understanding of which not even many Christians attain. And they seem written partly that we may not be puffed up at any time with an idea of our own knowledge, but may find, as we advance in our attainments, still more and more room for higher and higher advances. For the scriptures, though containing truth adapted even to the understanding of a child, have yet a height and depth of wisdom sufficient to exercise to the utmost the improved faculties of maturer age.

In entering upon the consideration of the Mysteries, I fear that some will think that the boundaries of reason are transgressed; as indeed many may be apt to say that I have already proceeded too far, in representing the deductions of philosophy on a level with popular Christianity. To these I would humbly answer, that I apprehend this age to be the commencement of a prophetic era, to which the words of an inspired writer are not inapplicable, that "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven-fold, as the light of seven days." Now if the "sun" stand for the revealed light of the world, what can the "moon" mean but the feebler light of natural religion. And here, then, we have an indication that in this age, or at least at some time, natural religion will be brought up to the degree of light hitherto afforded by revealed truth, while at the same time, and probably by the same means, the light of revelation shall be

come seven-fold. Not that the Sun of Righteousness shall be more truly glorious, but that those mists and clouds of prejudice and false opinion, which are the great obstructions to His gracious influence, shall be finally dispersed and removed. I humbly pray God, that, in what I have to offer, I may be withheld from rashly setting up any false and seducing light; and that he may lead my reader well to consider before he either receive as truth, or reject as error.

But before proceeding to those glorious mysteries, I must pause for a little to redeem a promise formerly made in treating of the bearings of philosophy on the doctrine of Future Punishments. To avoid repetition, the reader is here referred to the nineteenth chapter, where he will find the light of human reason on this subject candidly exhibited. We were there led to the conclusion, that future punishments will not be never-ending, or eternal, in the absolute sense of the words; but stated at the same time the fact that they are spoken of in scripture as eternal: we referred to some former observations, in which truth was distinguished as either absolute or relative: we glanced, also, at the design of scripture, as exhibiting chiefly relative truth, but with the purpose to bring us nearer to truth absolute, and for

this end couching the latter behind the veil of the former. If any one was at first inclined to suspect a sinister intention in this distinction between truth absolute and truth relative, as if I would have used it as a short and easy method for giving the slip to whatever truth I chose, I hope he is by this time convinced that his panic was quite premature. He might, indeed, as well fancy from the distinction of motion into absolute and relative, that natural philosophers meant merely to evade the admission of any motion which seemed adverse to their hypothesis. On the contrary, without the distinction of absolute and relative, no certainty can be introduced, nor any solid advances made in either science. Let us inquire then to whom this statement respecting future retribution is addressed, and what position their minds are in, what opinions they hold, and how truth must be represented, that it may be true relatively to them.

Now it is evident in the first place, that the statement of the future punishment of the wicked and also the future rewards of the righteous, is not esoteric, not addressed merely to advanced Christians, - but to all men. It must therefore be accommodated to the understanding and opinions of all men, and not by any means expounded in such a manner, as would presuppose an acquaintance with divine truth. Accordingly, the whole language and imagery are exoteric or

popular. God makes use of the common language and the common ideas which all possess in conveying these truths; and as we have no ideas but what are derived from something in our present condition, He is limited to those ideas of happiness and misery which we have formed from our experience in this world. Height, splendour, riches, light, music, rivers of pure water, bright garments, freedom from hunger and from weariness, and the society of good and glorious angels, - these are the ideas which are employed to give us a faint conception of the joys in which the good shall participate hereafter. Yet we are warned of the imperfection of any notion which we can form of them," Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." In like manner we have no direct idea of the miseries of hell. When therefore God speaks of them he makes use of the most dreadful ideas which we have,-death, the grave, the gnawing of worms, burning fire, depth, darkness, despair, and the society of devils But these ideas are utterly inadequate to represent their agonizing intensity. Suppose for a moment, then, that future punishments are limited; would the wretch who groans under them, and to whom every moment seems an eternity in the severity of his suffering, would he, at the hour of liberation from his miseries, charge God with hav

ing overrated their duration or their extent? Assuredly he would not. The object of God in what he says, is to raise in our minds an adequate conception of the torments which await us if we live in our sins: -The more awful that conception is, the nearer does it come to the absolute truth. Now, that this dreadful argument is most addressed to men who have made little or no progress in Christianity, appears from the consideration that the fear of future punishment recedes as the Christian advances, and love becomes more and more the actuating principle, "and perfect love casteth out fear; he that feareth is not yet made perfect in love."

But there is more in the matter than this, and, in the second place, I would observe, that the natural opinions of men are such as render the declaration of the absolute eternity of future punishments necessary, so that he who should publicly preach any other doctrine would thereby falsify the truth: — - As indeed a man may often speak the truth in such a way as to convey only falsehood. What, we would ask, are all men's first and natural ideas of retributive justice, of human agency, of the Divine Attributes? we not shown at large that men naturally think of retributive justice as modified revenge, of human agency as destitute of any physical laws, - of human works as possessing merit even towards God,-of punishment as the satisfaction of

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