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to have ascertained. We are even ig- to the contemplation of this immense norant how wide a diversity of forms, || fabric. Indeed, the beautiful and mulwhat an infinity of living animated be- tiform works around us must strike the ings may inhabit our own globe. So mind of every beholder with wonder confined is our knowledge of creation, and admiration, unless he be enveloped yet so grand, so awful, that part which in ignorance, and chained down to the our narrow understandings can com-earth with sensuality. These works prehend! every way proclaim the wisdom, the Concerning the periods of time at power, and the goodness of the Creator. which the Deity executed his several Creation is a book which the nicest works, it cannot be pretended that man-philosopher may study with the deepest kind have had opportunities of receiv-attention. Unlike the works of art, the ing very particular information. Many more it is examined, the more it opens have been the conjectures, and curious to us sources of admiration of its great the fancies of learned men, respecting Author; the more it calls for our init; but, after all, we must be indebted spection, and the more it demands our to the sacred writings for the best infor- praise. Here every thing is adjusted in mation." Different copies, indeed, give the exactest order; all answering the different dates. The Hebrew copy of wisest ends, and acting according to the the Bible, which we Christians, for good appointed laws of Deity. Here the reasons, consider as the most authentic, Christian is led into the most delightful dates the creation of the world 3944 field of contemplation. To him every years before the Christian era. The pebble becomes a preacher, and every Samaritan Bible, again, fixes the era of atom a step by which he ascends to his the creation 4 305 years before the birth Creator. Placed in this beautiful temof Christ. And the Greek translation, || ple, and looking around on all its variknown by the name of the Septuagint ous parts, he cannot help joining with version of the Bible, gives 5270 as the the Psalmist in saying, "O Lord, how number of the years which intervened manifold are thy works; in wisdom hast between these two periods. By com- thou made them all!" See ETERNITY paring the various dates in the sacred of GOD. writings, examining how these have See Ray and Blackmore on the Creacome to disagree, and to be diversified tion; art. CREATION, Enc. Brit; Derin different copies, endeavouring to re- ham's Astro and Physico-theology; concile the most authentic profane with || Hervey's Meditations; La Pluche's sacred chronology, some ingenious men Nature Displayed; Sturm's Reflections have formed schemes of chronology on the Works of God. plausible, indeed, but not supported by sufficient authorities, which they would gladly persuade us to receive in preference to any of those above-mentioned. Usher makes out from the Hebrew Bible 4004 years as the term between the creation and the birth of Christ The most ancient form of creeds is Josephus, according to Dr. Wills, and that which goes under the name of the Mr. Whiston, makes it 4658 years; and || Apostles' Creed (see below ;) besides M. Pezron, with the help of the Sep this, there are several other ancient tuagint, extends it to 5872 years. Ush-forms and scattered remains of creeds er's system is the most generally receiv- to be met with in the primitive records ed. But though these different systems of the church; as, 1. The form of aposof chronology are so inconsistent, and tolical doctrine collected by Origen.— so slenderly supported, yet the differ-2. A fragment of a creed preserved by ences among them are so inconsider able, in comparison with those which arise before us when we contemplate the chronology of the Chinese, the Chaldeans, and the Egyptians, and they agree so well with the general information of authentic history, and with the appearances of nature and of society, that they may be considered as nearly fixing the true period of the creation of the earth." Uncertain, however, as we may be as to the exact time of the creation, we may profitably apply ourselves

CREDULITY, the belief of any proposition without sufficient evidence of its truth.

CREED, a form of words in which the articles of faith are comprehended. See CONFESSION.

Tertullian.-3. A remnant of a creed in the works of Cyprian.-4. A creed composed by Gregory Thaumaturgus for the use of his own church.-5. The creed of Lucian, the martyr.-6. The creed of the apostolical constitutions. Besides these scattered remains of the ancient creeds, there are extant some perfect forms, as those of Jerusalem, Cesarea, Antioch, &c.

CREED, APOSTLES', is a formula or summary of the Christain faith, drawn up, according to Ruffinus, by the

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apostles themselves; who, during their || row's Exposition of it in his Works, stay at Jerusalem, soon after our Lord's vol. ii. ascension agreed upon this creed as a CREED ATHANASIAN, a formurule of taith. Baronius and others con-lary or confession of faith, long supjecture that they did not compose it posed to have been drawn up by Athatill the second year of Claudius, a little nasius, bishop of Alexandria, in the before their dispersion; but there are fourth century, to justify himself against many reasons which induce us to ques- the calumnies of his Arian enemies; tion whether the apostles composed but it is now generally allowed not to any such creed. For, 1. Neither St. have been his. Dr. Waterland ascribes Luke, nor any other writer before the it to Hilary, bishop of Arles. This fifth century, make any men ion of an creed obtained in France about A. D. assembly of the apostles for composing a 850, and was received in Spain and creed.-2. The fathers of the first three Germany about 180 years later. As to centuries, in disputing against the here- our own country, we have clear proofs tics, endeavour to prove that the doc of its being sung alternately in our churtrine contained in this creed was the ches in the tenth century. It was in same which the apostles taught but common use in some parts of Italy in they never pretend that the apostles 960, and was received at Rome about composed it-3. If the apostles had 1014 As to the Greek and Oriental made this creed, it would have been churches, it has been questioned the same in all churches and in all ages; whether they have ever received it, and all authors would have cited it af- though some writers are of a contrary ter the same manner. But the case is persuasion. The episcopal churches of quite otherwise. In the second and America have rejected it. As to the third ages of the church there were as matter of it, it is given as a summary of many creeds as authors; and the same the true orthodox faith. Unhappily, authors sets down the creed after a dif- however, it has proved a fruitful source ferent manner in several places of his of unprofitable controversy. See Dr. works; which is an evidence, that there || Waterland's Critical History of it. was not, at that time, any creed reputed to be the apostles'. In the fourth century, Ruffinus compares together the three ancient creeds of the churches of Aquileia, Rome, and the East, which differ very considerable. Besides, these creeds differed not only in the terms and expressions, but even in the articles, some of which were omitted in one or other of them, such as those of the decent into hell, the communion of the saints, and the life everlasting. From all which it may be gathered, that though this creed may be said to be that of the apostles, in regard to the doctrines contained therein, yet it cannot be referred to them as the authors of it. Its great antiquity, however, may be inferred from hence, that the whole form, as it now stands in the English liturgy, is to be found in the works of St. Ambrose and Ruffinus; the former of whom flourished in the third, and the latter in the fourth century. The primitive Christians did not publicly recite the creed, except at baptisms, which, unless in cases of necessity, were only at Easter and Whitsuntide. The CRISPITES. those who adopt the constant repeating of it was not intro- sentiments of Dr. Crisp, a divine of the duced into the church till the end of the seventeenth century. He was fond, it fifth century; about which time Peter is said, of expressions which alarm, and Gnaphius, bishop of Antioch, prescribed paradoxes which astonish: and perthe recital of it every time divine ser-plexed himself much about the divine vice was performed. See King's His- purposes. He did not distinguish as he tory of the Apostles' Creed; and Bar-ought, between God's secret will in his

CREED, NICENE, a formulary of Christian faith, so called, because it is a paraphrase of that creed which was made at the first general council of Nice. This latter was drawn up by the second general council of Constantinople, A. D. 381: and therefore might be more properly styled the Constantinopolitan creed. The creed was carried by a majority, and admitted into the church as a barrier against Arius and his followers.

The three creeds above-mentioned are used in the public offices of the church of England and subscription to them is required of all the established clergy. Subscription to these was also required of the dissenting teachers by the toleration act; but from which they are now relieved by 19 Geo. III.

CRIME, a voluntary breach of any known law. Faults result from human weakness, being transgressions of the rules of duty. Crimes proceed from the wickedness of the heart, being actions against the rules of nature. See PUNISHMENT and SIN.

decrees, and his revealed will in his covenant and promises. The root of his error seems to be this:-he viewed the union between Christ and the believer to be of such a kind as actually to make a Saviour of the sinner, and a sinner of the Saviour. He speaks as if God considered the sinners as doing and suffering what Christ did and suffered, and Christ as having committed their sins, and as being actually guilty of them. See book under articles ANTINOMIANS and NEONOMIANS. Crisp's Sermons, edited by Dr. Gill; Bogue and Bennet's History of Dissenters, vol. i p. 400.

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rendered his schemes so suspicious, that he was not able to make great progress in his undertaking. The work was reserved for a meaner instrument. Peter, commonly called the Hermit, a native of Amiens in Picardy, had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem; and being deeply affected with the dangers to which that act of piety now exposed the pilgrims, as well as with the oppression under which the eastern Christians now laboured, formed the bold, and, in all appearance, impracticable design of leading into Asia, from the farthest extremities of the West, armies CROISADE, or CRUSADE, may be sufficient to subdue those potent and applied to any war undertaken on pre- warlike nations that now held the holy tence of defending the cause of religion, land in slavery. He proposed his scheme but has been chiefly used for the expe- to pope Martin II. who, prudently reditions of the Christians against the solving not to interpose his authority infidels for the conquest of Palestine. till he saw a probability of success, sumThese expeditions commenced A. D.||moned at Placentia a council of 4000 1096. The foundation of them was a superstitious veneration for those places where our Saviour performed his miracles, and accomplished the work of man's redemption. Jerusalem had been taken and Palestine conquered by Omar. This proved a considerable interruption to the pilgrims, who flocked from all quarters to perform their devotions at the holy sepulchre. They had, however, still been allowed this liberty, on paying a small tribute to the Saracen calips, who were not much inclined to molest them. But, in 1064, this city changed its masters. The Turks took it from the Saracens ; and being much more fierce and barbarous, the pilgrims now found they could no longer perform their devotions with the same safety. An opinion was about this time also prevalent in Europe, which made these pilgrimages much more frequent than formerly: it was imagined, that the 1000 years mentioned in Rev. xx. were fulfilled; that Christ was soon to make his appearance in Palestine to judge the world; and consequently that journeys to that country were in the highest degree meritorious, and even absolutely necessary. The multitudes of pilgrims who now flocked to Palestine meeting with a very rough reception from the Turks, filled all Europe with complaints against those infidels, who profaned the holy city, and derided the sacred mysteries of Christianity even in the place where they were fulfilled. Pope Gregory VII. had formed a design of uniting all the princes of Christendom against the Ma hometans; but his exorbitant encroachments upon the civil power of princes had created him so many enemies, and

ecclesiastics and 30,000 seculars. As no hall could be found large enough to contain such a multitude, the assembly, was held in a plain. Here the pope himself, as well as Peter harangued the people, representing the dismal situation of their brethren in the East, and the indignity offered to the Christian name in allowing the holy city to remain in the hands of the infidels. These speeches were so agreeable to those who heard them, that the whole multitude suddenly and violently declared for the war, and solemnly devoted themselves to perform this service, which they believed to be meritorious in the sight of God. But though Italy seemed to have embraced the design with ardour, Martin thought it necessary, in order to obtain perfect success, to engage the greater and more warlike nations in the same enterprise. Having, therefore exhorted Peter to visit the chief cities and sovereigns of Christendom, he summoned another council at Clermont in Auvergne. The fame of this great and pious design being now universally diffused, procured the attendance of the greatest prelates, nobles, and princes; and when the pope and the hermit renewed their pathetic exhortations, the whole assembly, as if impelled by immediate inspiration, exclaimed with one voice, "It is the will of God!" These words were deemed so much the effect of a divine impulse, that they were employed as the signal of rendezvous and battle in all future exploits of these adventurers. Men of all ranks now flew to arms with the utmost ardour, and a cross was affixed to their right shoulder by all who enlisted in this holy enterprise. At this time

were at last so numerous, that their sagacious leaders became apprehensive lest the greatness of the armament would be the cause of its own disappointment. For this reason they permitted an undisciplined multitude, computed at 300.000 men, to go before them under the command of Peter the her

Europe was sunk in the most profound || committed by men inured to wickedignorance and superstition. The eccle- ness, encouraged by example, and imsiastics had gained the greatest ascend-pelled by necessity. The adventurers ant over the human mind; and the people who committed the most horrid crimes and disorders, knew of no other || expiation than the observances imposed on them by their spiritual pastors. But amidst the abject superstition which now prevailed, the military spirit had also universally diffused itself; and, though not supported by art or disci-mit, and Gautier or Walter, surnamed pline, was become the general passion the moneyless, from his being a soldier of the nations governed by the feudal of fortune. These took the road towards law. All the great lords possessed the Constantinople through Hungary and right of peace and war. They were Bulgaria; and trusting that heaven, by engaged in continual hostilities with one supernatural assistance. would supply another: the open country was become all their necessities, they made no proa scene of outrage and disorder: the vision for subsistence in their march. cities, still mean and poor, were neither They soon found themselves obliged to guarded by walls nor protected by pri- obtain by plunder what they vainly exvileges. Every man was obliged to de-pected from miracles: and the enraged pend for safety on his own force, or his inhabitants of the countries through private alliances; and valour was the which they passed attacked the disoronly excellence which was held in es- derly multitude, and slaughtered them teem, or gave one man the pre-eminence without resistance The more disciplined above another. When all the particular armies followed after; and, passing the superstitions, therefore, were here uni- straits of Constantinople, were musterted in one great object, the ardour fored in the plains of Asia, and amounted private hostilities took the same direc-in the whole to 700,000 men. The tion; "and all Europe," as the princess princes engaged in this first crusade Anna Comnena expresses it, "torn from were, Hugo, count of Vermandois, broits foundations, seemed ready to pre-ther to Philip I. king of France; Rocipitate itself in one united body upon bert, duke of Normandy; Robert, earl Asia." of Flanders; Raimond, earl of Toulouse All ranks of men now deeming the and St. Giles; the celebrated Godfrey croisades the only road to heaven, were of Bouillon, duke of Lorrain, with his impatient to open the way with their brothers Baldwin and Eustace Steswords to the holy city. Nobles, arti- || phen, earl of Chartres and Blois; Hugo, zans, peasants, even priests, enrolled count of St. Paul; with many other their names; and to decline this service lords. The general rendezvous was at was branded with the reproach of im- Constantinople. In this expedition, Godpiety or cowardice. The nobles were frey besieged and took the city of Nice. moved, by the romantic spirit of the Jerusalem was taken by the confedeage, to hope for opulent establishments rated army, and Godfrey chosen king, in the East, the chief seat of arts and The Christians gained the famous batcommerce at that time. In pursuit of tle of Ascalon against the Sultan of these chimerical projects, they sold at Egypt, which put an end to the first low prices their ancient castles and in- crusade, but not to the spirit of cruheritances, which had now lost all value sading. The rage continued for near two in their eyes. The infirm and aged con- centuries. The second crusade, in 1144, tributed to the expedition by presents was headed by the emperor Conrad III.. and money, and many of them attended and Louis VII. king of France. The it in person; being determined, if possi- emperor's army was either destroyed ble to breathe their last in sight of that||by the enemy, or perished through the city where their Saviour died for them. treachery of Manuel, the Greek empeEven women, concealing their sex un- ror; and the second army, through the der the disguise of armour, attended the unfaithfulness of the Christians of Syria, camp; and often forgot their duty still was forced to break up the siege of Damore, by prostituting themselves to the mascus. The third crusade, in 1188, imarmy. The greatest criminals were for- mediately followed the taking of Jeruward in a service which they consider-salem by Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt. ed as an expiation for all crimes; and the most enormous disorders were, during the course of these expeditions,

The princes engaged in this expedition were, the emperor Frederic Barbarossa; Frederic, duke of Suabia, his second

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son; Leopold duke of Austria; Ber- ||
thold, duke of Moravia; Herman, mar-
quis of Baden; the counts of Nassau,
Thuringia, Missen, and Holland; and
above sixty other princes of the em-
pire; with the bishops of Besancon,
Cambray, Munster, Osnaburg, Missen,
Passau, Visburg, and several others. In
this expedition the emperor Frederic
defeated the Sultan of Iconium: his son
Frederic joined by Guy Lusignon king
of Jerusalem, in vain endeavoured to
take Acre or Ptolemais During these
transactions, Philip Augustus, king of
France, and Richa' d I. king of England,
joined the croisade: by which means
the Christian army consisted of 300,000
fighting men; but great disputes hap.
pening between the kings of France and
England, the former quitted the holy
land, and Richard concluded a peace
with Saladin. The fourth croisade was
undertaken in 1195. by the emperor
Henry VI. after Saladin's death. In this
expedition the Christians gained several
battles against the infidels, took a grea
many towns, and were in the way of
success, when the death of the emperor
obliged them to quit the holy land, and
return into Germany. The fifth croisade
was published by pope Innocent III. in
1198. Those engaged in it made fruit-
less efforts for the recovery of the holy
land: for, though John de Neule, who
commanded the fleet equipped in Flan-
ders, arrived at Ptolemais a little after
Simon of Montfort, Renard of Dam-in 1292, and Clement V. in 1311.
pierre, and others, yet the plague de-
stroying many of them, and the rest
either returning, or engaging in the
petty quarrels of the Christian princes,
there was nothing done; so that the
sultan of Aleppo easily defeated their
troops in 1204. The sixth croisade be-
gan in 1228; in which the Christians
took the town of Damietta, but were
forced to surrender it again. In 1229,
the emperor Frederic made peace with
the sultan for ten years. About 1240,
Richard, earl of Cornwall, brother to
Henry III. king of England, arrived at
Palestine, at the head of the English
croisade; but finding it most advan-
tageous to conclude a peace, he re-
embarked, and steered towards Italy
In 1244, the Karasmians being driven
out of Turkey by the Tartars, broke
into Palestine, and gave the Christians
a general defeat near Gaza. The se-
venth croisade was headed, in 1249, by
St. Lewis, who took the town of Dami-
etta but a sickness happening in the
Christian army, the king endeavoured
a retreat; in which, being pursued by
the infidels, most of his army were mi-

serably butchered, and himself and the
nobility taken prisoners. A truce was
agreed upon for ten years, and the king
and lords set at liberty. The eighth
croisade, in 1279, was headed by the
same prince, who made himself master
of the port and castle of Carthage in
Africa, but dying a short time after, he
left his army in a very ill condition.
Soon after, the king of Sicily coming up
with a good fleet, and joining Philip the
bold, son and successor of Lewis, the
king of Tunis, after several engage-
ments with the Christians, in which he
was always worsted, desired peace,
which was granted upon conditions ad-
vantageous to the Christians; after
which both princes embarked to their
own kingdoms. Prince Edward, of
England, who arrived at Tunis at the
time of this treaty, sailed towards Pto-
lemais, where he landed a small body
of 300 English and French, and hinder-
ed Bendochar from laying siege to Pto-
lemais: bu being obliged to return to
take possession of the cown of England,
this croisade ended without contributing
any thing to the recovery of the holy
land. In 1291, the town of Acre or
Ptolemais was taken and plundered by
the sultan of Egyp, and the Christians
quite driven out of Syria. There has
been no croisade since that period,
though several popes have attempted
to stir up the Chris ians to such an un-
dertaking particularly Nicholas IV.

Though these croisades were effects of the most absurd superstition they tended greatly to promote the good of Europe. Multitudes, indeed, were destroyed. M. Voltaire computes the people who perished in the different expeditions at upwards of two millions. Many there were, however, who returned and these having conversed so long with people who lived in a much more magnificent way than themselves, began to entertain some taste for a refined and polished way of life. Thus the barbarism in which Europe had been so long immersed began to wear off soon after. The princes also who remained at home, found means to avail themselves of the frenzy of the people. By the absence of such numbers of restless and martial adventurers, peace was established in their dominions. They also took the opportunity of annexing to their crowns many considerable fiefs, either by purchase, or the extinction of the heirs and thus the mischiefs which must always attend feudal governments were considerably lessened. With regard to the bad suc

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