A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…

Nor can any supposed Connection of the Succession or Train of Antecedents and Consequents, from the very Beginning of all Things, the Connection being made already sure and necessary, either by established Laws of Nature, or by these together with a Decree of sovereign immediate Interpositions of divine Power, on such and such Occasions, or any other Way (if any other there be;) I say, no such necessary Connection of a Series of Antecedents and Consequents can in the least tend to hinder, but that the Means we use may belong to the Series; and so may be some of those Antecedents which are connected with the Consequents we aim at, in the established Course of Things. Endeavours which we use, are Things that exist; and therefore they belong to the general Chain of Events; all the Parts of which Chain are supposed to be connected: And so Endeavours are supposed to be connected with some Effects, or some consequent Things, or other. And certainly this don't hinder but, that the Events they are connected with, may be those which we aim at, and which we choose, because we judge 'em most likely to have a Connection with those Events, from the established Order and Course of Things which we observe, or from something in divine Revelation.

Nor can any supposed Connection of the Succession or Train of Antecedents and Consequents, from the very Beginning of all Things, the Connection being made already sure and necessary, either by establish'd Laws of Nature, or by these together with a Decree of sovereign immediate Interpositions of divine Power, on such and such Occasions, or any other Way (if any other there be;) I say, no such necessary Connection of a Series of Antecedents and Consequents can in the least tend to hinder, but that the Means we use may belong to the Series; and so may be some of those Antecedents which are connected with the Consequents we aim at, in the establish'd Course of Things. Endeavours which we use, are Things that exist; and therefore they belong to the general Chain of Events; all the Parts of which Chain are supposed to be connected: And so Endeavours are supposed to be connected with some Effects, or some consequent Things, or other. And certainly this don't hinder but, that the Events they are connected with, may be those which we aim at, and which we chuse, because we judge 'em most likely to have a Connection with those Events, from the establish'd Order and Course of Things which we observe, or from something in divine Revelation.