Page009

Page009

No. 3.


CDRIS, TIAN.


MENDON, MASS., lUNE - I , 1840.


. D e.., 0 t eo d toT r. 11 t ba. il d R. ig h teo usn ell 8. (


' BA. CT. ICAL


( l,


( of


" I


THE


VOL. I.


THE PRACTICAL ClIRISTIAN ' Ithoughts" sentiments, principles and ideas to I'pire, a little before tbe final dispersion of the and peculiarities. Following the letter rather


II ' publ~ d twire every calendar,: '-:' JOnth- at .~ rib th~! r fello~ ,~ e~, sO, as t? rende,~ them wise a. nd lews. One wrote in ancient Hebre, w~ another th~ n the 3~ irit of its te~ t, both friends and ene­D..


llar ,,~ r annum, payable always 1Il " lIdvapce,- n,~ good. They dill this Without verbal art- s- plain- in HebrewmodifiEid by the Chaldaic IdIOm, and rmes contnve to make It mean what they please.


credit DeyoDd No, 2 ofeach t'olome, ' Persons r~ ' ponsl' . ' , ' I Id " . ' H he manif b ' f


iii. : ro',' lIxcopies receive the seventh l; rlitis. No seb- 11and forcibly- s- in! luch language as those eou the last In Greek modified by a still later e · - to t e mam est su version 0 reason, common


,.. ti, liOll reeeiv~ d forles. thaD one year , It" understand to whom they addressed themselves. bre~. Theile are only samples of the whole.-- sense, and truth. It is instructive to look around


~~/ ar rdonptnbbl~ toh~ S toA the W)° nrk,- ADRllf BI


ALLO~, ' Accordingly we are under the necessity of con · , Thm again one wrote on this particular sub. and observe the importance attached to mere


I .. d, lor an u .. 109 genl; AVID , . AMSO" , ; , ' , , ,' , t ' , ,


§ : iso, W, SUCY, DANIEL 8, WHIT~ EY, Will . H, FiSH. strning their wntmgs With a strict regard to ject another on that- altogether coverrng a uiords and phrases by the contending sects,


, AIII'~ ler., remi, lIanees, and communieations to be sent the evident spirit, rather than ' the mere leiter, vaslfield. Some were bred in ' one age, some There is not one really mischievous, absurd, or


( poll paid) 10 Adm Ballo" MtTldeJ7l Mass. f h • " ' J hI' :. ' " ti II ble onini , , , 0 t e telFt; Just '¥ I we are all uman anguage. In mother, Some received their first impres- essen ia y unreasona e opinion In the whole


We are to consider words ' rand phrases only all siors, and formed their characters in cities, christian church, that does 110t depend on the


-------------------- 1 signs ? f idea~; and therefore' more or less iin- sonk in villages, and others in rural and desert mere lett er of scripture for its support. Let


CHAPTER I. • perfect:, ' The; esse, ntial ideas, originally inten- pla~ s. Some were educated amid all the ad- such an opinion be refuted again and again-


S ection 2. ' ded to be expressed, are what we should seek. val1ll1ges of a favored age and country, and let it be shown ever so plainly to conflict with


trhe Bible should always be construed accord- So fa~ as words, and phrases help us to these, so~ were mere peasants, shepherds, and fish- the whole spirit and tenor of the Bible.- Iet the


l~ g to'the evident Spirit of its text, rather than they are valuable- no farther. This distinction ermen, whose acquirements in letters were ex- broad sunlight of divine truth and reason shine


the mere letter. '. we ought never to forget; ever remembering ceellingly limited. Some were more, and some ever so clearly upon it, still it catches at these


" Understandest thou what th~ 6 readest?'" Acts that the medium is one thing, and what come3 le3s,' under the divine influence. In fine, there straws or word or phrase, and defies all opposi-


Ii:' 30. ' through that medium another. A deaf and dumb was all the difference and personal peculiarity tiona Thus error mingles with truth in men's


\ Ve cannot understand the la~ gu~ ge of ll: ny person may , receive the very same ideas, through necessary to produce such a collection of writ- minds; and is often cherished with so much' the


speaker, or writer, without a fair and just C?, n.~ the medium of significant muscular motion, and ingsl as constitute the Bible. If then, we do stronger affection, Such is the pride, vanity


structicn o. f its component par~~" in their proper a blind person by feeling out raised letters on not construe their language according to the ev- and selfishness of sectarists and partizans, that


coooection. To construe 0 t~ e Bib! e is to inter- thick ~ aper,. that we do in the ordinary way.- idert spirit of the text, rather than the rlere let- what distinguishes them from others, though ill


IlfCt it- to explain it- tv define its meanirig,- And if they get the same essential ideas, what ter, how can we expect to understand the sacred founded and essentially absurd, seldom fails to


To eenstrue it according to the evident 3p, i,' it ' of is Ihe , differen~ e? Or to put another case; if volume? be fostered with triple, car, e and devotion. It , is


its text is to make it express the essential ideas an Englishmanin his language, a Frenchman - 3. We should consider how very different our3, and we must maintain it, is generally the


erigioilJly intended to be communicated, To in his, a Russian in his, a Persian in his, a our circumstances are from tho se of the people con~ lusi~ n. ' JI. 0w ~ o maill. lain it is only a mi.


coolttUe it accordinz to the mere letter of its Chinese in his, a Hottentot in his, and an Indian to whom these writers addressed themselves, nor mqUlry, which ingenuity can easily satisfy


text is, ( carelessly 0; arbitrarily}, to take the in his, receive the essential ideas, first communi- We must make allowance for this, or we can. by, quoting the mere letter of the Bible. A


llIord. and pltralU in their most literal sense,- cated from God to Moses, in the commandment not fairly understand the Bible. They wrote strm~ of passages, extracted from within the


F... example, " If any. man come uot8 me, and I~" T. llOu 3h~ lt love , tlly neighbor as thy, elj"- in Hebrew, or Greek, according to the idiom and tw~ lids of the Book, . no maltf! r , how, prov~ s t~ le


laat1! not his father, and mother, and wife, and what IS the difference? Though no two sounds genius of the language then current. But polilt to a demonstratIOn. , Against all this VIO­children,


aad brethren and sisters, , y ea, and his in the pronunciation, and no two letters in the they address us, through the medium of a trans- ' lence done to holy Scripture, to reason and


own liJie also, he cannot b~ my disciple." Luke orthography of the several versions of this com- lation, in the English language. The original trn~ h, I, h~ mbly bUlfiTml~ protest; believing and


U: 26. ( f this lanvuage be construed accord- mandment, should be exactly like the original, has been copied, translated and ' printed again maintamrng that. the Bible , shOUld always be


iug to the mere letter; it tc ac h~.~ that the hutred Hebrew, what would be the difference? The Iand again , If the essential ideas are preserv- construed according to the evident spirit, rather


of all near relatives is abso lutely necessary to evident spirit of the commandment would be l ed "' e must be content · the mere letter is of than the mere letter of its text. \ ViIl it be ob.


Cltri,; tiilll disciplcship,- that ~ Ulan cannot be- the same in all. ,', I le~ s consequence. M~ reover, the translation jec~ ed, that this requires too carefill a study ofthe


come a true follower of Christ, without hating Again; Matthew and Luke ' give , th e sub- which we read was made more than two hun- scriptures. I answer- not more than every


the very perllOos whom God ~ as solemnly requir. , stance of' our Lord's Serm~ n on the mount:.:....:: dred years ago, when terms .. and phrases were perso~ can afford, w: horeally cares enough about


ed him to lace. But due attention , to UIC con- ' Matthew is . more full and explicit thim Luke, yet current that are now almost obsolete. It was the Bible to follow Its counsel. It is not un­text


renders every thing plain: the evident as far as they go together, they agree in the es- made too three thousand miles from our c'oun- common to hear people , complain of dark­,


pirit of Ule passage is. that unlegS~ 8_ mat; l. pre• .: sentinLidealLeXDre.! lSed_ b. Y_ tltelL, l\ 1ll8. teL~ U _ l~"'~ midst.. ofcircJ. J msta'nc~ so m " w ha t dif- ness and difficulty in construing the lan­fers


Christ and his religion to' father, mother, their words and phrases are quite different.- ferent from ours. All these diff~ nces affect guage of the Bible- when, , either they do not


'; ife, children, & c. he is. n~~, m? rally qualified to Now Christ, ; it is certain, used only one set of the letter, but notthe spirit ofthe Bible. A'g, in, study' it one hour in a week, perhaps not in a


be his disciple. Aga~~. ". Ei, c~ pt ' ye eat the words ~ nd phrases at a time. ' Has Matthew give the Scriptures" wbre originally written and read mo~ th~ or else overlook all t~ at is plain and usc­1Jesh


of the Son of mall, and , dnnk hIS blood, ye le n us hIS very words, or bas Luke I' Botb can- by people who lived in a very different climate- fut ,10 It, for the sake ofsettling some nice point,


have no life in you." lohn G: 53. Take this not be verbally correct, where they differ.- a much more southern · one than that of New which, whether understood or not, can never


literally; according to thE;' n~ cre lelle,', and the Which is in the right? Perhaps neither, in the England. Cli mate affects ~ he human temper- make one hair white or black, as to their moral


ideas are shocking, as well as absurd. Some of mere letter. What then? If both have given ament, and consequently the style ofexpression. character and condition. Why will not people


the disciples" nol uuderstanding the ml, Janing of the essential ideas intended to be expressed by' We expect more ardor and vivaCity of style in' honestly attend to those things which are nec­their


Master, stumbled and r!! urmu~ ed at tI!! s I Christ, so that we have truly received them, a Southerner than a Northerner. The Orientals essary to make them wise unto salvation, instead


l! 1nguage , But Christ r';! adily explained its I ought we not to be satisfied? I do not doubt have always spoken and written with so much of murmuring because they cannot readily un­meaning


in the fllllo~ ing words. " It is the Ithat we have got those ideas, ' throngh the re- boldness of metaphor and hyperbol~, that we ? erstand what can by no poss ibility profit them '


Spirit that quickenelh; the flesh profiteth noth- ~ orts of Matthe\ y and Luke; , nor do I doubt that Icannot understand them without great and con- If know~ to p, erfection,? But ~ grant that even


ing; the words that I spcak unto you, they are If we make a proper and faithful use of them, stant allowance. Then, the writers of the Bi. tho se thmgd m the Bible, wluch every person


Spirit and they are life ." lb. v. 63. Once more. we shall be just 118 wise, good and happy, as if Ible and the people to whom they first address- ought to understand, cannot be understood


" It is easicr for a camel to lTO throu'( Th the eye ' we had every identical W01' d and phra3e precise- ed' themselves were born and lived in a re- without diligent, patient and candid stndy. Is


, of a needle; than for a rich : man t~ ~ nt~ r . into I' Iy Il~ ~ hrist ex~ r~ ssed himself on that occasi~ n. gion ofcountry,' where the . scenery, the setisons, i! said, " Ihi s onght nllt to be ~ o; a revel~ tion


the kingdom of God." \\ hen Ius diSCiples For It ISthe ,' pint, not the mere letter, tllat glv- the productions of the earth, th e manners; hab- from God, ' should be so plain and ObVIOUS,


beard this, they were exceedingly ama, zed, say. Ieth light and life. . . .,' its and pursuits, together with the civil and re- t~ at the sli ghtest attention to it would be snffi­ing,"


who then can be saved,?" Matt'. ] 9 : 2., I 2. , We . sho. uld consider that the Bible was Iig- ious institutions- were all very dissimilar to Clent to s ecu~ e all its proffered benefits?" 1


2~. They construed the language according to Iwritten by many different persons. Now suppose ours. How mu~ t all the ~ e peculiarities ha ve af- cannot asscnt to such assumptions. They pre­t!.


Je, lnere letter; , but their Lo~ d present1! ~~ rr, ec- I fifty me~ of e. qual tale~ ts, equal knowledge, and fected and modified their language? How many suppose, that the great ~ on<: erns of religion, and


ted them. " With men," said he, II tillS IS Im- i equal Virtue, should write on the very same sub- proverbs and sayings originated, iu local and the soul s e~ ernal salvatIOn, have been set down


possible; but with God all things are possible." ; j ect ; could we expect them all to use the same Itemporary incidents, which no transl at ion can by the , Alnnghty at a value inferior to all o~ h.


lb. v. 26. , He meant only to say, in strong Iwords and phrases, the same order, the same style, b~ ing along with the text, so as to make us think er attamments. Does any one understand as­terms,


that it is extremely difficult for a man, the same modes of exposition and illustration? and feel precisely like those for whose instruc- tronoml/, by Inerely gazing up into the skies


' WhOlle heart is ~ evoted to the riches of this Surely not. If they were all divinely inspired tion the prophets and apostles spoke and wrote? now and then? or gramma,', by barely turning


worl~, to turn,. away from hi~ i,~ ol to, the love ' a~ d , in an equal degree we should not ' expect same.> The mountains, the seas, the lak es, and hrooks; ov~ r the l e ~ v, es ofa grammar bo~ k occasional.


JlerVlce of God; , because, where hIS treasure IS ness of the mere letter. We should expect the the valleys, the plains, the intricate passages, Iy . or m edl cl~ e, by casually looking at an apath­there


his heart is also. , Isam~ fU~ dam~ ntal subject maller, ' the sa, me. es- the fields, the' jvineyards! the fiuits, J the , s~ ed ecary's. est ablishment ? ? r mus ic, by hum~ ning


• In order to understand the SCrIptures, we sennaI Ideas, the sa rqe, great, truths, prinCIples time and harvest, were all more or less peculiar. over t\\ 0, or three tunes by rote? or trade, by


I spould con'sider , the following particulars ; , viz. Iand, se. ntil1ll1nts; but oth erwi3e abundant varie- The religion,' the worship, the Sabbath, the gov- only bUYing and selling iJ. few arlicles? or nav-


. l! That t. he.. language, ~ he ~ ere leller, the ity. Fifty lJ. Ien might have fi~ y differe~ t ~~ m- ernment, the whole structure ' of soci ety- all iJlatiol~, by , Ioo~ i ng at a few ~ es~ els nenr the


ve~ b,,~ eXprllsslon? f the B,. b. le, , IS human, Th, e Ipera~ ent.:, and fi, ve hundred ~ Itt! e peculiarities; Iwas different from ours. How then can we un- wha~ f, or agTlcultu. re,. or horticulture, or shoe­writers


1!' ere all human bemgs. , The very hO~ I- to dIverSIfy their apprehenSIOn, arrangement, derstand the ' Bible, without proper allowance for makmg, or blacksmlthlllg, or any, Ihlllg f l3e­Alst


and m~~ divinll. ly inspired Of" them spoke; and ex~ ression of th~ same idea~. '. j this difference of circumstanc, es, between those withou~ llluch painstak~ ng ? Can a I~ an learn


and wrote In mere human langua_ e- the . pre- _ · But m the productIOn of the BIble, I mean of> who first received its writings and ours elves? any tiling, become sktlful ID any tlung, excel


,: a. i: ling I. anguage) of their age an'd country.,~ i~ different , book~, we have more than fifty men


l


Nothine: can be plainer than that the Bible in any th ing, or be any thing eminent, without


They were, not insp\~~ d to use ~ ny other words, ....,... some of witom lived thousands of Yt'ars apart, I shou'ld alw ays be construed accor< Jing to thp. study, eftort, perseverance, aud determined pur.


phr~ s, and , lllpdes of ~ xpression, th~ n such , as Iand others at different periods be. tween the two ; evident spirit'of itS text, rather than ' the mere lel- suit? No. W. hy the~ should, th~ Biblo, nnd


wereeC?"! m\ ln to tl, lemselves and thel~ contem- eXlremes. Some of them were contemporaries, ter. " " , the soul. redeemlllg relIgIOn w/ llch It teaches, be


JI: OI'llriel•. , I ~ t~ ey ~ ad ~ een, others mu~ t. haye and s. ome knew no more of each other than Dr. I If this were universally done, how soon would made , so ch eap lind si~ T1ple~ as to require no


b; een eq'; Jally ~ nslll re d ID order ~ o understand Adam Clark knew of Josephus. Moses was the cavils of its enemies, and the sectarian con- cl03e and serl IJU3 attentIOn III order to under­them.


80 fa~ as they were divinely inspired, it ' born and educated in Egypt. Ezra was proba- " tentions of its friends, he hushed into silence? stand it? ' Vhy should the knowledge of God,


; was with t , thoulf~ ts" 3enl. fment3, principles , an. d bly born, '. or at least educaled, in Babylon. St. But now; we have' the reviler, s of the Bible ,,: ho made all things, cost less than every other


I~ e_~? t lDord8.. To expr~ ss those thoughts, Paul, was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, stretching. their ingenuity to construe its text in ' kl!! d of knowledge? Why should the art of


. entimeniS' prin~ ip, le" ' tpd , ideas , they ~ se~ five hundred years ' later in the course of time. ' such a manner as to render it supremely ridic u ~ living for a holy and happy eternity,-;- the , no.


nlere h~ man langu~ ge. , In d, oing so they did Thefirst wrole in Arabic, and on the borders of lous, : absurd, . and detest~ ble. While Oil' tl,,; blest of all arts- be made so attainable as to reo


not ac~ , tJ~, part of gra": l!?, hians " and philolo- the ' land of Canaan under peculiar circumstan. other hand, its pretended friends; and in ' lilany quir~ no effort? It is not so. It ought not to


gists. They" ;" e~ not c0! D ! pi~~ i? ned to cr!~ icise ees. The ser. ond wrote at J erusaJem, just after instances its really sincere though mistaken be so. W ~ might as well contend for uuiver­and


adjust the niceties of ~ i~ tion and styl ~. , I. t the seventy years . captivity in Babylon. The frie1lds, are zealously engaged in - twisting its sal change in the or~ er ofnature. It is a plain


, wu their, chief concern to communicate their third wrote in various places of the Roman em. ' parts , into the service of their respective creeds , and reasonable duty, that we search the scrip-


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Page 9 from Volume 1 of The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840