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 pleasure.

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He

"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. "turneth them round about by his counsels, "that they may do whatsoever he com"mandeth 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 wicked"ness of them that dwell therein. The Most

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High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and "giveth it to whomsoever he will. He is "the Governor among the nations, and de"stroyeth them. He enlargeth the nations, " and straiteneth them again. And at what "instant he speaketh concerning a nation 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

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may know that the Most High ruleth in the "kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom"soever 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 know

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ledge 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.

L

"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 al

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ways to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor ແ 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

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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

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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 both 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 Agathocles invaded Africa, totally defeated "the Carthaginian army under Hanno, en❝tered and plundered their camp, and threat"ened the entire overthrow of the Cartha

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ginian state; these people wholly ascribed "their misfortunes to the wrath of the gods, "and believed that they sent Agathocles to

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punish them; first, for their having omitted "to send to Tyre a tenth of the revenue of "the republic, which they were accustomed "annually to do, as an offering to Hercules, "the patron and protector of Tyre and Car

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thage; and, secondly, for having only sa"crificed to Saturn the children of slaves "and beggars, instead of those of the best "families in Carthage. In consequence of "their supposed impiety, they made an open

" and public confession of it; and, to expiate "their guilt, they sent to Tyre a great num"ber of shrines of their deities, made wholly "of gold, and a sacrifice of two hundred "children of the first rank was offered to

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appease the wrath of their sanguinary "god." I mention this to prove the sense the Pagans had, first, of the interference of their gods in human concerns; and, secondly, that they believed them to be avengers of impiety and injustice, and that such vengeance was inflicted by means of human agents. In whichever view therefore we consider the objection to God's providence, from tyrants being occasionally seated on thrones, whether placed there to punish the wickedness of mankind or not, their being so seated is no argument against that providence; for if they are raised up for the express purpose of accomplishing the will and designs of God, it is an irresistible, an invincible argument of his interference in the affairs of mankind. And if they succeed to the throne in lineal descent, and wantonly and unnecessarily act as tyrants, their conduct being then contrary to the will of God, and to the directions given them by reason, conscience, and a moral sense, if Heathens;