origin, and is expressive of the same attributives of duration, being equally applicable to the time that is past, as well as to that which is to come, In like manner, on time to come, Heathen authors impose the term (aidios) invisible, as all futurity presents a darkness, which no finite eye can penetrate, and therefore hidden and unknown, Hence the close coincidence between olam, as expressing that unknown duration beyond death, and Hades, as signifying the invisible world. The es-aidion of Plato, to an unknown duration, is a close version of the Hebrew le-olam. The form of expression, ages of ages, which afterwards came to be so common in ecclesiastic writers, both Greek and Latin, is not a native of these languages, but formed entirely on the model of the Hebrew.

Homer, whose phraseology bears, in many respects, a striking resemblance to the Hebrew, employs, in expressing a future and unknown length of time, almost the very words of the Psalmist. "But now the might of Æneas shall rule over the Trojans, and children's children, and their descendants, who in all time to come shall be born." "The mercy of Jehovah is from ever- R./03.17. lasting to everlasting on them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children." Upon which sentence I would remark, that it consists of two parts or members, and constitutes what Dr. Lowth terms a paralellism, the first member be

ing exegetical of the second. The mercy of Je hovah is here said to be me-olam ad-olam, not from everlasting to everlasting, but from the first of time and forward, when human beings (to whom, and to none else, mercy was to be extended) began to exist. Ad-olam is not to an eternal duration, but to a duration running out in a length to the termination of which no human eye can reach. That certainly must be through the line of time, because when time is expired, the exercise of mercy will be at an end, and its stream cease to flow.

Olam has been viewed as having its signification sometimes determined by the snbject to which it is joined. Thus a servant attached to his master, and unwilling to avail himself of the year of liberty which permitted him to go out free, had his ear bored as a token that his service was to be for ever. Yet this for ever could only be to the next jubilee, which comprehend a space of fifty years. Nevertheless although here is a clear definition of a given term of years, it by no means affects the radical signification of olam as hidden, because it was perfectly unknown to the servant how far his life would extend, whether to the whole, to a half, or to a fourth part. So when Hannah the mother of Samuel promised to bring him to appear before the Lord, and there to leave him for ever, this could extend only through the period of his natu

ral

ral life. Still, however, this was hidden, because no one could tell what that extent would be. Thus God is said to be me-olam le-olam, from a hidden to a hidden duration, i. e. to which on either side no bounds can be placed.

Ad and olam are of kindred signification, and sometimes put the one for the other, at other times are joined together. Ad is the present participle passing, and comes from the verb adah, it passed away. It is expressive of the flow of time, the current of which never stands still. Passing is the radical signification of ad, as a Hebrew preposition, denoting to, until, as far as, farther, moreover, yet: and although sometimes it be differently pointed, and then is rendered eternity, yet is one and the same word, and reducible to the primary notion passing.

In the more advanced periods of the Jewish dispensation, olam came to denote a hidden place, as well as a hidden period. " And I will bring thee down to the people of the hidden place (el-am-olam) and set thee in the nether parts of the earth.” Ezek. xxvi. 20. This name had added to it by the Jews of after ages habba, coming, the age to come. Every Israelite, says the Talmud, has his portion in the future age. It will be afterwards seen what light this throws on some expressions of Christ and his apostles.

The dominion of Messiah is said to be sholtanolam, the dominion of that hidden world which he

himself

Rev.1.18

himself explains, when he said to John, that he had the keys of Hades; which latter term is a literal rendering of olam. The very essence of this Don kingdom is, that all peoples, nations, and tongues, shall serve him: not that all mankind shall be his happy subjects, but that he shall be the disposer of the fates of all accountable beings. To serve him, is to be so thoroughly subject to his review, as judge, that of all generations not a single individual shall escape him. In this sense every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. This is the name that was given to him, Melec-Olam, which is above every name, because it implies a distribution of the various lots of men; not only after death, but after the resurrection.

J. 12.34 to

When the multitude, stumbling at the idea of Messiah being crucified, and thinking that this militated with what they had been taught from the law to expect, asked how Christ could be said remain (eis ton aióna) for ever:" his answer here is a lamp, and completely defines the extent of for ever, or olam. To a superficial reader, the answer might appear to be evasive: a close examination, however, will shew that it is perfectly in point. First, he teaches them that by Christ's abiding for ever, is not meant his continuing in existence, but his continuing to act in the character of Messiah, and, while time remains, exhibiting to the children of men a day of salvation. This

explains

explains Christ's abiding. He was for the present the sun in their firmament. "The light is Jn. 12.35 with you." What is now the extent which Christ gives to the term for ever? He calls it, yet a little time, and this in two respects; little, with regard to the term of their natural lives, and little with respect to its whole duration, as extending to the end of the world. So near in the computation of Messiah is the expiration of Olam, that he says, "lo Rev. 22.12 I come quickly, to give to every man according as his work shall be." So near, that seventeen hundred years ago the judge was said to be standing Jm.5.9 at the door. Olam then, whether applied to duration on earth, or to that interval that is betwixt death and the resurrection, equally denotes a period hidden and unknown.

Having thus endeavoured to ascertain the radical sense of Ad and Olam, and by this to pave the way in order that the reader may the more readily enter into the meaning of a variety of other passages, hereafter to be adduced, where these words occur, I proceed now to bring into discussion, in the following chapter, a subject immediately conpected with this investigation.