BEN 



239 



BEN 



According to Bengel, the Christian has not so much to wait 

 for death as for the appearance of Jesus Christ, and the 

 most important business for every man is to come from a 

 state of sin into a state of grace, and afterwards not to look 

 for death, but for the Lord. Death had originally no place 

 in the economy of God, and was only introduced afterwards. 

 Bengel did not think highly of the artificial mode of dying, 

 and followed his own ideas on death. He would not die 

 with spiritual pomp, but in a common way, and was em- 

 ployed to the last with his proof-sheets. It was as if he 

 was called out of his room during the hours of work. 



Bengel left a numerous family : many of his descendants 

 still remain, although six of his twelve children died before 

 him. His great-grandson Burk, a clergyman in the kingdom 

 of Wiirtemberg, published in 1831 a life of Bengel, which 

 contains more authentic statements than former biographies, 

 ami is about to appear in an English translation. 



The literary fame of Bengel has been principally esta- 

 blished by his excellent edition of the Greek Testament, 

 which excited the emulation of Wetstein, and facilitated the 

 subsequent researches of Griesbach, Scholz, and Lachmann. 

 His ' Novi Testament! Graci recte cauteque adornandi 

 Pnxlromus' was printed at Stuttgard, 1 723, 8vo., and also 

 at Tiibingen, 1734 and 1790; 'Cyclus, sive de anno magno 

 iSolis, Lunae, Stellarum Consideratio,' Ulm, 1745, 8vo. ; 

 ' Ordo Temporum, a principio per Periodos (Economise 

 Divinae,' Stuttgard, 1753, 1770, 8vo. ; 'Tructatus de Sin- 

 ccritate N. Test. Grace,' Halle, 1 763, 4to. ; ' Apparatus 

 Critirus Novi Testament!,' Tubing. 1763, 4to. ; 'Gnomon 

 Novi Testament! in quo ex nativa verborum vi simplicitas, 

 profunditas, concinnitas sensuum ccelestium indicatur ; the 

 iu-t edition was printed at Ulm, 1763, 4to., Tubing. 1773, 

 4to. His ' Introduction to the Exposition of the Apocalypse' 

 was translated by J. Robertson, M.D., Lond. 1757, 8vo. 

 This, as well as his ' Reden iiber die Offenbarung Johannis,' 

 have still their admirers, who see in the events of our days 

 the fulfilment of Bengal's Apocalyptical predictions. 



We translate the following extracts in order to show the 

 character of Bengel. 



' There is no stronger proof of the truth of the Holy 

 Scriptures, and of all relations, doctrines, promises, and 

 threatenings contained therein, than the Holy Scriptures 

 themselves. (Veritas sui ipsius est index.) Truth compels 

 us to adopt it; I recognise the hand-writing of a friend 

 without the messenger's telling me from whom the letter 

 comes; the sun is not seen by means of a torch, or any 

 other heavenly body, but from its own rays, although a 

 blind man cannot comprehend how this is. 



' The efficacy of the divine word is supernatural ; some- 

 times it overpowers, especially such to whom it is new ; it 

 unexpectedly captivates them and kindles faith in them 

 before they have thought what is faith, and why they should 

 give credit to it. This is something else than to be con- 

 vinced of human histories and mathematical proof. But 

 every one should endeavour to handle the word of God de- 

 cently, which is done if we search and examine everything, 

 and accept the truth as something desirable because it is 

 truth; and if we consequently obey the will of God and 

 call for his assistance, and by an endeavour to grow con- 

 stantly in the knowledge of our Lord, and to show to others 

 the right way. Those who do this obtain an internal as- 

 surance (John vii. 17, viii. 31, 32; Romans xii. 2) ; only 

 such as do this obtain true wisdom, communion with Jesus, 

 the seal of the Holy Ghost, and a foretaste of eternal joy. 



'The Holy Scriptures should be more read in the 

 churches. Ingenious ideas, ornamental figures, .audacious 

 conclusions, high, strong, and fiery words, falsely so called, 

 since they are cold as ice, are of very little moment; be- 

 cause if edification consist in admiration of fine inventions, 

 in a mental pleasure, and a gratification of the ears, the 

 very thing takes place which St. Paul calls to make the 

 of Christ being made of none effect. This is the 

 destruction which wasteth at the noon-day of our enlight- 

 ened times.* 



The Holy Scriptures contain, besides the foundation of 

 our salvation, many other precious materials. We should 

 not consider the Bible as a mere collection of passages and 

 examples, nor as separate remains of antiquity, but as one 

 whole of the divine economy with the human race in a 

 system which begins with the beginning and terminates 

 with the end of all things. Although every Biblical book 



bas 



""" to ' a> th<l1 "" U$Ual p 



is in itself complete, though every Biblical author has his 

 own style, there breathes nevertheless one spirit in all, and 

 one idea 'penetrates them all. It becomes us to consider 

 nothing as useless, because one casts constantly a light on 

 the other. 



' The experience of our days proves the evil consequences 

 of considering only parts of the Scriptures. Either there 

 arises a false outcry of salvation* and grace, which is the 

 case among the Moravians, who constantly dwell upon the 

 articles of passion t, or an over-statement of the natural 

 light, so as to reduce the Scriptures within the limits of 

 reason. 



' 1. Reason is a noble, excellent, and invaluable power, 

 wherewith man perceives divine and natural things within 

 and without himself. 



'2. But reason is miserably corrupted, and not only ex- 

 tremely ignorant, but also subject to doubt and error. 



'3. But man retains, in spite of this corruption, a great 

 preference over other animals ; he is not a horse or a mule, 

 but a man who can understand what is offered to him. 



' 4. Many things which reason understands were also 

 known to the heathen J. 



' 5. Reason is an organ of truth. 



' The Confession of Augsburg is, in comparison with other 

 productions of that obscure age, something great : the other 

 symbolical books also have so much internal value, that they 

 should be studied even if they had not so great an historical 

 importance. But confessions of faith should never be made 

 a barrier against a further progress in the knowledge of 

 truth : those divines who do this might command the sun 

 to stand still in a summer's morning at four o'clock because 

 there is light enough. 



' As man consists of body and soul, so also the divine in- 

 stitutions have body and soul ; let us take care not to mis- 

 take the glass for the spirit which it contains, nor the scab- 

 hard for the sword. The external events and the pro- 

 phecies form the bones of the canonical books, but their 

 spiritual doctrine is the muscles. The body cannot be without 

 bones, nor the Holy Scriptures without external events. 



' The book Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon are des- 

 titute of those external events, and are considered neverthe- 

 less to be canonical by such as find pleasure in the spiritual 

 only. But if we only consider our internal spiritual ex- 

 perience, without directing the attention to the manifold 

 or solid wonders of God in the whole world and his church, 

 we may easily fall into scepticism, therefore it is good not to 

 be exclusively occupied with such matters, books, and exer- 

 cises, which belong to the central point of the Gospel, be- 

 cause we become in this manner too delicate. The external 

 coverings are not in vain ; it is as with the sweet pea, which 

 becomes by far more perfect, especially fur seed, if we leave 

 it in the pod. The word of God is always delicious and 

 good ; but on account of the necessary human explanation 

 it causes sometimes an over-satiety. 



' The antients had an unscriptural opinion that all the 

 condemned should be saved by the united intercession of all 

 the saved, but this could not be termed the going into 

 eternal damnation. It is a hard saying, 'until thou have 

 paid the uttermost farthing ;' but this cannot mean an ab- 

 solute eternity, otherwise it could not be said until. 



' It is questionable whether the sum of sins committed by 

 the righteous will not be greater than the sum of all .sins 

 committed by the unrighteous, because the former sin in a 

 more subtle manner than the latter. 



If we knew how highly the unhappy departed spirits 

 value their temporal life, and now experience so bitter dis- 

 appointment, we should not fear spectres, which perhaps 

 are by far more afraid of the living than we of them. It is 

 best not to notice them, not to be presumptuous, not to in- 

 terfere with, nor to seek for them, but just to go on as if 

 they were not. 



' The apparitions of deceased persons have probably their 

 fixed period, after which they cease ; probably they continue 

 until all the ligaments between soul and body are entirely 

 dissolved. It is probably as with a fortress, if we are com- 

 pelled to quit it we must pass many gates and walls. For 

 souls which are sunk into impurity, it is especially dilficult 

 to be disentangled from the bonds of matter ; from the ex- 

 pression in the Revelations, chap, xviii. v. 2, " Babylon is 



(. e. The talking of those wlio tiiink In save and to be saved hy laying 

 T.onl. Ixrnl. 



t t. e. The doctrine of salvation by the sufferings of Christ. 



t It means that people even without revelation were elevated high abovt 

 brutes. 



