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p162 E L Bevir, You have a more favourable opinion of the Revision than I have. It is not that many passages have not been rightly corrected - many as I did myself, so that I cannot complain; and I think there are many well composed. But there is, it seems to me, no acquaintance with the mind of God, and great fundamental truth lost or marred. Look at Romans 1: "a righteousness of God by faith," is not known to scripture. It is "revealed by [on the principle of] faith." So (Col. 1:16) "in Christ all things were created." They are wholly ignorant of the commonest force of ἐν in Greek: so again: "Grieve not that holy Spirit of promise in which you are sealed." (Eph. 4:30.) Now all this baffles a plain man, and on fundamental truths; and the word of God is for plain men. They are wholly ignorant of the force of English tenses; as the difference of 'saw' and 'have seen.' Both are past, but the shade of difference practically often of importance. They have not an idea of 'have.' The English auxiliaries vary the force without changing the time, or have two times, the participle and verb. 'Has' is present; 'was' present at another time, known from the phrase, not the word. I was comforted when it came out, finding several things good, and though the criticism of the Greek text vulgar, and the fashion, yet what was infidel or loose avoided. But when I read a chapter or two, I found it, with just corrections, for practical use a total failure. The Americans have generally the advantage of them. . . .

The brethren were going on with top-gallant sails set, and that does not do for us; but God has been separating the precious from the vile, and He does well what He does - better than man. I have undiminished confidence in the result. The Lord is doing what He made my motto in starting, Jeremiah 15, "If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth." He will, He must, accomplish His own purpose; may we be found only in the way of it.

I have been in sight of death, so to speak, and it was a useful experience as realising things; but I am a great deal better, though broken in physical strength, thank God not in mind. I find my service of God poor, as in me it all has been, and Christ indeed now everything.

July, 1881.

[53138E]

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