Introduction.
"Familiar acquaintance" and " thorough knowledge," though akin, are different; they may sometimes even be contrasted the one to the other. Thus, few persons have a thorough knowledge of their native tongue or language, although they have, of course, familiar acquaintance with it.
As to the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek languages, I pretend not to either " familiar acquaintance " or to " thorough knowledge "-properly so called. Yet, having long felt that it was a needless dishonor to myself, when God had put into my hand a revelation, from and of Himself, written therein, not to know these tongues at all, I have sought with some diligence, and at least much labor, to use the Scriptures in my private reading as they were written.
The Lord, who confounded the language of men, that they should not understand one another's speech,-when the iniquity of the post-diluvian age was ripe enough to combine in independency of Him, has condescended to make his revelation in three languages, vouchsafing also a very good translation of the whole in our mother tongue, and more or less correct translations into the languages current in the various countries of Christendom. I could not be satisfied, where intercourse was frequent, to speak to my brethren in the Lord, or even to men, merely through the medium of an interpreter; much less could I be satisfied to allow a translation of the Bible into my own tongue to stand between me and the Bible as it was written. I thought (and do think still) that a child of God might plead with Him for help to read His WORD as He wrote it; and so, at least, be ready to estimate aright any suggested emendation, and acquire competency to see through the many false glosses, of which ignorance and self-sufficiency are the parents; at all events, enough to detect the want of kindredship between "improvements" and "alterations"; for while every needless alteration, as such, is to be deprecated, doubtless faith and humility may find defects, and, therefore, room for improvement in every translation made by uninspired men.
In pursuing this course, one could not divest one's own mind of its previous knowledge of the English authorized version; but then one gained the power to examine its value, and to mark and guard against any bias it might contain. The result has been an increased sense;-1st, Of individual ignorance; 2ndly, of the difficulty of making a good translation of any, but especially of such, a book as the Bible; and, 3rdly, of the value of our English authorized version.
In cultivating wisdom-that wisdom which, while it dwells in us and is practical in our walk, consists in the appropriation of Heavenly light by the renewed affections-we ought not either to refuse to weigh a criticism; or, when assured of its value, refuse to communicate it to others. With what measure we mete, it shall he measured to us again. That good measure pressed down and running over, may be measured into my own bosom is my desire. I would, therefore, give freely, yet with reverence, before God, as seeking not to handle the word of God lightly or deceitfully. If I desire that those to whom I write should, by the word and by the testimony, " prove all things," and hold fast that only which is truth,- I trust, also, that God may vouchsafe so much of light as to produce, on both writer and reader, the feeling of " Who is sufficient for these things? " as contrasted with that feeling of empty conceit which a little light sometimes produces.
My object is not display but edification; he who can only read English will find (if God prospers my effort) that which will help him in the Scriptures; and they that have the balances of the sanctuary-the Truth-with them, and know how to use them, may return, in some other form of blessing, that which they read; for there is unity in Scripture; and thus the elucidation of a very little point will often open a very large portion to us; even as, also, ignorance of or misunderstanding of large portions of Scripture grows out of error in some small detail.