Globe. But, to instruct all classes of men, the Society must take great care to select in all languages the purest light of the Gospel, and not to dim its rays by re-publishing obsolete and inexact versions, the daily food of superstition and incredulity.

Having been specially invited to subscribe to the KENSINGTON AUXILIARY SOCIETY, I declined that honour from motives which I explained in a letter to its Patron, His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, dated Aug. 20, 1814; which letter His R. H. condescended to answer, Aug. 23, 1814. Now, in declining to join an Institution so distinguished by its progress and riches, which "ranks amongst its Patrons the greater part of the Illustrious Members of the Royal Family; which is supported by a considerable number of the Nobility of the land, and the Dignitaries of the Church; which unites in one body a no small proportion of the Ministers of State, and of the Judges and Senators of the Realm" I feel, as a Clergyman, the necessity of publishing the motives of my refusal, and for that purpose, 1 request you will insert in your Magazine the following letter, facts, and observations.

"To His Royal Highness the DUKE of KENT, Patron of the British and Foreign Bible Society. May it please your Royal Highness; "Sir, Having received letters, inviting me to become a Member of the Kensington Auxiliary Bible Society to the British and Foreign Bible Society, of which your Royal Highness is Patron; I beg leave to return my most respectful, acknowledgments for the high honour of such invitation, to join a Society of which I cannot help admiring the ardent zeal, the amazing progress, the most pious and laudable intentions. Being only an humble Alien, I am the more earnestly disposed to cherish such admirable British Institutions, grounded on the doctrine that mankind is but one family, and on the religion which teaches that all men are brothers.

However, I humbly submit to your Royal Highness's consideration my motives for not joining the British and Foreign Bible Society.

"Ist. Because e the British and Foreign Bible Society published in 1811 French Bible, under the title of a

Version "PAR LES PASTEURS ET PRO FESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GENEVE, which I demonstrated by a letter printed in the Monthly Magazine for October 1811, NOT to be a version PAR LES PASTEURS ET PROFESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GENEVE;" and because I consider it my bounden duty not to sanction such a proceeding towards the Clergy of Geneva, which, by misre presenting the labours of the Clergy of Geneva, misleads the Publick at large, the Illustrious Patrons, Presid ents, and the Members of the Society of so great weight by their respectability and number.

"2. Because, to the question made by the Rev. J. B. Bristowe, in the Monthly Magazine for December 1813," Whether by distributing a translation so defective, as their" (the Conductors of the British and Foreign Bible Society) present French one is proved to be, they will not, in a great measure, defeat their. own object?" my answer would be positive. In proof of the inadequacy even of the authorized English version, I would claim the very valuable authority of one of the Auxiliary Bible Society's Vice-Presidents, name ly, the Rev. Richard Ormerod, A. M. Vicar of Kensington, such as it is given in Abp. Newcome's Historical Fiew of the English Biblical Translations, &c. 8vo. 1792.-In fact it is a a duty incumbent on any new Editor of the Bible, to peruse this most excellent work,

"3. Because I am humbly of opinion that the way to render real service to religion would be the publication of improved versions of the Bible; since by publishing defective ones, such as the French stereotype, without contributing to the pre vention of crime or the instruction. of ignorance, the Society encourages the sneers and scoffings of the Freethinkers at the Sacred Records, and furnishes a new ground to the objections of the Theists, who stick at the supposed sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter, Judg. at

David's (a man after g

heart) supposed cruel treatment of the Ammonites, 2 Samuel xii., 1 Chron. XX. and at other passages of the same kind, such as are to be found in the Society's Bibles, while sense is wise and admirable in original Hebrew, and the Geneva Bible of

of 1805. The British and Foreign Bible Society renders useless, as far as is in its power, the learned researches and labours of the celebrated Divines of Great Britain, and other Countries, who have rendered so many essential services to religion, and so much promoted the progress of sacred criticism, since the first publication of the versions of the Bible, which are now re-printed by the Society, without correction, note, or comment.

4. Because the propagation of Christian Knowledge must precede, in natural I order, the distribution of the Bible: Moses and the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles, taught, before they wrote and published their writings.

The Society FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE ought therefore to have the precedency,especially if Christian Knowledge is promoted according to the plan of a systema tical and complete course of religious instructions to Adults, such as has been used with the most happy effect on public morality and happiness in the Church of Geneva ever since the year 1737.

I humbly hope that your Royal Highness will approve the above motives for not joining the Kensington Auxiliary Society to the British and Foreign Bible Society.

"1. have, &c. THEOPH, ABAUZIT. "Kensington, Aug. 20, 1814."

Besides his Royal Highness's answer, I was honoured from two most respectable Members of the Society, with an expression of their regret that I should have any ground for not joining this noble Institution. As the motives which keep me separate may easily be removed, I hope to euter into the views of the Right Reverend President, in making them pub lic, with the following facts and observations:

The Conductors of the BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY have, in some degree, answered my first objection, by changing the title of their stereotype French Bible, omitting the words PAR LES PASTEURS ET PROFESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GENEVE. It now runs thus: LA SAINTE BIBLE QUI CONTIENT LE VIEUX ET LE NOUVEAU TESTAMENT; IMPRIMEE SUR L'EDITION DE PARIS DE L'ANNEE 1805. EDITION STEREOTYPE. REVUE ET CORRIGEE AVEC

SOIN D'APRES LES TEXTES HEBREU ' ET GREC.

But they have not removed my second and third objections against the publication of defective versions, in printing the stereotype French Bible sur l'Edition de Paris, as will already be clear even by the examina tion of its title only, which runs thus:

LA SAINTE BIBLE, QUICONTIENT LE VIEUX ET LE NOUVEAU TESTAMENT, REVU ET CORRIGE SUR LE TEXTE ORIGINAL, PAR LES PASTEURS ET PROFESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GENEVE. A PARIS, DE L'IMPRIMERIE DE LA RUE DE L'ÉCHIQUIER, No. 18. AN XIII. M,DCCCV.

We seldom meet with so many faults in so small a number of words. REVUET CORRIGE. The word Bible being a substantive feminine, the adjective ought to be in the same gender. The London stereotype Bible has rightly, imprimée revue et corrigée.

-What

SUR LE TEXTE ORIGINAL. is this original text?--Is it that book of the Law written by the hand of Moses, which was found by Hilkiah the Priest? 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14.Is there but one antient MS. of the Bible Was it written by one man only, and only in one language ?— The London Stereotype Bible has LES TEXTES Hebreu et Grec." PROFESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GEHow would it sound in Engif we were say the Professurs of the Church of Oxford ?—The Genevese Edition of 1805 has Les Pasteurs et les Professeurs de l'Eglise, et de l'Acadèmie de Genève. That is, the Pastors of the Church, and the Professors of the Academy of Genevu.

NEVE.

lish,

to

AN XIII. (DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANCOISE.) This is truly a curious contrast, to date an edition of the book which contains the origin of every thing; the book which has passed through so many c centuries as containing the Laws of the Everlasting Supreme Being-to date an editiou of that book from an epoch of a State, which in the course of a very few years, has been a Republick, an Empire, a Kingdom, an Empire again; and very few people, I presume, will be bold enough to say what it will be in another twelvemonth!

PAR LES PASTEURS ET PROFESSEURS DE L'EGLISE DE GENEVE. The letters printed in the Gentleman's

and

up in their cloaths upon their should

ers.

It is not for the serious Christians in France. The Geneva Bible is more faithful, more literal, and more elegant.

"Les Israelites prirent donc leur pale sans levain, et portèrent leurs huches à pétrir liées avec leurs hardes sur leurs épaule

It is not for those who are prejudiced in favour of old versions. That of Ovietan, published in 1535, is in the old style, but contains no absurdity.

"Le peuple donc print sa paste devant qu'on y eust mis le levain, et avoient les dittes pastes liées en leurs vestemens dessus leurs épaules."

It is not for the Catholics; their version, published at Cologne in 1753, is in better language, and more correct. "Le peuple prit donc la pâte qu'il avoit paitrie, et qui n'étoit point levée; et ayant lie cette provision dans des manteaux [il la chargea] sur ses épaules."

Can it be for the entertainment of the free-thinkers and scoffers ? Then indeed the Clergy ought to keep separate from this Bible Society. -No, we have too much candour to suppose the Editors of those French Bibles had any such intention. We intend only to show that such defective versions will not do for all denominations of Christians, and of course, that the Society defeat their own end by such publications. How imprudent to undertake editions of a book of such importance in any language but that of the Country!

It would be too tedious to detail

the many blunders committed by the Editors of the French London and Paris Bibles, in the before-mentioned short verse of Exodus xii. 34. Only let us see how it is that they substitute the word MAIN, HAND, for HUCHE, KNEADING TROUGH? It occurs in both Editions, though not a single letter in one of these French words is to be found in the other. Main has been put purposely; it is not a fault of impression.

That the Editors may be their own Interpreters, it is proper to see how they translate elsewhere, the Hebrew word swp. Wherever it occurs in the Old Testament, we read in their Bibles:

1. Exodus viii. 3. " Dans tes MAIS." II. Exodus xii. 34. "Ayant leurs MAINS liées."

III. Deut. xxviii. 5. "Et ta MAYE.'

IV. Deut. xxviii. 17. "Et ta MAYE.'

Both Editions are exactly alike in the above four passages.

In the first passage, the word MAIS but, being an adversative conjunction, as the translation of, makes complete nonsense. Such is the reason, perhaps, why the Editors have thought proper to substitute in the second passage, a substantive for that conjunction, namely, MAIN, HAND, for MAIS, BUT.This second pas sage, however, is equally absurd.

The word MAYE, which is in the third and fourth passages, is not the proper word, since it caunot be found in the Dictionnaire de l'Académie, nor in the French Encyclopedia, Le Dictionnaire des Arts et Metiers, Le Vocabulaire François, &c. &c.; in short, in none of the good modern dictionaries.

However, in looking into a few antiquated French Bibles, I see the word translated in the above quoted passages, MAY, MAYS. And, in searching for old dictionaries, I met with "A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, compiled by Randle Cotgrave. London, anno 1632." In the Preface, the Editor says that be perused old books, pour trouver la signification de telz mots, qui possible ne seront jamais plus ouyz en ce monde. There I found, MAY, f. a kneading-trough, or tub, also a stacke, or pile of wood, &c. &c.

In " Le Trésor des deux Langues, Espagnole et Françoise, de Cæsar Ov

din, 1645," (where he warns his read

ers, that les mots marqués d'une estoille sont anciens ou hors d'usage") I read Une MAY, Arteza; and in the Spanish French, Arteza, une HUCHE.

Therefore, both in the London Stereotype Bible and the Paris Bible of 1805, the Hebrew word up in Exodus xii, 34. is rendered MAIN for MAIS, MAIS for MAYE, MAYE for MAY, MAY for HUCHE; and pre. sents in both the said Bibles, upon the same word, not only one fault, but a filiation of faults.

Though every thing which belongs to the book containing the rules of faith is of the utmost importance, it would be too long, I am afraid, to examine the other blunders of this verse, or only to quote some others

of

of the hundreds and thousands of faults which will strike every Reader of common capacity, who will compare these French Bibles with that of Geneva of 1805.-Iustead of advancing in sacred knowledge, are we then to become retrograde-Certainly we do not find in old Editions of the Bible, the same defects as iu those modern ones. Thus indeed we may understand how distinguished Reviewers class "the distribution of such Bibles as the preludes of universal and perpetual peace, with the revelations of Joanna Southcott." (Vide Edinburgh Review, No. XLVIII. p. 455,)

The Conductors of the Bible Society say, that "It has brought all parties together....It is a most cheering sight to see in the London Committee, Britons and Foreigners, Members of the Church of England and other Communions, brought together, and joined like Brethren dwelling together in unity."--But truly, is it not deplorable to see Christians of the Church of England and other Communions, uniting to discredit, in fact, by spurious and defective Editions, the book of inestimable value to man, as containing the rules of his life, the consolations of his troubles, and the grounds of his hopes?

The publication of such defective versions under the great authority of the Pastors and Professors of Geneva, or even that of the British and Foreign Bible Society, "supported by the Dignitaries of the Church," when better versions were at hand, requires, in my humble opinion, the serious animadversion of all enlightened Christians, as tending to retard the progress of reformation and the interests of true piety.

However, it is a painful and disagreeable task for a simple Individual to comment on the transactions of so respectable a Society. But the greater the disproportion is between its Conductors and myself, and the greater the superiority of their talents, knowledge, and credit, the stricter is the obligation not to shrink from a duty which I think essential to the propagation of true Christian knowledge upon earth.—

Nay, could I desist from a course in which I follow the true intentions of the Society?-They wish to conciliate the greatest number possible of friends to the Bible and their respectable Institution. But it is easy to shew, that in publishing better versions of the Scriptures they would much more conciliate the good wishes of the different classes they enumerate in their reports. To begin with" the Dignitaries of the Church," without speaking of the great services English Archbishops and Bishops have done to the progress of Sacred Criticism, by their learned researches since the first publication of the authorized English version, without repeating the opinions of many celebrated Spiritual Lords on the necessity of improv ing the actual versions of the Bible, such as they are given by Archbishop Newcome, in his Historical View, &c. I beg leave to quote a letter of Dr. W. Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, dated Lambeth, April 13, 1727, to the Pastors and Professors of Geneva, in answer to them on sending him their translation of the New Testament. "What I have seen of your New Testament," says that worthy Prelate, "makes me rejoice to hear that you are undertaking to finish the good work of revising the translation of the Old. A GOOD VERSION IS THE MOST USEFUL COMMENTARY UPON THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, and will teach those who have neither time nor capacitie of studying any larger exposition of them."-Is it presumptuous in me to think that such are the uni versal feelings and opinions of so highly respectable a Body as the Archbishops, Bishops, and Dignitaries of the Church of England?

Such also, I should think, are the feelings and opinions of men at large. The Conductors of the British and Foreign Bible Society assert that all descriptions of Christians "are equally interested in promoting the design of the Society, because they all ground their belief on the Scriptures. -But all the sensible Cbristians I ever knew wanted to ground their belief upon reason also, and to defend it by sound arguments *.