prevalent in other communities. A theofogical system, says Dr. Jortin is too often no more than a temple consecrated to implicit faith; and he who enters in there to worship, instead of leaving his shoes, after the eastern manner, must leave his understanding at the door; and it will be well if he find it when he comes out again.

punishable in the temporal courts with fine, imprisonment, and corporeal punishment. See FALSE MESSIAHS.

IMPOTENCY, or IMPOTENCE, is considered as natural and moral. Natural is the want of some physical principle necessary to an action, or where a being is absolutely defective, or not free and at liberty to act. Moral impotency imports a great difficulty; as a strong habit to the contrary; a violent passion; or the like.

IMPOSITION OF HANDS, an ecclesiastical action, by which a bishop lays his hands on the head of a person in ordination, confirmation, or in uttering IMPROPRIATION a parsonage or a blessing. This practice is also fre- ecclesiastical living, the profits of which quently observed by the Dissenters at are in the hands of a layman; in which the ordination of their preachers; when case it stands distinguished from approthe ministers present place their handspriation, which is where the profits of on the head of him whom they are or- a benefice are in the hands of a bishop, daining, while one of them prays for a college, &c. though the terms are now blessing on him and on his future la- used promiscuously. bours. They are not agreed, however, as to the propriety of this ceremony. Some suppose it to be confined to those who received extraordinary gifts in the primitive times: others think it ought to be retained, as it was an ancient practice used where no extraordinary gifts were conveyed, Gen. xlviii. 14. Matt. xix. 15. They do not suppose it to be of such an important and essential nature, that the validity and usefulness of a man's future ministry depend upon it in any degree. Imposition of hands was a Jewish ceremony, introduced not by any divine authority, but by custom; it being the practice among those people, whenever they prayed to God for any person, to lay their hands on his head. Our Saviour observed the same custom, both when he conferred his blessing on children, and when he healed the sick, adding prayer to the ceremony. The apostles, likewise, laid hands on those upon whom they bestowed the Holy Ghost. The priests observed the same custom when any one was received in their body. And the apostles themselves underwent the imposition of hands afresh every time they entered upon any new design. In the ancient church, imposition of hands was even practised on persons when they married, which custom the Abyssinians still observe. Maurice's Dial. on Soc. Relig. p. 163, 168. Watts's Rational Foundation of a Christian Ch. p. 31; Turner on Church Gov. p. 70; King's Primitive Christ. Ch. p. 49.

IMPOSTORS, RELIGIOUS, are such as pretend to an extraordinary commission from heaven, and who terrify the people with false denunciations of judgments. Too many of these have abounded in almost all ages. They are

IMPULSE, an influence, idea, or motive acting upon the mind. We must be careful how we are guided by impulses in religion. "There are many," as one observes, "who frequently feel singular impressions upon their minds, and are inclined to pay a very strict regard unto them. Yea, some carry this point so far, as to make it almost the only rule of their judgment, and will not determine any thing, until they find it in their hearts to do it, as their phrase is. Others take it for granted, that the divine mind is notified to them by sweet or powerful impressions of some passages of sacred writ. There are others who are determined by visionary manifestations, or by the impressions made in dreams, and the interpretations they put upon them. All these things being of the same general nature, may very justly be considered together; and it is a matter of doubt with many how far these things are to be regarded, or attended to by us; and how we may distinguish any divine impressions of this kind from the delusions of the tempter, or of our own evil hearts. But, whoever makes any of these things his rule and standard, he forsakes the divine word; and nothing tends more to make persons unhappy in themselves, unsteady in their conduct, or more dangerously deluded in their practice, than paying a random regard to these impulses, as notifications of the divine will." See ENTHUSIASM, Providence.

IMPURITY, want of that regard to decency, chastity, or holiness, which our duty requires. Impurity, in the law of Moses, is any legal defilement. Of these there were several sorts: some were voluntary, as the touching a dead body, or any animal that died of it

self; or any creature that was esteemed originally his, antecedently to such imunclean; or touching things holy by one putation; or to what was not antecewho was not clean, or was not a priest; dently his, but becomes so by virtue of the touching one who had a leprosy, such imputation only, 2 Sam. xix. 19. one who had a gonorrhea, or who was Ps. cvi. 31. The imputation that repolluted by a dead carcase, &c. Some-spects our justification before God is of times these impurities were involuntary; as when any one inadvertently || touched bones, or a sepulchre, or any thing polluted: or fell into such diseases as pollute, as the leprosy, &c.

the latter kind, and may be defined thus; it is God's gracious donation of the righteousness of Christ to believers, and his acceptance of their persons as righteous on the account thereof. Their sins being imputed to him, and his obedience being imputed to them, they are, in virtue hereof, both acquitted from guilt, and accepted as righteous before God, Rom. iv. 6, 7. Rom. v. 18, 19. 2 Cor. v. 21. See RIGHTEOUSNESS, SIN; Dickinson's Letters, p. 156; Hervey's Theron and Aspasio, vol. ii. p. 43; Doddridge's Works, vol. iv. p. 562; Watts's Works, vol. iii. p. 532.

The beds, clothes, and moveables which had touched any thing unclean, contracted also a kind of impurity, and in some cases communicated it to others. These legal pollutions were general- || ly removed by bathing, and lasted no longer than the evening. The person polluted plunged over head in the water; and either had his clothes on when he did so, or washed himself and his clothes separately. Other pollutions INABILITY, want of power sufficontinued seven days; as, that which cient for the performance of any partiwas contracted by touching a dead body.cular action or design. It has been diSome impurities lasted forty or fifty days; as, that of women who were lately delivered, who were unclean forty days after the birth of a boy, and fifty after the birth of a girl. Others, again, lasted till the person was cured.

Many of these pollutions were expiated by sacrifices, and others by a certain water or lye made with the ashes of a red heifer, sacrificed on the great day of expiation. When the leper was cured, he went to the temple, and offered a sacrifice of two birds, one of which was killed, and the other set at liberty. He who had touched a dead body, or had been present at a funeral, was to be purified with the water of expiation, and this upon pain of death. The woman who had been delivered, offered a turtle and a lamb for her expiation; or if she was poor, two turtles, or two young pigeons.

vided into natural and moral. We are said to be naturally unable to do a thing when we cannot do it if we wish, because of some impeding defect or obstacle that is extrinsic to the will, either in the understanding, constitution of the body, or external objects. Moral inability consists not in any of these things, but either in the want of inclination, or the strength of a contrary inclination; or the want of sufficient motives in view to induce and excite the act of the will, or the strength of apparent motives to the contrary. For the sake of illustration, we will here present the reader with a few examples of both.

Jacob could not rejoice Potiphar's wife could fore he heard of it.

in Joseph's exaltation be- not rejoice in it, if she con

in

tinued under it.

The woman mentioned Had that woman been a

and eat him, when he was her own son in a time of

find him.

time of famine."

These impurities, which the law of Moses has expressed with the greatest accuracy and care, were only figures 2d Kings vi. 29. could not very affectionate mother, of other more important impurities, kill her neighbour's son she could not have killed such as the sins and iniquities commit-hid, and she could not plenty, as she did in a ted against God, or faults committed against our neighbour. The saints and prophets of the Old Testament were sensible of this; and our Saviour, in the Gospel, has strongly inculcated,-that they are not outward and corporeal pollutions which render us unacceptable to God, but such inward pollutions as infect the soul, and are violations of justice, truth, and charity.

IMPUTATION is the attributing any matter, quality, or character, whether good or evil, to any person as his own. It may refer to what was

Hazael could not have If a dutiful, affectionsmothered Benhadad, if ate son had been waiting he had not been suffered on Benhadad in Hazael's to enter his chamber. stead, he could not have smothered him, as Hazael did.

These are a few instances from which we may clearly learn the distinction of natural and moral inability. It must not, however, be forgotten, that moral inability or disinclination is no excuse for our omission of duty, though want of natural faculties or necessary means would. That God may command,

"The Levitical law, which is re

though man has not a present moral | their tendency to diffuse wealth, to con ability to perform, is evident, if we con- nect families, or to promote some posider, 1. That man once had a power to litical advantage. do whatsoever God would command him, he had a power to cleave to God.ceived in this country, and from which -2. That God did not deprive man of the rule of the Roman law differs very his ability.-3. Therefore God's right of little, prohibits marriage between relacommanding, and man's obligation of tions within three degrees of kindred; returning and cleaving to God, remains computing the generations not from, firm. See LIBERTY; and Theol. Misc but through the common ancestor, and vol. ii. p. 488; Edwards on the Will; accounting affinity the same as consanCharnock's Works, vol. ii. p. 187, guinity. The issue, however, of such Watts on Liberty, p. 4. marriages are not bastardized, unless INCARNATION, the act whereby the parents be divorced during their the Son of God assumed the human na-lifetime." Paley's Mor. Phil. p. 316. ture; or the mystery by which Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, was made man, in order to accomplish the work of our salvation. See NATIVITY, and Meldrum on the Incarnation.

vol. i.

INCEST, SPIRITUAL, an ideal crime, committed between two persons who have a spiritual alliance, by means of baptism or confirmation. This ridiculous fancy was made use of as an instrument of great tyranny in times when the power of the pope was unlimited, even queens being sometimes divorced upon this pretence. Incest Spiritual is also understood of a vicar, or other beneficiary, who enjoys both the mother and the daughter; that is, holds two benefices, one whereof depends upon the collation of the other. Such spiritual incest renders both the one and the other of these benefices vacant.

INCEST, the crime of criminal and unnatural commerce with a person within the degrees forbidden by the law. By the rules of the church, incest was formerly very absurdly extended even to the seventh degree; but it is now restricted to the third or fourth. Most nations look on incest with horror, Persia and Egypt excepted. In the history of the ancient kings of those countries we meet with instances of brothers marrying their own sisters, because they thought it too mean to join INCLINATION is the disposition or in alliance with their own subjects, and propensity of the mind to any particular still more so to marry into any foreign object or action: or a kind of bias upon family. Vortigern, king of South Bri-nature, by the force of which it is cartain, equalled, or rather excelled them ried towards certain actions previously in wickedness, by marrying his own to the exercise of thought and reasoning daughter. The queen of Portugal was about the nature and consequences of married to her uncle; and the prince of them. Inclinations are of two kinds, Brazil, the son of that incestuous mar- natural or acquired. 1. Natural are riage, is wedded to his aunt. But they such as we often see in children, who had dispensations for these unnatural from their earliest years differ in their marriages from his holiness. "In or- tempers and dispositions. In one you der," says one, "to preserve chastity see the dawnings of a liberal diffusive in families, and between persons of dif- soul; another gives us cause to fear he ferent sexes brought up and living to- will be altogether as narrow and sorgether in a state of unreserved inti- did. Of one we may say he is naturally macy, it is necessary, by every method revengeful; of another, that he is papossible, to inculcate an abhorrence of tient and forgiving.-2. Acquired incliincestuous conjunctions; which abhor-nations are such as are superintendurence can only be upheld by the abso-ced by custom, which are called habits; lute reprobation of all commerce of the and these are either good or evil. See sexes between near relations. Upon HABIT. this principle the marriage, as well as other cohabitation of brothers and sisters of lineal kindred, and of all who usually live in the same family, may be said to be forbidden by the law of nature. Restrictions which extend to remoter degrees of kindred than what this reason makes it necessary to prohibit from intermarriage, are founded in the authority of the positive law which_ordains them, and can only be justified by

INCOMPREHENSIBILITY

OF GOD. This is a relative term, and indicates a relation between an object and a faculty; between God and a created understanding; so that the meaning of it is this, that no created understanding can comprehend God; that is, have a perfect and exact knowledge of him, such a knowledge as is adequate to the perfection of the object, Job xi. 7. ls. xl. God is incomprehensible, 1. As to

the nature of his essence. 2. The ex- titled, Reflections on the Sources of Incellency of his attributes. 3. The depth credulity with regard to Religion, and of his counsels. 4. The works of his Casaubon on Credulity and Incredulity. providence. 5. The dispensation of his INDEPENDENCY OF GOD is his grace, Eph. iii. 8. Job xxxvii. 25. Rom. existence in and of himself, without dexi. The incomprehensibility of God pending on any other. "His being and follows, 1. From his being a spirit endu- perfections," as Dr. Ridgley observes, ed with perfections greatly superior to (Body of Div. q.7.) “are underived, and our own.-2. There may be (for any not communicated to him, as all finite thing we certainly know) attributes and perfections are by him to the creature. perfections in God of which we have This attribute of independency belongs not the least idea.-3. In those perfec- to all his perfections. 1. He is indepentions of the divine nature of which we dent as to his knowledge. He doth not have some idea, there are many things receive ideas from any object out of to us inexplicable, and with which, the himself, as intelligent creatures do. more deeply and attentively we think This is elegantly described by the proof them, the more we find our thoughts phet, Is. xl. 13, 14.-2. He is indepenswallowed up: such as his self-existence, dent in power. As he receives strength eternity, omnipresence, &c. This should from no one, so he doth not act depenteach us therefore, 1. To admire and dently on the will of the creature, Job reverence the Divine Being, Zech. ix. xxxvi. 23.-3. He is independent as to 17. Neh. ix. 5-2. To be humble and his holiness, hating sin necessarily, and modest, Ps. viii. 1, 4. Eccl. v. 2, 3. Job not barely depending on some reasons xxxvii. 19.-3. To be serious in our ad- out of himself inducing him thereto; dresses, and sincere in our behaviour for it is essential to the divine nature to towards him. Caryl on Job xxvii. 25; be infinitely opposite to sin, and thereTillotson's Sermons, sermon 156; Aber-fore to be independently holy.-4. He nethy's Sermons, vol. ii. No. 6, 7; Doddridge's Lect. lec. 59.

INCONTINENCY, not abstaining from unlawful desires. SeeCONTINENCY, INCORPOREALITY OF GOD, is his being without a body. That God is incorporeal is evident; for, 1. Materiality is incompatible with self-existence, and God being self-existent, must be incorporeal.-2. If God were corporeal, he could not be present in any part of the world where body is; yet his presence is necessary for the support and motion of body.-3. A body cannot be in two places at the same time; yet he is every where, and fills heaven and earth. -4. A body is to be seen and felt, but God is invisible and impalpable, John i. 18. Charnock's Works, vol. i. p. 117; Doddridge's Lect. lec. 47; Gill's Body of Div. vol. i. p. 45. oct.

INCORRUPTIBLES, or INCORRUPTIBILES, the name of a sect which sprang out of the Eutychians. Their distinguishing tenet was, that the body of Jesus Christ was incorruptible; by which they meant, that, after and from the time wherein he was formed in the womb of his mother, he was not susceptible of any change or alteration; not even of any natural or innocent passion, as of hunger, thirst, &c. so that he ate without occasion before his death, as well as after his resurrection.

INCREDULITY, the withholding our assent to any proposition, not withstanding arguments sufficient to demand assent. See Duncan Forbes's piece, en

is independent as to his bounty and goodness. He communicates blessings not by constraint, but according to his Sovereign will. Thus he gave being to the world, and all things therein, which was the first instance of bounty and goodness; and this not by constraint, but by his free will; for his pleasure they are and were created.' In like manner, whatever instances of mercy he extends to miserable creatures, he acts independently, and not by force. He shows mercy, because it is his pleasure to do so, Rom. ix. 18. That God is independent, let it farther be considered, 1. That all things depend on his power which brought them into and preserves them in being. If, therefore, all things depend on God, then it would be absurdity to say that God depends on any thing, for this would be to suppose the cause and the effect to be mutually dependent on and derived from each other, which infers a contradiction.-2. If God be infinitely above the highest creatures, he cannot depend on any of them, for dependence argues inferiority. Is. xl. 15. 17.-3. If God depend on any creature, he does not exist necessarily; and if so, then he might not have been: for the same will by which he is supposed to exist, might have determined that he should not have existed, which is altogether inconsistent with the idea of a God. From God's being independent, we infer, 1. That we ought to conclude that the creature cannot lay any obligation

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on him, or do any thing that may tend to make him more happy than he is in himself, Rom. xi. 35. Job xxii. 2, 3.-2. If independency be a divine perfection, then let it not in any instance, or by any consequence, be attributed to the creature; let us conclude that all our springs are in him: and that all we enjoy and hope for is from him, who is the author and finisher of our faith, and the fountain of all our blessedness."

INDEPENDENTS, a sect of Protestants, so called from their maintaining that each congregation of Christians which meet in one house for public worship is a complete church; has sufficient power to act and perform every thing relating to religious government within itself; and is in no respect subject or accountable to other churches.

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the most famous was that which was formed about the year 1581, by Robert Brown, a man insinuating in his manners, but unsteady and inconsistent in his views and notions of men and things. Brown was for dividing the whole body of the faithful into separate societies or congregations; and maintained that such a number of persons as could be contained in an ordinary place of worship ought to be considered as a church, and enjoy all the rights and privileges that are competent to an ecclesiastical community. These small societies he pronounced independent, jure divino, and entirely exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop, in whose hands the court had placed the reins of a spiritual government; and also from that of presbyters and synods, which the PuriThough the Episcopalians contend tans regarded as the supreme visible that there is not a shadow of the inde- sources of ecclesiastical authority. But pendent discipline to be found either in as we have given an account of the the Bible or the primitive church, the general opinions and discipline of the Independents, on the contrary, believe Brownists, we need not enumerate them that it is most clearly to be deduced here, but must beg the reader to refer from the practice of the apostles in to that article. The zeal with which planting the first churches. See CHURCH Brown and his associates maintained CONGREGATIONAL, and EPISCOPACY. and propagated his notions, was, in a The Independents, however, were not high degree, intemperate and extravadistinguished as a body till the time gant. He affirmed that all communion of queen Elizabeth. The hierarchy was to be broken off with those religious established by that princes, in the societies that were founded upon a difchurches of her dominions, the vest-ferent plan from his; and treated more ments worn by the clergy in the celebration of divine worship, the book of Common Prayer, and, above all, the sign of the cross used in the administration of baptism, were very offensive to many of her subjects, who, during the persecutions of the former reign, had taken refuge among the Protestants of|| Germany and Geneva. These men thought that the church of England re-distinguished for its mildness and indulsembled in too many particulars the gence, retired into the Netherlands, and anti-christian church of Rome: they founded churches at Middlebourg, Amtherefore called perpetually for a more sterdam, and Leyden. Their founder, thorough reformation, and a purer wor- however, returned into England, reship. From this circumstance they nounced his principles of separation, were stigmatized with the general name and took orders in the established of Puritans, as the followers of Nova-church. The Puritan exiles, whom he tian had been in the ancient church. See NOVATIANS. Elizabeth was not disposed to comply with their demands; and it is difficult to say what might|| have been the issue of the contest, had the Puritans been united among them selves, in sentiments, views, and measures. But the case was quite otherwise that large body, composed of persons of different ranks, characters, opinions, and intentions, and unanimous in nothing but their antipathy to the established church, was all of a sudden divided into a variety of sects. Of these,

especially the church of England as a spurious church, whose ministers were unlawfully ordained; whose discipline was popish and anti-christian; and whose sacraments and institutions were destitute of all efficacy and virtue. His followers not being able to endure the severe treatment which they met with from an administration that was not

thus abandoned, disagreed among themselves, were split into parties, and their affairs declined from day to day. This engaged the wiser part of them to mitigate the severity of their founder's plan, and to soften the rigour of his uncharitable decisions.

The person who had the chief merit of bringing about this reformation was one of their pastors, of the name of Robinson; a man who had much of the solemn piety of the times, and no inconsiderable portion of learning. This well-meaning reformer, perceiving the