sentially and perfectly good, those intelligences, or spirits, who were derived from him, and especially those who were derived from them, were capable of depravation. It was further imagined, that the derivation of those inferior intelligent beings from the Supreme, was, by a kind of efflux, or emanation, a part of the substance, being detached from the rest, but capable of being absorbed into it again.* To those intelligences, derived mediately or immediately from the Divine Mind, the author of this system did not scruple to give the name of gods, thinking some of them capable of a power of modifying matter.

The oriental sages expect ed the arrival of an extraordinary messenger of the Most High upon earth; a messenger, invested with a divine authority, endowed with the most eminent sanctity and wisdom; and peculiarly appointed to enlighten with the knowledge of the Supreme Being, the darkened minds of miserable mortals, and to deliver them from the chains of the tyrants and usurpers of

this world. When, therefore,
some of these philosophers
perceived, that Christ and his
followers wrought miracles of
the most amazing kind, and
also of the most salutary
nature to mankind, they were
easily induced to connect
their fundamental doctrines
with christianity, by sup-
posing him the great messen-
ger expected from above, to
deliver men from the power
of the malignant genii, or spi-
rits, to whom, according to
their doctrine, the world was
subjected; and to free their
souls from the dominion of
corrupt matter.
But though
they considered him as the
Son of the Supreme God,
sent from the pleroma, or ha-
bitation of the everlasting Fa-
ther, they deny his divinity,
looking upon him as inferior
to the Father. They reject-
ed his humanity, upon the
supposition, that every thing
concrete and corporeal, is in
itself essentially and intrinsi-
cally evil. Hence the great-
est part of the Gnostics de-
nied that Christ was clothed
with a real body, or that he
suffered really for the sake of
mankind, the pains and sor-

*The great boast of the Gnostics, was their doctrine concerning the derivation of various intelligences from the Supreme Mind, which they thought to be done by emanation or efflux: and as those were equally capable of producing other intelligences in the same manner, and some of them were male, and others female, there was room for endless combinations of them. It is supposed. that the apostle Paul, when he censures endless genealogies and fables, has reference to the philosophy of the Gnostics,

which represents the blood of Christ, but of water only.

We have fewer accounts of what they thought or did with respect to baptism; but it seems that some of them at least disused it: and it is said that some abstained from the eucharist and from prayer.

The greatest part of this denomination adopted rules of life which were full of austerity, recommending a strict and rigorous abstinence; and prescribed the most severe bodily mortifications, from a notion that they had a happy influence in purifying and enlarging the mind, and in disposing it for the contemplation of celestial things. That some of the Gnostics, in consequence of making no account of the body, might think that there was neither good nor evil in any thing relating to it, and therefore suppose themselves at liberty to indulge in any sensual excesses, is not impossible; though it is more probable that every thing of this nature would be greatly exaggerated by the enemies of this denomination.*

The Egyptian Gnostics are distinguished from the Asiatic

by the following difference in their religious system.

1. That, besides the existence of a Deity, they maintained that also of an eternal matter, endued with life and motion; yet they did not acknowledge an eternal principle of darkness, or the evil principle of the Persians.

2. They supposed that our blessed Saviour was a compound of two persons; of the Man Jesus, and of Christ the Son of God: that the divine nature entered into the Man Jesus when he was baptized by John in the river Jordan, and departed from him when he was seized by the jews.

3. They attributed to Christ a real, not an imaginary body.

4. Their discipline, with respect to life and manners, was much less severe than that of the Asiatic sect.

Both these branches of the Gnostics were subdivided into various denominations.† See Antitactes, Ascodrutes, Bardesanistes, Basilidians, Bogomiles, Carpocratians, Cerdonians, Cerinthians, Marcosians, Ophites, Saturnians, Simonians, and Valentinians.

GORTONIANS, a denomination which sprang from

See Lardner's Works, vol. ix. ; in which he shews that the opinions of most ancient sects have been misrepresented.

Priestley's

+ Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, vol. i, pp. 69-109. Ecclesiastical History, vol. i. pp. 51-186. History of early opinions, vol,

i. p. 120. Percival's Dissertations.

the Antinomians, and made great disturbance in New England in the year 1643. Samuel Gorton was the leader of this denomination he was charged with maintaining the sentiments of the Antinomians and Familists.*

GREEK CHURCH. In the eighth century there arose a difference between the eastern and western churches, which was carried on with great vehemence during the ninth century; and in the eleventh century a total separation took place. At that time the patriarch Michael Cerularius, who was desirous to be freed from the papal authority, published an invective against the Latin church, and accused its members of maintaining various errors. Pope Leo the ninth retorted the charge, and sent legates from Rome to Constantinople. The Greek patriarch refused to see them; upon which they excommunicated him and his adherents publicly in the church of St. Sophia, A. D. 1054. The Greek patriarch excommunicated those legates, with all their adherents and followers,

in a public council; and procured an order of the emperor for burning the act of excommunication which they had pronounced against the Greeks. This rupture has never been healed; and at this day a very considerable part of the world profess the religion of the Greek, or eastern church.-The Nicene and Athanasian creeds are the symbols of faith in this church.

The principal points which distinguish the Greek church from the Latin, are as follow:

(1.) They maintain that the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father only, and not from the Father and Son.-(2.) They disown the authority of the pope, and deny that the church of Rome is the true catholic church.†—~(3.) They do not affect the character of infallibility.-(4.) They utterly disallow works of supererogation, indulgences, and dispensations.-(5.) They admit of prayers and services for the dead, as an ancient and pious custom; and even pray for the remission of their sins: but they will not allow the doctrine of purgatory, or

*Hutchinson's History, vol. i. p 117.

+ The eastern church attach no idea of personal sanctity or infallibility to the patriarch of Constantinople, their supreme head, although he bears the style of the thirteenth apostle.

The Greeks, and all the eastern nations in general, are of opinion that departed souls will not be immediately and perfectly happy'; but that the first paradise will be a state of repose, and the next of eternal felicity.

determine any thing dogmatically, concerning the state of departed souls.-(6.) They sometimes defer the baptism of their children till they are three, four, five, or ten years of age.*(7.) The chrism, or baptismal unction, immediately follows the immersion of baptism. The priest anoints the person - baptized in the principal parts of the body, with an ointment consecrated with many curious circumstances for that purpose by a bishop: this chrism is called the unction with ointment. Extreme unction is called the consecration with holy oil. This chrism is a mystery peculiar to the Greek communion, and holds the place of confirmation in that of the Roman: it is styled the seal of the gift of the holy Ghost.(S.) They insist that the sa

crament of the Lord's supper ought to be administered in both kinds:† and they give the sacrament to children immediately after baptism — (9.) ‡ They exclude confirmation and extreme unction out of the seven sacraments.

(10.) They deny auricular confession to be a divine precept, and say it is only a positive institution of the church. Confession and absolution constitute this mystery § in the Greek church, in which penance does not make a necessary part.-(11.) They do not pay any religious homage to the eucharist.-(12.) They administer the communion to the laity both in sickness and health.-(13.) They do not admit of images in bass-relief, or embossed work; but use painting and sculpture in silver-(14.) They permit their

*This is the custom of the Georgians, who are a part of the Greek church, The Greeks perform baptism by dipping the person three times under water distinctly, in the name of the Father, Son, and holy Ghost.

The napkin which is spread upon the holy table must be consecrated by a bishop, and have some small particles of the relics of a martyr mixed in the web, without which the eucharist cannot be administered.

The last sacrament of the Greek church, is that of the holy oil, or euchalaton, which is not confined to persons in the last extremity, like the extreme unction of the Roman church; but is administered, if required, to devont persons upon the slightest malady. Seven priests are required to administer this sacrament regularly, and it cannot be administered at all by less than three. After the oil is solemnly consecrated, each priest, in his turn, anoints the sick person, and prays for his recovery.

Sacraments are called mysteries in the Greek church. By the Greeks, a mystery is defined to be a ceremony, or act, appointed by God, in which he giveth, or signifieth his grace; and of the seven which they celebrate, four are to be received by all christians; viz. baptism, the baptismal unction, the eucharist, and confession. None of the other are considered as obligatory upon all, See Supplement to the Encyclopædia, vol, i. p. 487.