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AN

INQUIRY

INTO THE SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE CONCERNING

THE

DEVIL AND SATAN:

AND

INTO THE EXTENT OF DURATION EXPRESSED BY

THE TERMS

OLIM, AION, AND AIONIOS,

RENDERED

EVERLASTING, FOREVER, &c.

IN THE COMMON VERSION, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN APPLIED

TO PUNISHMENT.

SECOND EDITION.

BY WALTER BALFOUR.

CHARLESTOWN (Ms.) DAVIDSON, PRINTER.

SIMON ELOK

BT

980

ва 1827

сор 2

District of Massachusetts, to wit:

BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the thirtieth day of December, A.D. 1826, in the fiftieth year of the Independence of the United States of America, WALTER BALFOUR, of the said District, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as Author, in the words following, to wit:

"An Inquiry into the scriptural doctrine concerning the Devil and Satan and into the extent of duration expressed by the terms Olim, Aion, and Aionios, rendered everlasting, forever, &c. in the com. mon version, and especially when applied to punishment. Second edition. By Walter Balfour."

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and also to an act entitled "an act supplementary to an act entitled 'an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and etching, historical and other prints.""

JOHN W. DAVIS,

Clerk of the District of Massachusetts.

IN presenting the following pages to the public, were any apology necessary, I would make it in the words of Professor Stuart to Dr. Miller. He says, p. 12, 13. of his Letters, "It is just as much our individual duty now, to bring every principle of the creed of the Protestant churches to the test of the divine word, as it was the duty of the Reformers to bring that of the Catholics to the test of Scripture. This position is absolutely certain; unless we can prove that the formers of the Protestant symbols were inspired. If they were not, they may have erred in some things; and if so, it is important to us, if possible, to know in what they have erred. But how shall we, or how can we know this, unless their creeds are subjected, anew and repeatedly, to the test of the Scriptures?

"Will it be said, that the dwarfs of modern days only exhibit their pride and self conceit in attempting a comparison with those giants of yore? If it should, my answer would be; That dwarfs as we are in modern days, we stand, at least, upon the shoulders of those ancient giants, and must needs have a somewhat more extended

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