Which Bible? by David Otis Fuller, D.D., Grand Rapids Publication
Price £1.00 per copy (post paid)
This is a most interesting book, and one which we believe is most worthy of the widest circulation, especially among those who love the old paths and are concerned to know something of the salient facts in the background of the history of our Bible, as the Word of God. This book, which is, in fact, a book within a book is concerned with the text of the Bible, from the earliest times to the present, and presents the case for the vindication of the text underlying the Authorised Version of the Bible, as distinct from that of the Revised Version of the same, and other modern versions as well. While the subject may be one of special interest to ministers and divinity students, who are required to study this subject as part of their training for their life work, nevertheless, we do feel that the book presents the facts connected
with the textual criticism of the Old and New Testaments, as this branch of theological study is called, in such a way as to make it interesting and instructive to the intelligent and serious minded layman, who may wish to know for himself how we came to have in our hands the Bible as we know it, in our own tongue.
As indicated above, this volume consists of a book within a book—the book in question is called “Our Authorised Bible Vindicated”, by Benjamin G. Wilkinson, an American scholar, who, until now, at least, is comparatively unknown as an author. It consists of ten chapters, which deal with such subjects as: The Bible adopted by Constantine and the Pine Bible of the Waldenses; The Reformers reject the Bible of the Papacy; The Jesuits and the Jesuit Bible of 1582; The King James Bible Born Amid the Great Struggles over the Jesuit Version; Three Hundred Years of Attack upon the King James, etc. It will be seen that the book deals with the subject of the transmission of the text in chronological order and the second last chapter brings the story down to the modern day and modern versions. Throughout the whole book, there is a reverent regard for the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God, which makes the perusal of the pages of this volume most refreshing to the devout spirit.
The remainder of the production consists of a series of papers by different scholars and authors on the subject of the text upon which the Authorised Version is based; among such are Dr Hills, who has shown himself to be a champion of the text of the A.V., as is to be seen in his book “The King James Version Defended”—he has a paper on “The Magnificent Burgon, Doughty Champion and Defender of the Byzantine Text—Dean Burgon, whose works are of such value to the study of the word of God, for those who believe in the Divine inspiration of the Bible. Mr Terence H. Brown, of the Trinitarian Bible Society, is another who has contributed a paper to this work; his subject is “The Learned Men” i.e. the Divines associated with the production of the Authorised Version. He gives a most interesting and instructive insight into the lives of these gracious and godly scholars, whose tireless labours, in the service of the Lord, have given to us this priceless heritage—a version of the Bible based upon the pure and unadulterated text, transmitted through the Church, under the superintendence of the Divine Spirit in Providence, down through the centuries.
We would recommend this book to readers of the Magazine. May the Lord own it and bless it, wherever it may be circulated.
A.M.C.
Right with God, by John Blanchard. Banner of Truth Trust. Paperback 123 pages, 25p
The Author of this small book is the first Director of Evangelism for the Movement for World Evangelization.
In the Introduction he says ‘It is a plain, straightforward book, showing how a person who is honestly seeking for God can find Him’. The book sets out to show that the Bible is the Word of God. From there it passes on to speak of God, and of man, dealing satisfactorily with the Fall of man into sin. The Author presents the answer to man’s need—Jesus Christ, the Saviour. In this chapter however, on page 75, he refers to 2 Corinthians Ch. 5, v. 21, and says—’That Jesus, in His death, became the personification of human sin’. This is not the teaching of the passage in question, and the phrase used by the Author is a most improper one to use referring to Jesus Christ. The only sense in which Jesus was made sin, is that He bore the guilt of sin imputed to Him, but this is not to say that He became the ‘personification of sin’. The book deals quite extensively with repentance and faith, the Author saying ‘let me emphasise man’s responsibility’. From this position one might be inclined to overlook the fact that there is no immediate reference to the Holy Spirit in this part of the book. I feel, however, that there is not sufficient mention made of the Holy Spirit and of our need of His work, throughout the book. The final chapter is titled ‘The Way Ahead’, and is written, not to seekers, but to believers. This is a very dangerous transition. A person might be led to think that all was well, when as yet he had not, in fact, found Christ.
I feel that this book is marred by these matters to which I have referred with an adverse criticism, and that anyone reading it should be aware of them.
M. MacI.
Should it be objected, as it has been by some, that “the sins of finite creatures can never require an infinite atonement”; I answer, that all sin is objectively infinite; it is infinitely evil, because it is committed against God, the infinite good; it offends infinite authority; an affront to infinite sovereignty; and abuse of infinite mercy; a provocation of infinite justice; a contrariety to infinite holiness; a reproacher of infinite glory; and an enemy to infinite love. From all which it appears, that every sin properly deserves infinite, or endless punishment; and likewise, that the death of Christ must have been infinitely meritorious, or it could never have averted this punishment.
Toplady.