appropriate positions and courses between the inferior planets. Some reckon upon having nearly ascertained their regular motions, so as to predict the time about which they will reappear. We can hardly imagine them to have no physical influence upon our globe with respect to heat, cold, moisture, drought, &c., but that they should forebode any political good or evil, is not to be supposed for a moment.

"Faith puts the children of God above comets and all natural phenomena, much as the Creator displays, in such things, his wonderful power and majesty. If we wish, for the strengthening of our faith, to take a look into futurity, the best information about things near to come or more remote in these last times, is to be found in the celestial system of Holy Writ, among the prophecies," &c.

VI. Correspondence with Marthius, relative to the interpretation of the Apocalypse.

Bengel having mentioned his apocalyptical discoveries, in a letter to his excellent friend Marthius, of Presburg, (18th April, 1725,) and having observed to him that the massacre which had recently been perpetrated in Thorn, at the instigation of Jesuits, had very much confirmed him in his views, by its happening just at that period, Marthius replied as follows:-

"Oct. 18, 1725.

"The MS.* which I think of sending you, contains a variety of painted figures emblazoned with the purest gold, which I must leave you, my dear friend, as a Greek cabalist, to decipher and explain. For at the end of your last letter you showed such a predilection for deciphering hieroglyphics of another sort, (prophetico-chronological,) that I may well imagine you will think it neither adventurous nor very difficult to unriddle here what to my poor understanding appears no mystery at all, or much too mysterious for me. You tell me that you hit upon your present views just about the time of that tragical affair at Thorn. By so saying, you furnish me with the key to what would have remained indeed a mystery to me, but is now no longer such; so that I think I may regard your discovery as more ingenious than correct. Nay, I am half inclined to reply to you as I lately did to a countryman of mine, who thought he could prove from the Apocalypse that what he called the Philadelphian period is just at hand. I said to him, 'These are but sickly dreams.' And indeed I must tell yourself, that persons who perplex themselves about

* See above, ch. iii. latter part of sect. 2, of this Third Part.

fixing the destinies of future ages, appear to me to be going beyond their commission, and to be led by more of credulity, than of faith. (Acts i. 7.) I write this, beloved brother, not from any disposition to be captious, but because I would not have your attention turned away from what we know to be most certain and important, in order to be given to what is less so. Certain and important, I quite concede, it is, that we are living in those last times of the world, of which our Saviour predicted that the love of many would wax cold; and that now more than ever have we to regard those positive admonitions of the Apocalypse and of Revelation in general, Remember! Repent! Believe! Press forward into the kingdom of God! Watch! Be zealous!' &c. All our personal Christianity and the success of our ministry are involved in the observance of these and suchlike admonitions."

Bengel replied:

"Nov. 2, 1725.

"Your last letter, my dear brother, relates to two things: first, a Greek MS., and secondly, research into future times; and I know not whether I am most pleased with your obliging readiness to help me to the former, or with the frankness with which you decline having any thing to do with the latter. In the same manner then will I endeavour to shape my answer upon both matters to yourself. I agree with you in valuing the Scriptures as a whole; and the New Testament as a whole; so as not to muse separately upon the Apocalypse. And as to the Apocalypse itself, I accord with you about treasuring up for personal use those imperative admonitions, Watch,' &c. Yes, these are of the last importance. Only as the Scriptures speak to us of something additional, as counting of number, signs of times, years, months, days, hours, and even half hours, and this surely not that such things should be always unknown; are we not to notice and consider them in conjunction with the above practical admonitions? It is true that we cannot arrive at the knowledge of what the Father hath reserved in his own power; but does it not become us to inquire into what he has set before our eyes in the sacred writings, that we may profit withal? What though many have undertaken to discover future events which they promised should transpire before now, thereby exposing their own ignorance; while many others have predicted great things for times still future, (as for about the years 1736, 1739, 1748, 1750,) who will very likely be found as ignorant as the former;

still I think the reason why mistakes of this sort have been made by sanguine and pious minds, will itself be gradually elicited by their very errors; which circumstance will eventually clear the way for the truth to come forth in all its glory and beauty. The massacre at Thorn, it is true, had taken place, when I alighted upon the apocalyptical inference which I expressed to yourself; but not a word had I then heard about that massacre: and I arrived at this inference not by mere reasoning, which often distrusts truth itself; neither by any shrewdness of conjecture, which is as apt to catch at what is untenable; but by yielding in simplicity to a better guidance. If I have any occasion to doubt, when I reflect upon these things, it is not because of the things themselves, but on account of the sense I have of my unworthiness to be favoured with discoveries of the kind. And yet it is possible, that the import of many passages of unfulfilled prophecy, which have been concealed hitherto from the excellent of the earth, may at length be developed by some poor unworthy individual. For lo, while persons, like yourself, have been confining their attention to the substance, but leaving the periods uninquired into, these seem to have been opened to me, as it were, in my very sleep. I would therefore affectionately invite and entreat you, my dear brother, to deem nothing unworthy of research, which the Lord may have thought worthy to be noted in his book; but rather to redouble the vigilance of your wakeful spirit, by turning your attention to the prophetic periods, especially as some trial of your faith may come next, even as you have undergone already some trial of your patience:* (Rev. xiii. 10.) Still, my dear friend, your brotherly and honest advice well deserves my grateful and affectionate acknowledgments; and may it assist me in maintaining all due soberness upon subjects which others have perverted into so many seductions to unholy curiosity, and thus in being mainly concerned about the principal business of my christian calling. I shall be gratified indeed by receiving the MS. you speak of; and assure you, that my curiosity will be not so much about its marginal embellishments, as about the text of the inspired word.

Let both of us, at our posts, do, publicly, as well as privately, just what is right in the eyes of the Lord. A single day spent

In passing through Prague, he had been informed against as a person connected with covert Hussites. This caused him to be arrested, deprived of his chest of books, and closely cross-examined. But after a few hours' detention he recovered his books and his liberty.

by catechists or ministers in their official engagements, is, in my own account, of more value than the labours of a month spent in mere scholar-like research. Still every man has his work; and the day shall declare it.

Marthius answered:

66

"Jan. 1726.

My dear Brother,—I have read your two last letters again and again, and my reply to them should be, I think, as follows. In the study of prophecy, and especially of the Apocalypse, we ought certainly to attend to its chronological computations, as well as to the subject-matter. But every attempt to determine its periods before-hand with accurate minuteness, appears to me like a curiousness which is inconsistent with Christian

sobriety. You say, God has determined the times before appointed, even to half an hour. True, but his reckoning, and ours, are not the same; (2 Peter iii. 8.) Nay, had you remembered that even human beings of different countries measure time differently, you would never have formed your present conclusions. Certainly every thing will happen at its predicted period; but Christ's first advent teaches us, that in order to know it exactly, we ought to wait till it begins to show its fulfilment by the event. As for what you have alleged by way of proof, I see nothing in it that you can safely rely upon. You say the inquiry is concerning one number which is to be obtained by means of another. But you might just as well have observed that the number to be taken as the standard of reckoning, is called the number of man, and stands in the denomination of six. Set it then down that it is the number of man, because man was created on the sixth day. Next see whether the word Aaréwos, or its correspondent Hebrew word n", will not give this number. But in like manner did the Huguonots find 666 in the name Ludovicus. What then are we to conclude? Surely either that all computation of this sort is very uncertain; or else, that the words must at present be taken more mysteriously, and not in that clear definition which my dear friend would affix to them. Hence he may easily conclude what I think upon the 'false prophet.' Grammarians speak of nouns proper and common; and I am inclined to class the word pseudo-prophet with the latter rather than with the former.

"Periods thus defined by human conjecture, have no effect to increase my spiritual vigilance; they are either too obscure for me, or too remote. The cry in Matt. xxv. 6, arouses me more;

FF

and well may it be sounded forth day and night at present. Surely, my dear friend, your own precious time may be far more advantageously applied to what is of greater certainty and of greater importance; at least, let me entreat you not to communicate any of your apocalyptical lucubrations for insertion in your commentary upon the New Testament. If you do this, you will contaminate and spoil the very best part of it. You will also get into unprofitable controversies, and be exposed to many a bitter sarcasm from ungodly men. Should no one else attack you, certainly Kohlreiff, who thinks very highly of his own knowledge of prophecy, will not spare you; and there are plenty of wasps besides, who will not be stirred by you with impunity. Let me likewise beg of you not to give your critical annotations too concisely, under the idea that your readers will take the trouble to think out all the meaning which you intend to convey in some two or three words. Your Prodromus has been very favourably received in this country: and it was readily agreed to lend you the MS. I requested for you. Let me beg of you one thing more, that you would get your work finished before I am called away from my frail tabernacle. The more you labour simply to the glory of God in singleness of heart, the more life and strength will he bestow upon you. Think that I embrace you with the tenderest brotherly affection; yes, with a love which constrains me to entreat the Lord to keep as far from you as possible all domestic and bodily suffering, and every spiritual suffering also; especially any feeling of tedium, leanness of soul, scrupulosity, doubt, despondency, &c., or whatever might harass and disquiet, though not oppress and overwhelm you."

Bengel replied:

May 9, 1726. "O that we could personally converse together about prophetic chronology! You would then, my dear friend, notwithtsanding your sober caution, allow me to be right in some respects, if not in all. It is a subject which I find cannot fairly be discussed between us in writing. How mistaken was I in hoping to despatch it by a few lines to you with my pen; whereas I have but superficially handled it altogether. Still what I have set down will, I think, partly turn out to be correct; and partly serve to prepare the way for further manifestation of the truth, when every thing in Providence shall by and by be matured for that purpose. In the mean time, my writings may help to set aside many a false notion and interpretation.