did not, we should go without them. When therefore upon our Prayers we obtain that Deliverance, or that Bleffing, which we had not before, it is not He that is changed, but we. We, by performing the Conditions he required of us, do look with another Aspect towards him, do intitle our felves to another kind of Dealing with us than we could claim before; we have made our felves capable of receiving thofe Benefits, which before we were not.

And thus much of the firft Objection against the Efficacy of Fafting and Prayer, for the obtaining Bleffings from God. But there is another that is urged by another fort of Men, which ought not here to be paffed by without confidering it.

It is of those who hold the Neceffity of all Events upon mechanical Principles. They believe the World to be a great Machine, and whatsoever comes to pass therein, is the Effect of thofe fixed and unalterable Laws of Motion which are established in it; fo that whatever happens among Mankind has a natural and a neceffary Cause to produce it. And therefore however in common Speech we call thofe things that are grateful to us the Bleffings of God, or if they be grievous to us, we call them the Punishments of God for our Sins, yet they do and must happen promifcuously and indifferently to the Good and to the Bad: And therefore to what purpofe is it to faft I 3

and

and to pray for the obtaining of good things, or removing of evil things from us, unless we can fuppofe that by these our Endeavours we can stop the Course of Nature, or God will ftop it for our Sakes?

This is the Objection, and two things I have to fay in anfwer to it. First, Tho'\ it fhould be granted that all outward Events owe their Production immediately to outward and neceffary Caufes, and that God does not interpofe in the hindering or furthering of them, but leaves fecond Causes to work according to their Nature: Yet there is one whole kind of things, and thofe too, that either are or ought to be the greatest Matter of our Prayers, that the Objection does not at all reach to, viz. those which we call fpiritual things; fuch are, not only the Pardon of our Sins, and the Favour of God, but all the Perfections and Accomplishments of our Minds, Wisdom, and Prudence, and Fortitude, and all the moral Virtues. Thefe, I hope, cannot be called the Refult of neceffary outward Caufes, but are the Effects of God's Grace, and our own Endeavours. These therefore, I hope, we may both reasonably, and with Affurance of Succefs, pray for, notwithstanding any thing faid in the Objection to the contrary. And yet let me tell you, even the obtaining these things will go a great way not only to the bettering the Condition of private Persons, and

deliver

delivering them out of their evil Circumftances; but to the making any Nation or People great, and happy, and profperous. For inftance, if it fhould please God upon our hearty Repentance and fervent Prayers on this Day to pour out his Spirit upon all Orders and Degrees of Men among us, and make all her Majefty's Subjects in their several Stations fincerely good and virtuous; if it would please God to inspire all her publick and her private Counfels with true. Wisdom and Unanimity, and a hearty Zeal for promoting the publick Good before any private Interefts: If it fhould please him to infpire all her Officers and Soldiers with Courage, and Refolution, and Diligence; all her Minifters with Integrity and Uncorruptnefs; and all her People with the true Fear of God, and loyal Hearts to her Majefty, and fincere Love and Charity to one another: I would ask whether thefe very things alone, whatever Difcouragements we might have from Storms and Tempeft, and all other things that depend upon natural Caufes, would not give us a glorious Profpect of happy Times, and put us into comfortable Hopes of having those Judgments averted which we are now afraid of, and of obtaining all those Bleffings which on this Day we pray for. And yet all these things I have now mentioned are out of the Reach, as I faid, of mechanical Caufes. The Laws of Motion have nothing

to do with them; but they are the pure Refult of the Grace and Spirit of God, and of our own hearty Prayers and Endea

vours.

But, Secondly, As for those outward Events which come upon this World, that feem to depend upon fuch Principles as we have no Power over; fuch as Health or Sickness, Peace or War, good or bad Weather, Plenty or Scarcity, Victory over our Enemies, or being overthrown by them, and the like: Tho' it be acknowledged that all thefe have natural Causes, yet they have not fuch natural Causes as are neceffary. They come to us in a natural way, but do not come to us in fuch a neceffary unavoidable way as the Objection fuppofeth. For here is the thing; admitting that God Almighty in his Government of the World doth not ufually ftep out into extraordinary Actions, beyond or above the Courfe of Nature, yet he has fo contrived the Course of Nature that fuch Events as we fpeak of may be hindered or may be forwarded; may come to pafs, or may not come to pafs; may happen this way, or may happen another way, as Men behave themselves towards God, and as he fees beft for them; and this without any Violence done to Nature, or without tranfgreffing the Laws of it. So that there is Room enough, abundantly enough left for our Endeavours and our Prayers; and as we

ufe

use them, or use them not, the Succefs and the Event shall prove accordingly,

It is a great Miftake to think that the Affairs of this outward World are managed wholly by mechanical Powers, or, which is the fame thing, by neceffary Causes. No, the Wills and the Actions of Mankind have a mighty Influence upon them, as is vifible in fome of thofe things I mentioned, as Peace and War, Health and Sicknefs, Victory and Overthrow.- And no body, I hope, will fay that the Actions of Men are neceffary. But befides, the Angels and separate Spirits who are in a great Number every where, and are the invifible Minifters of God's Providence, have not only an Influence over the Actions of Mankind, by fuggesting to their Minds a thousand things that perhaps they would otherwise never have thought of; but they have alfo a mighty Influence over thofe Powers of Nature that feem to act moft neceffarily: I mean the Elements, as we call them, from whofe various Combinations arife Storms and Tempefts, fruitful and barren Seafons, fickly or healthful Years: Both thefe Caufes, I fay, the free, as well as the neceffary Agents of this World, thofe invifible Minifters of God do fo difpofe, and direct, and order, as that they fhall produce fuch Events as God fees fitteft for Mankind, whether it be by way of Judgment as a Punishment of their Sins, or by

way