in both these languages may be almost said to be appropriated to the expression of this abstract condition. The present indicative, however, is also used continually in this abstract sense, especially when the present participle is used abstractedly in the subject of the proposition. Thus 1 John ii. 17, ὁ ποιων το θέλημα του Θεου "the doer of the will of God," (that is he who characteristically and habitually is so, as opposed to the unregenerate who are habitually and characteristically doers of evil) abideth (a fixed condition) for ever, μένει εις τον αιώνα. And 1 John iv. 6. Ο γινωσκων τον θεον akove nμwv, “he that is a knower of God is a hearer of us." And 1 John iii. 8. ὁ ποιων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εκ του διαβολου εστι—the doer of sin (that is, the habitual doer of sin, not any one who may under any circumstances sin) is (i.e. fixedly) of the devil. Again, was ỏ γεγενημένος εκ του θεου ἁμαρτίαν ου ποιει—every one who is born of God is not a doer of sin. This does not mean that he never sins. "In many things we all offend." It means that he is not an habitual doer of sin, like the world. See also Romans ii. 7-10, where two characteristically opposed classes are marked, viz., they who are habitually seekers of glory, honour, and incorruptibility, and doers of that which is good (οἱ ζητοῦντες δόξαν, &c.-οι κατεργαζόμενοι το aɣalov) and, on the other hand, they who habitually disobey the truth and are doers of that which is evil. (οἱ απειθούντες τη αληθεια —οἱ κατεργαζομενοι το κακον.) All believers are through grace brought into the first of these classes; they are numbered among the doers of good, though they may stumble and in many things fall short; whereas all unbelievers belong to the latter class. It is their habitual condition. In the Gospel and Epistles of John, and in the Revelation, it is especially needful to mark this abstract use of the present tense. See also Romans viii.—οἱ κατα σαρκα οντες, and οἱ κατα Πνευμα οντες viii. 5. And again, οἱ εν σαρκι οντες, and οἱ εν Πνευματι οντες, viii. 8. And οἱ κατα σαρκα περιπατούντες, and οἱ κατα πνευμα περιπατοῦντες. They who through grace are in Christ are (essentially and characteristically) "in" and "according to," and "walk according to," the Spirit: whereas all who are not in Christ are essentially and characteristically "in," and "according to," and "walk according to," the flesh. The object, it must be remembered, for which we employ verbs is to ascribe some act or state to an agent or subject; the question of time which is signified by the tense of the verb being a point subordi nate to the ascription of the act or state.* It might therefore be expected that there would be some part of the verb to which the office would be assigned of expressing relations so abstract as for the question of time to be virtually excluded: and this, as I have said, is especially the office of the present participle in Greek and Hebrew. It is an evident necessity in language that we should have some means of expressing an abstract state apart from the limitations, as to time, implied by the strict use of the tenses. Of the three forms of the present employed in English, viz., I love, am loving, or do love, the first is that commonly used to imply an abstract notion; as, men reason: fishes swim. The second is the form chiefly used in describing an action in process of being performed in time present to the speaker, as, I am writing: the boys are being beaten. The third is used emphatically to affirm or negative that which is, or is supposed to be doubted or controverted; as, "I do write" is an answer to a supposed statement that I do not write: the object being to affirm or negative the ascription of the state or condition indicated by the verb. "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me"-аɣаñas μɛ; “yea, Lord, thou knowest that I do love thee," [ov oidas OTI piλw σe.] As a general rule the first of these forms of the English indicative present may be said always to express abstract condition: the third to express it occasionally-the context determining when : the second seldom expresses it. The Greek has not the same variety of form in the indicative present; but its abstract use of the present participle more than compensates for this. The examples already cited are sufficient to show the use of the present tense in indicating inherent or habitual qualities, apart from any question of actual development. See more especially Matt. ii. 20. TEOνηKασι oi nтOUVтes. "They are dead that seek:"+ and 1 Pet. ii. τεθνηκασι ζητουντες. * "A verb implies the notion of time as an accident of the act or state. And this notion of time may be brought forward more or less. If this be kept in mind, several of the peculiarities in the use of the tenses will be the better understood. It may be either the general undefined notion of time attached to every verbal notion, or it may be the more definite notion of time, past, present, future, attached to it by the speaker." JELF, Gr. Gr. vol. II. p. 54. f That our English idiom does not admit the abstract use of the present to the same extent as the Greek and Hebrew by the use of their present participle, is evident from our inability to translate grammatically this sentence. The English participle, however, when used to denote classes is frequently used in a sense 5. TOTE ai EλTIČovσa,* So when the Lord Jesus at the last supper ποτε ελπίζουσαι,* took the bread, saying, "This is my body," To Kλwμevov, &c., 1 Cor. xi. 24, that word (TO Kλwμevov) ascribes to His body that which we know to be its great distinctive characteristic when offered on the Cross; but it does not mean that it was at that moment being broken like the symbolic bread: He does not say, "This is my body which is being broken. The like may be said of the connected words, "This is my blood” το εκχυνόμενον, &c. Matt. xxvi. 28. Thus too oi σωζόμενοι does not mean “they who have been saved” (οἱ σεσωσμενοι) nor those who are being saved, but those to whom salvation characteristically attaches-those who are characteristically in a state of salvation. We find difficulty in expressing this in our English idiom. In translating Acts ii. 4, we are obliged to render "the Lord added to the Church daily the saved;" using this expression abstractedly as the name of a class, though our English idiom does not admit in our past participle the same abstract force as in the Greek present. So also in 1 Cor. i. 18,-οi ажоλλνμеvoι “the lost," "the perishing," are opposed to oi owCoμevor "the saved"-the state as expressed by the verb, not the time denoted by the tense, being the point to be regarded. See also σωσαι τους πιστεύοντας, in the same chapter. And John i. 12, Όσοι δε έλαβαν αυτον εδωκεν αυτοις εξουσίαν τεκνα Θεον γενεσ θαι ΤΟΙΣ ΠΙΣΤΕΥΟΥΣΙΝ εις το όνομα αυτού. And in Matt. vii. 8, ὁ αιτων λαμβάνει, και ο ζητών ευρισκει, και της κρούοντι See also Heb. x. 26 εκουσίως αμαρτανόντων: and ανοιγήσεται. 1 Thess. i. 10.-"Jesus who (not "delivered" or "is delivering" but) is the deliverer of us (Tov pvoμevov juas) from the wrath to come." So also ó epxouevos corresponding with in Hebrew, not the One who is coming, or who is come, (which last would be os nei,) but "the coming one." See a similar use of έρχεται in decidedly abstract. Thus we say, "the believing," "the lost," "the perishing," "the living," "the seeing," &c., expressions which answer closely to the corresponding expressions in Greek. Examples of this kind are not confined to the Scripture. See Esch. Agam. 363. τον ταδε πραξαντ, επ' Αλεξανδρῳ τείνοντα παλαι τοξον. And παλαι TOUTO σKOTW, I have been long a looker for this. And Aristoph. Equit. 236. ότιη επι τω δημῳ ξυνομνυτον παλαι. And Eurip. Εl. 419, Ζωντ' εισακουσας παιδα όν εκσωζει ποτε. It is to be regretted that grammarians should in such instances regard the present as put for the aorist, or perfect-both these tenses being very determinately past. 1 John ii. 18. and of ερχομενον as applied to past time in 2 John v. 7. See also ὁ ερχομενος ηξει. Heb. x. 37— the Coming One, (or, "He that cometh) shall come." See also Rom. ii. 4-" not knowing that the goodness of God αγει, is the leader of thee (or is for leading thee, as some render it) to repentance. In the book of the Revelation this abstract use of the present is very frequent. The following are a few of the examples : Rev. i. 3. μακαριος ὁ αναγινώσκων και οἱ ακουοντες και τηρούντες. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear and keep." Rev. i. 6. τῳ αγαπωντι ήμας—to Him who is the lover of us. Rev. ii. 1. ὁ κρατων-ὁ περιπατων. The holder of the walker in the midst of. ά Rev. ii. 6. αλλα τουτο εχεις, οτι μισεις τα εργα καγω μισω. But this thou hast, that thou art a hater of the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which I also am a hater of. Rev. ii. 7. 'O έχων ους—and τω νικωντι.—not to the one who is overcoming, but to the overcomer. Rev. ii. 17. ὁ λαμβάνων. Rev. xvii. 11. εις απωλειαν ύπαγει. Rev. xvii. 18. ή πολις ή μεγάλη ή έχουσα βασιλειαν—the holder of sovereignty, distinctively characteristic of the city when revealed ; just as the Beast is described as o εχων τας επτα κεφαλας και τα δεκα κερατα : a description distinctively characteristic of the Beast when he appears. Rev. xviii. 19. εν η επλούτησαν παντες οἱ εχοντες τα πλοία. Rev. xix. 2. εν δικαιοσυνη κρίνει και πολεμει. Rev. xix. 15. αυτος πατει την ληνον. μακάριοι οἱ πλύνοντες τας στολας αυτων. Notes on 1. Corinthians Chapter I. Verse 1. "Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus, through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother." Called to be an Apostle] Literally, "a called Apostle." Tyndale renders, "Paul by vocation an Apostle;" that is, by divine vocation. So also verse 2. Kλntois aɣiois, "saints by divine vocation." κλητοις άγιοις, And Sosthenes our brother] St. Paul was officially an Apostle; and personally, one, who, through grace, had laboured more abundantly than all the Apostles; yet he associates the comparatively unknown name of Sosthenes with his own. Grace ever delights in widening the circle of blessing; seeking not to exclude, but to comprehend. This principle of association is traceable in many ways in the dealings of God with His people. "He who receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward." On the other hand we have to beware of becoming partaker of others' sins. See 2 John 10, 11. Sosthenes had, unquestionably, been in past time highly esteemed by the Church at Corinth; and in their consciences, no doubt, they felt that he was worthy of being esteemed still. The introduction, therefore, of his name into the superscription of the Epistle was important, as showing that he altogether felt with, and sorrowed with, the Apostle respecting the evil that was being manifested at Corinth. We must not, however, regard Sosthenes as if raised into co-equality with St. Paul, or as a joint writer of the Epistle. In the fourth verse where the Epistle properly begins, the Apostle adopts the first person -I thank my God, &c." Verses 2 and 3. "Unto the Church of God which is in Corinth-persons sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, together with all that call upon the name of |