Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-09-16

REVISION...THR RIGHT PRINCIPLE,

Extract trOm Letter Of the Rer. Il. w. Leland
d. d., late Moderator of The Old SchooI Gene:
! raj Assembly Of the Presbyterian Church.
! The New York Observer recently introduced
to its ,eaders letter Of Rev. A. W. Leland, ID.
D.. addressed under date I" General Assembly,
Lexington, Ky, May 80, 1885," to Rev. Gardner
Spring, DID,, Chairman of The Committee Of,
Revision of the American Bible Society," and
endorses his character and standing, and lis
opinion of the views Of the General Assembly
upon that Committees work in the following
language:
From the New York Observer, June 18, 1851
"We have much pleasure in publishing the
letter Of the Rev. Dr. Leland. He is Yencra-
; ble clergyman, now of South Carolina once of
Massachusetts; hei is Professor in the Theolog!.
ica Seminary, and has been Moderator of the
General Assembly. What be says Of the views
of the Assembly on the Bible Socicty:s work,
We believe to be correct, and we think that the
; religious community ought to lie put in posses
sion of this aspect OF the case"
We copy that part of the letter which most
particularly relates TO the subject of revision,
and call special attention to the paragraph which
we have put in small capitals, the passage which
most nearly expresses the views of the Bible
Union: !
cit would be very small matter that l.
should express my individual opinions as to the
revised edition of the Bible, which your Com
mittee have so ably and laboriously prepared,
and given as priceless treasure to the Church
iand to the world. But believing that these
opinions are substantially those of the Assembly
generally, and of a vast majority of our minii-
ter, and members throughout our connection, I
consider them worthy of some regard.
"The work of your Committee of Revision I
esteem most excellent and praiseworthy SER
vice, in promoting accurate Biblical knowledge.
The principles by which you have been gov
erned, and the changes you have made, meet
my cordial appreciation.
"Personally, have long been anxious for
just such revision of the Scriptures as your
Committee have made. For many years it has;
been my habit, in pulpit reading and in Semina-
ry instruction, to make in many instances the
very same changes that have been made by your
Committee. When first heard of your re-
vised edition, rejoiced in it as ful8lment of
my ardent wishes. And, Notwithstanding all
that has been urged as to the danger Of trust
ing voluntary association, and as to the inn
portance of limiting your Society to the simple
work Of printing and selling Bibles; and as to
Tue necessity OI restraining you iTOlu aclOR as
editors of the sacred volume, it is my settled
conviction, that this important work of emends-
tion and judicious change could hardly be COM
mitted to safer or abler han!s. 49,
"Tae only regret which fell in examining
your phamphlet, explaining your alterations, arose
from full conriction that you had not gone mutR
farther, and made many more corrections phich
are really required. IT IS MY SETTLED BELIEF
THAT THE TIME IS NOT DISTANT WHEN, IN ALL
CLASSES WHERE THE INSPIRED ORIGINAL IS
TRANSLATED INTO OUR LANGUAGE BY WORDS
WHICH ARE WHOLLY OBSOLETE, OR WHICH CON-
vEY A FALSE MEANING, OR NO MEANING AT ALL,
1T MAY BE ESTEEMED LAWFUL AND PROPER so
TO CHANGE OUR COMMON VERSION, AS TocoNvEY
THE PLAIN, rNauEsTIoNADLE MEANING OF THE
ORIGINAL.
sold as am, hope to live to see the day
when such words and phrases as Go TO- no,e'
in no oise,' 'God torbid.' 81 do you to ,0i,,'
'troo,' and many similar, will not be found in
good copies of the Holy Scriptures. also wish
may see the time when false renderings, which
now favor ullsound doctrines, may be corrected.
I aluie to such phrases as these: Then were
all dead; If they shall fall aray;' and the
translation Of the Greek word kai, in several
instances, by and, when the sense requires sren.
| In very many similar instances, am entirely
convinced that your Committee might have ex-
tended the sphere Of their labors with manifest
advantage to the cause which they seek to pro-
mote"