utterly wrong and mischievous? If eternity is the great reality of all, and not a portentous fiction, how dare you impress such a notion of fictitiousness on my mind as your process of illustration conveys? But is it not the only process? Quite the only one if you will bring time into the questionif you will have years and centuries to prevent you from taking in the sublime truth.”

And the great textual critic and exegete of the Word, Dr. B. F. Wescott, on page 215 of The Epistles of John, writes:

"In considering these phases it is necessary to premise that in spiritual things we must guard against all conclusions which rest upon the notion of succession and duration.

It is not an endless duration of time, but being of which time is not a measure. We have indeed no power to grasp the idea except through forms and images of sense."

Frances Ridley Havergal's "A

Waking Thought" embodies some of the truth of the relation of time to eternity from the standpoint of redemption:

"Then Time will seem but a pebble cast

Into the ocean of Eternity,

Breaking for one short moment that pure light,
Which dwells upon its calm expanse of joy,
As into shiv'ring radiance, and shade-like circles,
Soon melting back into primeval brightness,
(Like that which was, when all created essence
Took but the forms of blended light and music,
In the glory of an infinite variety),

Through the translucent crystal of that sea,
It swiftly sinks to rest, within the depths
Of that great heart, like an aye-glistening
And treasured memory of things gone by,
Bearing, deep graven on its pale, clear front,
One word-Redemption !"

From a totally different standpoint we quote from one of our best weeklies (The Literary Digest) a part of its review of one of the most recent scientific theories. We are not of necessity subscribing to this theory, but the reader will note a remarkable analogy to the teaching of this chapter, drawn not from religious but from the scientific field:

"The term relativity refers to time and space; according to Galileo and Newton, time and space were absolute entities, and the moving systems of the universe were dependent on this absolute time and space. On this conception was built the science of mechanics. The resulting formulas sufficed for all motions of a slow nature; it was found, however, that they would not conform to the rapid motions apparent in electrodynamics."

This fact led two distinguished professors (we now quote one of these professor's own words as referred to in the same review, issue of Dec. 27, 1919),

"This led the Dutch Professor Lorenz and myself (Dr. Einstein) to develop the theory of special relativity. Briefly, it discards absolute time and space and makes them in every instance relative to moving systems. By this theory, all phenomena in electro-dynamics, as well as mechanics, hitherto irreducible by the old formulas and therefore multitudinous -were satisfactorily explained.

"Till now it was believed that time and space existed by themselves, even if there was nothing else-no sun, no earth, no stars; while now we know that time and space are not the vessels of the universe, but could not exist at all if there were no contents-namely, no sun, earth and other celestial bodies."

Whether all the theories or findings of these distinguished scientists be true or false, we have not the slightest doubt that from the standpoint of both God's Word and nature, "time" is a relative term. This fact will illumine and, to some extent, revolutionize many of the accepted interpretations of Scripture; and, no doubt, it will do the same for natural science.*

We think that we have sufficiently established the ineradicable difference between Eternity and Time. The fruit of the application of this distinction will enrich our understanding of God Himself. The doctrine of the Godhead, designated as the Trinity, will be divested of some of its difficulties and will be wondrously enriched. The character of God will be unveiled and vindicated. God's purpose and plan in creation, redemption, and new creation will be more clearly apprehended. It will be necessary to examine the Scripture more carefully as to the real meaning of its words and phrases, carefully and prayerfully, for the consequences of such discrimination are far-reaching and of vital and practical importance; and the Word of God is always our final and infallible Court of Appeal.

4 See Knowledge and Life, by Rudolf Eucken (G. P. Putnam's Sons); also an illuminating discussion by F. Hugh Capron on Time and Eternity, in lis Anatomy of Truth (Hodder and Stoughton).

VI

THE AGES PRESENTED

WE trust it has been made clear that eternity belongs to a different category from time, that it implies a different state and condition of existence and that, when we become acquainted with God and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, we have in this life only a germ or earnest of the eternity into which God will bring us at the end of time. In fact, when a believer dies, it is popularly said that he passes into eternity; but this is not an accurate statement, for, altho the condition of the departed Christian is more spiritual than in this present life, nevertheless he is still largely under time conditions (Phil. 1:6). Where there is movement and progress analogous to that on the earth, it implies change and transitoriness. Likewise even the resurrection state has its degrees, and in consequence its progression. "One star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead”; but we know it is God's purpose to bring all to the full “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), and while this is doing, it is still time.

It may aid us in clearness of thought to know that even God's manifestation in time is different from the absolute and eternal God. He has to

accommodate Himself to the creature. We know that our Lord Jesus Christ "was made flesh, and dwelt among us"; and, tho there were glimpses of His glory, they were at the best but partial. The Holy Spirit's person and work have had to be humbled that there might be adaptability to us in a temporal universe. The title of a suggestive book on the Holy Spirit is The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost.1 There is no doubt that the revelation of the Father suffers a similar accommodation and that He shows the same spirit of love and humility in bringing us an unveiling of Himself that we can apprehend. We can enjoy the sunlight when it is properly dealt with by our atmosphere, but who can gaze with impunity into the eye of the sun? What mortal could live in that glorious sphere? Do not wonder if some divine truths do not look right to us. We live in too dense an environment to see things as they truly are. The straight rod partly thrust into the water looks bent. Much of our apprehension of truth needs to be corrected because of the refraction caused by time conditions.

We are now ready to consider the word, in both the Old and New Testaments, which is most frequently translated "eternal," but which should be translated "age." This word in the Old Testament is used both as a noun and an adjective. In the New Testament there is the noun "age" or 1 By Cardinal Manning (D. Appleton & Co., New York, 1866).