Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-12

thus introduced have tended very pow
erfuly TO shake the public faith In the
reliableness of the old version. II any
thing more were needed to uprOot the
public confidence, the ministers have
furnished Il abundantly from their pull
pits. The phrases: "This passage
would be better rendered by these
words or, "More correctly translated,
this passage would read" so and so,
have become stereotyped among pulpit
utterances. The commentators and the
preachers have destroyed the popular
faith in the value of the old version by
their constant attempts TO correct and
to mend il.
We recently attended parlor meet
ing of the American revisers, at the
house of Hon. William f. Dodge, in
this city, during which we became
aware of what seemed to us the ignor-
ance of these revisers touching the
| tremendous public interest that gathers
around the work they have done, and
are to do. II seemed to us that they
did not understand the feeling of the
public upon the matter at all; that they
did not appreciate the interest with
which the result of the work is regard
ed. nor the perfect confidence with
which that result is awaited. 1t is the
modesty that naturally attends true
/ scholarship, we presume, which leads
them to suppose that their work will
/ be severely criticised it will dis
| appoint many by its changes, and many
others by its few and trivial alterations.
And it may as well be stated just here
| that they are not to present the English
world with a new version. 1t is simply
| to be the old version revised, freed from
its errors, and possessing in every way
the advantages of all the study and dis
covery of the two hundred and seventy
years that have passed since 1610-the
date of the issue of king James BIZ
ble." The old form of language which
has itself become sacred to the eyes, ears
and hearts of Bible-loving people, is to
be preserved.
We say that it seemed to us that the
revisers at this meeting failed to appre-
ciate the popular confidence with which
the result of their work is awaited. We
believe, from the feeling everywhere
around us, that the result of this revis-
ion will be received with unquestiOn-
| stand that the revision will be
countries, selected and exercised upon
broad and catholic basis, and arriving
at result that is essentially unani-
nous. 1t is believed that these men
know all there is known upon the sub
ject which engages their attention.; and
the new revision will be received in
our opinion, without a question. In
deed, we doubt whether there is any
divine living, outside of this circle of
men, who can publicly undertake to
criticise their work without danger to
his own reputation. OF course there
will be great curiosity to see what kind
of work the revised version will make
of accepted doctrines and various
sects. We have no idea that
the essential facts and doctrines re-
corded in the book will be changed.
Indeed, we already have this assurance
from the revisers themselves. Love to
God and men will remain the begin
ming and end of religion, and obedience
to law will be the whole of morality.
The record of the life and death of
Christ will be changed in no essential
particular, and He will still remain,
what He has always been, the central
figure and the informing and inspiring
force of the religion called by His
name. The great, undeni-
able fact Bible-reading Christians, of
all names, are waiting for the new re-
vision with such interest that there is
not one of them between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans who will not pur-
chase one at the first opportunity is full
of grateful significance, alike honor
able to themselves and to the self-sac-
riicing workers who have sustained,
without money and without price, the
long and arduous task of preparing a
perfect Bible in the English language
DR.. j. g. Holland, IN Scrt6ner for
March.