(3.) || per to church-members, John ix. † 34. It is generally supposed the Jews had three kinds or degrees of excommunication: the first was NIDDUI, or separation of the person from things no

Judg. xi. 39. John xviii. 39. Frequent disease, Gen. xxxi. 35. (4.) A tax upon persons or goods, demanded by civil magistrates, Rom. xiii. 7. CUT; (1.) To divide into pieces with a knife, or like instrument, Exd.ly for the space of 30 days: the sexxxix. 3. Lev. i. 6. (2.) To prick; cond CHEREM, OP ANATHEMA, which pain; vex, Acts v. 33. (3.) To des- ratified the former, and excluded the troy, Hab. iii. † 16. 2 Chron. xv. 16. Job offender from the synagogue, and xxiv. 24. Mens cutting themselves, from civil commerce: the third imported excess of grief and mad- SHAMMATHA, which was published by ness, Jer. xlviii. 37. Mark v. 5. If an 300 or 400 trumpets, and implied a Hebrew neglected circumcision after final exclusion from the synagogue. he was come to age, or neglected to But Selden, that miracle of Jewish observe the passover, or did eat leaven learning, has pretty fully evinced, during the days of unleavened bread, that niddui and shammatha are promisGen. xvii. 14. Numb. ix. 13; if he cuously used, and often signify the did carnal work on the Sabbath; if same censure; and consequently the he attempted to counterfeit the sacred Jews have but a lesser and greater exoil or incense, Exod. xxxi. 14. and communication. The form of the lesser xxx. 33; if he did eat any part of a is simple and short; "Let such an sacrifice in his uncleanness, or eat a- "one be excommunicated." If an ny blood, or of the fat of beasts fit for offender continue three months under sacrifice; or did eat of the peace-offer-this without manifesting his repenting after the third day; or killed his ance, the greater is inflicted. In it, sacrifice in any place, but at the door the offender is charged with a multiof the tabernacle, without special war-tude of terrible curses, by God, by anrant from God, Lev. vii. 20-27. and gels, by heaven and earth, &c. The xix. 8. and xvii. 4, 9; if he neglected lesser excommunication debarred to observe the fast of expiation, or to the offender from approaching nearuse the water of purification, Lev. er any person, his wife and children xxiii. 29. Numb. xix. 13, 20; if he not excepted, than four cubits. The was guilty of sodomy, bestiality, volun- greater shuts him out from all contarily lying with a woman in her verse; his goods are confiscated, monthly disorder, or of incest, idola--and sometimes himself impritry, giving of seed to Moloch, consulting familiar spirits, or of blasphemy, presumptuous sinning, murder, rape, adultery, Lev. xviii. and xx.— Numb. xv. 30, 31; he was to be cur OFF from the congregation, not only separated from communion with the church, but, in many cases, put to death by the magistrate, or destroyed by the immediate vengeance of heaven. The cutting off from the church, or casting out from the synagogue, was that which we call excommunication, whereby church-members, evidently guilty of obstinate rebellion against the law of God, are separated from the fellowship of the church, and deprived of the spiritual privileges pro

soned.

Miserable was the case of the excommunicated among the rigid sect of the Essenes. Their sentence debarred them from all commerce with these of their own party; their vow obliged them to receive no food from any other: they were therefore forced to live like beasts on roots and herbs, till their body decayed or rotted away. The other Jews were wont to be more moderate. They allowed the excommunicated person to be present at their public worship, and absolved him, upon an apparently serious profession of grief for his sin, and a promise of amendment; though, if the offence was immediately against God, absolution was never pronounce

ed, till a month after the excommuni- || visible member of his kingdom, that cation was past. But the modern lieth in wickedness. Never, but for

sins plainly prohibited by the divine

Jews are terribly cruel to their excommunicated brethren. They are re-law, and obstinately continued in, ought this censure to be inflicted, nor ought it to be inflicted but in a prudent, impartial, orderly, meek, and solemn manner. When thus inflicted, it is abundantly terrible, suppose no civil punishment attend it: it is ratified in heaven, by the God, Saviour, and Judge of the world, Mat. xviii. 15-18. and xvi. 19. John xx. 23. 1 Cor. v. 4-13. Gal. v. 12. 2 Thess. iii. 14, 15. Tit. iii. 10. 1 Tim. i. 20.*

fused all manner of assistance; they mect with nothing but rudeness; they are pelted with stones if they appear in the streets; they are shunned by their nearest relations. In order to obtain absolution, they must be tied to a post and whipped; after which they must lie prostrate at the door of the synagogue, that the rest may step over them. If they die under the sentence, their death is celebrated with feasting and diversion.

CYMBAL; a hollow vessel of brass, which, being struck against another of the same kind, made a

of the church in secret and as to his inoften a person ceases not to be a member ward state; though, according to external

The Jews pretend, that excommunication was early introduced into the church; that Adam excommunicated Cain and his seed. Some find the origin of it in Deborah's curse *This ejection from the church, says against the inhabitants of Meroz the great Turretine, as to the outward for refusing to assist Barak against external communion of the church and the state denotes a real separation from the the armies of Jabin, Judges v. 23. use of holy things; yet not perpetual, but Others place its commencement in for a time, until the person repent. But as the proclamation of Ezra, that all the to the inward state, it is not a real expul Jews should gather themselves to Je- sion from the mystical body of Christ; for rusalem, to divorce their strange he who is once taken into that body, can never be cast out of it. But it is only a wives; and that whoever came not threatening, or declaration of the intrinsic should have his substance forfeited, demerit of the fault.-Wherefore we are and he himself put from the congre- not immediately to think, that by excomgation, Ezra x. 7, 8. Since that time, munication an offender is simply and abso we find in their history various in-lutely cut off from the body of Christ. For stances of it, at least of the lesser, Luke vi. 22. John ix. 22. It seems, that private persons presumed to ex-discipline, he be for a time removed from communicate and absolve offenders, the society of the faithful. Theologia Eas well as public judges. And we lentica, pars tertia, Loc. 18. Quest. 32 are assured, that some modern Jews To deliver unto Satan for the destruction imitate the Papists in excommunicat- of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, is not miraculousing beasts, for what they reckon high-ly to inflict some tormenting pain or punishly offensive. In the Christian church, there is a divine warrant for a prudential suspension of offenders from fellowship in sealing ordinances; but excommunication, properly so called, secludes from the seals of the new covenant, and other Christian privileges and from all unnecessary civil Converse of fellow Christians; renders one as an heathen man and publican; and delivers him up to Satan, the god of this world, as, for the present, a

ment upon the body of the offender; or to give an extraordinary permission to Satan for that purpose; (in doing which the apos tle would not have sought the concurrence or assitance of the Corinthians;) but to declare the person excluded from the external communion of the visible church, and in that respect exposed to the tyranny of Satan for his humiliation and the destruction of his fleshly corruption; this censure being a mean of the Lord's insti his blessings for that gracious end, 1 Cor. s tution, on which we have ground to expect

V. 5.

sharp shrill sound, 2 Sam. vi. 5. Such || had fifteen cities of note, viz. Paphos, as have knowledge and eloquence, Citium, Salamis, &c. and was parwithont true love to God and men, celled out into nine petty kingdoms. are but as a tinkling symbal; are Cyrus reduced the Cypriots. About noisy and no more, 1 Cor. xiii. 1.* 70 years afterward, Cimon, the AtheCYPRESS; a tree noted for itsnian general, obliged the Persians to height, strength, and comeliness. It withdraw their garrisons from Cyis always green, its wood heavy, fra-prus, and restore the islanders their grant, and almost incorruptible. Idols liberty. By the shameful peace of were formed of it, Isa. xliv. 14. The Antalcidas the Lacedemonian, they Romans reckoned it a fatal tree, and were deprived of their freedom, and used it in funeral ceremonies. Tourne-reduced to their former bondages fort mentions three kinds of it: but They submitted to Alexander, and to it is not valued as it deserves. The his successors of Syria and Egypt, by fruit of it called cones, are very bind-turns. About A. M. 3950, the wicked ing when used in medicine; and are Clodius, and Cato the famed moralist, useful to cure ruptures, and fluxes of in the most villainous manner, stripblood. See GOPHER and CAMPHIRE.ped Ptolemy the king of Cyprus of CYPRUS; a famed island in the his wealth, to the value of $6,027,777 Mediterranean sea, about 100 miles and 77 cents, and of his kingdom; north of Syria, and 60 south-west of and reduced it to a Roman province. Cilicia. Its length from east to west It was exceedingly crowded with Jews; is about 175 miles; and its breadth but, for their murder of about 240,000 60; and according to some only 46. of its inhabitants, they were banished It abounded with Cypress-trees; but out of it, about A. D. 118. In 648, was most infamous for lewdness, e- it was taken by the Saracens; but very woman being obliged by law to recovered by the emperor of Conprostitute herself to strangers. Ac- stantinople about 957. About 1191, cording to Josephus, it was peopled Richard king of England wrested it by the descendants of CHITTIM. It from the Seljukian Turks, and gave it to Lasignan titular king of Jerusalem. He and his posterity held it al

* Ovid gives cymbals the epithet of ge-most 300 years; though for the last nialia, because they were used at weddings

and other diversions. Cassiodorus and Isi

dore call this instrument acetabulum, the name of a cup or cavity of a bone wherein another is articulated; and Xenophon compares it to a horse's hoof. Their invention was attributed to Cybele; M. Lampe attributes their invention to the Curetes, or inhabitants of mount Ida in Crete. The

matter and form of the Jew's cymbals, critics are still in the dark about. Ency.

50, they were tributary to the Mamluke Sultans of Egypt. His maleline failing, the Venetians seized it about A. D. 1473. After a most desperate war, the Turks forced it from them in 1570. Christianity was planted in this island, by some that fled from the Jewish persecution, and confirmed by Paul, and Barnabas, and Mark; and has continued ever since; though at present religion, as well as the country, is in a most wretched condition, Acts xi. 19, 20. and xiii. 4-13. and xv. 39.

The coffins in which the Athenians were wont to bury their heroes were made, says Thucydides, of this wood; as were likewise the chests containing the Egyptian mummies. The doors of St. Peter's church at Rome were originally of the CYRENE; a country at some dissame materials. These, after lasting 600 tance westward of Egypt, and south years, at the end of which they did not dis-of the Mediterranean sea. Its princover the smallest tendency to corruption,cipal cities were Cyrene, Berenice, were removed by order of Pope Eugenius IV. and gates of brass substituted in their Arsince, Ptolemais, and Apollonia. place. Ency. This state had for some ages its own

kings, of a Grecian lineage, and con- the king of Babylon, then intended to tended in power with the Carthage-reduce the kingdom of Media: his nians. Here was the birth of Era-huge army of Babylonians, Lydians, tosthenes the historian, Callimachus Cappadocians, Carians, Phrygians, the poet, and Simeon, who assisted Je- Cilicians, and Paphlagonians, bid fair sus in bearing his cross. Many of the to swallow up Cyrus and his uncle: Jews who lived here were converted but this host was routed, and Nerigat Pentecost, and afterward to the lissar himself was slain. Soon after, Christian faith and others of them Cyrus and his uncle, encouraged by were no less inveterate persecutors Gobrias and Gadates, two revolted of it, Acts ii. 10. and xi. 20. and Babylonian lords, carried the war alxiii. 1. and vi. 9. After this country most up to the very gates of Babylon, had been above 1000 years subject to filling the country with terror, ravage, the Persians, Egyptogrecians, and and blood. To oppose him, BelshazRomans, the Saracens seized it, A. zar entered into a league with the ED. 640; since which, Christianity gyptians, Thracians, and all the nati has made a poor appearance. Some ons of Lesser Asia; and raised an of the Mahomedan princes erected a army of 420,000, of which Cræsus kingdom here, which continued about king of Lydia had the command. Cy350 years, from A. D. 900 to 1250, rus, with less than half the number, though the seat of government was gave them a total defeat; he pursued mostly in Egypt. At present the Cræsus to Sardus his capital; and, country is almost a desart, and be- having taken it, ordered the inhabilongs to the Turks. tants to bring him their gold and silver, and save the place from being plundered. Cræsus was the first to obey. Either this ready compliance, or his repeating a saying of Solon the Athenian sage, importing, that no man was happy till his death, so CYRUS, the son of Cambyses, touched the generous heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, by Mandane the that he ever after honoured Cræsus; daughter of Ahasuerus, king of the restored him almost the whole power Medes. The story of his grandfa- of his kingdom; and carried him ather's appointing him to death when bout with him, in all his after expean infant; and of his exposure and ditions, as a counsellor and friend.education by a shepherd; and of his He then reduced the various nations violent death by the orders of the of Lesser Asia, Syria, and part of AScythian queen; we pass, as unwor-rabia the Desart; took Babylon, and thy of credit. His parents were ex- put an end to the Chaldean empire. tremely careful of his education; and After settling their new form of goearly he discovered an uncommon vernment, and dividing their territosprightliness, sagacity, and courage.ries into 120 provinces, the command About 12 years of age, his mother carried him to her father's court. His generous, obliging, and heroic behaviour, quickly gained him the affections of the Medes. After five years he returned to Persia. About

CYRENIUS, or Quirinus, the Roman deputy in Syria, some years after our Saviour's birth; he obliged the Jews to pay the tax for which they had been enrolled at the time of it, Luke ii. 1, 2.

the 40th year of his life, he assisted Darius the Mede, his uncle, with 30,000 Persian troops. He reduced the revolted Armenians. Neriglissar,

whereof was given to such as had distinguished themselves in the war, Cyrus left Darius his uncle and fatherin-law, to govern the empire, and marched to the conquest of Egypt.

Two years after the reduction of Babylon, Darius died; and Cyrus, having married his only daughter, fell heir to the crown. Having perhaps read the Jewish prophecies concern

30th year of his reign over Persia, and 70th of his life, he died, A. M. 3475. Dan. vii. 5. and viii. 3, 20. and ii. 39. Isa. xlvii. 11. and xli. 2, 3, 25. and xliv. 26-28. and xlv. 1—4, || 13. Ezra i. ii. and iii.

D.

ABERATH; a city near the foot of mount Tabor, in the great plain of Jezreel. Whether it be the same which the tribe of Issachar gave the Levites is uncertain, Josh. xix. 11, 12. and xxi. 28. Not long ago, a village called Debarah was in these parts.

DAGGER; a long knife with a sharp point, Judg. iii. 16.

DAM

DALE; a valley, Gen. xiv. 7. DALMANUTHA; a city on the east-side of the sea of Tiberias. It is either the same with Magdala, or near it; and hence one Evangelist says, Christ and his disciples landed in the parts of Dalmanutha; and another, that he landed in the coasts of Magdala, Mark viii. 10. Matth. xv. 39.

DALMATIA; a province of old Illyricum, and east of the gulf of Venice. With no small difficulty, the Romans subdued it. It was long af ter terribly ravaged by the Quadi, Goths, and Huns. From A. D. 1076 to 1310, the Dalmatians had a kingdom of their own. Except the small republic of Ragusa, Dalmatia is now subject, partly to the Venetians, and partly to the Turks. Since Titus preached the gospel here, Christianity has never been wholly extirpated, 2 Tim. iv. 10.

DAGON; the principal idol of the Philistines. He is commonly figured as a man, in his upper parts, with the tail of a fish; and is thought to represent Noah, who long floated in his ark; and to have his name from DAG, a fish; but others will have his name derived from DAGAN, corn; and reckon him a copy of the Egyptian Isis, who taught to cultivate fields, and grind meal. At Gaza, Samson pulled down his temple on the head of his worshippers, Judg. xvi. 21-30. At Ashdod, when the ark of God was placed in his temple, as if it had been his booty, his image fell before it: his head and hands were broke off on the threshold. On account of which, his priests never after trode on the threshold, but jumped over it as they en- DAMASCUS; a noted city, long tered the temple, 1 Sam. v. About the capital of Syria, about 160 miles A. M. 3840, Jonathan the Maccabee north-east of Jerusalem, in the pleaburnt it, and the remains of the Sy- sant plain between mount Lebanon rain army which had fled into it. on the west, and Hermon on the Since which, we hear no more of the south. As its name, with some, sig, existence of Dagon. Perhaps Oda-nifies the blood of a righteous person, con, the Chaldean deity, was the same with him.

DAINTY; (1.) Nice; costly; delicate, Rev. xviii. 17. (2.) Delicate food, Gen. xlix. 20.

DAM; a mother among animals, Deut. xxii. 6, 7. Lev. xxii. 27.

DAMAGE; loss; hurt, Ezra iv. 22. To drink damage, is to ruin one's self, Prov. xxvi. To ENDAMAGE; to do hurt, Ezra iv. 13.

they imagine Abel was here murdered. It was in being in the days of Abraham, Gen. xiv. 15. It is said, he reigned some time in it; but it is far more certain, that Eliezer, his prin