BENSON, GEORGE, D.D., a learned noncon formist divine, was born at Great Salkeld in Cum berland, 5th September 1699, and died 7th April 1763. He was successively minister at Abingdon in Berkshire, at St. John's Court, London, and at Crutched Friars, London, where he was the col. league of Dr. Lardner. He commenced his public carter as a Calvinist, but afterwards lapsed into Arian views. He was a man of solid learning, of clear and acute judgment, and of indefatigable in dustry ; of which we have the fruits in several elabo rate works. The most important of these are—I. Paraphrase and Notes on Six of the Epistles of St. Paul, vie., land 2 Thessalonians, I and 2 Timothy, Philemon, and Titus, published originally sepa rately, but in 1752, collected in one vol. 4to ; 2. Paraphrase and Notes on the Seven Catholic Epistles, 1749, 1756 ; 3. History of the First Planting of the Christian Religious, taken from the Acts of the Apostles and their Epistles, 2 vols. 4to, best edit., 3 vols. 4to, 1756 ; 4. History of the Lift of ,sus Christ, taken from the New Testa ment, 4to, 1764, a posthumous work. As an in terpreter, Benson avowedly follows Locke, and his commentary is intended, with that of Locke, and that of Pierce, to furnish a complete commen tary on the epistles of the N. T. His two other
works above cited, may be viewed also in the light of commentaries, the one on the Acts, the other on the Gospels. All Benson's writings are heavy and lifeless ; not a spark of enthusiasm, of genius, or of sympathy, relieves the dense masses of frigid narrative, exposition, or reasoning, with which they are filled. But they are learned, accurate, and judicious. His exegesis, though occasionally per verted by a dogmatical element, and betraying the superficiality of the school to which he be longed, is on the whole correct ; his practical re marks are in general apt and sensible ; and his historical illustrations are always admirable. His works are interspersed with dissertations, some of which are very valuable, especially for the clear ness and accuracy with which conflicting views are stated. Several of his works were translated into German, and he enjoyed for long a considerable reputation on the Continent. —W. L. A.