the dealings of Jehovah with his defcendants, Ifaac and Ishmael. : Jehovah who chofe, and refolved to blefs Abram and his feed; likewife refolved to bless all families of the earth in him: the fame wisdom, power, love and faithfulness, by which the one is accomplished, are equally engaged to effect the other therefore when we fee the divine perfections overcoming all oppofition to his great defigns, in one inftance, it is an earneft of their complete triumph over all the obstacles that can arife, to prevent the full accomplishment of his defigns, in every inftance. Some perfons who oppofe the doctrine of the Universal Restoration, contend, that fo far as relates to God's chofen people, his counfel fhall ftand, and he will do all his pleasure, that nothing in earth or hell can prevent their being finally brought to enjoy all the grace and glory which he intended they thould enjoy; but as to the rest of mankind, (they feem to think) whatever kindness the Lord may have towards them, whatever gracious defigns he may have formed for their happinefs, they have rendered, and will render, his kindness abfolutely useless, have defeated his defigns, and will for ever do fo: therefore his counfel refpecting them muft totally fall to the ground, his pleasure never be done. According to which, all the steps God hath taken for the recovery of multitudes of his creatures, will to all eternity be loft labour, whatever he hath done, or ever fhall do, to, or for, them, either in mercy, or in judgment, will be quite nugatory, never producing the effect which he defired. It may fairly be demanded, how it can be, that infinite wisdom fhould fucceed fo well in the choice of means to accomplish the divine purposes in the one cafe, yet prove totally unsuccessful in the other, that eternal power thould be able to place the divine counsel immoveable on its bafis in the one instance, and not be able to prevent its falling proftrate, and dafhing itself in pieces, like the Philiftine god in the other, that divine love fhould employ all the refources of wifdom and power, to purfue, recover, bring to its embraces, its objects, and perform all its pleasure upon them. in the one cafe; yet never recover, embrace, or perform its pleasure, upon those who are loved by God, in the other. It has fometimes been demanded, with an air of triumph, by what means the wicked, who die in their fins, will be recovered, and how it can be expected that any means should be effectual, after the gospel with all its bleffings is found to have no effect upon them. Without stopping to point out what what means will be employed for the effecting of this great purpofe, it is fufficient for my prefent defign, to obferve, that if their restoration be an event foretold in the fcriptures, we may rest fatitfied, that infinite wisdom will find means, eternal power adopt them, immutable love direct them to the benevolent end, and the abfolute faithfulness of God, for his immortal honor, fecure their efficacy. The fact is, men are flow of heart to believe, that events will take place, the efficient cause of which is to be found, neither in nature, nor in existing circumftances: thus it was with Abram and his wife, much as they desired a son, pofitively as God had promifed them a numerous progeny, they ftill demurred, they knew not how to conceive it credible, or poffible, that, at their time of life, they should be bleffed with offspring. After having spent the prime of their days childless, when arrived at fuch an age, that nature itself, and all the exifting circumftances, feemed to forbid all expectation of Sarah's having a child, the Moft High, contrary to the ufual courfe of things, notwithstanding the obftacles which existed were infurmountable to every thing but divine power, vifited Sarah, and she brought forth the child of promife. God could have made Sarah fruitful before, fhe might have had a fon, ere fuch cir cumstances exifted, as feemed to render fuch an event impoffible; but it seems Jehovah, in the first step towards the accomplishment of his promise to Abram, chofe to difplay his mightypower in triumphing over the greatest difficulties, that the accomplishment of it, in no inftance, might feem improbable. The fame power which triumphed in the fulfilment of the promise in this first instance, will triumph in the fulfilment of all that it contains. Ifaac, even before he was born, was chosen of the Lord, to ftand related to him, by a peculiar covenant, and to be heir with Abram, of the same promise. Gen. xvii. 7. and 19. Heb. xi. 9. Jehovah chofe him to be the progenitor of the peculiar feed, he renewed the manifestations and promise to him, which he had before afforded to his father: Gen. xxi. 12. chap. xxvi. 2, 3, 4. and throughout_treated him as an object of his peculiar choice and favour. The pe-, culiarity of the divine conduct towards Ifaac, is so evident, and the diftinguishing nature of the bleffings conferred upon him, fo manifeft, that I know not how either the one or the other can be questioned. He was not only diftinguifhed by the peculiar favours which the Almighty beftowed upon him, from men in general, but from Ifhn.ael, who was equally Abram's Abram's fon, in particular. He was a child of promife, and the promise fulfilling God did every thing for him, that could make him appear an eminent object of his peculiar regard. I fee not how any one, with the cafe of Ifaac before him, can fairly deny that particular election, and peculiar favor, are comprehended in the divine difpenfations. It may be asked, how the non-election of Ishmael, and his deprivation of the special favours beftowed upon Ifaac, can be reconciled with the fuppofition of his being an object of the divine love, and with the fuppofed beneficent tendency of fuch peculiar difpenfations? Before I answer this enquiry, I would propose several others. Are not all the difpenfations of God arranged and combined together in one perfect system, with the most confummate wifdom? Is not the defign of the whole fyftem of divine operations, confequently of each particular part, to produce the greatest and most universal good, to the creation at large? Was not the choosing and distinguishing an individual, at the time, and in the manner, in which God chofe and diftinguished Ifaac, a neceffary step in the wonderful concatenation of events, by which all the truth and grace of Jehovah fhould be brought to light :-a step, with which flood connected, and on which, in fome fort, depended the developement of the whole economy of divine love? If fuch a step was neceffary to the carrying into effect the plans of divine wisdom and love, which had for their objet the happiness of the world, how could it be otherwise than beneficent to Ishmael and his pofterity, as a part of the world; or otherwife than compatible with the love of God to him? Can we negative any one of the above questions, without virtually denying the infinite wisdom and goodness of God? That Ishmael, though not chofen and distinguished in the fame manner as faac and his pofterity; yet that his and their greatest advantage was comprehended in fuch peculiar difpenfations, is, I think, capable of the fulleft proof, not only from the general principles argued above, but alfo from express declarations of fcripture. Before Ifhmael was born, Jehovah gave his mother a promife concerning him and his pofterity, Gen. xvi. 10, 11, 12. Before Ifaac was born, the Lord declared he had bleffed Ifhmael, the declaration was made at the very time when the covenant of peculiarity was declared to attach to the former, which fhewed that the peculiar favours referved for the one, I did did not prevent the bestowment of the bleffing of God upon the other: the latter, as well as the former, was comprehended in the covenant made with Abram, for he received the fign of it in his flesh, which had he not done he would have broken the covenant; Gen xvii. chap. but to talk of any man's breaking a covenant with which he has nothing to do, would be abfurd. If it be faid that lshmael was caft out of Abram's family, the reafon of his being caft out is evident, it was be'caufe he was found mocking at an event, which ought to have made him rejoice, not the peculiarity of the Lord's conduct to Ifaac, but his own behaviour, was the cause of his being caft out. Jehovah informed Abram, that though he was caft out, he would not defert him, that he would make a nation of him, which was a confirmation of the bleffing before pronounced upon him: and we find, when the lad was in diftrefs in the wildernefs, God hearkened to his voice, manifefted his tender care over him, and renewed his promife concerning him. Gen, xxi. chap. The particular conduct of divine providence towards the defcendants of Ishmael, to the prefent day, form a ftriking exemplification of the truth of the fcriptures, and proves that they have never been forgotten by the God of Abram. The pofterity of Ishmael, we e not prevented participating in the fcriptural advantages of the former difpenfation, the way was open for them to become profelytes thereto. Under the prefent difpenfation; the gofpel, with all its bleffings, is directed to them, as well as to the rest of mankind; and, in the univerfal restoration, their whole race must be comprehended. The avowed defign of the Lord, in the peculiar bleffing bestowed upon Ifaac and his feed, was the bleffing or making happy, all the nations of the earth: Gen. xxvi. 3. 4. which connects with the election of that patriarch and his defcendants, and all the special fa-` vours bestowed upon him and them, the ultimate happiness of mankind at large. Ifhmael has been confidered by many as one of those whom God is fuppofed to have paffed by, without any design of bleffing them, we have feen that this was by no means the cafe with Ishmael; nor, in fact, has the Moft High any more deserted those who are not elected, or ceafed to defign their happiness; than he deferted the fon of Hagar. The Apostle Paul brings forward the cafe of Ifaac and Ishmael, as allegorical, Gal. chap. iv. upon which, at prefent, I fhall make but this one remark, if Ifaac, the child of promise, promife, was a type of all the children of promife, and if the election of, and bleffings bestowed upon, the former, were fteps towards the bleffing of all mankind, then the fame thing may be concluded respecting the choice of, and bleffings beftowed upon the latter. I have not abriged this letter in the manner I intended,, as you wished me not to do it.———I remain, Dear Sir, Yours in the bonds of the gospel, Poetry. ADVICE TO HUSBANDS. DEAR William, fince you've chofe the wedded state, Attentive hear a Parent's voice-relate Of blifs or woe that spring from nuptial ties. As the bleft Saviour owns his father's way, The church owns Chrift, and wives fhould men obey. The juft gradation, thus from God descends, Thro' Chrift and nature, till in man it ends. Then would we know our pow'r, our thoughts fhould rife, R. W. Would |