church in that country; but being charged with a design of subverting the national covenant, and sapping the foundation of all national establishments of religion, was expelled by the synod from the church of Scotland. His sentiments were fully explained in a tract published at that time, entitled, "The testimony of the king of martyrs," and which is preserved in the first volume of his works. In consequence of Mr. Glas's expulsion, his adherents formed themselves into churches, conformable in their institution and discipline to what they apprehended to be the plan of the first churches recorded in the new testament.

Soon after the year 1755, Mr. Robert Sandeman, an elder in one of these churches in Scotland, published a series of Letters, addressed to Mr. James Hervey, occasioned by his "Theron and Aspasio," in which he endeavours to shew that his notion of faith is contradictory to the scripture account of it, and could only serve to lead men professedly holding the doctrines called Calvinistic to establish their own righteousness, upon their frames, feelings, and acts of faith. In these letters Mr. Sandeman attempts to prove that justifying faith is no more than a simple belief

of the truth, or the divine testimony passively received by the understanding; and that this divine testimony carries in itself sufficient ground of hope to every one who believes it, without any thing wrought in us, or done by us, to give it a particular direction to ourselves.

Some of the "popular preachers," as they were called, had taught that it was of the essence of faith to believe that Christ is ours: but Mr. Sandeman contended that that which is believed in true faith is the truth, and what would have been the truth though we had never believed it. They dealt largely in calls and invitations to repent and believe in Christ, in order to forgiveness: but he rejects the whole of them, maintaining that the gospel contained no offer but that of evidence, and that it was merely a record or testimony to be credited. They had taught that though acceptance with God, which included the forgiveness of sins, was merely on account of the imputed righteousness of Christ; yet that none was accepted of God, or forgiven, till he repented of his sin, and received Christ as the only Saviour: but he insists that there is acceptance with God, through Christ, for sinners

while such, or before " any act, exercise, or exertion of their minds whatsoever;" consequently, before repentance; and that " a passive belief of this quiets the guilty conscience, begets hope, and so lays the foundation for love." It is by this passive belief of the truth, that we, according to Mr. Sandeman, are justified, and that boasting is excluded. If any act, exercise, or exertion of the mind were necessary to our being accepted of God, he conceives there would be whereof to glory; and justification by faith could not be opposed, as it is in Rom. iv. 4, 5, to justification by works.

The authors to whom Mr. Sandeman refers under the title of "popular preachers," are Flavel, Boston, Guthrie, the Erskines, &c.; whom he has treated with great acrimony and contempt. "I would be far (says he) from refusing even to the popular preachers themselves what they so much grudge to others, the benefit of the one instance of a hardened sinner finding mercy at last: for I know of no sinners more hardened, none greater destroyers of mankind than they." Some of the writers who have vindicated these ministers from his invectives, have yet acknowledged that he has pointed out many

dark strokes in their writings; "And if (said one of them) he could clear off all their mistakes, he should be as welcome. to them as any crow could be to take all the carrion out of our fruitful fields: but who would abandon their fruitful fields, because some crowsmeat was found there ?" Others have endeavoured to shew that Mr. Sandeman's notion of faith, by excluding all exercise or concurrence of the will with the gospel way of salvation, confounds the faith of devils with that of christians, and so is calculated to deceive the souls of men. It has also been observed, that though Mr. Sandeman admits of the acts of faith and love as fruits of believing the truth; yet all his godliness consisting, (as he acknowledges to Mr. Pike) in love to that which first relieved him," it amounts to nothing but self-love. And as self-love is a stranger to all those strong affections expressed in the hundred-and-nineteenth Psalm towards the law of God, he cannot admit of them as the language of a good man; but applies the whole psalm to Christ, though the person speaking acknowledges that

before he was afflicted he went astray." Others have thought, that from the same principle it were easy to ac

count for the bitterness, pride, and contempt, which distinguish the system for selflove, say they, is consistent with the greatest aversion to all beings, divine or human, excepting so far as they become subservient to us. As there is no article in this work which states the arguments of Mr. Sandeman's opponents, we thought it but impartial to say as much as the above, under this.

The practices in which this denomination differ from the generality of other christians are, their weekly administration of the Lord's supper; their love-feasts, of which every member is not only allowed, but required to partake, and which consist of their dining together at each others houses in the interval between the morning and the afternoon service; their kiss of charity, on the admission of a new member, and other occasions; their weekly collection before the Lord's supper for the support of the poor, and other necessary expences; mutual exhortation; abstinence from blood, and from things strangled; and the washing of each others feet. Every one, it is said, considers all that he has in his possession and power liable to the calls of the poor and the church. They also hold

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it to be unlawful to lay up treasures upon earth, by setting them apart for any dis-. tant future, and uncertain use. They allow of public and private diversions, so far. as they are not connected with circumstances really sinful. Mr. Sandeman pleads, towards the close of his Letters on Theron and Aspasio, pretty much in favour of the atrical amusements; and it is said that an attendance on

them is very common among his followers: but apprehending a lot to be sacred, they disapprove, (merely however on this account) of lotteries, playing at cards, dice, &c.

They have a plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops, in each church. In the choice of them, the want of learning, or engagement in trade, is no sufficient objection, if qualified according to the instructions given by Paul to Timothy and Titus: but second marriages disqualify for the office.

In discipline they are strict and severe, thinking themselves obliged to separate from the communion and worship. of all such religious societies as appear to them not to profess the simple truth for their only ground of hope, and who do not walk in obedience to it. Moreover, as in their church proceedings they are not governed by majorities,

but esteem unanimity to be absolutely necessary, whenever a member, or members differ from the rest, he or they must give up the point, or be excluded.

In their families, it is said, there is but little social worship: for conceiving it unlawful to join in prayer with one who is not a brother or sister, and finding no express precept or precedent in the scriptures for family prayer, that which by other christians is held sacred as a part of moral obligation, is by them very commonly disregarded.*]

SATANIANS, so called because they taught that Satan, or the devil, was extremely powerful; that he occasioned infinite mischiefs; and that it was much wiser to respect and adore than to curse him; this being a mean to render him favourable to men, instead of injuring them. The Satanians were a branch of the Messalians, and appeared about the year 390. They pretended they were the only true observers of the gospel. They possessed no goods, lived by begging, and lay together promiscuously, on the pavement of the streets.

When any one asked concerning their quality, they would call themselves patriarchs, prophets, angels, and even Jesus Christ.+

SATURNIANS, a denomination which arose about the year 115. They derived their name from Saturnius of Antioch, one of the principal Gnostic chiefs. He held the doctrine of two principles, whence proceeded all things; the one a wise and benevolent Deity, and the other matter, a principle essentially evil, and which he supposed under the superintendence of a certain intelligence of a malignant nature.

The world and its inhabitants were, according to the system of Saturnius, created by seven angels, which presided over the seven planets. This work was carried on without the knowledge of the benevolent Deity, and in opposition to the will of the material principle. The former, however, beheld it with approbation, and honoured it with several marks of his beneficence. He endowed with rational souls the beings who inhabited this new system, to whom their creators had im

parted nothing more than the animal life: and having divided the world into seven parts, he distributed them among the seven angelic architects, one of whom was the God of the jews, and reserved to himself the supreme empire over all. To these creatures, whom the benevolent principle had endowed with reasonable souls, and with dispositions that led to goodness and virtue, the evil being, to maintain his empire, added another kind, whom he formed of a wicked and malignant character; and hence the difference we see among men. When the creatures of the world fell from their allegiance to the supreme Deity, God sent from heaven into our globe a restorer of order, whose name was Christ. This divine conqueror came, clothed with a corporeal appearance, but not with a real body. He came to destroy the empire of the material principle, and to point out to virtuous souls the way by which they must return to God. This way is beset with difficulties and sufferings; since those souls who propose returning to the supreme Being must abstain from wine, flesh, wedlock, and, in short, from every thing that tends to sensual gratification, or

even bodily refreshment.* See Gnostics.

SCHEWENKFELDIANS, a denomination in the sixteenth century; so called from one Gasper Schewenkfeldt, a Silesian knight. He differed from Luther in the three following points. The first of these points related to the doctrine concerning the eucharist. Schewenkfeldt inverted the following words of Christ: this is my body; and insisted on their being thus understood: my body is this, i. e. such as this bread, which is broken and consumed; a true and real food, which nourisheth, satisfieth, and delighteth the soul. My blood is this; i. e. such its effects, as the wine which strengthens and refresheth the heart.Secondly: He denied that the external word, which is committed to writing in the holy scriptures, was endowed with the power of healing, illuminating, and renewing the mind: and he ascribed this power to the internal word, which, according to his notion, was Christ himself.-Thirdly: He would not allow Christ's human nature, in its exalted state, to be called a creature, or a created substance; as such a denomination appeared to him infinitely below its