is THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
which some at the present day entertain. Even before the invention of printing, Scripture was entire ; nor has Divine Providence, ever watchful over Holy Scripture, bound itself down to the typography of the sixteenth century, the era, within whose narrow limits, the whole of the text defended by these zealots, was collected and defined.
19. We maintain, however, the purity and integrity of nearly the whole of the printed text, not because it has gained authority by its prevalent use, but because it excels in those Criteria which we have here laid down ; and we rejoice that such is the case.
20. The text of the Greek New Testament, which was printed by Frobenius,1 and, after Luther's death, by the Stephani and Elzevirs, differs frequently from Luther's version ; as may be seen, by referring to the table of passages from the New Testa ment, added to the Hebrew, Greek, and German Bibles, pub lished at Ziillichau.2 It is allowable, however, to embrace the genuine text with delight, wherever it agrees with that of Luther. We ought, indeed, laying aside all party feeling, to seek for an entire and unadulterated text ; which many, how ever, disgraceful though it be, care less for than a patched glove.
21. It would be highly desirable to produce an edition of the Greek Testament, in which the text itself should in every in-
1 Frobenius, or Froben, was a famous German printer. He was a great friend of Erasmus, and printed his works, as also some of the fathers, Jerome, Augustin, etc. — (I. B.)
2 Muthman and Steinbart had agreed to publish at Ziillichau, a German original Bible, with the Greek New Testament, according to Bengel's re vision, annexed, and had announced their intention, in proposals dated 1st Oct. 1738 : but they were so violently attacked from various quarters, re specting this appendage, that they changed their purpose, and, instead of the text of Bengel, chose that of Reineccius. By the appearance, however, of Bengel's defence, the alarm was so far allayed, that they applied to him to compose, for their work, a tabular index, displaying, in parallel columns, the more important variations between the text of Luther, the Greek text of Reineccius, and that of Bengel. This table was very serviceable in showing the correctness of Bengel's revisions ; so that none could help seeing, that they supported Luther's version much more closely, than did the readings, which had hitherto been most commonly adopted. — (I. B.)