tour, at the expense of government, through a considerable part of Germany, to qualify him the better for his important situation. This tour he commenced on the 7th of March, 1713, and completed it in September. He visited Nüremberg, Altorf, Erlangen, Kloster-Heilbronn, Coburg, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Weimar, Jena, Naumburg, Schul-Pforte, Weissenfels, Merseburg, Critz, Hanau, Heidelberg, Leipsic, Halle, and Giessen. He had intended proceeding farther into the north of Germany, but was deterred by the prevalence of a serious epidemic in those parts. He every where on his journey kept in view the great object of it, and made it his principal business to get well acquainted with the classical schools and other institutions of learning, in order to examine and compare their various methods of instruction, and the relative advantages of those methods; he obtained much interesting information for his purpose, and this the more easily, as a spirit of rivalry had arisen among the adherents to the old system, who disapproved of each other's particular plans as much as they agreed in opposing the new method of Spener and Franke. Their contention was briskly kept up in actual experiments, rather than in useless paper war, and turned upon the question, what they ought chiefly to teach, and in what manner. Spener's followers complained most of the neglect of Greek; that the Greek Testament in particular was too little even read, and still less explained by familiar remarks of grammatical, historical, and practical interest. They wished that young persons might be led on to their requisite attainments, not so much by the bare exercise of memory, as by that of the understanding; and their plan of education embraced, beyond that of others before them, a development of all the intellectual faculties, the formation of character, and above all, the fitting it for eternity. In their views of school discipline they differed from the standing method, as wishing that pupils should be always under vigilant inspection, as much during play hours and amusements as at school. Utterly disapproving of all needless restraints, and much more of every thing like harshness of authority, they desired only that serious spirit of watchfulness over the pupils' welfare, which, as proceeding from affectionate kindness and good sense, was best suited to promote in young persons an ingenuous, sober-minded, and consistent demeanour.

As this general movement upon education was very helpful to our inquiring tourist, in collecting the complaints, plans, and

opinions, of the most experienced tutors, so it brought on a similar stir respecting theological instruction. While controversies about pietism grew warmer in many of the German provinces, enthusiastic separatists rose into considerable notice in others, and elsewhere fears were entertained lest the followers of Christian Thomasius should trouble the church with their subtle questions and opinions about natural law. Bengel kept accurate notes upon every thing he observed of this kind for his own future use. Some of them are in the writer's possession, and they evince how calm, considerate, and impartial an observer he was, and how he endeavoured to turn all to account. Hence he visited seminaries widely different from each other in their private plans and in their public confessions of faith, and made himself well acquainted with the theory and practice of their respective managers, which he describes with so much unbiassed simplicity that one is struck with the beautiful combination of his ability and modesty.

As he found this tour profitable to his general knowledge, as well as to his official purposes, we will mention an instance or two of its importance to him in his future capacity as an author.

Through his acquaintance with Mr. Stark, a very reputable professor of Hebrew, in the Leipsic University, he was confirmed in his conviction that Helmontius and Neumann were quite wrong in thinking that any hieroglyphical importance belonged to the Hebrew alphabetical characters. Stark had very seriously apprised Bengel of the dangerous errors into which such a speculation might lead, and instanced several learned persons who had thus almost reasoned themselves out of common sense. Bengel congratulated himself long after on being able to say, "that he knew nothing of cabbala, nor of alphabetical mysteries, nor of influences in astrology, nor of angelic appearances."

While he was staying at Heidelberg, Dr. Minz, of that university, drew his attention to the canons of scripture interpretation which had been published by Gerard Von Mastricht, which Minz strongly recommended to him as a clue to the intricacies of New Testament criticism. Of what importance this became as a hint to Bengel will be seen when we come to notice his own critical remarks upon the New Testament.

He heard, while at Halle, some of Dr. Anton's lectures on the Apocalypse; and afterwards got the whole course of those

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lectures transcribed for him. Professor Lang also, of that university, drew Bengel's first attention there to Vitringa's "Anacrisis ad Apocalypsin," or "An Impartial Examination of the Different Opinions of Writers upon the Interpretation of the Apocalypse.' With that gentleman, as well as with other followers of Spener, he had several conversations upon those important developments of the kingdom of God, which they considered as approaching. These conversations suggested to his inquiring mind a train of ideas which formed the germ of his important system of Apocalyptical exposition.

CHAPTER II.

BENGEL'S RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

EXPERIENCE shows that those who attain to true practical piety are chiefly of two classes. The one, which is the least numerous, find their whole life pervaded by a tender conscience and intimate communion with God, the small beginnings of which may be traced to the very first forming of their minds, and which has characterised, though not always in the same degree, every period of their existence. With the other, and far most numerous class, this divine communion has had frequent and long interruptions, during which it seemed to have totally departed; but has suddenly reappeared through the mighty operation of divine grace. Thus it is only the latter who can speak of any particular time of their religious awakening; for the former have always been as it were awake, though they also have had their aberrations, stumblings, conflicts, and temptations; but they have always manifested themselves from their childhood as children of God, and have been accustomed to consider and feel themselves such from their earliest years. They have grown up all along like healthy plants, having profited by their heavenly Father's discipline, correction, and manifestations of love. The most important seasons of their growth in grace have never been attended with those vivid experiences or striking changes which others can remember, who have at some period of their life quite departed from the right way, and by long spiritual slumber have so lost sight of God's paternal character, as to enjoy nothing of it; or who, by frequent repetition of wilful sins and by confirmed habits of vice, have even trampled upon their birthright, and been found amongst his open enemies.

Bengel was from early life an eminently pious and enlightened Christian. That "the memorial of the just is blessed" may truly be applied to him. Though upwards of eighty years have elapsed since his death, his memorial is to this day greatly blessed among thousands, not only in his own, but also in other and remote countries; and every where is he esteemed as one whom few of his cotemporaries, and still fewer of succeeding times, have surpassed in scriptural acquaintance with the mystery of the gospel, and in faithfulness to light received. But to attempt to point out any period when his spiritual life began, or to fix upon any one particular season as that of his awakening to practical piety, would be nugatory; for the devout consciousness of being a child of God appears to have been possessed by him from the first dawning of his mind, and to have remained with him till the end of his course.

Before he was six years of age, when he lost his father, he enjoyed such communion with God, and such a strength of faith, as to be quite persuaded he "could have detained his parent in this life, had he believed himself directed to pray for that purpose." In these his earliest In these his earliest years "he had many clear, pure, tender feelings and stirrings in his heart concerning God; and the texts inscribed on the church walls of his native town, from the Epistle to the Romans, concerning death, sin, righteousness, the crucifixion, &c. produced in him as a mere child emotions of great joy and peace, and left upon him very profitable and lasting impressions.'

With this work of the Spirit of God within him coincided the religious instruction he received from others. "He enjoyed from his childhood the advantages of hearing and learning the word of God;" for his parents and instructors took pains early to store his memory with suitable prayers, scripture passages, and hymns. Presents of edifying books were given him from time to time as his mind advanced; and he would often purchase such books for himself with his little pocket money. These early favourites,* after he had become better able to value them, drew from him a grateful acknowledgment of "the kindness of Providence in putting in his way such things

Such as Arndt's "True Christianity:" Sonthon's "Golden Jewel;" Gerhard's "Sacred Meditations," (in Latin); Franke's and Schade's "Introduction to the Reading of the Holy Scriptures," &c. Beside books of this sort, the frequent preaching of the parish curate, the Rev. John George Unkauf, was greatly blessed to him.