dience to that will, and to that course of conduct he is peremptorily ordered to obey.

But there is another view in which the objection should be considered, a view which strongly infers the providence of God and his interference in human affairs, from the very circumstance of tyrants being occasionally seated on thrones; and this view is, that they may be purposely placed on them to accomplish the will of God to punish men and nations who have grossly and daringly set him and his laws at defiance. Suppose three great monarchs, who, as the representatives of God on earth, ought to set an example of mercy, justice, and piety to their subjects; and, as Henry the Fourth of France observed, in whose bosoms virtue and honour ought to reign, though banished from those of all other men: suppose these monarchs, instead of setting this example, should meet together for the sole and detestable purpose of dividing between them the dominions of a neighbouring monarch, who had given them no offence, and from whom they did not even pretend to have received any: suppose them actually to put this wicked design in execution, and, not having the fear of God in their hearts, to accomplish this execrable undertaking; an enterprise so flagitious in its nature, the commission of which was so wantonly oppressive and unjustifiable; the perpetration of it was so extremely wicked, bloody,

audacious, and daring; so directly setting the will and commands of God, and all laws, human and divine, at defiance: if God, to punish this gross act of oppression and injustice, this shameful violation of his laws, and which, if generally practised in private life, under the sanction and example of these monarchs, would go to the length of destroying all confidence, good faith, and justice, between man and man: if the Almighty, to punish such nations, should raise up for that purpose an unfeeling, sanguinary tyrant, a reason sufficiently strong and satisfactory appears why such a tyrant should occupy the throne he does; and the natural inference to be drawn from his doing so is in favour of God's superintendance of human concerns, and that the events of this life are by no means left to chance. From what we observe of the animal, vegetable, and solar systems of God, we can discern the utmost perfection in them; and we may be very certain there is the same perfection in his moral and intellectual system, though the depth of its wisdom so infinitely exceeds the penetration of human sagacity, that we very often cannot investigate it. But without being liable to the imputation of enthusiasm, superstition, or bigotry, we may affirm it to be conformable to that perfection, that God should ostensibly punish men and nations so offending: "Shall I not visit "for these things, saith the Lord:" and it is in

the highest degree agreeable to our reason, and to the idea we entertain of his justice, that he should do so. But God has by no means left the decision to human conjecture, whether the world is governed by chance, or whether tyrants are occasionally raised up to fulfil his decrees; for in the most unambiguous terms it is asserted in the following passages of Scripture, that he himself governs the world, and raises up men to accomplish his purposes, according to his own will and plea

sure.

"God upholdeth and preserveth all things by "the word of his power. The counsel of the Lord "that shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. "Fire and hail, snow and vapour, wind and storm, "fulfil his word. He turneth them round about

by his counsels, that they may do whatsoever he "commandeth them upon the face of the world, "in the earth. He causeth them to come, whe"ther for correction or mercy. He turneth a "fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness "of them that dwell therein. The Most High "ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to "whomsoever he will. He is the Governor among "the nations, and destroyeth them. He enlargeth "the nations, and straiteneth them again. And "at what instant he speaketh concerning a na❝tion or a kingdom, to build and to plant it, or

to pluck up, and pull down, and to destroy it,

"it shall be done. He removeth kings, and setteth

up kings; to the intent that the living may "know that the Most High ruleth in the king"dom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he

will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. "God the Judge putteth down one, and setteth up another. The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from "the Lord. He giveth wisdom to the wise, and "knowledge to them that know understanding: " and when it seemeth good in his sight, he hideth things from the wise and prudent, and revealeth "them unto babes. The Lord maketh poor and "maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up. "Riches and honours come of him, and in his "hand it is to make great, and to give strength "to all. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, "and maketh the barren woman to be a joyful "mother of children. The race is not always to "the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither

yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of "understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; " for who knoweth not in all these that the hand "of the Lord hath wrought this? The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety " is of the Lord; for he delivereth and rescueth; "he maketh wars to cease, and restraineth the "wrath of man. Promotion cometh neither from "the east, nor from the west, nor from the south;

"but God is the judge; he putteth down one, "and setteth up another. The lot is cast into the

lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord, "in whose hand our breath is, and whose are all "our ways."

Agreeably likewise to the letter and spirit of Scripture, we find tyrants are occasionally set on thrones to punish the crimes of men. Thus Saul is placed on the throne to punish the sins of the Amalekites; Jeroboam to punish the idolatry of Solomon; and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to punish the Jews, and to destroy Jerusalem, for the abominable idolatries and wickedness of the inhabitants in general, and of its kings in particular: and Cyrus we know was appointed by name two hundred years before the event to destroy the Babylonish empire. And that the Heathens entertained the idea that God avenges violent injustice and impiety, is to be fully proved from the records of profane history. Among a variety which might be selected, the following instance is related of the Carthaginians by Diodorus: "When Aga"thocles invaded Africa, totally defeated the Car

thaginian army under Hanno, entered and plun"dered their camp, and threatened the entire "overthrow of the Carthaginian state; these people (6 wholly ascribed their misfortunes to the wrath "of the gods, and believed that they sent Aga"thocles to punish them; first, for their having