And if, upon fuch Inquiry, he shall be convinced that there is any Thing of fo great Moment in the wrong Tranflation of our Bible, as to render a new Tranflation abfolutely neceffary for the right Information of fincere Christians; that the misplacing the hiftorical Books is of ill Confequence to the Unlearned, (for to the Learned it can be none;) that a Liberty given to abridge them, and to paraphrase the rest of the Bible, will leave no Room for one Man to change its Meaning, or another to mistake it; that the Book of Common-Prayer, in its prefent Form, lays Snares for Men's Confciences, and is contrary to the Word of God; then let him join Heart and Hand with these wife, learned, and elegant Reformers. If, on the contrary, he fhall be perfuaded, that the few Errors which are to be found in our Tranflation of the Bible, fewer than in any other, can no Way pervert the Faith or Morals of the plaineft Christian; that dealing with it as we do with other Books of Antiquity, would, in Effect, be reducing it to a Standard with those other Books, and Paraphrafing leave Liberty to explain and mould it to Men's Wishes and Defigns; that there is nothing burthenfome to Conscience in the Liturgy, and not many Inconveniencies; then let him be well affured there is a dangerous Defign, and, tho' not not avowed, not difficult to be guessed at ; dangerous to the Church, by opening a Gap for every Species of Infidelity, and for every Schifm, to force its Way in; to the State, when its beft Support is gone, from the Republican Principles, which are openly afferted by all Diffenters, and fecretly favoured by others; and to all Orders and Degrees of Men in these too much divided Nations, from a Zeal kindled by the most powerful of all Motives, and blown into a Flame by Pride, Malice, Rage, and Revenge, which are fpontaneous in fome Men, and will infallibly be fown into the Minds of the best, when a long and neceffary Stirring-up of Men's Paffions fhall prepare the Soil for their Reception. FINI S. |