R. Christ might know that the doctrine of endless punish. ment was false, and have a design to teach that it was false, and yet promise the wicked they should be punished everlastingly and forever, with as much consistency as God promised those statutes to the Israelites, which belonged to the ceremonial law; for he told them they should be everlasting, and they should keep them forever, when he knew they would not be of endless duration; and he discontinued them long ago. If things promised by the terms in question, had never failed to continue as long as this world, we should have more reason to believe, that when they are applied to subjects of the future world, they would continue as long as eternity. It is as proper to use them to denote a limited term of punishment for the wicked in another world, as to take them to express limited terms in this.

The leading sects among the Jews might believe in endless punishment, and reject Christ for preaching the salvation of all, Yet if "everlasting" and "forever" in the established usage of the Jews, was known to express absolute eternity, how can it be accounted for that the Lord should command them to keep those ordinances forever and everlastingly, which he knew he should abolish by sending his own Son to bring in a new dispensation, and thus lay a stumbling block in the way of their receiving Christ and his gospel; for, believing the words in question to mean "endless," they would reason thus: This is not the promised Messiah; if it were, instead of pul ling down, he would build up our endless worship.

L. If the scriptures do not prove the eternity of future punishment, they do not prove the eternity of future rewards, nor even the eternal existence of the soul, for both are expressed in the same terms, and without any mark of distinction in the use of them.

R. I am of opinion that the scriptures neither prove the eternity of future rewards, nor the eternity of future punish.

ment. Yet, independent of any of the terms used concerning punishment, the eternity of the soul is proved, as may be seen on pages 52-3. Immortality is not used in promising rewards nor punishments: neither is it used to express limited

terms.

L. The terms, "everlasting," "forever," and the like, are uniformly used in the scriptures to denote the longest possible duration, of which the subject to which they are applied is capable. Thus a servant forever, [1. Sam. 27: 12.] is a servant during life. An ordinance forever, [Num. 10: 8.] is an ordinance which continues during the entire dispensation of which it is a part. So the everlasting hills, and everlasting mountains mentioned, [Gen. 49: 26. Hab. 3: 6.] are hills and mountains which continue till the end of the world, or as long as it is possible they should continue. According to this rule of interpretation, the terms "everlasting" and "forever,” when applied to things in the future world, to the rewards of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked, must denote absolute eternity. The longest duration which will then be possible, the longest which may be predicted of the enjoyments of the righteous and the sufferings of the wicked, will certainly be eternal.

R. The terms "everlasting," "forever," and the like, are not always used in the scriptures to denote the longest possible duration of which the subject, to which they are applied, is capable. When Achish said, David should be his servant forever; he had no reason to believe David would serve as long as he lived. See 1. Sam. 27: 12. The Lord said that the house of Eli and his father's house should walk before him forever, meaning that they should have the priest's office, and adminis ter the ordinance forever, which he allotted for the priests. Yet he did not allow them to administer that ordinance dur ing the entire dispensation, of which it was a part. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house,

and the house of thy father should walk before me forever : but now, the Lord saith, be it far from me, for them that honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed.1. Sam. 2: 30. So Solomon thrust out Abia. thar from being priest unto the Lord: that he might fulfil the word of the Lord, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.. - I. Kings, 2: 27. Thus what was promised by the term "forever," did not last so long as the ordinance, to which it was applied, continued. The earth with her bars was about me forever. Jonah, 2: 6. Three days and three nights were not the longest duration possible for Jonah to have been in the belly of the fish. It was a miracle to pre. serve him any length of time after the whale swallowed him ; and by the same miracle he could have been preserved longer. The everlasting possession of Canaan, promised to the seed of Abraham, ceased ages ago, yet his seed and the land too, were capable of a longer duration; having both endured to this day. No one can prove that the everlasting mountains and hills continue as long as it is possible they should continue. Words that are used to express certain limited terms, cannot be depended upon to prove the absolute eternity of anything. Therefore the eternity of punishment cannot be proved.

CHAPTER X.

EVERLASTING ""

99 66 'ETERNAL," "FOREVER," AND (: FOREVER AND EVER, SOMETIMES USED IN A LIMITED SENSE IN THE NEW TEST. AMENT; AND WHEN SPEAKING OF THINGS OF ANOTHER world.

Restorationist. The Limitarian, by quoting the original words from whence "everlasting" and "forever," &c. are de rived, would fain have people believe that they always, in the New Testament, when speaking of punishment, mean "end. less," and on any other subject, as I understand him; but I can show subjects in which the words are limited.

And he (Christ) shall reign over the house of Jacob for ev. er; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke, 1: 33. In the verse next preceding, God promised to give unto him the throne of his father David, which shows that his reign is to be on earth, over the Israelites; the term Jacob does not mean the Israel of God; but represents his posterity. There being no end to his kingdom, represents the millenium, when every individual will belong to it, so that no one can say, thus far his kingdom extends and no farther; for it will be like a ring having no end. It cannot mean that he will hold the kingdom endlessly; for he is to deliver it up to his Father. He will not reign duration without end, because he is to put down all rule and all authority and power. Yet, it appears that his reign will continue through the times of the restitution of all things, until all are restored, and the last enemy is destroyed. Read 1. Cor. 15: 24, 28., which carries his reign beyond the resurrection. Therefore in this text, "forever" is used to express that which will continue beyond this life, and yet it is proved that it will come to an end in the future world. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever

sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot-stool. Heb. 10: 12, 13. The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot-stool. — Psalm 110: 1. "Until" signifies to the time that. Therefore he is to sit at God's right hand till the time comes for his enemies to be made his footstool, which will be when he comes personally to fight for the Jews, and deliver them from their enemies; for "he will tread them in his anger, and trample them in his fury," and they will be his foot-stool. Christ is to be forever on the right hand of God, yet he is to come down again, bodily, into our world; which proves that "forever" is again used in a limited sense when speaking of things of another world. While they beheld, he (Christ) was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven; This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.-Acts, 1: 9, 11. If he comes as he went into heaven, he will come bodily. It cannot be proved that Christ's body is omnipresent; for, if so, then it was on God's right hand all the while he was in this world; and why should he tell of ascending up where he was before, if he was then there bodily? And if his real body has been every where present in this world, ever since he ascended, it would be inconsistent to tell of his coming again in like manner as he was seen to go into heaven. "Forever," therefore, is limited to the time he leaves the right hand of God, to come down into this world again.

For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 2. Pet. 1: 11. But it will not be his endless king. dom, for he will deliver it up to his Father, that he may pos