to leave the fact itself unquestionableThat things are carried on in this world, fometimes fo contrary to all our reasonings, and the feeming probabilities of fuccefs, that even the race is not to the fwift, nor the battle to the ftrong,-nay what is ftranger ftill-nor yet bread to the wife, who fhould laft ftand in want of it, nor yet riches to men of underftanding, who you would think best qualified to acquire them,-nor yet favour to men of skill, whofe merit and pretences bid the faireft for it,-but that there are fome fecret and unfeen workings in human affairs, which baffle all our endeavours,—and turn aside the course of things in fuch a manner,that the most likely caufes difappoint and fail of producing for us the effect which we wished and naturally expected

from them.

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1

You will fee a man, of whom was you to form a conjecture from the pearances of things in his favour, you would fay was fetting out in the world, with the fairest prospect of making his fortune in it;-with all the advantages of birth to recommend him,of perfonal merit to speak for him and of friends to help and push him forwards you will behold him, notwithstanding this, difappointed in every effect you might naturally have looked for, from them; every step he takes. towards his advancement, fomething invisible shall pull him back, fome unforefeen obftacle fhall rife up perpetually in his way, and keep there.--Inevery application he makes-fome untoward circumstance shall blaft it.-He fhall rise early,late take rest,and eat the bread of carefulness,-yet:

fome

fome happier man fhall ftill rife up, and ever step in before him, and leave him ftruggling to the end of his life, in the very fame place in which he firft began it.

The history of a fecond, fhall in all refpects be the contrast to this. He fhall come into the world with the most unpromising appearance,-fhall fet forwards without fortune, without friends, -without talents to procure him either the one or the other. Nevertheless, you will fee this clouded profpect brighten up infenfibly, unaccountably before him; every thing presented in his way shall turn out beyond his expectations, -in fpite of that chain of unfurmountable difficulties which first threatened him,-time and chance fhall open him a way,--a series of fuccessful occur

rences

rences shall lead him by the hand to the fummit of honour and fortune, and, in a word, without giving him the pains of thinking, or the credit of projecting it, fhall place him in a fafe poffeffion of all that ambition could wish for.

The hiftories of the lives and fortunes of men are full of inftances of this nature,-where favourable times and lucky accidents have done for them, what wisdom or fkill could not: and there is fcarce any one who has lived long in the world, who upon looking backwards will not discover fuch a mixture of thefe in the many fuccessful turns which have happened in this life, as to leave him very little reafon to dif pute against the fact, and, I should hope, as little upon the conclufions to be drawn from it.

Some,

Some, indeed, from a fuperficial view of this representation of things, have atheistically inferred,that because there was fo much of lottery in this life, and mere cafualty feemed to have such a share in the difpofal of our affairs,that the providence of God ftood neuter and unconcerned in their feveral workings, leaving them to the mercy of time and chance to be furthered or disappointed as fuch blind agents directed. Whereas in truth the very oppofite conclufion follows. For confider,if a fuperior intelligent power did not fometimes cross and over-rule events in this world,—then our policies and defigns in it, would always answer according to the wisdom and stratagem in which they were laid, and every cause, in the course of things, would produce its natural effect without