judges of language, know that the alteration of a fingle word in a fentence, and even a different pointing, will change its meaning entirely; as was fhewn by fome examples, p. 30. Gen. Pref. But to have illuftrated in the fame manner all the alterations and corrections which the author hath introduced into his translation would have fwelled the work to an enormous fize. And therefore to fhew in what particulars this differs from the common version of the epiftles, the author hath contented himself, as was obferved, p. 26. with printing what is different in Italic characters, and hath left it for the most part to the reader's own fagacity, not only to judge of the propriety of his corrections, but to investigate the reasons by which they are fupported.

Yet to prevent curfory readers from difregarding this tranflation of the epiftles, merely because a number of the corrections which it offers, are of the minute kind, the author will here compare one of its chapters only with the common English version of the fame chapter, and will fhew, that even by the flightest alterations, when made agreeably to the original, fuch a change in the fenfe is fometimes produced, as throws great light on the fentiments and reasonings of the infpired writers. The chapter chofen for comparing the two tranflations, fhall be the first of the epistle to the Romans; not because the alterations introduced into the new tranflation of that chapter, are either of greater magnitude, or more in number, or of higher importance than those in the other chapters of the epiftle, (for in reality, they are fewer, more minute, and of lefs importance,) but be cause the reader will naturally fix his eye on that chapter first, from its presenting itself firft to his view.

Rom. i. 3. Who was made of the feed of David according to the feb. This leads the reader to think of the formation of our Lord's body. Whereas the apostle's meaning is, that with respect to his flesh he was defcended from David, and that by a female. In the new tranflation, these ideas are fuggefted, by fubftituting the word born (which is one of the literal fignifications of YEOE) in place of the word made, in this manner: Who was born of the feed of David, with respect to the flesh.

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Ver. 4. Was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the refurrection from the dead. This implies that Jefus was declared to be the Son of God, by his raifing other perfons from the dead. But as Jefus himself often appealed to his own refurrection in proof of his being the Son of God, the phrafe ε avaólaoɛws Engar is undoubtedly an ellipfis, in which two words are omitted. One of them is fupplied by our tranflators, namely the word from: the other word his is fupplied in the new tranflation, which runs thus: Declared the Son of God by his refurrection from the dead. The meaning is, that Jefus was declared the Son of God

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God by his own refurrection, and not by raising others from the

dead.

Ver. 5. By whom we have received grace and apoftleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. This rendering, befides being inelegant, is faulty in two particulars. For firft, Paul did not receive his apostleship by Chrift; that is, from God by the intervention of Chrift, but from Christ himself, as holding the right originally of making an apoftle. Secondly, υπακοήν της πίσεως does not fignify obedience to the faith, but the obedience of faith. In the new tranflation these faults are thus corrected. From whom we have received grace and apostleship, in order to the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, on account of The apoftle received his office from Chrift himself, that by preaching him every where as the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, he might produce the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, on account of his dignity and authority as the Son of God.

his name.

Ver. 9. Without ceafing making mention of you always in my prayers, is a tautology, which, in the new tranflation, is avoided, by joining the claufe, always in my prayers, with the word requesting in the beginning of ver. 10. with which it stands connected in the Greek.

Ver. 12. T870 de 251, that is to fay. According to this tranflation, ver. 12. is an explication of ver. II. But every reader muft be fenfible, that the things contained in the two verses are entirely different. Wherefore 7870 de 151 should not be tranflated, that is to fay, as in our bible, where de is neglected as an expletive, and the words to fay, are fupplied, but the verse should be fupplied and tranflated in the following manner. And this is propofed, that I may be comforted together with you, by the mutual faith of you and me.

Ver. 15. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gofpel to you that are in Rome alfo. The new tranflation of this verfe is more perfpicuous and emphatical. Therefore, (namely because I am a debtor, &c.) I am willing, according to my ability, to preach the gospel even to you who are in Rome. For to hinder the Romans from fufpecting that the apoftle had hitherto avoided coming to Rome, because he was afraid to preach the gospel to fuch a learned and intelligent people, he told them, that notwithstanding their great learning, he was willing to preach the gospel even to them. And to fhew that this is his meaning, he added, ver. 16. For I am not afbamed of the gospel of Chrift, &c.

Ver. 17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just fhall live by faith. The righteoufnefs of God revealed from faith to faith, is an affemblage of words, to which no distinct meaning can be affixed. But the

original

original rightly conftrued, gives the following clear literal fenfe. The righteoufnefs of God by faith, is revealed in it, in order to faith. The apostle was not afhamed of the gofpel, because à righteoufnefs of God's appointment, to be obtained by faith, is revealed in it, in order to produce faith in them to whom it is preached. The latter claufe, as it is written, the just shall live by faith, were better tranflated, The juft by faith, fhall live. For although in the Hebrew it is, The juft fhall live by his faith, the copy of Habakkuk's prophely, from which the LXX took their tranflation, and the apoftle his quotation, certainly wanted the pronoun his. Befides, as the apoftle's defign in making this quotation, was to prove, that Habakkuk wrote concerning a righteousness by faith, either the most ancient and beft copies of his prophefy wanted the pronoun, or the paffage must be conftrued and tranflated thus: The just by his faith, the man who is just by his faith, ball live. For otherwife tranflated, this quotation is no proof of the apoftle's affertion, that Habakkuk hath written of a righteoufnefs by faith.

Ver. 9. That which may be known of God is manifeft in them. According to this tranflation, the apoftle's meaning is, That the knowledge of God, attainable by the light of nature, was manifeft in the minds of the Grecian philofophers. But to fay, that knowledge is manifeft in any one's mind, merely because it exifts there, is very improper. Knowledge in the mind cannot be manifeft, except it be fhewn either by words, or by actions. That the heathen philofophers did not manifeft the existence of the knowledge of God in their minds by their actions, is plain from their public inftitutions of religion, in which they fhewed the groffeft ignorance of God. As little did they manifeft that knowledge, in their difcourfes to the common people. They rather unrighteously concealed it from them, as the apoftle affirms, ver. 18. By their writings only, they manifested their knowledge of God to the few who could read them. This therefore being the apostle's meaning, to exprefs it, the word v, inftead of being tranflated in, as in our bible, ought to have been tranflated among, as in the new tranflation. That which may be known of God, is manifest among them, for God hath manifefted it to them.

Ver. 20. For the invifible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, fo that they are without excufe. The phrafe, from the creation of the world, is ambiguous: for it may fignify either, by the creation of the world, or fince the creation of the world. The latter is the apoftle's meaning; because clearly feen by the creation of the world, is precifely the fame in fenfe with the claufe which follows it; namely, being understood by the things that are made,

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which

which thus becomes a tautology. But, both the ambiguity and the tautology will be removed, if the prepofition ano is tranflated fince, as it is Luke ii. 36. thus: His invifible things, even his eternal power and Godhead, ano, fince the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being underflood by the things that are made, fo that they are inexcufable, &c.

Ver. 21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful. The apoftle's meaning is not, that at what time they knew God, they glorified him not, &c. but that although the legislators and philofophers knew the true God, they neither glorified him as God, by making him the object of the people's worship, nor appointed any public thanksgivings to be offered to him, as the author of all the good things mankind enjoy. These ideas the common tranflation does not exprefs distinctly but in the new version, they are fuggefted with fufficient plainnefs, by rendering the words n tuxagisnoav literally, neither gave him thanks, and by giving the participle yvores its adverfative fenfe, thus: Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, neither gave him thanks, but became foolish by their own reafonings: those reasonings, by which they pretended to justify polytheism and idolatry, as the moft proper religion for the vulgar.

Ver. 32. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they who com mit fuch things are worthy of death, not only do the fame, but take pleafure in them that do them. The new tranflation of this verfe is more accurate and emphatical. Who though they knew, To Sinawa, the laru of God, that they who practife fuch things are worthy of death, not only do them, but even are well pleased with those who practise them. The heathen legiflators, inftead of 'punishing, were well pleafed with their people, when they practifed the enormities mentioned in the preceding part of this chapter.

There are other variations in the new translation of this chapter, by which it is brought more close to the original than the verfion in common ufe: but it is needless to mention them, as the examples produced may fuffice to fhew, that even the fmalleft alterations in the tranflation, when conformable to the original, make a great change in the meaning of the paffages. It is of more importance to observe, that from the above examples, the reader may juftly conclude, that the minute alterations in the other chapters of the Romans have the fame effect, as they likewife have in all the chapters of the other epiftles, where they are introduced; confequently, that they should not be paffed over flightly, but confidered with attention, that their importance may be understood. It is neceflary alfo to obferve, that notwithstanding fo much has been faid to fhew the value

of

⚫ these minute alterations, the reader must not therefrom conclude, that all, or even the greatest part of the alterations in this tranflation, are of the minute kind. In every epiftle, there are many of much greater magnitude, than those in the firft chapter to the Romans. But there is no occafion to fhew this by examples. They will ftrike the reader at firft fight. Neither is it neceffary here to point out, in what refpects they alter the meaning of the paffages where they are introduced. In the notes, the propriety of many of them is fufliciently illustrated: and for the rest, they will recommend themselves to the learned by their exact agreement with the original.

By this time, the reader no doubt understands, that the alterations and corrections, concerning which fo much hath been faid in this premonition, are those which, in the following tranflation, are made on the English verfion commonly used. But the principles on which thefe alterations are founded, having been explained at great length in different parts of the General Preface, no farther information concerning them is requifite, except to put the reader in mind, that they confift in the following particulars. 1. In fubftituting modern English words and phrafes in place of fuch as are now become obfolete.-2. In correcting the language of the common verfion, where it is ungrammatical. -3. In rejecting ambiguous expreffions, of which there are many in our English bible.-4. In placing the words of the tranflation in the order which the correfponding words hold in the original, as often as either the meaning, or the perfpicuity of any paffage depends on that order.-5. In fupplying the elliptical expreffions properly and for the most part, either from what goes before, or from what follows in the text.-6. In excluding all fuch words and claufes as have been added by our translators unneceffarily. Of this kind, there are a number in their verfion, which hurt the fenfe.-7. In accurately marking those words, which in the common tranflation are added to the text, without being marked as added; but which being retained in this, as neceffary to complete the sense, it was fit to diftinguish them from the original words, that the reader may judge of their propriety.-8. In rightly conftruing the Greek text, where it requires to be conftrued; and in tranflating the paffages according to that right conftruction.-9. In tranflating the Greek words and phrases according to their true literal meaning, both where they have been miftranflated, and where they have been paraphrased: because, in general, the literal will be found to agree better with the context, and to be more emphatical and beautiful, than any free tranflation whatever.-10. In not varying the translation of the fame words and phrases in the fame fentence, unless they are evidently ufed in different fenfes: a

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rule