"But the opinions neither of Hebrews nor of heathen, remained invariably the same. And from the time of the captivity, more especially from the time of the subjection of the Jews, first to the Macedonian empire, and afterwards to the Romans; as they had a closer intercourse with Pagans, they insensibly imbibed many of their sentiments, particularly on those subjects whereon their law was silent, and wherein, by consequence, they considered themselves as at greater freedom. On this subject of a future state, we find a considerable difference in the popular opinions of the Jews in our Saviour's time, from those which prevailed in the days of the ancient prophets. As both Greeks and Romans had adopted the notion, that the ghosts of the departed were susceptible both of enjoyment and of suffering, they were led to suppose a sort of retribution in that state, for their merit or demerit in the present. The Jews did not indeed adopt the Pagan fables on this subject, nor did they express themselves entirely in the same manner; but the general train of thinking in both came pretty much to coincide. The Greek HADES they found well adapted to express the Hebrew SHEOL. This they came to conceive as including different sorts of habitations for ghosts of different characters. And though they did not receive the terms Elysium or Elysian fields, as suitable appellations for the regions peopled by good spirits, they took instead of them, as better adapted to their own theology, the garden of Eden or Paradise, a name originally Persian, by which the word answering to garden, especially when applied to Eden, had commonly been rendered by the Seventy. To denote the same state, they sometimes used the phrase Abraham's bosom, a metaphor borrowed from the manner in which they reclined at meals."

END.

TO THE READER.

The following should have appeared as a note, predicated on the word graves, found in John 5: 28. It is copied from " A summary view of the Millennial Church."

Jesus

M5 i. e. monuments or places of remembrance. Much stress is laid upon the word graves, as evidence that Christ alluded particularly to the natural body; but the original word which is translated graves, was used by the ancient Greeks to signify places of remembrance, called by the Romans monumenta, in English monuments, which is a more correct translation than graves. But if those only who have monuments erected to their memory are to be raised, the number must be very small in proportion to the whole human race; for a vast portion have never even had the honor of being put into graves. evidently used the expression in a figurative sense, to show that the time was approaching in which all the fallen race, in their various places and orders, would be brought to a remembrance or consideration of their lost state, and of what they had done; and that their past lives, with all their sins would come into remembrance and be clearly laid open to their view; and being waked up to a sense of feeling, by the sound of the everlasting gospel, which is the voice of the Son of God, they would either come to the resurrection of life, by honestly confessing their sins, and obeying the gospel; or to the resurrection of damnation, [or condemnation] by obstinately refusing to comply with the calls of the gospel, as many are now doing, con. trary to their own light and conviction.

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