Testament, as my readers have seen, and expresses duration in a variety of ways, yea, is used to express the duration of punishment in a few instances, yet it is not once used to designate any punishment beyond this mortal existence. All the passages where it is applied to punishment have been distinctly noticed, and Dan. xii. 1-4, has been particularly considered, which is the only text in the Old Testament on which the doctrine of eternal punishment could possibly be built. Our orthodox friends may be ashamed for having made such a mighty noise about their doctrine of eternal misery, and ought to make a public apology to the world for their conduct. The better informed among them have conceded that this doctrine is not taught in the Old Testament, nor could any of them continue to believe it, if they could only be induced to examine the subject.

2d. If olim is so often used in the Old Testament, and is sometimes used to express the duration of punishment, yet is never used to express the duration of punishment beyond this state of existence, when and how came the doctrine of everlasting punishment after death to be known among men? In the First Part, we have shown its origin to be human. If our orthodox brethren still venture to assert that its origin is divine, it is their work to show this. Its claims for our belief from the New Testament, I shall now proceed to examine.

SECTION IV.

GENERAL REMARKS ON AION, AND AIONIOS, AS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

MOST Lexicon writers assert, that aion, and the adjective aionios, are used to express an endless duration of time, though all of them admit, that they are also used to express a limited period. From this very fact has arisen long and violent contentions, whether these words, when used to express the duration of punishment, are to be understood in a limited or unlimited sense. Lexicons are not infallible, nor were they intended to determine, but only to assist us in ascertaining the true meaning of Scripture words. The words were used and understood long before Lexicons had any existence. Whilst we ought to avail ourselves of their assistance, yet every man ought to examine for himself, from their general usage, the context of the places, and other circumstances, if the senses of words given by them be correct. To receive implicitly what they say, is only to perpetuate their errors, if the writers have inadvertently or intentionally committed any.

It is universally allowed, by all competent judges, of whatever sect, that aion and aionios are frequently used to express a limited duration of time. Parkhurst says, aion "denotes duration or continuance of time, but with great variety." Ewing says it signifies "duration, finite, or infinite; a period of duration, past, or future; an age, duration of the world, Deut. xxxii,

7; Luke i. 70; plural, ages of the world, 1 Cor. ii. 7, hence human life in this world, Luke xvi. 8, or the next, Mark x. 30, our manner of life in the world, Psalm xc. 8; Eph. ii. 2, an age of divine dispensation, the ages, generally reckoned three; that before the law, that under the law, and that under the Messiah, Matt. xxiv, 3; and xxviii. 20; 1 Cor. x. 11; Heb. xi. 3, by faith, we understand that the ages were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are (now) seen, did not arise out of things which did (previously) appear; compare verses 1, 7, 26, 27, an indefinitely long period of time; hence eternity ; Exod. xiv. 13; Luke i. 55; John iv. 14; Psalm xix. 9; Gal. i. 5; Rev. xx. 10, from eternity to eternity; 1 Chron. xxix. 10; Ps. xc. 2." On the word aionios, Ewing says, it signifies "eternal, Exod. iii. 14, 15; Matt. xxv. 46; Rom. xvi. 26, chronoi aionoi, ages of the world, periods of the dispensations since the world began, Rom. xvi. 25." See Parkhurst for a similar explanation, but let the reader examine their proofs.

The word aion is compounded of aei, always; and on, being; which is interpreted by Parkhurst and others, "always being." Yet he says, "it denotes duration, or continuance of time, but with great variety!" He allows that aei, always, signifies "ever, in a restrained sense, that is, at some stated times, very frequently, continually." Acts vii. 51, and 2 Cor. vi. 10, to which he refers as proof of its meaning ever, in an unrestrained sense, do not prove his point, for surely the Jews did not eternally resist the Spirit of God, nor did the apostle mean that he rejoiced eternally.Its sense seems evidently to be perseveringly, but not endless in duration. Had Parkhurst found any texts more to his purpose, no doubt but he would

have quoted them. All the texts where he thinks aion means a proper eternity, will be considered in their place.

It is a remark, which has often been made, that the abjective aionios cannot signify more than the noun from whence it is derived, for, if the latter only expresses limited duration, the former cannot express endless. A stream cannot rise higher than its fountain without mechanical force, nor can aionios express a longer duration than aion, without a forced construction of meaning. Though Parkhurst asserts, that it means "eternal, having neither beginning nor end." yet he allows that it signifies "the ages of the world, the times since the beginning of its existence." And adds the Seventy frequently use this adjective for the Hebrew oulem," But from an examination of the texts in the Old Testament, where this word occurs, the reader can judge, if any thing conclusive can be drawn from it as expressing endless duration. From an examination of all the texts where it is used to express the duration of punishment, we think it proved, that it does not express endless duration, nor does it even refer to punishment in a future state of existence. Whether aionios, its corresponding word in the New, does this, we shall see when we come to consider the passages in which it occurs. If it did, the one word certainly does not correspond to the other, for there is an inconceivable difference between limited and endless duration. All this difference is added by the New Testament writers to the word aionios, if it expresses the eternity of punishment. It has been said, that aionios when it stands alone, signifies duration without end. But how can it stand alone? jective, it must have some noun, either understood, with which it is connected,

For if an ad expressed or and which it

qualifies. If a man should say—“eternal," the question would immediately be asked him, eternal what? If he meant to be understood, he would inform us what thing he considered to be eternal; such as-eternal God, eternal life, eternal punishment. It is the noun, then, or the thing to which this word is applied, which must determine the extent of duration expressed by it; and if aion, from which it is derived, does not express endless duration, but an age, how can the adjective express a longer duration, unless we say the word derived contains more than that from which it is derived, or the stream contains more, or rises higher than the fountain? Allowing it to be applied to God, who is without beginning or end, what does this prove? Can this make God so, or does it fix the meaning of this word as expressing endless duration? Not unless we say, words expressing a limited time cannot possibly be applied to him: or if applied, must `derive an unlimited, yea, infinite sense from such an application. Our orthodox friends would not reason so in other cases. The terms good and great are adjectives, and are applied to God. But do they contend that they are to be always understood in an infinite sense, or expressing an infinite degree when so applied? Surely not, for how could they in this case maintain their doctrine of infinite, endless miserySeeing it is said, "the Lord is good unto all," and that "great is his mercy."

But again, the words are used in the plural number. But how can words capable of being used plurally signify a proper eternity? For eternity is one, Eternities are never spoken of. People speak of eternity to come, and eternity past, but still it is only one uninterrupted, endless continuance. The past eternity had no beginning, nor had it an end when the future