The Express.
London, England, 1856-12-05 00:00:00

REVISION OF THE BIBLE.

Loot night the tint of three lectures woo delivered
at Bt. Martin's Hall, by Mr. William Henry Black, late
Assistant Keeper of the Psblio Records, on the subject of
the revision of the authorised English version of the Hole
Scriptures; Dr. Lee In the chair. The portion of the sub-
ject which the present lecture treated of referred to the
history sad comparative merits of the authorised English
version of the Bible considered with a view to detainee*
whether It wee fully adapted to the requirement+ of the
present see. Alter refining to the importuner of the sob.
jot, and the prejudices which a certain noble lord
endeavoured to excite in the country with re.
suet et it, he inquired how it was that the pea-
sent Hagfish version got the tide of an nuthesisel
version. it:could have no other title nth celled "authorised"
than that which It deserved from its &innate merin, its
accuracy, its clearness, its beauty, sad its strength, as a
nein& He showed that with regard to ordinary works it
wee the preens% se it was desirable, to go back to the
WSW. Utile was es with regard to ordinary wcrke, bow
Ma awe asesesery nes it when the book of life was *el
MOON isf Mulattos. Pope trensiatod Homer in most
bosottfol brognsge, bat that did not p Cowper from
going boa to the original and producing a more simple and
• MOM emirate English version. The present authorind
yanks of the Bible took plus is the reign sod by the oh!
monde Jaws I. Is 1601 the Hampton Court Conference
=jiof the then existing translation of the
being bad and corrupt. Is 1407 a body
et =Ws et et Westminster, Osferd, and Cambridge to
revise the existing editi in., and in 1611 the work came out,
having bees Ent revised by Dr. Smith, Bishop of Glow
Naar The rules adopted by thus divines were proscribed
by the King. Thn work when it came out woe " appointed
to be reed in thatches," sod soon quite superseded the
Genevan Bible, which bad bus translated cud brought out
by the refugees is this country. This Bible of tomes I.
was for more Calvinistic than even the 0 version.
The lecturer honey quoted from the preface of the trans.
Lone of the Bible themselves, to pion that they showed
little regard to the views of dr sis who suggested
the tranalatios, and that they allowed themselves
• wide latitude, said that all that wild be
claimed for the present version was that it was
'retie!. In order to show that confidence cool I not be
plowed is the present Vi nine, be quoted the 16th verse of
the 34 chapter of the let Epistle of St. John." Hereby
pensive we the love of God in that he bath laid down his
hh for us." The words "of 04" were properly printed
In Italia by the trandaton, to show that the words were
not expressly given in the original, bat la several of the
editions published the In r le were printed in Rune letters,
se if they formed pert of the text. He voted several other
passages to show that the translators bad miseocceived the
meanies of the original, sad on some occasions perverted it.
They corrected the Bible is conformity with their tbeolege,
and did not fogad their theology on their Bible. At the
time when the received version wee undated then was as
anti-Vulgate feeling in the country—a feeling which des.
mated to our own times with some strength. But he
would undertake to affirm that those who disparaged the
Latin version of Jerome knew least about it. The most that
could he said of the present vet-ion was that it was en:salient
in a Mont, piglet of 'AM Neither the nsoeasary learning
nor the mtchisical moss for producing an taunts virgin
wore is existenos when the authorised version was produced.
At that time the Hebrew teat was supposed to be perfect,
even to the very w polite." bet that was now known to be
an error on their part. The Hebrew venioa was proved to
be incorrect in some particulan. Mr. Sleek then proceeded
to show that vast stores for the illustratlow, esplanatlon, sod
eves esersetion of the Bible had bees accumulated by
keened men and travellers since the present venire
was made; and asked whether it was right that
these means for a better mastodon should be
segiested. Is the sixteenth century the Greek text of the
Bible was actually in a far more impure state than any MIL
of the ancient classics except one. Both philological mad
oddest knowledge bad greatly Ise/eased doom the Ring's
Bible wee published, which night to be med. available he
the production'of a more accurate version. The present
mina was such that no men would den to swear to its
seaeracy or foithfelnese. It might be said that these were
tell ay ebjectioe.. MAO' objections! WI y, Bishop
Wataos denuded the Bible from the attack. of Tom Payne
es
the smallest verbal diatiachous. It was grease that Lord
Shaftesbury should be such a stickler for the accuracy of the
present version when his own infidel ancestor founded some
of kis mascots tiniest the Bible and the Christian cell•
✓tes on the theguage sad absurdities of the Bible—leagues
sad absurdities for which the freestones of the Bible sad net
Us original test wen responsible. (Cheer.) Mr. Black, la
andoeion, called on hi. hearers, is the name of religion end
=Polity, op preen on parliament the necessity of • publicly
notbod on editi of the Bible, and at dowa amidst lead
11114.181:0 tbooks wen *ea pealed ea the letterer.

FLU AT A STEAM SAW MlLL.—Yeaterday morn.
be batman the boars of twelve sad one o'clock a fire broke
sat is the Wody' ermicat of Mr. C. 8. Eptocer, stoma
saw mills, Northanbarlsod-allay. Feacharce strait, City.
The firs coatateated la the casino howls. The 61411411 mi
woe Dearly 70 teat long by about 20 feat wide, sad ter-
teeedel by the Blaakwall Railway warattaasta. The Aro
yes lammed by the polies as duty, who at ones &watched
nesopeo Ow the segisee, w►iah soca arrived sad set to
mesh bider the dinettes of M►. G. Foie. After great
eaeeYM tits fire was subdued, bet set astil the steam
mess. Woo herese, sad the whole of the emblem,
were deoloopoi, sal the &Wain premiers of Mr. J. F.
Wilda, 'Gera bed Horse Tama. seriously damaged.
Oros sokolown. Wand Is the Ptaielz. Mattel, sad
Miler lobeasee.