, 1875-12-13

words In queatinI Ars m.nlteatIy auaceptIhle OF
eeyert. n!oanhcs, hA t!'o critical inquiries Of
rtet scholars l,aSe already made aprarcnt. nnl
do not therefore cattanlr teach tho eternity OF
iunirhn,rnt Hit A. this will llnrslly 1ne"t tlln
rnn-onahle wis!,o- of tho hearcr, wc Will pro-
oeed NTH u'ir exposition nf the pnasacc.
Ot course, A. sou can all fcalil' sea tho root
o1 tho Nnole lanculty III lntrlvIctinE this tc.t
lea III Tho cnncchcd fh,Fossibilit7 Of Determining
tho exact fh~ct Of tho HleeH "rrA aiot. ren-
,1orcd "oYerlkAtlng." mud "ctcrnai," The truth
HesNss 70 be that II is nnrostau from what
Hhu1ca nion ApranE. and therefore ctsnlnloEy
fails n giFo information H0 much desired. ScMu
scholars Ray 1t Risri.i+s "atwaye esistinE'i otu-
nss, "in1efMita luratlon", Others. "d1ratph
cnneinnouR hn ion Gs It la's,. but which may TO
cnllrletcd aud thishel, Al hre ofalisltpshtlun OF
ity rathor thnn 'l,,antity,jtfo aud pnns+hnGne of
= peculiar kupt without sprral felcrG'tco to tho
tutat,or1 of It, hAvc within reach tho dallnt-
tl0n OF twcDty.six ltxicoErapAern and fenlng
biblical e'iica that hare lnado tho meaning Of
tuis word matter Of etndy, who aereo That its
real import !. mot eternity. Tho oldest lichon-
nsv knosu q. u. 4on-talnl Aeflnca aiun TINS !;
"Tho hfn Ut tnan--tho tlno Of llfc." lrof.
S."wnst, late Of AptinyM Theological School,
tlantachtlnettn, Was I'D by HI. patient study Ia
III. Of aton in tho New Tcftament, nnti the
uua which corresponds with tho Hebrew Wurd
uiA,n, aud which therefore slnhervta the frat
rink in regard to nfder, r,t dnwn first MI III
"ycr. forever time without o,'d. eternity all III
relation to Tnture tinlo. Tho different s!Rklps
hy whlrh tho word is rendered depend on the
ot,Jc with which a.onins ia nssoctAted, or to
Mttch il has ic!athu. rather tl,nn to any dl!ror-
cn's in ,hr real ,neansag ot Tho word"
1>r. Edward ]'ctcller, ono OF rho most candid
OF all orr bi,rlea. rehpIass, II, ono OF iH ARTICLES
on tho final Restitution, recently printed IN thu
thyftian t;nao'. raya: IAN nstemrts II ret
forth eternity rs the original and primary srnr
Of sion arc a. war with tho facsa " tho Glrrk
language for five centuries. tn mhicl, It d.uuc,a
l1fr nna It's desisst.re scnscs, and tho fenao
eternstv MAS unknown" Tl.is attainment OF Hr.
.eecher testB upon tIla writings IT tho Christian
fathers; tltat II. thn.r vino rrutc in tho eentn-
RIGS Immediately silccce ling the tin,c OF Chtist
md fraEmeDta Ut wliuHe Writings hayc rcncho1
ua. lt.s presnnea they kuew tho nfeanlug OF
Aio, Int their nninrin u@aEr in Hsaiust tbs COLI
strntltun Of endless Enral'ra. .....
These illustrations. which v0 Are tnMrtrd
greatly to multiply. will show son 10 what dis
similar conclA-.ons scholars haro como in their
atse,nrts to ascertain tho meaning Of tho wordn
that it In in,.,w1itle to s!aterm.nc beyond euy
doubt hat lie d1l ray anti tusan, tho Ercsu'nt,-
ticl,-tle ha'aurc Of ,roof-cortRilliy fayntH this
reIteying OF aion--" DURATION tho extent Of
WHICH " determined BY the subject to which It is
applied" Tins everlasting, applied to priest
nn!. as so that Of Aaroli conyeys yery ttifTcr-
rnt mran.ng from what It does whom apPlicd to
deity: aud why? Because tho iden Of intinity
,tsts not intlcru in Tho worI ''eYorasttng,' or
"ctrrne!." but in tho name which IL applied to
Irity. GrcA: is aii illustrative word, tho fogco
~ which charges With tho subject to Which il 10
applied. Afun!un ranishirlcpt does NOT, there
.ove carry With 1t tho force Of endless ps.nisls-
is"ut, utlicas it can bo demonstrated TINT atun
has that 1uoaning and no Other, which IL would
be s'mply presnmpl1ous to claim; for no such
idea IL III the word konain. Or its EnEIan c1uiya~
lent, 3,nnishl7ent.
lat tho ide& Of dnsatlan ia In The vhrasa els
solaaiu atoniou; aa is also the idea Of suffering
for neglect OF duty. Bit tie duration Of the
eu7er,ng Tor sin il indefinite. It may 10 cpn-
ti,od to year, nr may e1tepd far into Tho im.
mortal ftate. In other casc the coutlnuance Of
ruhistment ie consietcut With the tercntnhco OF
the sinner, and tho fccn ozcrciHs Of tho Ulsiuo
fpEgivcusHB.
OF Tho latter member 0, tho task word il
needinl. The ar1y,na. OF ''stc1nnI" ia tho
aanoe az Of everlasting sorao persons, OH
this account, arc perpioxed with tha difficulty.
paas, signify heaven, docs not everlasting pua-
ishment, into which tho wicked arc to 80 away,
Eignfy hcil2 Eut tho force OF this criticism
ia ctlectnuy dieposea Of BY tho fact that ''eter-
nal tifo does not signify hcayor. mil has not
necessarily the force Of tho rerpetnal. or I'm
mottsl life. Duration Is donhtes. included in
tho pllrado "oternhI fi{e," but II " o may folov
Scripture uhago tho prominent thought Is quail
ty of life rather than tho quantity OF 1t. "Ihia
is lifp eternal, that they might know Thoo tho
only true Qou, AMI Jesus CHRIST whom Thou has.
vent"
Our taxt Is q Conspicuous Illustration Of an
Attetnpt to fOrco tuto T. word moaning which
does not properly belong to il. Ils slmple
truth ii taero II 10 English word Which exactly
expresses tho forco OF aion aud iU our version
OF the Db!e 1t Should havo becn left uatrans-
lated, qs in many Of the later renhoripgs it ia.
Snch course would have stnred tie Christian
Church almost inconcclvahle tIoublo and mis-
chief. Tho author Of tho "Emphatc D'aglot"
kt9tpV V1r1p 1rjv fI,{i 81,
lltoral rendering OF Tho Grsek: 'tAn'l theAu
ehal! 20 forth to the nionion cutting~oH, hut tho
righteous to tho aioilion life" And to this
verse lc appends this comprehensive aud sug-
gestiso 1.ote. to which ua aak special attention.
particularly 10 tho last clause of lt:.
Tllp common Version, aud many modern cues, ren-
der Enlasin aohtun, cVerlssln, ruu!thmrnt !; con-
Svyihs the cA, IA gtnclally INTERPRETED, Of bas,nos
otIor g!ae.s Ii The New Tcstanent-Acta ~: Il IT,
retcr a.: l. Lohu v.: ~. II is derived from Kol-
11. whs y *En'tss q, To- e5t y, 9 m . io,us %
l:ets, Tac GIeess wriir TIE tha1uteer tku1azo>
s:5'ins bis nery steed y " ehssstsr 70 uu1rh. 10
rtnIsan. is esteele punishment; hence has 5ssen
u third tct1 phpr!c7l Of ua word. Tbs primary
riHnlrs1!pu has BON 4aoped. be,suss Il sRress bet
ter viii tbs arcond n4enbnr Of tbs sentence, thus pro-
serving the !orto and beanty Of the autshcsis. Ta
rtae's C'to rfo tho wicked to the cutting otf from
lie. Or death. Sea II. Ties. L.: o.
Theaa ef yoW VITO aa.iEo tna.e thoeoughly to
t3u,lhe into lhn ssenitlcaion of siou aud aionioH
will be grcat!y l!dcd in your iuyesligatiop by 4
vuulno 1lCon TINT anbject now p4psiug through
inc pre.s 1f"n tue pen Of the Rov. ]. ". Ian
s,'1l, OF tho New Cuyepaut. Il IL the most COM
liete 2nd eshauttiS1 discussion ou that topte
within popular reAch, and, 81 fur ID know, III
t4istDncc.
fefuro turning from .1,is passage and thIs d.
vision OK our subject, your attcnt1ou should lie
called to three fActs that greatly atrengthou lilo
presumption that our Lord dio lot, OH that oc.
rnHion, teach tho dyea4fuI aocszlae OF Interuip-
tito pain. These facts arc N The puntui,lnont
pronounced WAS not for actual personal wtcketj-
ursy. but ratlIet for u neglect OF duty, Tho
" "t.xbtbous :" clothed tho naked" aud Svlsitel
tbs Hick e; tho ''wicbed" neglected. 10 do these
a,.A otl.er liko daede Of mercy, Tho puuislMeut
threatened IL not. therefore, for nuloIiat uT &C.
tuai pefsouai sin. ta} Ihts pa8sago {Alattf1ey
11y.: aG} cccusH but paae tu ttla tuur sos-
t,ols Tha otl1or ovanselists do not in.
cIudo II in tholr lives Il Christ. And whit
is especlalty worthy OF remark II. TINT. wLo
atayk giyca part Of tho accouut Of Ihe dcsttuc-
ton OF tle temple. which Matthew'S gospel cou-
TITUS ia full His narrative ciddes nitA the IN.
luhctiuu t. watrlfulnonb (soo a1arlt. chap 49,.
and thus ,nakss no satoFsaco to anything sail
hs tAe basios, Ut lko import with Matshpw
XIV: 40.
El1t Low Bhslt we account for this omission by
all tue other sacred writer's. aud sspceiRlly BY
ast, u 5aeua did r<alls, III tho so-cal'el psrAbIs
Of tho Sheep aud the A0ats, cuusIgu y consider
Ab!e portion al Mankiul ~ euuless suffering.