VI: Two Grammatical Effays. First, on a N है The defign of the fecond effay is to fhew, that most of our religious controverfies have rifen from mifrepresentations of fcripture; and that most of thofe mifreprefentations have proceeded from a want of grammatical knowledge. 12 a ď There is hardly any portion of fcripture, fays this writer, that has been alledged by the patrons of irrefpective election and reprobation, but will admit of a different rendering from what our tranflators have given it. He tells us, that a learned and judicious criticate has fhewn, that what we translate, A&ts xiii. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed, fhould, or at least fairly may, be tranflated, As many as bad appointed (a day) profeffed their belief in eternal life*. A parallel paffage in 1 Pet. ii. 8. is thus rendered: Which ftumble at the word; being disobedient; whereunto alfo they were appointed. Our author would translate it in this n manner: Which fumble through a disbelief of the word, which (difbelief) they were even fet, or refolved upon. He alligns his reafons for this explication, which, to avoid prolixity, we omit. He mentions feveral other paffages +, which, he thinks, ought to be rendered in a different manner; and obferves, that a multitude of texts where the conjunction wa, which learned men know de-d notes the event, as well as the final caufe, has been so tranflated, as to offend pious Chriftians, encourage wicked ones to lay their fins to the charge of God, and infidels to ridicule his facred word, en choon tay OmED VABLJ 9thw and eve babbs a From these remarks he proceeds to shew, that a co competent skill in grammar would have prevented many tautologies improprieties, many inconsistencies and improbabilities, which appear upon the face of our English verfionoterat bjom 794 2 James v 16. The effectuat fervent prayer of a righteous man a vs vaileth much. Surely, says he, the word effectual ought to have been left out, there being but one word every ouer] in the original for both epithets; for, as the fentence how ftands, it contains this ridiculous pofition, An availing prayer is very a vailing or rather, which is ftill worse, a prayer that obtains its end is very near obtaining it-He thinks, with Whitby and I others, that crepyourvn may very well be tranflated infpired, or dictated by the Holy Spirit. 93 ton of wovi ཛཱ John xii. 6 He bad the bag, and bore what was put therein. Doubtlefs, fays this critic, if he bore the bag, he bore the contents of it. The original word Basae fignifies (as have it been frequently obferved, and may be abundantly proved from authors facred † and profane) to take away, as well as to bear of If we substitute therefore took away, in the room of bore, we shall find the fentence has not only propriety, but fuite and connection; as it is a proof of what was said just before, that he was a thief, for he had the bag, and took away, or stole, what was in it.'., Preft, du 2018 Lng boos to sadist á tedi bos Matth. xiii. 44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found he bideth. 5. The account, fays our author, so far given, n might lead a reader of our verfion to imagine, that the man had found fome ni dhiali goigər dilt Whitby and-others tranflate TeTay pavos, disposed.g او † Acts ii. 47. Rom. ix. 13. 17. 22, Jude 4 out nudgang + John xx. 15. 6 moveable T moveable treafure, as a casket full of jewels, and had carried it off and hid it in fome other place: but that is not the cafe, nor will it agree with what follows; for, if he had carried it off and hid it, he needed not to buy the field in order to get poffeffion of the treafure. How did he hide it then? We are told it was -hid before he found it; did he hide it again before he was poffeffed of it? The true interpretation of the verse will make all - difficulties and abfurdities vanish. When he had found this treafure, perhaps a vein of fome rich metal or mineral,be faid nothing of it to any one, but went and fold all that be bad, and bought that field... Matth. xxvi. 60. They fought falfe witness against Jesus to put bim to death, but found none; yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. What! fays this writer, many came, yet none to be found . The tranflators fell into this contradiction, for want of knowing or perceiving, that the order and conftruction of the words was this, They did not find how they might put him to death. They should therefore, if they would retain the word none, have added fome fuch word as Sufficient None fufficient to condemn bim. F Upon Peter's healing a lame man at Lydda, Acts ix. we are told, verf. 35, that all who dwelt at Lydda and Saron faw him, aad turned to the Lord, mis on ng 207 * This, fays our author, after the learned critic already mentioned, is not at all likely; for the inhabitants of the town of Lydda and the country of Saron must have amounted to at least 15000. Now the notable miracle on the day of Pentecost added to the church but 3000 fouls; though performed in a popu lous city; we cannot therefore reasonably fuppofe, that all, or even the greatest part of these people were converted by the fight of one miracle. In the next verfe we have an account of the fame apoftle's railing Dorcas from the dead at Joppa, near to Lydda, and the facred; hiftorian tells us, that it was known throughout all Judea, and many believed in the Lord. Now, can it be thought probable, that the healing a lame man at Lydda fhould convert all the people, in and beyond that place; and that the raifing of a dead person, a more illustrious miracle, at Joppa, fhould only be the occafion of many being converted there? But this is not all: if Saron be here not the name of a town, but c of a country or region, as Reland and other learned men affure us, and both Lydda and Joppa be comprehended in that region, then there is a manifeft abfurdity in the narration; for it is juft as if a modern field-preacher and journalist should fay-" Upon a fecond harangue of mine, many people of Uppingham turned unto the Lord," after having juft before told 66 R his his reader that, "upon a former harangue, all the people of Okeham and Rutlandshire turned unto the Lord." In short, we shall not find the converfion of one fingle profelyte afferted in the text, when we render it as it should be, thus : All the inhabitants of Lydda and Saron, subo had been converted, faw him.' Matth. xxviii. 17. Some doubted-It is not probable, this author thinks, that any of the apostles doubted at that time; after our Saviour had given fo full fatisfaction to the most unbelieving of them, as to make him own himself convinced.'-. Beza, he obferves, was fo fenfible of the improbability of this, `that, though he did not fee the proper remedy, yet, in order to come at the true meaning, he proposed an alteration of the text, and reading oude instead of or de, which would turn out thus: neither did they (any longer) doubt. Beaufobre faw it, as did others before him, and has rendered it accordingly, avoient doute, bad doubted-Here then are two important errors rectified, two improbable relations banished from the facred text, by an exact knowledge of, and a proper attention to the use of the Greek aorift.'.. 1 By this expreffion it is probable, the evangelist only means, that fome doubted whether the perfon they faw was, or was not, their master; as on another occafion it is faid, they believed not for joy, and wondered, Luke xxiv. 41; if so, we need not have recourfe to the use of the Greek aorift, nor to the expedient of Beza. Divines in their fermons have undoubtedly mifapplied feveral paffages of fcripture. On this topic the author makes these remarks: I fhall begin with that favourite text in the book of Job, xxvii. 6, I will hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. This is not a re folution of Job to persevere in a virtuous and religious course, which we are often told and exhorted to imitate; but a refolution to infift upon and ftifly vindicate his innocence against the injurious afperfions and infinuations of his falfe friends. This appears partly from the introduction, God forbid that I fhould justify you, viz. my accufers, by acknowledging myself a hypocrite. Then follows very properly and pertinently—I will tenaciously defend my integrity, and not let it go; my confcience will not accuse me for any part of my conduct. If one was to fhow likewife, that the original word in Job xxii. 21. which we tranflate acquaint, has not that import, but barely, to make trial of, or have recourse to God; how would many of the prettineffes in an admired fermon fade away, or sink in our esteem? What would become of the allufions to human friendships, and the obfervations built upon them The dur swhole t his on bin giroq zetu, dìujnu zaw ed in blow @jon tud whole would prove a bafelefs fabrick-a mere caftle in the air. Or, at leaft, the five principal requifites towards beginning and improving an acquaintance with God would dwindle into one, namely, access, or drawing near unto him.Similitude of manners, and the reft, though proper points of exhortation, are no more contained in this text, than in any other, that directs us to apply to God in cafes of difficulty and diftrefs. c or t Once more, before I leave Job. This verfe, Surely it is meet to be faid unto God, I have bore chastisement ; I will not offend any more; Job xxxiv. 313 has been often preached upon and quoted in a sense which it does not, and cannot, in the original, bear. Bishop Patrick fticks close to it. Moft readers and many preachers acquiefce in his authority, and go no farther for an explanation than his paraphrafe: but that learned and pious prelate feems to have reverenced even the interpolations of the facred text, for fuch I fhall not fcruple to call these three words, chastisement, any, more. When they are ftruck out, and the remaining ones reftored to their proper meaning, the greatness of the change is furprifing; inftead of a general exhortation to fubmiffion, humiliation, and future obedience, it turns out a particular reproof to Job, for his prefumption, and for infisting on his past innocence. For he (Job) bath faid to God, I bave -received (evil) I was not bound to (receive). The defence of thefe alterations I fhall not now, but may perhaps at fome other time, undertake; as well as to point out and justify above an hundred more that may be made in our verfion of the book of Job alone. Nor fhall I here enter upon a difcuffion of that famous paffage, Job xix. 25. I fhall only obferve for the present, that the addition of three fuch material words fin one little verfe) as though, worms, body, would make any confiderate man, who is not a flave to human authority, fufpect the juftnefs of that tranflation. By I passion to an inftance or two in the New Teftament. Abundance of excellent fermons have been preached and printed, and many fine things faid upon the power of confcience, and the force of truth in making a great wicked man tremble, as it is recorded, or thought to be fo, in Acts xxiv. 25. And doubtlefs it is an important and inftructive leffon, but when I read my Greek Teftament I don't find that Felix trembled, for the word in the original only implies, that he was in or under a confernation; he was amazed and astonished at St. Paul's boldness, as well he might, having never before met with for fpirited and divine a fpeaker. He might alfo be difturbed and frightened Cat the subject he was upon, being conscious to himself that he was unjust, intemperate, and accountable for all his iniquities; but not a word in the text of his trembling, nor does his charader 7 |