annexed* to his

Herein

Chrysostom on the Priesthood. he states that he had resolved to publish under the title of GNOMON, an exegetical commentary upon the New Testament; and besides this, to prepare upon it a critical work in which special use would be made of the labours and suggestions of Walton, Fell, and Mill; (whose bulky publications, not having been reduced to any popular form, were then but little known in Germany;) also of the most recent works of Gerard von Mastricht of Holland; of the German critics, L. Küster and J. C. Wolf; and of Bengel's own collations of manuscripts, newly discovered. He announced his design here to reprint carefully in the Greek text, whatever, as belonging to it, had been most approved of and confirmed by preceding editors; and to insert in its margin such of the most interesting lections as had been hitherto confined to manuscripts. Moreover, as Stephens's references, with his divisions of the chapters into verses, betrayed too much haste, and were very unsatisfactory, especially in the Epistles of St. Paul, he intended to use his best endeavours for supplying something better of the kind. Likewise instead of Gerard von Mastricht's forty-three canons, he purposed to give a single canon of his own, which should be perfectly simple, consisting of four words only, and admitting of general application. He added, that he had not lightly undertaken a work of such difficulty and liableness to misconception and detraction; but that, having been first impelled that way by official emergencies, he was persuaded at length by friends to prepare for publication what, after ten years' painful suspense, had served to set his own mind at rest. Finally, though he had materials, he trusted, already sufficient for real usefulness to the public, yet feeling it his duty to give the work as much ripeness and perfection as he could command, especially as having undertaken it for the honour and glory of Christ our Saviour, he was induced to request that those who had the means and facilities, would promote his access to additional materials, exegetical or critical, by at least informing him where such rare materials might be found. If any should scruple to risk these literary treasures from their depositories, he begged leave to remind them, that though it is not usual to expose such valuables to hazard, especially out of public libraries, they are equally liable to be damaged or destroyed by fire or water though locked up at home;

This tract is also found in the Appendix to his "Apparatus Criticus," 2d edition, p. 625, &c.

whereas, they may be preserved uninjured, while travelling abroad under the eye of God, for whose honour and glory they should be sent forth, &c.

Copies of the " Prodromus" became circulated with his Chrysostom, through many a city and country; nevertheless he got several hundred others printed apart, and distributed wherever they were likely to answer his purpose. Various friends were

active in circulating them, but especially Weissensee, who here most kindly availed himself of his extensive connexions abroad. But at many a door the knock was given in vain, especially at the Theological seminaries of Upper Suabia; the answer was, either, “we have nothing at all of the kind;” or, we have no access to the libraries." Even from Halle no other encouragement was returned, except a hint which led to the discovery of a valuable collection of ancient MSS.* But such disappointments only enhanced the helps which arrived from other quarters, and which were as follows:·-

P. J. Crophius obtained him the use of seven Strasburg MSS., more or less perfect. The seventh supplied important emendations for the text of the Apocalypse.

Zachary Conrad von Uffenbach, a member of the Senate of Frankfort, furnished him with four Greek MSS. of different books of the New Testament, and two MSS. of the ancient Latin version.

J. C. Iselin and J. L. Frey, of Bâsle, engaged in collating for him three Greek MSS. of their university library.

Matthias Marthius, the Lutheran pastor at Presburg, procured him, of the ecclesiastical council there, the loan of a beautiful vellum MS. of the four Gospels, which had once belonged to Prince Alexius II. Comnenus, (Emperor of the East, A. D. 1180.)

George Bernard Bülfinger, M. A., who was at that time in the service of the Russian government (afterwards a President of Consistory in Germany,) having obtained permission of the Archbishop of Novogorod, and from the Synod of Moscow, employed, under his own superintendence, Fr. Ch. Gross, to collate a Muscovy MS. of the Greek Testament, containing many a lection quite peculiar.

Christian Weiss, of Leipsic, sent an accurate collation of seven Latin MSS., which all belonged to the library of that city. The ducal library at Stuttgart, and the imperial city library at * See below, in his correspondence upon literary subjects.

Reutlingen, furnished Latin MSS. for collation; and Maturinus Veyssiere de la Croze sent a careful selection of the most important passages of the New Testament from Armenian and Coptic MSS., which supplied deficiencies in Mill's collations of those passages. Other materials of inferior importance we here omit to mention.

SECTION III.

WETSTEIN, BENGEL'S RIVAL.*

While Bengel was making this valuable collection of critical materials, and was already engaged in collating and arranging, "a vigorous and active young man, who possessed more than a common share of various knowledge and attainments, began," says Leonard Hug, "to entertain thoughts of getting the start of the Würtemberg theological tutor. His name was John James Wetstein, of Bâsle." He was born there on the fifth of March, 1693; became a divinity student in the university of his native city; applied himself early to the study of criticism and antiquities; and at the age of twenty, with John Lewis Frey for his moderator, held a public academical disputation on the various Readings of the Greek Testament, in which he maintained the practicability of ascertaining the pure reading of the original text, perfect and complete. He afterwards made for the purpose an extensive tour in foreign countries, chiefly in France and England, during which he examined and collated many MSS. of the Greek Testament, and a considerable number of versions. Being in London in the year 1716, he there became personally acquainted with the learned Richard Bentley (a friend of Mill, who died in 1707), and informed him of the critical apparatus he had collected. He was urgently advised by Bentley to undertake an edition of the Greek Testament; but, excusing himself as being so young a man, and for want of time on his tour, he offered to Bentley, if he would undertake it himself, the use of his whole apparatus. This inclined Bentley to set about it, and Wetstein, on his return to Bâsle, sent him other materials besides, from the libraries of that city. Bentley now issued pro

* Upon this subject, and for comparison with our account of Wetstein, we refer the reader to a book entitled, "Joh. Jac. Wetstenii Prolegomena in N. T.,” ed. Joh. Salom. Semler, Halæ, 1764, p. 476, &c.; and the Acta, or "Discussions and Proceedings respecting the Errors of J. J. W." &c., Bâsle, 1730-4.

posals for his intended publication, which were accompanied by a specimen of it. This was in the year 1721. But notwithstanding that engagement to the public, and his being thus amply provided with collations of MSS. from France, Holland, and Italy, no such edition ever appeared; for Bentley had fallen out with his coadjutor, Conyers Middleton, and could not keep upon the best terms with Wetstein himself; but the chief obstacle was his disgust at having been refused by government a permission to import from France the paper he preferred for printing the work. Bentley's undertaking being thus abandoned, and Wetstein having the critical collections again at his own disposal, the latter was earnestly solicited by his relatives of the same name, who were booksellers at Amsterdam, to prepare those criticisms for insertion in a reprint, which they were about to make, of Gerard von Mastricht's edition. At their instance, and with encouragement from the above-mentioned John Lewis Frey, he began with renewed activity to increase and arrange his materials. This he did especially from the year 1726 (the third year since the publication of Bengel's Prodromus,) when his brother, Peter Wetstein, who had just returned from Amsterdam to Bâsle, entreated him, in the name of their Dutch relatives, to oblige them by immediately preparing and forwarding some specimens of his work, together with his Prolegomena, that they mght without delay advise with other learned friends upon the subject. The Prolegomena, with these specimens, were published in 1730 anonymously; but this precaution did not secure their author from three years' persecution on account of them, particularly at Bâsle, his native place. Of that persecution we shall relate a few particulars, and how it originated; because it will show the suspicion with which critical works upon the New Testament were regarded in those days, and how desirable therefore it was for the advancement of sound knowledge, that a person of Bengel's approved piety should just then have been engaged in this sort of criticism, as also what reason there was for all Bengel's modest caution about it. The originator of Wetstein's persecutions was the same Professor J. L. Frey who had been the first to encourage his entering upon enlarged critical pursuits; who had procured him opportunities of giving public lectures on the Greek Testament; and had maintained particular intimacy with him up to the year 1728. Wetstein, in his own account of the controversy, has not explained why the professor became so suddenly altered towards him. In assuming that Frey allured him to the field of

town into the controversy, having proved ineffectual, his opponents managed to get possession of memoranda which the students had taken down at his Greek Testament lectures; and from what these notes contained upon doctrinal points, they contrived to frame such accusations as led to his being summoned to submit the whole mass of his written criticisms to the Senate's inspection, and to answer personally to a long list of objectionable tenets which he was accused of maintaining. Compliantly and adroitly as he replied to every question, it was at length decided, that he taught opinions adverse to the doctrinal system of his church, that he inclined to Socinianism, and even favoured the views of Rationalists. For instance, that though he admitted the inspiration of the Scriptures, he held their infallibility as relating only to principal matters. It was further proved against him, that in his public lectures and discourses he had spoken too freely about scripture obscurities, and of the common people's inability to understand them; that he had ridiculed in certain companies the belief of satanical existence; had explained away demoniacal possession as nothing more than a physical malady; and had acknowledged that in catechizing he had designedly passed over those passages of Scripture wherein the devil is mentioned. That in a sermon upon the tenth Commandment he had expounded concupiscence as a thing not sinful; that in his church prayer he habitually omitted the expression "making satisfaction," under the pretext of its being a difficult expression; and that the most suspicious part of his conduct, was his having forbidden his students to deliver up the notes they had taken of his lectures; and his having made alterations in such parts of them as he thought would give offence. These proceedings against him issued in his being suspended from the ministry, and he went away to his relatives in Holland, where the Remonstrants appointed him to the rectorship of a high school, as successor to the aged John le Clerc, upon condition that he should previously return to Bâsle and retrieve his license. He complied; and having prevailed with the Senate to rescind his suspension, on the 8th of October, 1732, he was again declared capable of ecclesiastical functions. Nevertheless, his controversy with Iselin and Frey did not end here; for remote from them as was now his place of residence, they so kept up animosities, that Wetstein declared it was owing to their opposition that the publication of his Greek Testament had been delayed for at least twenty years.