Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-05-04
V'I1 TT ' '4T1'''F7' UO IJOIIIVN The English Bible.

MR. EDIToR-ln further corroboration of the | superior excellence of our common version. shall quote an extract from letter of Dr. Cum- ming, dated August 18th, 1856 to the London | Times. Dr. (. Is well known as one of the most earned dlvines and popular writers of the Free Church of Scotland
 Speaking of "Bible Revison,' he says. some parties holding peculiar doctylnal vie,os are very anxious to see the project carried out. Much very plausible evidence of the necessity ot It Is adduced. It may not be useless or un- reasonable Tn such circumstances, to adduce few facts not unlikely to make rciIecting minds more satisfied with what we have, and less likely to urge, or acquiesce in the necessity of what venture to call a very radical and questionable change.
 lt appears to me very improbable that so learned, impartial and iudcious Loiv of trans laiors as the authors of the version of 1911 can be brought together in the nineteenth ecu turv. TheIr names are dear to every scholar. Lqnce2ot Aairews. Bishop of Winchester intimately acquainted with fifteen languages; OUeyoN, Dean of s.! Paul's, whose scholarship alone raised him to eminence A{,iaa Se,nria. 2 first rate iinguiot; Richard Clarke, celebrated for his profound acquaintance with Hebrew, Greek and Latin; Be}reH, the very fist Arabic and orenta. scholar 4 his day, to whom Light foot acknowledges the deepest obligation; Iipe- v, Re1lus Professor of Hebrew at Cambrid e. | pronounced by competent judge to be the | very chlelfSt Of those who were the flower of 1 the University, for knowledge of tongues: Dr. 1 RdynoSds, described in Woods Athenm OEon as prodlSiousiy read in all kinds of learning, and most excellent in tongues; hiijH renowned for his Hebrew and Rabnical learning: Niles ! Sm5th, who, says Wood, was so conyersant ani expert in Chadac, Syrac, and Arabic, that i he male them almost as familiar as his native tongue; Brett, Rector of Quainton, was. accord l Ing to the same competent judge famous for learning as well as pety and versed in the La tin, Greek, Hebrew, Chadee, Arabic and Etho- pie tongues; Werd, the learned friend of Usher and Bois, reputed to be the first Greek scholar in Europe"
 These are few specimens of the profoundly learned, judjcious and pious men who executed the translation of 1911.
 Let me now adduce several impartial testi- monies to it's excellence, its accuracy anl faith iulness." Here follows the names of Sslden. Lowth. Midd Teton, Whitaker, Dr. Adam Clarke, Geddes, etc, whom have already quoted
 Pocork, the highest authority in oriental liter ature, describes our version as being so agreea- ble to the original, that we might well choose among others to follow it were it not our own"
 Bishop Horsety observes" T heir adherence to the Hebrew idiom is supposed, at once. to have enriched and adorned our language"
 Dr. Cummings closes by saying, "Should you have space and 1 time, I may venture to add Tn another paper a few comparative proofs of the vast superiority of our common version to the trim new iangIed version now issuing | from the American press the miserable so- named mproved' version of the Unitarian body and he heavy and distorted production of the learned men of Douai and Rheims."- John Cumn,ing.
 Now, does It not seem incredible, that, in the l iace ol testimony the most overwhelming, the men engaged m the new version should persist m mann aiming that the Hebrew language was not understood at the time our translation was made? Thus, in the "Bible Union Reporter" Qor Nov. 1st, 1855, page 8lh) the organ of lhe Bible Revision Association these words oc- cur. :" Ihe Hebrew htnguage 'oas imperJectly hao,on ond but hhie attention pad to its st,u{y at tfe time tue tGnslotion ,0as nude" !!!
 Comment on such assertions would be waste of words The truth is, while every scholar knows that ttat was the age of studious retire. ment, of massive understandings, and of the protoundeSt acquisitions in the Knowledge of ancient languages, ours is too fast and too frvo- lous an age to enter deeply into the studies which occupied the entire lives of these giants of former days. The period of study in our best institutions Is short compared with theirs. Many studies occupy the tme few of which are mastered; and, in languages, most young men are happy, if, after graduating, they can correctly translate their Latin diplomas This IS not the age of profound linguists and, after al that IS said about Criticisms, unon the sa cred text, they will avail but little in trans latlon. Many discoveries have been made we admit in regard to the geography of the Holy Land since the translation was made. Cbamn. oleon has deciphered the herogy yphics of Egypt and found testimony to corroborate the inspired writings. Ledyard has exhumed monuments of remote antiquity from the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon. ard caused them to rise up from their slumber of an hundred ages and say that the Bible is true Now these things will oreat-
 y aid conapontators upon tue scriptures. Blu, con their discoveries Je put into the tertP The Jews and Christians, from the earliest times preserved with the utmost scrutiny and care the integrity of the sacred text. So that mere ousiie criticism can affect 1t in no material cir cumstance.
 Whether Dr. Cumming ever proceeded te show the vast superiority of our common yer siol'' to what ne calls the trim, new-fangleo version pow issuing from the American press. , l cannot say, bur it seems to me, from an exam nation of small portion of it, that the mo