The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-06-20
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Rsv. M. sWOps % ths Revised New Tee

The pastor Of St Mathews church
preached yesterday morning an interest.
ing discourse on the revised New Tesla
msnt. He took for his text the 9th yeIas
Of the 9th chapter of Nehemiah, Is fol-
lows:
40 thsy read in the book Of the As Of God dl-
unetly, and gave the sense and caused them 70
undertlnd the reading"
The reverend gentleman said: The Re
vLssd New Testament is the result of .
movement originating in the c~onvocation
OF Canterbury, in May 1870. Acommittse
was appointed TO revise that venerated
Book, known as the authorised versioA oil
the Holy Scriptures, and In order TO
secure for this the best learning Of the
English speaking voice, they were author
lied to associate with themselves repre-
sentative christian scholars from the dit.
ierent religious bodies using the King
James version.
As finally constituted the committee
was composed OF eighty-two members. At
the outset they adopted q code OF rules or
principles OF r%evision. They were to In.
tToduCe as few alterations a. possible into
the text Of the authorised revision. They
we're to limit % far 90 practicable the ex'
preston OF such alterations 10 the Ian
gusge OF the authorised yersioni no
changes were TO be retained unless en-
dorsed by atwo.thirds vote Of the entire
committee. The work was subjected to q
seven fIld revision so that we may safely
accept the result as being As faithful and
thorough as II 10 possible for human care
n-I Lrnu,laIUn ~ ~uka u In tho Ian,
gusge Of the Bishop OF Gloucester and
Bristol, chairman Of the English commit
lee, "Ifs pages bear the results Of loRG
continued and Rrduous lAbora, but these
labors would have been as nothing, Il
they had not been hallowed and quicken
ed by prayer"
The reasons which made Biblical stu
dents deem q revision necessary were first
the important changes which have taken
place in the English language in the
course Of the last two hundred years, and
secondly, the wonderful growth biblica
learning within the last Two centuries,
Language 10 q growth; Ito changes may
be more or less rapid, but they take place
at ali times and In all countries, The art
OF printing and the wide diffusion o.
Bibles, prayer, books and newspapers have
acted % powerful barriers to the constant
fluctuations Of human speech, but they
have only been able to check and not tc
stop 1t. In Boxers Scripture and
Prayer.Book Glossary" the whole number
OF words tina. have become obsolete since
1911 amounts 10 3S8, or nearly l.l5 par
OF the whole number OF words used In thu
Bible.
OF late years large numbers OF Mss. o.
the Bible have been colleC' cd, and theiI
ages and the rules for estimating theil
comparative value are fixed with grea'
precision. This improved text Is found Il
differ in many particulars from thosi
made use OF by the translators appointed
by King James In 1904, the variations be
ing fixed by some o. no leBs than 100, 900
, These, however, are mostly errors o.
spelling, or substitution Of n synony
NOUS expression for another. No Chris
tiau doctrine or duty 10 periled BY thest
portions OF tho text, which are effected bI
differences In Mes hence 1t was mol
deemed necessary to make q new transla
ton, but to reviEe the old one.
And next note what the Committee o
Revision have accomplished. The frs
thing VIZ remark is the change In the ar
, rangemeut OF the text by the omission o
the system OF chapter and verses. This II
q great improvement for the divisions o.
tho authorized version greatly impaired
the dignity and significance Of the sacred
volume.
Among omissions we note the doxology
10 the Lords Prayer, which will not startlt
ChurChmen who have been accustomed tC
the short form in the church catechisn
and the minor Offices.
The account OF the woman taken In
adultery contained In the eighth chapter,
seventh section, Johns Gospel, is sepa'
rated from the text. This 10 Q difficult
passage to explain aud its omission causes
US no regret. Its tenor 10 contrary 10 the
spirit Of christianity, and II we accept II ID
genuine, We can only escape the conOlu'
sion that Christ sanctioned q Sin Of the
most poluLing kind by the assumption
that he declined any jurisdiction in the
matter.
The alteration in the wording OF the
thirteenth chapter, ninth verse, First CO.
rinthians, is q marked improvement. In
modern times charity has become chiefly
associated with aims giving and benevo'
lent institutions, but lovo IL o larger aud
more divine thing, embracing charity as q
department.
The new reading Of the 2S b verse Of the
26th chapter Of the Acts will spoil the
point OF some good sermons which have
been preached upon "being almost per.
shaded"
The new reading OF the closing portion
Of the Lords prayer, "Dsliver Us from the
evil one" is dramatically correct, but
"evil" alone commends itself as more
simple and emphatic, and more required
by the opposition to temptation.
Some OF the happiest changes are OF
single words, aud It does not require any
very careful reading to discover that many
changes have been made which do not al.
ter the spi i. Of the text In any particular,
and yet add to II olearneRs, force and aCcu.
racy. Ia almost every change the revisers
have lessened the strain upon faith.
These are a few Of the results reached
by the Revision Committee. They will
serve to convey a general idea OF what has
been accomplished.
Let me advise you not 10 be hasty In
making up your minds concerning lie In.
trinsiC merits; there Ia too much OF q dis.
position manifested to bless or curse II on
sight. Only by paiDstaking examination
can one be fitted to pronounce upon lie
comparative merits, and form an opinion
as to how far 1t Is likely to supersede The
version which Is now in common use.
The presidents Of C%hristendom have not
been In favor Of giving translations OF the
Bible an early sanction by synodic action.
When 81. Jerome set himself to the work
OF making q new translation, the under.
taking was opposed by the great men Of
the day; he carried his work 10 compile.
ton, however, yet II did not obtain con.
Ciliar authority until lie superior merit
commanded the confidence Of the public
and Of the church.
The case Of the King James version was
similar. II has never, 90 a whole, received
the authority Of a synodiCal sanction, but
by the end Of the fifst half century after
its publication Il was In general Use In