will gather in both the first and after fruits. His language is, "gather up the fragments that nothing be lost." Surely his plan of election will not fail, I might mention other branches of election and dwell largely on the subject. Such as relate to temporal blessings in this world. In this world we have here and there a wise statesman who is a temporal blessing to mankind in a civil point of view, they are chosen of God and raised up for this express purpose. However the pure theology of christianity being my main object in this book, I shall not drag in those temporal_matters, but pursue my present design, to illustrate the scriptural doctrine of election in a spiritual sense. However, I beg leave to introduce one comparison to throw light on this momentous subject. It is well known that in the United States of North America, the power of electing officers of state is in the hands of the people; and that those are chosen by the free voice of the sovereign people (so called) and that each officer is chosen to hold his post for a specified term as the constitution of the individual state or United States directs. Now the object of their being elected to authority is the good of the people, both the good of those elected and those nonelected. And as soon as their time of holding office is out, they are on a level with every other citizen, ir. point of official power. It is the same with the chief magistrate as with every other subordinate office; It is meant by the people, that he who administers in the government, and he who is governed, shall have an equal share in the future blessing to the nation. Even so in a spiritual sense in the plan of God's electing grace, those who are chosen to the work of the ministry must finally come on a level with the nor.elect, When Christ delivers up the kingdom to the Father, and puts down all rule and authority, and God is all in all, then one soul will be as full of the divine nature as ano ther; and of course must be as completely happy. I here observe that the divine plan and its power of election are in the hands of almighty power guided by infinite wisdom; and of course guarantees to us the greatest final and universal blessing. Whereas our own temporal plan of national election, is in the hands of short sighted men who are liable to be disappointed in their well meant objects. But God could not possibly be disappointed in his choice of means to bring about his glorious purpose for the greatest general good and his own declarative glory! We have already seen that the highest declarative glory of God the creator, and the best good of his whole creation are so indissolubly connected that no power can seperate them, as to the final purpose of infinite wisdom. Therefore we may justly conclude that if God finally makes a ful display of his own glory, the whole creation must participate with joy and rejoicing. CHAPTER 13. TRUTH PLAINLY DISTINGUISHED FROM I shall begin this chapter with the sublime prophecy of Isaiah which not only relates to the selfish Jews, under the legal dispensation, but also points us to the apostatized state of the church of Christ under the gospel dispensation, when men began to limit the grace of the true and living God, whom the inspired Apostle of a truth perceived to be no respecter of persons: And concerning whose plan of salvation another apostle says My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons." We will next read that faithful prophecy recorded in Isaiah 28. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. "Hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem, because ye have said, We have 1. de a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. Therefore thus saith the LORD God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overHow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disanuuled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goet forth it shall take you for morn ing by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night, and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report, For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it and the covering is narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.” In this most striking prophecy of that evangelical prophet of God, he begins his theme, by describing what we see the works and actions of painted hypocrites daily declare. That is to say, that they have made lies their refuge and under falsehood they hide their selfish, wicked hearts. And likewise by their vain profession of a partial faith in Jesus Christ, and firm belief in a hell which they pretend will always remain a place of torment in sight of heaven; insomuch that they think that bell when thus eternally contrasted with heaven must contribute to the delight of the saints in heaven and to the glory of God on his throne, which is as much as to say, "With hell we are at agreement." And thus far they fulfil the words of the prophet. And again those who have made a covenant with death by fondly expecting that all men or any part of them will be relieved from real sin and consequent punishment by the death of the body, do thus far fulfil the prediction. For such a belief supposes a covenant of agreement, i. e. that men are to live in sin and punishment awhile and then death is to give them a happy release from both. Such I think must be the conditions of a covenant with natural death. But how can men make such a covenant ? Answerthrough the medium of a false faith and no other way. But I can assure the reader that no covenant with death nor any agreement made with hell through the medium of a spurious faith can ever bring about any part of true happiness. To harbor the poisonous thought in our imagination that the saints in glory will more fully realize their own happiness, by having constantly before their eyes a horrid spectacle of millions of their fellow beings in a most forlorn state of eternal torture scorching beneath the flaming ire and burning wrath of their own omnipotent creator and Almighty father, shows at once a heart impregnated with the worst of demons that. can possibly twine about the tender fibres, and chill so far their sympathetic warmth, as to silence every tie of humanity, and leave a man to expect endless felicity at the enormous expense of the eternal misery of his fath er, mother, brother or sister. However, we do not find any among those who make a covenant with death and are agreed in sentiment to an endless hell, that think they themselves will have to endure any of its torments, but expect those eternal pains to be reserved for their more wicked neighbors. In a word, their profession and works prove that they expect no punishment themselves, i. e. in their own persons, hence they fulfil the words of the prophet as their profession and works seem to say, "When the overflowing scourge shall pass thro', it shall not come unto us." "No, but fall upon others for our delight and God's glory." But what says the answer of God? "When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trod den down by it." But selfish, partial, cruel minded souls are very much prone, in their wild imagination, when exercised on religion, to restricting or limiting the saving grace of God to a few, and to lengthening out the duration of scourging sinners to all eternity. But let such deluded people not forget the history of proud Hanan that deceitful Assyrian courtier and Mordecai the captive Jew. For it is very evident that their own contrived system of punishment is their daily tormenting scourge under which they can have no solid rest day or night, while fostering such limited views of God's goodness. For the prophet says, "The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering is narrower than that he can wrap himself in it." This will appear very plain when we come to consider what the inspired Apostle says, "God hath made of one blood (or life) all nations to dwell on all the face of the earth." Hence what is necessary to save the spiritual lite of one individual is sufficient to save the whole family of man, and that which could be sufficient to damn one soul or life eternally would destroy the peace of all. For men are naturally formed for society, and that in all |