The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the OldEnglish, George Bethune
Religion
The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old
English, George Bethune
Rationalism
Paul says, Gal. iii, 10:--"For as many as are of the works of the
law, are under the curse; for it is written, Deut. xxvii. 26, ' Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of
the law to do them.'" And he interprets this to mean that all
mankind, Jews and Gentile, are liable to damnation, (except those
who are saved by faith) because no man ever did continue in all
things written in the law. Now, in the first place I would observe,
that Paul has inserted the word "all" in the passage he quotes from
Deuteronomy, (in the original of which it is not) in order to make it
support his system; for the whole of his argument is built upon this
one surreptitiously inserted word. 2. The words according to the
original are simply these:--"Cursed is he that continueth not the
words of this law to do them;" i. e.,--He who disobeys, or neglects
to fulfil the commands of the law, shall be under the curse
denounced upon the disobedient. But who would conclude from
this that repentance would not remove the curse? Does not God
expressly declare in the xxx. ch. of Deut., that if they repent, the
curses written shall be removed from them? And have we not
innumerable instances recorded in the Old Testament, of sinners,
and transgressors of this very law, received to pardon and favour,
upon repentance and amendment? So that this argument founded
upon an unwarrantable undeniable interpolation, and supported by
bad logic, is every way bad, and insulting to God and his (by Paul
acknowledged) word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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