Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-01-19


 last two hundred years is to be relied on, then we may rest assuredthat our translation in no material instance, fai,s to give the correct sense of the original, or in other words, that it is one oi the best versions ever made. expressing with clearness and beauty the spirit and sense of the inspired original." I defy the gentleman to present scholar of any note who has expressed himself thus, and for every one he presents, ten can be found who have expressed directly the opposlte-nor will he risk bis own scholarship to make this assertion good; for he wel.know.. when not writing for particular purpose, that our translation does fail to give correct sense of the inspired original in many material instan- ces, which is the pith of his flourish when strip- ed of its verbiage. He has attempted to make the impression upon the mind of the people of Arkansas, that the scholars of the past two hun dred years indorse his assertion, and has pub, lisbed some names whose scholarship cannot be doubted as having endorsed it, who if they could speak would tell him that it was an inn putation upon their scholarship He has made the learned Selden, who was one of the divines that aided in forming the Presbyterian confes- sion of faith. indorse him. Selden says when speaking of the English Bible, "whilst warm ly approve of the English version as a decided advance on previous popular versions; vet ob- ect both to its style, rather translation into English words than English phrase and that the renderings were too frequently inacurate"- When sitting in the Westminster assembly of divnes and any one would bring up passage of scripture to prove any assertion, he would re- flute them by telling them that it might be thus and thus in their gilt leaf Bibles, (meanng the common version;) but that the Greek and He- brew signited thus and thus.
 Al- 4l
 translated as the Bible for the purpose If translate French book into English turn 1t into English phrase, and not into French En- gsh-'ll fast froid. 1 say it is cold not it makes cold; but the Bible Is rather translated into En- glsh words than English phrase The Hebra- isms are kept and the phrase of that language is kept, which is we'll enough so long as scholars have to do with it; but when it comes among the common people, Lord, what gear do they make of it!' Bishop Louth the writer's next witness says, " as to style and language the com mon version admits of but little improvement; but in respect of the sense and the accuracy of Interpretation, the improvements of which it is capable are great and numberless," nothing he said would more etfectually conduce to this end than the exhibiting the Holy Scriptures them selves III more just and advantageous light by an accurate revisal of our vulgar translation." In his preliminary dissertation to Isaiah, he speaks oi a " new translation of the Holy Scrip lures as q necessary work"
 need not weary ihe patience of the reader with mentioning authorities who have testified even more strongly, but will mention the names of Blackwell, kennicott, Adam Clarke, John Wesley, George Campbell, Mcknight and bod ridge who are familiar to all, and of unques- tionabe learNing and shoIarship
 Ii all llnguists and scholars for two hundred years past have testified as the writer represents 1 would ask why has so many efforts been made both by societies and individuals during this period to revise the scriptures? Why are the public favored with almost weekly revisions from every pulpit in the land? Why the reli- gous tract society of England, composed of all evangelical denominations, published the Anno- tated Paragraph Bible? Why have three moves been made by the British Parliament to have the scriptures revised? These are facts which contradict most positively the assertion. The writer tells us that the most systematic opposi- ton to the present version, Is that which com- menced number of years ago by a portion of the Baptist church, in consequence of refusal on the part of the American Bible Society to furnish aid in translation in which the word 6aptazo was about to be rendered by word sig.
 
 the restriction of its constitution which con- fined it to the basis ofthe authorized English yer sion, etc, etc. Here the writer is equally un~ fortunate in stating facts. The American Bible Society had a law in its constitution setting forth that it would patronize any faithful version of the Holy Scriptures for fifteen years. It circu- lated Judson's Bible in the Burmese language in which baptizo was made to mean imnaease during that period.
 The American Bible Society then changed this law in which 1t was required that the yer sion to be used in future should be faithful, not to Gods inspired word, but that it should be faithful to King James version. The result of this change was the Baptist left them and formed another society; 1t was change in this law un- der which they had operated together for fifteen years, and not as the writer would have Us to believe that 1t was because the Baptist wanted to make baptizo mean to inlnaerse But why Is this matter referred to at all in this connection? It Is to make the impression uIon the mind of the people of Arkansas that the present move of the revision association is to m Ike Baptist or d seclarian Bible, which he well knew was not the iact-if he did not know it. he ought at least to have informed him elf before he at tempted to inform others. He well knew that every restraint had been thrown around that so- ciety which could be devised to prevent such a result. The society invited all to come and take an equal part-it has excluded none except those who exclude themselves The associa- ton invited the whole religious world to meet and consult together as to the best plan for se- curing the best possible version. Many of the different denominations of christians refused to meet with them; but large number did meet and agreed upon plan which in their judgment Wa ha hos to ble to the inspired original are now successfully revising under it, and challenge the opposition to either pick flaw in it or present better one. Although all of their guns both great and small have been directed against the asso- citation, 10, these six or seven years, vet the re. vision has gone on steadily, many who first op- posed 1t are now advocating it, and it stands be- fore the community as an almost impregnable fortress which comparatively few will venture to attack. To prejudice the mind of the peo- pie still farther, he tells that Dr. Maclay, the president, resigned and published d pamphlet against the association. Dr. Maclav did resign hot because he was opposed to revision or afraid the association would make sectarian Bible. A pamphlet has been published by the opposi- tion press over Dr. Maclay's sgnature-the | association wrote to Maclav to know if he was the author-he does not say so-they have tried every way to see the pamphlet, but as yet it can not be had. Dr. Jud, dismissed revisor has been charged with having writtenit and he does not deny it; verly the writer must feel that he is hard pressed when he has to resort to such means as he employs to defend his cause. We are forcibly struck with the similarity of the opposition now. and the opposition in the days Of Wickhf and Tyndal. When the argu- ments of those pioneers in revision could not be met fairly, they mSrepresented their intentions and resorted to every species of unfairness- even to the rack, the stake and the dungeon.-- As it was then, so it is now. Tyndas scholar ship was ridcued even by Sir Thomas Moore, when he could not meet his arguments; so the opposition tell us now there are no scholars like those old Cambridge and Oxford professors The revision association feeling the honesty of their purpose-laudablenes of their undertak- ing, and placing their trust in God, as Wicklifl and Tyndall did, ask no quarter and expect to give none, whilst they wish all they do to be tried ill the crucible of truth. The clergy then !