under a Mahometan or Papal despotism, live from century to century on the brink of starvation. Thus it is that the Christian religion has frequently, in a few years, done more to promote the progress of civilization, than all other means united have ever done, in many generations.

'But this is not all. That a nation may grow rich, not only is it necessary that industry be exerted; beside this, the instruments, with which it may work and the material on which it is to be employed, in other words, capital, must be accumulated. If whatever is produced be immediately consumed on the gratification of the passions, not only are the means of future accumulation annihilated, but the power of the agent for labor is lessened, and hence must result an accelerated tendency to poverty. Capital can be accumulated only by self-denial, by the government of the passions, by investing all that portion of the results of industry, which is not needed for our temperate enjoyment, in some such manner as shall benefit the condition of our fellow-men. Now, this is just the discipline for which the Gospel prepares mankind. Its first lesson is self-denial. "Except a man deny himself, he cannot be my disciple." At the very outset, then, it prescribes entire subjugation of the passions, the very basis of all frugality. Another of its lessons is the necessity of individual and universal industry. "This we commanded you, that if any man would not work neither should he eat." Thus, while inculcating, as religious duties, industry and frugality, the Gospel teaches the soundest and most valuable lessons in the science

of political economy. That nations, as well as individuals, can grow rich on no other principles, is as evident as demonstration. And, on the other hand, that a nation, practising the industry and frugality of the Gospel, must become wealthy, that is, must abound in all that is requisite to satisfy virtuous desire, is equally incontestable. Thus we see how closely is connected the prevalence of religion with the prosperity of an

individual nation.

'Besides, where every individual is accumulating, the whole must accumulate, and, hence, such a nation must have an annual amount of wealth to offer in the markets of the world. But where shall she offer it. An indolent and profligate people, with imperfect skill and scanty capital, will have nothing to offer in return. It is not that they do not want the results of your labor and frugality, but that they have nothing wherewith to purchase them. A degraded and vicious people can never be valuable customers; for they must always be very limited consumers. To be aware of the force of these considerations,

compare our exports to a heathen, with those to a Christian nation; or those to a Protestant, with those to a Catholic nation; or those to the island of Great Britain, with those to the rich and thickly peopled shores of the Mediterranean.'

A further illustration of the position in question is given by showing the extreme impolicy of the slave-trade, and the wicked wastefulness of war; and the conclusion is, that as men must discover that their real interests, as nations and individuals, demand the taking the precepts of Jesus as the rules of conduct, they will at length do so. There is thus a tendency in the nature of man and of society toward the prevalence of the Christian religion.

A multitude of thoughts crowd upon our minds as we contemplate the views here brought before us; and we might easily extend our article into a long disquisition. But this is no part of our design. We have done what we intended, when we have thus put our readers in possession of some of the views contained in this fine discourse.

We ought to add, that the sermon on which we have been remarking, is one of thirteen discourses preached by distinguished men, at a stated Lecture, in the Murray Street Church, New York, and printed together in a volume. The others are of various interest and unequal merit, some deserving high commendation, some open to criticism. It would require more room than we have to spare to do justice to the merits or the defects of a volume thus composed.

ART. III.-Professor STUART's Appendix to his Exegetical Essays on several Words relating to Future Punishment. Andover. 1830. 12mo.

AMONG the examined works of Aristotle, alov occurs five times in the treatise de Mundo, twice in the fourteen books of Metaphysics, and five times in the treatise de Calo. These twelve are the only instances in the examined works. It being my object to spread before you with all fairness the

conditions of this word, as it occurs in these ancient writings, I will here adduce the several instances in which it occurs, whether they be relevant to the particular object of my inquiry or not. The edition which I use is the folio edition of Duval, 1629. I will note the passages according to the pages in which they occur, and the portions of those pages marked by capital letters of the alphabet.

De Mundo, cap. 2. Vol. 1. p. 601. E.

The upper part of it [the universe] is all and in every particular finished. Of which the most elevated, the dwelling-place of God, has been named heaven; and being full of divine bodies which we are accustomed to call stars, moving in a perpetual motion in one circumgyration and circle, acts in choral harmony with all these incessantly during EXISTENCE [di' airos].'

They who see cause may say 'eternity' for airos here. I cannot, because I have evidence yet to be produced, that Aristotle did not consider eternity as being the meaning of alv. An ? EXISTENCE capable of continuance according to its nature, appears to have been the general meaning of this word in his use; but he sometimes employs it in the sense of state or age. One or the other of these meanings accords with the connexion in which it occurs in his writings without exception, so far as the present examination extends. In most instances, existence is the most appropriate term for expressing its import.

Cap. 5. p. 609. C.

Which of these things separately can be compared with the order of the heaven, and the relation of the stars, sun, and also the moon moving in most perfect measures from one STATE [or age] to another STATE [or age] [& aiavos sis Eregor aiœra.]' - In any case eternity is not in alov here.

Cap. 5. p. 610. A.

Speaking of the many changes which are taking place upon the earth by reason of the growth and decay of vegetables, the life, actions, and death of animals, the influence of earthquakes, floods, flames, &c., he adds,

'All these things seem to be done for her good, in order to maintain [her] safety during EXISTENCE [τὴν δι ̓ αἰῶνος σωτηρίαν παρέχειν] .

it

If there be any sense of duration in air in this passage, is much like that expressed by the speaker in Ecclesiastes

i. 4. 'Generation passeth away, and generation cometh, and the earth abideth for ever;' or 'endureth in an uninterrupted existence'; which seems most consonant to the antithesis intended in that passage. It is an antithesis between the human race, the existence of which is broken up into different generations, and that of the earth which endures without interruption. There certainly seems to have been a similarity of mind between Aristotle in this place and the speaker in Ecclesiastes; and air in the use of the one seems to have borne the same import as in the mind of the other. There are those doubtless who will believe it to be eternity; I cannot, for reasons yet to be produced in regard to Aristotle, and on account of the antithesis evident in Ecclesiastes. Cap. 5. p. 610. B. In the same connexion with the last instance, he remarks;

'And one safety being perfected by all these, contending among themselves, continues; and while they sometimes conquer and sometimes are conquered, it preserves the whole incorruptible during EXISTENCE [φυλάττει τὸ σύμπαν ἄφθαρτον δι ̓ αἰῶνος.]

Cap. 7. p. 615. C.

"He [God] being one, has many names; and they call him Jupiter and Dis; using interchangeably, those names by which we may call him by whom we live. He is also said to be [the son] of Saturn [Eternity] and of Time, extending through from an unlimited EXISTENCE to another EXISTENCE [dinov ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀτέρμονος εἰς ἕτερον αἰῶνα.]

Metaph. Lib. xiv. cap. 7. Vol. I. p. 1001. A.

Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ἐνέργεια ζωή· ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἡ ἐνέργεια· ἐνέργεια δὲ ἡ καθ ̓ αὑτὴν, ἐκείνου ζωὴ ἀρίστη καὶ ἀΐδιος φαμὲν δὲ τὸν θεὸν εἶναι ζωὸν ἀΐδιον, ἄριστον· ὥστε ζωὴ καὶ αἰὼν συνεχὴς καὶ ἀΐδιος υπάρχει τῷ Θέῳ· τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Θεός.

The energy of mind indeed is life. And he is this energy. And this energy in itself is his life, most excellent and eternal. And we say, that God is a living being, eternal and most excellent. So that life and an EXISTENCE continuous and eternal appertain to God. Verily, this is God.'

Aris

He

Here, then, the question is in one respect decided. totle felt himself under the necessity of adding the adjective ἀΐδιος, in order to infuse a sense of eternity into αἰών. was no Hebrew, and cannot be suspected of having made use of the expression, an eternal eternity.' It is evident,

from his using the adjective, that in his apprehension aiov did not contain the meaning of eternity. The testimony of this sentence is positive in this respect, and governs that of the other places in which this word appears in his writings. In each of those produced, aior appears under circumstances of some doubt. There is not one in which the connexion positively requires the meaning of eternity for this word. But there are some in which it seems as if that might have been his meaning or might not. But here is a passage in which eternity cannot be the meaning of αιών. Without the adjective the expression would have been as doubtful as any of the others; with the adjective the passage is decisive, and justifies the assertion, that in the other places also eternity is not the import of this word. In those places I have rendered it existence or state; and in this instance, existence is almost without the shadow of a doubt the meaning in the mind of Aristotle.

The concluding sentence of this last extract ought not to pass unnoticed,- Verily, this is God.' What is God? An EXISTENCE continuous and eternal,' living and acting in the energy of mind, his own most excellent and eternal life.' This is God. And what is this but saying, in other words, that God is SPIRIT; πvεчμα ô Оεós? I will not say, that this proves aior to mean spirit. But in this case, the EXISTENCE which it represents is a spiritual one, and aior seems used of choice for exhibiting it. In truth, Aristotle after having described Deity as well as he could, and having summed up the whole description in an EXISTENCE continuous and eternal,' seems to have been startled at the view which his own mind had taken, and the end at which it had arrived; and gathering his whole congregation of sublime ideas of Deity in the one EXISTENCE' present in his view, added the last sentence as an expression of this summary," Verily this [EXISTENCE, aior] is God." Metaph. Lib. XIV. cap. 9. p. 1004. D.

" Is every thing immaterial, indivisible, as the human mind? Or does it consist by means of things put together in some particular time? It is not at all well [that it should consist] always by means of this or that; but it is best [that it should consist] in a certain whole; being something distinct [of itself;] that so a true consciousness abides during the whole EXISTENCE [ἔχει αὐτὴ αὐτῆς ἡ νόησις τὸν ἅπαντα αἰῶνα.]

VOL. X.

N. S. VOL. V. NO. II.

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