§ 169.6. =Theological Literature=--=Clericus=, of Amsterdam, died A.D. 1736, an Arminian divine, distinguished himself in biblical criticism, hermeneutics, exegesis, and church history. =J. J. Wettstein= was in A.D. 1730 deposed for heresy, and died in A.D. 1754 as professor at the Remonstrant seminary at Amsterdam. His critical edition of the N.T. of A.D. 1751 had a great reputation. =Schultens= of Leyden, died A.D. 1750, introduced a new era for O.T. philology by the comparative study of related dialects, especially Arabic. He wrote commentaries on Job and Proverbs. Of the Cocceian exegetes we mention, =Lampe= of Bremen, died A.D. 1729, “Com. on John,” three vols., etc., and =J. Marck= of Leyden, died A.D. 1731, “Com. on Minor Prophets.” In biblical antiquity, =Reland= of Utrecht, died A.D. 1718, wrote “_Palæstina ex vett. monum. Illustr. Antiquitt. ss._;” in ecclesiastical antiquity, Bingham, died A.D. 1723, “Origines Ecclest.; or, Antiquities of the Christian Church,” ten vols., 1724, a masterpiece not yet superseded. Of English apologists who wrote against the deists, =Leland=, died A.D. 1766, “Advantage and Necessity of the Christian Revelation;” =Stackhouse=, died A.D. 1752, “History of the Bible.” Of dogmatists, =Stapfer= of Bern, died A.D. 1775, and =Wyttenbach= of Marburg, died A.D. 1779, who followed the Wolffian method. Among church historians, =J. A. Turretin= of Geneva, died A.D. 1757, and =Herm. Venema= of Franeker, died A.D. 1787.--The most celebrated of the writers of sacred songs in the English language was the Congregationalist preacher =Isaac Watts=, died A.D. 1748, whose “Hymns and Spiritual Songs,” which first appeared in A.D. 1707, still hold their place in the hymnbooks of all denominations, and have largely contributed to overthrow the Reformed prejudice against using any other than biblical psalms in the public service of praise.
The pietism of the eighteenth century, like the Reformation of the sixteenth, was followed by the appearance of all sorts of fanatics and extremists. The converted were collected into little companies, which, as _ecclesiolæ in ecclesia_, preserved the living flame amid prevailing darkness, and out of these arose separatists who spoke of the church as Babylon, regarded its ordinances impure, and its preaching a mere jingle of words. They obtained their spiritual nourishment from the mystical and theosophical writings of Böhme, Gichtel, Guyon, Poiret, etc. Their chief centre was Wetterau, where, in the house of Count Casimir von Berleburg, all persecuted pietists, separatists, fanatics, and sectaries found refuge. The count chose from them his court officials and personal servants, although he himself belonged to the national Reformed church. There was scarcely a district in Protestant Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands where there were not groups of such separatists; some mere harmless enthusiasts, others circulated pestiferous and immoral doctrines. Quite apart from pietism Swedenborgianism made its appearance, claiming to have a new revelation. Of the older sects the Baptists and the Quakers sent off new swarms, and even predestinationism gave rise to a form of mysticism allied to pantheism.