ANAGOGICAL and related a number of visions and revelations, with which they pretended to have been favoured from above: but, when they found that this would not avail, and that the ministry of Luther and other reformers was detrimental to their cause, they then madly attempted to propagate their sentiments by force of arms. Munzer and his associates, in the year 1525, put themselves at the head of a numerous army, and declared war against all laws, governments, and magistrates of every kind, under the chimerical pretext, that Christ himself was now to take the reins of all government into his hands: but this seditious crowd was routed and dispersed by the elector of Saxony and other princes, and Munzer, their leader, put to death. Many of his followers, however, survived, and propagated their opinions through Germany, Switzerland, and Holland. In 1533, a party of them settled at Munster, under two leaders of the names of Matthias and Bockholdt. Having made themselves masters of the city, they deposed the magistrates, confiscated the estates of such as had escaped, and deposited the wealth in a public treasury for common use. They made preparations for the defence of the city; invited the Anabaptists in the Low Countries to assemble at Munster, which they called Mount Sion, that from thence they might reduce all the nations of the earth under their dominion. Matthias was soon cut off by the bishop of Munster's army, and was succeeded by Bockholdt, who was proclaimed by a special designation of heaven, as the pretended king of Sion, and invested with legislative powers like those of Moses. The city of Munster, however, was taken, after a long siege, and Bockholdt punished with death. It must be acknowledged that the true rise of the insurrections of this period ought not to be attributed to religious opinions. The first insurgents groaned under severe oppressions, and took up arms in defence of their civil liberties; and of these commotions the Anabaptists seem rather to have availed themselves, than to have been the prime movers. That a great part were Anabaptists seems indisputable; at the same time, it appears from history, that a great part also were Roman Catholics, and a still greater part of those who had scarcely any religious principles at all. Indeed, when we read of the vast numbers that were concerned in these insurrections, of whom it is reported that 100,000 fell by the sword, it appears reasonable to conclude that they were not all Anabaptists. It is but justice to observe also, that the Baptists in England and Holland are to be considered in a different light from those above mentioned: they profess an equal aversion to all principles of rebellion on the one hand, and to enthusiasm on the other. See Robertson's Hist. of Charles V.; Enc. Bril. vol. i. p. 644; and articles BAPTISTS and MENNONITES. ANACHORETS, or ANCHORITES, a sort of monks in the primitive church, who retired from the society of mankind into some desert, with a view to avoid the temptations of the world, and to be more at leisure for prayer, meditation, &c. Such were Paul, Anthony, and Hilarion, the first founders of monastic life in Egypt and Pa ANATHEMA the mind, not only to the knowledge of divine things, but of divine things in the next life. The word is seldom used, but with regard to the dif ferent senses of the Scripture. The anagogical sense is when the sacred text is explained with regard to eternal life, the point which Christians should have in view; for example, the rest of the sabbath, in the anagogical sense, signifies the repose of everlasting happiness. ANALOGY OF FAITH, is the proportion that the doctrines of the Gospel bear to each other, or the close connection between the truths of revealed religion, Rom. xii. 6. This is considered as a grand rule for understanding the true sense of Scripture. It is evident that the Almighty doth not act without a design in the system of Christianity, any more than he does in the works of nature. Now this design must be uniform; for as in the system of the universe every part is proportioned to the whole, and made subservient to it, so in the system of the Gospel all the various truths, doctrines, declarations, precepts, and promises, must correspond with and tend to the end designed. For instance, supposing the glory of God in the salvation of man by free grace be the grand design; then, whatever doctrine, assertion, or hypothesis, agree not with this, is to he considered as false.-Great care, however, must be taken, in making use of this method, that the inquirer previously understand the whole scheme, and that he harbour not a predilection only for a part; without attention to this, we shall be liable to error. If we come to the Scriptures with any preconceived opinions, and are more desirous to put that sense upon the text which quadrates with our sentiments, rather than the truth, it be comes then the analogy of our faith, rather than that of the whole system. This was the source of the error of the Jews, in our Saviour's time. They searched the Scriptures; but, such were their favourite opinions, that they could not, or would not, discover that the sacred volume testified of Christ. And the reason was evident; for their great rule of interpretation was, what they might call the analogy of faith, i. e. the system of the Pharisean scribes, the doctrine then in vogue, and in the profound veneration of which they had been educated. Perhaps there is hardly any sect but what has inore or less been guilty in this respect. It may, however, be of use to the serious and candid inquirer; for, as some texts may seem to contradict each other, and difficulties present themselves, by keeping the analogy of faith in view, he will the more easily resolve those difficul ties, and collect the true sense of the sacred oracles. What "the aphorisms of Hippocrates are to a physician, the axioms in geometry to a mathematician, the adjudged cases in law to a counsellor, or the maxims of war to a general, such is the analogy of faith to a Christian." Of the analogy of religion to the constitution and course of nature, we must refer our readers to Bishop Butler's excellent treatise on that subject. ANATHEMA, imports whatever is set apart, separated, or divided; but is most usually meant to express the cutting off of a person from the communion of the faithful. It was practised in the primitive church against notorious offenders. Several councils also have pronounced anathe mas against such as they thought corrupted the ANAGOGICAL, signifies mysterious, trans-purity of the faith. Anathema Maranatha, menporting: and is used to express whatever elevates tioned by Paul, (1 Cor. xiv. 22,) imports that he Jestine. ANGELS who loves not the Lord Jesus will be accursed at his coming. Anathema signifies a thing devoted to destruction, and Maranatha is a Syriac word, signifying the Lord comes. It is probable in this passage there is an allusion to the form of the Jews, who, when unable to inflict so great a punishment as the crime deserved, devoted the culprit to the immediate vindictive retribution of divine vengeance, both in this life and in a future state. ANDRONA, a term used for that part in churches which was destined for the men. Anciently, it was the custom for the men and women to have separate apartments in places of worship, where they performed their devotions asunder, which method is still religiously observed in the Greek church. ANGELS tion, and we dare not indulge a spirit of conjecture. It is our happiness to know that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who are heirs of salvation. As to the nature of these beings, we are told that they are spirits; but whether pure spirits, divested of all matter, or united to some thin bodies, or corporeal vehicles, has been a controversy of long standing; the more general opinion is, that they are substances entirely spiritual, though they can at any time assume bodies, and appear in human shape, Gen, xviii. xix. and xxxii. Matt. xxviii. Lukei. &c. The Scriptures represent them asendued with extraordinary wisdom and power, 2 Sam. xiv. 20. Ps. ciii. 20; holy and regular in their inclinations; zealous in their employ, and completely happy in their minds, Job xxxviii. 7. Heb. i. 7. Matt. ANGEL, a spiritual intelligent substance, the xviii. 10. Their number seems to be great, Ps. first in rank and dignity among created beings. lxviii. 17. Heb. xii. 22; and perhaps have disThe word angel (ayyxos) is Greek, and signifies tinct orders, Col. i. 16, 17. 1 Pet. iii. 22. 1 Thes. a messenger. The Hebrew word signi-jiv. 16. Dan. x. 13. They are delighted with the fies the same. Angels, therefore, in 'the proper grand scheme of redemption, and the conversion signification of the word, do not import the na- of sinners to God, Luke ii. 12. 1 Pet. i. 12. Luke ture of any being, but only the office to which xv. 10. They not only worship God, and exethey are appointed, especially by way of message cute his commands at large, but are attendant on or intercourse between God and his creatures. the saints of God while here below, Ps. xci. 11, Hence the word is used differently in various 12. Heb. i. 13. Luke xvi. 22. Some conjecture parts of the Scripture, and significs, 1. Human that every good man has his particular guardian messengers, or agents for others. 2 Sam. ii. 5. angel, Matt. xviii. 10. Acts xii. 15; but this is David sert messengers (Heb. angels) to Jabesh easier to be supposed than to be proved; nor is Gilead." Prov. xiii. 17. Mark 1. 2. James ii. it a matter of consequence to know. "What 25.-2. Officers of the churches, whether pro-need we dispute," says Henry, "whether every phets or ordinary ministers, Hag. i. 13. Rev. i. particular saint has a guardian angel, when we 20.-3. Jesus Christ, Mal. iii. I. Is. lxiii. 9.-are sure he has a guard of angels about him?" 4. Some add the dispensations of God's providence, either beneficial or calamitous, Gen. xxiv. 7. Ps. xxxiv. 7. Acts xii. 23. 1 Sam. xiv. 14; but I must confess, that, though I do not at all see the impropriety of considering the providences of Although the angels were originally created God as his angels or messengers for good or for perfect, yet they were mutable: some of them evil, yet the passages generally adduced under sinned, and kept not their first estate; and so, this head do not prove to me that the providences of the most blessed and glorious, became the most of God are meant in distinction from created an- vile and miserable of all God's creatures. They gels-5. Created intelligences, both good and were expelled the regions of light, and with hea Sad. Heb. i. 14. Jude vi.; the subject of the pre-ven lost their heavenly disposition, and fell into sent article.-As to the time when the angels a settled rancour against God, and malice against were created, much has been said by the learned.men. What their offence was is difficult to deSome wonder that Moses, in his account of the termine, the Scripture being silent about it. Some creation, should pass over this in silence. Others think envy, others unbelief; but most suppose it suppose that he did this because of the proneness was pride. As to the time of their fall, we are of the Gentile world, and even the Jews, to idola- certain it could not be before the sixth day of the try: but a better reason has been assigned by creation, because on that day it is said, "God saw others, viz. that this first history was purposely every thing that he had made, and behold it was and principally written for information concerning very good;" but that it was not long after, is very the visible world; the invisible, of which we probable, as it must have preceded the fall of our know but in part, being reserved for a better life. first parents. The number of the fallen angels Some think that the idea of God's not creating seems to be great, and, like the holy angels, perthem before this world was made, is very con-haps, have various orders among them, Matt.. tracted. To suppose, say they, that no creatures xii. 24. Eph. ii. 2. vi. 12. Col. i. 15. Rev. xii, whatever, neither angels nor other worlds, had 7. Their constant employ is not only doing evil been created previous to the creation of our themselves, but endeavouring by all arts to seduce world, is to suppose that a Being of infinite and pervert mankind, Pet. v. 8. Job. i. 6. It power, wisdom, and goodness, had remained is supposed they will be restrained during the tally inactive from all eternity, and had per-millennium, Rev. xx. 2; but afterwards again, for nitted the infinity of space to continue a perfect a short time, deceive the nations, Rev. xx. 8; and vacuum till within these 6000 years; that such then be finally punished, Matt. xxv. 41. The an idea only tends to discredit revelation, instead authors who have written on this subject have of serving it. On the other hand it is alleged, been very numerous; we shall only refer to a that they must have been created within the six few: Reynolds's Inquiry into the State and Ecodays; because it is said, that within this space nomy of the Angelical World; Cudworth's In God made heaven and earth, and all things that tellectual System; Doddridge's Lect p. 10. leot. are therein. It is, however, a needless sperula-1210 to 214; Milton's Paradise Lost Bp. New They will gather the elect in the last day, attend the final judgment, Matt. xxv. 31. Rev. xiv. 18. Matt. xiii. 39; and live for ever in the world of glory, Luke xx. 36. ACOLYTHI words St. Paul afterwards accommodates to the Jews of his time. Isa. xxix. 14. Matt. xv. 8. Acts xiii. 41. Great care, however, should be taken by preachers who are fond of accommodating texts, that they first clearly state the literal sense of the passage. ACCOMMODATION SYSTEM, a name given to a peculiar mode of scriptural interpretation, adopted during the last century by Semler and other German divines, which teaches, that many things, uttered by our Saviour and his Apostles, in the course of their instructions, are not to be understood as expressing the actual reality and verity of things, or conveying true doctrines, but as merely adopted in accommodation to the popular belief, and the deep-rooted prejudice of the Jews. For instance, when our Saviour speaks of persons being possessed with evil spirits, we are not according to this theory, to imagine there was really any such things as demoniacal possession, or that Christ intended to teach that doctrine; but as the notion had been long prevalent among the Jews that men under the influence of certain bodily diseases were possessed by the devil, he accommodated himself in his language to their weakness and simplicity, "that he might win the more." And so the Apostles. See this dangerous doctrine ably canvassed and refuted in Storr's Essay on the Historical Sense, translated by Gibbs, or the original treatise in his Opuscula.-B. ACT OF FAITH ance; but their functions were different from those of their first institution. Their business was to light the tapers, carry the candlesticks and the incense pot, and prepare the wine and water. At Rome there were three kinds: 1. those who waited on the pope 2. those who served in the churches; 3. and others, who together with the deacons, officiated in other parts of the city. ACT OF FAITH (Auto da Fé,) in the Romish church, is a solemn day held by the Inquisition for the punishment of heretics, and the abso lution of the innocent accused. They usually contrive the Auto to fall on some great festival, that the execution may pass with the more awe; and it is always on a Sunday. The Auto da Fé may be called the last act of the inquisitorial tragedy: it is a kind of gaol delivery, appointed as often as a competent number of prisoners in the Inquisition are convicted of heresy, either by their own voluntary or extorted confession, or on the evidence of certain witnesses. The process is this:-In the morning they are brought into a great hall, where they have certain habits put on, which they are to wear in the procession, and by which they know their doom. The procession is led up by Dominican friars, after which come the penitents, being all in black coats without sleeves, and barefooted, with a wax candle in their hands. These are followed by the penitents who have narrowly escaped being burnt, who over their black coats have flames painted, with their points turned downwards. Next come the negative and relapsed, who are to be burnt, having flames on their habits pointing upwards. After these come such as profess doctrines contrary to the faith of Rome, who besides flames pointing upwards, have their picture painted on their breasts, with dogs, serpents, and devils, all open-mouthed, about it. Each prisoner is attended by a fami liar of the Inquisition; and those to be burnt have also a Jesuit on each hand, who are continually preaching to them to abjure. After the prisoners, comes a troop of familiars on horseback; and after them the Inquisitors, and other officers of the court, on mules: last of all the inquisitorgeneral on a white horse, led by two men with black hats and green hatbands. A scaffold is erected big enough for two or three thousand people; at one end of which are the prisoners, at the other the Inquisitors. After a sermon made up of encomiums on the Inquisition, and invectives against heretics, a priest ascends a desk near the scaffold, and having taken the abjuration of the penitents, recites the final sentence of those who are to be put to death, and delivers them to the secular arm, earnestly beseeching at the same time the secular power not to touch their ACOEMETE, or ACOEMETI, an order of blood, or put their lives in danger!!! The monks at Constantinople in the fifth century, prisoners, being thus in the hands of the civil whom the writers of that and the following ages magistrate, are presently loaded with chains, and called Ax, that is, Watchers, because they carried first to the secular gaol, and from thence, performed divine service day and night without in an hour or two, brought before the civil judge; intermission. They divided themselves into who, after asking in what religion they intend to three classes, who alternately succeeded one an- die, pronounces sentence, on such as declare they other, so that they kept up a perpetual course of die in the communion of the church of Rome, worship. This practice they founded upon that that they shall be first strangled, and then burnt passage-"Pray without ceasing," 1 Thess. v. 17. to ashes: or such as die in any other faith, that ACOLYTHI, or ACOLUTHI, from axoubos, a they be burnt alive. Both are immediately carfollower, young people who, in the primitive ried to the Ribera, the place of execution, where times, aspired to the ministry, and for that pur- there are as many stakes set up as there are pose continually attended the bishop. In the prisoners to be burnt, with a quantity of dry furze Romish church, Acolythi were of longer continu-l about them. The stakes of the professed, that is апо ACCURSED, something that lies under a curse or sentence of exconimunication. In the Jewish idiom, accursed and crucified were synonymous: among them, every one was accounted accursed who died on a tree. This serves perhaps to explain the difficult passage in Rom. ix. 2, where the apostle wishes himself accursed after the manner of Christ; i. e. crucified, if happily he might by such a death save his countrymen. The preposition here made use of, is used in the same sense, 2 Tim. i. 3, when it obviously signifies after the manner of. ACEPHALI, i. e. headless; from the privative, and head; such bishops were exempt from the discipline and jurisdiction of their ordinary bishop or patriarch. It was also the denomination of certain sects; 1. of those who, in the affair of the council of Ephesus, refused to follow either St. Cyril or John of Antioch; 2. of certain heretics in the fifth century, who, at first, followed Peter Mongus, but afterwards abandoned him upon his subscribing to the council of Chalcedon, they themselves adhering to the Eutychian heresy: and, 3. of the followers of Severus of Antioch, and of all, in general, who held out against the council of Chalcedon. ACTS OF THE APOSTLES ADAMITES such as persist in the heresy, are about four | sion of Paul, the admission of the Gentiles into yards high, having a small board towards the top for the prisoner to be seated on. The negative and relapsed being first strangled and burnt, the professed mount their stakes by a ladder, and the Jesuits, after several repeated exhortations to be reconciled to the church, part with them; telling them that they leave them to the devil, who is standing at their elbow, to receive their souls, and carry them with him to the flames of hell. On this a great shout is raised; and the cry is, "Let the dogs beards be made?" which is done by thrusting flaming furzes fastened to long poles against their faces, till their faces are burnt to a coal, which is accompanied with the loudest acclamations of joy. At last, fire is set to the furze at the bottom of the stake, over which the professed are chained so high, that the top of the flame seldom reaches higher than the seat they sit on; so that they rather seem roasted than burnt. There cannot be a more lamentable spectacle: the sufferers continually cry out while they are able, "Pity for the love of God!" Yet it is beheld by all sexes and ages with transports of joy and satisfaction. O merciful God! is this the benign, humane religion thou hast given to men? Surely not. If such were the genius of Christianity, then it would be no honour to be a Christian. Let us, however, rejoice that the time is coming when the demon of Persecution shall be banished out this our world, and the true spirit of benevolence and candour pervade the universe; when none shall hurt or destroy, but the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea! See INQUISITION, the church, the council of Jerusalem, and the planting of Christian Churches in the principal provinces of the Roman empire. The history is written with a tolerably strict attention to chro nological order, though the author has not affixed a date to any one of the facts recorded by him. But as political events, the dates of which are known, are frequently introduced or alluded to in connexion with the ecclesiastical narrative, the chronology of the whole book is for the most part capable of being pretty definitely settled. The style of the Acts, which was written in Greek, is perspicuous and noble. Though tinc tured with Hebraisms, it is in general much purer than that of most other books of the New Testament, particularly in the speeches delivered by Paul. The book forms one of the most important parts of sacred history; for without it neither the Gospels nor Epistles could have been so clearly understood; and by the correspondence of incidental circumstances mentioned in this history and in the Epistles, of such a nature as to show that neither the one nor the other could have been forged, an irrefragable evidence of the truth of Christianity is afforded. Among the most important works expository or illustrative of the Acts of the Apostles are Cradock's Apostolical History; Benson's First Planting of Christianity; Paley's Hora Pauline; Heinrich's Acta Apostolorum; Buddeus Ecclesia Apostolica.—B. ACTION FOR THE PULPIT. See DECLAMATION. There have been several acts of the apostles, such as the acts of Abdias, of Peter, of Paul, St. John the Evangelist, St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Philip, and St. Matthias; but they have been all proved to be spurious. ACTS OF PILATE, a relation sent by PiACTS OF THE APOSTLES, the fifth and late to the Emperor Tiberius, concerning Jesus last of the historical books of the New Testament, Christ, his death, resurrection, ascension, and containing a great part of the lives and transactions the crimes of which he was convicted before him. of Peter and Paul, and of the history of the infant It was a custom among the Romans, that the church for the space of twenty-nine or thirty proconsuls and governors of provinces should years from the ascension of our Lord to the time draw up acts or memoirs of what happened in of Paul's arrival at Rome after his appeal to C-the course of their government, and send them to sir, A. D. 65. That Luke was the author of the Acts of the Apostles is evident both from the introduction, and from the unanimous testimonies of the early Christians. This book, as well as the Gospel bearing his name, is inscribed to Theophilus, and in the very first verse of the Acts there is a reference made to his Gospel, which he calls the former treatise. From the frequent use of the first person plural it is clear that he was present at most of the transactions he relates. The design of the author does not appear to have been to give a complete ecclesiastical history of the Christian church during the period embraced in the work; for he has almost wholly omitted what passed among the Jews after the conversion of Paul, and is totally silent concerning the spread of Christianity in the East and in Egypt, as well as the foundation of the church of Christ at Rome, as also concerning the labours and sufferings of most of the other Apostles besides Peter and Paul; but to relate the st prominent events connected with the establishment of Christianity, and such as may be considered to have had the most important bearins upon its subsequent prosperity; among Which may be reckoned the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the persecutions and dispersions of the early disciples, the conver the emperor and senate. The genuine acts of Pilate were sent by him to Tiberius, who reported them to the senate; but they were rejected by that assembly, because not immediately addressed to them; as is testified by Tertullian, in his Apol. cap. 5, and 20, 21. The heretics forged acts in imitation of them; but both the genuine and the spurious are now lost. ADAMITES, a sect that sprang up in the second century. Epiphanius tells us that they were called Adamites from their pretending to be re-established in the state of innocence, such as Adam was at the moment of his creation, whence they ought to imitate him in going naked. They detested marriage; maintaining that the conjugal union would never have taken place upon earth, had sin been unknown. This obscure and ridiculous sect did not last long. It was, however, revived with additional absurdities in the twelfth century. About the beginning of the fifteenth century, these errors spread in Germany and Bohemia: it found also some partisans in Poland, Holland, and England. They as sembled in the night; and, it is said, one of the fundamental maxims of their society was contained in the following veree : Jura, perjura, secretum prodere noli. ADOPTION ADIAPHORISTS, a name given in the six- | teenth century to the moderate Lutherans who adhered to the sentiments of Melancthon; and afterwards to those who subscribed the Interim of Charles V. [See INTERIM.] The word is of Greek origin (a.popos,) and signifies indifference or lukewarmness. ADMIRATION is that passion of the mind which is excited by the discovery of any great excellence in an object. It has by some writers been used as synonymous with surprise and wonder; but it is evident they are not the same. Surprise refers to something unexpected; wonder, to something great or strange; but admiration includes the idea of high esteem or respect. Thus, we say we admire a man's excellencies; but we do not say that we are surprised at them. We wonder at an extraordinary object or event, but we do not always admire it. ADMONITION denotes a hint or advice given to another, whereby we reprove him for his fault, or remind him of his duty. Admonition was a part of the discipline much used in the ancient church; it was the first act or step towards the punishment or expulsion of delinquents. In case of private offences, it was performed according to evangelical rule, privately; in case of public offence, openly before the church. If either of these sufficed for the recovery of the fallen person, all further proceedings, in a way of censure, ceased; if they did not, recourse was had to excommunication.-Tit. iii. 10. 1 Thess. v. 14. Eph. vi. 4. ADOPTION adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. 3, Glorious, is that in which the saints, being raised from the dead, are at the last day solemnly owned to be the children of God, and enter into the full possession of that inheritance provided for them. Rom. viii, 19, 23. Adoption is a word taken from the civil law, and was much in use among the Romans in the Apostles' time; when it was a custom for persons who had no children of their own, and were possessed of an estate, to prevent its being divided or descending to strangers, to make choice of such as were agreeable to them, and beloved by them, whom they took into this political relation of children; obliging them to take their name upon them, and to pay respect to them as though they were their natural parents, and engaging to deal with them as though they had been so; and accordingly to give them a right to their estates, as an inheritance. This new relation, founded in a mutual consent, is a bond of affection; and the privilege arising from thence is, that he, who is in this sense a father, takes care of and provides for the person whom he adopts, as though he were his son by nature; and therefore civilians call it an act of legitima tion, imitating nature, or supplying the place of it. It is easy, then, to conceive the propriety of the term as used by the apostle, in reference to this act, though it must be confessed there is some difference between civil and spiritual adoption. Civil adoption was allowed of and provided for ADONAI, Hebrew, a title of the Su- the relief and comfort of those who had no chilpreme Being in the Scriptures, rendered in En-dren; but in spiritual adoption this reason does glish by the word Lord. The original comes from Aden, a base, pillar, or supporter; and it is not a little remarkable that the etymology of our vernacular Lord is precisely similar, it being a contraction of the old Saxon laford, or hlafford, from laef, to support or sustain, the same root from which also comes the English word loaf. The Hebrew JEHOVAH is likewise translated Lord in our Bibles, and this is known by its being printed in capital letters, whereas in the other case the common small character is employed. The Jews, from excessive reverence, never pronounce the name JEHOVAH when they meet with it in reading the Hebrew Scriptures, but invariably substitute Adonai, which has the same vowel points. But there is no law forbidding the enunciation of the name JEHOVAH; nor does it appear to have been scrupled by the ancient Jews.-B. not appear. The Almighty was under no obligation to do this; for he had innumerable spirits whom he had created, besides his own Son, who had all the perfections of the divine nature, who was the object of his delight, and who is styled the heir of all things, Heb. i. 3. When men adopt, it is on account of some excellency in the persons who are adopted: thus Pharaoh's daugh ter adopted Moses because he was exceeding fair, Acts vii. 20, 21; and Mordecai adopted Esther because she was his uncle's daughter, and exceeding fair, Est. ii. 7; but man has nothing in him that merits this divine act, Ezek. xvi. 5. In civil adoption, though the name of a son be given, the nature of a son may not: this relation may not necessarily be attended with any change of disposition or temper. But in the spiritual adoption we are made partakers of the divine nature, and a temper or disposition given us becoming the relationship we bear. Jer. iii. 19. "As ADONISTS, a party among divines and critics, who maintain that the Hebrew points or- Much has been said as to the time of adoption. dinarily annexed to the consonants of the word Some place it before regeneration, because it is Jehovah are not the natural points belonging to supposed we must be in the family before we can that word, nor express the true pronounciation be partakers of the blessings of it. But it is diffi of it; but are the vowel points belonging to the cult to conceive of one before the other; for alwords Adonai and Elohim, applied to the con- though adoption may seem to precede regenerasonants of the ineffable name Jehovah, to warn tion in order of nature, yet not of time; they may the readers, that instead of the word Jehovah, be distinguished, but cannot be separated. which the Jews were forbid to pronounce, and many as received him, to them gave he power to the true pronunciation of which had been long become the sons of God, even to them that beunknown to them, they are always to read Ado-lieve on his name." John i. 12. There is no nai. They are opposed to Jehovists, of whom adoption, says the great Charnock, without rethe principal are Drusius, Capellus, Buxtorf, generation. "Adoption," says the same author, Alting, and Reland. "is not a mere relation: the privilege and the ADOPTION, an act whereby any person re-image of the sons of God go together. A state ceives another into his family, owns him for his of adoption is never without a separation from son, and appoints him his heir. 2. Spiritual defilement." 2 Cor. vi. 17. 18. The new name |