branch of hiftory, as you would 
 have it ; nor do I imagine that many heads 
 need to have been puzzled to have found 
 out the meaning. The i8ch "j^r. feems to 
 make it plain enough, that the fame fpiric 
 by which Chrift was quickened, or raifed 
 from the dead, was given to Noah ; by 
 which thofe people, as captives or priloners 
 enflaved to their vices, were exhorted ro 
 repent, in order to their avoiding the fen- 
 tence of death denounced againft them, the 
 threatened dejiruBion by water; from which 
 only eight fouls were faved. Compare 
 2 Epiji. ii. 5. 
 
 Now although we (hould not fuppofe this 
 any part of the truegofpel of Chrift, yet it 
 is of fome concern to us, whether the rela- 
 tion given be true, or falfe, if we would 
 maintain the credit of this v/riter. And as 
 there may be a very probable fenfe affixed to 
 this relation of a matter of fad:, and by 
 which we may keep clear of any puzzling 
 meanders ; a little common decency, and 
 civil refped will lead us to admit of fuch 
 a conftrudion, rather than create to our 
 felves wjnecejfary difficulties: efpecially in 
 an affair that cannot affed our virtue or 
 happinefs, though it ffiould not be the 
 exadl fenfe of the writer. 
 
 And yet it muft be owned, that upon 
 your fcheme, the writers of the New 
 TeJIament may fafely enough be treated with 
 
 C 3 as 
 
38 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb V 
 
 as much freedom as a Seneca, or an Mfop : 
 but Ithink even thefe common authors de- 
 fcrve to be dealt with upon principles of 
 truth and integrity : I mean, they ought 
 not to be mifreprefented by any unfair con- 
 clufions drawn from what they have ad- 
 vanced : and ts^vi 2i fable, that has a good 
 moral plainly couched in it, fhould not be 
 fubje<5ted to an immoral conclufion. — -And 
 yet, thus you feem to have ufed St. James 
 in that matter of fa(fl he relates of Elias, 
 chap. V. 17, 18. Your words are, " And, 
 " according to St. James's reprefentation of 
 " thejlory, the cafe feems to be, not only 
 " that this great drought was brought upon 
 " the land in confequence of the proploefs 
 *' prayer \ but alfo that the prophet's prayer 
 " was the produce of his faffion and refent- 
 *' ment. ^lia^ was a man Jubje5l to like 
 '^ p^JJlons as lije are, and he prayed ear- 
 ^' 7ie]ily,^c.'' 
 
 Pray, Sir, did you attend to what fub- 
 je6l that writer was upon, when he intro- 
 duced this narrative concerning Elias? I 
 prefume you did not ; for if you had, you 
 iurely could never have been guilty of do- 
 ing him fuch a manifefl injury ; efpecially 
 him, a writer whom you call 2. faint, if you 
 in earneft think him to have been a pious, 
 holy man ; and as fuch, deferved the cha- 
 racter you give him. — For do but confider. 
 Si. James is dire(fting and exhorting them 
 
 to 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ Sec. 39 
 
 to whom he wrote, to an attendance to the 
 exercife of the prayer of faith; which was 
 one of the miraculous and extraordinary 
 gifts of the Spirit, and which at that time, 
 they could make ufe of for the recovery of 
 fick perfons. But as there was fuch a thing 
 2.S quenchifig the Spirit, by any great abate- 
 ments of their piety and virtue, fo he ad- 
 vifeth them to confefs their faults, and pray 
 one for another ; that by fuch confeffion, 
 the prayer of faith might take eiFedt, /. e. 
 ihey might be healed. And the farther to 
 convince them, that they might expect fuch 
 extraordinary effed:s ihould attend the 
 prayer of faith, he lays this down as a 
 maxim, or certain truth, viz. The effeBual 
 fervent prayer of a righteous 7nan availeth 
 much. An inftance of which, [q. d.) you 
 have in Eli as, ivho was a man fubjeSi to 
 like pafpons as we are^ and he prayed earnejl- 
 ly that it might not rain, and ic rained ?iot, 
 &c. Now, for God's fake, Sir, lee us know 
 how fuch a contlufion as vou have drawn 
 could ever have been made by any man, 
 without leading us to queftion his integrity, 
 capacity, or acquaintance, with the facred 
 writings ? Certainly no perfon could think 
 that Sr. James meant, by Elias's being a 
 man fubjed: to like paJjio72s, that he v/as a 
 man fubjedt to anger and rejentment. — Your 
 joyning refentment with paffion by the copu- 
 lative XandA oroves, that you would have us 
 C4 to 
 
40^ Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' i* 
 
 to conclude, that, according to St. yames^s 
 reprelentation of the ilory, the Prophet's 
 prayer was the produce of his anger, or 
 Jury^ and rejent7?7ent. Although St. James 
 only fays, that Eli as was a man fubje<fl 
 to like pajfions as we are. We, i. e. St. Jatnes 
 himfelf, and the chriftians to whom he 
 wrote; who, according to you, muft be 
 fuppofed to be men o{ fiery tempers, and 
 pajjicnafe rejentments, — Surely, Mr. Chubb 
 muft eftecm St. 'James as either fool or en- 
 thufiaf, for introducing fuch an inftance ; 
 as it not only blackens his own chara<5ter, 
 and that of the chriftians •, but is alfo a 
 very unfit illuftration of the maxim laid 
 down, ^7*2;. l^hat the effectual fervent prayer 
 cf a RIGHTEOUS MAN avaiUth much. — 
 St. James could not have a more wild noti- 
 on oi fervent prayer, and of the fervent 
 prayer of a righteous man, than to think, 
 that i}^Q\i fervency was only the emotions of 
 anger and refentment I And his ideas of the 
 deity mull be as extravagant, to imagine 
 fuch prayer the mofl fucccfsful with him. 
 •—What a reprefentation is this of St. 
 James, and of the chriftians, and of righ- 
 teous men, as well as of ejJeSlual prayer ! 
 — Certainly, Sir, any unprejudiced reader 
 "might fee, that like pufjions in this place, 
 could have no fuch meaning as you have 
 affixed to it. It muft refer to like bodily 
 diforderSj infirmities, ferf editions, or J uffer- 
 
 ings y 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 41 
 
 ings *j and the Greek word fignifies, like 
 Jufferings ; nor is -pajjion unufually applied 
 to fuffering. You know that the word is 
 in common ufe among us, except you un- 
 derftand by pajjiofi in the Litan\\ refent- 
 mentj or any angry emotion. Then, indeed, 
 " by Chrift's agony and bloody fvvear, by his 
 *' ci'ofi and anger ^ or refentmenty you pray to 
 "be delivered." — Neverthelefs, you may 
 haps yet think, that by Elias's praying, 
 earnejlly^ does intend an angry emotion^ or 
 refentment of mind ; but I refer you to our 
 common margins, where you are told whac 
 is the true rendering, 'viz. that he prayed 
 in his prayer. And yer, if the word ear- 
 nejlly be retained, I do not fee why that 
 fhould fignify an angry emotion, unlefs you 
 think a man cannot be in earneji except he 
 be angry. And then, truly, every man 
 that is in good temper, and without fury in 
 his prayer, muft only be in jejl with his 
 maker. — I hope enough has been offered to 
 fhew that you have been really 'wanton in 
 your remarks. I lliall add, that the in- 
 ftance of Elias was a proper illuflration of 
 the truth of the propofition, viz. That the 
 eff'ei^ual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
 
 * St. James might probably ufe the word like pajjlons, to 
 correft a miftaken tradition among the Jet^s, 'viz. That 
 Elijah was not a mere man, but an angel dropped from the 
 clouds ; th^re being no account given of h.\i parentage. 
 
 avail' 
 
42 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb' j 
 
 availeth much ; and as fuch, ferved to ani- 
 mate and encourage thofe chriftians to 
 whom St. James wrote, to a preparation 
 for, and a reliance on the prayer oj faith ; 
 forafmuch as a man of the fame make of 
 body with themfelves, liable to like fick- 
 nelTes, perfecutions and fufFerings, did acftu- 
 ally exercife this prayer of faiths or mira^ 
 culous prayer^ and that too with fuccefs. 
 
 I fliall now endeavour to {hew that what 
 I have offered ftands confirmed from the 
 hijlory^ where the faSi referred to is re- 
 corded. 
 
 And we are told of Ahab king of Ifrael^ 
 that he did evil in the fight of the Lord, 
 above all that were before him. — He went 
 and ferved Baal, and worfldipped him ; and 
 reared up an altar for Baal, in the houfe 
 of Baal, which he had built in Samaria, 
 — and made a grove — and did more to pro- 
 'voke the Lord God of Ifrael to anger ^ than 
 all the kings of Ifrael that were before hifn^ 
 1 Kingsxvi. 30, 31, 32, 33. 
 
 And that this adl of rebellion againfl: the 
 God of Ifrael, was not the fingle acS of 
 Ahab, but that his people concurred with 
 him in his idolatry and wickednefs, is evi- 
 dent from Chap, xviii. ver. 39. where we 
 are told, T^hat when all the people f aw that 
 fire from the Lord had confurncd the facrifice 
 that Elijah had offered (in oppofition to 
 the facritices oifered by the prophets of 
 
 Baal) 
 
Dijfei^tatton on Provide7ice^ 6cc. 43 
 
 Baal) they /aid, Tbe Lord he is the God^ 
 The Lord he is the God. 
 
 It is no wonder then, that Elijah, a 
 prophet of the Lord, fhould be directed to 
 deliver fuch a prophecy to Ahab^ when both 
 he and his people had brought themfelves 
 into a ftate of aBiial rebellion againft the 
 God of Ifrael, who had given them an ex- 
 prefs laWy even the very firfl, in their magna 
 charta^ or two tables, i^/^r. That they jhotild 
 have 710 other Gods before hifn. And not only 
 fo, but had moft feverely puniflied idolatry 
 in their anceftors. Nay, for this very end 
 he condefcended to be their king and gover- 
 nour, and to manifeft himfelf in an extraor- 
 dinary manner to them, viz. That he might 
 prejerve among them the worjhip of one 
 God, 
 
 They were then as fo many condemned 
 criminals, fentenced to death and deftrudti- 
 on by their own law, and therefore Elias, 
 or Eiijahj might denounce this judgment, as 
 the minifter of God, WMthouc a paffionate and 
 angry difpofition of mind. 
 
 It appears alfo from the hiflory, that 
 fome punifhment was not only fit and need- 
 ful, but that this drought was defigned to 
 ht falutary, and adually proved fo. See 
 how Elijah exprefies himfelf, i Kings 
 xvii. I. As the Lord God of Ifrael liveth^ 
 before whom I fiand, there jhall not be deia 
 nor rain these years^ but ACCORDiNa 
 
 TO 
 
44 Remarh on Mr, Tho. Chubb's 
 
 TO MY WORD * ; q. d. the drought fhall 
 continue for years, except ye repent, and 
 turn to your obedience. And, accordingly 
 it did continue till they renounced their 
 idolatry, and returned to the Lord ; which 
 was, according to St. James, not till three 
 yearn and fix months after. {N. B. There is 
 no determinate time in the prophecy, (o as 
 to make it unconditional ; it is there faid, 
 THESE years.) 
 
 Their repentance then was efFefted by 
 this drought ; and we are told, chap, xviii. 
 That the people v/ere brought to confent 
 that Elijah fhould make a ijotable experi- 
 ment with the 450 prophets of Baal j in 
 order to (how who was God in Ifrael, 'uiz. 
 whether Baal, or Elijah\ God. And of 
 confequence, from whom they might only 
 expert to be relieved from their punilh- 
 ment : which experiment proved the means 
 of their thorough convidion ; They fell on 
 their faces ; and they faid, the hoRD he is the 
 God, &c. 
 
 In order to prove the fincerity of their re- 
 pentance, * the prophet Elijah bids the peo- 
 
 * pie take the prophets of Baal, and let none 
 
 * efcape. And we are told, that they flew 
 
 * them by the brook Kifljon, ' 
 
 * It is very probable, Elijah had before exhorted Jhab to 
 repent. 
 
 Now, 
 
Differtation on Providence^ 8cc. 45 
 
 Now, left this (hould be thought to be 
 the effect of Elijah\ anger and refentment, 
 I fhall make the following remarks upon 
 it. 
 
 It is not to be fuppofed that it was, un- 
 lefs we will fuppofe pajjion and refentment 
 in the God of Ifrael, who had by exprefs 
 law enjoyned, in the following words, That 
 'whatjoe'ver 7nan of the houfe of Ifrael^ or of 
 the ftr angers which fojourn among you, that 
 ofereth a burnt offering, or facrifice, and 
 bringeth it not to the door of the tabernacle 
 of the congregation, to offer it unto 
 THE Lord; even that man {hall be cue 
 off from among his people. Lev. xvii. 8, 9. 
 compared with Deut. xiii. i — 11. 
 
 Again, if we muft look on this dire(5tion 
 and order of the prophet, as the effedl of 
 his anger and refentmeiit, it would natural- 
 ly lead us to fuppofe, that when^r^ iffued 
 immediately from the Lord, and deftroyed 
 Nadab and Abihu, becaufe they offered 
 Jirange fire, that that was an evidence of 
 paflion, yea, of an irafcible paflion in the 
 Lord. — 
 
 The prophets of Baal, it is plain, were 
 to die, according to the moft eftabliQied 
 laws of the jewijl: theocracy ; as being 
 guil[y*of HIGH TREASON againft the king 
 ff Ifrael, the great God of heaven and 
 earth ! fo that, 1 think, we fliou'd, even 
 in this article^ excufe the prophet from the 
 
 charge 
 
46 Remarks 071 Mr, Tho. ChubbV 
 
 charge of an angry infpiration, and inftead 
 thereof, confefs him to have done no other, 
 than what he was obliged to do, by virtue 
 of the divine injlitutions. 
 
 Neither can the drought He underflood 
 as the efFe<5l of the prophet's angry and 
 refentful prayer ; forafmuch as the deity 
 could not encourage fuch a temper in any 
 of his prophets. — But fuch a temper would 
 fuppofe vengeance-, which God fays is bis, 
 his emphatically, and that he will repay. — 
 This then cannot be the province of his 
 creatures.— We accordingly find, anger and 
 refentment in Jonah reproved by God; hue 
 no way approved.— Neither wou'd it agree 
 with the perfifdtions of the Almighty, to 
 encourage a revengeful fpirit in any of his 
 creatures. The contrary of this we have 
 remarkable inftances of; thus Abraham is 
 reprefented as pleading for the removal of 
 a threatened judgment on Sodom ; buc this 
 wa5 far from praying for the judgment, 
 tho' he knew of their great Wicked nefs.— 
 And Noah likewile is defcribed as preaching 
 righteoufnefs, or recommending repentance 
 to the old worlds in order to have fitted 
 them for mercy.--- But on the other hand, 
 when the diiciples of our Lord, fuffcred 
 their angry and refentful paflions to rife 
 againft a Samaritan city, asking Jor fire 
 from heaven upon it, we find them fo far 
 from fucceeding in their prayer, that they 
 
 were 
 
DiJJ'ertation on Pj^ovidence^ &c. 47 
 
 were feverely rebuked for it.— And had this 
 been the cafe with Elijah or Ehas, it mighc 
 as well have been faid of him, as it was of 
 them, "oiz. that he knew not what fpirit he 
 was of. 
 
 Imuftown, afier all, that according to 
 the hiftory, Ahab feems to have been of the 
 fame mind as Mr. Chubb has reprefented St. 
 yames to be, for he lays an heavy charge oa 
 Elijah^ as is implied in what belays to him, 
 chap, xviii. ly.—'Art thou he that troubJeth 
 Ifrael?— This difficulty we (hall have im- 
 mediately rerrloved, by only attending to 
 Elijah's anfwer.— 7 have not troubled lirael, 
 but thou and thy father s houfe^ in that ye 
 have for jaken the comfnandments of the Lord, 
 and thou hajl followed Baahm. 
 
 So that ah ho' St. fa-mes fays, that Eliai 
 prayed earneftly, or prayed in his prayer, 
 that it might not rain, and it rained not j ic 
 is evident, that the fins of Ahab^ and of 
 the people, were the true reaTon of the 
 drought or judgment i and not the prophet's 
 prayer. 
 
 You, perhaps, may think your remark 
 yet untouch'd, fince it does not appear 
 but that this was the private opinion of St. 
 'fames ; there being nothing to fupporc 
 it in the hiftory. 
 
 I hope 1 have fufHciently proved that St. 
 
 fames cou'd not think the drought to be 
 
 the effedl of an angry prayer. In anlwer 
 
 2 then 
 
48 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' j 
 
 Then to the lafl: objedlion, I fuppofe that St. 
 James mull: know that in f pi rati on ^ or an 
 immediate revelation from God, was necef- 
 fary to the delivery of fuch an exprefs pro- 
 phecy, as this of Elijah's. And that tho* 
 our hiflory very abruptly, and of a fudden, 
 introduces Elijah^ yet it is highly probable 
 from the hijiory compared with St. James's 
 account of it, that the prophet had been 
 told by God, that he would fend fome 
 judgment upon the idolatrous IfraeliteSy and 
 would utterly deftroy them. Upon which, 
 it is natural to fuppofe Elijah interceding 
 with the Lord, that he wou'd mitigate and 
 abate the punifhment, and that he would 
 only withhold the rain and the dew fo long, 
 as that it might bring them to their fenfes, 
 and awaken their confideration ; his requeft 
 is granted, and he is bid to go tell Ahab, 
 that there jhoiild be no rain of thej'e years.— ^ 
 His meifage he delivers in the manner of a 
 mod folemn oath, as the Lord liveth.-^^ 
 We have an inftance of like condefcenfion, 
 that may lead us to conclude this a moft 
 probable conjed:ure ; and that is, that of 
 Gady David's feer; being fent to him with 
 a n:»e{rage that God wou'd infiid punifh- 
 ment ; and the fort is referred to the choice 
 of David, 1 Ciiron. xxi. 12. 
 
 Confider again, the prophet might be con- 
 vinced, and fully perfuaded, t\\At ^bab and 
 his people had forfeited their lives, and 
 
 that. 
 
Dijjertation o?z Providence^ Sec. 49 
 
 that, according to the wonted methods of 
 God's government of that people, he wou'd 
 fend fbme fignal judgment upon them : 
 and thereupon he wou'd be naturally led 
 to pray, that they might not be de/iroyd. 
 And in that prayer he might particularly 
 plead, that God woiid only ivithholdrain from 
 them^ and thereby give them further ipace 
 for repentance. And there appears great 
 Fitnels in fuch condudl, fmce he might very 
 rationally hope, that their being thus denied 
 many of the comforts of life, and treated 
 as criminals by the frown of heaven, they 
 might in time be brought to their right 
 minds ; which we have already feen, was, 
 in JaSfy the event of this their punifhment. 
 In this light, St. James's account of Elias's 
 praying earnejily that it might not rain^ and 
 it rained not, appears to have been an hu- 
 man, compaffionate plea or interceflion. 
 And this muft have been his idea of it, if 
 we do but confider on what account he has 
 introduced it, viz. as a fit inftance to en- 
 courage them to make ufe of the prayer of 
 faith, by which they might be healed of 
 their iicknefles. The prayer of faith was 
 evidently to recover and to heal. But Elias's 
 prayer, if the effejft of his anger and re- 
 fentment, v/as only to afli^ and punifi. 
 Than which, nothing furely could have 
 been a more improper inftance to encou- 
 rage the prayer of faith. The one being 
 
 D the 
 
50 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb' j 
 
 the exercife of a benevolent, the other of a 
 malevolent difpoiition of mind. In Jine, 
 altho' Vv'e have no exprefs account from the 
 hijiory, of Elijah's praying at all about the 
 drought. — Yet, upo7t your own principle, 
 " When any queftion admits of a difpute, 
 *' common juftice requires that every thing 
 " fhould be brought into the cafe which 
 *' makes either /or, or againft that que- 
 ** ftion J and wherever upon a fair compa- 
 " rifon, the greater and higher degree of 
 " probability lies, that ought in reafon to 
 " determine our judgments either for, or 
 ** againft that queftion." This being the 
 rule, St. James will appear vindicated, and 
 his account of this fad: entirely free from 
 thofe inconfiflencies you would have intro- 
 duced upon it. 
 
 I now proceed to take fome little notice 
 of your remark on John \. i, 2, 3. which, 
 according to you, contains only the parti^ 
 cular private opinion of the hijlorian. And 
 you fay, " Whether Chrift was the logos or 
 " niDord, whether he was with God, and 
 " was God, or whether he made all things 
 " in the fenfe in which St. John ufes thofe 
 *' terms, or not, is of no confequence to 
 " us ", p. 46, 47. Your reafon for faying 
 fo, is, " becaufe thefe points are no parts of 
 " Chrift's gofpel, and they are what the 
 *' falvation of mankind is not in the leajl 
 *' concerned with." 
 
 2 ' I 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ 8cc. 5 1 
 
 I muft take the liberty of affercing, that 
 the rubje(5t of thofe three ver/es does not ap- 
 pear to be the particular private opinion Qi 
 St. John ; and if he be alicw'd by us as a 
 faithful hiftorian, they cannot be fo. For 
 obferve, we all along thro' his hifrory have 
 Chrift defcribing himfelf to be the MeJJiah, 
 as he was J'ent by the Father ; and as he 
 came from the Father : which declarations 
 mufl refer to his pre-exifience 9 as will ap- 
 pear undeniably plain from the following 
 paflages. 
 
 What and if ye fi all fee the f on cf man 
 afcend up where he was before ? — For I know 
 whence I come, and ivhither I go -, but ye 
 cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 
 ^-Te are from beneath, I am from abo^ue-, ye 
 are of this world, I am not of this world. — -■ 
 For I proceed forth, and came from God ; 
 neither came I of my felf, but he fent ?ne. — 
 / came forth jrom the Father % and am come 
 into the world: again, I leave the world, 
 and go to the Father. — Upon which declara- 
 tion, the difciples profefied their belief of 
 his coming from God. — For I came down 
 from heaven, not to do my own will, but the 
 will of him that fent me. — And fiow, O Fa- 
 ther, glorify thou me with thine own Jelf, 
 with the glory which I had with thee before 
 the world was, — For thou haji loved me before 
 the foundation of the world. — From thefe, 
 and many other paflages that might be 
 D 2 men- 
 
5 2 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' j 
 
 mentioned, it manifeftly appears, that the 
 main dodlrine contained in thofe firfi three 
 verjes of St. Jobns gofpel, viz. the divine 
 origi?2a/ of 'Jefui Chrijf^ as the word: is not 
 St. Johns particular private opitiioUy i. e. if 
 we fuppofe that he has given us a true and 
 faithful narrative of what Chrift faid con- 
 cerning his own mijjion^ pre-exijient ftate^ or 
 divine original. Nor, indeed, does this ap- 
 pear to have been a matter oi Jmall concern 
 with our Lord, (ince we find him fo con- 
 Jtantly and emphatically referring to it as a 
 certain charaSierijlic of the Me/Jiah, — He 
 knew well, that it was a matter of great 
 importance to inculcate this upon the minds 
 of his difciples j inafmuch as a perfuafion 
 of his being come J) om the bofom of the Fa- 
 ther^ wou'd fix their efteem oi him as a mofl 
 proper perfon to declare and reveal the will 
 of God to the world. Now, altho' it muft 
 be own'd, that our forming diftind: ideas 
 about the metaphyfical nature of the logos^ 
 or the manner of its exiftence before the 
 word took flefli, cannot be a part of the 
 true gofpel, or any thing on which our ial- 
 vation depends ; yet for us to affert, that 
 the fenfe in which St. John ufes the terms, 
 is only the particular private opinion of St. 
 John, has a tendency to dellroy the credible 
 iity of his whole hillory : fince we fee, that 
 the whole narrative he has given of the 
 dodrine of Chrill is full of alfertions about 
 2 his 
 
Dijfertation on Provide72ce^ &c. 53 
 
 his divine original. And altho' thofe decla- 
 rations of our Lord concerning his pre- 
 exijient Hate are not fo particular and ex. 
 prefs, or concerning his characfter and opera- 
 tions in that ftate, yet as they are fo nume- 
 rous and ftrong, with refpedl to his divine 
 original ; one fl:iould be tempted to think, 
 according to you, that St. John had only 
 introduced them in fupport of that his 
 private opinion^ with which he begins his 
 hiflory ; a confequence which would effedlu- 
 ally deftroy the credit of this hijhrian. — 
 
 Again^ you iay, you think what St, Faul 
 has advanc'd in Kom. xi. from ver, 10. to 
 the end, is no other than the private opi- 
 nion of St. Paul. And you give us, p, 48, 
 49. what feems to you to be the purport of 
 St. Paul\ argument. — " He feems to be of 
 " opinion, that the gofpel being preach'd 
 ** to the Gentiles^ was owing to the gene- 
 " rality of the Jews rejeBing it. — And it 
 '■^ feems to be his opinion likewife, that it 
 *' was a part of the original fcheme of pro- 
 " vidence, and a thing intended by God, 
 *' that the body of the Jewijh nation (liou'd 
 " thus rejedl the gofpel, and thereby give 
 " him an occafion of offering it to the 
 *^ Gentiles \ or at leaft, that the foreknow- 
 " ing the "Jews wou'd adl thus, takes an 
 *' occafion from that circumftance, (being, 
 *' as it were, affronted with, and refenting 
 *' their ingratitude) 10 offer the gofpel to 
 D 3 " the 
 
54 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb V 
 
 ** the Gentiles^ which otherways he wou'd 
 *' not have done. St. Paul alfo feems to be 
 *' of opinion, that God by this method of 
 *' his providence intended, not only to fhew 
 ** kindnefs to the Gentiles^ but alfo to mor- 
 «* tify the Jews^ and provoke them to jea- 
 " loufy, which was likely to be the cafe 
 *' when they faw the GentileSy who were 
 *' a people whom they very much defpifed, 
 *' taken into divine favour, and made their 
 *' rivals," In anfwer, 
 
 I beg leave to trouble you with what 
 feemi to me to be the opinion of St. Paidy 
 and the purport of his argument, in that 
 portion of icripture to which you refer. 
 And it feetns to be, ' that the Jews having 
 
 * faffer'd their prejudices in favour of their 
 ' ceremofiial right eoufnefs to fhut up all their 
 ' fenfes, and to blind their underllandings, 
 
 * truths or the doSlrine of yefus Chriji, 
 ' cou'd find no reception among them ; fo 
 
 * that it became proper for the publifiers of 
 
 * that dodrine to turn to the Ge?2tiks; 
 
 * which the apojlle defcribes very patheti- 
 
 * cally, in order to excite, if poilible, a 
 
 * concern in them. And that he might with 
 ' more probability work upon them, he tells 
 
 * them of their having been the people of 
 
 * God's care, to whom he had (hewn fingu- 
 ' lar favours, having flood in the relation 
 
 * of a King to them, and had given them 
 
 * written laws, and a covenant i fo that 
 
 * the 
 
Differtation on Providence^ &c. 5^ 
 
 f the Gentiles^ in comparifon with them, 
 ' had been but as a wild olive. — But left the 
 ■ Gentile converts fhould form any boafting 
 ' ideas of themfelves, fo as to look with 
 • contempt on the Jewi^ he tells them, 
 that the yews had been as the root j the 
 Saviour oj the world having fprung from 
 a family of the J-ews: and xhtjirft fruit Sy 
 ox firjl publijhers of his gofpel were 'Jews : 
 they fhou'd not therefore boaji againft 
 thofe branches that were broken off. — 
 And if any of them lliou'd fay, fuch 
 branches were broken off, that they (Gen- 
 tiles) might be grafted in ; they were to 
 confider, that it was nothing but unbelief 
 that had broken them off, and that they 
 themfelves only kept their place by faith. 
 — This he propofes as a proper antidote 
 againft their being high minded on account 
 of their chrijiian privileges. For if God 
 fpared not the natural branches, but fuf- 
 fer'd them to be cut off and deftroy'd for 
 their unbelief, they of the Gentile con- 
 verts had no reafon to expedt better, if 
 they adted not agreeably to the privileges 
 they enjoy'd by the gofpel. — And if any of 
 the Jews (hou'd not abide in their unbelief, 
 they {hould partake of the benefits of that 
 fame difpenfation they had before reje(5ted. 
 For tho' this blindnefs and obftinacy has 
 happened to a part of Ifrael, until the 
 fuinefs of the Gentiles have embrac'd the 
 D 4 ' gof- 
 
56 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' 5 
 
 ' gofpel, yet if this blinded part of the Jewi 
 
 * abide not in their unbelief, but repent and 
 
 * turn to the Lord, ^j/VIfrael pdallbe faved. — 
 
 * Indeed, it muftbe own'd, that their enmity 
 
 * to the gofpel, has been the occafion of 
 
 * our addreffing you fo early as we did; but 
 
 * you ought at the fame time to confider, 
 
 * that they were chofen of God to be a pe- 
 
 * culiar people to him, on account of the 
 
 * faith and integrity of their father Abra- 
 
 * HAM, to v.'hom God pron iled, that in 
 
 * his SEED all the 7iatiom of the earth 
 ' Jljoidd be blejfed. And you may be af- 
 ^ fured, that the gifts and callings of God 
 
 * are without repentance : as appears by 
 *■ the deiign of the kingdom of the Mefjiah, 
 « (fet up by a defcendant of Abraham^) 
 
 * which excludes none from its benefits, 
 
 * that will become the fubjecls of it. 
 ' You Gentile converts are inftances of the 
 
 * truth of this : for as ye in times paft be- 
 
 * lieved not, or obeyed not God, yet have 
 
 * obtain'd the benefit of having the gofpel 
 
 * of the kingdom preached jo early to you, 
 
 * thro' the yews rejediion of it : even fo 
 ' have the 'Jews aUo put themfelves into a 
 
 * like condition to what you were in, in 
 
 * your Gentilifm^ by their unbelief and re- 
 
 * jec^tion of the gofpel ; many of whom are 
 
 * greatly prejudiced againfl it, on account 
 *■ of you, Gentiles, being included in the 
 < defign of its mercy : and this, from a 
 
 * ilrong 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 5 7 
 
 * ftrong prepofleffion, that none but they 
 
 * themfelves were to fhare the bleffings of 
 
 * the Meffiah's kingdom : yet thro' your 
 '■ reception of it, it's more univerfally fpread, 
 
 * and its pure effedts and influences upon 
 
 * mankind, they alfo may obtain mercy, 
 
 * or be inclin'd and prevaii'd upon to em- 
 ' brace the gofpel. — Jgain I fay it, it is 
 
 * loibeUef in them, and not partiality in 
 
 * God, that has made this difference. The 
 
 * gofpel of his Son wou'd not have (hut 
 
 * them up together in the condition in 
 
 * which they now are; nor has any thing 
 
 * elfe done it, but their difbelief and rejec- 
 
 * tion of it ; and that would do the fame 
 ' by you. Hence does appear the impartial 
 
 * and unlimited grace and favour of that 
 
 * lafl and moft perfed: edition of his will. 
 
 * It excludes none the great bleflings it 
 
 * propofes, but fuch as will obflinately ex- 
 ' elude themfelves j it promifes eternal life 
 ' to all of every nation, condition, and 
 
 * rank, that will receive it ; which plainly 
 
 * {hews God's willingnefs to have mercy 
 
 * upon all. Ob the depth of the riches, both 
 
 * of the wifdom and knowledge of God.' — 
 
 Thus have I given you, what feejin to 
 me, the argument of the apoflle. I fliall 
 now offer fome reafons why I think your 
 comment does not feem to be the opinion of 
 St. Paul, 
 
 And, 
 
58 Remarks 07i Mr. Tho. Chubb V 
 
 And, I think, that St. Faul cou'd not be 
 of opinion, that the body of the Jewijh na- 
 tion's rejecfling the gofpel, cou'd be a part 
 of the original fcheme of providence, and a 
 thing intended by God ; forafmuch as this 
 wou'd be to make God the author of Jin j ex- 
 cept that their unbelief W2i^ not any way cri- 
 minal. Nothing cou'd be a part of the ori- 
 ginal fcheme of providence, or be intended by 
 God, but what is right and fie, and worthy of 
 an all-wife, holy, and good being. Befde, 
 the apoftle exprefsly attributes the removal 
 of the gofpel to their zmbelief as a thing 
 criminal in them j and aflerts, that if they 
 abide not in it, God wou'd take them again 
 into favour j which mufl be very bad rea- 
 foning in the apoftle, if he knew that all 
 this unbelief was intended by God. He 
 certainly underftood the divine conftitutions 
 much better (as appears by all his writings) 
 than thus to mifreprefent the deity. 
 
 j^gain^ The apoftle cou'd have no fucb 
 opinion about the yews reje(5ling the gofpel, 
 becaufe he knew very well, that it was a 
 difpenfation not only by exprefs command of 
 its author deiigned, but in its own nature 
 calculated, for Jew as well as Gentile. 
 And that he himfelf was an apoftle prima^ 
 rily chofen for the Gentiles. So that he 
 could not think that the fews rejection of 
 the gofpel was a thing intended by God, and 
 a part of the original fcheme of providence, 
 
 ex- 
 
Dijfertatlon on Providence^ 8cc. 59 
 
 except he cou'd fuppofe, that the gofpel 
 was plainly calculated for the reception of 
 the Jews^ and defigned for them as well as 
 the Gc?itiles, and yet, that their reje£ling 
 of it was defign'd by God alfo. — 
 
 Neither does St. Paul feem to intimate, 
 that if the Jews had not rejected the gofpel^ 
 that then it woii'd not have been offered to the 
 Gentiles. St. Faul knew better from the 
 very firft of his being an apoflle 5 for the 
 Lord had told Ananias, that be had chofen 
 Paul to bear his jiame, (or preach his gofpel) 
 before the Gentiles. And he himfelf wit- 
 nelTed to this dodlrine, fee A^s xxvi. 22, 
 23. BefdeSj he muft have known how ex- 
 tenfive the original commiflion was, Go ye 
 into ALL the world and preach the gofpel to 
 EVERY creature. — And that repentance and 
 remifjion of fmSy P:)oud be preached in his 
 natne, among all nations^ beginning at Je- 
 rufalem. 
 
 It cou'd not then be an opinion of St. 
 Paul, that if the Jews had not rejedled the 
 gofpel, it wou'd not have been offered to 
 the Gentiles. Neither do I think, that he 
 fo much as feems to intimate thus much, 
 either in this chapter to the Romans^ or 
 any where elfe. 
 
 As to St. Paul's fo placing the argument, 
 as to provoke the Jews to jealoufy, or ex- 
 cite in them a proper concern at their own 
 conduct, 1 fee nothing in this unworthy 
 
 thac 
 
6o Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb's 
 
 that great apoftle. It was a proper way to 
 engage them to quit their prejudices, and 
 thereby render them capable of embracing 
 the gofpel. In this light it appears entirely 
 confiftent with all the other methods of the 
 divine condudt j and as fuch, is very impro- 
 perly reprefented as only belonging x j the 
 -private opinion of St. Paul. 
 
 Whatever, Sir, your opinion may be 
 
 about St. Paufs writings, I am of opinion, 
 
 that whilft good jenfe, Jirong reafoning^ and 
 
 fine addrefsy are in efteem in the world, 
 
 they will be had in the highell veneration. 
 
 Thus much may fuffice for animadver- 
 fions on your true gofpel, &c. only I would 
 obferve, that this private opinion of Sr, 
 Faiil\, about an original fcheme of provi- 
 deftce, feems rather to claim Mr. Chubb as a 
 patron than St. Paul ; witnefs his Differta^ 
 tion on Providence, in which a particular 
 providence y^^wi to be denied ; the confide- 
 ration of which has been the fubjccl of 
 my firft J'eBion, and which I now proceed 
 to re-alTume, after this long, but needful 
 digreffion. 
 
 SECT. 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 6i 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Your Scheme of Providence farther 
 conjidered^ viz. as grounded on 
 New Teftament Authority. 
 
 HAVING in my/r// Seaion finiflied 
 the remarks I defigned, on your cri- 
 ticijm concerning the hifiorian's defedi of 
 memory^ I now come to take notice of the 
 foundation you have laid for youv fc heme of 
 providence in the New TejiameJit. 
 
 And the jirfl aathority you produce, is, 
 that of our Savioiir'% Sermon on the Mount, 
 Matt. vi. 25th verfe to the end. In which 
 as you rightly obferve, *' there is Jirji^ ad- 
 " vice given ; fecondly^ arguments offered 
 " to enforce the advice." 
 
 The advice^ is, againft an undue concern 
 about prefent enjoyments, as if our treafure^ 
 or chief happinefs, was to arife either from 
 our lives or bodies^ oxxxfood or raiment. The 
 very great uncertainty oi thefe things, render 
 it unmeet for us to make them our treafure-, 
 forafmuch as fuch uncertainty would natu- 
 rally introduce an anxiety and troubled ftate 
 of mind about them : which folicitude and 
 Jear about them, would in no wife alter 
 their infiability^ nor fecure them from 
 
 that 
 
62 Remarks on Mr, Tho, Chubb'i" 
 
 that decay and 'violence to which they are 
 fubjedt. 
 
 The argument to enforce this advice, is, as 
 I apprehend, not only from the vanity of ad- 
 mitting fuch undue thoughtfulnefs, but from 
 the condefcenfiom^ and moft -particular and 
 minute expreffions of the divine care, mani- 
 feft in the fupport of the animal and vegeta- 
 ble world. Is not the life more than meat, and 
 the body than raiment ^ q. d. ' Do you fee (as 
 ' in the language of the Pfalmiji) that he wa- 
 * tereth the hills from his chambers; and that 
 
 < the earth is fatisfied with the fruit of his 
 « works ? That he caufeth the grafs to grow 
 
 < for cattle, and herb for the fervice of man, 
 « that he may bring forth food out of the 
 
 < earth ? Can you behold this continued 
 
 < expreffion of his care, and yet be fo incon- 
 « fiderate as not to perceive that that muft 
 « be of much more worth for which this 
 ' provifion is made ? The end muft be of 
 « more importance than the means. Do but 
 « apply it to your felves, and you will fee, 
 
 < that the corn, wifie, and oil, that the earth 
 « is made to produce in their due feafons, 
 ' from the influence of divine power, are 
 ^ to be the means of fupport to the life of 
 
 < man. Muft not then the life of man be 
 ' of more worth ? Nay, confider the ani~ 
 ' mats, fuch as the fowls of the air, who 
 ' keep no granary for their food, have nei- 
 ' ther ftorcs, nor ftore-houfes, yet your hea- 
 
 ' venly 
 
 I 
 
Dijfertation on P^'ovidence^ &c. 63 
 
 ^ venly Father feedeth them ; they conflant- 
 
 * ly depend on his providence, and are fed ; 
 ^ are ye not much better than they ? You 
 « certainly belong to a nobler order of be- 
 c ings. — And why fhould you be thoughtful 
 ^ about raiment ? Do you fee the wool and 
 
 * the flax constantly produced by the power 
 ' of God 5 and cannot you perceive that 
 
 * they are defigned as materials of clothing 
 ' for the bodies of men ? And don't you 
 ^ aifo difcern, that the body for which they 
 ' are provided, mufl be much more the con- 
 ' ftant care of providence ? Nay, do buc 
 
 * turn your eyes to the provifions made for 
 ' the clothing of animals, and confider your 
 ' felves as in need of clothing, and then tell 
 
 * me, whether there be any reafon for an 
 ' undue concern about raiment ? you are 
 ' certainly much better than the beads that 
 ' perifli. — Defcend yet lower, fee how the 
 
 * flowers and grafs of the field are clothed, 
 
 * which are only endowed with a vegetative 
 
 * life, and have no capacity either of ratio- 
 *' nai or animal dgencyj and yet appear the 
 
 * moll: gayly clothed! Let not your care 
 
 * therefore go beyond due bounds j do you 
 ' ad: as becomes reafonabie beings ; preferve 
 
 * a conftant reliance on divine care ; being 
 
 * fully perfuaded, that your heavenly Father 
 
 * knoweth that you have need of all thefe 
 ' things. And tf you do but exprefs a first 
 ^ and CHIEF regard about the kingdom of 
 
 i God, 
 
64 Remarks on Mr, Tho. ChubbV 
 
 ^ Gody a fid his right eoufnefs^ all these 
 
 * THINGS Jhall be added to you. T'ake there- 
 ' fore no thought for the morrow ; for the 
 
 * morrow Jl: all take thought J or the things of 
 ^ it felf ; fufficient unto the day is the evil 
 
 * thereof Let not your care exceed the pre- 
 
 * fent feafon of your endeavour; to morrow 
 ' you have no concern with, 'till it comes ; 
 
 * to day is a fufficient feafon for the exercife 
 ' of your care. And even the care of to 
 
 * day^ mufl be under the regulation of a 
 ^ firfi concern about the kingdom of God, 
 
 * and his righteousness, if you expe<:?t 
 « that your endeavours (liall be under a di~ 
 ' "oine bleffing ; or that all thefe things fhall 
 ' be added.' 
 
 The argument contained in this chapter 
 turns, do doubt, upon what may very pro- 
 perly be called the general providence of 
 God ; but then this general providence,, 
 which the difciples are referred to the con- 
 fideration of, does plainly exprefs a conftanc 
 activity or exercife of divine power and 
 goodnefs. There is like wife a rule of de- 
 pendance on the divine care plainly laid 
 down and diftinguiihed, even as to thefe 
 outward and fenfible effeds of his provi- 
 dence, viz. Fir ft feek the kingdom of God, 
 and his right eoufnefs^ and all thefe things jlo all 
 be added: Or do you lay up your treafure in 
 heaven, being firmly perfuaded that if you do, 
 God will add/W and rj/Ww/. Now as others, 
 
 who 
 
Differ tat ion on Provide^tce^ &c. 65 
 
 who do not firji feek the kingdom of God^ 
 cannot be faid to have thefe inftances of ne- 
 ceffary fupply by way of addition ; foraf- 
 much as they have no treajure in heaven to 
 add them to: fo neither do I find, that they 
 can have fo good a reafon of reliance on the 
 divine care, as the pious and virtuous man 
 has. It IS, godhnefs that only has iht promife, 
 either of this life, or of that which is to 
 come. — 
 
 I would not be underftood, as if I intend- 
 ed to infinuate, that there has been any 
 mark of diilin(Sion generally made between 
 characters in the methods of providence : 
 I am far from thinking thus. On the other 
 hand, ordinarily one event happens to the 
 righteous, and to the wicked ; to the good, 
 and to the clean, and to the unclean. The 
 fun is made to fhine on the evil, and on the 
 good, and the rain to fall on the juft, and 
 the unjuft : yet the evil, and the unjuji, are 
 not iofecure of needful fupplies either from 
 the fettled conftitutions of God, or from 
 any exprefs promife, as the^W and ih^juji 
 are. 
 
 I add^ the whole argument of our Lord's, 
 and the manner in which heexprelTeth him- 
 felf about a general providence^ conveys to 
 mean idea of prefent, conftant, and imme- 
 diate influences of the deity. The Father 
 Jeedeth — ij God Jo clothe the grafi of the field 
 '-^and our heavenly Father knoweth — all 
 E thefe 
 
66 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb V 
 
 tbefe things jlmll be added, if, &c. — 5o 
 that this general providence is made up, as 
 it were, of an uninterrupted feries of ads 
 of divine power, fupporting, providing for, 
 and relieving the whole of his crea- 
 tion. 
 
 The inference which the difciples are 
 taught to draw from a view of a general pro- 
 vidence, may farther explain this point. 
 And we find that they were taught to infer 
 from a contemplation of an univerfal care 
 exprefled to animals and vegitables, that 
 they might triiich more expedl to be the ob- 
 jeds of divine notice and care j not only on 
 account of the rank they bore in the crea- 
 tion as men, but more ejpecially zs they were 
 engaged in eJlabliJJnng the kingdom of the 
 Messiah, and in recommending the divine 
 reBitudes, both by their preaching and ex- 
 ample. But hovj could the difciples apply 
 the much more to themfelves without taking 
 in a particular providence ? Were not the 
 fpecies of brute ani?nals, and the tribes o£ 
 vegetables to be preferved, as well as man, 
 and provided for, in order to fecure the ends 
 intended to be carried on by z. gefieral pro- 
 vidence^ And if fo, how does the much more 
 ftand .? And, why a confequence of laying 
 lip TREASURES in hcavcn, if there be not a 
 plain reference allowed to ^particular pro- 
 vidence ? The jnuch more mull certainly be 
 ufed without falacy cr deceit j and then it 
 2 can- 
 
iDijJertatioii o?i Providence^ &c. 67 
 
 cannot, but refer the difciples to ql particular 
 providence: and for the reafons of their 
 being embarked in the beft caufe in the 
 world, and in cuQum^zncts peculiarly dilii- 
 cult and dangerous, the ?}2uch rdore itands as 
 a proper encouragement to their reliance 
 upon Jpecial and peculiar interpofals of the 
 divine care. 
 
 Your next paiTage of Scripture, is, 
 " Matt. X. 29, 30, 31. Are not tijio /par- 
 " rows fold Jor a farthing ? And cue of 
 " them fiall not fall to the ground ivithout 
 " your Father. But the very hairs of your 
 ** head are all nu?nbered ; fear ye not tbere- 
 ** fore^ ye are of more "oalue than many fpar- 
 *' roii^s, " Upon which you fay, " That 
 *' our Lord in this difcourfe is fo far from 
 *' leading his difciples into a reliance upon a 
 " particular ^Lud/pecial interpoficion of the 
 " deity in their favour in the exercile of 
 *' their miniftry (excepting in one cafe only, 
 " viz. what they fhould anfwer when they 
 " lliould be called before governors and 
 *' kings for his fake) that on the contrary 
 " he feems to put a bar to it, by obferving 
 " to them, that every thing would be left 
 " to take its courfe. That as they would 
 *' have to do with unreafonahle men ; ib they 
 *' muft expert unreafonahle ufage from 
 *' the'm." — p. 225, 226. 
 
 That thefe words are defigned by our 
 
 Lord to lead his difciples into a reliance 
 
 E 2 upon 
 
68 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb s 
 
 upon the particular and fpecial interpofals 
 of the deity, 1 think will be eafy to make 
 appear j and that what you obi'crve as a bar 
 will be none at all, if you pleafe to con{i- 
 der, that the twelve dijciples were not only 
 to take no thought before hand^ how or what 
 they ihould fpeak before magiftrates ; but 
 they were, befide this, enjoyned not to make 
 any manner of provifion for their journey- 
 ings, when they went to preach the do- 
 <ftrine of the Mefjlah^ ver. 9, 10. Provide 
 neither gold, nor fiver, nor brajs in your 
 piirfes J nor fcrip for your journey, neither 
 two coats, neither Jhoes, nor yet /laves — Here 
 evidently all their own endeavours were 
 forbid, and they were fent out expofed to 
 hunger and ivant. And yet you tell us, that 
 they were not to rely on any particular and 
 fpecial interpoficion in their favour. — There 
 are ibme, who would in anfwer to this, tell 
 us, that no doubt they had a commifjion either 
 to BEG, or STEAL.— But I muili be of opi- 
 nion, that they had neither. They feem in- 
 deed to have hadacommiffiontogo tell their 
 errand, and if any thought it worth attend- 
 ing to, they were told, that fuch would re- 
 ceive them : But this was all. — To add to 
 the difficulty, they were told alfo, that they 
 Vi^ere going as fheep in the ??iids of wjslves. 
 And yet, according to your fcheme, they 
 were only to encourage themfelves from the 
 dodtrine of a general providence, even in 
 
 ihefe 
 
Dijfertation 07t Provide?ice^ &c. 69 
 
 thefe particular J fpecial^ and extraordinary 
 cafes : Very furprizing ! 
 
 Indeed you have allowed one exception, 
 viz. That of anfwering before magijirates^ 
 for the reafon of their being forbid pre?ne- 
 ditation-j and I fl:iould think, you might 
 admit the circumjlances of their travelling as 
 another demand on Jpecial interpofalsj ef- 
 pecially as they were forbid making any pro- 
 vi/ion for it : Both which particulars taken 
 together will amount to a ftrong proof, that 
 thedifcourfe of our Saviour here referred 
 to, was calculated to lead the difciples to a 
 reliance on a particular and fpecial provi- 
 dence. 
 
 It is no objecflion to a particular provi- 
 dence, that the difciples were to be perfecu- 
 ted 'j or that they were enjoyned to avoid 
 perfecution (where a fubmiffion to it would 
 be likely to be attended with no good ef- 
 fedis) or that there were no particular hints 
 given them, by which they might exped: a 
 fecurity from fuffering and death : fince the 
 fafe return of thefe twelve difciples from fo 
 perilous an expedition, is, at leaji^ a pre- 
 fumptive proof of theexercife of 2^ particu- 
 lar providence in their favour j and that/;/ 
 all probability every thing was not, in your 
 fenfe, lejt to take its courfe. 
 
 But farther^ you fay, That thefe twelve 
 
 ** muft not vainly expeSi that God would be 
 
 ** working miracles in their favour j but on 
 
 E 3 " the 
 
70 Reffiarh on Mr, Tho. Chubb V 
 
 *' the contrary, they mufl ufe their own 
 ** cai'e and c?idedVonr^ to guard againft 
 *' thofe evils that the faithful difcharge of 
 *' their duty might expofe them to. " 
 p. 227. 
 
 Had you, Sir, looked fo far as the 8th 
 've-rfe^ you would have fecn that the fe ^'z^j^/i;^ 
 had the power of wGrkingmii-iicies imparted 
 to them ; and as they had received this power 
 freely^ lo they were commanded to commu- 
 nicate the benefit of it freely^ in bealinp the 
 fick, cleanfLTig the lepers^ raifrng the decid, 
 and dijpojfejjing the demoniacks. — And aitho' 
 this was defigned as a confirmation of their 
 miffion, and to arouze the people's atten- 
 tion to their dodrine ; yet in all probabili- 
 ty, this miraculous power proved much in 
 their favour, by preventing many fufFerings 
 and hardfliips they would otherwife have 
 undergone ; or at leaf!:, it might be the oc- 
 cafion of their fecurity from death. And if 
 \o^ then God, in all probability, did work 
 miracles in their favour. 
 
 Upon the whole, there appears to have 
 been very peculiar circumftances that did 
 attend the twelve difciples in this their 
 firft embajjy^ on account of which they 
 might realonably exped proper 2iV\d peculiar 
 aid. There was alio other circumftances 
 comm.on to them with other men, in which 
 their own endeavours^ as moral and rational 
 agents, were abfolutely fie and neceflkry. In 
 
 the 
 
Differ tation on Provide?ice^ &c. y i 
 
 the former cafe, they aded upon the prin- 
 ciple of reliance on a peculiar and fpecial 
 providence ; in the lattery as on a lefs fpe- 
 cial and peculiar providence. 
 
 I own vi^ith you, that ver. 26, 27, 28. 
 feem to refer to 2l future judgmejit, and that 
 xht fdfiBiofis o^ Chrift's laws are not caken 
 from this world : but then the inference to 
 be drawn /row? ajparrow's not falling to the 
 grcufid without their Father^ &c. mull be 
 defigned to lead them to the confideration 
 of that particular iiotice that God takes of 
 the mofl minute events ; and as this was 
 the cafe, mufl: be an argument of great force 
 with them. It would encourage them to 
 comply with their inftrudtions, in ^zoZ/ro- 
 viding necejfaries for their perilous expedi- 
 tioriy nor to premeditate what they Jljould fay 
 before magijlrateSy from a perfuafion of 
 God's mod particular notice. It would alfo 
 infpire them -^nxhcourage^ from the view of 
 a future judgment ; at which event, there 
 was fo great a certainty, and fure a pro- 
 fpecft, that none of their afiiciiom 2iT\d fuf- 
 ferings would be forgotten j nor their fde- 
 lity under them, go unrewarded. 
 
 Thus this difcourfe of our Lord's plainly 
 encourages their reliance on a particular 
 providence, but does by no means put a bar 
 to it. 
 
 E a. SECT. 
 
72 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb'^ 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Sofne Refnarh on your more ahfiraEl 
 Reafon'ings about Providence, 
 
 IS H A L L in this SeBion attempt to 
 give fome farther light into your fcheme 
 of providence. And you fay, /». 206. "that 
 " your general providence is fuch an origi- 
 " nal conftitution of things, as has anjwer- 
 " ed the intention in all its parts, through 
 " all generations. " And yet that it isalfo 
 true, " That in the courfe of Go^'s general 
 " providence, abundance of natural evils 
 " have taken place, befide v^^hat have been 
 *' introduced through the vi^eaknefs and vi- 
 ** tiated afFed:ions of men, as by {hip wrecks, 
 " inundations, and the like ; but then it 
 " mufl like wife have been fuppofed from 
 " the beginning, that thofe evils would^ or 
 *' at lead might take place, as they would 
 *' or might neceffarily follow from the na- 
 ** tural world's being conftantly and uni- 
 *' formly fubjed: to thofe laws by which the 
 " ends of God's general providence were 
 " intended to be perpetually carried on, 
 " /. 206, 207. 
 
 " A:.d, by 2i particular providence t you 
 " think is meant a particular and fpecial 
 " interpofition of the deity, in the produ- 
 
 " aion. 
 
Dijlfertation on Providence^ &c. 73 
 
 ** Aion, or prevention of fuch efFeds upon 
 " this globe as are above, or befide the ordi- 
 " nary courfe of nature, or of thofe laws 
 •' by which the world is governed, in the 
 ** courfe of God's general providence ; and 
 ** therefore could not have been produced 
 " nor prevented by nature's ftridt adherence 
 " to thofe laws." ibid. 
 
 If, by nature's Arid: adherence, you 
 mean any thing diflindl from God's govern- 
 ing the world, I have no idea about it ; bur, 
 if you mean no more by it, than God's go- 
 verning the world by certain laws, I own he 
 does fo conftantly and aBually ; and in a 
 manner exadly agreeable to invariable wif- 
 dom, power, and goodnefs. But as you 
 tell us of abundance of evils which have 
 took place, which were in the original 
 conftitution, at leaft were fo in it, as 
 what might be fuppofed would, or might 
 take place, — you hence lead us to fup- 
 pofe, that a number of mens being faved 
 by a wreck, or a man's being preferved 
 from the fury of an inundation, when 
 in imminent danger, muft not be under- 
 ftood as any fpecial or particular inter- 
 pofition of the deity, but as what would 
 have took place in the courfe of God's ge- 
 neral providence, or ordinary productions 
 of nature. — I own, that fhould I fee a fhip 
 foundering at fea, and her crew carried in 
 th^ air for fome leagues, by an invifible 
 
 hand. 
 
74 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' y 
 
 hand, and fet fafe on (hore j this I {hould 
 be perfuaded was above or befide the ordi- 
 nary courfe of nature j and would appear 
 to me not only as ^Jpecial or particular in- 
 terpofalof providence, but alfo as a real mi- 
 rack. — But, if I fhould fee the boat's crew, 
 or any of them, upon feme pieces of her 
 rigging in a tempejiuous fea^ carried feme 
 leagues fafe to fhore, I could not forbear 
 thinking it the efFed: of (oxntfpecial inter- 
 pofals of providence ; though fome known 
 laws of nature may not contradid:, or ftand 
 oppofed to fuch an event. A man's danger 
 when on a maft or plank of being drowned 
 in a tempeftuous fea, will not admit of any 
 manner of probability of efcape, from any 
 of thofe known laws : Nor do I think, 
 that had it been the condition of yU, Chubby 
 he could ever have thought that fuch an 
 event had been only an ordinary produdion 
 of nature j or review it as fuch. 
 
 But I beg pardon for introducing an in- 
 ilance of my own devifing ; you have given 
 me a notable one in illuftration of your 
 fcheme : and that is, " Th& wind's pjif[i?ig 
 " and changing in November 1688. by 
 " which the Dutch fleet was happily pre- 
 *' ferved from the danger it was in, by rea- 
 " fon of the Engli/h fleet that was then in 
 ** the purfuit of it ; which event, you fay, 
 " has been confidered as an eminent and 
 " evident inftance of the particular and fpe- 
 
 *^ cial 
 
Dijfertation on Pi^ovidence^ tec. y ^ 
 
 " cial providence of God, without any juft 
 " or Iblid ground to build fuch a prefump- 
 ** tion upon." — And the reafon why we have 
 no foHd ground to build fuch a prefump- 
 tion upon, is, " becaufe the event referred 
 " to might have been brought about, and 
 " for any thing we know, was brought 
 " about in the courfe of God's general pro- 
 " vidence. " /. 212, 213. 
 
 Here, Sir, you give a moft emi?jent and 
 obvious inftance of your overthrowing one 
 prefumption by another. You deny any jufl 
 ground of building fuch a prefumption upon, 
 as that it was an inftance of particular and 
 fpecial providence, that the winds fhould 
 vary fo feafonably for the fervice of our 
 gj^eat deliverer, the Prince of Orange ; 
 " forafmuch as the event referred to might 
 *' have been brought about, and for any 
 *' thing we know to the contrary, was 
 " brought about in the courfe of God's 
 *' general providence. " — An anfwer is ea- 
 fily made, by turning the tables upon you. 
 And, Sir, it feems a moft remarkable in- 
 ftance of the particular ^nd fpecial provi- 
 dence of God ; inafmuch as the winds 
 feemed under a particular ^^nd fpecial com- 
 mand and direction, in order to ferve a 
 particular and Jpecial purpose, viz. that of 
 faving three kingdoms from flavery ! of fe- 
 curing liberty! proteftant liberty! by 
 refcuing it out of the hands of its greateft 
 
 ene- 
 
76 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb's 
 
 enemies ! So that it is probable, it might not 
 be brought about, and for any thing we 
 know to the contrary, it wa^ not brought 
 about in the courfe of God's general provi- 
 dence. — And although the ftormy winds, 
 tbofe minijlen of God who fulfill his wordy 
 were at that time under the Jpecial diredion 
 of God, or of fome invifible agent appoint- 
 ed by him, yet the produdion mufl: not be 
 looked upon as miraculous j the effedl being 
 produced by a natural caufe, viz. the wind, 
 which might, and probably was under an 
 immediate and more fpecial direftion. I 
 add, that upon your own fcheme of a par- 
 ticular providence, p. 232, viz. " That 
 «* lince God may upon fome extraordinary 
 " occalions, and to anfwer fome great and 
 *' good ends, immediately interpofe ; " I 
 fay upon this your own principle, the in- 
 flance you have mentioned feems to belong 
 to a particular providence j for the reafon, 
 that it was an extraordinarv occafion, and 
 th2iX. great 2ind good ends were anfwered by 
 it. Which ends might, in all probability, 
 have been fruftrated, had it not been for 
 fuch ?iice and critical variations and fhift- 
 ings of the wind j and fuch variations were 
 as unlikely to have took place without im- 
 mediate SLud Jpecial dired:ion, as th3,tfce ace 
 fliould be thrown by a pair of dice for Jix 
 times fucceflively, when the welfare of 
 three kingdoms depended upon it; in which 
 
 cafe. 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ Sec. 77 
 
 cafe, no laws of chance, or any general laws, 
 would or could account for the fuccefs. 
 
 To prcceedy there are no doubt certain 
 uniform laws fuited to the feveral natures 
 of beings which conftitute the fabrick of 
 the world, and by which God ordinarily 
 exerts his providential influence in the fup- 
 port and government of the univerfe ; and 
 yet, for the very reafon that there are abun^ 
 dance of evils introduced, which were not 
 in the original conftitution, there muft be a 
 particular providence. — ^Of which evils, 
 fome are called natural, to diftingui(h them 
 from thofe which are introduced by a vo- 
 luntary abufe of power, or the vitious af- 
 fedlions of men ; which laft fort are called 
 moral evils, and could not belong to the 
 original fcheme: for to fuppofe they did, 
 would be to make them a part of the di^ 
 *vine c-onftitutions, and as fuch, unavoidably 
 neceffary in their continued proceffion, 
 an adual provifion being made for them 
 in that original fcheme. And yet, at the 
 fame time, we muft look upon them as con- 
 tingencies, viz. events that ?night or inight 
 not have been, in order to denominate them 
 moral evils. I cannot then think with you, 
 " That thefe evils would take place from 
 *' the beginning, as they would neceffarily 
 *' follow from the natural world's being 
 " conftantly and uniformly fubjed:ed to 
 " thofe laws, by which the ends of Goi^ 
 
7 8 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb'x 
 
 " general providence were intended to be 
 " perpetually carried on. " I cannot, I fay, 
 fee how thefe moral evils would or could 
 necejfarily follow from the natural world's 
 being conftantly and uniformly fubjedted 
 £o thofe laws by which the ends of God's 
 general providence {viz. the good of the 
 creation) were to be carried on ; except mO' 
 ral evils were necejfary to that good, and fo 
 ceafe any longer to be either natural evils, or 
 moral evils, from their abfolute necejity and 
 Jitnefs to carry on the great ends of a gene- 
 ral providence. To fuppofe then, that evil 
 would neceflarily follow from the original 
 divine conftitutions, is, in my opinion, to 
 confound and deflroy the difference of 
 things, and to introduce a ctnu'm fatality 
 of all events ; a confequence very different, 
 I imagine, to your fentiments. 
 
 On the contrary, I am perfuaded, that 
 all thofe evils introduced into the world by 
 the folly and vice of men, were not necef- 
 fary ; but depended upon ih-SiZ freedom which 
 is abfolutely effential to moral agency : and 
 2isfuch evils ftand in a dircdl contradicflion 
 to the divine laws, and conftitutions, fo it 
 is, that thofe evils, called natural^ appear 
 to be fitly introduced as a balance and check 
 to the 7noral ones-, in order to preferve the 
 good government of the world, and pro- 
 mote as far as poflible the good of the uni» 
 verfe. From this view of the world, a 
 
 parti-^- 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ 8cc. 79 
 
 particular providence appears moft confpi- 
 cuous. May we not hence very fafcly con- 
 clude, that a man's efcaping a confiderable 
 danger, i. e. a natural evil, and his par- 
 taking of a confiderable good, /. e, a natural 
 good, to be the effed: of a particular and 
 Jpecial providence ? Which is indeed that 
 viev^^ of it, that you exprefly propofe to de- 
 bate, p. 209. 
 
 You feem to acknowledge a particular 
 and Jpecial providence, at leafl in words, 
 in your comment upon that advice of our 
 Saviour's, Take no thought for your life, &c. 
 p. 219. for having told us, * That when a 
 
 < man has made ufe of all proper means for 
 * the procuring the comforts, and guarding 
 ' againft the evils of life, his carefulnefs 
 
 < muft flop there.' — " He mufl not needlefs- 
 " ly perplex and diflrefs his mind ohoui fu- 
 " turity, about what may or may not happen, 
 ** about evils that are wholly out of his 
 " power either to prevent or remedy j he 
 " mufl do his own duty, and leave the event 
 " to providence, it is God mufl give the 
 *' fuccefs." And again, — " Hath God given 
 " us bodies naturally expofed to want and 
 " necefTity ; and will he not, in the courfe 
 ** of his providence, provide whatever is 
 " necelTary for the fupport of both ? Yes 
 «' furely." 
 
 Here you have exprefsly argued upon the 
 principle of contingencies j and have afferted 
 
 a 
 
8o Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb'^ 
 
 a perplexity and diHrefs about futurity, as 
 needlefs, from the uncertainty of the event, 
 as well as from the incapacity of preventing 
 or remedying. Now upon yoar fcheme of 
 an origifial conjiitution or fettlement, confi- 
 dered as excluding a particular providence, 
 there can be no contingencies even among 
 what is called natural evils. For altho' I 
 may be uncertain about what will take place 
 in futurity, with regard to my eafe and 
 fafety-y yet what (hall take place concerning 
 them, being provided for in the original 
 plan, will be no contingency with regard to 
 the fupreme direSiory but muft be what 
 wou'd certainly take place. Upon this 
 fcheme, I fliou'd eafily difcern it needlefs to 
 diftrefs my mind about futurity ; becaufe all 
 events that (hall befal me, cannot but befal 
 «ie J and from the certainty of them, as 
 belonging to the original fcheme, I cou'd 
 not only, no way prevent or hinder them, 
 but I may not prefume to expedt the altera-- 
 ' iion of them by any particular interpofal. 
 So that my leaving the event to providence, 
 from a perfuajion, that God muft give the 
 Juccefiy is no more than faying, that thofe 
 evils woud take place, as they wou'd neces- 
 sarily follow from the natural world's be- 
 ing conftantly and unif or mly jub jelled to thofe 
 laws, by which the ends of God's general 
 providence were intended to be perpetually 
 carried on. This being the cafe, it wou*d 
 
 be 
 
Differ tat ion on Provideiice^ 6cc. 8 1 
 
 be ridiculous for me to attempt either \o pre- 
 vent 01 remedy, — On the contrary, wou'dnot 
 any man imagine, that fince many of the 
 evils, to which he isexpofed, are ihtpuni/h- 
 ments of vice [which cou'd no way be necef- 
 faryor pre-afcertain'd,] it will hence follow, 
 that the evils being particular and Jpeciat^ 
 do fuppofe 2i particular providence ; as well 
 as the remijion, or frequent removal of 
 fuch effeds, does fuppofe it ? 
 
 In page 223. you lay, " That for a man 
 " to approve himfelf to God in well-doing, 
 " by putting on fuch a temper cf mind, 
 ** and fuch a behaviour as will render him 
 " the fuitable and proper objed of divine 
 " favour ; and adds to this, his own indu- 
 ^\/iry towards the fupport and continuance 
 ** of his being ; then, as God knows the 
 *' ivanti and necejjities he is liable to, fo he 
 " has, and will, in the courfe of his pro- 
 *' vidence, make a plentiful provifwn for 
 " their fupply i and this has generally been 
 '' the cafe." 
 
 Could you, 5/r, have faid any thing 
 more exprefsly in favour of a particular 
 providence ? 1 think you could not. Here 
 you fuppole a virtuous behaviour 2.nd. xhtufe 
 cf indujiry^ to be a proper ground oi afiance 
 in, ' or of a man's approving himfelf to 
 God. And, you tell us, " That God has^ 
 " and alfo w Z.', in rhe courfe of his provi- 
 " dence, m:\kt a ple?jtifil prcvif on for {uch 
 
 F " a 
 
8 2 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' x 
 
 ", a one's fupply : and that this has gene^ 
 *' rally been the cafe." Now forafmuch as 
 this has been generally and not always the 
 cafe, there mufl be 2i particular 2Xid, fpecial 
 providence ; becauj'e a general providence 
 does condantly and uniformly operate : 
 or, becaule this difference could not have 
 been produced by nature's ftridl adherence 
 to thofe laws. Neither could we fuppofe, 
 in this world of ours, that fuch a plentiful 
 provifion^ for the wants and neceffities of 
 the virtuous, would Jo generally have been 
 the cafe, were we to exclude a particular 
 providence. 
 
 If then the dodrine of a particular pro- 
 vidence mufl be underftood by you, after 
 all, as a perpetual patching and mending ; 
 you may continue to think, and call it fo, 
 if you pleafe. I, for my own part, am per- 
 fuaded, that the abundance of natural and 
 moral evils introduced, which difturb the 
 order and harmony of the original confli- 
 tution, have render'd a particular provi- 
 dence needful. And not only fo, but alfo 
 that the expreffions of paternal care, divine 
 wifdom, benevolence, and compaffion, fliine 
 more confpicuoufly in this doctrine than in 
 yours of a general providence^ which ad- 
 mits only of miraculous interpofals, as aids 
 in the government of the world, and not 
 thofe lieither with any perfplcuity. 
 
 SECT. 
 
Differtation on Providence^ &c. 83 
 
 S E C T. V. 
 
 The Dodrine of Providence farther 
 explain d \ wherein is Jhewn^ how 
 far your Ideas a?td mine feejn to 
 differ concer?ting it. 
 
 I Am of opinion, that all that regularity, 
 order, and harmony, which appears in 
 thtjo/ar lyftem, and is called hy philofophers 
 the law of nature^ or the efFed:s of the laws 
 of nature, is no ocherwife to be accounted 
 for, than by fuppofing a conftant and unin- 
 terrupted application or aid of divine power; 
 hy which our earth and the other planets are 
 enabled to keep their orbits, preferve their 
 degree of velocity, orfwifcnefs in their rota- 
 tion, and obferve their feveral (and complex) 
 mocions. Neither can it be otherwife, if 
 • we confider thofe contrary motions which 
 belong to a planet, viz. that by which' 
 it is drawn or attradied towards the center 
 of its orbit, and is known by the term cefi- 
 tripetal force ; and that contrary one, by 
 which it is inclined to rly from the line of 
 its dire(ffion (whether circular or elliptical) 
 in a tangent to the circumference of its c/r- 
 cle or eilipfis : I fay with Mr. IVosla/tony p. 
 79. That thefe two contrary motions, and 
 F 2 fee in- 
 
84 Rem arks on Mr. Tho. CliubbV 
 
 feeming qualities cannot both proceed from 
 matter qua matter, /. e. as matter ; they 
 cannot both be of the nature of it : and 
 therefore they muft be owing to fome exter- 
 nal caufe, or to fotne other being which ex- 
 cites in them thefe contrary motions and 
 feeming qualities. And, with him, I afk, 
 that lince the revolution of a planet about 
 the fun, is an effeft that cannot be produced 
 by mere gravitation-, but muft be com- 
 pounded with a motion of proje^ion, to 
 keep the planet from falling diredtly into 
 the fun, and to bring it about in its orbit ; 
 from ivhat hand comes this other motion or 
 dired:ion ? who impreifed it ? 
 
 Or rather, I {hould fay, who continues 
 to imprefs it ? fince it appears not lufficienc 
 that it had at firft this direction given it; 
 but the continuance of thele oppofiie 
 forces, is a conftant proof of a continued 
 aid from the Jame hand that at firft gave ic 
 this dire(ftion. 
 
 Here, indeed, we have the merely ma- 
 terial and inanimate fubjedts of providence, 
 that are phyfically wrought upon ; and 
 therefore it is no wonder that their phe- 
 7iomena or appearances are fo uniform 
 and general : there being no need of vary- 
 ing thcfe inferpofals of power. — The fame 
 may be faid of the vegetable, and brutal or 
 animal parrs of our world, viz. that the 
 fame hand, that gave them being at firll:, is 
 
 con- 
 
Dijfertation on Provide?ice^ &c. ^^ 
 
 continually wanted to fuftain, fupport, and 
 fiipply them : but then as thefe were origi- 
 nally produced for the accommodation of a 
 y/>^r/c'j of intelligent moral agents, who have 
 introduced a W(?rj/ evil by the negledlor abufe 
 of their powers ; it may be reafonable to 
 fuppofe, that natural evils might be intro- 
 duced among thefe their accommodations. — 
 It is alfo highly probable, that thefe natu- 
 ral evils were introduced by a particular 
 providence i God being Redfor as well as 
 Creator : and as giving place to natural evils 
 belongs to the refioral charadter of the deity, 
 but not to thatofhisbeingCreator, they could 
 not be a part of the original conjlitution. I 
 would, to prevent miftake, again remark, thac 
 hy 2i. particular diwdifpecial providence, (hould 
 not be underftood fuch interpofals as offer 
 any violence to, or deftroy the freedom of 
 human agency. This cannot be the cafe, 
 for wicked men may commit adts of vio- 
 lence; may fleal, rob, plunder, perfecute, 
 and murder innocent and virtuous men not- 
 withftanding. Tho' the frequent inftances 
 of their doing fo, cannot perhaps be ac- 
 counted for, without taking into our view 
 a future flate of retribution. 
 
 1 add, with the aforementioned author^ 
 p. 99. * It muft not be expedled, that in the 
 
 * ordinary courfe of nature^ if a good man 
 
 * be palling by an infirm building, juft in 
 
 * the article of falling, ih^t God (hould 
 
 F 3 ' fur" 
 
86 Remarks on Mr. Tho. ChubbV 
 
 * fufpend the force of gravitation till he is 
 
 * gone by, in order to his deliverance j nor 
 
 * that it would be increafed, and the fall 
 
 * haftened, if a bad man was there, only 
 ' that he might be caught, crufh'd, and 
 
 * made an example. Or that new motions 
 
 * muft be imprclTed on the atmofphere^ and 
 
 * new dire(5lions given to the floating parts 
 ' of it, by fome extraordinary and iiew in- 
 
 * fluence from God for a man's fafety 
 
 * and profperity ; or that clouds ihall be fo 
 
 * precipitated, or kept in fufpenfe, as the 
 
 * cafe of a particular man or two requires. 
 ' But yet there may, and I think undoubt- 
 ' edly is, a particular providence, a provi- 
 
 * dence that fuits xht fever al cafes and pray- 
 
 * ers of individuals, without a continual 
 
 * repetition of them ' ; or, 1 add, without 
 frequent miraculous interpofuions. 
 
 Let us now fee wherein it is that you and 
 I agree, and wherein we differ about provi- 
 dence. And, I think, we both own that 
 there is one; nay, that there is a general 
 one: but then we feem to differ about wiiat 
 this general one is. Tou^ if I have not 
 uiiflook you, would have it to conilft in an 
 original confituticn or ejlablijhment of cer- 
 tain general laws, which by nature'j 
 JlriEi adherence to^ the world is governed. 
 And that this conl^itution was fuch, as 
 could not ifand in need of patching and 
 mending by a particular providence; /'. e. 
 
 that 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 8 7 
 
 that God fhould h^ frequently^ and almoft 
 perpetually immediately interpofing, p. 2 jo. 
 Neverthelefs^ you own, that God may upon 
 extraordinary occafions, and to an Twer Tome 
 great and good ends, immediately interpok, 
 and by his power produce, or caufe to be 
 produced, fuch effeds as would not be pro- 
 duced in the courfe of his general provi- 
 dence, p. 232. At the fame time, yoii 
 have fingled out one oi the moft remarka- 
 ble events, 'viz. that of the revolution, 
 as not coming under the head of a particu- 
 lar providence. From which, 1 take it for 
 granted, that I have not miflook you, in 
 fuppofing that you deny 2i[\y Jpecial inter- 
 pofals at all, but what are miraculou?. 
 
 * The inftance you give of a comefs being 
 
 * turned out of its natural courfe^ when ic 
 
 * threaten'd the deftrudion of this globe, p. 
 
 * 208. you own, would be an inftance of the 
 
 * particular and Jpecial providence of God, 
 
 * and fo in all fuch like cafes.'. — A fuppofed 
 cafe and cafes which has had no one indance 
 of fad: to fupport it or them, nor probably 
 ever will. — So that the loofenefs of the te- 
 nure, by which you \\o\di miracle Sy leads me 
 to conclude, that you, in fad, deny a parti- 
 cular providence. Again^ to what purpofe, 
 tS/r, is it for you to fay, that Go^ may in- 
 terpofe upon fome extraordinary occafions, 
 and to anfwer fome^rf^2'and^(?c)J'end imme- 
 diately interpofe j when you have treated 
 
 F 4 that 
 
88 Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chubb' j 
 
 that event of the revolution in the 
 manner you have done? p. 213. It is a 
 fufiicient proof to me, that you either 
 thought that to be no great nor good event > 
 (which, by the way, if I know you, you 
 could not;) or that if you did, you was of 
 opinion, that tho' the circumftances of ic 
 were extraordinary^ and the event both 
 great and good, yet this was no fufficient 
 ground to fuppofe any jpecial interpofals of 
 divine providence. And of confequence, 
 your declaration, that there may be fuch 
 immediate interpofals, is a mere may be, 
 and w-jl admit of no real foundation for 
 the dcdtrine of a particular providence. 
 
 Herein we differ, not only as I fuppofe 
 the conflant application and aid of divine 
 power, either immediately, or by proper 
 agents employ 'd by God in his government 
 of the world ; but alfo as to my perfuafion 
 of the apparent fitnefs uf a particula • pro- 
 vidence, on account of the introduction of 
 an abundance of e'uih. Which evils you, 
 indeed, fuppofe were took into view in the 
 firft plan, and fo provided for in that ori- 
 ginal conflitution : the contrary of which 
 1 imagine muft be true, if we preferve the 
 free agency ot man. Moral evils depend- 
 ing upon that, were mere contingencies^ 
 i. e. what might or might not be : and as 
 fuch could nci be pre-afceriained, and fo 
 could not be provided for in that original 
 I plan. 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 89 
 
 plan. BefideSy your explaining away a 
 particular providence from thofe fcrip- 
 ture palTages, where it appears the moft 
 evidently fupported, is another proof of 
 vour denial of it. 
 
 SECT. 
 
90 Remarks on Mr, Tlio. Chubb's 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 INFERENCES. 
 
 I SHALL farther illuflrate what I have 
 offered by making fome inferences : And, 
 Firjiy Upon ? fuppolition that there is 710 par- 
 ticular providence^ but that all events take 
 place upon the original plan or conftitution, 
 ihafoundation reajon oi vn'M\y a(3:s of worfliip, 
 both of prayer sind prai/e^ [I mean of fuch 
 ad:s as have for their motive, particular and 
 fpecial circumflances of want, or of fup- 
 ply,] is weakened, if not wholly deftroyed. 
 For inftance, why fliould I pray to God to 
 give me daily bread, when I know my ei- 
 ther having, or not having it, is pre-afcer- 
 tained upon an original ejiablifi?nent ? And 
 that it will either nourifli me, or not, as de- 
 termined by that conftitution ? Or, why 
 fhould I pray to him to preferve me from 
 dangers on a journey, when I am affured, 
 that whatever danger I may be expofed to, 
 I have no reafon to expcS: the interpofah of 
 his providence for me ? They either will 
 prove hurtful, or fatal to mt, or not. And 
 to ask he would preferve me, is to fuppofe, 
 that he may interpof'e ; which is what I al- 
 ready am perfuaded is not fuppofable. To 
 
 ask 
 
Differtation on Providence^ &c. 91 
 
 ask his protedion at fea^ would be alike 
 vain and hypocritical; fince I know he 
 will not interpofe for me, nor any way alter 
 the events of my voyage, which are pre- 
 fettled and determined by the fcheme of the 
 original conftitution. Or, why fhould I 
 pray to him to deliver me out of any affli- 
 (ftion ; fince I am fully convinced that for 
 him to interpofe, would be only a piece of 
 patch-work, and prove a defeSi in the origi- 
 nal fcheme ? And again^ how could I be 
 prevailed upon 10 praife God for any parti- 
 cular deliverance, or refcue from danger, 
 under the notion of its being fo, if 1 am 
 perfuaded that it was only the efFe<5l of the 
 ordinary courj'e of providence ; and was no 
 inftance of his immediate and particular 
 care of me ? — As all the natural evils in 
 the world would, upon this fcheme, appear 
 to me truly necejfary, being originally adapt- 
 ed to promote the good of the whole ; fo I 
 fliould fee, that I had no room allowed me 
 to deprecate any of them : but, inftead of 
 that, \o praife and adore him for the origi- 
 nal conftitution. Neither could I be led to 
 confefs my faults, or ask pardon for them ; 
 lince even thefe, though moral evils, are 
 part of the origi7tal conftitutioii ; ai\d are 
 conjiantly and uniformly fubjeB to thofe 
 LAWS, by which the ends of God's general 
 providence were intended to be perpetually 
 carried on^ viz. a common and mofi extenfive 
 
 good ; 
 
92 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb 'j 
 
 good', they being introduced into that con- 
 Ititution of things, which has an/wered the 
 INTENTION in ail its partSy through all ge- 
 nerations. I might here obferve, that its ha- 
 ving anfwered the intention in all its parts, 
 through all generations, will deftroy the 
 realbn of a future judgment. — But I fliall 
 only leave this as an hint, — and pro- 
 ceed; 
 
 Secondly^ I infer, that if Mr. Chubb\ 
 fcheme be juft, and there be no immediate 
 interpofals of providence, but what are mi- 
 raculous ; then all facred and mofl pro- 
 phane hiftorians fland condemned for re- 
 prefenting the wifeft, mod virtuous, and 
 pious men, as having been encouraged in all 
 their difficulties, by a perfuafion of the 
 fpecial divine interpofals : Or rather^ we 
 fliall find their heroes^ ih^iv prophetSy their 
 philoJopherSy as no better than fo many e7i- 
 thufiajh'y afcribing to ih^ fpecial and parti- 
 cular interpofals of providence, every of 
 theit "emarkable benefits and delive- 
 rances, r or, more particularly, upon your 
 fcheme. 
 
 Thirdly, The do(^rine taught, and the 
 arguments or concluiivns drawn from tiie 
 fuppofitionof 2i particular providencey both 
 by our Saviour and his ApoJileSy were falfe 
 and illufive. We have traced fome of 
 
Dijfertation on Provide7tce^ &c. 93 
 
 thofe of our Saviour's ; let me add, the 
 Apoftle Paul, who tells the Corinthians^ 
 that as there had no temptation taken them^ 
 but fuch as is common to men^ Jo God^ fays 
 he, is faithful, who will not J'uffer you to 
 be tempted above that ye are able ; but will 
 with the temptation aljb make a way to 
 ej'cape, that ye fnay be able to bear it, i Cor. 
 X. 13. — Farther, what could the Apoftle 
 mean by faying that the Jews, when they 
 had caught him in the temple, went about 
 to kill him ; and that his continuance to 
 that day, was owing to his having obtain- 
 ed help of God? What can this mean, if 
 there be no particular and Jpecial interpo- 
 fals ? 1 add, the whole hiftory of the Jewi/Jj 
 Theocracy appears, upon your fcheme, to be 
 a mere farce, or a piece of knight erran- 
 try, and thofe references made to it by 
 St. Paul, I Cor. x. muft be the fubje(ft of 
 je/i and ridicule-, notwithftanding the Apo- 
 ftle tells us, that thofe very extraordinary 
 inierpofals of providence were our en- 
 samples, to the intent we fiould not luji 
 after evil things, as they aljb lujied. 
 
 Fourthh, If that abundance of evils na- 
 tural and moral, which have been intro- 
 duced into the world, do in any proper or 
 true fenfe belong to the original confticu- 
 tion, then the doSirine of prcdejiination may 
 be lupported ; and man cannot in any pro- 
 per 
 
94 R^^narh on Mr, Tho. Chubb'j 
 
 per or true fenfe be allowed to be, whilft 
 in this world, in a ftate of probation ; for 
 the very reafon, that all he does, or omits 
 to do, is, and muft, in fome fenfe, be pre- 
 determined, or it could not in any Jhife be- 
 long to the original Conftitution. On the 
 ocher hand, \i freedom is neceflary to moral 
 agency, and moral agency is eflential to 
 probation (which I take to be felf- evident 
 principles) then man, confidered in this flate, 
 cannot have his adions pre-afcertained ; 
 for, if they remain not as contingencies 
 to the firft plan, or to any fixed laws of the 
 univerfe, they lofe all the qualities of free- 
 dom, and cannot be under cenfure ; foraf- 
 much as they are afcertained by that firfl plan, 
 or fome other fixed laws of the univerfe. 
 And of confequence, what arifes from the 
 mofl contrary ufe of the power of felf- de- 
 termination, mull no longer be eftimated 
 under the notion of e^oil^ but as what was 
 originally necejj'ary for the good of the 
 whole. 
 
 Fifthly J If there be not a particular pro- 
 vidence, or Jpccial interpofals granted, as 
 needful to over-rule and check the dire- 
 diions and tendencies of moral and natu- 
 ral evils, (which could not be any part of 
 the original conllitution,) then revelation, 
 fo far as it refpeds faSls^ is in general falfe. 
 Revelation being filled with narratives of 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ &c. 95 
 
 fpecial and particular interpofals of provi- 
 dence : all which interpofals are made to 
 point at the reformation and happinefs of 
 men. Some are defcribed as having an- 
 fwered the end they vt^ere defigned for in a 
 greater meafure ; others in a lefs : which 
 plainly proves (upon the fuppofition of the 
 truth of them) that there has always been 
 
 Jpecial and particular interpofals of provi- 
 dence ; and that the abundance of moral 
 and natural evils introduced into our world, 
 has been the reafon of fuch interpofals ; 
 thofe evils not belonging to, nor being ca- 
 pable of becoming a part of the original 
 conftitution. — To prove the contrary, it 
 would be neceflary to fhew, that they could 
 have been produced by nature's flridt adhe- 
 rence to thofe laws. 
 
 Sixthly^ From the animadverfions I 
 have made on your account of Elias's 
 prayer, and the fuccefs of it, it is evident, 
 that there mud be a particular providence. 
 I have fhewn in SeBion II, that the pro- 
 phecy was conditional y and am perfuaded, 
 that there is no one prophecy, refped:ing 
 events, which depended on free- age ficy, and 
 in which the moral charaBer of man was 
 concerned, but mull: be fo underftood. 
 Many of them, though ahfolutely expreJJ}dy 
 have been feen to be only conditional : And 
 
 though 
 I 
 
g6 Remarks 07t Mr. Tho. Chubb V 
 
 though others have took place, I doubt 
 nor, but that they were equally conditio- 
 nal, and might not have took place, as cer- 
 tainly as they did. Thus from that /ar- 
 ticular narrative, as well as from number- 
 lefs parts o^ fcripture hijlory, a particular 
 providence may be clearly defended j fuch 
 Jpecial interpolals being well fuited to the 
 make of man, and the cir cum fiances of his 
 bei«g in the world. 
 
 COA'CLL'- 
 
Dijferiation on Providence^ 6cc. 97 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 FROM the fiiperindudion of evil to 
 the original plan, revelation appears 
 to have been fit and proper, in order to 
 promote the intention of that firft con- 
 ftirution, viz. the good of the whole. The 
 di<ftates of reafon, or the precepts of the 
 law of nature became dim, and almofl: 
 imperceptible, thro' vice and the abufe 
 of the humane faculties. So that it is 
 highly reafonable to fuppofe, that God 
 has, at fundry times^ arwd in divers man^ 
 ners^ fpoke in times pail to the Fathers 
 by the prophets ; as well as in thefe laji 
 days he hath fpoken to us by his Son. 
 Which if we fuppofe to have Seen faSis^ 
 a particular providence muft be allowed: 
 inafmuch as fuch difcoveries of the di- 
 vine will are in themfelves particular 
 interpofals. 
 
 Nor have we the lead reafon to 
 doubt of there having been fuch revela- 
 tions j fince all the moft famous and an- 
 cient heathen poets^ Jbphijfs, and philofo- 
 phers^ feem to have been beholden to 
 iliat Treafury of ivtj'dojn imparted by Mo- 
 les and the prophets, for their moll di- 
 vine fentirr.ents. For as Flato acknow- 
 ledges, '* what the Greeks received from 
 
 G " ths 
 
98 Remarks on Mr, Tho. Chubb V 
 " the Barbariafis (meaning tlie yews) 
 *' tb£y flit info a better form or garb, 
 " /. e^ they clothed thofe yewifi tradl- 
 " tions with Greek fables and emblems. 
 *^ The fame may be faid of Pythagoras, 
 " Plato has likewife faid, in his Timeus^ 
 " that ajter the Father of the univerfe 
 *' had beheld his ivorkmanfiip, he was 
 " delighted therein^ 6cc. anfwering to 
 *' Gen. i. 31. and he owns the recei'ui?ig 
 
 " of the PROBABLE FABLE * ". 
 
 The fame author has alfo given us 
 good grounds to conclude, * that even 
 
 * Lintis^ Orpheus^ Horner^ and Hejiody bor- 
 ' row'd their ideas from Jewipo fcripture 
 
 * or tradition' And he produces Sir Walter 
 Paleighy as faying, " That it cannot be 
 *' doubted^ but that Homer had read 
 " over all the books of Mofes, as by places 
 " fiolen from thence^ almojr word for word^ 
 *' may appear,'' -^ — Hence it follows, that 
 the writings of Mofes and the prophets 
 fcem to have been the treafury of know- 
 ledge to the antients. — Heathen teJUmony 
 thus confirming the authority of thele 
 writings, we need not fcruple to admit, that 
 God has, according to the hiftory they 
 afford us, at fundry times and in diverje 
 
 * Fee Gale's Court of the Gentiles, Vol. I. B. 1. p. ii., 
 t B. III. c. I. p. 4, 5, G, 7. 
 
 I man- 
 
Dijertation on Providence^ &c. 99 
 
 manners made known his will to man- 
 kind : or in other word?, vouchfafed fpe- 
 cial and particular interpofals, at fundry 
 times, and in diverfe manners, to the 
 children of men. 
 
 To add no more, the introdudtion of 
 abundance of evils upon the original 
 plan, plead ftrongly in favour of divine 
 revelations^ from the want of exprefs au- 
 thority to add to the weight of moral 
 fitnejs. There is, no doubt, a native 
 beauty and charm in virtue j which, if 
 duly attended to, demands a preference 
 to its oppofites. But then this intro- 
 dud:ion of abundance of evil^ makes it 
 remarkably fit and proper, that a choice 
 of virtue be recommended by authority : 
 even an authority that can influence our 
 hopes and our fears, fo as to affift in 
 the ballance againft that pravity which 
 unavoidably attends our prefent circum- 
 llances. To which wife and kind pur- 
 pofes, the christian revelation feems 
 perfecftly well accommodated ; inafmuch, 
 as there is not only a ftrong and mod 
 beautiful reprefentation of the eternal laws 
 of truth or morality in its precepts, which 
 belong'd to the original plan j and the fit- 
 uefs of repentance on account of evil intro- 
 duced upon that plan ; but the accommo- 
 dation of the chriftian revelation^ to this 
 our ftate of trial, is moft confpicuous 
 G 2 in 
 
loo Remarh^ Sec, 
 
 in the clear openings of a future ftate of 
 endlefs happy life to the virtuous, and of a 
 fecond death to the vitious: efpecially, as 
 this ftate of retribution will be under the di- 
 redtion of Jesus Christ, as the final judge ; 
 even he, who is the very perfon that has made 
 this revelation j that has enforced the pre- 
 cepts of it by the moft finifhed example ; 
 and that has feal'd a teflimony to the truth 
 of it with his blood: and who in confe- 
 quence of what he did and fuffered, is in- 
 verted with ALL POWER i angels, authorities^ 
 and powers being made fubje(ft to him. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
Dijfertation on Providence^ 8cc. 99 
 
 manners made known his will to man- 
 kind : or in other words, vouchfafed ^^- 
 cial and particular interpofals, at fundry 
 times, and in diverfe manners, to the 
 children of men. 
 
 To add no more, the introduAion of 
 abundance of evils upon the original 
 plan, plead ftrongly in favour of divine 
 revelations^ from the want of exprefs au- 
 thority to add to the weight of moral 
 fitnejs. There is, no doubt, a native 
 beauty and charm in virtue ; which, if 
 duly attended to, demands a preference 
 to its oppofites. But then this intro- 
 duction of abundance of evil^ makes it 
 remarkably fit and proper, that a choice 
 of virtue be recommended by authority: 
 even an authority that can influence our 
 hopes and our fears, fo as to affift in 
 the ballance againft that pravity which 
 unavoidably attends our prefent circum- 
 ftances. To which wife and kind pur- 
 pofes, the christian revelation feems 
 perfedlly well accommodated ; inafmuch, 
 as there is not only a ftrong and moft 
 beautiful reprefentation of the eternal laws 
 of truth or morality in its precepts, which 
 belong'd to the original plan ; and the fit- 
 nefs of repentance on account of evU intro- 
 duced upon that plan ; but the accommo- 
 dation of the chriftian revelation^ to this 
 our ftate of trial, is moft confpicuous 
 G 2 in 
 
I CO Rernarh^ &c. 
 
 in the clear openings of a future ftate of 
 endlefs happy life to the virtuous, and of a 
 fecond death to the vitious : efpeciaily, as 
 this ftate of retribution will be under the di- 
 rection of Jesus Christ, as the final judge ; 
 even he, who is the very perfon that has made 
 this revelation ; that has enforced the pre- 
 cepts of it by the moft finifhed example ; 
 and that has feal'd a teftimony to the truth 
 of it with his blood : and who in confe- 
 quence of what he did and fuffered, is in- 
 veiled with ALL POWER; angels, authorities^ 
 and powers being made fubjedl to him. 
 
 F I N I S. 
 
.»f^ 
 
 <■■ '.. 
 
 / 
 
mt':^ 
 
 ^^^