The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-17
PROF. srEARNs' ESSAY.

are the churches, ministers and private Chris
tians to do with this important matter placed
in their hands. Some think that this Testa-
ment, coming from, tho noted scholars who
have revised it, should be accepted in place OF
the old Bible. This cannot be. The King
James version has stood the estiof nearly
three centuries and become interviewer In our
Anglo Saxon character and thought. That
version cannot be superseded in day OF year
by any new work however excellent. The re-
ception of the new has been exceedingly flat
tering on both sides of the water Both the
secular and religious press have thrown their
influence for it; the people have received It
with the iveliest interest; nothing in litera-
ture has had a sale compared with it. The
talk about decay of interest in the Bible mas
received a curious commentary in the pubic
welcome of the new revision. But this does
not decide the permanent acceptance OF the
book. Curiosity will die out; the book will De
subjected to sober second thought and Will
have to vindlcate its rights to acceptance by its
adaptability to church needs, first by the long
study of scholars and the public; secondly, we
should give this book fair trial. We all ad-
NIT the defects in the old edition. But the
new book, il rejected, must be so on substan.
tial grounds There are almost whole books OF
the old Testament blind to observe. Be on
guard, however, against captious criticisms.
Remember so far the unbroken chorus OF ap-
prevail. This is lominous Already warning
voices are heard from the press and sensation
The less brains the easier the job Then there
is the opposite danger from jealous enthusi-
asm. Let us be careful and not force this new
version on communities. Let us go slow, re-
membering how long it took to introduce King
James version in England and again in New
England.
There rests on Christians the duty of study
ing the new version carefully, its new arrange
ment of paragraphs and hidden messages.
This is especially the case with the rank and
lille. They are the ones on whose verdict rests
the success of the book. Their decision is
more important than that of the scholars. He
praised the appendix to the work because it
showed that the conservative English and pro-
gressive Americans disagreed and that the
public opinion may ultimately incorporate
ministers to take advantage Of the pnbble in
terest in the Bible to explain its teachings and
the changes the revision makes, and why the
changes are made. If the book is given fair
trial and succeeds it will be accepted by all
Christianity. If it fails it will simply pave the
way for another revision in another generation.
But it is incontestable that the Revised Yer
sion makes large number of passages clear to
the common reader which were not rightly
understood befor6. 49,
Many of the changes were repeated by the
speaker and the benefit made thereby pointed
out. We now have, he declared, the closest
practicable approach to the New Testament Of
Christ's disciples, the water Of life dipped up
clear and sparkling in the Fourth Century be-
fore it had become turbid with margins, and
comments and mistakes and changes. This is
our old Bible-the authorized version is the in
novation and it is the revisers'of 1881 who are
the wise conservatives. In all these changes
not one doctrine is disturbed, not one duty
shaken. The authorized version is good enough
to live and die by, and the revised version
shows the same road to heaven by the way OF
the cross. The doctrines, those fixed stars of
fSrnno ant IN m III
dimmed but shine with increased lustre.- The
doctrine of Christ's deity is no way impugned
by the removal OF the two texts, John, Vt,
and Timothy, lille. There is other and
abundant evidence.
In conclusion the preacher dwelt upon the
suggestions of the American revisers. regret
ting they were not adopted, and put forth, tom
tatively some suggestions OF his own.
MIR. RoPRs's ESSAY.
The speaker beganby saying, we are all desir-
GUS to approach the New Revision without
prejudice, but this is simply impossible. The
fact is each one of us has in his minds eye
Bible Of his own, which has never been print
ed, but which comedies with the Authorized
Version, wherever our studies have not led us
to change. This Bible lives in the memory,
round it are clustered innumerable associa-
tions, and its very words answer like an echo
to anything similar which we see or hear.
And SO when we read the Revised Version the
words of the Authorized Version come back to
us, perchance in the very tones Of our moth
er's voice, fraught with countless recollections
OF scenes, and studies, and spiritual expert
ences, so that we say "the old is BETTER"
Moreover each one of us, ministers al, and not
few among laymen) has some fayorite texts,
perhaps some cherished changes in the Au-
thorized Version. We open the Revised Yer
sion and look for these. II our texts are pre-
served, our corrections supplied, we like the
vrsrs.1x hy.k.H e. III
las we are apt to term it) and cherished correc-
tons are neglected, we are inevitably disap-
pointed in the Revised Version.
But there is something vastly more valuable
than favorite texts, or dear associations, or
aesthetic considerations of any kind, namely,
truth. We do not go to our Bibles simply to
hunt up motto that will stand at the head Of
a discourse, not merely for proof texts to boil
ster up our own notion in theology, but to
learn Gods truth in his self revelation. We
60 to the New Testament to learn something of
the fullness of Jesus Christ and Him crucihed,
and whether this New Revision dsturbs some
old associations or not, whether it campers
with an English classic" or not, whether it
spoils few proof-texts or sermon-texts or, not,
or even wrecks few sermons built upon the
sand, is of infnites.mal Importance, compared
with the question whether or not it makes
Gods truth clearer and Gods will palmer
through the Scriptures. By the answer to this
question the New Revision must stand or fail,
and I, for one, have not the faintest doubt
that it will stand. We may conceive Of a
New Testament in few places better than
this, but that is looking forward not back, in
the direction of more changes, not fewer.
Compared with the Authorized Version, no
careful student of the Scriptures Can for mo-
ment doubt the Revised Version is an immense
advance and vast improvement. 1t may fall
short of the ideal New Testament Of the schol-
ar, but that will not be found short of the
apostolic autographs in the original Greek.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
After devotional exercises Rev. "A. Dick
inson, from the committee to whom the mat
ter of the General Hospital was referred,
stated that the superintendent was the only
salaried officer at the Hospital; and he re-
GREETED that SO little interest in it was man.
Tested by the churches, as only about 40 out