of its derivative won is endless, everlasting, or eternal. This term, aww, which is very sparingly applied in the New Testainent to limited duration, I always take in its proper sense, except there be something in the connexion or subject, which requires it to be taken otherwise and as I do not find this to be the case in any of those places where it is applied to punishment, I see no reason in these cases to depart from its proper acceptation. Everlasting punishment is in some of them opposed to everlasting life, which, so far as an antithesis can go to fix the meaning of a term, determines it to be of the same force and extent.

To allege that the subject requires a different meaning in this case to be given to the term, is to assume what will not be granted. The proof that has been offered on this point will be considered hereafter.

With respect, to the phrases εις των αιώνα, for ever, and εις τας αιώνας των aww, for ever and ever, I believe you will not find a single example in all the New Testament of their being used to convey any other than the idea of endless duration. You tell us that is awras aiwvav, for ever and ever, in Rev. xiv. Ir, should be rendered" to the age of ages;" Are you certain of this? Admitting the principle of your translation, some would have rendered it to ages of ages; but render it how you will, the meaning of the phrase is the same. You might render it thus in other instances, wherein it is applied to the happiness of the righteous, or the glory to be ascribed to God: but this would not prove that such happiness and such glory were of limited duration, or that the phrase in question is expressive of it.

To the above may be added,

III. All those passages which express the duration of future punishment by implication, or by forms of speech which imply the doctrine in question.

-He hath never forgiveness, but -There is a sin unto death: I do

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world.-The blasphemy against the holy ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. neither in this world, neither in the world to come. is in danger of eternal damnation.not say that ye shall pray for it.—It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but

nor does time make them grow old; nor undergo they any change, being placed beyond the motion even of those who are the farthest removed (from the centre); but possessing an unchangeable life, free from all outward impressions, perfectly happy, and self-sufficient, they continue through all ava, eternity. And this the ancients admirably signified by the word itself: for they call the time of each person's life his as av, inasmuch as according to the laws of nature nothing (respecting him) exist out of the limits of it; and for the same reason that which comprehends the duration of the whole heaven, the whole of infinite time, and infinity itself, is called av, eternity; taking its name from always being, (der eye) immortal and divinė.”

-

a fearful looking for of judgment, which shall devour the adversaries. -What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?Woe unto that man by whom the son of man is betrayed: it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched*.- -Betwixt us and you there is a great gulph fixed, so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us who would come from thence. He that believeth not the son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go ye cannot come. -Whose end is destruction.- -He that sheweth no mercy shall have judgment without mercy.”

If there be some for whom Jesus did not pray, there are some who will have no share in the benefit of his mediation, without which they cannot be saved. If there be some that never will be forgiven, there are some that never will be saved; for forgiveness is an essential branch of salvation. Let there be what uncertainty there may in the word eternal in this instance, still the meaning of it is fixed by the other branch of the sentence, they shall never be forgiven. It is equal to John, x. 28. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. If there were any uncertainty as to the meaning of the word eternal in this latter passage, yet the other branch of the sentence would settle it: for that must be endless life which is opposed to their ever perishing; and by the same rule that must be endless damnation, which is opposed to their ever being forgiven. If there be a sin for the pardon of which Christians are forbidden to pray, it must be on account of its being the revealed will of God that it never should be pardoned. If repentance be absolutely necessary to forgiveness, and there be some whom it is impossible should be renewed again unto repentance, there are some whose salvation is impossible. If there be no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful looking for of judgment, this is the same thing as the sacrifice already offered being of no saving effect: for if it were otherwise, the language would not contain any peculiar threatening against the wilful sinner, as it would be no more than might be said to any sinner; nor would a fearful looking for of judgment be his certain doom. If the souls of some inen will be lost, or cast away, they cannot all be saved, seeing these things are opposites. A man may be lost in desert, and yet saved in fact; or he may suffer loss, and yet himself be saved: but he cannot be lost, so as to be cast away, and yet finally saved, for these are perfect contraries. Whatever may be the precise idea of the fire, and the worm, there can be no doubt of their expressing the punishment of the wicked; and its being declared of the one that it

* Several times repeated in a few verses.

† John xvii. 9. Mat. xii. 31, 32. Mark iii. 29. 1 John v. 16 Heb. vi. 6. x. 26, 27. Luke ix. 25. Mat. xxvi. 24. Mark ix. 43—48, Luke ́ xvi. 16. John iii. 36. viii. 21. Phil. iii. 19. James ii.-13.

dieth not, and of the other that it is not quenched, it is the same thing as their being declared to be endless. It can be said of no man, on the principle of universal salvation, that it were good for him not to have been born; as whatever he may endure for a season, an eternal weight of glory will infinitely outweigh it. An impassable gulph between the blessed and the accursed equally militates against the recovery of the one as the relapse of the other. If some shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on them; if those who die in their sins shall not come where Jesus is; if their end be destruction, and their portion be judgment without mercy; there must be some who will not be finally saved.

To these may be added,

IV. All those passages which intimate that a change of heart, and a preparedness for heaven, are confined to the present life.

"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.- -Because I have called, and ye have refused, I have stretched out my hand, aryl no man regarded. . . . I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you; then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me.-- -Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few. that shall be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able. When once the master of the house hath risen up, and shut to the door, and ye begin to stard without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence you are.... ... depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.... there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.- -While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.While they (the foolish virgins) went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.We beseech you, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. Behold now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.- -To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God....lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.- -He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still *."

Isai. lv. 6, 7. Prov. i. 24. Luke, xiii. 24-29. John, xii. 36. Mat. XXV. 5-13. 2 Cor. vi. 1, 2. Heb. iii. 7, 11. xii. 15-17. Rev. xxii. 11. VOL. IV.

P

According to these Scriptures there will be no successful calling upon. the Lord after a certain period, and, consequently, no salvation.Whether there be few that shall ultimately be saved, our Lord does not inform us ; but he assures us that there will be many who will not be saved; or, which is the same thing, who will not be able to enter in at the strait gate. None, it is plainly intimated, will be able to enter there, who have not agonized here. There will be no believing unto salvation, but while we have the light, nor any admission into the kingdom, unless we be ready at the coming of the Lord. The present is the accepted time, the day of salvation, or the season for sinners to be saved. If we continue to harden our hearts through life, he will swear in his wrath that we shall not enter into his rest. If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, it will be equally impossible for us to obtain the blessing as it was for Esau, after he had despised his birthright. Finally, beyond a certain period there shall be no more change of character; but every one will have received that impression which shall remain for ever, whether it be just or unjust, filthy or holy.

In this letter I have endeavoured to state the grounds of my own persuasion in the next I may examine the reasonings and objections which you have advanced against it. The greater part of this evidence being taken from our Lord's discourses, who knew the truth, and was himself to be the judge of the world, renders it peculiarly interesting. If a preacher in these times delivered half so much on the subject, you would denominate him "a brawler of damnation."

ESSAY

ON

DISCRETION.

I HAVE long esteemed the book of Proverbs as the best collection of documents, for our direction in civil and domestic life that ever was put into the hands of man. The intention of this book is specified in the first six verses of the first chapter, which may be considered as a preface to the whole work. Youth are particularly regarded by the wise man, and a great number of addresses are made to the juvenile reader. Happy is that youth who receives the instruction here communicated, and walks in the paths of wisdom here pointed out." When wisdom entereth into his heart, and knowledge is pleasant to his soul: then understanding shall keep him, and discretion shall preserve him.”

Of all the qualities of the mind discretion is one of the most useful, as it is that by which we use every other quality aright, and improve every circuinstance in life in a proper manner. We oftentimes see great and shining gifts possessed without discretion to apply them to a right end; and when this is the case the deficiency of the character is the more striking; because our expectations being raised by observing something above the cominon level of mankind, we are disappointed by finding the want of prudence in application.

Discretion is not the most splendid quality of the human mind; learning, wit, generosity, and courage surpass it in this respect; but without discretion learning is but pedantry, wit impertinence, generosity profusion, courage fool-hardiness, and even virtue itself looks like weakness: the best parts only qualify a man to be more sprightly in errors, and active only to his own prejudice.

Discretion is the wisdom of governing ourselves; it is the ability of directing every other qualification, and setting them at work in their proper times and places, and turning them to due advantage. In short, it is that which gives a value to every thing else which a man possesses.

If we look into particular societies and divisions of men, we shall see that it is not the witty, the learned, nor the brave, who guide the conversation, and give measures to the society. A man with great talents, but void of discretion, is like Polyphemus in the fable, strong and blind, endued indeed with irresistible force, but which, for want of sight, is of no use to him. Though a man has all other perfections, and wants discretion, he will be of no great consequence in society; but if he has this single talent in perfection, and has but a common share of others, he may do almost what he pleases in his particular station of life. Thus discretion not only makes a man master of his own parts, but of other men's; for the discreet man finds out the talents of there he converses with, and knows how to apply them to proper uses.