The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-04

birth to DEATH an Lis iiom
ponnesan says: "Aion, time. a snaee 81 time
tim. ay period Of mans life, long period of
aionios, OF long duration.
.sesenne says: "Aion, an age, a long
fIr.eu OF Time. indefinite duration"
Knight, an eminent Presbyterian.
hic,o,,. 1nsse words tsion, aioniosl being am
e1ods are always to be Understood according
~ 'he nature and circumstances of the thing.
n'cn tney are applied" aud admits that
"'Onios does not necessarily mean endless.
row, prebendary of St Paul's cathe-
:" says: II have proved that when it faion)
1seu 20 denote duration, It is incapable of
expressing the idea of duration without limit.
whs ~ II united with particle OF negation
"Aeu u rs not thus united 1t expresses period
lHuennite but limited duration, such, for
pie, as an age or dispensstion'
ano its adjective, aionos, is really an In
s.s multiple, denoting only finite quail
Wy Inc revisers OF the New Testament attn
49,, 1 I've .ns WORD IN Matthew xxv:46: setter
ai, ous the same word III Revelations" They
shsA De sormented forever and eyer"-they give
q marginal reading-"Unto the ages of ages
In other parts Of the New Testament aion in
CONSUMES translated "world," and sometimes
ever. In several places il is "ages." II is said
However thai In the notable passage in Mat
tnew xxy:46, the same word (aioniosl refers both
4
limited in the one case it must be in the other
"nat OF ltg Jesus is simply referring to the in
oennlte future. The wicked shall 90 into tina
punishment OF the ages and the righteous into
.ne NE OF the ages. He does not saw that the
ne OF the righteous is not to continue Neither
does he say thatthe punishment of the wicked
- W terminate conclusion in either case
must De reached by study OF the whole spirit
OF Christ's revelation.
ihere Is still another Interpretation of afonios
accepted by many scholars in the Anglican COM
mnnion, who attach a moral meaning ONLY To
ihe terms eternal life and eternal death "This
ID NE eternal, that they might know Thea the
only true God" knowledge OF GOD ia life eter.
uai- lack OF this knowledge is eternal death
Eternal In this sense has no relation to time II
Is the non-tme condition. 1t is simply imoossi-
pie to conceive eternity in the measure of time.
iry 10 Imagine not only the earth but every one
Oh the millions of suns and plan is ground into
grains OF sand, each grain representing mill
ION Oh years. Then when all of these billions
upon billions of grains have run out eternity II
only begun, the torment of the wicked only
commenced. The mind sinks paralyzsd in the
TASK The everlasting life is the life of the
gospel Kingdom, and this kingdom is here and
.ne eternal lie" is already begun to those who
truly believe on Christ
The latter part of the letter touched on the
question OF Gods Furnishing those who hon.
estly believe according to the religions ether
than that OF Christianity. Paurs answer is
sufhcient. "For when the Gentiles, which have
no law, do by nature the things of the law,
these, having no law, are law unto themselves,
In that they show the work of the law written
on their hearts," "Wil GOO inflct eternal pun
ishment on man for exercising his honest be-
nefs?' don't believe God arbitrarily punished
man Tor any cause. The only hell is the hell
man makes for himself here or hereafter by his
own wrong-doing. Want of faith or error in
ialth may lead to error in life and thus incur
penalty. As to the duration of punishment, I
repeat l believe 1t to be correlative with the
Duration OF sin. Az long As man sins, 80 long
VIII he be punished. Our beliefs affect our acts
as well as our acts affect beliefs. man is re-
sponsibe for his belief as well as for his act
Much OF the so-csiled "honest belief" arises
from willful neglect of the spiritual faculty. a
deliberate closing OF the eyes to the truth of
God revealed in Christ The faith that saves,
however, is not merely an intellectual assent to
mechanical scheme of redemption, As some
theology seems to teach. To truly believe in
Christ 10 TO love Christ, and to be really saved
through Christ is TO conquer sin by the power
Christ gives. The way to eternal life is two
Told, not through man only nor through God
only, but by God and man together. II Is aptly
expressed in the stirring injunction-Work out
your own salvation, for it is God which worketh
In