But he who conscientiously, and simply "for the Truth's sake," endeavours to make farther advances in the knowledge and confession of the Truth, must not expect to be exempt from trials and temptations. For if his attention respect the things taught, rather than the persons who teach, so that he cannot suffer himself to be influenced by any respect of persons, it will be impossible for him to avoid giving offence in one way or another. This, at least, has been my own experience.

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Every Divine communication carries (like the diamond) its own light with it, thus showing from whence it comes. No touchstone is required to discriminate it. It comes, indeed, with additional and more immediate demonstration of the Spirit to the faith of him who receives it cordially; but its general demonstration is given as a precious deposit to the church at large, and abides as such in the written Word.

"We ought immediately to apply ourselves to learn whatever, by diligent research in the fear of God, and by calling upon Him, we may become enabled to learn; we ought to do this at once, rather than delay under the notion of waiting for extraordinary illumination or influence; lest by and by we should come to fancy that we want neither book nor human teacher. Under the New-Testament Dispensation, God bestows his Spirit upon men, that they may first prove all things for themselves, and then freely proceed to the business before them. He does not bestow and then take away, but he bestows for our accumulation; and so he continues to bestow and to add. On man in general he has conferred intellect and reason; these he does not take away or supersede in the person whom he converts and enlightens, but will have him make use of them. He has moreover given the Bible. This also we are to make use of; and in so far as this may suffice, he bestows no additional revelation.

"What is commonly styled Lutheran orthodoxy in the present day, deviates in many particulars from the Old Lutheran divinity. Hunnius, Grawerus, and Calovius contributed much to this deviation; and their rigid and nominally orthodox followers in more recent times, at Wittenburg and Hamburgh, once wished to draw up a new confession, that might serve to get rid of the Pietists. (This was acting in character.) Moreover, the nominally orthodox cannot call us in question upon points left undecided in a church confession, however offensive they may find them. And yet, the Augsburg Confession is a great work, considering the dark times in which it was drawn up. The other confes

sions also are of such a tenor, that they ought to be studied, if only on this account, independently of their historical importance. But never let them be converted into barriers to stop the increasing stream of divine truth, which surely ought to swell and spread more and more as time advances. Unreasonable would it be to wish the sun not to mount up from the east, because we had light enough to read by at four o'clock in a summer morning.*

“It is one unquestionable principle of exposition, to introduce nothing into the Scriptures, but every thing from them, and to overlook nothing which is really contained in them. Indeed, the longer we live, the more occasion have we to beware of our own hearts, our busy minds, and our imaginations; and to keep close to the simple word of God. We must be particularly cautious of nursing every thought or idea that is started within us, however conformed to Scripture it may appear; and we must never lose sight of the connexion and analogy of revealed truth as a whole. Especially requisite is care of this sort in studying the Apocalypse, wherein most expositors have erred by confining their attention to distinct portions, and interpreting these by their own imagination; instead of taking the whole book together, and attempting the interpretation of one part by its connexion with the rest. Again; some methods of exposition are too controversial-others too mystical or allegorical. But the true commentator on divine revelation will fasten his primary attention upon the letter, (literal meaning,) but never forget that the spirit must equally accompany him.

"There are ascetic persons of strong feeling, who indulge in mystical meditations; others of an opposite character, are all for book learning, and absorb themselves in erudition. These two classes heartily revolt at each other. I am something between both, and please neither of them; being regarded by the former as a mere scholar, and by the latter as a mystic and enthusiast. It is all very well, as it shows that I am not aiming to have glory of men ;' for we read of some who have their reward.'

"We must never devise a more spiritual meaning for scripture passages than the Holy Spirit intended; but, considering God to be virtually addressing us in his word, we should concern ourselves first to understand Him, and then how to communicate it to others. He is great, and past finding out; no wonder then that he does not teach us every thing in this life, which is but a

*

Compare (above, Part II. ch. i. 10.) Bengel's letter on Subscription to the Symbolical Books, Confessions, &c.

pilgrimage; though he discloses enough for our direction and progress. More than this would not be useful just now; it is reserved for home.

"If we wish to be wise above what is written, or to know more upon scripture subjects than what the Scriptures, as a whole, give out to us, we depart from the word of the Cross, from the simplicity of faith, and from what qualifies us for assisting to make wise the simple.'

"Many habituate themselves to such a sort of inward feeling, and peculiar mode of expression, upon secret and mysterious subjects, that their understanding loses its susceptibility of inference and proof, however conclusively drawn from the sure word of prophecy, or from facts of history. But nothing is too external for minds in a spiritually sound condition; they can bring themselves to converse with any of the revealed works and footsteps of God. To regard any thing of the kind as nugatory, would, in their account, be to find fault with the Holy One of Israel.' As in every point and waving line of creation and providence, so in every jot and tittle of the written word, yes, in every bearing of both, however seemingly unimportant, they can learn to find some force and significance of its own.

"The properties of Scripture may be summarily enumerated as follows:-1. All of it is clear and intelligible enough to persons who sincerely desire to conform the heart and life accordingly. 2. The word of God is found to be of special effect upon the human heart, for conviction, conversion, instruction, and comfort, in all ages and nations; and hereby evinces-3. its Divine authority; whence it follows-4. that it is the standard for determining every controversy in matters of faith. 5. It is perfect, as containing whatever is necessary to be known and believed in order to salvation. 6. It is also profitable, as containing nothing irrelevant or useless. 7. The providence of God has watched over it, so that it retains its purity unsullied, and can be enjoyed now, as it ever could be from the beginning. "The means and ordinances of grace have a twofold respect to the compound nature of man. This twofold respect is something which, God having joined together, we must neither sunder nor lose sight of; but we must not mistake the transparent substance of the precious but earthen vessel, for the substance of its more precious and heavenly contents; nor the glittering and wellconformed scabbard, for the sharp two-edged Sword of the Lord.

"The historical matters of Scripture, both in narrative and

prophecy, constitute, as it were, the bones of its system; whereas, the spiritual matters are as its muscles, blood-vessels, and nerves. As the bones are necessary to the human system, so Scripture must have its historical matters. Yet it is precisely because these are not found in the apocryphal book of 'Ecclesiasticus,' and in that called the book of Wisdom,' that these books have been mistaken for canonical, by those who can enjoy nothing but what to them appears exclusively of a spiritual character.

"If our observation be confined to our own spiritual experiences, and we take no notice of the manifold, wonderful, and massy exhibitions which God gives of himself in the grand total of the world and of the church, it is easy to raise questions upon every thing. So, if we have nothing to do with any book, inquiry, or exercise, except such as run upon subjects specifically religious, we contract a wrong, because delicate and morbid, habit of mind. Externals, like the integuments of vegetables growing or gathered, have their use. Lay by some sorts of seed in the husk, and they dry all the better for it, and are much fitter for sowing.

"The sum, then, of the above remarks is-1. That the Holy Scriptures are the sole repertory of that complete system of truth which man, as a being appointed to obtain everlasting salvation, needs to be acquainted with. 2. That every, even the minutest, scripture detail has its importance in the structure of revealed truth; and natural reason has often the power of seeing and tracing that importance, but never the power of choosing or rejecting any such matter at pleasure. 3. That the expositor who nullifies the historical groundwork of Scripture for the sake of finding only spiritual truths everywhere, certainly brings death upon all correct interpretation. 4. That the Scriptures best illustrate and corroborate themselves; consequently, those expositions are the safest which keep closest to the text. 5. That the whole power and glory of the inspired writings can be known only to the honest, devout, and believing inquirer. 6. That much in Scripture is found to stretch far beyond the confines of reason's natural light, and far beyond even our symbolical books. Still, whatever of the kind is evidently declared in Scripture, ought to be received as a part of the system of divine truth, notwithstanding all reputed philosophy, and all reputedly orthodox theology. On the other hand, every theological notion, which is not evidently deducible from Holy Scripture, ought to be regarded with religious suspicion and caution.”

It is hardly necessary to say, that such sentiments as these rest upon a thorough conviction of the real inspiration of the Scriptures. Bengel, however, considered their divine inspiration as distinguishable into two kinds. He says "The kind of inspiration vouchsafed to the apostles, appears somewhat different from that imparted to the prophets of the Old Testament. The age of the prophets may be regarded as years of minority—that of the apostles, as the period of riper years. To the former was dictated every word they were to speak or write: the latter had greater scope in this respect; still, their writings are as much the word of God,as are those of the prophets. Even in our own meditations, we can feel how easily the appropriate words for expressing them will come of their own accord. Thus, the very thoughts with which God inspired the apostles, furnished them at once with competence and propriety of expression; else, how could they, as 'unlearned and ignorant men,' have had the command, which we see they had, of language so full, beautiful, and every way appropriate. A minister of government may have two secretaries: one a mere writing clerk, to whom every word is dictated; the other well acquainted with his lord's mind, and thus enabled to express it accurately in words of his own; so that what he has thus expressed is as much the will and pleasure of his principal, as if it had been written by verbal dictation."

*

Having seen upon what principles of exposition Bengel proceeded, let us just notice him as making use of them in his study. Here we find him surrounded with the choicest works of those who preceded him in the same department of knowledge. For though he was not rich, and in pecuniary respects his authorship did very little for him, he laid out much of his money upon books; but he had always the prudence to expend it principally upon such as were the most valuable for sound learning, and at the same time the most scarce. Those which he wanted only for once reading, and such as he could conveniently borrow, he did not purchase, but made from them accurate extracts, which he neatly arranged in common-places. As it was not, however, his "care to get together a mere assemblage of other men's opinions,

He once said "It is well that I am not thus working for my bread, or I should long ago have been obliged to take to some other business."

He said "I certainly could have spent a less quantity of money in this way; but we do not live by money; neither does the respectability or credit of a family absolutely depend upon money."