their portion, and then to bring | gion and yield a cordial obedience upon themselves everlafting de- to all the divine commands.-For ftruction. by living in impenitence, vicious practices, or neglect of the duties of religion, parents not only ex This is vifiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children in the most awful manner, and is unfpeak-pofe themselves to destruction, but ably worse than temporal judg- they are doing what tends to draw ments. And it feems as if the down the judgments of heaven children of wicked, worldly par- upon their dear children, and to ents were often vifited in this way; ruin them forever.-How many as the most of them appear to be parents, by their wickedness, have left to follow the evil examples of thus been the means of the eternal their fathers in making earthly ob- ruin of their beloved offspring. jects their God, or chief pursuit. For it is declared of God, by the prophet, "Thou recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bofom of their children after them.” On the contrary, if parents are pious and obedient, there is great encouragement, that they may be the means of drawing down bless ings on their children, and of faving them as well as themselves.~ Thefe confiderations must have great weight with all parents, who' believe the facred fcriptures, and have any regard for the temporal or eternal intereft of the offspring of their own bodies.-Who, that is not callous to all the tender feelings of a parent, can think of expofing his dear children to ruin by living in finful courfes? How cruel and criminal is the conduct of fuch? Let us then keep the stat utes and commands of the Lord, But should there be inftances, where the children of notoriously wicked perfons are both pious and profperous in this life; it would not be inconfiftent with the declaration of God's "vifiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children," because, as already fhewn, this is not a pofitive declaration, that he will do it in every instance. But it is a general declaration, implying, that he may, and often does thus vifit children. But ftill he is at liberty in his fovereign goodness to difpenfe with this threatening, when he fees beft, without violating his truth; fince he has not bound himself to do it in every instance. that it may go well with us, and with our children after us.”—-"Choose life, that both thou and thy feed may live." From the obfervations fuggefted in anfwer to thefe queries it may be remarked, that the divine conftitution in "vifiting the iniquity vifiting the iniquity" of the fathers upon the children" is not only perfectly juft, but is wifely calculated to anfwer valuable and important ends.-It ftrikingly manifefts God's difpleafure against impiety and wickedness, as in the inftances of Korah and his company, and of the Jewish nation, upon whofe children God fo remarkably vifited the iniquity of their fathers.It alfo affords peculiar motives to diffuade parents from vice and wickedness, and to influence them to engage in relig H. NOTE. Some of the ideas and ex preffions in the preceding obfervations are taken from a piece, which the wri ter published on this fubject a few years fince in the Theological Magazine. TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON- GENTLEMEN, THE enclosed letter was not trine of Univerfal Salvation." Now as I conceive fuch an opinion to be totally fatal to you, and poffibly may be fo to your children, I have thought it to be my duty to write to you on the fubject. For, fhould I meet you at the bar of God, a final caft-away, I am confcious it would be justly exacted of me why I had not given you a timely warning? And I could not anfwer for the neglect. Whether it will have any good effect in leading you to a renunciation of your error, must be left with a holy, a fovereign, and merciful God, with whom is the refidue of the Spirit; to whom my prayers are daily offered on your behalf; that he would be graciouf originally intended to be prefented A LAYMAN. Dec. 5th, 1800. A MY DEAR FRIEND, pleafed to enlighten your mind in the knowledge of Chrift, and lead you home to himself thro' the merits of a glorious Redeemer. I frankly confefs to you I have not much hope that you will attend to what I write; for people, who once adopt that error, have fo many temptations to continue in it, both from the wiles of Satan, and their own depraved hearts that I have rarely heard of any one who has left it. But, having quieted themselves in a finful courfe, they ufually go on, with that blindness of mind, which they have voluntarily chofen, until death overtakes them, and convinces them, when they would give worlds to repair their error, that they have been fatally deceiving themselves. Such, I fear, will be your fituation. N obfervation which I heard you make, when I laft faw you, has, from that time to the prefent, dwelt upon my mind, and given me great anxiety on your account. It was on the fubject of falvation. I think you will recollect it, on my repeating it to you, and noticing the place where it was made. In July 1798, you and I were returning from a journey up Connecticut river; and, as we were paffing through Hadley meadow, you advanced a fentiment which I did not perfectly comprehend. I enquired whether you pretended to Atheism? You replied No. But you went on to obferve that "neither you, (meaning myfelf) nor any other perfon, would find any thing in the Newly upon it, the ableft champions, Teftament, but what went to both for, and against it. I have ' confirm, (or establish) the Doc- endeavored to weigh all their ar I prefume I may, without arrogance, fay, that I have paid much more attention to this fubject than you. My employments, and fituation in life, have regularly led me to do it. I have read large state of uncertainty refpecting thefo very important and interefting en quiries. It is from the bible only, that we get the true account, and there we are taught our duty plain guments coolly. I have attended to the lives of those of my acquaintance who have profeffed to believe it; and the beft opinion which I can form, relative to it, is this; viz. that it is one of the mostly. There we, alfo, learn, that fuccefsful fchemes that the great men can wreft fcripture to their adversary has ever devifed, to lead own damnation. Is not the charmen away from the truth; that acter of man, as he exhibits it in those who do imbibe it, are indu- this life, truly drawn in the Bible? ced to do it to quiet their own Is not man quarrelfome, malicious, confciences in their wicked courf- profane, luftful, thievifh, falfe, es; and that those who do adopt and deceitful? So fays the bible. it, do it with a particular view to Muft not all of us die? We know their own exemption from the punwe muft. Now we come to the ifbment denounced against finners important queftion, what will be who die impenitent. our end, or fituation after death? This queftion you have to fetele for yourfelf; and if you should mistake, I wish you to carefully remember, that mistaking in your folution of it will not mitigate the dreadful horrors of your fituation, because there is a fufficiency of evidence on the subject, amply within your reach. And if you, ei ther through prejudice, or too much anxiety to obtain worldly poffeffions, through indolence, or careleffnefs, do not attend to it according to its importance, and judge aright refpecting it, the dreadful confequence must be yours, and yours only. For every one ftandeth or falleth for himself. I am not about to treat this fubject argumentatively. The limits ufually affigned to a letter will not admit of it. But I fhail fuggeft a number of things, (and with plainnefs) with a view to induce you to examine the fubject thoroughly, before you risk your intereft for eternity upon it. The argu. ments for, and against it, you may find in Doctor Edwards' reply to Chauncey, much more ably and clearly stated, than I could do it, fhould I attempt. And in my own opinion, if you examine, with that candor which your intereft alone ought to produce, you will find the arguments perfectly conclufive against universal falvation. Let us look at our fituation. You and I did not make ourselves, but we are here in life. There is but one book in the world, (befide thofe which are copied from it) which contains any rational account of man's origin. The wifeft and most learned of the Heathen Philofophers, have written much, and with great anxiety, refpecting the origin and destiny of man. And the writings of Socrates, who was, confeffedly, the wifeft, and greateft of them all, manifeftly fhew that he was in a The vulgar and ungentlemanlike habit of profane fwearing, I am informed has greatly increafed upon you. Several perfons, not very fcrupulous on the fubject themfelves, after having been in your company, have spoken of you, to me, as being fingularly addicted to it. This is a vice, exprefsly forbidden in the Bible; and it is declared that profane fwearers fhall have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstoneWhat language can be plainer, or more exprefs? I fhall make only two enquiries of you refpecting that practice, and fhall leave you to anfwer them to yourself. What real good have you ever derived from profane fwearing? Have you not adopted the fyftem of Univerfal Salvation, merely that you may indulge yourself in that vice, and others which are exprefsly forbid. den in the word of God, with lefs compunction, and more eafe of confcience? I am perfectly fatisfied, in my own mind, how you will answer thefe queftions if you answer them truly; and truly you muft anfwer them before God; and that not many years firft. You are now confiderably paft middle age; and if you were fure you should live to feventy years, (which few of your ancestors have done) it will still be but a fhort time, before you will know whether you have adopted a wrong and ruinous opinion or not. -Should it prove that you have, think, O think, my friend, what must be your fituation! All your enjoyments will be past-all your hopes of eafe and pleasure utterly at an end. Many of your friends of this world; thofe with whom you have taken pleasure in this life; thofe with whom you, perhaps, now flatter yourself, you fhall spend an eternity of happinefs, will then If Inftances there are, I acknowledge, but they are very uncommon, of people's ever reforming, when they are paft the age of thirty-five years. At least, my experience witneffes to this truth. you will look back upon your past life, you will find it has been short and troublesome. Yet in all probability, you have lived much the greatest part of it. If, during the greatest half of your life, you have indulged yourfelf in finful practices, and in pursuits condemned by the law of God; and if you have hitherto reaped nothing from them, but vexation and difappointment, (which I am perfectly fenfible is the fact) I ask you, as one who is concerned for your future peace, whether you had not better try a different kind of principles and practices? I fhould think that selfishness alone would prompt you to this were it not for the deceitfulness of sin. You must accept of a Saviour on Chrift's own terms or you must reject him. He now offers himfelf to you; but it is in his own way. If, when you come to the bar of God, you find that Chrift rejects you, and configns you over to torment without end, your tel gospel otherwife, and that yozi thought all would be faved, will do you no good. Will the thought, that you have deceived yourself then give you any confolation? O! no. It will only increase your misery; for you will then recollect, that you once had the offer of falvation as well as be feparated from you; they onling him that you understood the the right hand, and you on the left, of your judge-and, while you are beholding them reaping the bleffed harvest of the good feed, fown on the fruitful foil of true faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, carefully cultivated with all the Chrif tian graces, you will be neceffitated to view a profpect of mifery, interminable, of woe, forever in-others-that they embraced it in creafing, from which you can never efcape, and upon which you must enter as foon as the awful command is given, "Depart from me ye curfed into everlasting fire prepared ⚫ for the devil and his angels.' VOL. I. No. 9. truth, but that you were deceived by Satan, who is now to forever exult in your blind credulity, with which he led you on to deftruction. I repeat it. Chrift now offers himself to you; but it is on Tt his own terms. If you accept of him, on those terms, he will fave you from fin, as well as from mifery; and no one was ever faved from mifery, who was not firft faved from fin: Becaufe mifery is a neceffary and inevitable confequence of fin They are infepa rably connected. But if you will not accept of him as he fays, you will fail of his benefits, and be caft into outer darkness, until the great day; when you, and I, and your connections, and friends, and all others, must come forth to give an account of ourfelves and be judged. If it then appears that you rejected Chrift, becaufe you loved fin, as it will appear, if you do finally reject him, you will be Thut out; while you may probably fee your parents, your wife, fome of your brothers and fifters, (I hope all of them) many of thofe who are now your friends and acquaintance feated at the right_ hand of their Judge, and pre. ferved from thofe dreadful torments which will await you and all others who do reject the Sav iour. Accidentally hearing of your illness, I thought it might, with the bleffing of God, afford you a favorable opportunity to reflect; which your hurry in bafinefs, when in health, might preclude. And alfo, with a hope that you may have had eternity more ftrongly depicted to your mind, during your ficknefs, than when your attention has been much engroffed by the cares and bufinefs of the world, I have forwarded this to you. And I pray God of his infinite mercy, through our bleffed Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, to guide you in that straight and narrow way, which will lead you to himfelf," where the wicked ceafe from troubling, and where the weary are at rest.” I am, &c. An account of a work of Divine grace in a Revival of Religion, in a number of Congregations in New-England,in the years 1798 and 1799, in a feries of Letters to the Editors. [Continued from page 314.] LETTER XV. Second letter from the Rev. AMMI H GENTLEMEN, I befeech you to think of thefe things as they are-do not deceive yourself in fo important a concern. I have endeavored to state these things truly and plainly, to you. Not to wound your feelings; for what good can that do me? I have done it, because I am extremely anxious that you should determine aright, that you need not mourn at laft, a fatal obftinacy and blindnefs, which is the certain ruin of every one who retains it to their end. I have done it, because I am confcious that it is my duty to warn you, if I fee you in danger, that I may noting the aforementioned difplay of have the neglect charged to my account, to fwell the multiude of my, crimes. AVING given a plain narrative and brief fketch of the wonderful work of God among us; after requesting a remembrance in your prayers and thanksgivings to the God of fovereign grace on our behalf; I might have stopped there perhaps rather than add any thing further. But my feelings dictate that fome remarks and obfervations concern the power and grace of the king of Zion may be ufeful by his blef fing, to comfort and encourage the |