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asdlHicms garb of a moder ^ noveli adopting the pedantic phraseology of linguists and granrinaarians ,, or ttie superficial eloquence of courts and assemblies . It is true , we should be governed by the sense , rather than the
sound o € Scripture ; and one translation as such , is no mote saered than another : but alas I we-are frail and imperfect beings , uniting animal or * gans with mental cajkcties ; and "He who knb \ veth our frame / ' instructs us
in the * naftn 6 r best adapted to our state , the language ^ indeed , is human , but the tnode and construction are divine : and > as one well jobserves , " If in reading the Scriptures > we could but imbibe a portion of that spirit Witfh which they were written ;
we should not need , as we now do > such volumes of instruction , but might become virtuous by an epitome" * This peculiarity of style and manner ( without achrerting to the questidn of inspiration ) is obvious * even in the narrative pfcrts 6 f Scripture ; how much
more , in the pathetic and the sublime And , if we are compelled to acknowledge , either the singular judgment , or the singular felicity of our translators in their great work , as to its general correspondence both in sentiment and manner with the originals , we cannot , we ought not , we will
not part with so invaluable a treasure . ^ But this ineffable spirit , this divine euphony , which strikes at once to the heart , seems to have been in a great measure unknown by some of their successors : they may have teen very erudite in the ancient languages , but they have made tetmefttable work with their own . Green e s Version of the
Psalm 3 > is neither poetry , nor prose , nor rhythtn : in the New Testament , the change of the terms , Grace , for * ' Favour " ailris ! for " - " and happy , for " bussed > " noticed by Dr . Carpenter , are perfectly childish :
it is Stoical rant , and not Christian consolation , to tell a man on the rack , or under persecution for conscience * sake , that he is " happy /' but he may be * blessed , " or happy in reversion . Whiat fresh knowledge will the " hewers of wood and drawers of water , " the plain persons of the
* Rciig . Medic , t" See * Say * s Bssays , 1745
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congregation acquire , by hearing that the gpod Samaritan took but ' * ' t \ vo tlenarS /* instead of two pence / ' fdr the purposes of benevolence ? or > that Peter took from the mouth of tbe fish , " half a shekel , " instead of " a piece of money" ? Read to a man o £
the world , the parable of the Prodigal Son , in Dr . Hanvood ^ s iMvodnctloii to the New TestameM ^ ( a val uable work on the whole , ) aftd you will make him laiigli ;* read to him the same parable ( if you can read ) in the common Version , and you will make him tremble . " Come novv ^ and let
us reason together , " says the Almighty to the rebellious Israelites , by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah : * ' Come now , and let us settle the affair I" says the -translation of aa eminent modern Hebraist . ^ Again > the word Kurios , it is allowed , -sonre * tithes admits of a familiar sense , and our old translators have occasionall y
so applied it— " Sir , we would see Jesus—Sir , I have no man to put me into the pool—Sir , I perceive that thou art a Prophet : " but to have rendered it thus , in the peculiar circumstances of Saul at ; Damascus . \ sj « n _/ rf i / ¦ ¦ ¦¦* k
, ^ h' ^ ¦* » ^—• ^ vw ^ ^ ^ aar ^^ v- ^ mr "s-w ^ - ' ^ -a . ^ J ~* . » _ , *• ^«^ ^^ s . . m w « _/ ^ m ^ % VJ < c Who art tliou , Sir ?^ must surely be deemed passing strange ! " If any man defile the temple of God , him shall God destroy /* says our New Testament : " If arw man cor mot lestament ; If any nian corrupt
the temple of God , God shall corrupt him \ " says the Version of Archbishop Newcome . Now , though the Greek verb in both sentences is the same , yet having been certainly applied by the sacred writer in different senses ,
our translators have wisely adopted a different phraseology . J But it is an easy matter to find fault ; and " Ubi plurima nitent , &c / It is presumed , however , that the nitentes- —the
shining parts of most of the new versions-, will be found chiefly in those places where they have adhered to the language of the Old Bible , and not where they have departed frorn it , as they often have done , without any apparent necessity .
' * " A gentleman had two sons / ' &c . + ¦ Not Bishop Lovvth . X The writer excepts from these remarks , Mr . Wellbeloved ' s forthcoming Bible , and ' the later editions of the'New Version , not having seen then ) .
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&n tin Improved Version of the Scriptures * 21 * 3
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1824, page 213, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2523/page/21/
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