This commentary was soon held in such estimation by many in Holland, Denmark, and England, as well as Germany, that its second edition was called for in the year 1759, and a third in the year 1773. The second was published under the revision of his son-in-law, the Rev. Philip David Burk, M. A. Dean of Kirchheim; and the third was superintended by Ernest Bengel, M. A. the author's son. The three editions were also distinct works. That of Dean Burk contains numerous exegetical and critical additions, from notes by Bengel, left in his own handwriting, and never before printed. The third edition also contains the exegetical portion of these; but those which were critical, were transferred by Ernest Bengel to a second edition of the " Apparatus," which was now likewise called for; and he added to the Gnomon instead of these, an examination of the more recent objections which had been levelled at his father's exegesis; and particularly, of those published in the "New Theological Library," by Ernesti.*

A considerable variety of popular works, founded on the Gnomon, served to extend, both at home and abroad, especially among the laity, the usefulness of Bengel's exegesis. One of the earliest of these was published in London, a. D. 1755, by the Rev. John Wesley, M. A. (the founder of the Methodist connexion.) It was entitled, "Expository Notes upon the New Testament." Mr. Wesley remarks in the preface, that he "had intended to write merely a few notes of his own, from a simple consultation of the Scriptures; but that after he had become acquainted with Bengel, that great luminary of the christian world, lately gone to his rest, he altered his plan, because he was convinced that he should much better serve the interests of our holy religion by translating from the Gnomon, than by writing many volumes of his own notes. He had therefore given in English a great number of Bengel's excellent annotations at full length, and had abridged, and compressed the substance of many Subjects of pure criticism he had omitted entirely, but

more.

of it the inherent glow of its interior divine illumination."-Evangelical Church Chronicle, edited by Dr. Hengstenberg, of Berlin, vol. ii. p. 228.

Haman likewise thus expresses himself:-"I am at present studying with much benefit Bengel's Gnomon upon the New Testament. It is an exegesis altogether sui generis. No expositors, or very few, have caught the full import, impressiveness, and spirit of Holy Scripture. In this respect, Bengel's commentary is one of the best of its kind."-Haman's Works, vol. iii. p. 15.

A reprint of Ernest Bengel's (third) edition of the Gnomon, has been published at Tübingen, this year (1836,) in two handsome volumes, 8vo., under the superintendence of Dr. John Christ. Fred. Steudel.-TR.

had inserted the chief matters which could be excerpted from it. He had likewise received without scruple into the text, those readings which Bengel had noticed as most approved by the testimony of MSS. and versions, and had added that author's synoptical tables, which exhibit at one view the subject and contents of each portion of the New Testament. Of similar works in Germany, there were two in particular, which being got up in the same manner as Mr. Wesley's, considerably furthered the usefulness of the Gnomon. These were-1. "The New Testament, in Luther's version, accurately retouched after the original Greek, with expository notes." The revision of Luther's version, as also the notes, were obtained principally from Bengel's expository works on the New Testament. This work (in 4to.) was edited by Daniel Christian Gottlieb Michaelis, pastor of Lichtentanne, with a preface by Dr. Crusius, and it was printed at Leipsic, by U. Ch. Saalbach, in 1764. 2. " A Paraphrase of the New Testament, by Ernest Bengel, M. A., in 2 vols. 8vo. Tübingen, 1784." These two works were substantially alike; but the former follows the Gnomon in taking the text verse by verse; inserting sometimes expository remarks, and sometimes appending them separately. The latter embodies every explanation into a running paraphrase of the text; by which method, however, the reader is apt to be wearied. Both these works comprise the remarks of the Gnomon, with others from Bengel's different writings.*

Rosenmüller likewise, in his Scholia upon the New Testament, adopted many observations from the Gnomon.

II. As to his German Translation of the Greek Testament, he states with simplicity, in the preface, why he was at length induced to undertake and publish such a work. "That he had no intention it should prejudice that of Luther, neither was there any necessity that it should. That the Church has need of multiplied versions of the sacred writings. That their multiplication is sanctioned by the practice of the earliest times.

* A third work on the general plan of the Gnomon, but more free and original than the two above mentioned, as well as more exclusively for edification, was printed in 1828, at Tübingen, by L. F. Fues, entitled, " Reflections and Meditations on the New Testament, for Growth in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;" by Charles Henry Rieger, Councillor of Consistory, and Minister of the Collegiate Church of Stuttgart.-AUTHOR.

This work had remained many years in manuscript; in which state it was read at prayer meetings, by persons who revered the memory of its deceased author. From what the writer has seen of it, having read a considerable part of its harmony, and the Epistles to Timothy, it appears a singularly excellent work.-TR.

That Luther himself wished a great many more translations besides his own might become current in the Protestant Church. He then notices the principal requisites for any good translation; that as it ought to be made from a correct original text, so it ought to give the sense as complete in every way as possible, and to be as much in the vernacular idiom as the majestic simplicity of the sacred original will admit of; while the greatest care ought to be taken to lose none of its majestic simplicity in our common familiar phraseology. That in such respects a new translation, at least for private use, might be considered as wanting; for as Luther had such an imperfectly revised text to translate from, his version of many passages was not sufficiently close to the meaning; besides that many of his expressions had become obsolete. That he (Bengel) had now endeavoured to remedy these defects, and to produce a translation more exactly conformed to the original. To complete which resemblance, he had supplied annotations, which were further intended to edify pious persons in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he had been sparing of remarks exclusively practical, because the Scriptures themselves supply every want of that kind. As the common distribution of the text into chapters and verses had so long and so generally been adopted, and was of use for reference, he could not well omit it; but as it was manifestly faulty in many places, he had endeavoured to rectify it by proper breaks and paragraphs which would easily catch the eye. He had also prefixed to each portion of the New Testament a summary table of its contents. Should any one feel disappointed at not meeting with more edifying matter in this preface, he would observe, that a servant waiting upon guests at a great supper, who duly trims the lamps furnished by the master of the house, that they may burn the brighter, performs a more acceptable service to the guests, than if he kindled any single taper of his own to add to the light. That such was the service he here aimed at: for he had written this preface merely to show the use that may be made of his version and notes. But for those who preferred reading a regular introduction to the New Testament, or to real Christianity, which is the substance of it, he could write nothing better than what Arndt, Spener, Schade, Franke, and others, had written already. That these excellent men, following closely the plain directions of Scripture itself, had shown that it must be perused with prayer, with attention, with sincere longing for salvation, and with

genuine obedience of spirit and conduct; and that it was his own earnest desire and prayer, that those readers who were really seeking edification, might be disposed to study the pure text of the New Testament, with such a preparation of heart as the above writers had recommended.

Very manifold and extensive was the Divine blessing which accompanied this work. As in the year 1769, its second edition was called for; so in 1765, there had been published by an anonymous author, with a preface by Dr. Crusius, "The History of our Lord Jesus Christ, compiled from the Four Gospels, according to Bengel's Harmony and Version, and enriched with his Annotations." Likewise in the year 1766, there was published at Stuttgart, "A Scriptural Manual of Devotion," by the Rev. W. F. Schaber, M. A., a parochial clergyman. This work consisted of the short ejaculatory petitions, &c. which were interspersed among Bengel's annotations. An edition of Luther's version of the New Testament, with Bengel's annotations, was also published at Tübingen, by Mr. Hartmann, in the year 1767, &c. And even to the present time, Bengel's own version continues to be used in many private devotional circles throughout the kingdom of Würtemberg.

CHAPTER XIII.

HIS THOUGHTS ON DOCTRINAL AND PRACTICAL SUBJECTS, SET DOWN APART IN THE COURSE OF HIS EXPOSITORY RESEARCHES.

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We learn from his "Principles of Exegesis," noticed in our fourth chapter, that conscientiously as he adhered to the confession of the Lutheran church, he thought nothing ought to forbid our continually endeavouring to gain a still purer and more perfect knowledge of revealed truth; that he could not be responsible for the correctness of all and every interpretation put forth in our symbolical books; and that he reserved to himself the rightful liberty of uttering any further truth which he might find disclosed to him in the holy Scriptures. It was by researches conducted under this sense of duty, that he found reason to embrace the doctrine of a scriptural millennium, together with other sentiments theoretical and practical, the chief of which may be seen in the following detached extracts.

"The Apostles' Creed consists of two parts. The first treats of the Trinity: the second of the Church, and of the divine blessing attached to it.

"The words Godhead and Divinity, have not precisely the same meaning. Godhead, signifies the divine essence; Divinity, the glory and dignity belonging to it, and, strictly speaking, to it alone.

;

"The word 'holy,' properly means separated, or set apart; and, when applied to God, it denotes his own incommunicable excellence; that brightness of the glory of his essential attributes, which in a manner throws all creature-essence into the shade and in which he always abides infinitely apart and distinct, not only from whatever is impure, but also from whatever is created. The divine holiness is therefore synonymous with the divine majesty. When the words holiness and glory, which singly are often used in one and the same signification, are coupled together, then the word holiness expresses God's hidden and unsearchable excellence; and the word glory denotes the revelation and display of God's holiness to his rational creatures.

BB