, 1881-04-24

wititstaluiing WHICH certain OF our members
were requested to share in the work rs llldi-
y.lual persons anil not us the representatives
OF any ecclesiastical body. and did so. Since
then it seems to me that there lave been
doubts in many minds rs to the wisdom OF
our Convention 1T refusing To have anything
to do will. The revision. but having taken one
cou,sc it has been held TO be sis'sliietl to
stick to it. Some years ago, i'll 1871. tue
learned and able Bishop OF Maryland. no"
<tat,-Bislop Wi,itt,ngham,- offered Il reso--
l:itiuu in tile Convention reco gnlzlllE tAe HoTk
oi reyserS lis follows:
WHEREAS, Tie Couyocaton OF the Province
of Canterbury. in England, during several Years
last pu51 hath been employing divers Ut IT'S
members ard others Of sufficient eariiing IN the
labor of II thorourll rer!s:on ot me hsiInoFl.eu ~
version III the Ul,! and New Testament ot tno
Holy lsit,le with view To the establishment ot
!, c,irrcct text OF the same for USE III rnDHc
worship and otherwise. which REVISION. ntter
now commonly reported 10 be drawing to n csid
in the publication Of I'LL edition of the H!blo So
WI,ElsEAs, 1t is greatly to be desired both that
whatever advantage mny thus accrue 10 rue
Church ur Enslanu, should the revised tSNt ne
Church iu the United States of Anlerlcu. th1lt
tho CHURCHES should not for my needless length
sf lisc he II, disM,ru:;c'nent concerning the
recognition OF II standard English text;
I.cs,'ttti. That it is cxpccnt that Il Joint COM
ut;cr br appointed bv .hls Convention to take
cugnizancc OF any publication that 1nay "
made under proper authorization OF tue reVascd
text; that such committee CONSIST o1 - !neul-
t,.rs, whose duty 1t shall he, wit1'n SIX nonths
after the publication Of such revised tex, TO re re-
port whether the same ought TO be accepted ana
adopted by this Church.
t'rtIis resolution was sIn0tllereu. Even
so late us last year resolutions were proposed
and adopted which were not Ill harmony
with tile opinion Ut the most enlightened
tIf filk4 ii
however, l am happy to say that there has
been Il tnrll in the tide; the high character
al the l1len engaged in the work a'id the
knowledge that the revised version Is all ac-
cuu,t,lis:lcd fart which lnllst sooner or later
be brought before tile Convention have coll
tr;.utett to this change and made our former
indifference Is Il Church widely regretted.
| know that the new version Is aliNlntsly
awaited and will receive careful c"1isluefa.
tion from all our leading men. No body Ut
men could nave done the work i'll Il more
conservative ami revercntial manner: con
stTyativc, lleail. so Tar Us conservatism Is
consistent with entire honesty. 1t ma: be
that the new Bible will have To pass through
Il perirl of rrobation,-itS advantages will be
tested but in the end :,1i contistenl from
what know Of it that II will make lis way.
The o;,Iusitiun 10 it is not deep. there Is Il
goust deal Ut bubblng, but il will not be for
long.
As to the need of revision, ca1lnot see
how any fair-l,iiuttesl person ca.l deny It. KS
a clergyman lind constant cause tur COM
plailt. There are certain passages Wlilch L
am obliged to resld which am cnn'll!ceu are
founded upon nu better authority than the
a1lnotatlon of Suine ignorant monk For III
stance, on Trinity Sunday am required to
read from tile First Episttc Of John, y, I. :,
For there are three 1ll:,t hear lrtco.u III
l,cayen,-the Flther, the Word, tile holy
t:l,ost: and thcsr three are one, and there are
three that bear) witness i'll earth. the spirit
and the water and the blood, and these three
are one The words that have put between
brackets are conceded TO be lllterpOiateu.
script Of an earlier date than
the eleventh century, and are wanting II! all
the famous codiccs, the CotleN Sinaiticus.
AIexandrinus, etc. Trlnitarians are fond Of
:,L.lucing this text as one OF tie bnl"arks ot
the doctrine, but, although Il Trinitaran my
self, catl,ut accept sueh support, re:ssl
the chapter 10 my people as It stands, but |
take good care to tell them. awkward though
it is to have. t. do So, that the backbone OF
this important passage is spurious. It may
but the probability is that sntle commentator
added these words in the margin and tho
next cppyist interpolatrd them, perhaps
through iSnorarce, perslaps through! i de-
Aside from such dishonest attempts to
color certain passages. the mistakes Ut the
English trallslators are 4 constant source nf
annoyance to enlightened readers AMI mys-
titication 10 others. LII Acts VIII, -. (which
also our fathers that calne after, brought III
with Jesus into the possession Of the Ge1.-
tiles, whom tod drove out before the face of
n,.r fathers. unto tie days Of David The
Jesus In this verse is evidently intended
for Josll llua. Again, in Hebrews ~; ;: ting
same mistake occurs; The verse should read,
: Fur If Joshua had given them resi- etc.
1.-The instances III which the translators
erred III ,ranslating ;tre too many to
count. Some pr"pl. object to touch
the ground that Change means deteri"ra-
tior,-tliat i'll these degenerate days we call
not improve upon the work of three CEN
tirics ago. Tu such lis these know ot no
better argument than to give t.le.M one of the
early English versions uf the Bible, telling
them that the present authorized version was
by ;lo mea;ls tile ,irst. ami that they would TO
well tn discard it and ~ back to the original
Here arc sol1le Ut the early EnEis, versions:
Let us take one verse, say LUXE H., ), etc.,
FROM Wicllt'S translation Of lje0:
..And Shepherds wcrc1 in tho same cuntre,
wakyure. aud kcIi1go the w;tci,is of the nyGt
TN her fnk and 10 tho ..lltiIc1 OF the lord stonh
bi5islis him: aud the clcerncss: Of :E'd schyned
aluu;c ncln urd rhci dreddcn with greet rede
aud the allugei seihc To hem. nye yt irede, tor
IL preche 10 you Il greet ioc. that schai be 10
that is crist, the lord in the ctee Of tAuth. and
this is token to you &c schuln tyntle y1inSe
child wlappni in cloths: and cldc IL, cracchc
L. sut!eyn!i there WAS made With the annEel Il
multitude OF heyen'i kryEthod; herjynge god Il
seiyng., ;loric he in lie higlsr thn=is to god;
and IN crth PEGS be to men vi good willie
| "Tyndale's version ut the same passage
| reads i'll Ills edition Of l5i us follows.
"+And there were in the same region shep-
| herds abydingc in the felde u Watching their
tiucke BY night. And lou: the an@cll of the
luric s,ode hurde by them and tho brlghtncs of
the i,rdc stone roandc about the;n, aud they
| were soorc afrayed. Du1 the ANGEL said rnto
| them: BE not afrayed for bchoide bringe YOU
tydiuges Of crate joye thnt shall come t" all the
| people. :. And s1rcightwuye ,hcr was with
t the :ttlsell Il multitude OF hcvcuicy sowdicrs,
| latldinse God, ETC.
'9Crarmcr's text of 1850 is nearly similar.
| The Geneva text Of 1911 reads us follows:
'-An nd TO- the angel Of the Lord soslcn1y came
| vpon them and the rloric of tho l.ordt shone
| round about them. :. Glorie be to god IL,
| the nye heavens & peace in eart: & tow;rlc5
lnen good wyl. And it fortunch rs some rs the
angels sscrt! ;ronc away from them into heaven
| tie shepherd s:yd,' etc.
/ THE Rheims text Of 1851 rtlns as follows:
| And there were III the same countrie shcp-
| hearus watching ant keeping the night
!; watch over their ilUcke.'
| Lastly, llle authorized version Of 1G]l is
| as follows: And there were i'll the s:iIle
country shepherds abiding in the field, keep-
ing watch over their locke by night and loc,
| 1l,cunacl uf the Lord cali!e upon thenl. etc.