The Scripture Testimony to the Messiah

his opinion, that it was his duty to make his own translations of passages from the Holy Scripture. He has done so from no affectation of novelty or beauty, but solely from a persuasion of important expediency, not to say necessity. This is a controversy in which, more than in most others, a perpetual appeal is, on both sides, made to the original text of the Bible; with a demand for the closest minuteness of attention, and the severest rigour of scrutiny. On the correct interpretation of that text, every thing depends. If the passages, by the true sense of which the inquiry must be decided, were quoted from King James's authorized version, in numerous instances corrections and improvements must have been proposed and vindicated in the Notes; and upon those alterations, reasonings material to the argument would often have rested. These discussions would have occupied much space: but so tedious a proceeding is escaped, and we arrive by a direct course at our object, or at the nearest point to it, by the method which has been adopted; that of translating the passages with the closest fidelity from the original texts, according to the most critically established readings. The reasons of deviating from the common version are, in general, such as will present themselves to the attention of a scholar immediately on his consulting the original; but where those reasons are not obvious, they are briefly assigned in the Notes. In regard to translations from the Hebrew, the author has been

anxious to avoid the affixing of meanings to words from conjecture, plausible fancy, or mere analogy: * he has rigorously adhered to the signification of terms and phrases, as evinced by the fixed use of the language and its cognate dialects, so far as he has been enabled to ascertain that use.

It is conceived, also, that another advantage will hence accrue; namely, that it will, in a considerable degree, put the mere English reader into the situation of one who is critically acquainted with the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. With this view the practice has been extended to the passages which are incidenttally quoted, as well as to those which form the direct grounds of argument. In every instance, the reader will regard a departure from the terms of the authorized version, as an endeavour to express, with as close a conformity as the difference of languages will permit, the precise sense and the very turn and phrase of the original.

It is, however, the author's earnest hope that this

* "Late critics, Schnurrer, Rosenmüller, Gesenius, De Wette, and others,-consent to take the text [Ps. xvi. 3,] as it stands, instead of transforming it into something which we may conjecture it ought to be. I would that all who meddle with sacred criticism, might imitate their caution in this respect. Eichhorn long ago made the remark-that those who understand Hebrew the least, will most feel the [apprehended] need of changing the Masoretic text, because it presents difficulties which they cannot solve: but those who understand it well, will seldom find any reason to depart from the reading given by the Masorites." Prof. Stuart in the Andover (American) Biblical Repos. Vol. i. p. 90.

expedient, to which he has resorted for the purpose of either entirely preventing or much abridging many critical remarks which would have been otherwise indispensable, will not be understood to imply any countenancing of certain extraordinary pretences to a new translation of the Scriptures, by which learning, taste, and religion, have been equally offended. A judicious and temperate revision of the established version, he cannot but think to be a most desirable work but, were this object realized, he is far from supposing that it would be proper to use the explicatory and sometimes paraphrastic mode of expression, which has appeared to him necessary for the purposes of a theological discussion.

With respect to the position of the Notes, some difficulty has been experienced. Their number and length would have made it inconvenient to place them at the foot of their respective pages; and to have relegated them to the end of each volume, would have been removing them too far from their points of reference. A middle course is therefore adopted: the smaller notes are put at the bottom of the pages, and the longer ones are annexed to the chapter or section to which they belong, with the title of Supplementary Notes.

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