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of the mouth of him who fasteth is more || the Arabians in the conquest of several grateful to God than that of musk; and provinces, into which, of consequence, Al Ghazali reckons fasting one fourth || the religion of Mahomet was afterwards part of the faith. According to the Ma- introduced. Other causes of the sudden hometan divines, there are three de- progress of that religion will naturally grees of fasting: 1. The restraining the occur to such as consider attentively its belly and other parts of the body from spirit and genius, and the state of the satisfying their lusts.-2. The restrain- world at this time. ing the ears, eyes, tongue, hands, feet, and other members, from sin.-3. The fasting of the heart from worldly cares, and restraining the thought from every thing besides God.

4. The pilgrimage to Mecca is so necessary a point of practice, that, according to a tradition of Mahomet, he who dies without performing it, may as well die a Jew or a Christian; and the same is expressly commanded in the Koran. See PILGRIMAGE.

III. Mahometanism, causes of the success of. The rapid success which attended the propagation of this new religion was owing to causes that are plain and evident, and must remove, or rather prevent our surprise, when they are attentively considered. The terror of Mahomet's arms, and the repeated victories which were gained by him and his successors, were, no doubt, the irresistible arguments that persuaded such multitudes to embrace his religion, and submit to his dominion. Besides, his law was artfully and marvellously adapted to the corrupt nature of man; and, in a most particular manner, to the manners and opinions of the Eastern nations, and the vices to which they were naturally addicted: for the articles of faith which it proposed were few in number, and extremely simple; and the duties it required were neither many nor difficult, Hor such as were incompatible with the empire of appetites and passions. It is to be observed farther, that the gross ignorance under which the Arabians, Syrians, Persians, and the greatest part of the Eastern nations, laboured at this time, rendered many an easy prey to the artifice and eloquence of this bold adventurer. To these causes of the progress of Mahometanism we may add the bitter dissensions and cruel animosities that reigned among the Christian sects, particularly the Greeks, Nestorians, Eutychians, and Monophysites; dissensions that filled a great part of the East with carnage assassinations, and such detestable enormities, as rendered the very name of Christianity odious to many. We might add here, that the Monophysites and Nestorians, full of resentment against the Greeks, from whom they had suffered the bitterest and most injurious treatment, assisted

IV. Mahometanism, subversion of. Of things yet to come it is difficult to say any thing with precision. We have, however, some reason to believe, from the aspect of Scripture prophecy, that, triumphant as this sect has been, it shall at last come to nought. As it arose as a scourge to Christendom about the time that Antichrist obtained a temporal dominion, so it is not improbable but they will have their downfall nearly at the same period. The ninth chapter of Revelations seems to refer wholly to this imposture: "The four angels were loosed," says the prediction, 15th verse, "which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.' This period, in the language of prophecy, makes 391 years, which, being added to the year when the four angels were loosed, will bring us down to 1844, or thereabouts, for the final destruction of the Mahometan empire. It must be confessed, however, that though the event is certain, the exact time cannot be easily ascertained. Prideaux's Life of Mahomet; Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. cent. vii. ch. 2. Sale's Preliminary Discourse, prefixed to his English Translation of the Koran; Simpson's Key to Proph. sect. 19. Bishop Newton, Mede, and Gill, on Rev. ix. Miller's Propag. of Christianity, vol. i. ch. 1. White's Ser. at Bampton Lect. Enc. Brit.

MALEVOLENCE is that disposition of mind which inclines us to wish ill to any person. It discovers itself in frowns and a lowering countenance; in uncharitableness, in evil sentiments; hard speeches to or of its object; in cursing and reviling; and doing mischief either with open violence or secret spite, 'as far as there is power.

MALICE is a settled or deliberate determination to revenge or do hurt to another. It more frequently denotes the disposition of inferior minds to execute every purpose of mischief within the more limited circle of their abilities. It is a most hateful temper in the sight of God, strictly forbidden in his holy word. Col. iii. 8-12. disgraceful to rational creatures, and every way inimical to the spirit of Christianity, Matt. v. 44. See CHARITY, LOVE.

MALIGNITY, a disposition obsti

nately bad or malicious. Malignancy || bla, Borandians, the Greenlanders, and and malignity are words nearly synony- the people of Kamtschatka. The visage mous. In some connections, malignity of men in these countries is large and seems rather more pertinently applied broad; the nose flat and short; the to a radical depravity of nature; and eyes of a yellowish brown, inclining to malignancy to indications of this depra- blackness; the cheek-bones extremely vity in temper and conduct in particular high; the mouth large; the lips thick, instances. and turning outwards; the voice thin, and squeaking; and the skin a dark grey colour. They are short in stature, the generality being about four feet high, and the tallest not more than five. They are ignorant, stupid, and superstitious.-2. The second are the Tartar race, comprehending the Chinese and the Japanese. Their countenances are broad and wrinkled, even in youth; their noses short and flat; their eyes little, cheek-bones high, teeth large, complexions olive, and the hair black.

MAN, a being, consisting of a rational soul and organical body. By some he is defined thus: "He is the head of the animal creation; a being who feels, reflects, thinks, contrives, and acts; who has the power of changing his place upon the earth at pleasure; who possesses the faculty of communicating his thoughts by means of speech, and who has dominion over all other creatures on the face of the earth." We shall here present the reader with a brief account of his formation, species, and different-3. The third are the southern Asiatics, state. 1. His formation. Man was made last of all the creatures, being the chief and master-piece of the whole creation on earth. He is a compendium of the creation, and therefore is sometimes called a microcosm, a little world, the world in miniature; something of the vegetable, animal, and rational world meet in him; spirit and matter; yea, heaven and earth centre in him; he is the bond that connects them both together. The constituent and essential parts of man created by God are two; body and soul. The one was made out of the dust; the other was breathed into him. The body is formed with the greatest precision and exactness: every muscle. vein, artery, yea, the least fibre, in its proper place; all in just proportion and symmetry, in subserviency to the use of each other, and for the good of the whole, Ps. cxxxix. 14. It is also made erect, to distinguish it from the four-footed animals, who look downward to the earth. Man was made to look upward to the heavens, to contemplate them, and the glory of God displayed in them; to look up to God, to worship and adore him. In the Greek language, man has his name, agaros, from turning and looking upwards. The soul is the other part of man, which is a substance or subsistence: it is not an accident, or quality, inherent in a subject; but capable of subsisting without the body. It is a spiritual substance, immaterial, immortal. See SOUL.

or inhabitants of India. These are of a slender shape, long straight black hair, and generally Roman noses. They are slothful, submissive, cowardly, and effeminate.-4. The negroes of Africa constitute the fourth striking variety in the human species. They are of a black colour, having downy soft hair, short and black; their beards often turn grey, and sometimes white: their noses are flat and short; their lips thick, and their teeth of an ivory whiteness. These have been till of late the unhappy wretches who have been torn from their families, friends, and native lands, and consigned for life to misery, toil, and bondage; and that by the wise, polished, and the Christian inhabitants of Europe, and above all by the monsters of England!! -5. The natives of America are the fifth race of men: they are of a copper colour, with black thick straight hair, flat noses, high cheek-bones, and small eyes.-6. The Europeans may be considered as the sixth and last variety of the human kind, whose features we need not describe. The English are considered as the fairest.

3. Man, different states of. The state of man has been divided into fourfold: his primitive state; fallen state; gracious state; and future state. 1. His state of innocence. God, it is said, made man upright, Eccl. vii. 29. without any imperfection, corruption, or principle of cerruption in his body or soul; with light in his understanding, holiness in 2. Man, different species of. Accord- his will, and purity in his affection. This ing to Linnæus and Buffon, there are constituted his original righteousness, six different species among mankind. which was universal, both with respect The first are those uuder the Polar re- to the subject of it, the whole man, and gions, and comprehend the Laplanders, the object of it, the whole law. Being the Esquimaux Indians, the Samoied thus in a state of holiness, he was necesTartars, the inhabitants of Nova Zem-sarily in a state of happiness. He was a

SIN. Hartley's Observations on Man; Boston's Fourfold State; Kaimes's Sketches of the History of Man; Locke on Und. Reid on the Active and Intellectual Powers of Man; Wollaston's Religion of Nature; Harris's Philosophical Arrangements.

very glorious creature, the favourite of heaven, the lord of the world, possessing perfect tranquillity in his own breast, and immortal. Yet he was not without law; for to the law of nature, which was impressed on his heart, God superadded a positive law, not to eat of the forbidden fruit, Gen. ii. 17. under the MANICHEES or MANICHEANS, penalty of death natural, spiritual, and (Manichæi,) a sect of ancient heretics, eternal. Had he obeyed this law, he who asserted two principles; so called might have had reason to expect that from their author Manes, or Manihe would not only have had the contin- chæus, a Persian by nation, and educauance of his natural and spiritual life, || ted among the Magi, being himself one but have been transported to the upper of that number before he embraced paradise.-2. His fall. Man's righteous- Christianity. ness, however, though universal, was This heresy had its first rise about not immutable, as the event has proved. the year 277, and spread itself princiHow long he lived in a state of inno-pally in Arabia, Egypt and Africa. St. cence cannot easily be ascertained, yet || Epiphanius, who treats of it at large, most suppose it was but a short time. observes that the true name of this heThe positive law which God gave him resiarch was Cubricus; and that he he broke, by eating the forbidden fruit. changed it for Manes, which in the The consequence of this evil act was, Persian or Babylonish language signithat man lost the chief good; his na- fies vessel. A rich widow, whose serture was corrupted; his powers depra- vant he had been, dying without issue, ved, his body subject to corruption, his left him stores of wealth; after which soul exposed to misery, his posterity all he assumed the title of the apostle or involved in ruin, subject to eternal con- envoy of Jesus Christ. demnation, and for ever incapable to restore themselves to the favour of God, to obey his commands perfectly, and to satisfy his justice, Gal. iii. Rom. v. Gen. iii. Eph. ii. Rom. iii. passim. See FALL. 3. His recovery. Although man has fallen by his iniquity, yet he is not left finally to perish. The Divine Being, foreseeing the fall, in infinite love and mercy made provision for his relief. Jesus Christ, according to the divine purpose, came in the fulness of time to be his Saviour, and, by virtue of his sufferings, all who believe are justified from the curse of the law. By the influences of the Holy Spirit he is regenerated, united to Christ by faith, and sanctified. True believers, therefore, live a life of dependence on the promises; of regu- However, the oriental writers cited larity and obedience to God's word; of by D'Herbelot and Hyde, tell us that holy joy and peace; and have a hope Manes, after having been protected in full of immortality.-4. His future state. a singular manner by Hormizdas, who As it respects the impenitent, it is a succeeded Sapor in the Persian throne, state of separation from God, and eter- but who was not able to defend him, at nal punishment, Matt. xxv. 46. But the length, against the united hatred of the righteous shall rise to glory, honour, Christians, the Magi, the Jews, and the and everlasting joy. To the former, Pagans, was shut up in a strong casdeath will be the introduction to misery; tle, to serve him as a refuge against to the latter, it will be the admission to those who persecuted him on account felicity. All will be tried in the judg- of his doctrine. They add, that, after ment-day, and sentence pronounced ac- the death of Hormizdas, Varanes I. his cordingly. The wicked will be driven successor, first protected Manes, but away in his wickedness, and the righ-afterwards gave him up to the fury of teous be saved with an everlasting salvation. But as these subjects are treated on elsewhere, we refer the reader to the articles, GRace, Heaven, HELL,

Manes was not contented with the quality of apostle of Jesus Christ, but he also assumed that of the paraclete, whom Christ had promised to send; which Augustine explains, by saying, that Manes endeavoured to persuade men that the Holy Ghost did personally dwell in him with full authority. He left several disciples; and among others, Addas, Thomas, and Hermas. These he sent in his life-time into several provinces to preach his doctrine. Manes having undertaken to cure the king of Persia's son, and not succeeding, was put in prison upon the young prince's death, whence he made his escape; but he was apprehended soon after, and flayed alive."

the Magi, whose resentment against him was due to his having adopted the Sadducean principles, as some say; while others attribute it to his having mingled

the tenets of the Magi with the doc-souls; one of which is sensitive and lusttrines of Christianity. However, it is ful, and owes its existence to the evil certain that the Manicheans celebrated principle; the other rational and imthe day of their master's death. It has mortal, a particle of that divine light been a subject of much controversy which had been carried away in the whether Manes was an impostor. The contest by the army of darkness, and learned Dr. Lardner has examined the immersed into the mass of malignant arguments on both sides; and though matter. The earth was created by he does not choose to deny that he was God out of this corrupt mass of matter, an impostor, he does not discern evident in order to be a dwelling for the human proofs of it. He acknowledges that he race, that their captive souls might by was an arrogant philosopher, and a degrees be delivered from their corpogreat schemist; but whether he was an real prisons, and the celestial elements impostor he cannot certainly say. He extricated from the gross substance in was much too fond of philosophical no- which they were involved. With this tions, which he endeavoured to bring view God produced two beings from into religion, for which he is to be his own substance, viz. Christ and the blamed: nevertheless he observes, that || Holy Ghost; for the Manicheans held every bold dogmatizer is not an impostor. a consubstantial Trinity. Christ, or The doctrine of Manes was a motley the glorious intelligence, called by the mixture of the tenets of Christianity Persians Mithras, subsisting in and by with the ancient philosophy of the Per- himself, and residing in the sun, apsians, in which he had been instructed peared in due time among the Jews, during his youth. He combined these clothed with the shadowy form of a two systems, and applied and accom- human body, to disengage the rational modated to Jesus Christ the characters soul from the corrupt body, and to conand actions which the Persians attribu- quer the violence of malignant matter. ted to the god Mithras. The Jews, incited by the prince of darkHe established two principles, viz. a ness, put him to an ignominious death, good and an evil one: the first a most which he suffered not in reality, but pure and subtle matter, which he called only in appearance, and according to light, did nothing but good; and the se- the opinion of men. When the purposes cond a gross and corrupt substance, of Christ were accomplished, he returnwhich he called darkness, nothing but ed to his throne in the sun, appointing evil. This philosophy is very ancient; apostles to propagate his religion, and and Plutarch treats of it at large in his leaving his followers the promise of the Isis and Osiris. Our souls, according to paraclete or comforter, who is Manes Manes, were made by the good princi- the Persian. Those souls who believe ple, and our bodies by the evil one; Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, rethese two principles being, according to nounce the worship of the god of the him, co-eternal and independent of each Jews, who is the prince of darkness, and other. Each of these is subject to the obey the laws delivered by Christ, and dominion of a superintendent Being, illustrated by Manes the comforter, are whose existence is from all eternity. gradually purified from the contagion The Being who presides over the light of matter: and their purification being is called God; he that rules the land of completed, after having passed through darkness bears the title of hyle or de- two states of trial, by water and fire, mon. The ruler of the light is supreme- first in the moon and then in the sun, ly happy, and in consequence thereof their bodies return to the original mass benevolent and good; the prince of (for the Manicheans derided the resurdarkness is unhappy in himself and de-rection of bodies,) and their souls ascend sirous of rendering others partakers of to the regions of light. But the souls of his misery; and is evil and malignant. those who have neglected the salutary These two beings have produced an im-work of purification, pass after death mense multitude of creatures resem-into the bodies of other animals and nabling themselves, and distributed them through their respective provinces. After a contest between the ruler of light and the prince of darkness, in which the latter was defeated, this prince of darkness produced the first parents of the human race. The beings engendered from this original stock consist of a body formed out of the corrupt matter of the kingdom of darkness, and of two

tures, where they remain till they have accomplished their probation. Some, however, more perverse and obstinate, are consigned to a severer course of trial, being delivered over for a time to the power of malignant aerial spirits, who torment them in various ways. After this, a fire shall break forth and consume the frame of the world; and the prince and powers of darkness shall re

U u

Manes borrowed many things from the ancient Gnostics, on which account many authors consider the Manicheans as a branch of the Gnostics.

turn to their primitive seats of anguished the perfect Christian, under the and misery, in which they shall dwell name of the clect; and the other the for ever. These mansions shall be sur- imperfect and feeble, under the title of rounded by an invincible guard, to pre- || auditors or hearers The elect were vent their ever renewing a war in the obliged to rigorous and entire abstinence regions of light. from flesh, eggs, milk, fish, wine, all intoxicating drink, wedlock, and all amorous gratifications; and to live in a state of the severest penury, nourishing their emaciated bodies with bread, herbs, pulse, and melons, and depriving themselves of all the comforts that arise from the moderate indulgence of natural passions, and also from a variety of innocent and agreeable pursuits. The auditors were allowed to possess houses, lands. and wealth; to feed on flesh, to enter into the bonds of conjugal tender

In truth, the Manichean doctrine was a system of philosophy rather than of religion. They made use of amulets, in imitation of the Basilidians; and are said to have made profession of astronomy and astrology. "They denied that Jesus Christ, who was only God, assumed a true human body, and maintained it was only imaginary and therefore they de-ness; but this liberty was granted them nied his incarnation, death, &c. They with many limitations, and under the pretended that the law of Moses did not strictest conditions of moderation and come from God, or the good principle, temperance. The general assembly of but from the evil one; and that for this Manicheans was headed by a president, reason it was abrogated. They rejected who represented Jesus Christ. There almost all the sacred books in which were joined to him twelve rulers or Christians look for the sublime truths of masters, who were designed to repretheir holy religion. They affirmed that sent the twelve apostles; and these the Old Testament was not the work of were followed by seventy-two bishops, God, but of the prince of darkness, who the images of the seventy two disciples was substituted by the Jews in the place of our Lord. These bishops had presof the true God. They abstained entire-byters or deacons under them, and all ly from eating the flesh of any animal, following herein the doctrine of the ancient Pythagoreans: they also condemned marriage. The rest of their errors may be seen in St. Epiphanius and St. Augustine; which last, having been of their sect, may be presumed to have been thoroughly acquainted with them Though the Manichees professed to receive the books of the New Testament, yet in effect they only took so much of them as suited with their own opinions. They first formed to them- Towards the fourth century the Maniselves a certain idea or scheme of Chris-cheans concealed themselves under vatianity, and to this adjusted the writings rious names, which they successively of the apostles, pretending that what-adopted, and changed in proportion as ever was inconsistent with this had they were discovered by them. Thus been foisted into the New Testament they assumed the names of Encratites, by the later writers, who were half Apotactics, Saccophori, HydroparasJews. On the other hand, they made tates, Solitaries, and several others, unfables and apocryphal books pass for der which they lay concealed for a cerapostolical writings; and even are sus-tain time, but could not, however, long pected to have forged several others, the better to maintain their errors. St. Epiphanius gives a catalogue of several pieces published by Manes, and adds extracts out of some of them. These are the Mysteries, Chapters, Gospel, and Treasury.

The rule of life and manners which Manes prescribed to his followers was most extravagantly rigorous and severe. However, he divided his disciples into two classes; one of which comprehend

the members of these religious orders were chosen out of the class of the elect. Their worship was simple and plain, and consisted of prayers, reading the Scriptures, and hearing public discourses, at which both the auditors and elect were allowed to be present. They also observed the Christian appointment of baptism, and the eucharist. They kept the Lord's day, observing it as a fast; and they likewise kept Easter and the Pentecost.

escape the vigilance of their enemies. About the close of the sixth century, this sect gained a very considerable influence, particularly among the Persians.

Towards the middle of the twelfth century, the sect of Manichees took a new face, on account of one Constantine, an Armenian, and an adherer to it; who took upon him to suppress the reading of all other books besides the evangelists and the epistles of St. Paul,

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