B 1 B 



B I S 



ipg a revifal of otir prefent trannation. Dr. Symonds, in par- 

 ticular, examines the grounds of an opinion, advanced by 

 L.owth, in his " Englifh Grammar," p. 93, and ah^o by 

 many others, which is, tliat the vulgar trandation of the 

 Bible; is the bed ftandard of the Englifh language. Dif- 

 tingni(hin;r betv.-een the terms one of the ftaiidards, and the 

 b-rfl ftandard, which are very different, he allows that the 

 plain and finiple turn of exprefilon, refulting from the choice 

 of old Englidi words, may entitle our verfiou to the former 

 appellation, and yet many other circumllances muft be unit- 

 ed toconfii-m its claim to the latter. Accordingly, he fug- 

 getts the following inquiries : " Are the words and phrafes, 

 employed by our tranflator, generally placed in tlitir pro- 

 per order? Are they fo arranged as to preclude all obfcurity 

 and ambiguity ? Do we al.vays find the antecedent to which 

 the relatives refer ? Hath a riglit attention been paid to the 

 modes and times of verbs ? And is there a due propriety ob- 

 ftrvcd in the ufe of particles, upon which the clearnefs of a 

 f ntence chiefly depends ?" The want of conformity to 

 t'ufe rules, or to the greater part of them, will not allow 

 our verfion of the Bible to lay claim to the appellation of tl'.e 

 Icjl ftandard of our language. Many other opinions of very 

 refpeftable writers, decidedly in favour of an improved ver- 

 fion of the Bible% might be added to thofe that are above 

 c:ted. Objeftions, however, have been urged againft it, by 

 Dr. Vicefimus Knox, in his " Effays Moral and Literary," 

 and aifo by others ; and they have been examined and ob- 

 viated by the late primate of Ii-eland, Dr. Newcome, who 

 avows his opinion, that nothing would be more benefieial to 

 the caufe of religion, or- mor-e honourable to the reign p.id 

 age in which it was patronifed and executed, tlian au im- 

 povi-d Englldi verfion of the Scripture?. 



It has been faid, that a new ver-fion of the B'ble is quite un- 

 receffiuy. But although our Englifli ti-andation, or any tranf- 

 lation extant, contains all things neceO'ary to falvation, yet in 

 common language a meafni'e is faid to be neceftary, when il is 

 liigidy expedient. Let any competent fcholar ftndy the Bible 

 in the original languages, and then pronounce whether our au- 

 tho}ized verfion is not capable of amendment and iinpiove- 

 ment, in numberlefs places, many of which muft be confidei- 

 cd as very important. If every pai^t of Scripture be intend- 

 ed to anfwer fome important purpofe, as it certainly is, or 

 it would not have been given to us, every part ought to be 

 put into the hands of Chiifliirns as free as pofTible fr-om ob- 

 ieuritv and error. Some miftakes, amorrg many that may 

 be deemed fmall, ar^e fo confiderable as to deprive Chrillianity 

 of much folid evidence, and furnilh the Sceptic with his 

 moft formidable weapons. Whii'l it is aciinowlcdged that 

 cur prefent verfion contains every thing neceffar-y to falvation, 

 it may be aliedgcd, that if this be a fufficient reafon for not 

 correfting thole faulty paffages which admit of corredlion, 

 it would be a fufficient reafon for throwing them out of it 

 altogether-. But as our heavenly Father has been pleafed to 

 favour his creatures with additio:!al light, it would ill become 

 us to permit any of this light to be obfcured, or to pretend 

 that it is not wanted. If, according to the conc-.irions of 

 fome of the ohjedlors to a new verfion, the faith and practice 

 ot illiterate perfons ai'e fonietimes aftefted by the prefent ver- 

 fion, and if, in fome inftances, its obfcui'ity would be re- 

 moved ; religion is a matter of fuch great concern as to de- 

 mand fi'om thofe who watch over its interefts, that even 

 thcfc defects iliould be reftified. It is dangerous to retain 

 aay known errors in our national verfion ; they operate dif- 

 ferently on different minds; nor is it eafy to eftimate their 

 degree or effects. The opinions and conduft not .only 

 ot the unlearned, but of the lear-ned themfclves, who do 

 not carefully examine the Scriptures, have in fact been 



(Irongly influenced in matters of acknowledged import- 

 ance, by corrupt readings or miftrai.flationsof a very few text?. 

 It has again been objected, liiat a new tranflation is 211 

 extremely dangerous attempt ; that nothing would more im- 

 mediately ter.d to ftiake the bafis of the cftabiifirment ; and 

 that it would be imprudent to fliock the minds of fome very 

 devout and well-meaning people, by an innovation which 

 they could not help confidering as an infult on heaven.. A 

 meafure of this kind would tend to (hake the faith of thou- 

 fands, to whom it v/ere impoffible to dennonftrate the nccef- 

 fity of a change, or the principles on which it was conduct- 

 ed. Perfons of ihis clafs would lofe their veneration for the 

 old verfion, without acquiring fufficient confidence in the 

 new : and the benefits mull be great indeed, that can com- 

 penfate even for the remoteft pofPibility ot fuch an evil. To 

 this mode of objecting it has been replied, that it does not 

 imm.ediately affedt the m.erits of the queftion, but it arraigns 

 the piT-dence of introducing a corredl verfion, as a meafure 

 from which dangerous cfTccts, and not folid advantages, will 

 be apt to arife on the whole. Whatever tends, it has been 

 faid, to the perfedtion of an cftablifhment, would not (hake 

 it, but give it fplendour, ftrength, and fccurity. An ac- 

 curate verfion would reiledt the higheft honour on our na- 

 tional chur-ch, and may be ranked in an eminent degree 

 among thofe meafures, which would fix it on a bafis as firm 

 as truth, virtue, and Chrillianity. Such a work would be 

 as natural a fubjeft for the praife of all Protcftant countries, 

 as king James's Bible was for the honourable teftimonv born 

 to it by the fynod of Dort. It ought alfo to be recolielftcd, 

 that alter Coverdale's tranflation had received the fanction 

 of authority, the Bibles of Matthewe, Cranmer, Taveiner, 

 archbiihop Parker, and James 1. were all i/incvatioiis in their 

 day ; and yet that, conlideixd as different verfions, they pro- 

 duced no civil or ecclefiaftical commotion, no violent agita- 

 tion in the mii.ds of merr, refenibling thofe which are now 

 apprehended and predicted. Befides, a tranflation by au- 

 thority ought to fuperfedc all others from its intrinfic ex- 

 cellence ; and it would of courfe luperfede them by the fre- 

 quency, correct.nefs, and cheapnefs of its editions, a:! kinc 

 James's did that of Geneva, notwithftanding the pi-efcrencc 

 given to it by the Calvimfts. Moi-cover, it is iiard to con- 

 ceive, how the faith of llioufands can be ftiaken by remov. 

 ing ftumbling-blocks, inftead of retaining them. Abfurd 

 belief and corrupt practice arile from an ignorance of the 

 Scriptures ; not from the bcft human inducements and afTift- 

 ances to fearch and underftand them. It is the nature of 

 truth, and efpecially of divine truth, to captivate thofe who 

 contemplate it, in proportion as the veil is withdrawn, and 

 its genuine features appear. If ill-founded prejudices fhould 

 exilt among the people, their teachers fliould ferioufly la- 

 bour to remove them. Thefe prejudices are fuch, as far as 

 they exill, wliich might be eafily removed, or which would 

 notdeferve to be regarded. Befides, the public mind might 

 be prepared for it, and difpofed to acquicfce in it bv previ- 

 ous and (reque.it recomm.endations of it orr the part of ecclcfi- 

 aftics, who derive weight from their rank, and, which is the 

 higheft of ail ranks, fays a primate of Ireland, from their re- 

 putation. A repeated difcuflion of the topics, that involved 

 the neceflity, expediency, and utility of a new verfion, in dif- 

 courfc, in the pu'pit, ant from the prefs, and the concurrence 

 of the befl, the wifcft, the moft learned, and the greateft, in 

 the recommendation, patronage, and conduct of an amended 

 verfion, would give the bulk ot the communi'y as great a con- 

 fidence in it as they ever rcpolcd in any preceding one. 



Some, indeed, may fay " Let us introduce no change ; 

 for we cannot tell vKhat furtlicr change may be required of 

 us." Had this kind of lukewarm and timid reafoning been 



Uu 2 



regarded, 



