Isaiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, nor in Zechariah. Nor are they thus applied in any of the following books of the New Testament: Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, nor in 1, 2, and 3 John. Whether the passages in which these words are applied to punishment give the least countenance or support to the doctrine of endless punishment, the reader can judge.

SECTION IV.

Statement of Facts, showing that the Fact of the Application of the Words Eternal, Everlasting, &c., to Punishment, is no Proof of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment.

1. We have seen that the words everlasting, forever, and forever and ever, in the Old Testament, are translated from the Hebrew olim. Taylor, Parkhurst, Stuart, and indeed all lexicon writers, admit that the word olim does not of itself signify an endless duration. In other words, that this is not the radical meaning of the word. Hence, they define it to signify "a duration which is concealed;" "time hidden from man, whether definite or indefinite, whether past or future."

2. These words in the New Testament are translated from the Greek word aion and aionios. The authorities referred to above admit that these words are frequently used to express a limited period of time, and that they correspond with the Hebrew olim; and, also, that in their scripture usage they are synonymous with

that term.

3. Although the authorities just referred to contend that aron and aionios are sometimes used to express endless duration, yet of this there is no proof; and although they assert that olim is sometimes used to signify endless duration, yet of this there is no proof; and, besides, even they themselves admit that it signifies this, "not from the proper force of the word, but when the sense of the place requires it, as God and his attributes." But, allowing they are correct in this, and in our opinion it is a point of but very little importance, then it will follow that the extent of duration expressed

by these terms must be determined by the nature of the thing to which they are applied; and, unless it can be shown that punishment is absolutely endless in its nature, the fact of the application of these terms to punishment does not prove the endless duration of that punishment.

4. It is beyond all dispute, that these words are frequently, and in a great variety of ways, used in the Scriptures, both of the Old and the New Testament, to signify limited duration. Out of six hundred and fifty-two occurrences of olim, and its corresponding words, in the Old Testament, it is susceptible of the clearest demonstration that in six hundred instances it expresses only limited duration.

5. Our translators have rendered olim, and its corresponding words, by nearly thirty different words and phrases, most of them signifying duration, but varying, as to its extent, from three days to endless duration.

6. It is an indisputable fact that the words olim and aion are used in the Scriptures in the plural number. Now, had the inspired writers understood these words to express endless duration, there would have been no necessity of their using them in the plural number, but, on the contrary, such use of them would be highly improper.

7. These words are not only used in the plural number, but words are added to extend their signification. The literal rendering of Exodus 15 18, is, "The Lord shall reign from aion to aion and farther." Dan. 12: 3, "And they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars through the aions and farther." Mic. 4:5,"And we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God through the aion and beyond it." Now, if the word aion signifies eternity, then we should be under the necessity of reading these passages thus:

"The Lord shall reign from eternity to eternity, and farther." "And they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars through the eternity and farther." "And we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God through the eternity and beyond it." Now, to speak of a period of time beyond eternity, or to speak of one eternity succeeding another, is absurd. Hence, we conclude the scripture writers did not understand these words to signify endless duration.

8. If we understand aion to express endless duration, then we

shall read in the Bible of eternities, of the beginning of eternity of the end of eternity, and of this eternity, and the eternity to come. Eph. 2: 7, "That in the aions (eternities) to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace." Col. 1: 26, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from aions (eternities), and from generations." Eph. 3:9, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the aion (eternity) hath been hid in God." Titus 1: 2, "In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the aion (eternity) began." Acts 3: 21, "Which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the aion (eternity) began." Matt. 24: 3, "Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the aion (eternity)." Matt. 28: 20, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the aion (eternity)." Heb. 9: 26, "But now once in the end of the aion (eternity) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." 1 Cor. 10: 11, "And they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the aions (eternities) have come." Matt. 12:32, "But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this aion (eternity), nor in the aion (eternity) to come." Eph. 1: 21, "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this aion (eternity), but also in that to come.”

9. It is a matter of some doubt whether these words do of themselves primarily signify duration at all, and whether, when they are used for this purpose, they are not used in an accommodated sense. Dr. Clowes says on this subject, "There has been at least one writer (Rev. Mr. Goodwin, in the Christian Examiner, published in Boston) who has with great learning and judgment examined these words, and who has come to the conclusion that olim, and its equivalent aion, mean spirit, and aionios means spiritual, and that these words never have necessarily the meaning of duration. Without admitting or rejecting the correctness of this sentiment, we must declare that our Saviour has so carefully defined eternal life as consisting in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ as sent by him,' and as being that which is here enjoyed before the resurrec tion, as something, in short, which is exclusive of that life which shall be enjoyed in the future world, that we feel ourselves com pelled to admit, that, in the teachings of our Saviour, the term

aionios, rendered eternal, in the phrase eternal life, refers much more to the character of that life than to its duration. The only question is, whether the terms olim, aion, and aionios, have not in other parts of Scripture a corresponding meaning."

10. If we understand these terms to be expressive of endless duration, we put an unanswerable argument into the hands of the Jews. It is ar incontrovertible fact that these terms are applied to God's ancient covenant with the Jews, to the statutes of Moses and to the priesthood of Aaron. With what propriety, then, may the Jews contend that all these were designed to be of perpetual continuance, and that Jesus must nave been an impostor, inasmuch as one ostensible object which he had in view was to abrogate the institutions of Moses, and bring the Legal covenant to a close!

11. But we also set the Bible at variance with itself. We have seen that these terms are applied to the ordinances of Moses, and yet, in Heb. 8: 13, and 9: 10, we are expressly told that the old covenant and the Mosaic ordinances are done away. We have seen

that these terms are applied to the Aaronic priesthood, and yet, in Hebrews, 7th chapter, we are told that that priesthood is abolished. These terms are also applied a number of times to the kingdom of Christ, and yet, in 1 Cor. 15: 24, we are told that this kingdom shall come to an end. "Then cometh the end, when he (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his

power;

feet."

12. Although these terms are applied to the punishment of persons twelve times in the Bible, yet in not one single instance are they applied to punishment after death, or in a future state of existence. We have examined every passage particularly and carefully, and have not been able to find even one which has any reference to a future world. Now, this is an important fact. How can it be supposed now that the scripture writers believed in a future state of unending punishment, and understood these terms as expressive of endless duration, and yet should not, in a single instance, apply these terms to that punishment? This is an

absurdity so glaring that it must not be overlooked. The Bible abounds with exhortations to, and warnings, and threats, and denunviations against, the wicked, yet nowhere between its lids do we find

the terms olim, aion, and aionios, applied to any punishment what ever in another world. This fact, upon the minds of the candid, will have, and upon the minds of all ought to have, great weight. 13. It is also a fact that a great majority of the scripture writers have not applied these terms to punishment— that is, the punishment of persons at all. And of those who have, they have done so only in a very few instances. Job, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Malachi, are the only Old Testament writers who apply these terms to punishment; and they, each, only once. Jesus Christ applied the terms in question to punishment only twice; Paul, twice; Peter, once; Jude, once; and supposing John to have been the author of the book of Revelation, he once. Now, can it be believed that Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zechariah, could have believed in the doctrine of future endless punishment, and that these terms were expressive of endless duration, and yet that, in all their denunciations against the wicked, they should never apply these terms to punishment of any kind, either in this world or another? The man who can believe this must have a mind not regulated by evidence in making up his opinions. Such an one is prepared to believe almost anything.

We will now notice some objections. It is said that "these terms must express endless duration because they are applied to God." If the objector means by this that because a term expressive of duration is applied to God, therefore it expresses endless duration in all cases, we have shown this to be contrary to fact. For we have seen that the terms in question are applied to God, and yet are applied to things which have had, and to things which are to have, an end. If he means by it that because a term expressive of duration is applied to God, therefore that term is of itself expressive of endless duration, this also is contrary to fact. For we have shown that the term olim is applied to God, and yet that eternity is not the radical meaning of the word; and that if it expresses endless duration when applied to God, it is not from the natural force of the word, but because the Being to whom it is applied is endless in his nature. We say a great man, and the great God; but when we apply the word great to man, we do not mean that he is as great as God. We say a good man, and the good God; but