only "accursed," but so accursed as never to have part or lot in the bliss of the Messiah's reign. We can easily conceive of him, in the days of his impenitence, pouring contempt and hatred upon Jesus of Nazareth as a mere pretender to Messiahship, and wishing himself to be for ever far away from such a pretender. But we cannot conceive of him feeling-under any pressure, however strong, on his temper or his prejudices-the same contempt and hatred for the ideal Deliverer of his race, to whose advent he was, in common with all the pious of his people, looking longingly and eagerly forward.

The potential rendering is in perfect accordance with usage, in both classical and biblical Greek.

The apostle did not actually desire to be an anathema. He knew that such a desire would never be divinely fulfilled, and hence he did not cherish it. A wise man keeps his desires under control. He has, indirectly, command over them. A pious man takes God's desires and purposes into account, and does not entertain any desire which he knows to be at variance with the Divine will, or with the Divine arrangements that are dependent on the Divine will. Hence it is that the apostle does not say, I desire; he only says, I could desire. He would have been willing and wishful to be anathema for his countrymen, provided such an awful self-sacrifice had been in

harmony with the will and wish of God, and thus consistent with the best interests of God's immense moral empire. So far as the apostle himself was concerned, he was ready for the self-sacrifice, provided it should be legitimate, on the one hand, and could be efficacious, on the other.

It would not, however, have been of avail, and hence the wish was never fully formed. The potential did not pass into the actual.

It is true, indeed, that the potential translation of the verb used by the apostle, viz. I could wish, though doubtless the only correct rendering that is possible in the circumstances, is nevertheless an imperfect reflection of the original "imperfect" tense. The idioms of the English and Greek languages are by no means identical. The potential could is not actually part and parcel of the Greek imperfect tense, although its use in English is, on the present occasion, the best expedient to which we can have recourse, to reproduce substantially the nicety of the original. The Greek imperfect tense is really a tense, or time, not a potency. It is a past tense, not present or future. But it is a past tense incomplete. It is to be carefully differentiated from a strictly perfect" time or tense-a tense completed and complete. Hence the real idea of the word is, I was desiring. The desire rose up in the apostle's heart, and to a certain extent he allowed and

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sanctioned it. Yet only to a certain extent, for a higher desire struck in and controlled it-the desire to be in perfect accord with God's desire and will. Hence his desire to be anathema for his countrymen never was completed and complete. It hung suspended. It remained “imperfect." It was conditional, and the condition that would have brought it to maturity was never forthcoming. Thus the embryo-desire was in reality but a potency, so that the translation I could desire is vindicated.

It may now still further be noticed that the word rendered I could "wish," or I could "desire," properly means I could "pray" (nixóunv). Keeling takes note of the fact,' and Schrader translates the verb, I have prayed. The word is expressly rendered pray in 2 Corinthians xiii. 7 and James v. 16; and it really has the same meaning in 2 Corinthians xiii. 9: "This also we wish, even

2

your perfection," "This also we pray for."

The expression doubtless doubles back on the seventh verse, where the true reading is not, I pray, but, "we pray to God." The word occurs again in 3 John 2, where King James's translators have rendered it, I wish; but it really means I pray. It has the same meaning also in Acts. xxvii. 29, where King James's translators, following the older English versions, have far too

1 St. Paul's Wish to be Accursed from Christ, p. 25.
2"Ich habe gebetet." (Der Apostel Paulus, iv. 354.)

feebly translated thus: "Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day." They did more than simply wish; they lifted up their desires to their gods, and prayed for the break of day. So the Syriac-Peshito correctly translates the word. The word occurs in only one other passage of the New Testament (Acts xxvi. 29), where St. Paul says to Agrippa, "" I would to God that not only thou," etc. The expression in the original is instinct with the most gentlemanly courtesy, I could pray to God. It is as if he had said, If I might venture to use the liberty of openly expressing the fulness of my feelings, I would audibly lift up my prayer to God that not only thou, etc. The apostle's meaning in Romans ix. 3 is admirably expressed in our idiomatic phrase, I could wish to God.

III.-GOODWIN'S "PAGAN'S DEBT AND DOWRY." The following is the full title of John Goodwin's treatise: THE PAGAN'S DEBT, AND DOWRY. Or, A Brief Discussion of these Questions, Whether, How far, and in what Sence, such persons of Mankinde amongst whom the Letter of the Gospel never came, are notwithstanding bound to Believe on Jesus Christ? (with some other particulars relating hereunto.) Returned by way of Answer

to a Discourse in writing, lately sent without Name, (together with a Letter, subscribed only T.S.,) unto Mr. John Goodwin, the author as yet being unknown to him, yet (as appears by the said discourse) a person of worth, and learning, and (as he supposeth) a minister of the Gospel. By the said John Goodwin, minister of the Gospel. 1651.

A far more wonderful book, bearing on the same subject, is the work of Raimond de Sebonde, entitled Theologia Naturalis, sive Liber Creaturarum, specialiter de Homine et de natura ejus in quantum homo, et de his quæ sunt ei necessaria ad cognoscendum se ipsum et deum et omne debitum ad quod homo tenetur et obligatur tam deo quam proximo. 2nd ed., 1496. A masterpiece, but utterly misunderstood by Professor Dugald Stewart. See Collected Works, vol. i. (1854).

IV. ESAU. (Ver. 13.)

I give a few references to the literature on the subject: (1) Jo. Aug. Stempel: Exercitatio Theologica de Salute Esavi. 1665.--(2) Hen. Opitius : Disputatio Theologica de Jacobo Dilecto et Esavo Rejecto, cum nondum nati essent, nec quicquam boni aut mali egissent. 1698.-(3) Jo. Gottlieb Hoffmann: De odio Dei adversus Esavum, ad loca Rom. ix. 13, Gen. xxv. 23, and Mal. i. 3, 4: a Jo. Marckii aliorumque corruptelis vindicanda.