Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

on the ground, and rolling in the dust; || of the Latin. It needs only to be obbeating their breasts, and even tearing served, that, after the funeral service, their flesh with their nails. they kiss the crucifix, and salute the The funeral rites among the Romans mouth and forehead of the deceased; were very numerous.-They kept the after which, each of the company eats deceased seven days, and washed him a bit of bread, and drinks a glass of every day with hot water, and some- wine in the church, wishing the soul a times with oil, if possibly he might be good repose, and the afflicted family all revived, in case he were only in a slum-Consolations. _Bingham's Antiqu. b. 2. ber; and every now and then his friends, meeting, made a horrible shout with the same view: but if they found he did not revive, he was dressed and embalmed with a performance of a variety of singular ceremonies, and at last brought to the funeral pile, and burnt: after which his ashes were gathered, inclosed in an urn, and deposited in the sepulchre or tomb.

yond his present sphere, fitted by his rational nature for running the race of immortality, he is stopped short in the very entrance of his course He squan

Enc. Brit.; Buxtorf's Synag. p. 502. FUTURE STATE, a term made use of in relation to the existence of the soul after death. That there is such a state of existence, we have every reason to believe; "for if we suppose,' says a good writer, “the events of this life to have no reference to another, the whole state of man becomes not only inexplicable, but contradictory and inThe ancient Christians testified their consistent. The powers of the inferior abhorrence of the pagan custom of burn- animals are perfectly suited to their ing their dead, and always deposited station. They know nothing higher the body entire in the ground; and it than their present condition. In gratifywas usual to bestow the honour of em-ing their appetites, they fulfil their destibalming upon the martyrs, at least, if ny, and pass away.-Man, alone, comes not upon others. They prepared the forth to act a part which carries no body for burial by washing it with wa- meaning and tends to no end. Endowter, and dressing it in a funeral attire.ed with capacities which extend far beThis was performed by near relations, or persons of such dignity as the circumstances of the deceased required. Psalmody, or singing of Psalms, was the great ceremony used in all funeral pro-ders his activity on pursuits which he cessions among the ancient Christians. discerns to be vain. He languishes for In the Romish church, when a person knowledge which is placed beyond his is dead, they wash the body, and put a reach. He thirsts after a happiness crucifix in his hand. At the feet stands which he is doomed never to enjoy. He a vessel of holy water, and a sprinkler, sees and laments the disasters of his that they who come in may sprinkle state, and yet, upon this supposition, can both themselves and the deceased. In find nothing to remedy them. Has the the mean time some priest stands by eternal God any pleasure in sporting the corpse, and prays for the deceased himself with such a scene of misery and till it is laid in the earth. In the fune-folly as this life (if it had no connection ral procession the exorcist walks first, with another) must exhibit to his eye? carrying the holy water; next the cross Did he call into existence this magnifibearer; afterwards the rest of the cler-cent universe, adorn it with so much gy; and, last of all, the officiating priest. beauty and splendour, and surround it They all sing the miserere, and some with those glorious luminaries which other psalms; and at the end of each we behold in the heavens only that psalm a requiem. It is said, that the some generations of mortal men might faces of deceased laymen must be turn-arise to behold these wonders, and then ed towards the altar when they are placed in the church, and those of the clergy towards the people. The corpse is placed in the church, surrounded with lighted tapers. After the office for the dead, mass is said; then the officiating priest sprinkles the corpse thrice with holy water, and as often throws incense on it. The body being laid in the grave, the friends and the relations of the de-Maker!" ceased sprinkle the grave with holy

water.

The funeral ceremonies of the Greek church are much the same with those

disappear for ever? How unsuitable in this case were the habitation to the wretched inhabitant! How inconsistent the commencement of his being, and the mighty preparation of his powers and faculties, with his despicable end! How contradictory, in fine, were every thing which concerns the state of man, to the wisdom and perfections of his

But that there is such a state is clear from many passages of the New Testament, John v. 24. Acts vii. 9. Rom. viii. 10, 11. 2 Cor. v. 1, 2. Phil. i. 21.

Eccl. iii. 15, 16, &c. Eccl. vii. 12, 15. Is. iii. 10, 11. Ezek. xviii. 19, 21. Job xix. 23, 37. Dan. xii. 2. Is. xxxv. 8. Is. xxvi. 19. The same thing may also be inferred from the particular promises made to Daniel, Dan. xii. 13. to Zerubbabel, Hag. ii. 23. and to Joshua, the high priest. Zech. iii. 7. as well as from those historical facts recorded in the Old Testament of the murder of Abel, the translation of Enoch and Elijah, the death of Moses, and the story of the

1 Thess. iv. 14. 1 Thess. v. 10. Luke general apostasy, their virtue was most xvi. 22, &c. But, though these texts conspicuous; such good men, in such a prove the point, yet some have doubted state, would have vast additional reawhether there be any where in the Old sons for expecting future rewards, beTestament any reference to a future yond what could arise from principles state at all. The case, it is said, appears common to the rest of mankind; so that to be this: the Mosaic covenant contain- we cannot wonder that we find in the ed no promises directly relating to a writings of the prophets many strong future state; probably, as Dr. Warbur- expressions of such an expectation, ton asserts, and argues at large, because particularly Gen. xlix. 18. Ps. xvi. 9 to Moses was secure of an equal provi-11. Ps. xvii. last ver. Ps. Ixxiii. 17, 27. dence, and therefore needed not subsidiary sanctions taken from a future state, without the belief of which the doctrine of an universal providence cannot ordinarily be vindicated, nor the general sanctions of religion secured. But, in opposition to this sentiment, as Doddridge observes, "it is evident that good men, even before Moses, were animated by views of a future state, Heb. xi. 13, 16, as he himself plainly was, 24 to 26 verse, and that the promises of heavenly felicity were contain-witch of Endor, and from what is said ed even in the covenant made with of the appearance of angels to, and their Abraham, which the Mosaic could not converse with good men." See articles disannul. Succeeding providences also INTERMEDIATE STATE, RESURREC confirmed the natural arguments in its TION, and SOUL; also Doddridge's Lecfavour, as every remarkable interposi-tures, lect. 216; Warburton's Divine tion would do; and when general pro- Legation of Moses, vol. ii. p. 553-568; mises were made to the obedient, and Dr. Addington's Dissertations on the an equal providence relating to the na- Religious Knowledge of the ancient tion established on national conformity Jews and Patriarchs, containing an ento the Mosaic institution, and not merely quiry into the evidences of their belief to the general precepts of virtue; as and expectation of a future state; such an equal providence would neces- Blair's Sermons, ser. 15. vol. i; Robinsarily involve many of the best men in son's Claude, vol. i. p. 132; W. Jones's national ruin, at a time when, by pre-Works, vol. vi. ser. 12; Logan's Serserving their integrity in the midst of mons, vol. ii. p. 413.

G.

GAIANITÆ, a denomination which || pray for infidel princes, they separated derived its name from Gaian, a bishop themselves from the rest of the Jews, of Alexandria, in the sixth century, who and performed their sacrifices apart. denied that Jesus Christ, after the hy- As our Saviour and his apostles were of postatical union, was subject to any of Galilee, they were suspected to be of the infirmities of human nature. the sect of the Galileans; and it was on this principle, as St. Jerome observes, that the Pharisees laid a snare for him, asking, Whether it were lawful to give tribute to Cæsar? that in case he denied it, they might have an occasion of ac

GALILEANS, a sect of the Jews which arose in Judea some years after the birth of our Saviour. They sprang from one Judas, a native of Gaulam, in upper Galilee, upon the occasion of Augustus appointing the people to be mus-cusing him. tered, which they looked upon as an GAZARES, a denomination which instance of servitude which all true Is- appeared about 1197 at Gazare, a town raelites ought to oppose. They pre- of Dalmatia. They held almost the tended that God alone should be owned same opinions with the Albigenses; but as master and lord, and in other re- their distinguishing tenet was, that no spects were of the opinion of the Phari-human power had a right to sentence sees; but as they judged it unlawful to men to death for any crime whatever

GEMARA. See TALMUD. Father. Again: he expressly tells us GENERAL CALL. See CALLING. himself, that "the Son can do nothing of GENERATION, ETERNAL, is a himself; that the Father showeth him term used as descriptive of the Father's all things that he doth; and that he communicating the Divine Nature to giveth him to have life in himself," the Son. The Father is said by some John v. 19, 20, 26. which expressions, divines to have produced the Word, or if applied to him as God, not as mediaSon, from all eternity, by way of gene- tor, will reduce us to the disagreeable ration; on which occasion the word necessity of subscribing either to the generation raises a peculiar idea: that creed of Arius, and maintain him to be procession which is really affected in God of an inferior nature, and thus a the way of understanding is called gene-plurality of Gods, or to embrace the ration. because, in virtue thereof, the doctrine of Socinus, who allows him Word becomes like to Him from whom only to be a God by office. But if this he takes the original; or, as St. Paul title belong to him as mediator, every expresses it the figure or image of his difficulty is removed. And, lastly, it is substance; i. e. of his being and nature. observed, that though Jesus be God, -And hence it is, they say, that the and the attributes of eternal existence second person is called the Son; and ascribed to him, yet the two attributes, that in such a way and manner as never eternal and son, are not once expressed any other was, is, or can be, because in the same text as referring to eternal of his own divine nature, he being the generation. See article SON OF GOD; true, proper, and natural Son of God, Owen on the Person of Christ; Pearson begotten by him before all worlds. Thus, on the Creed; Ridgley's Body of Divihe is called his own Son, Rom. viii. 3. nity, p. 73, 76. 3d edition; Gill's Ditto; his only begotten Son, John iii. 16. p. 205, vol. i. 8vo. edition; Lambert's Many have attempted to explain the Sermons, ser. 13. text John xi. 35.; manner of this generation by different Hodson's Essay on the Eternal Filiasimilitudes; but as they throw little ortion of the Son of God; Watts's Works, no light upon the subject, we shall not vol. v. p. 77. trouble the reader with them. Some, however, suppose that the term Son of God refers to Christ as mediator; and that his Sonship does not lie in his divine or human nature, separately considered, but in the union of both in one person. See Luke i. 35. Matt. iv. 3. John i. 49. Matt. xvi. 16. Acts ix. 20, 22. Rom. i. 4. It is observed, that it is impossible that a nature properly divine should be begotten, since begetting, whatever idea is annexed to it, must signify some kind of production, derivation, and inferiority; consequently, that whatever is produced must have a beginning, and whatever had a beginning was not from eternity, as Christ is said to be, Is. ix. 6. Col. i. 16, 17. That the Sonship of Christ respects him as mediator will be evident, if we compare John x. 30. with John xiv. 28. In the former it is said, "I and my Father are one," in the latter, "My Father is greater than I." These declarations, however opposite they seem, GENTILE, in matters of religion, a equally respect him as he is the Son; Pagan, or worshipper of false gods. but if his Sonship primarily and properly The origin of this word is deduced from signify the generation of his divine na- the Jews, who called all those who ture, it will be difficult, if not impossi- were not of their name wa gojim, i. c. ble, according to that scheme, to make gentes, which in the Greek translation them harmonize. Considered as a dis- of the Old Testament is rendered a tinct person in the Godhead, without, in which sense it frequently occurs respect to his office as mediator, it is impossible, that, in the same view, he should be both equal and inferior to his

GENEROSITY, the disposition which prompts us to bestow favours which are not the purchase of any particular merit. It is different from humanity. Humanity is an exquisite feeling we possess in relation to others, so as to grieve for their sufferings, resent their injuries, or to rejoice at their prosperity; and as it arises from sympathy, it requires no great self-denial, or self-command; but generosity is that by which we are led to prefer some other person to ourselves, and to sacrifice any interest of our own to the interest of another.

GENIUS, a good or evil spirit or dæmon, who the ancients supposed was set over each person to direct his birth, accompany him in his life, and to be his guard.

Genius signifies that aptitude which a man naturally possesses to perform well and easily that which others can do but indifferently, and with a great deal of pain.

in the New Testament; as in Matt. vi. 32. "All these things the nations or Gentiles seek." Whence the Latin

ries; meekness restrains our angry passions; candour our severe judg ments; but gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in our manner, and, by a constant train of humane attentions, studies to alleviate the burden of common misery."

church also used gentes in the same sense as our Gentiles, especially in the New Testament. But the word gentes soon got another signification, and no longer meant all such as were not Jews, but those only who were neither Jews nor Christians, but followed the superstitions of the Greeks and Romans, &c. GENUFLECTION, the act of bowIn this sense it continued among the ing or bending the knee, or rather of Christian writers, till their manner of kneeling down. The Jesuit Rosweyd, speech, together with their religion, in his Ổnomasticon, shows that genuwas publicly, and by authority, received flection, or kneeling, has been a very in the empire, when gentiles, from gen- || ancient custom in the church, and even tea, came into use; and then both words under the Old Testament dispensation; had two significations; viz. in treatises and that this practice was observed or laws concerning religion, they signi- throughout all the year, excepting on fied Pagans, neither Jews nor Chris- Sundays, and during the time from Eastians; and in civil affairs they are used ter to Whitsuntide, when kneeling was for all such as were not Romans. See forbidden by the council of Nice. Others HEATHEN. PAGANISM. have shown, that the custom of not kneeling on Sundays had obtained from the time of the apostles, as appears from St. Irenæus and Tertullian; and the Ethiopic church, scrupulously attached to the ancient ceremonies, still retains that of not kneeling at divine service. The Russians esteem it an indecent posture to worship God on the knees. The Jews usually prayed standing. Baronius is of opinion that genuflection was not established in the year of Christ 58, from that passage in Acts xx. 36, where St. Paul is expressly mentioned to kneel down at prayer; but Saurin shows that nothing can be thence concluded. The same author remarks, also, that the primitive Christians carried the practice of genuflection so far, that some of them had worn cavities in the floor where they prayed: and St. Jerome relates of St. James, that he had contracted a hardness on his knees equal to that of camels.

GENTLENESS, softness or mildness of disposition and behaviour. Little as this disposition is thought of by many, we find it considered in Scripture as a characteristic of the true Christian. "The wisdom that is from above," saith St. James, "is gentle," ch. iii. 17. "This gentleness, indeed, is to be distinguished from passive tameness of spirit, and from unlimited compliance with the manners of others. That passive tameness, which submits without a struggle to every encroachment of the violent and assuming, forms no part of Christian duty; but, on the contrary, is destructive of general happiness and order. That unlimited complaisance, which on every occasion falls in with the opinions and manners of others, is so far from being a virtue, that it is itself a vice, and the parent of many vices. It overthrows all steadiness of principle, and produces that sinful conformity with the world which taints the whole character. In the present corrupted state of human manners, always to assent and to comply, is the very worst maxim we can adopt. True gentleness, therefore, is to be carefully distinguished from the mean spirit of cowards and the fawning assent of sycophants. It renounces no just right from fear; it gives up no important truth from flattery: it is, indeed, not only consistent with a firm mind, but it necessarily requires a manly spirit and a fix ed principle, in order to give it any real value. It stands opposed to harshness and severity, to pride and arrogance, to violence and oppression: it is properly that part of charity which makes us unwilling to give pain to any of our brethren. Compassion prompts us to relieve their wants; forbearance prevents us from retaliating their inju

[ocr errors]

GHOST, HOLY. See HOLY GHOST. GIFT OF TONGUES, an ability given to the apostles of readily and intelligibly speaking a variety of languages which they had never learnt. This was a most glorious and important attestation of the Gospel, as well as a suitable, and indeed, in their circumstances, a necessary furniture for the mission for which the apostles and their assistants were designed. Nor is there any reason, with Dr. Middleton, to understand it as merely an occasional gift, so that a person might speak a language most fluently one hour, and be entirely ignorant of it in the next; which neither agrees with what is said of the abuse of it, nor would have been sufficient to answer the end proposed. See Acts ii. See Gill and Henry in Loc.; Jortin's Remarks, vol. i. p. 15-21; Essay on the Gift of Tongues; Middleton's Miscel

Lect. lec. 141.

they looked on all other Christians as simple, ignorant, and barbarous persons, who explained and interpreted the sacred writings in a low, literal, and unedifying signification. At first, the Gnostics were the only philosophers and wits of those times, who formed for themselves a peculiar system of theology, agreeable to the philosophy of Pathagoras and Plato; to which they accom

Works, vol. ii. p. 379; Doddridge's | rise. The name was adopted by this sect, on the presumption that they were GILBERTINES, a religious order; the only persons who had the true thus called from St. Gilbert, of Sem-knowledge of Christianity. Accordingly pringham, in the county of Lincoln, who founded the same about the year 1148. the monks of which observed the rule of St. Augustine, and were accounted canons, and the nuns that of St. Benedict. The founder of this order erected a double monastery, or rather two different ones, contiguous to each other; the one for men, the other for women, but parted by a very high wall. St. Gilbert himself founded thirteen monaste-modated all their interpretations of ries of this order; viz. four for men alone, and nine for men and women together, which had in them 700 brethren, and 1500 sisters. At the dissolution, there were about twenty-five houses of this order in England and Wales.

Scripture. But Gnostics afterwards became a general name, comprehending divers sects and parties of heretics, who rose in the first centuries; and who, though they differed among themselves as to circumstances, yet all agreed in GLASSITES. See SANDEMANIANS. some common principles. They corGLORY, praise, or honour, attributed || rupted the doctrine of the Gospel by a to God, in adoration or worship. The profane mixture of the tenets of the oristate of felicity prepared for the righ-ental philosophy concerning the origin teous See HEAVEN. of evil and the creation of the world, with its divine truths. Such were the Valentinians, Simonians, Carpocratians, Nicholaitans, &c.

The Glory of God is the manifestation of the divine perfections in creation, providence, and grace. We may be said to give glory to God when we confess Gnostics sometimes also occurs in a our sins, when we love him supremely, good sense, in the ancient ecclesiastical when we commit ourselves to him, are writers, particularly Clemens Alexanzealous in his service, improve our ta- || drinus, who, in the person of his Gnoslents, walk humbly, thankfully, and tic, describes the characters and qualicheerfully before him, and recommend, ties of a perfect Christian. This point proclaim, and set forth his excellencies, he labours in the seventh book of his to others. Jos. vii. 19. Gal. ii. 20. John Stromata, where he shows that none xv. 8. Ps. 1. 23. Mat. v. 16. but the Gnostic, or learned person has any true religion. He affirms, that, were it possible for the knowledge of God to be separated from eternal salvation, the Gnostic would make no scruple to choose the knowledge; and that if God would promise him impunity in doing of any thing he has once spoken against, or offer him heaven on those terms, he would never 'alter a whit of his measures. In this sense the father uses Gnostics, in opposition to the heretics of the same name; affirming, that the true Gnostic is grown old in the study of the holy Scripture, and that he preserves the orthodox doctrine of the apostles, and of the church; whereas the false Gnostic abandons all the apostolical traditions, as imagining himself

GNOSIMACHI, a name which distinguished those in the seventh century who were professed enemies to the Gnosis; i. e. the studied knowledge or science of Christianity, which they rested wholly on good works; calling it a useless labour to seek for knowledge in the Scripture. In short, they contended for the practice of morality in all simplicity, and blamed those who aimed at improving and perfecting it by a deeper knowledge and insight into the doctrines and mysteries of religion. The Gnosimachi were the very reverse of the Gnostics.

GNOSTICS (from Ives, knowing.) ancient heretics, famous from the first rise of Christianity, principally in the east. It appears from several pas-wiser than the apostles. sages of Scripture, particularly 1 John ii. 18; 1 Tim. vi. 20; Col. ii. 8; that many persons were infected with the Gnostic heresy in the first century; though the sect did not render itself conspicuous, either for numbers or reputation, before the time of Adrian, when some writers erroneously date its

Gnostics was sometimes also more particularly used for the successors of the Nicholaitans and Carpocratians, in the second century, upon their laying aside the names of the first authors. Such as would be thoroughly acquainted with all their doctrines, reveries, and visions may consult St. Irenæus, Tertul

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »