On  the  hypothesis  that  man  is  absolutely,  or  partial-
ly free,  the  function  of  Providence  is  much  more  com-
plicated. There  are  primary  and  secondary  powers ;
there  are  other  agents  beside  God,  using  the  power
derived  from  him  to  work  with  after  their  own  ca-
price :  so  God  acts  in  part  by  means  of  the  freewill
of  men.  This  theory  seems  to  me  conformable  to
common  sense  and  common  consciousness,  and  is  per-
haps the  most  philosophic  of  any  that  has  yet  been
arrived  at.
262  PROVIDENCE.
So  much  for  these  two  theories  of  Providence.
There  are  two  modes  in  which  God's  providence  is
commonly  supposed  to  act,  namely,  the  General  and
the  Special.
