MONTHLY OCCURRENCES. October 27. ACCORDING to the Vienna 4. By accounts from Dublin, it appears that another French fquadron has been off the Irish coaft, with troops, to revive the rebellion; it confifted of feven or eight large fri Court Gazette of the 6th inft. the Ruffian and Turkish fleets formed a junction on the 20th ult. and foon after fet fail for the Archipelaga:es, and approached Killala Bay, go. on the morning of the 27th of Octaber. Two gentlemen of that town, 29. This morning the Paris Jour. nals to the 23d of October were re-fuppofing them to be English, weng on board, and were detained. The frigates foon after flood away to the northward. Accounts, fince received from France, ftate them to be fafely returned to a French port. ceived in town. Several of them are filled with official letters from Buonaparte, the last of which is dated Auguft the 13th. By thefe it appears he has had three different engagements with the Beys in Egypt, in each of which he has been fuccefsful, moft places of importance in Egypt have fell into his hands; and notwithstanding the defeat of the French fleet, he speaks with very great confidence of his ability to maintain himfelf in that country. 10. The Vienna Court Gazette of the 24th of October, contains an account of a furious affault made on Widdin by the Turks. The Pachas who conducted it appeared at firft to have the advantage, and forced fome of the trenches; but having advanced to fome mines, which Paffwan O31. Letters received yesterday from glou had prepared, they were fprung, Yarmouth, brought intelligence of a and a terrible flaughter made, beDutch frigate having been taken by tween two and three thousand were the Sirius frigate of 36 guns, Cap-killed or defperately wounded; and tain R,King, northward of the Texel, fo great was the terror of the Turks, with 200 troops on board. Not a that the army could not be again colfhot was fired by the Dutchman. The lected, and brought to act for three English frigate was in pursuit of a fe- days. This is the thirty-firft affault cond, which accounts received fince, made by the Turks on Widdin. ftate to have been likewife captured. Nov. 1. The island of St. Pierre, near Sardinia, has been lately invaded by a body of Tunifians. Upwards of 2000 perfons were killed; 200 women, and the fame number of men, together with an immenfe quantity of valuable effects were carried off. The refidencies of the English and French Confuls were the only houfes that efcaped pillage. 12. A very serious infurrection has broke out in the Netherlands, in confequence of the irregularities and impolitions of the French, many battles have taken place between the French and infurgents, with various fuccefs, and in all probability it will coft the French a long time and many men before they will entirely quell it. 14. A fecond Ruffian fquadron, comprifing 10 fail of the line and 30 3. Several decrees, which have gallies, having on board 8000 troops, lately been iffued by the Spanish Go-was, according to advices from Brevernment, relative to the finances, men of the 24th ult. about to pass have created a confiderable degree of the Dardanelles, to be employed on uneafinefs and difcontent, which have the coaft of Italy. been encreafed by the augmentation in the price of the nececeffaries of life. 15. The Court of Berlin has lately manifefted confiderable alarm at the fpirit which feems to prevail through out tian Leagues. These, and other circumftauces too numerous to mention in this place, appear to be unambi Out its new acquifitions in Poland. Several Poles, fufpected of patriotic regrets for the destruction of their country, have been arrested at War-guous fymptoms of a certain and faw, and brought prifoners to the citadel of Magdeburg. 16. Holt, the famous leader of the Wicklow rebels, has furrendered hintelf to the Irish Government. fpeedy renewal of hoftilities. 28. The French Directory having declared they will treat as pirates all fubjects of neutral countries found on board British fhips of war, the King of England has ordered it to be made that if fuch a declaration is carried into effect, it is his Majefty's determination to exercise the most rigorous retaliation against the fubjects of the French Republic, whom the chance of war has now placed, or may hereafter place at the King's difpotal. 24. The island of St. Domingo, millions of money, and 10,000 lives, has been totally abandoned. 26. The accounts lately received at Paris from Buonaparte, represent that General as in the most profper. ous fituation; he has defeated every 13. By the Hamburgh Mail which arrived on Saturday, journals and let-known to the French Commiffary, ters have been received to the 9th inft. and from them it appears, that both Auftria and France are preparing for war. They both feem to confider it as inevitable, and both feem to paufe on the brink of the precipice. Swit zerland and Naples are the two points to which we must look, if we wish to calculate its probability. The Hel-after having coft this country twenty vetic Directory durft not affume a warlike tone, without the confent of its masters at Paris, and the King of Naples would moft certainly not venture to make a parade of his hoftility to France, without a perfect reliance on the protection of the Emperor.force that has been fent against him, The military preparations of his Si. cilian Majefty are continued with inceffant and undifguifed activity, and the Helvetic Directory fpeak openly of immediate war, and prepare to call out their forces. The Grifon Democrats had, on the 13th of October, transmitted an addrefs to the French Directory, claiming its protection, or, in other words, inviting the invafion and conqueft of their country. A measure which probably hastened the entrance of the Auftrian troops, and the conclufion of an offenfive and defenfive alliance, which was figned at Coire, on the 19th, by M. D. Suffen-threatens that city. berg, and the Deputies of the Rhoe and was employed, when the last accounts left him, in training and dif-. ciplining a great number of the Arabs, who have joined him. The Turks will be little able to oppote him: befides Paffwan Oglou, who has grown of late very formidable, they have now another domestic enemy to contend with, in the perfon of the Scheik Hajabi, whofe movemen's on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, it is faid, were connected with the expedition to Egypt. He has defeated the Pacha of Bagdad at the head of 50,000 men, and ever. CORRESPONDENCE. T. K. fhall have his difficulty on Pfalm xlix. 19. attended to. We know that Dr. Gill can give no light upon the fubject. W. Thomafon's Question fhall be noticed in due order. Virtuous Love, &c. is received; but too late for this num ber. THE Univerfalist's Miscellany For DECEMBER, 1798. DIALOGUE BETWIXT X, Z, AND MYSELF, DEAR SIR, ON ELECTION. (Continued from page 334.) The following is the continuation of my Dialogue on Election; I request the reader will be fo kind as to read the former part of it again, before he perufes what I now communicate. X. UT how will you prove that veffels of wrath and difhonour fhall ever be restored to happiness? ВЧ Author. If when a veffel is marred in the hands of a potter he can form it again, and continue his work, until he hath completed it to his own mind, fhall it be faid that Jehovah cannot do the fame with his creatures, if they be marred under his hand in his difpenfations towards them, and broken in pieces like a potter's veffel? Cannot he form them again, continue his difpenfations towards, and his operations upon them, until he has made them fuch as he can rejoice in, pure and happy beings? Shall it be said that GOD hath lefs power over his creatures than the potter hath over the clay? When the LORD commanded Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house, and the Prophet had there feen the veffel which the potter made, marred in the artificer's hand, and formed again by him into another veffel, as it feemed good to him to make it, the question was asked, "O house of Ifrael, cannot I do "with you as this potter, faith the LORD? Behold as the clay "is in the potter's hand, fo are ye in mine hand, O house of "Ifrael." Jer. xviii. 6. If God can do thus with the house of Ifrael, cannot he do the fame with all his creatures? The Apoftle declares, not only that all things are of God, and thro' VOL.II. 3 A him, him, but likewise that all things are to him, Rom. xi. 36. But how can all things be to him, unless all things be made ultimately to enjoy and praise him? Z. I think you have fufficiently answered the enquiries of X.; but there is one which I beg leave to bring forward, which perhaps you will find more difficulty in answering. You will admit that God was as capable of manifefting himself to the whole world, and of bleffing all mankind, at the time when he called and bleffed Abram, as he was of manifefting himfelf to, and bleffing that Patriarch. You will alfo admit that the Moft High was as capable of giving the lively oracles to, and of establishing his pure worship among, all the nations of the earth, as he was of giving thofe oracles to, and of establishing that worship among, the Jews. You will further admit that God did, at that very time, love all his creatures, yet you contend that he bestowed great favours upon fome, which he did not bestow upon others. I afk, therefore, how you will reconcile your statement of the peculiar difpenfations of divine grace with what you affert concerning the love of God to all his creatures? If he loved all, why did he not manifeft himself to all at the fame time? Why did he diftinguish one nation with his favours, if he defired that all nations fhould be the recipients of his infinite goodness? Author. I truft I have, in the course of my letters, brought forward fuch facts as fully fubftantiate the doctrine of God's peculiar and diftinguishing grace; and that I have fufficiently proved that the divine love, mercy, and grace extend to all mankind; now though there fhould feem to us fome difficulty in reconciling the doctrines of diftinguishing and of universal favour, if we find full evidence of both in the Holy Scriptures, ought we on account of the fuppofed difficulty to reject either? Ought we not rather to conclude that, as both appear to be doctrines of revelation, they muft perfectly agree; and that it is owing to the ignorance and weakness of our minds that we cannot perceive their perfect agreement? I hope the premises. which I have laboured to establish, will warrant the conclufion, that God hath in all cafes done that which is moft calculated to produce the greatest good to the whole creation, and if I fhould not be able to folve every difficulty, you ought to impute it to my weakness and want of further knowledge, not to any defect in the premjies themfelves, if they appear to be strictly fcriptural. Confidering how limited our capacities are, it cannot be furpriting that we fhould not fully comprehend the plans of infinite wifdom. Paul himself, when reasoning upon the depth depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God, difplayed in his ways of Providence and grace, exclaimed, "O the depths!" How unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out!" Z. I am not disposed to controvert the truth of what you have now stated, being aware that we may imagine contradictions where none in reality exift: Yet I think when we cannot fee the perfect agreement of any two propofitions, we ought to enquire and examine until we difcover their entire harmony: I am fully fatisfied that there can be no contradiction in what God hath spoken, yet I fhall be glad to hear what more you have to fay in reply to my enquiry. Author. I think I have already fully fhewn, in my letters, that God's design in bleffing a part, was, through them to make all mankind happy; but if this be not deemed fufficient to remove from the Moft High all charge of partiality and want of love to the reft, I would ask how you think it confifts with the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, with his love to all his works, to have made them so various in their capacities, fituations, and enjoyments; for a great diverfity must be discovered in this refpect, if we begin with angels, principalities and powers, in heavenly places, and defcend on the fcale of being to the most diminutive infects. All are not endowed with the fame powers, placed in the fame ftations, favoured with the fame enjoyments. Z. As all the creatures in the universe are parts of one complete fyftem of beings, that vaft variety which appears in their powers, ftations, and enjoyments, from the brightest of the angelic hosts, down to the meanest reptiles, may be confidered as a varied difplay of the infinite wisdom, power, and goodness of God, diverfified throughout all his works, and exhibited in as many different points of view as there are different productions of the divine hand. Besides, the variety which appears throughout the creation adds to the beauty thereof, as all the parts are proportioned with the niceft fymmetry, to constitute the most perfect and ftupenduous whole; and every part endowed with those powers, placed in that fituation, and favoured with those enjoyments, in the general fyftem, which may render them a bleffing to the whole. But what has this to do with the subject before us? Author. It may ferve to illuftrate the point we are difcuffing, for if the varied operations of the Sovereign Artificer of the univerfe, his forming fome of his creatures with fuperior pow ers, placing them in more exalted ftations, be towing upon 3 A 2 them |