THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BIBLE.

BY THE REV. T. LOMAS, OF LEICESTER.

No. 4.

THEIR VARIOUS READINGS, &c.

It is desirable that an enquiry should here be made with regard to the agreement or disagreement of these important documents. Do the different copies of our heavenly Father's will agree, or is there any material difference between them? It is not to be expected, without the performance of a constant miracle, that writings of such high antiquity, transmitted from hand to hand, and from generation to generation, should come down to us without the slightest diversity or discrepancy in their readings. Such a circumstance would, indeed, be very suspicious, tending to destroy their credit for antiquity, and to induce the belief of their being the forgeries of modern imposture. It would be contrary to all analogy. The works of the classic authors of Greece and Rome, differ in their various editions very considerably,' in even more instances, in any given num→ ber, than the various MSS. of the word of God. Look, also, at our own literature, and you will find the different editions of the same authors' works who flourished only a century or two ago, varying very materially. Let any one take, for instance, the first edition of "Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress," and compare it with the various editions which have been published since the death of the illustrious Dreamer, in our own country alone, to say nothing of others, and he will be astonished at the verbal discrepancies which he will find. You must not be surprised, then, nor allow your confidence in the integrity and sufficiency of the Bible to be shaken, when you hear the statement, that these MSS. differ, in some degree, from one another. Dr. Mill, in his edition of the Greek Testament published in 1707, enumerated 30,000 various readings or upwards, and the subsequent labours of biblical scholars have increased the number to 150,000. This may at first sight appear an appalling number; and some pious but timid men have been afraid lest the examination of ancient MSS., and the publication of such

results as these, should diminish the confidence of the public in the general integrity and veracity of the Scriptures; but when it is remembered that this number of various readings consists, for the most part, in the mere transposition of a word, or the substitution of one word for a synonyme, and other slight variations, but rarely affecting the sense of the passage as a whole, and that it must be spread over the whole collection of Greek MSS., so far as they have been examined, and that in their agreement they are equal, and even superior, to other works of unquestionable veracity, it will be seen that there is no reasonable ground for alarm. You would not throw aside the letter of your friend as unintelligible or unworthy of your credit merely because he had omitted to dot his i's and cross his t's, and fallen into other slight orthographical mistakes which did not affect the general sense of his epistle; nor can the Scriptures be justly depreciated on account of these various readings. The Papist who triumphantly adduces them to shew the necessity of an authority above the Scriptures, viz., that of his church, and the illiterate Infidel who seeks thereby to damage the veracity of our holy books, act a part equally unworthy of intelligent and reasonable men. There is a perfect harmony in the contents of the MSS., although a different arrangement of the various books of Scripture may be adopted, and verbal discrepancies may be observable. All speak but one voice. The trumpet of inspiration gives no “uncertain sound." Every MS. agrees with every other in the revelations it unfolds, the doctrines it inculcates, the duties it enjoins; and each forms a stone polished and precious and fitted for its place in that glorious Temple in which truth Divine is enshrined !

The causes which have led to these different readings are numerous, and very natural and obvious. Generally they originated in unintentional mistakes or carelessness on the part of the scribe. A similarity in the shape of letters would sometimes lead him to write one letter or word instead of another, and when the sight of the copyist was defective this would in all likelihood often occur. Sometimes, also, to facilitate his work, he would employ a

person to read for him, and a resemblance in the sound of one word to that of another would cause him to write the wrong one. Explanatory remarks or comments and glosses were written in the margin of the MS., and these were, by carelessness or mistake, afterwards introduced into the main columns. When the same word occurred more than once in a passage or paragraph, the transcriber having written the former word, and then laid aside his pen in order to obtain refreshment or repose, on returning to his MS. his eye falls on the latter word and he writes it; thus omitting the intervening sentence. Or it may be that, possessing a refined taste, he substitutes for a Hebraistic form of expression one more in accordance with the idioms of the Greek language. There are not wanting instances to illustrate the operation of each of these as well as other causes of various readings.

It will be, therefore, obvious that it becomes a question of great importance as to which is the true or correct reading when a passage has more than one. And, in order to determine this, MSS. have been classified into different orders, families, or, as they are called by others, recensions. It has been observed that a certain number of these agree with one another in their characteristic readings, while they disagree with all the rest, and they have, therefore, been regarded as a distinct family. Others, which have presented a similar internal correspondence, have likewise received the name of a distinct order. In estimating the correctness of a reading the criterion has been, not the number and age of the individual MSS. which have supported it, but the number of families with which it has agreed. We have no less than eight or nine systems of classification, constructed with immense labour and research by Continental scholars, presenting some points of agreement, but at the same time differing in other respects materially from one another. It is acknowledged now, by some of those whose studies are most successfully directed to this subject, that great uncertainty attaches to this system of recensions, but, notwithstanding this, the true reading of passages may be known with sufficient accuracy, by an appeal to the most ancient and authoritative of these sacred documents, guided by sound principles of philology and induction.

It will appear clear, we think, to every

candid mind, on contemplating the past, that the providence of God has been strikingly manifested in the preservation of the Scriptures. The corruptions of the church have jeopardised their purity and integrity, and yet, antichristian as were the doctrines, and superstitious as were the practices, of the mediæval ages, the "oracles of God" have not been, to any perceptible or material extent, falsified to support them. The Papacy which denied to the people the right of private judgment, and enjoined implicit faith in whatever dictum it was pleased to put forth, would have extinguished the lamp of truth, or, at all events, entombed it in cloisters and in the Vatican; and yet its efforts have been as ineffectual as would be the attempt to put out the light of the sun. The devastations and flames of war have desolated the countries in which the venerable records of our faith have been preserved. Magnificent libraries have perished, the archives of empires have been destroyed,-the literary treasures of the great have been swept away, and yet the word of God has survived! What but an overruling Providence could have preserved it? If the wrath of man has endangered its existence, the religious veneration of the faithful has tended to its preservation; and if wars, and persecutions, and political commotions, which have overturned thrones, changed dynasties, and swept away laws, languages, and literature, have jeopardised it, He that "sitteth in the heavens," and whose dominion extends to all times, places, persons, and things, has held it, amidst the tempest, as in the "hollow of his hand !" Had it not been for His care it would long since have been committed to the flames, or scattered to the winds, like a royal proclamation, amidst infuriated rebels! But it is His word by preservation as well as by inspiration; and therefore is it true, that though "the grass withereth and the flower fadeth, yet the word of the Lord endureth for ever.'

When we compare our own condition with that of our fellow-men and fellowchristians in past ages and other countries, how superior in point of religious advantages and light does it appear! And how great our obligations of love, gratitude, and obedience, to Him who "appointeth the times beforehand, and fixeth the bounds of their habitation !" In the earliest ages of christianity copies of the Scriptures

were exceedingly rare, and these did not contain the whole Bible, but separate portions, such as a gospel, an epistle, and, in some cases, several of these. Few christians could procure a copy for their own private use. Nor did their number increase rapidly in subsequent periods of its history. But how different is the case now! The art of printing has superseded the tedious labour of the scribe, and multiplied the copies of the Word of God a million-fold. Instead of the pen we have the press, and instead of the enterprise of solitary individuals we have that of mighty societies. Thousands and tens of thousands of Bibles are issued annually from the press in our own land

alone; and so cheap is the precious volume become, that every artisan, mechanic, and labourer may obtain it, and every child in our Sunday schools, in the proud and grateful feeling arising from its possession, may say,

"Holy Bible, Book Divine,

Precious treasure, thou art mine."

In the midst of this amazing increase of Scriptural knowledge, let us not forget our augmented responsibility. May we not. also behold in it the dawn of the millenium? Truly "the lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage."

THE FARMER AND THE
LABOURER.

In those days, when the reviving Spirit moved over the land and refreshed the dwellings of Zion, like the gentle breezes from the plains of Eden, many hearts were cheered by the increase of converts to the Lord. Of Zion it was said, "this and that man were born in her: and the highest himself established her." Among the happy young disciples in S, one is remembered with peculiar interest. He had lived more than twenty years in the habitual neglect of God, and the solemn realities of eternity. He had known many church members, heard many sermons, and learned something of the gospel theory. But his heart was not right with God. He had entered "the wide gate," and was hastening down "the broad way." In that condition he commenced labouring for a christian farmer; a devout man and one who with all his house feared God, who gave alms to the people, and prayed "to God always." True, he did not sell his land, and lay the price down at the feet of the apostles, but he cultivated it in the fear of the Lord, and for the honour of his cause. At the family altar he daily prayed for the redemption of the young man in his service. His conversation was seasoned with grace, and he kindly and frequently pleaded with him to love and serve his Maker. His example was good, and added a powerful influence to his prayers and words.

Time passed on, and the young man daily watched the farmer. At length he became

deeply convicted for sin, and sought in earnest the salvation of his soul. He listened attentively to the prayers and instructions of one who had become his spiritual guide. As he daily laboured in the field, sometimes in the retirement of the grove and in the silent hours of night, the tearsof contrition flowed, and the cry for mercy ascended to the throne. At length deliverance came, "the day dawned, and the daystar arose on his soul." The pearl of great price was secured, his mind was stayed on God, and was filled with love and joy, gratitude and praise. The Redeemer was "the chief amongst ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely." As time passed. pleasantly onward he would sing,

"How sweet the day, how calm the night,
When walking in thy blissful light;
My lips are praise, my tongue is prayer,
My soul is heaven, for God is there."

In relating his experience before the church, the young man stated, very dis-tinctly, that what most deeply affected him was the clear conviction, that the farmer was more anxious about his soul than he was about his work. The evidence of that fact pressed on his spirit from day to day, and led him at length to yield his "all to God as one alive from the dead." Under the daily and living example of his employer -attended by the power of the Eternal Spirit-he was "turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God."

Reader, pause, reflect, inquire. Are you

a farmer? a mechanic? a merchant? Do you, in all the business scenes of life, exert a religious influence upon those around you? Do you say to this man go, and he goeth? and to that man come, and he cometh? And do you think that those thus in your service, have the settled impression, that you have more anxiety for their SOULS than for their WORK?

Are you a teacher in some school? Are the scholars under your care convinced that your first and great anxiety, is for the salvation of their souls? Do all the inmates of your house know and feel and profit by such an influence as that which led the young man to Christ? Do all your neighbours and acquaintance fully believe that you are living for God, watching for souls, and trying to lead "many sons unto glory ?" Oh, that if this has not been the case hitherto, if in the past year you have made it too apparent that you have been living for the world, and that it has had too much hold upon your affections, you may be enabled, in the year upon which you will soon enter, to manifest more love for God and interest in the souls of men, and that you may make it evident that you indeed realise as a fact, what you have professed so long to hold in theory, that "you are not your own, but bought with a price, and therefore bound to serve God with your body and spirit, which are His."

THE THREE RECORDS.

In the dreary twilight of a November day, a ruined merchant returned from his counting-house to his once splendid home. As he passed through the dismantled rooms, he marked the unwonted desolation sternly and without a sigh. The rich paintings, the glittering chandeliers, the piano and the harp, those festive gatherers of social circles, had passed under the hammer of the auctioneer. The gay picture books and ingenious toys, those luxuries of child-life, had vanished from the nursery. The deep easy chair of his wife no longer stood by his study fire, the glass doors were closed upon empty shelves; the busts, the engravings, the maps, had disappeared. He folded his arms tightly across his chest, and with knitted brows sat silently in the deepening gloom. His children crept softly in, kissed him, and retired. His wife came also, and folded her arms lovingly about him; but he neither moved nor spoke. Temptation was busy in his bosom. Urged by the spirit

of evil, he wrote on the page before him"The arch hypocrite has deceived and ruined me. By all that makes life a joy, by all that renders it an evil, I swear to be revenged."

He paused, and lo! in the volume by which all men shall be judged at the last day, the oath appeared traced in characters as of liquid fire.

Vigour had not fled with fortune. Industry and thrift brought plenty to the merchant's board. His children exhibited virtues which luxury had failed to develop. His wife, freed from the restraints and puerilities of fashion, seemed a new being. As prosperity returned to him, his revengeful feelings died away. One night, after a family festival, when his house had rung to the music of light laughter and the fall of little feet, he sat in the soft moonlight retracing the history of the preceding years. He could not deny that good had sprung from the ashes of his early hopes; and beneath the vow made in the first bitterness of disappointment, he wrote again, “I forgive, but I never will forget."

He turned away, and, though he knew it not, the words reappeared, lurid and red, in the great book of the world's history.

The heart of the merchant was open to many lessons which it was incapable of receiving amidst the eager competition, the restless strife for wealth. The voiceless language of passing events addressed him more powerfully. Sobered by misfortune, he sought in intellectual pursuits the amusement he had once found in the excitement of public gaiety. As he advanced in years, he admitted the Bible more freely among the works which filled up his leisure. Its precepts seemed to him, at first, as a perfect code to be contemplated and admired; finally, as a law to be obeyed. Repentance followed knowledge, reconciliation repentance. From love to God flowed love to man, and the regenerated merchant enclosed in the wide embrace of his affections every child of humanity. Once more turning to the page whereon he had chronicled the workings of a wronged and irritated spirit, he wrote, "O my Father! even as thou hast blessed me, bless thou also mine enemy."

He arose with a solemn and chastened joy, for the prayer gleamed in light like that of stars from the vast register of man's deeds, and the two preceding records vanished for ever, leaving no stain behind them.