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generis. No expositors, or very few, have caught the full import, impressiveness, and spirit of Holy Scripture. In this respect Bengel’s Commentary is one of the best.” The Second Edition was published, 1759, under the revision of his son-in-law, the Rev. P. D. Burk, Dean of Kircheim. This Edition contained numerous exegetical and critical additions, from notes left by Bengel, never before published. E. Bengel, in the Third Edition, 1773, retained the exegetical portion of these additional notes, but transferred the critical portion of them to the “ Apparatus,” a Second Edition of which was now called for.
In the preface to his Germ. Version, he states it not to be his wish to prejudice Luther’s Version; that the Church has need of multiplied versions, and that their multiplication is sanctioned by the practice of the earliest times ; that he had been sparing of re- marks exclusively practical, because the Scriptures themselves supply every want of that kind. Should any one feel disappointed at not meeting with more edifying matter in the preface, he would observe, that “ a servant waiting upon guests at a great supper, who duly trims the lamps furnished by the master of the house, that they may burn the brighter, performs a more acceptable service to the guests, than if he kindled any single taper of his own to add to the light.” Even to the present time, Bengel’s Version continues to be used in many private devotional circles throughout the king- dom of Wiirtemberg.
His first expository publications were his Tracts on the Apoc- alypse, in various theological journals : next, in 1736, his “ Har- mony of the Gospels :” in 1740, his “Exposition of the Revelation of S. John:” his “ Ordo Temporum,” in 1741 : his Gnomon, in 1742 : his Cyclus, in 1745 : his “ Age of the World,” in 1746 : his “ Sixty Practical Addresses on the Apocalypse,” in 1747 : his “ Testimony of Truth,” in 1748 : his “ German New Testament,” at Stuttgart, in 1753 ; and his “ Vindication of the Holy Scriptures,” in 1755.
The object of his “Ordo Temporum” was “to exhibit the whole line of chronology which pervades the historical and prophetic books of the Old and New Testament, from its commencement to its ter- mination ; and thus to cumulate proof that the Scriptures form one beautifully connected and credible whole.” He showed, that as the many numerical specifications in Scripture have a claim to our at- tention, because they belong to Divine revelation, so they have a mutual connection, which conducts us on to the great final point — the day of Christ’s appearing : that he presumed not to foretell the last day, though many of his investigations seemed to touch upon it : that we ought not to think it is useless and dangerous to attempt determining anything about futurity, for that such a notion savoured too much of judging Holy Scripture by our own presumptions : that the reader should discriminate between what he stated as