who have had no revelation in this life. They suppose the jewish sabbath, sabbatical year, and year of jubilee, are typical of certain periods after the general judgment, in which the souls of those who are not then admitted into happiness are purified from their corruption. If any within those smaller periods are so far humbled as to acknowledge the perfections of God, and to own Christ as their only Saviour, they are received to felicity; while those who continue obstinate are reserved in torments until the grand period typified by the jubilee arrives, in which all shall be made happy in the E BIONITES, a denomination in the first and second century; so called from their leader Ebion, or from ther poverty, which Ebionites signifies in hebrew. They believed the celestial mission of Christ, and his participation of a divine nature; yet they regarded him as a man born of Joseph and Mary according to the ordinary course of nature. They moreover asserted, that the ceremonial law instituted by Moses, was not only obligatory upon the jews, but also endless fruition of the Deity. They also deny the imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity. They disclaim violence even in cases of selfdefence, and suffer themselves to be defrauded or wronged rather than go to law. Their church government and discipline are the same with the English Baptists, except that every brother is allowed to speak in the congregation; and their best speaker is usually ordained to be the minister. They have deacons and deaconesses from among their ancient widows and exhorters, who are all licensed to use their gifts statedly.* upon all others, and that the observance of it was very essential to salvation. They observed both the jewish sabbath and the Lord's day; and in celebrating the eucharist made use of unleavened bread. They abstained from the flesh of animals, and even from milk.-They rejected the old testament, and in the new testament received only the gospel of St. Matthew; and made use of a book which they styled "The Gospel according to the Hébrews."+ *Caspipina's Letters, p. 70-72. Annual Register, p. 343. Marshal's Catechism, p. 90. Review of North America, vol. i. p. 225. Mosheim, vol. i. pp. 173, 174, Hearne's Ductor Historicus, vol. ii. p. 74. 1 EFFRONTES, so called from their shaving their foreheads till they bleed, and then anointing them with oil; using no other baptism but this. They say the holy Ghost is nothing but a bare motion inspired by God in the mind, and that he is not to be adored.* EICETÆ, a denomination in the year 680, who affirmed that, in order to make prayer acceptable to God, it should be performed dancing.† ELCESAITES, a denomination in the second century; so called from their prophet Elcesai. His fundamental doctrine was, that Jesus Christ, who was born from the beginning of the world, had appeared from time to time under divers bodies. the body. He distinguished the creator of the world from the supreme Being, denied the reality of Christ's body, and blended the christian religion with several other tenets of the oriental philosophy.§ ENERGICI, a denomination in the sixteenth century; so called because they held that the eucharist was the energy and virtue of Jesus Christ; not his body, nor a representation thereof.|| EONITES, a denomination in the twelfth century, followers of Eon d' Etoile, a gentleman of Bretagne. Having heard it sung in the church, per eum qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, he concluded that he was the person who was to judge both quick and dead, from the resemblance between the word eum and his name. He was followed as a great prophet. Sometimes he walked with a great number of people, sometimes he lived in solitude, and appeared afterwards in greater splendour than before. He ended his days in a miserable prison, and left a considerable number of followers, whom persecution and death in the most dreadful forms, could not persuade to abandon his ENCRATITES, or CONTINENTS, a name given to a sect in the second century, because they condemned marriage, forbade the eating of flesh, or drinking of wine; and rejected with a sort of horror all the comforts and conveniences of life. Tatian, an Assyrian, was the leader of this denomination. He regarded matter as the fountain of all evil, and therefore recommended in a peculiar manner the mortification of cause.¶ * Ross's View of all Religions, p. 233. † Dufresnoy's Chronological Tables, vol. i. p. 213. History of Religion, vol. 4. § Mosheim, vol. i, 180. History of Religion, vol. 4. ¶ Mosheim, vol. ii. pp. 457, 458, Broughton's Historical Library, vol, i. p. 361. EOQUINIANS, a denomination in the sixteenth century; so called from one Eoquinus, their master, who taught that Christ did not die for the wicked, but for the faithful only.* EPISCOPALIANS, so called from and σxo. This appellation is given to those who prefer the episcopal government to all others, and assert that episcopacy was the constitution of the primitive church. This denomination maintain, that bishops, presbyters, and deacons, are three distinct subordinate callings in God's church: that the bishops have a superiority over the priests, jure divino, and directly from God. To prove this point they allege, that during our Saviour's stay upon earth, he had under him two distinct orders of ministers the twelve and the seventy; and after his ascension, immediately before which he had enlarged the powers of the eleven, we read of apostles, presbyters, and deacons,in the, church: that the apostolic, or highest order, is designed to be permanent, is evident from bishops being instituted by the apostles themselves, to succeed them in great cities, as Timothy at Ephesus, Titus at- For an account of the ex- ERASTIANS, so called *Ross's View of all Religions, p. 234. such an ide the communion; but might not refuse it, or inflict any kind of censure: the punish ment of all offences, either of a civil or religious nature, being referred to the civil magistrate. * ETHNOPHRONES, greek, in english Paganizers. So they called a sect in the eighth century, who, professing christianity, joined thereto all the ceremonies of paganism; such as judicial astrology, divinations of all kinds, &c.; and who observed all feasts, times, and seasons, of the gentiles. The word is compounded of the greek Ovos, nation, and Ppny, thought or sentiment.† EUCHITES. See Massa lians. EUSTATHIANS, a denomination in the fourth century; so called from Eustathius, a monk. He prohibited marriage, the use of wine and flesh, feasts of charity, and other things of that nature. To those who were joined in wedlock he prescribed immediate divorce; and obliged his followers to quit all they had, as incompatible with the hopes of heaven.]] EUTUCHITES, a denomination in the third century; so called from the greek, EUTUE, which signifies to live without pain, or in pleasure. They held that our souls are placed in our bodies only to honour the angels who created them; and that we ought to rejoice equally in all events, because to grieve would be to dishonour the angels, their creators. They also held that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, but See of an unknown God.¶ EUDOXIANS, a branch of the Arians in the fourth century; so called from Eudoxus, who, after the death of Arius, became head of the party. See Arians. EUNOMIANS. Arians. EUSEBIANS, so called from Eusebius, bishop of Casarea, in Palestine, in the fourth century. He main tained that there was a certain disparity and subordination between the persons of the Godhead.§ See Arians. EUTYCHIANS, a denomination in the fifth century; so called from Eutyches, abbot of a certain convent of monks at Constantinople. They maintained that there was only one nature in Jesus Christ. The divine nature, according to them, had so * Neal's History of the Puritans, vol. iii. p. 140. ↑ Broughton. R entirely swallowed up the human, that the latter could not be distinguised: so that F AMILISTS, a denomination which appeared in Holland about the year 1555. They derive their origin from Henry Nicholas, a Westphalian, who styled his followers The Family of Love. He pretended to have a commission to teach mankind; and that there was no knowledge of Christ, nor of the scriptures, but in his family. To prove this point, he argued from 1 Cor. xiii. 5, 9, 10: For we know but in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect shall be done away. Hence he inferred that the doctrine of Christ is imperfect, and a more perfect doctrine should be revealed to The Family of Love. This denomination also taught the following doctrines(1.) That the essence of religion consisted in the feelings of divine love; and. that it was a matter of the most perfect indifference what opinions christians entertained concerning the divine nature, Jesus Christ was merely God, and had nothing of humanity but the appearance.* provided their hearts burned with the pure and sacred flame of piety and love.-(2.) That the union of the soul with Christ transforms it into the essence of the Deity.—(3.) That the letter of the scripture is useless, and those sacred books ought to be interpreted in an allegorical manner.-(4.) That it was lawful for them, if for their convenience, to swear to an untruth, either before a magistrate, or any other person who was not of their society.‡ FARVONIANS, a branch of the Socinians; so called from Stanislaus Farvonius, who flourished in the sixteenth century. He asserted that Christ had been engendered, or produced out of nothing, by the supreme Being, before the creation of this terrestrial globe; and warned his disciples against paying religious worship to the divine Spirit.§ See Socinians. FIFTH MONARCHY MEN, a denomination which arose in the seventeenth century. They derived, their name * Barclay's Dictionary. Mosheim, vol. i. p. 413. This denomination appeared in England about the year 1580, where, when their founder was discovered, their books were ordered to be publicly burnt. Mosheim, vol. iv, p. 166. Broughton, vol. ii. p. 30. More's Mystery of Godliness, p. 256. Leigh's Critica Sacra, p. 253. Fulfilling of the Scriptures, vol. i, p. 166. Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 201, 202. |