The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-10-30
Tho proposed nIble revision.

Editors lntelllScnecT'
The enclosed clip is from the Catholic
Rriar. It's not a bad itcmfor your next
religious drift" column. It is as follows:
"By the time that the Committee which
Is ut work ut Westminster revising the
Biblc, complete their work, 1t is probable
that there will not be very much oft left.
4 letter from London says:
Among the changes that will be most notice.
able In tho revised Bible are the omission OF
the story Of Christ and the woman taken in
adultery John viii l-lll, the clause about
the angel troubling the pool (John v: the
last twelve verses OF Marks Gospel, and tic
verse about the three that bear witness IN
heaven" Il, JOINTLY
OF course these men have no more auth
oritv for thus mutilGting and emasculating
the written word Of God, than Sitting Bull
has TO amend the Constitution OF the
United States The Holy Ghost has Him
self pronounced terrible warning against
such tampering with one OF the books OF
the Bible, and they are equally sacred: III
any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plaques that are
written in this book; and il any man shall
take away from tho words OF the book OF
this prophecy, God shall take away his
part out OF the book OF life and out OF the
HOLY CITY," When the revisers come
TO the last chapter OF the Apo.
calypso, they will surely strike out
this passage. 1t will be noticed the
expurgations mentioned in the paragraph
from tho London letter arc OF great i'm.
portancc. Ono OF the passages not only
teaches n most beautiful lesson OF the ne
ccssity OF charity, but shows our Lord In
the attitude OF forgiying sin; the clause
about the angel coming down and troub'
ling the pool OF Bethesda, clearly teaches
the doctrine Of the agency OF angels In the
affairs OF the world-a doctrine that Prot
estants are afraid OF; the last twelve verses
ofSt. Marks Gospel are enough OF them
selves to substantiate the Catholic dogmas
ofthc eloriied humanity Of our Lord; OF
the divine commission which lie gave the
tccicsia dozens; OF miracles wrought by
saints and apostles; and OF the Ascension
against which truths the spirit OF Prot-
Cstantism more or less revolts.
Ever since Professionalism was born 1t
professed to plant Its feet upon this book,
and to declare that 1t was iniallible, and
that 1t alone was necessary for salvation:
Time and again they tore passages and
whole books from it: but since King
james version was made 1t has not been
much disturbed. Now it is again to be
cxpurgated, and all that the next genera
ton OF Protcstants arc to have OF 1t will be
what these sclfappointed rcviscrs choose
10 leave OF it. Nothing could more rudely
shock the pious Protestant heart than this.
It Is 10 be hoped that the shock will open
the ewes OF all pious Protcstants who are
living in good faith to the fact that God
did not plant His Church upon a book-but
upon the rock of Peter.
We publish the above because one of our
Catholic readers has put himself to tho
trouble Of sending it to us, and because OF
its general interest to many OF our readers.
Intrinsically there is nothing in it what
ever The argument used is, in political
parlancc, the crack Of the whip. 1t as
sumes everything and proves nothing. IT
is the argument OF terrorism. Boiled down
it means that the text OF Holy Writ, as
settled and accepted by the Catholic
Church, is, like tho Ark Of the Covenant,
something that tho hand Of man may not
touch and live, even though 1t be put forth
to save the text from Interpolation and
adultcration. 1t is an attempt to impose
upon men an assumption OF long standing
in the Catholic Church, viz: that the
selection Of tho canon OF the New Testa-
ment under its auspices in the carly centu-
rics was an inlallible act, and any attempt
to verify the text OF tho different manu-
scripts composing tho canon is simply an
act OF sacrilege.
Tho anathcmas otthe Catholic Church
have always been hurled at those who
dared to overhaul these sacred writings,
and this, too, notwithstanding tho fact
that the early Fathers were all at sea
among themselves rs to what should be
canonical. Tho editor of the Rcritv is
only cracking the same old whir that has
been cracked over tho heads OF men for
ayes. He should have learned as a stu.
dent Of history that aided by tho light OF
advancing time men treat these attempts
at coercion with contempt. The greatest
pathological scholars OF modern times have
been and are now examining critically
the texts Of the sacred canon, and they
find many errors. They have asccrtained
that iorgerics have crcpt into the text, and
as compared with those who manipulated
and selected these texts the men Of to-day
are immensely superior in every requisite
for impartial Investigation and criticism.