There is, perhaps, no complaint about preaching more common, than that ministers do not feel what they say. The sermon was for him to pray? He may, indeed, || mouth speaketh." And if his go through the form of prayer; own soul be warmed and inflambut his heartless performance willed with celestial fire, it will break be both tedious to himself, and out, and flash, and spread from comfortless to others. Feeling no heart to heart, until his whole aukindlings of devotion in his own dience be moved, and shaken to heart-no burnings of holy love-the centre. no fervid desires, he can express none for others. And instead of warming and inspiring the hearts of his flock, by his appropriate and fervent petitions, he disap-good, it is said; the sentiments points and pains them. Instead correct, neatly arranged, and hapof finding their feelings and de- pily expressed. But there was sires expressed and poured out in nothing to give it life, and vigour, pertinent and vehement language, and animation. The preacher, inthey are either chilled by his frig- stead of entering into the spirit of idness, or tortured by his embar-his sermon, and preaching, rassment. Nor is the effect upon "As though he ne'er should preach again; himself less painful. So far from" As dying unto dying men ;" feeling any pleasure in this delight-is dull and lifeless; showing that ful part of divine worship, he he believes little, and feels nothdreads the thought of it; and re-ing of what he utters. joices when it is over. And in- Now what is the cause of all stead of leaving the throne of grace refreshed and strengthened for the duties before him, he sits down sweating with agony and mortification. this complaint, but a want of deep and ardent piety ?-It would be impossible for a preacher, who, like the learned and pious Mather, should weep and pray over his He will be scarcely less affected sermons, not to deliver them with by the tone of his moral feelings in spirit and energy. Coming from the delivery of his sermons. It is holding converse with the holy impossible for a preacher greatly God-coming with the tremento affect his audience unless he dous scenes of eternity fresh in his speak the language of his heart; mind, and his heart big with feelwhat he thinks and feels. In or-ing and concern for the souls of der to move them he must be men, he must and will be eloquent moved himself. He must show he must, and will speak with them by the simplicity and earn-power and effect. He will pray estness of his manners, that he down and carry with him the believes firmly, and feels deeply, energies of the Holy Spirit, and every thing he utters-that instead every word he utters will be like of expressing the sentiments of the fire and the hammer to break others, he is pouring forth the in pieces the flinty rock. spontaneous feelings of his own heart. Now it is evident that this can-and the foppishness of vanity, disnot be done by a preacher, unless appear before such a spirit!-The he be deeply imbued with the rounded periods, and the studied spirit of the gospel; unless the ornaments, and the tinselled flowgreat truths of religion are habitu-ers, will fly like the chaff before ally dwelt upon, and practised by the wind; or vanish like the mist him, and interwoven in all the af- of the morning before the heat of fections of his heart. "Out. of the rising sun. And the audience, the abundance of the heart, the instead of retiring charmed with How will the dulness of apathy, and the feebleness of indolence, the eloquence of the preacher, will depart with down cast looks, with the arrows of the Almighty deep fixed in their hearts. private life in this part of his office. If he watch for souls as one who must give an account, he will not only preach the gospel in But were it possible for a preach-publick, but from house to house. er, under the influence of a cold As far as time will permit, he heart, and a blemished life, to be will mingle with his flock, and aseloquent and pungent in his certain their spiritual wants; inpreaching, he would do little good.structing the ignorant, reclaiming He could find no access to the the wandering, comforting the afhearts of his hearers; every ave-flicted, strengthening the weak, nue would be closed, and barred and confirming the doubtful. And against his most urgent and powerful appeals. And the sword of the spirit, instead of becoming a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and dividing asunder the joints and the marrow, would fall upon them impo-holy influence. It will be seen tent and harmless. if, like Moses, he live as seeing him who is invisible-if he be truly a man of prayer, "full of the Holy Ghost and of faith," he will carry with him and diffuse among his people, a spiritual and and felt that he is a man of GodBut how can his preaching be an ambassador from the court of pungent and faithful, if his heart heaven. His godly example will and life be at war with it? How animate the hearts of his people, can he urge upon others what he strengthen their resolutions, indoes not practise himself? How spire their devotions, and encourcan he exhort to self-examination age them in the way to heaven. and secret prayer, while his own How will the presence of such a heart and his own closet are neg-man lift up the hands that hang lected ? Can he teach and en- down, and strengthen the feeble force with honest zeal the duties knees! The countenance of the of self-denial and deadness to the sick and dying will light up with world, while he himself is living grateful joy at his approach-the in luxury and self-indulgence? pains of sickness will be forgotten, If he would send home to the con- the pillow of death will be softenscience and to the heart, his ex-ed, and the departing spirit rehortations and reproofs, his arm freshed and borne aloft by his must be nerved with the conscious- presence and his prayers. ness of his own rectitude. Like the apostle, he must have the testimony of his conscience, that with simplicity, and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he has had his conversation in the world. Thus fortified by a holy life against the retort, "Physician, heal thyself;" thus encouraged and emboldened by the testimony of a good conscience, like his divine Master, he will teach "as one having authority." Like him, too, he will teach with heavenly skill, and unquenchable love. Follow a preacher in his pastoral visits, and see the influence of his But if his soul is benumbed with lukewarmness-if the spirit of devotion be subdued and displaced by a love of ease, this important part of his duty will either receive but slight attention, or be totally neglected. He will not watch for opportunities to do good; he will take no special pains to impart spiritual instruction, or to win souls to Christ. His attention and visits are bestowed upon a few select friends, while the poor of his flock are left to struggle alone with poverty and wretchedness, and to famish for the bread of life, having no one to care for their souls. His flock In consequence of this decree, many suffered severe punishments, and some even death for reading the Scriptures in English. The first translation printed in our language was that of William Tindal. He was assisted by the learned John Fry, who was afterwards burnt at Smithfield for heresy, and a friar by the name of William Roye, who suffered death HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COM-in Portugal on the same account. MON ENGLISH VERSION OF THE BIBLE. Tindal, in a few years, saw that The reformers, who had so many difficulties to encounter under the changeful policy of Henry VIII. experienced but a temporary relief, under the milder sway of Ed. ward VI. For when Mary ascended the throne, the spirit of persecution was breathed forth in still greater violence. It was during these malignant times, that some of the principal refuges from England assembled at Geneva, and translated what is called the Geneva Bible.” THE first English translation of the Bible was by an unknown hand, in 1290. The second appeared soon after, by John de Trevisa. Wickliffe's was the third. Sacred literature was then in its infancy. So little were the original languages of Scripture known, that Wickliffe was under the necessity of translating from the Latin Vulgate, a version which has had a very powerful influence on all modern translations. That it was not for him to enjoy the facilities of learning, which the art of printing and the revival of letters have bestowed upon the scholar of the present age, is sufficiently clear from the fact, that the price of one of his own transcripts was equivalent to the sum of two hundred dollars. In addition to all his other embarrassments, he was opposed by nearly" the whole weight of publick authority. No sooner was his Bible in circulation, than an attempt was made in parliament for its total suppression. But, through the influence of the Duke of Lancaster, it was rendered abortive. Another attempt, made in a convocation summoned by Archbishop Arundel, had a different issue. For it was there decreed, that no one should translate any text of Holy Scripture; and that none which had been translated during or since the time of John Wick fiffe, should be read in English. At the distance of eight years, followed a translation, mostly by bishops, appointed by the queen's commission, called the “ Bishops' Bible." The supporters of papal supremacy, finding it impossible to withhold the scriptures any longer, met at Rheims, and translated the New Testament from the Vulgate. Though, by this translation, they apparently yielded to the demands of the people, they in a great measure defeated the object of it, by the introduction of barbarisms and obscurities, which rendered it scarcely intelligible to an English || might be bound to use this translareader. They also translated the tion only. Old Testament at Douay, which, with the Rhemish Version of the New Testament, is to this day the Bible principally used by the Cath-persons for the execution of his olicks of England. Such was the progress made in translation, when the present authorized version was a subject of general contemplation. For the three great religious classes, then existing in England, there were three favourite, though imperfect translations. The Catholick, the Churchman, and the Puritan, had each respectively his Douay, his Bishops', his Geneva Bible. In this state of increasing biblical knowledge, the Protestants, both Churchmen and Puritans, were desirous of an improved and established translation. A circumstance here took place which led directly to the object desired. The Puritans presented a petition to his majesty, James I. desiring reformation of certain ceremonies and abuses of the Church. The petition soon called forth a reply from the leading talent of Oxford University. The king then issued a proclamation appointing several bishops and deans, and the principal individuals, who presented the petition to attend him at his palace of Hampton Court, to confer with his Majesty upon the alleged abuses and corruptions of the Church. It was on the second day of this conference, that Dr. Reynolds, the leading member of the Puritans, proposed, that there be a new translation of the Bible. The king confessed, he had never yet seen a bible well translated in English; but satirically added, "that of all he had seen, he thought the Geneva the worst." He wished a translation to be made by the most learned men of both universities, to be reviewed by the bishops and most eminent divines, presented to the privy council, and last of all, ratified by his royal authority, that the whole church His Majesty, after deciding in favour of a new translation, proceeded to commission fifty-four design. They were divided into six classes. Two of the classes were directed to meet at Oxford; two at Cambridge; and two at Westminster. The Bible was divided into as many parts, and so distributed, that each one should have that portion in which he was known to excel. Every individual was to translate throughout the part assigned to his class. They were then to meet to examine the several translations, and prepare one to be adopted. The translation thus adopted, was to undergo a thorough review by each of the five remaining classes. The king then issued his orders for all the eminent Greek and Hebrew scholars in the realm, to send to the Regius Professors of Hebrew at Cambridge and Oxford whatever observations they had made for clearing the obscurities of the text, or for removing the difficulties and correcting the mistakes of former translators. At the same time the Rt. Hon. Chancellor wrote to the Chancellors of the two Universities, authorizing them to add, in his name, such persons to the number as they should judge proper. For the better observance of the rules, three or four overseers were appointed from each University. The translators after making all the preparation, which the magnitude of the undertaking required, applied themselves three years laboriously to the task. When they had accomplished their work, they sent three copies, one from Oxford, one from Cambridge, and one from Westminster, to London, to be reviewed. The six individuals, who were selected from the whole number of translators, to make the review, proceeded immediately to the place of destination, where they spent nine months, and pre-by no means faultless. But what pared a copy and sent it to the are the errors attributed to it? Is press. The whole was again re-any truth affecting faith or morals viewed by Bilson and Smith, the one bishop of Winchester, and the other afterwards bishop of Gloucester. When this was done, the common English translation was finished and first published in 1611. wrested from the sense of the text? Let the learned Durell speak for himself. "The minds of the people cannot hereby be unsettled. All the leading arguments of religion will remain undisturbed. Neither will the ground of their faith or practice be ever so remotely affected." It is After all this preparation and these unwearied pains, what was to be expected but the very trans- It is true, that the authorized lation we use, the best in our lan- translation was made soon after guage and inferior to few in any the revival of oriental literature in language? But notwithstanding the West ;-that the rules of inthe acknowledged excellence and terpretation are now better undergeneral fidelity of the authorized stood;-that the improvements of version, there have not been want-modern science, a more intimate ing men, and these of no mean acquaintance with the kindred rank, who have maintained, that a dialects, and such extensive colmore correct translation was not lations of manuscripts, as those of only expedient, but even necessa- Kennicott and de Rossi, have ry. Such were Kennicott, Lowth, thrown much light upon the HeĎurell, Blaney, and Newcome, brew text. But still the alleged who have done not a little for the inaccuracies are acknowledged to advancement of Biblical Litera- be of minor importance. ture by their own critical labours. truly desirable that these should We value their labours and delight be corrected. But serious obstato honour the names of those, who cles interpose. The style of our have been an ornament to the version, so justly admired, is English language-who under-interwoven, not only with all our stood and explained the difficulties sacred literature, but with almost of Hebrew poetry, inhaled its lof- every work of genius in the ty spirit, and transfused it into English language. It is blended our mother tongue. Had it been with the best feelings and noblest resolved in their day to give anoth- sentiments, not of a few individuer translation of the scriptures, als, but of an extensive christian there could not have been found community. Another and still men more adequate to the task. greater obstacle, is the existing They, indeed, put forth great ef- jealousy of the different christian forts to persuade the publick of its denominations. Rarely do we see necessity. But what sober chris- the individual, who can so far tian laments the failure of the en-divest himself of sectarian feeling, terprize? Who would not pre- as not to show a solicitude, that fer the sacred oracle, on which his the language of inspiration should soul rests for salvation, in the plain be accommodated to his own sentigarb in which it now appears, ments. While these obstacles rewhen thus subdued by the rules of main, it will be well for us not to a rigid and scrupulous criticism, forsake a translation, which has to one of a statelier, or even of a withstood the attacks of criticism more appropriate dress, if it must for more than two centuries. Escome forth in the bold spirit of pecially, when it is to be feared conjectural emendation, which per- that by so doing, little will be vades the whole system of these gained, but much may be lost, eminent men? Our translation is |