tuted, and the beft ftudied and skilled in the tempers and interests of men; the most pragmatical, and cunning to infinuate themselves into the intrigues of courts and great families; and who, by long experience, and an univerfal intelligence, and communicated obfervations, have reduced human affairs, at least as they think, to a certain art and method, and to the most iteady rules that fuch contingent things are capable of. I believe you all guess beforehand whom I mean, even the honeft Jefuits. And yet thefe men of so much art and skill have met with as many checks and difappointments, as any fort of men ever did they have been discountenanced by almost all princes and states, and, one time or other, banished out of molt of the courts and countries of Europe. And it is no small argument of the divine providence, that fo much cunning hath met with fo little countenance and fuccefs; and hath been fo often fo grofsly infatuated, and their counfels turned into foolishness.

But I promised only to mention these, and to infift upon the fecond inftance in the text, I returned, and faw under the fun, that the battle is not to the strong; to the gibborim, the giants, for fo the Hebrew word fignifies. In which Solomon might poffibly have refpect to the hiftory of the Ifraelites fubduing the Canaanites, a people of great strength and ftature, among whom were the gi ants, the fons of Anak; or, more probably, to the famous encounter of his father David with the great Goliah. But, however that be, the fcripture is full of examples to this purpose, that, when the providence of God is pleafed to interpofe in favour of any fide, it becomes victorious; according to the faying of King Afa in his prayer to God, 2 Chron. xiv. 11. It is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with those that have no power.

Sometimes God hath defeated great armies by plain and apparent miracles. Such was the drowning of Pharaoh and his hoft in the Red fea; and the ftars fighting in their courfes against Sifera: by which poetical expreffion I fuppofe is meant, Sifera's being remarkably defeated by a visible hand from heaven. And fuch was the deftruction of the proud. King of Affyria's army by an

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angel, who flew an hundred and fourfcore and five thoufand of them in one night.

Sometimes God does this by more human ways, by ftriking mighty armies with a panick and unaccountable fear; and fometimes by putting extraordinary fpirits and courage into the weaker fide, fo that an hundred fhall chafe a thousand, and a thousand shall put ten thou fand to flight.

This made David fo frequently to acknowledge the providence of God, efpecially in the affairs of war: Pfal. xxxiii. 16. There is no king faved by the multitude of an hoft, neither is a mighty man delivered by much strength; and again, Pfal. xliv. 6. I will not trust in my bow, neither hall my fword fave me. And Solomon confirms the fame obfervation: There is no wifdom, (fays he), nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord. The horfe is prepared against the day of battle; but fafety (or, as fometranflations render it, victory) is of the Lord, Prov. xxi. 30. 31. Gideon, by a very odd stratagem, of lamps and pitchers, defeated a very numerous army, only with three hundred men. Jonathan and his armour-bearer, by climbing up a rock, and coming fuddenly on the back of the Philiftines camp, ftruck them with fuch a terror as put their whole army to flight. King Afa, with a much inferior number, defeated that huge Ethiopian army, which confifted of a million. And how was Xerxes's mighty army overthrown almost by a handful of Grecians? And, to come nearer to ourfelves, how was that formidable fleet of the Spaniards, which they prefumptuously called invincible, fhattered and broken in pieces, chiefly by the winds and the fea? So many accidents are there, efpecially in war, whereby the divine providence doth fometimes interpofe, and give victory to the weaker fide.

And this hath been fo apparent in all ages, that even the Heathen did always acknowledge, in the affairs of war, a fpecial interpofition of fortune; by which the wifer among them did understand the divine providence. Plutarch, fpeaking of the Romans, fays, that time and fortune, the very fame with Solomon's time and chance here in the text, did lay the foundation of their greatefs; by which he afcribes their fuccefs to a remarkable providence

providence of God concurring with feveral happy opportunities.

And Livy, their great historian, hath this remarkable obfervation, That in all human affairs, especially in 6.6 matters of war, fortune hath a mighty ftroke.' And again, "No where (fays he) is the event lefs answera"ble to expectation than in war; and therefore nothing is "fo flight and inconfiderable, which may not turn the "fcales in a great matter." And Cæfar himself, who was perhaps the most skilful and profperous warrior that ever was, makes the fame acknowledgment: "As in all "other things, (fays he), fo particularly in war, for

tune hath a huge fway." And Plutarch obferves, that there was no temple at Rome dedicated to Wisdom or Valour, but a moft magnificent and ftately one to Fortune; fignifying hereby, that they did afcribe their fuccefs infinitely more to the providence of God, than to their own courage and conduct. I proceed now, in

the

II. Second place, to give fome reason and account of this, why the providence of God doth fometimes thus interpofe to hinder and defeat the most probable defigns of men; to bring men to an acknowledgment of his providence, and of their dependence upon him, and fubordination to him; and that he is the great governor of the world, and rules in the kingdoms of men; and that all the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing to him, and the power of fecond caufes inconfiderable; that he doth according to his will, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none may stay his hand, or fay unto him, What doft thou ?

God hath fo ordered things, in the administration of the affairs of the world, as to encourage the use of means, and yet fo as to keep men in a continual dependence upon him for the efficacy and fuccefs of them. To encourage industry and prudence, God generally permits things to their natural courfe, and to fall out according to the power and probability of fecond caufes.

But then, left men fhould caft off religion, and deny the God that is above; left they fhould trust in their fword and their bow, and fay, The Lord hath not done this:

left men fhould look upon themselves as the creators and framers of their own fortune; and, when they do but a little outstrip others in wifdom or power, in the fkill and conduct of human affairs, they fhould grow proud and prefumptuous: God is pleafed fometimes more remarkably to interpofe, to hide pride from man, as the expreffion is in Job; to check the haughtiness and infolence of mens fpirits, and to keep them within the bounds of modefty and humility; to make us to know that we are but men, and that the reins of the world are not in our hands, but that there is one above who fways and governs all things here below.

And indeed if we should fuppofe, in the firft frame of things, which we call nature, an immutable order to be fixed, and all things to go on in a conftant course, according to the power and force of fecond caufes, without any interpofition of providence to stop or alter that courfe, upon any occafion; in this cafe, the foundation of a great part of religion, but efpecially of prayer to God, would be quite taken away. Upon this fuppofition, it would be the vaineft thing in the world, to pray to God for the good fuccefs of our undertakings, or to acknowledge him as the author of it: for if God do only look on, and permit all things to proceed in a settled and established courfe, then, inftead of praying to God, we ought to ply the means, and to make the best provifion and preparation we can for the effecting of what we defire; and to rely upon that, without taking God at all into our counfel and confideration. For all application to God by prayer doth evidently fuppofe, that the providence of God does frequently interpofe to over-rule events befides and beyond the natural and ordinary courfe of things, and to fteer them to a quite different point from that to which in human probability they feemed to tend.

So that it is every whit as ncceffary to religion, to believe the providence of God, and that he governs the world, and does, when he pleafes, interpofe in the affairs of it, as that he made it at firft. I come now,

in the

III. Third and laft place, to make fome inferences fuitable to the occafion of this day, from what hath

been

been faid upon this argument. And they fhall be these. 1. From hence we may learn, not to account religion, and time spent in the service of God, and in prayer to him for his blessing upon our endeavours, to be any hinderance to our affairs: for, after we have done all we can, the event is ftill in God's hand, and refts upon the difpofal of his providence.

And did men firmly believe this, they would not neglect the duty of prayer, and behave themselves fo carelefsly, and unconcernedly, and irreverently in it, as we fee too many do; they would not look upon every hour that is spent in devotion, as loft from their business.

If men would but take a view of what hath happened to them in the course of a long life, I believe most of us would fee reafon to acknowledge, that our profperity and fuccefs in any kind hath depended more upon happy opportunities, upon undefigned and unexpected occurrences, than upon our own prudent forecast and con-duct.

And if this were well confidered by us, we fhould not methinks be so apt to leave God out of our counfels and undertakings, as if he were a mere name and cypher in the world. It is, I am fure, the advice of one that was much wiser, and more experienced, than any of us will pretend to be, I mean Solomon, Prov. iii. 5. 6. 7. Truft in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own underftanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wife in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. There is no principle that ought more firmly to be believed by us than this, that to live under à conftant fense and awe of almighty God, to depend upon his providence, and to feek his favour and bleffing upon all our defigns; being fearful to offend him, and careful to please him, is a much nearer and furer way to fuccefs, than our own best prudence and preparations.

And therefore, at fuch a time, more efpecially, when we are going to war, or engaged in it, we should break off our fins, by repentance, and the fincere refolution of a better course; we fhould earnestly implore the bleffing of God upon our undertakings; and not only take great care that our cause be juft, but likewife that there be no wicked

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