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applied to punishment and nation have the same meaning as when applied to God? And shall we say that the same argument which will prove that the nation shall pass away; will prove that God will pass away? The same word is applied to dif ferent things in the same passage. "The everlasting mountains were scattered; the perpetual hills did bow; his ways are everlasting." Habakkuk iii. 6. Here the word everlasting is applied to the mountains, and also to God. Shall we say, if the mountains fail, that God will cease to exist? It is the nature of the subject in each case that defines the meaning of this word. When applied to the mountains, it has a limited signification; when applied to God, it is unlimited as God himself. But the passage has no particular reference to the immortal world. The life spoken of, refers to the moral, spiritual life which the believer enjoyed in this world. The believer had everlasting life. (John v. 24.) “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." 1 John iii. 14. Both the life and the punishment had reference to this world.

Although severe judgments were inflicted upon the Jews, so that they were banished from the presence of the Lord, and suffered age-lasting punishment, yet Paul assures us that all Israel shall be saved. "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all." Rom. xii. 32.

UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."-MARK ix. 43, 44.

To understand much of the figurative language of the New Testament, we must appeal often to the Old Testament, and learn in what sense similar phraseology is employed therein.

We should bear in mind, that neither the text nor context affirm that the "worm" and "fire" are in the future, immortal world. This is entirely assumed, not proved. True, the passage asserts that the fire shall not be quenched; but a brief allusion to the Old Testament will show that such language was understood by the ancient Hebrews, to refer to things connected with this life, and never to eternity. In proof of this, we appeal, first, to Leviticus vi. 12, 13. The Lord is represented as speaking to Moses, concerning sacrifices and offerings, as follows:

"And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out; and the priest shall burn wood upon it every morning, and lay the

burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out."

Here it is distinctly asserted, that the fire kindled upon the altar in Moses' day, should never go out, and yet all admit that it ceased to burn centuries ago! Such language was never understood by the ancient Hebrews to teach that the fire was endless. And yet this language is as expressive of endless duration as that which we are considering. One passage affirms, that "the fire shall never be quenched;" the other, that "the fire shall never go out."

Again, in Isaiah xxxiv. 9, 10, we read of the temporal calamities coming upon the land of Idumea, in the following bold figurative style:

"The streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever."

This language is similar to that employed in the text: "It shall not be quenched; the smoke shall go up forever and ever." And all this referred to events long since transpired; to the severe chastisements, judgments, and temporal calamities then about to come upon the land and people of Idumea. And yet, it is said that the fire shall not be quenched, and the smoke shall go up forever and

ever. When it says that the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone, and the land become burning pitch-the language is not to be understood literally, but as having reference to national ruin and severe temporal calamities; just as the revelator spoke of the lake of fire and brimstone, to denote the severe national judgments about to come upon Jerusalem, greater, as the Savior declared, than had been or ever should be again, which overwhelmed that magnificent city in ruin, which destruction is called their second death.

Of Jerusalem, it is recorded in Jeremiah xvii. 27, thus: "I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." This figurative language was employed to portray divine judgments coming upon Jerusalem in this life.

Another instance of this bold, figurative style of speech among the ancients, may be found in Ezekiel xx. 47, 48:

"And say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree; the flaming flame shall not be quenched; and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt therein. And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched."

Although it is here distinctly asserted, that the fire shall not be quenched, yet no intelligent man

understands the language literally. Learned divines and commentators apply this passage to temporal judgments, which were to come upon Jerusa, lem.

We think that Dr. Adam Clarke, the Methodist commentator, has given the true interpretation to the passage. He says:

"The forest of the south field is the city of Jerusalem; which was as full of inhabitants as the forFest est is of trees. I will kindle a fire, i. e., I will send war; and it shall devour every green tree, e., the most eminent and substantial of the inhabitants; and every dry tree, i. e., the lowest and meanest also; it shall not be quenched, i. e. till the land be utterly ruined."

i.

We would call the reader's attention to the interpretation of this learned orthodox divine, of the expression, "The fire shall not be quenched, i. e., till the land be utterly ruined." It had no reference to the immortal world; only to temporal ruin.

Having thus seen in what sense such figurative language as is found in the text was employed, in the Old Testament, we pass to consider more particularly its meaning and specific application. The original word, here translated hell, is gehenna. It occurs twelve times in the New Testament, and is invariably applied to the Jews, and never once to the Gentiles! This is a remarkable fact, and is unaccountable neglect and omission on the supposition that the Gentiles were in danger of gehenna fire. Paul was a preacher to the Gentiles, as he

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