The length of this ark was 300 cubits, which according to Dr. Arbuthnot's calculation, amount to a little more than 547 feet; its breadth, 50 cubits, or 91-2 feet; its height, 30 cubits, or 54-72 feet; and its solid contents 2,730-782 solid feet, sufficient for a carriage for 81,062 ton. It consisted of three stories, each of which, abating the thickness of the floors, might be about 18 feet high, and no doubt was partitioned into a great many rooms or apartments. This vessel was doubtless so contrived, as to admit the air and the light on all, though the particular construction of the windows be not mentioned. and the learned Grotius seems to lean that way. Mr. Whiston was one of the first divines who revived this controversy in the eighteenth century. He was followed by Dr. Clarke, who was chiefly opposed by Dr. Waterland. Those who hold the doctrine which is usually called Low Arianism, say that Christ pre-existed; but not as the eternal Logos of the Father, or as the being by whom he made the worlds, and had intercourse with the patriarchs, or as having any certain rank or employment whatever in the divine dispensations. In modern times, the term Arian is indiscriminately applied to those who consider Jesus simply subordinate to the ARK OF THE COVENANT, a Father. Some of them believe Christ small chest or coffer, three feet nine to have been the creator of the world; inches in length, two feet three inches but they all maintain that he existed in breadth, and two feet three inches in previously to his incarnation, though in height, in which were contained the his pre-existent state they assign him golden pot that had manna, Aaron's different degrees of dignity. Hence the rod, and the tables of the covenant. terms High and Low Arian. See PRE- The ark was reposited in the holiest EXISTENCE. Some of the more recent place of the tabernacle. It was taken vindicators of Arianism have been H. by the Philistines, and detained twenty Taylor, in his Apology of Ben Mordecai (some say forty) years at Kirjath-jcato his Friends for embracing Christian-rim; but, the people being afflicted with ity; Dr. Harwood, in his Five Disser-emerods on account of it, returned it tations; Dr. Price, in his Sermons on with divers presents. It was afterwards the Christian Doctrine. See also the placed in the temple. 4th. vol. of the Theological Repository, p. 153-163, and Cornish's Tract on the Pre-existence of Christ. On the opposite side, Bogue and Bennett's Hist. of Dissenters, vol. iii. Abbadie, Waterland, Guyse, Hey, Robinson, Eveleigh, Hawker on the Divinity of Christ-Calamy, Taylor, Gill, Jones, Pike, and Simpson, on the Trinity. ARISTOTELIANS, the followers of Aristotle. They believed in the eternity of the world, and represented the Deity as somewhat similar to a principle of power giving motion to a machine; and as happy in the contemplation of himself, but regardless of human affairs. They were uncertain as to the immortality of the soul.-As this was rather a philosophical than religious sect, we shall not enlarge on it. ARK, or NOAH'S ARK, a floating vessel built by Noah for the preservation of his family, and the several species of animals, during the deluge. The form of the Ark was an oblong, with a flat bottom, and a sloped roof, raised to a cubit in the middle; it had neither sails nor rudder; nor was it sharp at the ends for cutting the water. This form was admirably calculated to make it lie steady on the water, without rolling, which might have endangered the lives of the animals within. The lid or covering of the ark was called the propitiatory or mercy-seat; over which two figures were placed, called cherubims, with expanded wings of a peculiar form. Here the Shechinah rested both in the tabernacle and temple in a visible cloud: hence were issued the Divine oracles by an audible voice; and the high priest appeared before this mercy-seat once every year on the great day of expiation; and the Jews, wherever they worshipped, turned their faces towards the place where the ark stood. In the second temple there was also an ark, made of the same shape and dimensions with the first, and put in the same place, but without any of its contents and peculiar honours. It was used as a representative of the former on the day of expiation, and a repository of the original copy of the holy Scriptures, collected by Ezra and the men of the great synagogue after the captivity; and, in imitation of this, the Jews, to this day, have a kind of ark in their synagogues, wherein their sacred books are kept. ARMENIANS, the inhabitants of Armenia, whose religion is the Christian, of the Eutychian sect; that is, they hold but one nature in Jesus Christ. See EUTYCHIANS. They assert also the procession of the Holy Ghost from II. That Jesus Christ by his sufferings and death, made an atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in particular; that, however, none but those who believe in him can be partakers of divine benefits. III. That true faith cannot proceed from the exercise of our natural faculties and powers, nor from the force and operation of free will; since man, in consequence of his natural corruption, is incapable either of thinking or doing any good thing; and that, therefore, it is necessary, in order to his conversion and salvation, that he be regenerated and renewed by the operation of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ. the Father only. They believe that succours; so that election was condiChrist at his descent into hell freed the||tional, and reprobation in like manner souls of the damned from thence, and the result of foreseen infidelity and perreprieved them to the end of the world, severing wickedness. when they shall be remanded to eternal flames. They believe that the souls of the righteous shall not be admitted to the beatific vision till after the resurrection, notwithstanding which they pray to departed saints, adore their pictures, and burn lamps before them. The Armenian clergy consist of patriarchs, archbishops, doctors, secular priests, and monks. The Armenian monks are of the order of St. Basil; and every Wednesday and Friday they eat neither fish, nor eggs, nor oil, nor any thing made of milk; and during Lent they live upon nothing but roots. They have seven sacraments; baptism, confirmation, penance, the eucharist, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony. -They admit infants to the communion at two or three months old. They seem to place the chief part of their religion in fastings and abstinences; and, among the clergy, the higher the degree, the lower they must live; insomuch that it is said the archbishops live on nothing but pulse. They consecrate holy water but once a year; at which time every one fills a pot, and carries it home, which brings in a considerable revenue to the church. IV. That this divine grace, or energy of the Holy Ghost, begins and perfects every thing that can be called good in man, and, consequently, all good works are to be attributed to God alone; that, nevertheless, this grace is offered to all, and does not force men to act against their inclinations, but may be resisted and rendered ineffectual by the perverse will of the impenitent sinner. Some modern Arminians interpret this and the last article with a greater latitude. V. That God gives to the truly faithful who are regenerated by his grace, the means of preserving themselves in this state. The first Arminians, indeed, had some doubt with respect to the closing part of this article; but their followers uniformly maintain "that the regenerate may lose true justifying faith, fall from a state of grace, and die in their sins." ARMINIANS, persons who follow the doctrines of Arminius, who was pastor at Amsterdam, and afterwards professor of divinity at Leyden. Armínius had been educated in the opinions of Calvin; but, thinking the doctrine of that great man with regard to free will, predestination, and grace, too severe, he began to express his doubts concerning them in the year 1591; and, upon farther enquiry, adopted the sentiments of those whose religious system extends the love of the Supreme Being and the merits of Jesus Christ to all mankind. The Arminians are also called Remonstrants, because, in 1611, they presented a remonstrance to the statesgeneral, wherein they state their griev-hered to the theological system of Geances, and pray for relief. The distinguishing tenets of the Arminians may be comprised in the five following articles relative to predestination, universal redemption, the corruption of man, conversion, and perscverance, viz. I. That God, from all eternity, determined to bestow salvation on those who he foresaw would persevere unto the end; and to inflict everlasting punishments on those who should continue in their unbelief, and resist his divine After the appointment of Arminius to the theological chair at Leyden, he thought it his duty to avow and vindicate the principles which he had embraced; and the freedom with which he published and defended them, exposed him to the resentment of those that ad neva, which then prevailed in Holland; but his principal opponent was Gomar, his colleague. The controversy which was thus begun became more general after the death of Arminius in the year 1609, and threatened to involve the United Provinces in civil discord. The Arminian tenets gained ground under the mild and favourable treatment of the magistrates of Holland, and were adopted by several persons of merit and distinction. The Calvinists or Gomarists, as they were now called, appealed to a national synod; accordingly, the synod cellæus, Limborch, Le Clerc, Wetstein, of Dort was convened, by order of the Goodwin, Whitby, Taylor, Fletcher, &c. states-general, 1618; and was com- Some of the principal writers on the posed of ecclesiastic deputies from the other side have been Polhill in his Book United Provinces as well as from the on the Decrees; John Edwards in his reformed churches of England, Hessia, Veritas Redux; Cole in his Sovereignty Bremen, Switzerland, and the Palati- of God; Edwards on the Will, and nate. The principal advocate in favour | Original Sin; Dr. Owen in his Display of the Arminians was Episcopius, who of Arminianism, and on particular Reat that time was professor of divinity at demption; Gill in his Cause of God Leyden. It was first proposed to dis- and Truth; and Toplady, in almost all cuss the principal subjects in dispute, his works. that the Arminians should be allowed ARNOLDISTS, the followers of to state and vindicate the grounds on Arnold, of Brescia, in the twelfth cenwhich their opinions were founded; but,tury, who was a great declaimer against some difference arising as to the proper mode of conducting the debate, the Arminians were excluded from the assembly, their case was tried in their absence, and they were pronounced guilty of pestilential errors, and condemned as corrupters of the true religion. A curious account of the proceedings of the above synod may be seen in a series of letters written by Mr. John Hales, who was present on the occasion. In consequence of the above-mentioned decision, the Arminians were considered as enemies to their country, and its established religion, and were much persecuted. They were treated with great severity, and deprived of all their posts and employments; their ministers were silenced, and their congregations were suppressed. The great Barneveldt was beheaded on a scaffold; and the learned Grotius, being condemned to perpetual imprisonment, fled, and took refuge in France. the wealth and vices of the clergy. He is also charged with preaching against baptism and the eucharist. He was burnt at Rome in 1155, and his ashes cast into the Tiber. ARTEMONTES, a denomination in the second century; so called from Artemon, who taught that, at the birth of the man Christ, a certain divine energy, or portion of the divine nature, united itself to him. ARTICLE OF FAITH is, by some, defined a point of Christian doctrine, which we are obliged to believe, as having been revealed by God himself, and allowed and established as such by the church. See CONFESSIONS. ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. See CHURCH OF ENGLAND. The ARTICLES, LAMBETH. Lambeth articles were so called, because drawn up at Lambeth palace, under the eye and with the assistance After the death of prince Maurice, of archbishop Whitgift, bishop Bancroft, who had been a violent partizan in fa- bishop Vaughan, and other eminent digvour of the Gomarists, in the year 1625, nitaries of the Church. That the the Arminian exiles were restored to reader may judge how Calvinistic the their former reputation and tranquillity; clergy were under the reign of queen and, under the toleration of the state, Elizabeth, we shall here insert them. they erected churches and founded a "1. God hath from eternity predesticollege at Amsterdam, appointing Epis-nated certain persons to life, and hath copius the first theological professor. The Arminian system has very much prevailed in England since the time of Archbishop Laud, and its votaries in other countries are very numerous. It is generally supposed that a majority of the clergy in both the established churches of Great Britain favour the Arminian system, notwithstanding their articles are strictly Calvinistic. The name of Mr. John Wesley hardly need be mentioned here. Every one knows what an advocate he was for the tenets of Arminius, and the success he met with. See METHODISTS. Some of the principal writers on the side of the Arminians have been Arminius, Episcopius, Vorstius, Grotius, Cur reprobated certain persons unto death. 2. The moving or efficient cause of predestination unto life is not the foresight of faith, or of perseverance, or of good works, or of any thing that is in the persons predestinated; but the alone will of God's good pleasure. 3. The predestinati are a pre-determined and certain number which can neither be lessened nor increased. 4. Such as are not predestinated to salvation shall inevitably be condemned on account of their sins. 5. The true, lively, and justifying faith, and the Spirit of God justifying, is not extinguished, doth not utterly fail, doth not vanish away in the elect, either finally or totally. 6. A true believer, that is, one who is endued E with justifying faith, is certified by the ARTOTYRITES, a Christian sect in the primitive church, who celebrated the eucharist with bread and cheese. The word is derived from agros, "bread," and rugos, "cheese." The Artotyrites admitted women, to the priesthood and episcopacy; and Epiphanius tells us that it was a common thing to see seven girls at once enter into their church robed in white, and holding a torch in their hands; where they wept and bewailed the wretchedness of human nature, and the miseries of this life. ASCENSION OF CHRIST, his visible elevation to heaven. The ascension of Jesus Christ was not only presignified by many Scripture types, but also by many remarkable Scripture prophecies. Ps. xlvii. 5. Ps. cx. 1. Dan. vii. 13, 14. Mic. ii. 13. Ps. lxviii. 18. The evidences of his ascension were numerous. The disciples saw him ascend, Acts i. 9, 10. Two angels testified that he did ascend, Acts i. 11. Stephen, Paul, and John saw him in his ascended state, Acts vii. 55, 56. Acts ix. Rev. i. The marvellous descent of the Holy Ghost demonstrated it, John xvi. 7. 14. Acts ii. 33. The terrible overthrow and dispersion of the Jewish nation is a standing proof of it, John viii. 21. Matt. xxvi. 64. The time of his ascension. It was forty days after his resurrection. He continued so many days on earth, that he might give many repeated proofs of his resurrection, Acts i. 3; that he might instruct his followers in every thing which pertained to the abolishment of the Jewish ceremonies, Acts i. 3; and that he might open to them the Scriptures concerning himself, and The manner of his ascension. It was The effects or ends of Christ's ascen sion were, 1. To fulfil the prophecies and types concerning it. 2. To take upon him more openly the exercise of his kingly office. 3. To receive gifts for men both ordinary and extraordinary, Ps. lxviii. 18. 4. To open the way into heaven for his people, Heb. x. 19, 20. 5. To assure the saints of their ascension also, John xiv. 1, 2. ASCETIC, one who retires from the world for the purpose of devotion and mortification. When the monks came in fashion, this title was bestowed upon them, especially such as lived in solitude. It was also the title of several books of spiritual exercises, as the Ascetics, or devout exercises of St. Basil, &c. ASCODROGITES, a denomination which arose about the year 181. They brought into their churches bags or skins filled with new wine, to represent the new bottles filled with new wine, mentioned by Christ. They danced round these bags or skins, and, it is said, intoxicated themselves with the wine. ASCOODRUTES, a sect, in the second century, who rejected the use of all symbols and sacraments on this principle, that incorporeal things cannot be communicated by things corporeal, nor divine mysteries by any thing visible. ASSEMBLIES OF THE CLERGY are called convocations, synods, councils. The annual meeting of the church of Scotland is called a general assembly. In this assembly his majesty is represented by his commissioners, who dissolves one meeting and calls another in the name of the king, while the mode rator does the same in the name of Jesus Christ. See CONVOCATION, PRESBYTERIANS. ASSENT, that act of the mind whereby it takes or acknowledges any proposition to be true or false. There are three degrees of assent:-conjecture, opinion, and belief. Conjecture is but a slight and weak inclination to assent to the thing proposed, by reason of the weighty objections that lie against it. || him, these only have ground to expect Opinion is a more steady and fixed as- this privilege." sent, when a man is almost certain, though yet some fear of the contrary remains with him. Belief is a more full and assured assent to the truth. See BELIEF. ASSURANCE is the firm persuasion we have of the certainty of any thing, or a certain expectation of something future. Some divines have maintained that assurance is included in the very essence of faith, so that a man cannot have faith without assurance; but we must distinguish between assurance and justifying faith. The apostle, indeed, speaks of the full assurance of faith; but then this is a full and firm persuasion of what the Gospel reveals; whereas the assurance Assurance of the Understanding is we are speaking of relates to our pera well-grounded knowledge of divine sonal interest in Christ, and is an effect things founded on God's word. Col. ii. 2. of this faith, and not faith itself. Faith -Assurance of Faith does not relate to || in Christ certainly includes some idea our personal interest in Christ, but con- of assurance; for, except we be assured sists in a firm belief of the revelation that he is the Saviour, we shall never that God has given us of Christ in his go to or rely upon him as such: but word, with an entire dependence on him. faith in Christ does not imply an assuHeb. x. 22-Assurance of Hope is a rance of our interest in him; for there firm expectation that God will grant us may be faith long before the assurance the complete enjoyment of what he has of personal interest commences. The promised. Heb. vi. 11. confounding of these ideas has been the cause of presumption on the one hand, and despair on the other. When men have been taught that faith consists in believing that Christ died for them, and been assured that, if they can only believe so, all is well; and that then they are immediately pardoned and justified, the consequence has been, that the bold and self-conceited have soon wrought themselves up to such a persuasion, without any ground for it, to their own deception; whilst the dejected, humble, and poor in spirit, not being able to work themselves to such a pitch of confidence, have concluded that they have not the faith of God's elect, and must inevitably be lost. The doctrine of assurance, i. e. the belief that we have an interest in the divine favour, has afforded matter for dispute among divines. Some have asserted that it is not to be obtained in the present state, allowing that persons may be in a hopeful way to salvation, but that they have no real or absolute assurance of it: but this is clearly refuted by facts as well as by Scripture. That it is to be obtained is evident, for we have reason to believe many persons have actually obtained it. Job xix. 25. Ps. xvii. 15. 2 Tim. i. 12. The Scriptures exhort us to obtain it, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Heb. vi. 11. 1 Thess. v. 21. The Holy Spirit is said to bear witness of it, Rom. viii. 16. The exercise of the Christian graces is considered as a proof of it, 1 John iii. 14. 1 John ii. 3. We must, however, guard against presumption; for a mere persuasion that Christ is ours is no proof that he is so. We must have evidence before we can have genuine assurance. It is necessary to observe also, that it is not a duty imposed upon all mankind, so that every one, in whatsoever state he may be, ought to be fully persuaded of his salvation. "We do not affirm," says Saurin, "that Christians of whose sincerity there may be some doubt have a right to assurance; that backsliders, as such, ought to persuade themselves that they shall be saved; nor do we say that Christians who have arrived to the highest degree of holiness, can be persuaded of the certainty of their salvation in every period of their lives; nor, if left to their own efforts can they enjoy it; but believers, supported by the Divine aid, who walk in all good conscience before The means to attain assurance are not those of an extraordinary kind, as some people imagine; such as visions, dreams, voices, &c.; but such as are ordinary; self-examination, humble and constant prayer, consulting the sacred oracles, Christian communication, attendance on the divine ordinances, and perseverance in the path of duty; without which all our assurance is but presumption, and our profession but "hypocrisy. Assurance may be lost for a season through bodily diseases which depress the spirits, unwatchfulness, falling into sin, manifold temptations, worldly cares, and neglect of private duty. He, therefore, who would wish to enjoy this privilege, let him cultivate communion with God, exercise a watchful spirit against his spiritual enemies, and give himself unreservedly to Him whose he is, and whom he professes to serve. See Saurin's Ser. vol. iii. ser. 10, Eng. edition; Case's Sermons, ser. 13; Lambert's Ser. |