The English Bible, and Our Duty with Regard to It, by Philalethes (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1871 Excerpt: ... REVISION OF THE AUTHORIZED VERSION, ETC. ETC. I. Lessons from'History--Objections Considered. Few great works are commenced and completed in a single effort. It is needful that many successive labourers should unite their energies, in order that even a tolerable degree of perfection may be attained. At each step new difficulties and new objections arise, but no sooner are they overcome than it is forgotten that they ever existed, and instead of increasing wisdom and increased encouragement from previous success, we find that before the succeeding step is contemplated, the gradual character of the advance already made is lost sight of. It is imagined that by fortunate accident, the institution, whatever it may be, reached almost absolute perfection at one bound, and that it is dangerous to expect similar good fortune, if it be meddled with again. This feeling naturally adds strength to the old objections which are sure to be revived, stronger, if possible, from having been overcome. In the case of the English Bible, which may be called an institution of our country, these causes have certainly operated, but they have been assisted by others peculiar to it. The general and deserved admiration which has been yielded to it has led to the neglect of all other existing or possible versions. A With many persons there is no medium between perfection and worthlessness; what is not infallible cannot be trustworthy. The general excellence of the English Version being admitted, its perfection is assumed, and therefore all preceding and subsequent versions must be unworthy of notice; nay, even the original text need not be consulted. The steps by which the present excellence of our version was attained are wholly forgotten. Its noble language is supposed to bear ...