so existing, the term is often taken secondarily, for the life of man, the age or period of human life; in its most limited sense.

Thus, "The Servant abideth not in the household (ess asuva) always; the Son abideth (iç ara) always." John viii. 35. i.e. A slave has no right to stay during his life in the family of his master, because he is liable to be discharged or sold at any time; whereas the son sharing in his father's property, has a permanent establishment therein. This sense of the term frequently occurs in the Old Testament, Exod. xix. 9. 1 Sam. xxvii. 12, &c. and also in the earliest Greek authors, Hesiod, Homer, Eschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, &c. See Hesychius, Suidas, and Stephens's Lexicons; and seems indeed to have been its primitive acceptation.

Thus Homer observes of a youth slain in battle, dad. δὲ οἱ ΑΙΩΝ. "But his life was short." Il. iv. 478. And Sophocles thus beautifully versifies Solon's sage and well known observation to the proud Crasus; at the opening of his Trachinia:

Λογομεν επ' αρχαίο, ανθρώπων φανείς.

Ως εκ αν ΑΙΩΝ' εκμαθοι ΒΡΟΤΩΝ, πριν αν
Θάνοι τις, ετ' ει χρησα, ετ' ει τῷ κακΘ.

"There is an ancient saying indeed, of much celebrity:
That none can learn the life of mortals,

Whether it be good or bad to any, before he die."

And the Latin's use æternum in the same popular sense
Serviet æternum qui parvo nescict uti.

He will be ever a slave, who cannot live on little."

HOR.

S. In a more extended sense, the term in the New Testament frequently denotes an age or generation of

men;

Thus, "the mystery [of GoD, reconciling the world to Himself through CHRIST, 2 Cor. v. 19] was hidden from the ages and from the generations [of old; ano Two awowy nas aπTO TWY YEVEWY] but now hath been revealed to his Saints:". Col. i. 26. (Compare Matt. xi. 25; Rom. xvi. 25; 1 Pet. i. 11.) "For now, once, at the conclusion of the ages

(εν συντέλεια των αιώνων) hath CHRIST been manifested for the abolition of sin, through the sacrifice of Himself:" Heb. ix. 26. "That Gop might exhibit in the succeeding ages, (sr

ξεν τοις αιωσι τοίς επερχομενοις) the superlative riches of his grace, in kindness towards us, through JESUS CHRIST." Ephes. ii. 7. Here, the phrase, OUTEREIα TWV alwvwv, correi sponds to τέλη των αιώνων, "the order of the ages," 1 Cor. x. 11. or close of the Abrahamic and Mosaical dispensations; "when the fulness of time came, that God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law; to the end that he might redeem us that were under law, that we might receive the adoption of Sons." Gal. iv. 4—5.

4. The term Av, also denotes this life in general, or the present state of the moral world.

Thus, "the care, or the cares of this world" (T alwVOS TATH); Matt. xiii. 22; Mark iv. 9. are well explained, in the parallel passage, "the cares of [this] life," (Te 6) Luk. viii. 13 And Paul complains of his fellow-labourer Demas, that he forsook the ministry, "having loved the present world," (Tor vor αturα) 2 Tim. iv. 10. And in the same sense of the term, he exhorts the Romans, "Conform not yourselves to this world,” (tw aiwri tatw) Rom. xii. 2; which he elsewhere stiles, "the present wicked world;" (TY EVESWTOS AIWVOS Továgy) Gal. i. 4. lying under the influence of the God of this world"—Satan (ö beas To alwras TYTY) 2Cor. iv. 4. In all these instances, Aw "life," is plainly synonymous to x," world"-in several parallel passages: "Love not the world (Tox xoμor,) neither the [objects] in the world: if any one love the world, the love of THE FATHER is not in him; for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, (Te Gie) is not of THE FATHER, but of the world." 1 John ii. 15-16. And the adjectives TIX Luk. xxi. 34. and xx, Titus ii. 12, alike signify "worldly,” or “worldlyminded."

κοσμα,

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The Latin word seculum, is used in this sense; thus Tacitus contrasts the virtuous manners of the Germans, with the profligacy of the Romans: Nemo illic vitia ridet, nec corrumpere et corrumpi, seculum vocatur. "There, no one laughs at vices; nor is to corrupt and be corrupted called life." And it is elsewhere as sagely observed; Desinit esse remedio locus, ubi quæ fuerant vitia mores sunt. “There, no room is left for remedy, where what had been counted vices, are now manners:"-what an apt description is this of those in every age, "whose end is perdition, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things!" Phil. iii. 19.

5. In its most extended sense, (as remarked in the first Vol VII, Churchm. Mag. Sept. 1804. Ꮓ case)

case) it includes in the New Testament both the present and future life, or the whole duration of the world or mundane system.

Thus, our Lord, stating the enormity of blasphemy against THE HOLY GHOST," or wilful and obstinate rejec tion of the luminous evidences of his divine Mission; deolares, "It shall not be forgiven neither in this life, nor in the future,” (ετε εν τέτω τω αιωνι, ετε εν τω μελλοίτι) Matt. xii. 32. But in the parallel passage, Mark comprizes both these states under the single phrase, so awa, "for ever," or" to the end of time," and declares this sin "liable to everlasting judgment," (aws xpiσews) Mark iii. 29.

According to the Jewish opinion, founded on the prophecies, respecting the MESSIAH; His reign was to commence on earth, at the end of the world or of the present state and order of things; and to last until the full end of the world, or final consummation of all things; and then, to be translated to heaven through all eternity. Compare Psalm cxlv. 13; Dan. vii. 14, &c.

And in this comprehensive sense of the term as employed by Mark, I conceive, the disciples enquiry is to be understood and rendered.

"And [what, the sign] of the consummation of the world?" For the other term, UT, in the Septuagint version, is the usual rendering of the Hebrew nb, which signifies consumption, consummation, &c. And in the following passages, both are translated in an English Bible, "a full end;" Jer. iv. 27; v. 10—18; xxx. 31; xlvi. 28; Ezek. xi. 13: an "utter end;" Nahum i. 8: utter destruction;" Neh. ix. 31. and " the consummation." Dan. ix. 27. And this also is a classical use of the word; thus, TOIS EPYOIS ETTE¬ θηκαν συντελείαν, Innar Outerar," they put a full end to the works;" Diod. Siculus; έλαβε το έργον συντέλειαν, "the work received a full end." Polybius; and as your valuable and various correspondent, the London Curate, justly remarks; there is a striking resemblance between the language of Polybius and of the New Testament.

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In this sense, the phrase is thrice used before, by Matthew; and once after, precisely in the same sense. Thus, in our Lord's remarkable parable of the Tares, Matt. xiii. 39-40, His explanation, ο θερισμα, συντέλεια το αιώνος 45%, "The harvest is the consummation of the world"—or,— TE HIS TOTE, " of this world,"*is understood by all

the

In the Apocryphal book of Enoch, the general judgment is described.

by

the commentators with one consent, to denote the gene ral judgment. And this awakening parable made such an impression on the disciples at the time of its delivery in public, that they afterwards requested an explanation of it alone, in private: "Interpret (garov) to us the parable of the tares of the field?" Matt. xiii. 36. Is it to be imagined then, that the disciples, after their curiosity had been so strongly excited by this parable, would neglect farther enquiry on so interesting a subject, and on such an occasion? Or is it to be admitted, that the phrase should be used so often in that sense, before and after, (twice, in the parable of the Tares; a third time, in the similar parable of the Net, Matt. xiii. 49; and a fourth, at the conclusion of the Gospel, Matt. xxviii. 20.) but here, in a different sense? Such à procedure would be inconsistent with that admirable precision and philosophical use of language, in which no writer, perhaps, is superior to this Evangelist. A specimen of which was shewn in his masterly translation of the first part of Micah's famous prophecy, Matt. ii. 6, analyzed before, Vol. III. p. 135.

Accordingly, in the 24th chapter, Matthew, shortly after, uses a different term, To TEADS, to distinguish "the end" of the Jewish polity, at the destruction of Jerusa lem, twice; Matt. xxiv. 6-14, when the context decides that it can signify nothing else. Peter also uses, to reλ05, in that sense, in his first general épistle, written about A. D. 64. (Lardner) shortly before his own martyrdom, foretold 2 Pet. i. 14, in the first persecution raised by Nero; and not long before the catastrophe:

"The end of all is at hand-For it is the season of commencing judgment from the household of God: but if first, from Us, what shall be the end of those who disobey the Gospel of CHRIST?" 1 Pet. iv. 7-17. Paul, indeed, applies To Teho, to denote the full end, or final consummation of all things, 1 Cor. xv. 24; and ove Two awwwv, to denote the end of the Patriarchal and Mosaical dispensations; as shewn before; which, I appre hend, has constituted not a little to perplex and embarrass this subject: but surely Matthew is best interpreted by himself. Paul seems to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, Heb: x. 25-37; James v. 1–9; and John,

by the phrases, μέχρι σημερας τελειωσεως τελεσμα, ως συντελεσθη κρίμα το αιώνος των αιώνων. Wetstein, Rev. xx. 1.

1 John ii. 18. In which last place, "Antichrists," are used in the sense of "False Christs and false prophets." Matt. xxiv. 5-11.

To this last branch of the enquiry, Matthew has furnished a direct answer, in the latter part of the 25th chapter, from verse 31, to the end; containing that grand and awful scenical representation of the last and general judgment, when all that ever lived are to be brought before the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE of all the earth, sitting on his throne as a king," and seperated into two divisions; of which, the good are to be admitted to everlasting life, in the kingdom of heaven; the bad, to be consigned to everlasting punishment, in hell-fire; where our public translation, by a culpable variation, renders the same term, avior, first "everlasting" and then “eternal.”*

.

II. The weightiest objection urged against this entire hypothesis, (as now explained in all its branches) is the acknowledged limitation of the whole enquiry to the time and prognostics of the destruction of Jerusalem, by the two succeeding evangelists; Mark xiii. 4. Luke xxvii. 7. (noticed before, Vol. V. p. 75.)

But this objection is rather specious than solid; 1. If a reasonable cause can be assigned for their omission of the two last branches; and 2. If it can be proved, that these branches, though not formally expressed, were yet tacitly understood.

1. The grand and principal aim of all the Evangelists seems to have been conciseness:-Affecting the most studied simplicity and brevity of expression, they laboured to condense and to concentrate into the smallest possible compass, their respective Gospels; or as they were first termed Memoirs, (amonovata) of the life and mission of CHRIST: most skilfully selecting from the common stock of "fully authenticated facts and doctrines, delivered by the eye-witnesses and attendants of THE ORACLE, (CHRIST);" for "the correct information of Catechumens of that, and of every succeeding age: Luk. i. 1-4. purposely omitting every detail, however true, either irrelevant to, or not immediately connected with their general plan, which was to furnish full, perfect, and sufficient evidence, (and no more) that "JESUS was the predicted CHRIST, the SON OF GOD, and

* See a valuable Article, Vol. VI. p. 21, on the Eternity of future Punishments, by Philomathes.

the