The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-09
From The North American and United States Gazette.
TO THE BIBLE-READING PUBLIC.
4 Card for Public Spirited Editors to Copy


"Dr. Stockton's enterprise in publishing these
volumes at his own risk, to promote wider Bib
heal reading and study, deserves recognition,
and whatever of reward large circulation of
them may bring him." From an extented no
tce in the New York Independent, for October
2lst
4 PhiIad. Bible, Tract, and Periodical Office,
4 400 Chestnut ST., S. W. cor Of Broad.
The demand for the Bible,and especially for
the New Testament, is constantly increasing.
In our country, all sects, societies, and persons,
are alike at liberty to meet this demand, In
using this liberty, motives and objects may be
partisan or selfish, qualifications inadequate,
and modes of presenting the Divine Word liza
bic to the most serious objections. The danger
is imminent, involves the greatest interests, and
requires for their safety well-nstructed and per-
petual public vigilance.
Every day makes it more important that the
various editions Of the Scriptures which are of
fered for sale should be carefully examined.
Many Of them are mere mercenary speculations,
pulled into notice and pushed into circulation
by the same parties and with the same purpose
that the meaneSt and most vicious novels are
Some of them are not fit to be either sod
bought, or studied, being new and faulty trans
lations, or mutilated copies of our old version,
emitting all the marginal readings absolutely
essential to its integrity Specimens of such
may be seen at this office. They are kept not
for sale-for It'll deemed improper to sell them
but for comparison, to show persons unaware
of it the true state of the case. Every pur
chaser should be sure that he obtains trust
worthy edition. but he cannot be thus sure
without personal scrutiny. He will find book
sellers and editors at fault Even though he
an Of tho Rihla coOiatiao ha porc min
for himself, for tie most Of their issues are de-
tecti0e. This is true not only of their small
and cheap editions, but also of some of their
largest and handsomest. Under these circum-
stances, the subscriber calls attention, openly
and candidly to the following statement of
principles and facts.
/. The INSPIRED TEXT should be SdRctifed-
set apart and kept apart in its own proper
purity, without any human Interpolation, liter
airy, pictorial, or otherwise, to break its cohnec
ton and disturb its sense. Desirable aces
series may be appended to it, or in other ways
accompany it, but nothing should be allowed
to interrupt its consecutive even flow. There
is holy beauty in its separate simplicity.
2. The RECEIVED VERsIOY should be complete.
What is commonly styled King James's Transla-
ton, or the authorized version, is the received
standard of the whole English reading world
aud as such, though without authority here,
should be cherished with sacred honor, and
whenever prOfessedly exhibited, should be
shown truly and fully. 1t is grievous wrong
to omit, on the plea of economy, neatness of
page, or for any other reason, an essential
part of the specially when other mat
ter is retained, more massive and expensive,
and not part of the version at all.
3. The essential parts of tie Reccired Version
are these tlCO-the CONTINUOUS TEXT and the
MARGINAL READINGS. 1t is no more true to
call the Continuous Text, alone, the Version,
than it would be to call the Marginal Readings
alone the Version. The Version includes these
two parts-and nothing more. The " Dedica-
hon," :" TrdnSlatOr'S Address" Head Lines"
DC, are no more parts Of the Version than the
imprint on the Titlepage.
4. For a number of years, the subscriber has
devoted much of his time, with great expense
of money, toll, and care, to the preparation of
the English New Testament in the best forms
for common USE
5. He has on sale the most Pure, Complete,
READABLE, CONVENIENT, and BEAUTIFUL. copies
of the New Testament extant in our language
and is ready to meet any demand for them from
the Public or the Trade.
8. In all his editions, the foregoing principles
are duly respected; the Inspired Text is sane
titled, or set apart from all human interpola-
tiOns; the Received Version as complete and
the Marginal Readings are given as carefully
as the Continuous Text. These Readings
number EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY; about
seven hundred and fifty of which are from the
original edition of 1911, and the others more
recent literal renderings of Greek terms, ex-
plantations of measures, coins, &c. To show
their Importance, two or three examples are
added Romans, XIV: l." Him that is
weak in the faith receive We, but NOT TO DOUBT
Full DESTINATIONS" In the margin, the last
clause reads /" Nor TO JUDGE HIS DOUBTFUL
THOUGHTS ;" which is a much more consistent
rendering than the other, manifestly designed,
as the context requires, to guard against i'm
positions on private Judgment. Again-Titus,
IL: IL" The grace of God that bringeth sal
walton HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN" Here the
margin reads" that bringeth salvation to all
men, HATH APPEARED" which is far more cor
rect statement Of the fact. Once more-He-
brews, ": s." Ii JESUS had given them
rest then would He not afterward have spoken
of another day" Here the marginal rendering
is" If JOSHUA had given them rest 4" which at
once relieves the perplexity of the ordinary
reader. So in other cases. In eight ont of ten
according to DR.. CLARKE, the marginal reading
is the preferable one. The cheaper and more
popular the Edition, the more important it is
W pitSCINb AulS part Vi Iho tISiOu OcDOidrS
might derive the true meaning from the original;
but the people generally are dependent for it on
these marginal representations. Let no copy,
large or small, coarse or fine, cheap or costly,
be bought without them. So tbs production of
the mutiated editions will be stopped.
Z. The TEXT of the Testaments issued from
this Office, (all printed from the same stereotype
plates, l8mo, long primer type, leaded,) is in
PARAGRAPH FORM, according to BENGEL and
BISHOP LLOYD, as found in +" BAGsTERs Crit
cal Neuc Testament Greek and English" The
divisions of CHAPTERS and VERSES are indicated
by figures at the side Of the page-thus leaving
the text unbroken. The advantages of the re-
Gently revised and standard copy of the Amer-
can Bible Society are secured, also while all
difficulty about head lines, &c, is avoided by
emitting these altogether. Instead of head
lines, regular INDEXES to all the books, chiefly
compiled from Townsend, accompany them;
either appended to them, or put in separate
volume, as preferred. They are much more
analytical and complete than the ordinary ia
bles of contents and, in separate volume,
can be used much more conveniently than by
turning to and fro, as when appended This,
however, is matter of taste and choice.
8. The care which has been taken to make
the continuous text of these editions correct,
besides giving the marginal readings, NAV be
illustrated by the following instance. In or
binary copies, even the best MATTHEW, XIII,
"a, reads thus !" Ye blind guides, which strain
at gnat, and swallow camel" This is gen
orally regarded as a fault of our received YER
SION. In recent review of Sawyer's New
Translation, published in Journal of this city,
it is said: There is one clear case we shall ad,
duce IN which our cersiOn IS undoubtedly ,cronq,
and MIR. Sawyer's New Testament is right. We
oil Ind 10 Mofth " o. frxvt .
gnat, and swallow camel SAWYER has it
right Strain out a gnat, and swallow down q