full confession of faith, entitled, "Idea fidei Fratrum," or "An abstract of Christian doctrine as taught in the evangelical congregations of the Brethren:" which excellent book has served in a very gratifying manner to prevent any further uncertainty as to their peculiar mode of teaching. How far Bengel himself, and how far other persons of good or bad intentions, contributed by their animadversions to bring about this happy effect, is known only to the Searcher of hearts. Crantz, however, in his History of the Brethren, (p. 161,) remarks that "it may be truly said of some of those writers, that in many and various ways they were serviceable to the Brethren; as, for instance, in showing them wherein they had deviated, though not from the one only ground of salvation, yet from a simple and scriptural mode of teaching; and how they had inconsiderately, in some of their expressions and observances, given occasion of offence to the pure minds of many, who were not accurately informed respecting them. That this had led them deeply to humble themselves before God, and to use more forethought and circumspection in all they say and do."

But though it thus appears that Bengel was one of those who assisted in rectifying the church of the Brethren, at a very critical period of their history, and that hereby he contributed to their attainment of that manifold blessing which has crowned the labours of this church in many parts of the world very remote from each other; still it may be asked, as his opinions had such influence, especially with the religiously disposed, and as that influence, during his life-time, and for many years afterwards, almost excluded from the confines of Würtemberg the beneficial spread of a community, which has promoted so much good wherever it has made its way; whether he did not thus hinder an important blessing from accruing to his country. But, on the other hand, we may ask, whether Bengel and his associates did not abundantly make good any deficiency of this kind, by their procuring for Würtemberg more lenient enactments respecting private meetings, and more liberty of conscience for the exercise of religion in general; hereby effectually thwarting that spirit of separatism which had begun so fearfully to prevail, and obtaining free scope for a more effectual and various development of pure religion than other countries then enjoyed; whether this did not serve to promote there the kingdom of God, far more in respect of solidity, comprehensiveness and result, than if that germ of it which Providence, as it appears, had committed to their

own special care, had been consigned over to the charge of the United Brethren. And again, whether Würtemberg, at a season of very general defection in other countries from the ancient doctrine, did not possess such a blessing upon its regular ministry, and in most of its churches such a plenitude of truly vital religion, that abbot * Steinmetz might well say of it as he did, "Würtemberg is the apple of God's eye." Now had settlements of the Brethren been formed in it, and had they drawn into their own community all the friends of true Christianity found amongst us, and moulded them into their own form, especially that imperfect form which then existed, is it so likely that those eminent men of our own church who so excellently defended Christian truth at a time of such peril, would ever have made their appearance? How very many of those active and valuable persons who have helped to the propagation of true Christianity in Germany, and assisted in Bible and Missionary Societies, and in every good that has been effected by the revival of religion during the last twenty or thirty years, have grown up in the church of Würtemberg alone! Neither was it necessary that the kingdom of Christ should be furthered in one particular way, and by one particular instrumentality, in each and every country. Moreover, events have shown, that Bengel rightly observed of his own times, that "the period for concentrating all the good of our various churches was not yet arrived;" and he rightly taught, that to renounce all hope of further spiritual cultivation in the national church, to pluck up the few remaining plants scattered over its general field, and to set them close together in one furrow, would be quite unwarrantable.

"The church of Würtemberg is ruled by four superintendents, who are styled abbots, and thirty-eight rural deans. A synod is annually held in the autumn. Education, and ecclesiastical studies in particular, are favoured by laudable institutions, not to be found in any other country."-Pinkerton's Geography.

CHAPTER XVI.

HIS LESSER WRITINGS.

WE Conclude our account of Bengel as an author, with observing that, in the year 1724, Mr. Ritter received from him literary contributions for the "Life of Flacius." That in 1722, he composed some hymns for Samuel Urlsperger's "Instructions for the Sick and Dying," at that writer's request. That in 1731 he contributed some annotations on the New Testament, in German, to the editors of the Berlenburg Bible. That he also furnished to the "Pastoral Collections of Fresenius" some notices respecting pastor Gmelin; and began an Essay "On the wisdom of Christ's manner of conversing with his Disciples," the substance of which was afterwards transferred to the second edition of the Gnomon. He was solicited to compose a Gnomon for the Old Testament; as also, a System of Divinity; but he declined both, saying, "I rather indulge the hope, that my evening of rest may be at hand; so that I hardly feel competent to undertake works like these, or even a small proportion of them. All I do, appears to me more and more poor and defective; and it becomes the settled disposition and desire of my mind, entirely to sink into the free mercy of my God. Yet I could wish to furnish in my own language an exposition of the prophets, similar to that which Mr. Hedinger has given of the New Testament."

His thoughts on the preparation and arrangement of a Compendium of Divinity, are found in "Burk's Collections for Pastoral Theology," p. 841, &c. The most important of those thoughts are, that "the purest, most complete, and every way best divines, were the apostles and their immediate successors. For they were immediately enlightened in the highest degree (by the Spirit of God). If therefore we would have a correct idea of a true theologian, and of genuine theology, we must abstract all that has incidentally (and non-essentially) been superadded to it in the course of ages, by various modes of teaching, by errors, schisms, &c. That which constitutes a good

divine is, to be able to set forth satisfactorily, on every occasion, the ground and order, the plan and method of salvation; as well as to detect and avoid deflections and errors. The Scriptures comprise a compendious system both of history and of doctrine, ready prepared to hand. They are a depository for the church of God from the beginning of the world to the end of it. They treat of the origin, progress, and end of, the world; of the human race, and the church of God; and they show how the living God has, all along, by his doings and testimonies, progressively revealed himself in his omnipotence, justice, and mercy. Examples of a system of doctrine not embodied with the sacred history, may be instanced in the epistle to the Romans, and in that to the Ephesians; or in the first epistle of St. Peter. Each of these may be regarded as a methodical compendium of evangelical truth; in which the benefits we receive by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are inferred from the doctrine of the blessed Trinity. Appropriate heads for classification of doctrinal points may be found in many single texts of Scripture, as in John xvi. 8; Acts xx. 21; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. vi. 1, 2. Subordinate subjects may be respectively arranged under those heads, by first bringing together scripture testimonies relating to each. As to the best method of arranging topics or common places, perhaps we should begin with the simple text of Scripture, I mean, without any prolegomena or introductory remarks. For we want first to make out what all the several points of doctrine are; in order to decide which are fundamental, and which not. And then for answering the remainder of our purpose we have every requisite information by barely consulting the text of Holy Writ. See John viii. 24; xvii. 3; Gal. v. 2, &c. 2 Tim. ii. 18, &c. Each common place is to be distributed into theses or chief propositions; in support or illustration of which, select scripture proofs are to be adduced, their force pointed at, and the appropriate application made. It were a good addition, to insert refutations of errors opposite to each doctrine; having respect to whether such errors lie concealed in our moral corruption, or have been openly adopted by older or more recent sects: and in such refutations we might anticipate and remove those objections and shifts which are used for the defence of each special error.”

One of his last works was the Preface (dated 20th Oct. 1752) to the Gnomon which his son-in-law, (Ph. D. Burk, M.A.) had composed upon the twelve minor prophets. In this preface he shows the exact harmony prevailing among all the books of the Old and

New Testament; together with the grand comprehensive design in which they unite. He points out at the same time the distinguishing features both of the one and the other, all in his own concise and forcible manner. The last section is remarkably rich in great thoughts. "The Scriptures support the church; the church guards the Scriptures. When the church flourishes, the Scriptures are had in honour; and when the church becomes sickly, the Scriptures suffer by it. Whatever be the condition of the church at any period, the Scriptures are treated accordingly. This treatment has had its various periods ever since the earliest days of the New Testament. First, we have what may be called their hereditary or legitimate treatment; then, their moral treatment; thirdly, the dry way of handling them; fourthly, the revived; this last was succeeded by the polemical, the doctrinal, the demonstrative; after this, came the critical, the polyglottal period; the period of research into antiquity; the homiletical;but as yet there does not live in the church the scriptural experience, and scriptural knowledge, which the pure Scripture itself supplies; and this defect is owing to the wanton opinions in doctrine, which have grown out of the several treatments of Scripture above mentioned, and to our own blindness in the prophetic parts of Scripture. We are therefore called on to make a further progress yet, that we may arrive at that masculine and royal scripture knowledge, without which we cannot come up to the 'perfection' wrought in the man of God' by means of holy 'Scripture.' But before this will be attained, men will have to be purified through tribulation.' Meanwhile, let the present volume be made use of by those who believe that it may help them to acquire a saving knowledge of Scripture; and may the Divine blessing rest upon it, and upon its author!"

We close our chapter with a few subjects upon which Bengel meant to have enlarged, had he had time and opportunity. They are mostly but disputation theses; but, as they are characteristic of himself, so they may serve for useful thoughts to others.

"If I had to make a speech at discretion, I would choose for my subject, self-knowledge; a science which learned persons find in some respects more easy, and in others, more difficult, than it appears to the rest of their fellow-men. One of the most direct means of getting knowledge concerning ourselves, is to read what an opponent has written against us.

"A collection of those letters which Roman Catholics at