tivate the graces of a christian spirit. This is, indeed, the imperious duty of all; a duty, too, of immense importance. The essential graces of christian piety will live and thrive in immortal vigor and ever-increasing beauty, when the material heavens and the earth are no more. In "the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men," these graces will shine with a lustre, and be seen to possess a value, which few mortals now suspect. Oh! then, "what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat."

FUTURE PUNISHMENT.

[To fill up a part of a sheet which still remains, 1 subjoin the following extracts from a Discourse of the late Dr. DWIGHT, which are well worthy of the most serious and prayerful attention of every reader.]

The destiny of one immortal mind is an object whose importance no finite thought can conceive, no numbers estimate. How vast must be this object, when the number of such minds becomes so great as to reach the lowest limit to which the most enlarged charity will be compelled to extend it! How entirely overwhelmed must he be who contemplates it, when he remembers, and beholds a melancholy experience verify, the declaration of our Savior, that "wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat!"

The punishment of the wicked is, as is well known to the reader, often asserted in the Scriptures to be "everlasting," to endure "for ever," and "for ever and ever." The objectors insist that all the words and phrases of this nature denote a limited duration, and are never used to signify an absolute eternity.

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The meaning of all language is to be learned only from those who use it. If the manner in which they understand it is clearly discoverable from their writings, we may by critical attention become possessed of its meaning; if not, we are left without a remedy. Let us, therefore, in the present case, have recourse to the writers of the New-Testament, the only persons from whom we can expect to derive explicit views concerning the subject in hand, that we inay, if possible, determine this point in a satisfactory manner. It is to be observed, then,

1. That the words and phrases which have been either mentioned or alluded to, appear to be used in the Scriptures to denote the longest period of which the subject mentioned in each case is capable.

In one instance, the word "for ever" seems to signify merely a long period. "One generation passeth away, and another cometh, but the earth abideth for ever." If the destruction of this world mentioned in the Scriptures denotes the annihilation of its atoms, as well as the ruin of its form and structure, then the earth can be said to abide for ev er with a limited meaning only; to wit, that it will endure for a long time, compared with a period of a human generation. But if the elements are to sur vive this destruction, and become the materials of "the new earth, wherein righteousness shall dwell," then the term is used in a literal sense, and denotes an endless duration.

In such other cases, as I have observed, this word is employed to denote the longest period of which the subject united with it is capable. Thus " a servant for ever," is a servant during the longest period in which he can be a servant; that is, during life. "An ordinance for ever," is an ordinance continuing through the longest time in which it can be an ordinance; that is, throughout the whole continuance of the dispensation of which it is a part; viz. the Mosaic dispensation.

In the same manner, "the everlasting hills," and "the everlasting mountains," denote hills and mountains enduring throughout the longest possible period which is predicable of them; to wit, while the earth endures.

But if these words, when applied to the continuance of things in the future world, are used in this manner, they unquestionably denote an absolute eternity. For with respect to these things such a duration will then evidently be possible.

2. The phrase commonly rendered "for ever and ever,” is used, if I mistake not, eighteen times in the New-Testament! In fifteen instances it is applied to the continuance of the glory, perfections, government, and praise of God. In one, (Rev. xxii : 5.) it is said of the righteous in the future world, that "they shall reign for ever and ever." In one of the remaining two, it is said of the impenitent, that is, of those among them who worship the beast

and his image, that "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." In the remaining instance, it is said of the devil, who deceived the nations, of the beast, and of the false prophet, that "In the lake of fire and brimstone, they shall be tormented, day and night, forever and ever."

Now let me ask, whether a man, even of moderate understanding, could be supposed to write with scrupulous integrity a system of theology, and employ this phrase sixteen times to denote an obsolute eternity, and twice to denote that which was infinitely different; while these were the only instances in which the phrase was applied to a given subject, and that of immeasurable importance to those for whom he wrote? But if such a man cannot be supposed thus to use language, nor vindicate it when used in this manner, can such conduct be attributed safely to the Spirit of God?

3. In Matthew, xxv. 46, "These shall go away into EVERLASTING punishment, but the righteous into life ETERNal," the same Greek word is applied to the future happiness of the righteous, and to the future misery of the wicked.

On this application I have two remarks to make.

The first is that it is applied to both these subjects in exactly the same manner; without any mark, or hint, of a distinction in the use of the word. Plainly, therefore, we are not warranted to suppose