SECT. XII. This is further proved by the preservation of empires.

THE preservation of commonwealths hath been acknowledged, both by philosophers and historians, to be no mean argument for the Divine Providence over human affairs. First, in general; because wherever good order in government and obedience hath been once admitted, it has been always retained;²¹²¹   Because without it there is no such thing as human society, and without society mankind cannot be preserved; whence we may collect, that men were created by Divine Providence, that they might live in society, and make use of laws, without which there neither is nor can be any society. Le Clerc. and in particular, certain forms of government have continued for many ages; as that of kings among the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Franks; and that of aristocracy among the Venetians. Now, though human wisdom may go a good way towards this, yet, if it be duly considered what a multitude of wicked men there are, how many external evils, how liable things are in their own nature to change; we can hardly imagine any government should subsist so long without the peculiar care of the Deity. And this is more visible where it has pleased God to change a government:²²²²   Thus Lucretius:
   “Some secret cause confounds the exploits of men.” for all things (even those which do not depend upon human prudence) succeed beyond their wish (which they do not ordinarily in the variety of human events) to those whom God has appointed instruments for this purpose, as it were, destined by him; (suppose Cyrus, Alexander, Cæsar the dictator, the Cingi²³²³   He seems to mean Genghiz Can, who came out of eastern Tartary, and out of the city Caracarom, and subdued not only Tartary, but also the northern Sina and India. From him sprung the Mogul kings, and the princes of the lesser Tartary. His life is written in French, and published at Paris in 1710. Le Clerc. amongst the 18 Tartars, Namcaa²⁴²⁴   Here, in justice, Manca Capacus ought to be named, who was the founder of the empire of Peru. (See Garsilazzi de la Vega, in Incarum historia). amongst the Chinese): which wonderful agreeableness of events, and all conspiring to a certain end, is a manifest indication of a provident direction. For though a man may now and then throw a particular cast on a die by chance; yet, if he should do it a hundred times together, every body would conclude there was some art in it.