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tion, with a corrected text, and notes critical and explanatory.” We know that extraordinary efforts were made to get this translation into circulation, and we believe they have not ceased. By these means, many unsuspecting persons have been deceived. We would suggest to our readers the necessity of caution in purchasing or subscribing for new translations. Great caution, likewise, ought to be used in recommending them. To support our censure of the "improved version," we will cite a passage respecting its merits, from the London Quarterly Review, for May, 1809.

"It is with no small regret," say the reviewers," that we impart to our readers the disappointment which we have experienced, and inform them that they have here a work produced in a spirit most adverse to fair investigation, and conducted on a plan which must ever tend to propagate errour to a dangerous extent. We have occasion to look very little beyond the title page, before the disguise is thrown off, and the real nature of the publication betrayed by no unequivocal proofs. It is perceived to come from a society of Socinians, and to have for its main object, the propagation of the peculiar tenets of that sect. This object is pursued with persevering industry and audacious freedom. The sacred code of Christian faith is mutilated and perverted with the most unsparing violence. Every allowed rule of fair criticism is occasionally violated. The meaning of expressions is twisted from the acknowledged sense by constructions at once forced and unauthorized. Confident assertion and gratuitous assumption stand frequently in the place of reasoning; and reasoning, where it is attempted, consists of wrong conclusions, built on ill-founded premises. In fact, we think ourselves fully war ranted in affirming, that a more systematick and daring attempt to make the holy scriptures bend to the sanc

tion of particular tenets, never issued from the British press.

"Much as we reprobate," they continue, "the matter of this publication, and the plan on which it is conducted, the means which are employed to insinuate it into publick notice, strike us as yet more reprehensible. The assumption of the name of a respected prelate of the church of England, (archbishop Newcome,) for the sanction of a work, in which every doc. trine professed by that church, and by that respected member of it, is directly attacked, is something more than artifice; it is a falsehood and a fraud. It can have no other object than that of procuring a circulation, by drawing in unsuspecting purchasers. It is the dagger of an enemy under the cloak of a friend."

We are convinced, that the best way of establishing a solid conviction of the correctness and excellence of the received translation of the scriptures, is, to examine its history somewhat in detail, and to make some comparison of it with other translations. To this we now proceed. The original from which the following account is taken, may be found in Fuller's Church History, B. X.

At a conference held at Hampton Court, in 1603, between the leaders of the puritans and the bishops, by king James VI. of Scotland, and I. of England, Dr. Reynolds, president of Corpus Christi College, requested his majesty, that "the bible be new translated," on account of want of agreement between the translation then in use and the original. To this the king answered, "I profess I could never yet see a bible well translated in English; but I think that of all, that of Geneva is the worst. I wish some special pains were taken for a uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned in both universities; then reviewed by the bishops; presented to the privy council; lastly, ratified by royal au

thority, to be read in the whole church and no other." The bishop of London opposed Dr. Reynolds, until he saw that the king was pleased with the plan, and was determined to have it executed. In consequence of this resolution, fifty-four translators were appointed for the accomplishment of this important work, and divided into six companies. Seven of these appear to have died before the commencement of the work, or to have been otherwise prevented from engaging in it, as only forty-seven are found, in Faller's list. The number of persons in each company, the places where they were employed, and the portion of the scriptures appointed to each company, and the rules laid down by king James for their guidance, are as follows:

There were two divisions or companies at Westminster, two at Cambridge, and two at Oxford. The first division at Westminster consisted of 10, and had for their portion, the Pentateuch, and the old testament his tory, from Joshua to the first book of the Chronicles. The first division at Cambridge consisted of 8, and had the old testament history from the first of the Chronicles, and the Hagiographa, i. e. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Canticles, 2nd Ecclesiastes. In the first division at Oxford there were 7, to whom were assigned, the four greater prophets, with the Lamentations, and the twelve lesser prophets. The second division at Cambridge consisted of 7, and had the Prayer of Manasseh, and the rest of the Apocrypha. The second Ox ford division consisted of 8, and had the four Gospels, the acts of the Apostles, and the Apocalypse. The second division at Westminster was made up of 7, and had the epistles of St. Paul and the other canonical epistles.

"Now," says Fuller, "for the better ordering of their proceedings, his majesty recommended the following rules, by them to be most carefully ob

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church, commonly called the bishop's bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the original will permit.

"2. The names of the prophets, and the holy writers, with the other names in the text, to be retained as near as may be, accordingly as they are vul. garly used.

"3. The old ecclesiastical words to be kept, viz. as the word church, not to be translated congregation, &c.

"4. When any word hath divers significations, that to be kept which hath been most commonly used by the most eminent fathers, being agreeable to the propriety of the place and the analogy of faith.

5. The division of the chapters to be altered either not at all, or as little as may be, if necessity so require.

"6. No marginal notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek words, which cannot, without some circumlocution, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the text.

7. Such quotations of places to be marginally set down, as shall serve for the fit reference of one scripture to another.

"8. Every particular man, of each company, to take the same chapter or chapters; and, having translated or amended them severally by himself, when he thinks good, all to meet together, confer what they have done, and agree for their part what shall stand.

"9. As any one company hath despatched any one book in this manner, they shall send it to the rest, to be considered of seriously and judiciously; for his majesty is very careful on this point.

"10. If any one company, upon the review of the book so sent, shall doubt or differ upon any places, to send them word thereof, note the places, and therewithal send their reasons; to which, if they consent not, the dif ference to be compounded at the general meeting, which is to be of the

chief persons of each company, at the end of the work.

"11. When any place of special obscurity is doubted of, letters to be directed by authority, to send to any learned in the land, for his judgment in such a place.

"12. Letters to be sent from every bishop to the rest of his clergy, admon. ishing them of this translation in hand; and to move and charge as many as being skilful in the tongues, have taken pains in that kind, to send his particular observations to the company, either at Westminster, Cambridge, or Oxford. "13. The directors in each company to be, the deans of Westminster and Chester, for that place; and the king's professors in Hebrew and Greek in each university.

"14. These translations to be used, when they agree better with the text than the bishop's bible itself, viz. Tin dal's, Matthews', Coverdale's, Whilchurch, Geneva.”

Besides these directions, three or four aged and venerable divines in both universities, not engaged in the translation, to be assigned by the vicechancellor upon conference with the rest of the heads, to be overseers of the translations, as well Hebrew as Greek, for the better observance of the fourth rule above specified.

"And now, after long expectation and great desire," says Fuller, "came forth the new translation of the bible, (most beautifully printed) by a select and competent number of divines, appointed for that purpose; not being too many, lest one should trouble another; and yet many, lest many things might haply escape them. Who, neither coveting praise for expedition, nor fearing reproach for slackness, (seeing in a business of moment, none deserve blame for a convenient slowness,) had expended almost three years in the work, not only examining the channels by the fountain, translations with the original, which was absolutely necessary, but also comparing chan

nels with channels, which was abundantly useful in the Spanish, Italian, French, and Dutch (German) languages. These, with Jacob, rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well of life; so that now even Rachel's weak women may freely come forth to drink themselves, and water the flocks of their families at the same."

This bible was begun in 1607, but was not completed and published till 1611. It underwent a thorough revision in 1769, by Dr. Blayney, under the direction of the vice-chancellor and delegates of the university of Oxford; in which, 1. The punctuation was thoroughly revised; 2. The words printed in italicks examined, and corrected by the Hebrew and Greek originals; 3. The proper names, to the etymology of which allusions are made in the text, translated, and entered in the margin; 4. The heads and running titles corrected; 5. Some material errours in the chronology rectified ; and, 6. The marginal references reexamined, corrected, and their number greatly increased. Copies of this revision are the most correct copies of the present authorized version.

Such a work as our translation, proceeding from so much various erudition, employed with such anxious care, presents great and various claims to our respect. The history of it, which has been given, must gain the highest authority, and entitle it to our highest confidence. It was produced by the collected learning of the age, an age certainly not exceeded in extent of biblical learning in England by the present. It is not merely a faithful translation, conveying the meaning of the original writers, but it gives their very style and manner of expression. We know of but one general translation equal to it, and that is the German one of Auguste and De Wette, published within a few years. There are some specimens of parts of the scriptures executed in excellent style. Of these, the best are Rosenmueller's

translation of Job, and a part of the prophets, contained in his commentary on the old testament, Storr's translation of some epistles of St. Paul, likewise contained in his commentaries, and bishop Lowth's Isaiah.

In most of the new versions we have seen, strange specimens are to be found. Purver translates John xviii. 12, "So the regiment, the colonel, and the officers, took Jesus and bound him." Waterland proposes, Acts xix. 38, instead of, "the law is open and there are deputies;" "it is term time, and the judges are sitting." Horwood, in Luke xiii. 6, says, 66 a gentleman had planted a fig tree." Wakefield translates James i. 17, "the father of lights with whom is no parallax, nor tropical shadow !" Campbell, Matt. iv. 15, has the canton of Zebulun, for land of Zebulun. Again, in the miracle of the loaves, Matt. xvii. 24, how many maunds ye filled; and we have seen proposals by a man of our own country, to have a republican translation of the bible, in which, instead of kings, potentates, lords, thrones, &c. we may have presidents, senators, statesmen, chairs of state, &c.

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Hitherto, for the most part, Christians of every name, in England and the United States, have, in their controversies, appealed to king James's translation, as of common standard authority. We pretend to nothing of the spirit of prophecy, but we hazard the conjecture that this situation of things will not continue long. We have a party among us liberal in name, bold, and determined on innovation. translation stands in their way. presents a formidable obstacle to their designs. We believe them to be wait. ing with impatience the proper time for giving their adherents a version of the whole scriptures, which shall speak their views. We believe also that it is very possible for men to "wrest the scriptures to their own destruction," and we solemnly call upon all restless and determined innovators, to pause and consider what they are doing, when they throw aside a translation which has, heretofore, been a bond of union among all, to which our ears have always been habituated, whose language we have always heard and repeated, from childhood, and in which we have always seen the word of God arrayed; to set up a standard translation of their own, so prepared as to be clearly decisive in supporting all their favourite dogmas.

To the Editor of the Gospel Advocate.

COPACY, FROM STACKHOUSE.

M.

We know it has been objected to our translation that many words and modes of expression have become ob. solete. That there are some such instances we admit, but we deny that they are either numerous or important. The words are very few, which cannot be found in the best dictionaries of our language. At the same time, the English bible is the principal standard BRIEF ARGUMENT IN FAVour of episof the English language, and has done more to preserve its purity, than all our other books together. Perhaps it might be well to amend places in our version, containing obselete words and phrases, and where it does not agree exactly with the original; but we are convinced, that a new translation in general is quite unnecessary, and would be unfavourable to the interests of religion.

"AND as they would not, if they could, so neither is it probable that they could, if they would, have introduced, into the universal church, another form of government, than such as was instituted by the apostles. lf, indeed, only one or two churches had been governed by bishops, there would be room to suspect that this might be an undue deviation from the apostoli

cal pattern. But when all the churches, founded by the apostles, though never so remote, and not so much as known by name, to one another, did all agree in the same form of government, so that there is not one church we read of, but what we are able to prove was governed by a single bishop; this, we think, could never, so soon, so universally, have been brought about, unless all churches had, together with the same faith, received also the same form of government from the apostles. If the several bishops, in their several churches, did challenge and exercise an authority over their presbyters, which was contrary to the command of Christ and the institution of the apostles, how came it to pass, that no presbyters did ever oppose them, and object to them this violation of their Lord's command,and invasion of their rights? If the apostles did delegate an equal share of authority to every presbyter of each church, how came these presbyters quietly to suffer this authority to be forced away from them, and transferred upon the bishops? Why did not the presbyters of that age, as well as some of ours, pretend that they were equal to the greatest of the bishops? Were not they, who lived in the next age, as well acquainted with the practice of the apostles, as we are, at the distance of so many centuries? And if they were, how came it to pass, that no presbyter of them all had, in those days, courage enough to tell an assuming bishop, that he arrogated too much to himself; that he could not but know, what every one knew, that the Lord, and his apostles, from whom they received their faith, their doctrine, and their authority, had decreed that there should be an exact equality between them, and no one pretend to a superiority over another?' And yet it is certain matter of fact, that such an authority was exercised without any opposition; that such a power was challenged by bishops, and never resisted by pres

byters; and that, from the age next after the apostles, to the age next before ours, there never was above one presbyter* taken notice of in history, (and him we find branded as a heretick on this account,) as pretending to be equal to a bishop." Body of Divinity, p. 743. fol.

If the foregoing argument is just, and I believe it has never yet been answered, how can those, who have thrown aside the Episcopacy, answer it to their consciences or their God, that they continue, against light and knowledge, in a state of schism?

S.

To the Editor of the Gospel Advocate. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON

THE SAVAGE CHARACTER.

I was much interested in the obser vations of your correspondent, in the number of the Gospel Advocate for June, on the last days of James II. It is indeed delightful, as he observes, to find Christianity, even when debased with errours, shedding its benign influence upon such a mind. Illustrations like this, of the practical influence of our holy religion, seem to me to be eminently useful; and I have thought that it might not be unpleasing to your readers, after contemplating its effects upon the heart of a bigoted and cruel monarch of one of the most civilized nations of the earth, to turn to the wilds of America and see it there subduing beneath its mild and peaceful yoke, the lawless ferocity of the children of the forest. For this purpose, I send you the following extracts from a work lately published, entitled, "A Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren among the

*Aerius, a presbyter in Asia Minor, who first maintained that bishops were not superiour to presbyters, flourished in the lattar part of the fourth century. This idea was first acted upon by Calvin at Geneva, about the year 1536, and the presbyterian government established there in 1541.

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