Gen, xxxvii. 35. Jacob, said concerning his son Joseph-"I will go down into the grave (Sheol), unto my son mourning." Grave, is here the correct rendering of Sheol, for surely no one thinks, Jacob believed Joseph had gone to hell, and that he also expected to go down to the same place of misery. But Dr. Allen says it is altogether probable, that he (Jacob), had reference to the abode of departed spirits, where he hoped to meet his son. But our translators by using the word grave, have excluded this important and interesting idea, annihilated the strong hopes of paternal affection and enlightened piety." But what is it, which makes this probable? for there is not a text in the Bible, which says, Sheol, is "the abode of departed spirits," or even names departed spirits."

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Gen, xlii. 38. concerning Benjamin Jacob said—" If mischief befal him by the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave (Sheol)." Evidently grave, in the same sense as the preceding passage.

Gen. xliv. 29. Jacob again says-"ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave," in the same sense as above.

Gen. xliv. 31. Judah, in making a speech for the liberation of Benjamin, said" thy servants, shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave (Sheol).' Obviously grave as in the three preceeding passages. See the quotation from Dr. Campbell above.

Numb. xvi. 30. Moses said, concerning Korah and his company-" but if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit (Sheol)." If Sheol, here rendered pit, means hell in its common acceptation, then Korah, his company, and all appertaining to them, went down alive there. But what is meant, is explained v. 32, by

"the earth opening her mouth, and swallowing them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods." They were swallowed up as whole cities have been by an earthquake. Who believes, that people go down alive, soul and body to hell, or endless misery? For it is the common opinion, no bodies go there until after the resurrection. Besides-did those persons, houses, and their goods, go there with them, for all went down into the pit, what ever place this was?

Num. xvi. 33. "They and all that appertained to them, (i. e. Korah and his company), went down alive into the pit (Sheol); and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation." The sense here, is the same as in the passage preceding. But in reference to both these passages, it is said by Professor Stuart "that Korah and his company went to the world of woe, there can be but little if any reason to doubt, considering their character, and the nature of their crime." This is being wise above what is written, for Moses, nor any other sacred writer, intimates any such thing. Mr. Stuart says himself, in the very next sentence" but the words of Moses in this place, seem to refer primarily to the event which was about to take place, viz. to Korah and his adherents being swallowed up alive, and thus going down into the under world." Can a particle of evidence be produced, that Moses referred to any thing else?

Deut. xxxii. 22. "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, (Sheol), and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." Moses is here foretelling God's judgments on the jewish nation; and it required such a tremendous image, thus to describe them; even a fire, which should burn unto the lowest Sheol. The figure of fire, is common in Scripture to describe God's judgments on men; and as on the Jew

ish nation, came all the righteous blood shed on the earth, so here the description of their punishment, is set forth by a tremendous fire. But if by the lowest hell, we understand a place of endless misery, there must be three divisions of it, for the lowest hell, supposes some hells above it, and all these hells must be burnt through for this fire to reach it. But who believes this? Besides, it may be asked, was David ever in this lowest hell? For he says to God—" thou hast delivered my soul (me) from the lowest hell," Ps. lxxxvi. 13. I may add, no intimation is here given, or any where else, that in this lowest hell any persons are suffering misery there.

1 Sam. ii. 6. "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, (Sheol) and bringeth up." Grave, or state of the dead, is evidently the meaning of Sheol here, as the two parts of the verse show. The words in the last part-" he bringeth down. to Sheol and bringeth up," answers to the words in the first, "the Lord killeth, and maketh alive." Indeed, who believes, that the Lord brings men up from Sheol, or hell, in the popular sense of this term? and yet, if Sheol means hell, it is here plainly asserted.

2 Sam. xxii. 6. "The sorrows of hell, (Sheol), compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me,' or, came upon me. The parallelism here, shows what is meant. In the first part of the verse"the sorrows of hell, (Sheol), compassed me about," is explained by the second-" the snares of death prevented me.' "Sorrows of Sheol," and "snares of death," express the same idea. See on Ps. xviii. 5, below.

1 Kings ii. 6. David charged Solomon thus-" do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his (Joab) hoar head go down to the grave (Sheol) in peace," let him die, according to the laws, a violent death for the crimes he hath committed. Solomon, could not send Joab to hell,

1 Kings ii. 9. David charged Solomon thus concerning Shimei-" But his hoar head bring thou down to the grave (Sheol) with blood." No fault, is generally found with David, in charging Solomon respecting Joab, but he has often been blamed for cruelty towards Shimei. I quote the following from the Missionary Magazine, vol. 7, p. 333, which places his conduct in a different light. It is there said,-"David is here represented in our English version as finishing his life with giving a command to Solomon to kill Shimei; and to kill him on account of that very crime, for which he had sworn to him by the Lord, he would not put him to death. The behavior thus imputed to the king and prophet, should be examined very carefully, as to the ground it stands upon. When the passage is duly considered, it will appear highly probable that an injury has been done to this illustrious character. It is not uncommon in the Hebrew language to omit the negative in a second part of a sentence, and to consider it as repeated, when it has been once expressed, and is followed by the connecting particle. The necessity of so very considerable an alteration, as inserting the particle NOT, may be here confirmed by some other instances. Thus Psalm i. 5. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, NOR (the Hebrew is and, signifying and not) sinners in the congregation of the righteous.' Psalm ix. 18: xxxviii. 1: lxxv. 5. Prov. xxiv. 12. If, then, there are many such instances, the question is whether the negative, here expressed in the former part of David's command, may not be understood as to be repeated in the latter part? And if this may be, a strong reason will be added why it should be so interpreted. The passage will run thus: Behold, thou hast with thee Shimei, who cursed me: but I sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death by the sword. Now, therefore, hold him NOT guiltless, (for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou

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oughtest to do unto him,) but bring NOT down his hoary head to the grave with blood. Now, if the language itself will admit this construction, the sense thus given to the sentence derives a very strong support from the context. For, how did Solomon understand this charge? Did he kill Shimei in consequence of it? Certainly he did not. For, after he had immediately commanded Joab to be slain, in obedience to his father, he sends for Shimei, and, knowing that Shimei ought to be well watched, confines him to a paticular spot in Jerusalem for the remainder of his life. 1 Kings, ii. 36-42. See Kennicott's Remarks, p. 131." Those who wish to see this verse noticed at considerable length, may consult the Christian's Magazine, vol. i p. 172-181. David, could not surely mean, respecting either Joab or Shimei, their hoary head bring thou down to endless misery with blood.

Job vii. 9. "As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave (Sheol) shall come up no more. The next verse, explains the writer's meaning;-" he shall no more return to his house, neither shall his place know him any more."

Job xi. 8. "It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell (Sheol): what canst thou know?" The antithesis here shews, what is meant by Sheol, for it is contrasted with the heaven for height. The sea, or abyss, is probably alluded to. See verse 7. No man can by searching find out God, any more than he can measure the height of heaven, or the depth of the abyss. Sheol included the abyss, for it was the state of all the dead, whether in the abyss, grave or tomb, etc.

Job xiv. 13. “Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave (Sheol)." The context shews, Job longed for death, to find rest in the grave. No man supposes, Job prayed, that God would hide him in the place of endless misery.