Difeafe being the forerunner of death, there is the fame reason for its attacks coming upon us under the appearance of chance, as there is for uncertainty in the time of death itself.

The feafons are a mixture of regularity and chance. They are regular enough to authorize expectation, whilst their being, in a confiderable degree, irregular, induces, on the part of the cultivators of the foil, a neceffity for personal attendance, for activity, vigilance, precaution. It is this neceflity which creates farmers; which divides the profit of the foil between the owner and the occupier; which, by requiring expedients, by increasing employment, and by rewarding expenditure, promotes agricultural arts and agricultural life, of all modes of life the beft. I believe it to be found in fact, that where the foil is the most fruitful and the seasons the most conftant, there the condition of the cultivators of the earth is the most depreffed. Uncertainty, therefore, has its ufe even to those who fometimes complain of it the moft. Seafons of scarcity themfelves are not without their advantages; the moft conducive to health, to virtue, to enjoyment. They call forth new exertions; they fet contrivance and ingenuity at work; they

give birth to improvements in agriculture and œconomy; they promote the investigation and management of public resources.

Again; there are strong intelligible reasons, why there should exift in human fociety great disparity of wealth and station. Not only as these things are acquired in different degrees, but at the first setting out of life. In order, for inftance, to answer the various demands of civil life, there ought to be amongst the members of every civil fociety a diversity of education, which can only belong to an original diverfity of circumftances. As this fort of disparity, which ought to take place from the beginning of life, muft, ex hypothesi, be previous to the merit or demerit of the perfons upon whom it falls, can it be better disposed of than by chance? Parentage is that fort of chance yet it is the commanding circumstance, which in general fixes each man's place in civil life, along with every thing which appertains to its diftinctions. It may be the refult of a beneficial rule, that the fortunes or honors of the father devolve upon the fon; and, as it should feem, of a ftill more neceffary rule, that the low or laborious con

dition of the parent be communicated to his family; but, with refpect to the fucceffor himfelf, it is the drawing of a ticket in a lottery. Inequalities therefore of fortune, at leaft the greatest part of them, viz. those which attend us from our birth, and depend upon our birth, may be left, as they are left, to chance, without any juft caufe for questioning the regency of a fupreme Disposer of

events.

But not only the donation, when by the neceffity of the cafe they must be gifts, but even the acquirability of civil advantages, ought, perhaps, in a confiderable degree, to lie at the mercy of chance. Some would have all the virtuous rich, or, at leaft, removed from the evils of poverty, without perceiving, I fuppofe, the confequence, that all the poor must be wicked. And how fuch a fociety could be kept in fubjection to government has not been shewn, for the poor, that is, they who feck their fubfiftence by conftant manual labour, muft ftill form the mafs of the community; otherwise the neceffary labour of life could not be carried on; the work would not be done, which the

wants

wants of mankind in a state of civilization, and still more in a state of refinement, require to be done.

It appears to be alfo true, that the exigencies of focial life call not only for an original diversity of external circumftances, but for a mixture of different faculties, taftes, and tempers. Activity and contemplation, restleffness and quiet, courage and timidity, ambition and contentedness, not to fay even indolence and dullness, are all wanted in the world, all conduce to the well going on of human affairs, juft as the rudder, the fails, and the ballaft, of a fhip, all perform their part in the navigation. Now fince thefe characters require for their foundation, different original talents, different difpofitions, perhaps alfo different bodily conftitutions; and fince, likewife, it is apparently expedient, that they be promifcuously fcattered amongst the different claffes of fociety, can the diftribution of talents, difpofitions, and the conftitutions upon which they depend, be better made than by chance?

The oppofites of apparent chance, are conflancy and fenfible interpofition; every degree of fecret direction being confiftent with it. Now of conftancy, or of fixed and known

rules,

rules, we have seen in fome cafes the inappli cability and inconveniences, which we do not fee, might attend their application in other cafes.

Of fenfible interpofition we may be permit ted to remark, that a Providence, always and certainly diftinguishable, would be neither more nor less than miracles rendered frequent and common. It is difficult to judge of the state into which this would throw us. It is enough to fay, that it would caft us upon a quite dif ferent difpenfation from that under which we live. It would be a total and radical change. And the change would deeply affect, or perhaps fubvert, the whole conduct of human affairs. I can readily believe, that, other circumftances being adapted to it, fuch a state might be better than our present state. It may be the ftate of other beings: it may be ours hereafter. But the question with which we are now concerned is, how far it would be confiftent with our condition, fuppofing it in other refpects to remain as it is? And in this question there feem to be reasons of great moment on the negative fide. For instance, fo long as bodily labour continues, on fo many accounts, to be neceffary for the bulk of man