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has always been mindful of his own moderation towards me ; and all, as I hope, will understand that I also have accurately preserved the laws of moderation. The Exegesis , of which by far the better portion is contained here, proceeds on the same plan. Wherever I have not been able to exchange my own sentiments with the opinion of others, competent judges will, as I hope, recognise not obstinacy (for a senti- ment which has been already carefully weighed, through many doubts and considerations, is less liable to change), but love of the truth. And the same persons, when they shall have considered what foun- dations I first laid, and when they shall have duly weighed what I have replied to doubts put forward from various quarters, will perhaps determine that a suitable defence1 of other passages also, which no
1 The departed has not been disappointed in his expectation. After his death he has obtained many defenders , most distinguished both for the fame of their learning, and for uprightness of mind ; some, indeed, of whom, have either under- stood or expressed the mind of Bengel more or less accurately than others. There occur to me at present as worthy of mention, for example, C. A. Crusius, a divine of the first rank at Leipsic, in the Vorrede zu Hn. Past. Fehrens Anlei- tung zum rechten Yerstand und Gebrauch der Offenb. Joh. 1760: s. t. fassliche Vorstellung von dem ganzen Buche der Offenb. J. C., wie man es mit oder ohne Berechnung der geheimen Zeiten nutzen soil, republished at Leipsic, 1766: in his Memoranda on the Theology of Prophecy, T. I. Lips. 1764: in the Vorrede zu Hn. Past. Michaelis erlautertem N. T. Leipz. 1769, and everywhere : J. F. Burscher, in the Yersuch einer kurzen Erlauterung des propheten Jeremise, Leipz. 1756: S. B. Fehre, in the Anleitung zum rechten Verstand und Ge- brauch der Offenb. Joh., Altenburg, 1760: W. B. Christlieb , in the Grundfeste der Bengelischen Erklarung der Offenbarung J. C. etc., Frkf. und Leipz. 1760 : C. F. Schmid , in the allgem. Vorbereitung zu seiner kritischen Untersuchung, Ob die Offenb. Joh. ein achtes gottliches Buch ist? Leipz. 1771 : M. F. Boos, in his Auslegung der Weissagungen Daniels, die in die Zeit des N. T. hinein reichen, nebst ihrer Yergleichung mit der Offenb. Joh. nach der Bengelischen Erklarung derselben, Leipz. 1771 : J ■ F. Frisch, in his apocalyptischen Catechismus, oder catechetischen Erklarung der Offenb. Johannis, auf eine deutlich und fassliche Art vor die gemeine Christenheit abgefasset, Leipz. 1773. And to these deserve to be added the anonymous writer in the schriftmassigen Anmerkungen fiber die in des D. Ernesti theologischen Bibliothek, B. VI., St. 4, befindliche Recension, des Hn. D. Crusii Hypomnemata ad Theol. Proph. betreffend, Frkf. und Leipz. 1766 (in which treatise much strength of interpreta- tion is put forth with remarkable facility, and in particular the memorable pas- sage of Habakkuk, concerning the middle of the years, is manfully vindicated according to the sense of Bengel) ; and especially J. O. Bohmer, in his erlauternden Anmerkungen zu dem — von ihme fibersetzten Bengelischen Cyclus oder Betrachtung fiber das grosse Weltjahr, Leipz 1773 (where the agreement of the Chronology of Bengel with the observations of Astronomers is proved, as I hope, by no ordinary arguments). In which matter I wish the readers ever to bear in mind, that Bengel , in his Vorrede zur Erkl. Offenb . § XIII., wished