phrase, denominates "the first flowings of the Scriptures;") if we attempt this rapid ascent, the transition is so great, the idea so overwhelming, that we are momentarily lost and dismayed, rather than persuaded and convinced: a secret infidelity sometimes stirs within us, and for a season interrupts our tranquillity and joy. Now, in such a state of mind, a plain but pious man, "holding the root," the belief in a Supreme Being of eternal and infinite perfections, and "the branch" from the root, the divine mission of Jesus Christ, for the sake of argument, putting himself and his associates out of the question, if he take only the general history of the heathen world, or the outlines of the history of the Bible, may be naturally led to inquire whether it is reasonable to suppose that, under the jurisdiction of a Being of infinite power, wisdom and goodness, all the worthies of ancient time, or the worthies of the Old and New Testament, besides a numerous host of saints and confessors of subsequent ages, considered merely as to their characters, should lie down in the clods of the valley, without recovery or restitution to eternal ages; especially when he also considers the mixed state of affairs here below; the natural tendencies of things, and their frequent counteractions; "the violent perversion of justice and judgmentoppression which maketh a wise man mad;" the virtuous set in low places, and the wicked unduly exalted; together with the powers and faculties of the human mind, capable of endless improvement in knowledge, virtue and happiness, and a moral government evidently begun, but not consummated in a word, whether the present vacillating and transitory scene be likely to prove the termination of the Divine plans with regard to such characters? And if he must upon serious reflection be persuaded that this cannot be, but that they should live again, then it is easy to ascend one step higher, and he will readily allow, without any laboured proof, that if there be a resurrection for one, there must be a resurrection for all; and then, not to enter upon the promises of Scripture, the reasoning of a great Divine may come in to his aid,

namely, that "the life of the righte ous subsequent to the resurrection, cannot be conceived to be limited in duration, but upon one of three suppositions-either from their apostacy, when free from every evil, natural and moral, and under the peculiar auspices of God and the Redeemer; or, that the Almighty should destroy them when most conformed to his Divine image and likeness; or that the universe should be too narrow to contain them. The first is a moral, the second an absolute impossibility, and the last a complete and palpable absurdity." So that, upon the supposition of any future state of happiness et all, it must needs be an eternal one, not," indeed, "of debt, but of grace. Eternal life is the gift of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." But, is there any process of the understanding or concatenation of ideas which will lead us to form a similar conclusion with respect to the duration of future punishment ?-We trow not.

Having treated in some former numbers of the Repository on what may be styled the modern orthodox representation of this doctrine, namely, as a state of different degrees of suffering, but of a strictly eternal duration, and endeavoured to shew that, even in this qualified view of the subject, the arguments urged in its favour appear to be invalid and unsatisfactory, whether we reflect on the nature of sin, the nature of man, the nature of eternity, and, as far as we are able to discover them, the Divine perfections and character in a general view, and without an immediate regard to the attribute of goodness; we might now proceed to consider the subject in a direct and positive light, adverting more espe cially to this glorious attribute of the Deity, and to the general strain and current of Scripture, but that it may be proper to premise a few remarks on some of those leading passages which are urged on behalf of the commonly-received notions on this head; for though the Scriptures cannot be inconsistent with themselves, or with right reason, they contain, nevertheless, certain dissonances, or apparent incongruities, which, as they often

* Duchal.

perplex the "babes" in Christ, sometimes "casting them into an amazedness," and require even in the " strong men" a considerable degree of care and attention in order to reconcile them, so they are "wrested" by the sceptic, learned and unlearned, into downright absurdities and contradictions. It is one of St. Paul's spiritual paradoxes, "If any man think he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." But St. John says, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." How easy for a towering genius, or a self-conceited lecturer, to represent these and similar passages in a ludicrous or contradictory point of view, which a little common sense will easily reconcile! Thus the sceptic, "speaking evil of the things which he knows not," and which, while he labours under his present state of mental occæcation, he cannot know, either in the garb of a mild and specious eloquence strives to sap the foundations of the gospel, or with his pen dipped in gall and venom, proceeds in his bold career, beguiling the hearts of the simple, and exulting in his fancied victory. But "Knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth." Now, the chief passages of Scripture which are supposed to designate eternal punishments, are those translated by the terms ever and everlasting, particularly Matt. xxv. 46. Here, says the orthodox believer, our Lord sets himself on purpose to describe the future judgment and its awful consequences; he gives the wicked no hope beyond their final award, and employs the same terms as to the duration of the happiness of the righteous and the sufferings of the ungodly. This objection having been sufficiently handled in the Number for December last, (p. 719,) needs not to be enlarged upon: the terms must be considered according to the subject to which they are applied, and the English reader may recollect similar instances of application in his own language. "The Guardian," speaking of a great writer, says, hope to be rewarded with an immortality, much more to be desired than that of remaining in eternal honour among mankind."

He may

Here, an absolute eternity is con

trasted with a finite one.-Dr. Young' on "the day of judgment,” says,

"Rocks eternal pour

Their melted mass, as rivers once they poured;

Stars rush, and final ruin fiercely drives Her ploughshare o'er creation!"

Here the eternal rocks are converted into a ruin!

The parallel passage in John v. 29, as well as in ver. 27, (кpiσεws,) might have been rendered "judgment."

"We cannot determine," says Dr. Doddridge, "how far this language may be literal, and how far figurative. There seems no reason to believe that every particular word and action shall be examined in all its circumstances, witnesses heard, refuted, &c., as in huinan courts; for this would make the judgment-day millions of years longer than the whole period of the earth's duration; nor can we be sure that those excuses will be made as there represented. These expressions, as well as opening the books' in the Revelation, it is probable are to be taken figuratively,"

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Moreover, it is stated by M. Petitpierre, from Grotius and Wittenbach, that the term Koλas, translated punishment, is peculiarly applicable to the pruning of trees; and, in a moral view, was commonly used by the Greek philosophers to denote such sufferings as were inflicted on the criminal in order to promote his future amendment.

And surely the wisdom of our Lord is here, as in all his divine teachings, abundantly manifest, in the use he has made, not of equivocal, but of indefinite terms; which, as Dr. Doddridge allows, as they preclude the possibility of proving strictly eternal punishments à priori, or previous to the event, and thus exclude absolute despair; so they are sufficiently awful and tremendous to alarm the most hardened transgressor, and to urge him to an immediate repentance and reformation.

Upon the whole, we plainly and chiefly learn from this sublime representation of the future judgment, its certainty, its universality, a principal criterion by which it is to be regulated, and the different states or eco

put such a construction upon these terms, and the omission of the doctrine in the ancient creeds, shews that it was no original doctrine, or not thought essential; and, indeed, the Romish doctrine of purgatory seems to be the corruption of a genuine doctrine, held by the ancient Fathers concerning a purifyiny fire." *

Many passases in the "Revelation" are now considered, by the best interpreters, as referring to the concerns of the church in the present world, though others doubtless relate to futurity; and we are as yet far from a comprehensive knowledge of this wonderful book. One passage requires consideration, ch. xxii. 11. This can be nothing more than a solemn warning at the close, as if the angelic messenger had said-If, after all the extraordinary revelations unfolded to you, and which you are "not to seal up," but to communicate to the world, any should still remain unpersuaded and unconvinced, there is no further present remedy at hand; obstinate transgressors must remain under the effects of their own wilful ignorance and blindness, and await the awful consequences. But "he that is righteous let him be righteous still :" the true believer can have now no reason to repent of his choice; he is delivered from all the permanent effects of the original curse; for behold, saith the Judge, "I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be."

There is one other text strangely introduced upon this occasion, the handling of which, by the obscure author just quoted, is so peculiarly appropriate, that there needs no apology for inserting it; and the severest critics admit of occasional quotations, provided they fit the place. Some conclude the state of the damned to be eternal, from these words of Solomon, Eccles. xi. 3: "In the place where the tree falleth there it shall be." These must first prove that he is here speaking of the state of departed souls; the contrary of which rather appears from the context and the design of the Preacher. He is recómmending charity, or alms-giving, which he illustrates by three similes, running

*Hartley on Man, Vol. II. 430,

Ed. 1749.

VOL. XX.

&c.

4 Q

parallel to each other, and expressing the terms à quo and ad quem, or the giver and the receiver; the uncertainty of the giver, whether the object of his charity be deserving or not, and yet its being accepted of God, and engaging for a return of the blessing. The first simile is of "bread cast upon the waters," or among a multitude of people in general; the second, of "clouds full of rain, and emptying themselves upon the earth;" the third, of " a tree laden with good fruit" and " falling" for relief of the needy, "either to the north or to the south," whether to objects really deserving the charity or not. Now, each of these similes has the same terms and reward; in each is represented the good intent of the giver, the duty performed, the charity reaching its terin or object, and the return of blessing to be expected. And here, to break the natural and easy parallelism and make the north and the south to signify the different states after this life, because an argument might thence be drawn for doing good while we have opportunity, appears to be forced and abrupt, and contrary to the present design of the wise Preacher. It should be added, in confirmation of what has been said of "the tree falling" being a third simile, used in the same manner and to the same intent as the former, that it is introduced in the same form and connected by the same particle, "if the clouds be full," &c., and "if the tree fall," &c.

"However, let it be granted, for argument's sake, according to the other interpretation, that as the tree falls so it lies; or, that into whatever state the soul enters after death, there it continues; it will by no means hence follow, that it must continue there for ever, in a strict sense; or that the Preacher here undertakes to determine the point how long it is to continue, it being enough for the argument thence to be drawn, that the soul has then no present opportunity of exercising this grace, but is gone into the state of receiving the award of its merits or demerits, without regard to the duration or degree of punishment in the latter. But as a tree falling' has no power to raise itself, yet, if an artist, a carpenter, shall raise it, it may be prepared, fitted and adapted into a building, or serve to other good uses;

so, a soul fallen into a state of suffering, awarded by the justice of God, though it may have no power to raise itself, yet, as the mercy of God and the power of grace shall be extended to it, it may be raised, prepared and adapted into the temple building of God, and become a member of the church or body of Christ."

Nor, lastly, is it to be supposed that Solomon, with all his wisdom, should possess the knowledge of the secret decree of God, concerning the utmost latitude of grace, he being but under the law; and such a manifestation rather belonging to the dispensation of the gospel in full, as the due time for its testification." #

Thus much shall suffice, in reference to some passages of Scripture, which are urged in support of the commonly-received doctrine; and the sum appears to be this,-that as the Bible contains simple truisms, which are always the same, without any revelation at all, and likewise abstract propositions or new truths, which, nevertheless, when made known and understood, are perfectly agreeable to Reason, and readily embraced by the reflecting mind; so, (as it was written in ancient times and ancient tongues, by men in peculiar circumstances, and who, though perspicuous enough in all things necessary and important, yet, conscious of their own integrity, did not always attend to those niceties and distinctions of language which prevail in modern times,) the same Bible also contains many passages, the true import of which can only be discovered by studying them under the influence of these principles. In a word, that the letter must in many instances yield to the spirit, or that the Scriptures should always be interpreted in a rational sense.

AN OCCASIONAL READER.

pilgrims were going round the well on their naked knees, in the midst of the miry puddle, while we were there; but there are certain station days, on which the crowds resorting to this place are enormous. Here the sick and the healthy flock together-the sick to procure health, the sound to procure grace. The water not only cures complaints, but it procures marriages; and it is ascertained, that after these stations weddings are very rife, and therefore the young and the healthy, the gay and the well-dressed, resort hither. It really is a very merry business, and as much carnality is mixed up here with the religious devotions and prepossessions of the people, as is usual with the followers of the Church of Rome in all quarters of the world. Of course every one speaks good words of the well of Down; it cures the faithful of their complaints, and the faithless of their infidelity. A striking instance of this was told me by an O'Donnel, who spoke with all sober seriousness, and whose veracity must be unimpeachable, as he said he was descended from one of the great O'Donnels; and if he had not the valour and ferocity of his ancestors, he had a full share of their superstition. "Sir," said he, "the black-mouthed Presbyterians there below on the Lennan, are forced to confess and believe in the wonders of this well. Not long ago a bitter psalmsinging Presbyterian, who farms part of the townland of Drumgarton, his name is John M'Clure, he used to laugh at us Catholics as we passed him by, going to this blessed spotOh! it would make your flesh creep to hear all he said, turning the sacred well into game; but one spring, just as we were going to labour the ground for the barley, his horses took the mange, and they got so lean that they were dropping off their standing; they could not plough his field, they were unable to crawl to the bog to bring home a creel of turf, he tried brimstone with them, but it did not do; all the tobacco-water, and sulpe, half jokery lecaro effect; so, says he, half joke half earnest, to his neighbour Jerry M'Swine, I'll go to the Well of Down and wash my horses with your holy water, and who knows but the Saint will cure a Presbyterian's horse as well as a Catholic's cow.