heart and life. This is an error into which mankind are too easily drawn. 2. By speculating and commenting upon the divine commands and institutions till their force is quite enervated. 3. By confirming and establishing the former two methods of corrupting religion by tradition. This system was in force among the Jews for two hundred and ninety years before the coming of Christ. The rejection of the Messiah by the Jews must be assigned to their wilful blindness and obstinacy. They loved darkness rather than light. For many ages the Jews have been well known to the Eastern nations-Assyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians (they were known also to the Egyptians)-but till the time of Alexander the Great they had no communication with the Grecians.

About B.C. 332, Alexander the Great built Alexandria in Egypt.

About B.C. 320, Ptolemy, one of Alexander's successors, having reduced all Judea and Jerusalem, carried one hundred thousand Jews into Egypt, and there raised considerable numbers of them to places of trust and power; and several of them he placed in Cyrene and Libya.

About B.C. 300, Seleucus, another of Alexander's successors, built Antioch in Cilicia, and many other cities, in all thirty-five, and some of the capital cities in the greater and lesser Asia, in all which he planted the Jews, granting to the Jews equal privileges with the Greeks and Macedonians. The use of Papyrus for writing was found out about the time in which Alexander built Alexandria. This invention was so

favourable to literature that Ptolemy Soter was enabled to erect a museum or library. This extract or epitome of Dr. John Taylor's remarks may serve as an introduction to the outline of the interval of Jewish history, from the close of the inspired records to the coming of Christ.

(b.) The words of Dr. A. Clarke on the value of the Septuagint, may be here introduced as preparatory to further considerations on the subject:

"To this version Christianity, under God, owes much. To this version we are indebted for such a knowledge of the Hebrew originals of the Old Testament as we could never have had without it, the pure Hebrew having ceased to be vernacular after the Babylonish captivity; and Jesus Christ and his apostles have stamped an infinite value upon it, by the general use they have made of it in the New Testament, perhaps never once quoting directly the Hebrew text, or using any other version than some copy of the Septuagint. By this version-though prophecy had ceased from the times of Ezra, Daniel, and Malachi-yet the law and the prophets were continued down to the time of Christ and this was the grand medium by which this conveyance was made. And why is this version neglected? I hesitate not to assert that no man can gain a thorough knowledge of the phraseology of the New Testament writers, who is unacquainted with this version, or has not profited by such writers as derived their knowledge from it." See Dr. A. Clarke's Commentary.

Names of the Hebrew months, according to the order of the sacred and civil years :

June.

July. August. September. October.

Sacred.

7

1

8

12 6

September,,

1

Tisri

October

2345 6

9

November.

December.

Dictionary (Taylor.)

Thus, according to Calmet, March, old style, April, old style, and so to the end of the year, may Бе a fair way of describing the Jewish month as it answers to our months. The words old style and new style require, even in this place, a little explanation. A.D. 1751, an important alteration was sanctioned by Act of Parliament (George II.), for regulating the commencement of the year, and for correcting the calendar as it was then in use. It had been usual up to that time, in England, for the year to begin on the 25th of March. This practice was attended with various inconveniences, one of which was the uncertainty which it introduced into chronology. Part of each year was thus made to belong to its predecessor. For instance, the death of Charles I., which happened January 30, 1649, was made to have occurred on January 30, 1648. Hence the date of that occurrence had to be expressed thus-Jan. 30, 16. This expression is old style; the former expression, January 30, 1649, is new style. A.D. 1649, the difference between old style and new style amounted to eleven days. What we now call January 1, 1874, new style, would be January 12, 1874, old style. This account may assist in shewing that Calmet's Dictionary (Taylor) may be considered correct in its mode of comparing the Jewish and the English months.

(c.) A mode of preserving the words of the Sacred text was adopted by learned Jews, who had a school or college at Tiberias, a city of Galilee, which gave its name to the lake. Masora, signifies tradition; it includes all the variations of words, letters, and points which occur in the Hebrew Scriptures. The authors are unknown. Some say Moses was the author; some say Ezra was the author; others say the learned Jews of Tiberias were the authors. It may illustrate this statement to give two examples of the masoretic method of reckoning the books and the verses of the books of the Old Testament Scriptures. The first example is

1. The masoretic notes on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.-Ezra and Nehemiah contain six hundred and eighty-eight verses. The middle verse is Neh. iii. 32. Sections ten. Also the masoretic notes on the Book of Esther. The number of verses in the Book of Esther, 167. Middle verse, chapter v. ver. 7. Sections five. 2. The masoretic notes on the Books of the Prophets.In the Jewish reckonings, the twelve minor prophets make but one book. Hence there is no masoretic note found at the end of any of the preceding prophets (the prophets preceding Malachi) with accounts of its verses, sections, &c.; but, at the end of Malachi, we find the following table, which, though it gives the number of verses in each prophet, yet gives the total sum, middle verse, and sections, &c., at the end of Malachi, thereby shewing that they consider the whole twelve as constituting but one book::MASORETIC NOTES ON THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS. 1. Hosea has 197 verses. 7. Nahum 57 verses. 8. Zephaniah 53 9. Habbakuk ... 10. Haggai

2. Joel

3. Amos

73 148

99

56

...

99

4. Obadiah

5. Jonah

21 48

38

...

11. Zachariah

211

99

...

55

99

The sum of the verses of the twelve minor prophets is 1,060. The middle verse is Micah iii. 12. * The number of sections in the twelve prophets is 21.-Dr. A. Clarke.

(d.) This mode of reckoning may have contributed to the preservation of the text during many generations. The art of printing was not discovered and in use till the middle of the fifteenth century. Manuscripts formed libraries. Scribes, or writers, were the only persons who preserved and transmitted the learning of the days in which they lived, and of the days before their time. An examination of this may lead to the belief that it is owing to a wonderful providence that either the Old Testament Scriptures, or the New Testament Scriptures, have come down to us in their present form, with various readings, but with no various readings which contradict or obscure the plain statements of God's mercy in Christ Jesus to all believers. It is by no means a waste of time or of labour to learn the amount of labour bestowed by past generations to form correct copies of all the books of Holy Scripture. To the industry of those of old time, the past generations, since the reformation, have we been indebted for the present translation of the books of the Old Testament and of the New Testament. That translation was made by order of James I. He ordered that it should be made, not by an immediate turning of the Hebrew of the Old Testament, or of the Greek of the New Testament, into English, but by comparing the former translations into English with the original languages. The result has been an English translation far surpassing the style of the English language of the times in which these translators lived, and a translation which has for many generations improved the style of language acquired by persons in public and in private life.

(e.) A.D. 1873. A new Bible, called the Speaker's Bible, is now in course of publication. Mr. Denison, formerly Speaker of the House of Commons, expressed a wish to have this work commenced and accomplished. It was thought, and, perhaps, correctly thought, that a new translation of the Scriptures was intended. I felt convinced that such new translation could not be made. Six volumes of this work, ending with the minor prophets, are now (1877) in my possession. They have the authorised version of James I. They have notes in which other readings in English of the original languages are given in black letter, so that the alteration of the text may be seen at a glance upon opening any volume or any part of a volume. This plan is similar to the plan of marginal readings in some of our Bibles. The notes, and introductions, and dissertations in the Speaker's Bible are valuable. The whole work is valuable as shewing the opinion of so many learned men that a new translation of Holy Scripture was not only unnecessary, but impossible. Our authorised version was published A.D. 1611. The Speaker's Bible is being published A.D. 1877. So that after the lapse of 266 years, the Speaker's Bible proves that the authorised version cannot be improved, except in some modes of expression, not materially affecting doctrine, or prao

[NOTE.-The morning light is figured with wings, which carry it in a moment from the east to the uttermost parts of the west. The wind has wings. (a.) Ps. xviii. 10. (b.) The sun.-Mal. iv. 2.

(a.) "He rode upon a cherub and did fly. Yea he did fly upon the wings of the wind."-Ps. xviii. 10.

(b.) "But unto you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.". Mal. iv. 2.]

6

2. 2nd Samuel xviii. 22.—" Then said Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, again to Joab, But, howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi.' And Joab said, 'Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?'"

[NOTE. "Thou hast no tidings ready? A difficult phrase. The simplest and most literal translation is, Since to thee there are no tidings sufficing. The Cushite has taken all the news I have to send, and there are not left, none forthcoming for thee to carry."]

It is evident from these examples that the divines employed in composing the notes and the new translations in black letters in the notes, have exercised a wise discretion in maintaining the text of the authorised version. I have a very high opinion of Bishop Marsh's lectures. I find that he did advocate a revised translation. I must quote the passage, because it is in strong antagonism to mine own opinion, supported by the practice of the learned men who have edited the Speaker's Bible.

(f) Here the subject requires a few observations on our own authorised version. It was published by royal authority in the reign of James the First, having been then compiled out of various English Bibles which had been printed since the time of the reformation. To judge, therefore, of our authorized version, we should have some knowledge of our previous English Bibles. The first of them was a translation made abroad, partly by Tyndal, and partly by Rogers, but chiefly by the former. It was undertaken soon after the reformation commenced in Germany, and, therefore, several years before the reformation was introduced into England. What knowledge Tyndal had of Hebrew is unknown; but he, of course, understood the Latin Vulgate; and he was likewise acquainted with the German. Indeed, he passed some time with Luther at Wittenburg; and the books which Tyndal selected for translation into English were always those which Luther had already translated into German. Now Luther did not translate according to the order in which the several books follow each other in the Bible; he translated in an order of his own, and the same order was observed also by Tyndal, who translated after Luther. We may conclnde, therefore, that Tyndal's

were

translation was taken, at least in part, from Luther's; and this conclusion is further confirmed by the Germanisms which it contains, some of which are still preserved in our authorized version. Further, when Rogers had completed what Tyndal left unfinished, he added notes and prefaces from Luther. The translation of the whole Bible, thus made by Tyndal and Rogers, was published at Hamburg, under the feigned name of Matthews's Bible. Other English editions Coverdale's Bible, Cranmer's Bible, (called also the Great Bible, and sometimes by the names of the printers, Grafton and Whitchurch), the Geneva Bible, and Parker's, or The Bishop's Bible, which last was published in A.D. 1568, and from that time was used in our churches till the introduction of our present Bible [A.D. 1611, a period of at least 44 years]. Now The Bishop's Bible as appears from Archbishop Parker's instructions, was only a revision of Cranmer's Bible, and Cranmer's Bible was only a correction of Matthews's Bible, that is, of the translation made by Tyndal and Rogers. We see, therefore, the genealogy of the Bishop's Bible; and the Bishop's Bible was made the basis of the King's Bible, or our present authorized version. For, the first rule given by James the First to the compilers of it was this: "The ordinary Bible, read in the church, commonly called The Bishop's Bible,' to be followed, and as little altered as the original would permit." But whenever Tyndal's, or Matthew's Bible, or Coverdale's, or Whitchurch's, or the Geneva Bible came nearest to the original (that is, to the editions of the Hebrew Bible and of the Greek Testament then in use), the text of these other English Bibles was ordered to be adopted. Now, as this collation was made by some of the most distinguished scholars in the age of James the First, it is probable, that our authorized version is as faithful a representation of the original scriptures as could have been formed at that period. But when we consider the immense accession which has been since made, both to our critical and to our philological apparatus; when we consider that the whole mass of literature, commencing with the London Polyglot and continued to Griesbach's Greek Testament, was collected subsequently to that period; when we consider that the most important sources of intelligence for the interpretation of the original scriptures were likewise opened after that period, we cannot possibly pretend that our authorized version does not require amendment. On this subject we need only refer to the work of Archbishop Newcome, entitled "A Historical View of the English Biblical Translations; the expediency of revising by authority our present English tranlations; and the means of executing such a revision." Indeed, Dr. Macknight, in the second section of his general preface, goes so far as to say of our authorized version, "It is, by no means, such a just representation of the inspired originals, as merits to be implicitly relied on for determining the controverted articles of the christian faith, and for quieting the dissentions which have rent the church."-Bishop Marsh's Lectures. Part 2. On the

Interpretation of the Bible. Lecture 2, p. 293-6. Ed.

A.D. 1842.

Whilst I continue to hold my opinion that no new translation of the Bible is necessary, and that the editors of the Speaker's Bible have acted wisely in publishing the text of the authorized version, I must express my regret that they have not cleansed that version from its grammatical inaccuracies which are to be found on its every page. If a schoolboy wrote a Latin exercise and put iste instead of qui, or wrote a Greek exercise and put ovToo instead of öσ, he would fail to receive a prize. Our authorized version and our Book of Common Prayer contain similar mistakes. The demonstrative pronoun "that," is used instead of the relative pronoun "who."

First:-I quote from the Old Testament: Isaiah xliv. 24-28. I will put the relative pronoun "who" instead of the demonstrative pronoun "that," in the verses quoted:

24. "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and He who formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord who maketh all things: who stretcheth forth the heavens alone: who spreadeth abroad the earth by myself:

25. "Who frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad: who turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish :

26. Who confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers: Who saith to Jerusalem, 'Thou shalt be inhabited:' and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:'

27. Who saith to the deep, 'Be dry,' and I will dry up thy rivers: '

28. "Who saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure:' even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built,' and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid."

6

In these six verses I have found ten grammatical errors, and have made ten corrections.

Second:-I quote from the New Testament, 1st John v. 4-12:—

4. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith.

5. "Who is he who overcometh the world, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6. "This is he who came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7. "For there are three who bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

8. "And there are three who bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood, and these three agree in one.

9. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10. "He who believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he who believeth not God hath

made him a liar, because he believeth not the record which God gave of his Son.

11. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12. "He who hath the Son hath life: and he who hath not the Son of God hath not life.

In these nine verses I have found twelve grammatical errors, and have made twelve corrections.

I give the following quotations from the Book of Common Prayer:—

First:-"Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

"O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesu Christ: 0 Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon Thou who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.

us.

"For thou only art holy: thou only art the Lord: thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father." Amen.-Communion Service.

In this beautiful form of praise and of prayer I have found four grammatical errors, and have made four corrections. Second: 66 Almighty and immortal God, the aid of all who need, the helper of all who flee to thee for succour, the life of them who believe, and the resurrection of the dead: we call upon thee for this infant that he, coming to thy holy baptism, may receive remission of his sins by spiritual regeneration. Receive him, O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well beloved Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall have: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you: so give now unto us who ask: let us who seek find: open the gate unto us who knock: that this infant may enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which thou hast promised by Christ our Lord."

In this prayer I have found six grammatical errors, and have made six corrections.

I have now completed my reading of the following books, in which I have found similar grammatical errors, and have made the necessary corrections on pencil in the margins:—

1. Dr. Whiston's Josephus; 2. Dean Prideaux on the Connection between Sacred and Profane History; 3. Dr. Leighton's (Abp. of Glasgow) Commentary on the First Epistle of St. Peter; 4. Dr. Hall's (Lord Bishop of Norwich) Contemplations on the Principal Passages of the Old and New Testaments; 5. Dr. Cave's (Chaplain in ordinary to king Charles II.) Lives of the Apostles; 6. Dr. Cave (Chaplain to king Charles II.) on Primitive Christianity; and 7. Sir Peter King— (Lord High Chancellor of England, (Mr. Locke's nephew,) born A.D. 1669, died A.D. 1734, July 22, aged sixty-five years. He must have lived in the reigns of

William III., of Queen Anne, of George I., and of George II., who came to the throne of England A.D. 1727). (Called also Lord King, Baron of Oakham, in Surrey, May 25, A.D. 1725)-on the Primitive Church.

The English language would be much improved by revised editions of these works, removing the use of the demonstrative pronoun "that," for the relative pronouns "who" and "which," giving the proposition "to" in its required place, and marking the aspirate where it is silent and where it is sounded.

The mistakes made by all public speakers, from the prime minister downwards, and from the archbishops downwards, given in their reported speeches in newspapers, would, in the next generation, disappear if such corrections were made in the English language in the present generation. I include the authorized version of Holy Scripture and our Book of Common Prayer in these remarks. Giving clean English is one thing. Giving a new translation is another thing. I do not advocate the latter. I earnestly desire the former.

"Tov aprov nav тov émiovσov ddo yμv σýμepov.Matt. vi. 11.-Cambridge Greek New Testament.

Our needful bread give to us to-day.-Matt. vi. 11. "Panem nostrum supersubstantialem, de nobis hodie."-Vulgate.

Our bread supersubstantial (greedy and barbarous) give to us to-day.

Psalm lxviii. 4, “ οδοποιήσοτι τῷ ἐπιβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμών.”—Sep.

Make a way for him who rideth upon the west. Prayer Book translation:—“ Magnify him that [who] rideth upon the heavens as it were upon an horse.'

"A norse." What kind of animal is a norse? The his sounded in horse. It should be pronounced. Therefore a should go before horse-a horse.

"Iter facile ci, qui ascendit super occasum."-Vulgate.

An easy way for him who ascends upon the west. The Speaker's Bible has omitted the norse. I have quoted the words as an example of the mistake made in the improper silencing of the aspirate.

g. In his eleventh lecture on the interpretation of the Bible, Bishop Marsh, after having stated in his ten preceding lectures the principles of Biblical interpretation, takes a historical view of Biblical interpretation according to the different modes which prevailed in the different ages of christianity.

"In describing the criticism of the Bible (Part I. of his lectures), the historical view preceded the rules of criticism, because a history of criticism is a history of facts, and the rules of criticism are founded on those facts. But a history of interpretation is a history of opinions, which may properly follow the history of interpretation." I purpose to give an outline of this lecture.

1. "The earliest interpreters of Scripture were the Jews, who, because it is divinely inspired, considered the interpretation of it as subject to different rules from those which are applicable to other books." [That this is a mistaken notion has been already

shown at the end of the third lecture.] I feel that it is necessary to quote the passage referred to in this note:

"Lastly, let us inquire whether the rules of interpretation which apply to human authors are still applicable when Scripture is referred to the Holy Spirit as its author. Now, in whatever manner we suppose that inspiration was communicated, and whatever degree of agency we ascribe to the writers themselves, we shall find that the words of Scripture must be still interpreted by the same rules as those which apply to the words of merely human authors. If the sacred writers were so inspired that, while their knowledge was suggested to them, the mode of committing that knowledge to writing was left to their own discretion, the words which they employed for that purpose must evidently be interpreted as their words, and consequently by the rules above described. Nor will the conclusion be different if the words were inspired. For, if the words themselves were dictated by the Holy Spirit, the choice of those words must have been determined by the same rules as if they had been chosen by the Sacred Writers. The choice of them must have equally depended on their common usage in the intercourse between man and man. If they had not been so chosen they would not have been understood by man. They would not have conveyed to the reader what was thought by the author, and the object of Revelation would not have been attained." This ends lecture iii., to which reference has been made in lecture xi. Then lecture eleven describes the Jews in their mode of interpreting Scripture. "They considered, therefore (that is, because they considered the interpretation of Holy Scripture subject to different rules from those which are applicable to other books), the words of Scripture as implying more than was conveyed by their literal sense, whence they perpetually sought for remote and mystical meanings." According to Wachner, in his Antiquitates Ebræorum, T. I., p. 353, "the Jews supposed that, in the words of Scripture, there was a sensus innatus, and a sensus illatus. And as the sensus mysticus was included in the sensus innatus, we may easily imagine the variety of senses which might thus be extracted from the same passage."

2. Philo, a Greek Jew of Alexandria, at the beginning (rather towards the middle) of the first century, had an additional motive to a departure from the literal sense of Scripture. He imbibed the principles of the new Platonic philosophy, which was in high estimation among the Alexandrian Greeks. And as, according to this philosophy, the writings of Homer were explained allegorically, so Philo applied allegorical interpretation to the writings of Moses, and thus converted into fable what was meant for real history.

In A.D. 41, Philo (Judæus) was sent as chief deputy from the Jews in Alexandria to the emperor Caligula, to defend them against Apian, who had charged them with the crime of disloyalty.

3. In the Epistle ascribed to Barnabas, the first of the