expired and gone the aionion covenants and statutes, &c. waxed old and have long ago vanished away, (Ileb, vii. 13.) and a new aion has been introduced, even the Christian aion, which itself shall come to an end, as our blessed Lord has told us in his gracious promise to his church,“ And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the aion," Mat. xxvii. zo. And when this aion is ended, there are aïons yet to come, Eph. ii. 7. Yea, the apostle represents a succession of future aions" Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus e acas TAS VETERS TO COur Two awrar, Eph. iii. 21.Here we have the idea. given us of one age generating another; for the apostle ascribes praise to God our Father" to all the generations of the age of ages *."

Now, Sir, take your meaning of the word aion, always being, and its derivatives as eternal, &c. and apply it in the face of all these facts and Scriptures, and see how it will accord. We shall then see that an hundred years is an eternity-a man's short frail life is an eternity—a dispensation of providence, long or short, is an eternity, &c. &c. There are eternities asian eternity now existing—and when this eternity is ended, there are generations of eternities to come-There are eternal things that have long ago come to an end; and the eternal hills now existing will one day be burned up, &c.!!!

Upon the whole, the proper meaning of aion appears to be age, and the proper meaning of aionion age-lasting. Thus we have a rational conception of the ages that are past, of the age which now exists, and of the ages to come. And thus, also, we can well conceive of the age-lasting covenants above mentioned, which continued during the Jewish age-the age-lasting hills, which shall continue during the age of the world-the wayysior alvor, age-lasting gospel, which shall continue to be preached during those ages in which the mediator, shall be subjecting all things to himself, and reconciling all things to the Father-the vauμatC awm8, (Heb.ix. 14.) i, e. the holy spirit, which has presided over the church in all ages, and will continue so to do, till, by his influence, in the fulness of the dispensation of the times, all things will be quickened-ans bas, the God who reigns through alį the ages, whether past, present, or to come; or, as St. Paul expresses it, Barthes Twr aiwval, the king of the ages †, 1 Tim. i. 17.

In your fifth letter you jeer. me because I had pointed out the difference betwixt the meaning of the Greek words aion and aionios,

I conceive the age of ages to be the grand closing age of the mediator's reign, when he, having subdued all things to himself, and reconciled all things to the Father by the blood of his cross, shall reign a long and happy period over all, in peace, and righteousness, and joy, and then give up the kingdom to God, even the Father, that he may be ali in all.-If I err, may the Father of mercies pardon my involuntary error, and correct my judgment by his truth.

+ Probably the apostle had the Septuagint in his view when he wrote this Η βασίλεια σου βασίλεια παντων των αιώνων, Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages, Psalm cxlv. 13.

and the English words eternity and eternal, and then ask," Is it not possible for a person to know that the Greek aion and aionios will not always bear to be rendered by the English words eternity, everlasting, or eternal, and yet perceive no evidence that the one are less expressive of endless duration than the other **** How far it may

be possible for you, or others, to know a true data, and not come to a right conclusion upon it, I cannot tell; but this I know, that if those Greek words will not always bear to be translated by these English ones, there is a reason for it; and perhaps the reader, when he has considered the evidence above given, may be of my mind, that the Greek words are rather less expressive of endless duration than the English ones; for the fact is, that they do not, in themselves, express endless duration at all-If you have a better reason to give, I call upon you for it.

You have also allowed t, that there is" some difference" betwist these words; inasmuch as the English words that ́are " properly expressive of endless duration may not ordinarily admit of a plural, nor of the pronouns this and that before then." This, Sir, is allowing a great deal, and I think much more than your cause will bear; for if the English words eternity, everlasting, and eternal,' will not endure that we should say eternities this eternity and that eternity-the eternities past, and the eternities to come; then I think it as evident as reason can make it be, that aion and aionios, &c. cannot mean eternity. eternal, or everlasting.

* The two instances which you gave of aion in its plural form being used to convey the idea of endless duration, I conceive are inadequate to the purpose, nor can I account for your bringing forward the first of them, Eph. iii. 11. naтa шÇÓÐεσs Two awowe, but by supposing that your predilection for eternal purposes is the cause. The apostle is speaking of the disposition of the ages, which God made for Christ Jesus our Lord," and not of any eternal purpose in him.

As for 1 Tim. i. 17. I have noticed the former part of it above, as reading literally, the king of the ages; and as to the latter part of the text, where praise is ascribed to God as T85 araç Tav alavay, it is literally to the ages of ages. And as I have observed to you before, all the ages which the Scripture speaks of, are included in the mediatorial reign of Christ, beyond which we read of no ages, but are briefly informed that the son shall be subject to the Father, and God shall be all in all. 1 Cor. xv. 28.

I think it, therefore, a grand idea of the apostle to ascribe to him who is the king of the ages, honour and glory to the ages of the ages, or throughout thein all.

This does not imply that there are any bounds set to the reign of the immortal God, or that his honour and glory will cease when the ages of mediation shall end; but it is contended, that neither this text nor any similar one goes farther than these ages.

Thus I hope justice is done to these texts without giving them the idea of unlimited duration.

It is a feeble attempt of yours* indeed to venture to accommodate your own mode of speaking of "THIS eternity of bliss," and THAT eternity of bliss,” to the mode of using the Greek; this age and that age, for unless one of your eternities of bliss can expire, and another of your eternities of bliss can succeed it, there is no parallel betwixt them.

་་

r. I have no hesitation in admitting that they of Dan. xii. 2. answers to the Greek ay, nor that the antithesis in this passage, and in Mat. xxv..46., determines it to mean the same when applied to shame and contempt, as when applied to life."-You seem greatly to have mistaken me in what I said about the eternity of future happiness. I believe I have never pleaded for that on account of its being expressed either by the word by or av.. I conceive it to stand on much firmer ground than these words can afford. But I may say something further on that subject in another letter.

Your quotation, in which the authority of Aristotle is brought forward, proves little to your purpose. The critic who furnished you with it, says, that the ancients admirably expressed eternity by the word aion; for they call, the term of each person's life HIS aion !!! Most admirable indeed! Are you in the habit of speaking to your hearers in this admirable manner about eternity? If I had brought a quotation of such a nature, I should probably have been told, that it was a proof of the scarcity of evidence in the paths which I am in the habit of treading.

In my next I may go on to consider further what you have said in your fourth letter. Meanwhile,

I remain,

Your sincere friend in the love of the truth,

"

1

7..

A LETTER FROM A MINISTER

TO A

GAY YOUNG GENTLEMAN, LATELY CONVERTED.

DEAR SIR,

Conceive it will not surprize you to understand that your good mother communicated to me your letter to her, which brought her the acceptable news of your conversion to God.

I, who have often been a witness to her concern for you on a spiritual account, can attest with what joy this news was received by her, and imparted to me as a special friend, whom she knew would bear a part with her, on so joyful an occasion. And, indeed, if, as our Saviour intimates, there is joy in heaven, and among the angels of God, over a sinner that repenteth, it may well be supposed that of a pious mother, who has spent so many prayers and tears upon you, and has, so to speak, travailed many years in birth with you again, till Christ was formed in you, could not be small.

You may believe me also, if I add, that I, as a common friend of hers and yours, and, which is much more, as a friend of Christ, whom you have now heartily submitted to, could not but be tenderly affected with an account of it under your own hand. My joy on this occasion was the greater, considering the importance of your situation, interests, and prospects; which, in such an age as this, may promise most happy consequences to many others, by hearty appearing on God's behalf, and embarking in the interest of our dear Redeemer.

If I have at any time hitherto remembered you at the throne of grace, at your mother's desire-which you are pleased to take notice of with so much respect-1 assure you I shall henceforth be led to do it, with more concern and particularity, both by duty and inclination. And if I were capable of giving you any little assistance in the noble course you are now engaged in, by corresponding with you by letter, while you are at such a distance, I should do it most cheerfully. Perhaps such an offer may not be altogether unacceptable: for I am inclined to believe, that when some, whom you are obliged to converse with, observe your behaviour so different from what it formerly was, and banter you for it, it may be some little relief to correspond with one who will take a pleasure in giving you encouragement. Also when a great many things offer, in which conscience may be concerned, where duty may not always be plain, nor suitable persons to advise with at hand, it may be some satisfaction to you to correspond with one, towards whom you may always use a friendly freedom in all such matters, and on whose fidelity you may always depend. You may therefore command me in any of these respects, and I shall take a pleasure in serving you.

One piece of advice I shall venture to give you, though your own good sense will make my enlarging upon it less needful; I mean that you would, from your first setting out, carefully distinguish between the

essentials of real religion, and those things which are commonly reckoned by its professors to belong to it. The want of this distinction has had very unhappy consequences, from one age to another, and perhaps in none more than the present. But your daily converse with your bible, which you mention, will herein give you great assistance.

1

I advise also that, since infidelity so much abounds, you would, not only by close and serious consideration, endeavour to settle yourself well in the fundamental principles of religion; but also that, as opportunity offers, you would converse much with such books which treat most judiciously on the divine original of Christianity, such as Grotius, Abadie, Baxter, Bates, Du Plessis, &c. which may establish you against the cavils that occur in almost every conversations, and furnish you with arguments which, when properly offered, may be of use to make some impression on others.

But being too much streightened to enlarge at present, I will only add, that if your hearty attatchment to serious religion, should prove any hinderance to your advancement in the world-which I pray God it may not, unless such advancement would he a real snare to you-I hope you will have faith to trust our Lord's words, that it shall be no disadvantage to you in the final issue. He hath given you a promise for it, upon which you may safely depend, Matt. xix. 29. I am satisfied, none, that ever did so, at last repented of it. May you go on and prosper, and the God of all grace and peace be with you.

Yours, &c.

THOUGHTS ON PROVERBS, XIV. 16.

SIR,

I Have sent you the following Thoughts on Proverbs, xiv. 10. if worthy a place in your Miscellany shall be glad to see them inserted.

"The heart knoweth its own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy." ~ Prov. xiv, 19,

T

HE book of Proverbs, as consisting of so many moral aphorisms, differs from any other Scripture treatise; therefore to seek to determine the sense of a passage therein contained, from its connection, must be in vain, each text (with but a small exception) conveying a distinct and explicit meaning in itself. To suppose, then that the above words have the least reference to any thing contained in what is called Christian experience, must appear an opinion exceedingly futile and contradictory. We know how the language of Solomon is applied by