New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-02-10

the same freedom from the possibility oil error ior-
merly claimed for the Hebrew transcrbers, and that
even in still higher degree; and this, too, without
the risk Of exposing themselves and ther pro'eges
to any such refutat and detection as happened In
the case of the Hebrew scribes and the believers In
| their infallible Transcription.
| 1t has hitherto been generally supposed that the
| American Bible Society was firm and STEADY 40
berent of the version Of James l., and that 1t dec-
dedly repudiated the dea which both In this coun-
| try and in England has of late taken 80 strong 8
| hold on the public mind, of any Improvements to
| be made upon or needed BY that version This,
| however il now turns out, is quite mistake
| The American Bible Society would seem to be as
strongly impressed with the manifold defects and
Deficiencies in the version of King James's transA'
| tors q, any, even those members of the Society
most Jealous for getting up new version The only
difference appears to be this that while the zeaots
for new translation are for calling in the aid Of
scholars, and for putting to use the great advances
which have been made in two centuries past IN the
critical knowledge Of the Hebrew and the Greek,
the Bible Society, with pious confidence and de-
truly refreshing. prefer TO leave the amendment of
the version not to scholars and to human learniDo
but to ignorance and arrogance, mysteriously EN-
poyed as the instrument of Divine Providence to
this end.
The idea of the American Bible Society seems to
be tbis-not that the y peseters, proofreaders and
editors in times past of the English version have
been infallibly prevented by special divine over
sight from making any changes in or additions to
the text az was assumed in the case of the Hebrew
scribes but that whatever changes they have 80
made, and whatever additions TO the text they may
have introduced by way of "headings and cen
tents Of chapters, have been diyinely oyerruled
for the improvement of the version, and that any
other attempts to improve it, even the going back
to the version as it came originally from the hands
of the translators. and even though undertaken BY
on authorized committee Of their own body, is no
better than an infdel flying in the face OF this
divine and mysterious method of gradually per-
fecting the English version through the blunders
of type the oversghts OF proofreaders, and
the dopmatism of obscure and unknown editors.
This adoption by the Bible Society of these new
views has lately been signalized i'll public and
most marked manner. Some time since, before the
Society had attained to the marvellous discovery
of this supernatural providential arrangement for
perfecting the English version in this blindfod
way, they had, it seems, being yet in the bond of
ignorance, authorized or allowed their Committee
on Versions to get up revised edition OF the En-
glish Bible. This Committee, in the spirit of mere
csrnal scholars, and quite destitute of that plous
enlightenment which has since flowed i'll upon
the Society, proceeded, it would appear, to treat
the changes which in the course of time had crept
into the text az No better than accidents or plumbers
or unauthorized assumptions. They therefore
ignorantly and presumptuously, as the Society has
since decided undertook to rectfy, as they supposed,
but, as the Society now pronOunces to corrupt the
text BY throwing out the changes thus introduced,
especially by leaving out the headings aud contents
of chapters" first because they formed no part of
the original version had constant acceptance and
support in the various editions of it either in En-
gland or this country, and had only been introduced
into the Bibles printed by the Society so late as
1870: secondly, because these headings abounded
in obsolete terms and phrases not found in the YER
sion itself; thirdly, because they were occa'
sionally in direct conflict with the text on mattcrs
offact; and fourthly because they in con-
fct with the first article of the Constitution OF the
Society which requires il to publish the Scriptures
without note or comment; whereas these
"headmgs" and "contents of chapters do, IN fact
constitute a perpetual running commentary on
the Bible from beginning to end, giving to it dog
;ntar tatio xrhic tOaa
not say so, but We venture TO say it tor them-Is,
on sundry occasions more cOnformable to certain
seotarian confessions of faith than to the apparent
sense of the Scripture itself.
The Society, however, have stepped forward TO
the rescue, and have ordered all this retrograde
work TO BE- undone. III accordance, as il would SEEM
with theory which we have above attempted to
develop of the gradual improvement of the English
version BY the unconscious but yet unerring
bunders of type-setters, sleepy prOof-readers
and dogmatical editors, rather Jealous for their
special church creeds than particularly regard
full of the plain sense of Scripture, they have
ordered all these pretended mproyementsto be cast
aside, and that future editions issued by the So
cety shsll be made 10 conform TO the editions
printed anterior to the late revision. There can be
little doubt We think that in this process some new
innovations may creep into the text, but that will
only be further or new operation of the system in
which the Society seems TO believe, for the gradual
improvement of our English version.
This remarkable scheme, however, for avoiding
all clashes of opinion or any necessity for resort
ing 10 scholarship, critical judgment, or to human
industry and accuracy in any shape for the gradual
perfection Of our English version, does not meet
with unanimous reception. The Committee on