Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

DENDROPHORIA, in antiquity, the carrying of boughs or branches of trees; a religious ceremony so called, because certain priests called from thence dendrophori, tree-bearers, marched in procession, carrying the

in our translation, silver shrines, but DEN; a hole, or hollow place in more agreeably to the import of the the earth, where lions and other wild Greek word) little models of Diana's beasts lodge, Judg. vi. 2. Job xxxvii. temple there, with her image included 8. Rev. vi. 15. God's temple became therein. Vexed at the success of the a den of thieves, when multitudes of gospel, and the danger of his loss of wicked men officiated in it; and, to business, by the inhabitants turning the robbing God of his honour, prostheir backs on idolatry, he convened tituted it to be a place of dishonest a mob of his fellow-tradesmen, and merchandise, Jer. vii. 11. Matth. xxi. represented to them the danger of 13. Jerusalem, and other cities of their craft, and idolatrous worship. Judah, became a den of dragons, when, They were immediately inflamed with being left desolate, these creatures rage; and assisted by the rascally part lodged amidst the rubbish, Jer. ix. 11. of the inhabitants, they raised, for and x. 22. Ninevah is called a lion's some hours, a terrible outcry, Great || den filled with ravin; the conquering is Diana of the Ephesians. They seiz- monarchs who ruled there, issuing ed Aristarchus and Gaius, and hurri-forth like lions, destroyed the nations, ed them into the theatre, no doubt, and enriched the city with their spoil, with a view to have them condemned. || Nah. ii. 12. This present world is a Perceiving Alexander, perhaps the den of lions, and mountain of leopards; coppersmith, they dragged him into it is a very dangerous dwelling, as the crowd; he begged they would outrageous and wicked men abound hear what he had to say for himself; and rest in it, Song iv. 8. but understanding that he was a Jew, and so an enemy to their religion, they would not hear him; but continued to bawl out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Meanwhile a notary of considerable influence in the city, got an audience of the mob. He warm-branches of trees in their hands in ho ly represented to them, That the men nour of some god, as Bacchus, Cywhom they had seized could not be bele, Sylvanus, &c. The college of proven blasphemers of Diana, nor rob- the dendrophori is often mentioned bers of her temple; that the honour in ancient marbles; and we frequent of Diana was sufficiently established ly see in basso relievos the bacchanals all the world over, and the Ephesians' represented as men carrying little zeal for her worship abundantly shrubs or branches of trees. Ency. known; that they were in the utmost DENY; (1.) To refuse the truth hazard of being called to account, and of a charge or affirmation, Gen. xviii. punished by their Roman superiors, 15. (2.) To refuse granting a refor the uproar which they had made; quest, 1 Kings ii. 16. Prov. xxx. 7. that if Demetrius, or any body else, God cannot deny himself; he cannot had a plea, they ought to bring it re- possibly act or speak unlike his own gularly before a lawful meeting of the nature, or unlike the gracious characmagistracy, and not fill the city with ters which he hath assumed, or the confusion. With this soft and sensi- promises he hath made, 2 Tim. ii. ble remonstrance, he quieted and dis-13. Men deny God or Christ, or persed the mob. Whether this De- his name, when, in their profession metrius afterward became a Christian or practice, they disown his being the convert, and [was that Demetrius true God, Saviour, portion, ruler, and who, as John declares,] had a good re-last end of their soul, Job xxxi. 28. port of all men, we know not, Acts || Acts iii. 13, 14. They deny the faith, xix. 24-40. 3 John 12. when they embrace error, indulge

[ocr errors]

DERBE. See LYCAONIA. DERIDE; to mock, Luke xvi. 14. To deride strong holds, is to make a jest of taking them; to demolish them, as if in sport, Hab. i. 10.

themselves in a slothful and wicked DEPUTED; constituted inferior practice, and so manifest their unbe-judge, 2 Sam. xv. 3. A DEPUTY, is lief of, and opposition to the truths a ruler appointed by a superior one, of scripture, Rev. ii. 13. 1 Tim. v. 8. || Acts xiii. 7. and xviii. 12. 1 Kings Men deny themselves, when they re- xxii. 49. fuse to depend on their own righteQusness, as the ground of their hope and confidence before God; or to be led by their own wisdom, or ruled by their own will and affections; or to attempt performance of good works in their own strength; but receive Jesus Christ as the free gift of God, for their all and in all, and undervalue their own ease, profit, or pleasure, || for the sake of Christ, Matth. xvi. 24. DENOUNCE; solemnly to declare a threatening, Deut. xxx. 18.

DERISION; mockery; reproach, Job xxxi. 1.

DESCEND; to go down from a higher place to a lower, whether from heaven, or the clouds, to the earth; || or from a place higher in situation, to one lower in the same country, or a different one, Matth. xxviii. 2. Psal. DEPART; (1.) To go from a cxxxiii. 3. Acts xxiv. 1. God desplace or person, John vii. 3. (2.) To|| cends, or comes down, when some vidie, go out of this world and life, into sible token of his presence moves toan eternal state, Luke ii. 29. (3.) To || wards the earth, Exod. xix. 18. Luke cease, Nah. iii. 1. God departs from iii. 22. Christ's descending into the men, when he ceases to bestow his lower parts of the earth, denotes his favours, hides the smiles of his coun- infinite condescension, and his persontenance, and pours out his wrath on al union with his manhood on the them, Hos. ix. 12; or when he ceas- earth, and with his body in the grave, es to afflict, Job vii. 19. Men depart Eph. iv. 10. Wisdom descends; it from God, when they follow sinful proceeds from God, who is high, and lusts instead of holiness, and seek cre- resides in heaven, to men on earth, ated enjoyments for their portion, in- || James iii. 15. DESCENT, is, (1.) A stead of his fulness, Jer. xxxii. 40; place bending downward, Luke xix. and especially when they break their 37. (2.) A coming from parents vows to him, and cease from serving and ancestors by natural generation, him, as once they did. Hos. i. 2.- Heb. vii. 3, 6. Men depart from evil, or from hell, when they cease from the love and practice of sin, and so from walking|| in the way to hell, Prov. xv. 24. and xvi. 6.

DEPARTURE. (1.) The ruin of Tyre by the Chaldeans, which made the inhabitants quite leave the city, Ezek. xxvi. 18. (2.) A removal into the other world by death, 2 Tim. iy. 6.

DEPOSE; to put out of office, Dan. v. 20.

DESCRIBE; to describe a country, is to draw a plan of it, Josh. xviii. 4. To describe persons, is to declare. their names, marks, and places of abode, Judg. viii. 14. To describe things, is to explain their nature and properties, Rom. iv. 6.

DESCRY; to view; spy out,. Judg. i. 23.

ᎠᎬᏚᎬᎡᎢ ; WILDERNESS. The Hebrews called the places a wilderness, where the cities or towns were more distant one from another, as DEPRIVE; (1.) To take from well as where there were no towns at one what he hath, or expects to have, all. The most noted deserts we read Gen. xxvii. 45. Isa. xxxviii. 10. (2.) of in scripture, are that of Egypt, on 、 To make destitute of, Job xxxix. 17. the north-east of that country, Ezek. DEPTH. See DEEP. xx. 36; the wilderness of Etham, on

[ocr errors]

the west of the Red sea; the wilder- to them a wilderness, and land of darkness of Shur, Sin, and Sinai, on the ness? Jer. ii. 31. The Gentile world, east side of the western gulf of the before the spread of the gospel, is Red sea; the wilderness of Paran, called a wilderness; the poor Heanorthward of the former, and of Zin, || thens lived like wild beasts, devourat the east end of it. The wilderness ing one another, without order of diof Edom, is perhaps the same with vine laws and ordinances, without the that of Paran or Zin; or rather one at comfortable presence of God, and the south end of the Dead sea. The without any fruit of good works to wilderness of Kadesh, might be the his honour, Isa. xxxv. 1, 6. and xli. north part of the wilderness of Paran. 19. and xliii. 19. The wilderness The wilderness of Moab, Arnon, and into which God brought the Jews, Kedemoth, might be the same, near that he might speak to their heart, the head of the river Arnon. The was their afflicted state of captivity in wilderness of Tadmor, lay to the north- Babylon, and their present unhappy east of Canaan. The wilderness of Ju- state of dispersion, Hos. ii. 14. The dah, of Ziph, Jeshamon, and Maon, lay || wilderness, in which the church subon the west of the Dead sea. The sists under Antichrist, is her private wilderness where Jesus was tempted, and distressed condition; and may was probably the mountains of Qua- point to the rugged country about rantana, to the east of Jerusalem, Savoy and Piedmont, in which the which now have an appearance most Waldenses, for many ages, boldly ruggged and unsightly; or that near professed the truth, Rev. xii. 6. The Pisgah, on the east of Jordan. A wilderness, from which the saints go great many wildernesses were named up, is their barren, comfortless, and from the cities next adjacent; as the dangerous state of ignorance and unwilderness of Diblah, Engedi, Jeruel, belief; the present evil world, in its Tekoah, Gibeon, Bethaven, &c. The errors and corruptions; and a state wilderness of Arabia, comprehends of persecution and trouble, Song iii. the deserts of Shur, Sin, Paran, Zin, 6. and viii. 5. where the words ought and Kedemoth, and was a very terri- to be translated, goeth up from the ble and waste howling wilderness, wilderness. Deut. i. 19. and xxxii. 10. The whole north parts of Arabia are called a desert, because so little of it was cultivated, or had cities built in it, Jer. xxv. 24. Chaldea is called the desert of the sea it was exceedingly well watered; much of it a fen-country: there was a desert between it and the Medes and Persians; and by them it began to be turned into a desert: but the words might be rendered, the plain of the sea, Isa. xxi. 1. The wilderness of the people, is either Chal dea, which, though replenished with inhabitants, was destitute of things spiritually good; or the barbarous countries of Media and Scythia, Ezek. xx. 35. Whatever affords no support and comfort, but distresses and perplexes, is called a wilderness; hence God asks the Hebrews, If he had been

DESERVE; to be worthy of, Ezra ix. 13. Job xi. 6. Men are judged according to their deserts, and have their deserts rendered to them, when they receive the just punishment of their deeds, Psalm xxviii. 4,

DESIRE. (1.) A longing; wishing, 1 Sam. xxiii. 20 (2.) The request, or prayer of a soul, for the supply of its wants, spiritual, temporal, or eternal, Psalm cxlv. 19. (3.) Love; affection, Song vii. 10. Dan. xi. 37. (4) Inclination to, or delight in the pleasures of this life, Eccl. xii. 5. (5) Hope; expectation, 1 Sam. ix. 20. (6.) The thing desired, Prov. x. 24. Desire is either || natural, Deut. xxi. 11; or religious, after things spiritually good, Psalm ixxiii. 25; or mischievous, for hurt to others, Mic. vii. 3; or covetous

desolate, when God's special presence no more resided in it, when it was turned into ruins, and the Jews were cast off from being God's peculiar people, Matth. xxiii. 38. Job's company was made desolate, when his children and servants were slain, and his friends scattered from him, Job

and lustful, Deut. vii. 25. and v. 21. Wives are the desire of their husbands eyes; they are comely and desirable to them: the temple was the desire of the Jews' eyes; they much valued and prided themselves in it, Ezek. xxiv. 16, 21. Christ is the desire of all nations; he is altogether lovely, excellent, useful, and neces-xvi. 7. Antichrist will be made desary all that spiritually know him, solate, when Rome shall be turned do desire and long for him: at last, into a ruinous heap, and multitudes multitudes out of all nations shall be-shall forsake Popery, and turn to the lieve on him, Hag. ii. 7. The Jews were a nation not desirous or desired : they had no proper desire after, and love to God and his ways; nor were they a pleasure and delight to him, but the reverse, Zeph. ii. 1. The desires of the flesh, are our sinful lusts and inclinations, Ephes. ii. 3. Gen. vi. 5. Through desire a man separateth himself, and intermeddleth with all wisdom: through good desire, a man separates himself from the common customs of the world, and earnestly pursues after knowledge; or, through a vain-glorious desire, a man separates himself from others, and meddles with every branch of business; or he objects to, and pours contempt on all true wisdom, Prov. xviii. 1.

Lord, Revel. xvii. 16. and xviii. 19. The Gentile world, long destitute of the gracious presence of God, or the church deprived of Christ's bodily presence, is likened to a desolate widow, Isaiah xlix. 8. and liv. 1. The desolate places, which great men build for themselves, are desolate cities, which they rebuild for their honour; or tombs, in which their dead bodies dwell in silence, Job iii. 14.

DESPAIR; to grow hopeless, 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. 2 Cor. iv. 8. DESPE RATE; without hope, Job vi. 26. Our heart is desperately wicked; so set on evil, that it will forego every hope, and rush on eternal ruin, to have it committed, Jer. xvii. 9.

(2.) The object of envy or malice, Neh. iv. † 4. DESPITEFUL; full of envy and malice, Ezek. xxv. 15. To entreat one spitefully, is maliciously to expose him to the most cruel and shameful abuse, Luke xviii. 32. Matt. V. 44.

DESTITUTE; wanting; without help, happiness, or comfort, 1 Tim. vi. 5. Gen. xxiv. 27.

DESPISE. See CONTEMN. DESPITE, or SPITE; (1.) Envy; DESOLATE; SOLITARY; lone- malice, Ezek. xxv. 6. Psalm x. 14. ly. A person is desolate or solitary,|| when without husband or compani- || ons, 2 Sam. xiii. 20. Psalm xxv. 16. A desolate heart, is one deserted of God, deprived of comfort, and filled with perplexity, Psalm cxliii. 4. A house, city, or country, is desolate or solitary, when without inhabitants, Jer. xlix. 20. and vi. 8. and ix. 11. Lam. i. 1. Psalm cvii. 4. The Hebrew word GALMUD, rendered solitary, signifies barren as a flinty rock, quite destitute of good, Job iii. 7. and xv. 34. and xxx. 3. Isa. xlix. 21. Altars are desolate, when ruinous, and no offerings presented on them, Ezek. vi. 6. Vines, fig-trees, and idols are desolate when destroyed, or quite neglected, Hos. ii. † 12. Mic. i. 7. The Jewish temple was made

VOL. I.

DESTROY; (1.) To pull down; cut off; kill, Gen. xix. 14. Exodus xxxiv. 13. Rom. iii. 16. (2.) To cast one into hell, Mark i. 24. (3.) To hurt a weak Christian, by drawing him to act against his conscience, in the use of things indifferent; or by alienating his mind from his Christian profession, Rom. xiv. 15. 1 Cor. viii. 11, 12. God destroys meats, and

3 E

the belly, when by death he breaks || xxxii. 17. Psalm cvi. 37. Lev. xvii.
the connexion between the two, 17. Revel. ix. 20. and xviii. 2; but
Cor. vi. 13. The mouth of hypocrites themselves tremble at the views of the
destroyeth their neighbours, seducing true God, James ii. 19.
them into error and ruin, Prov. xi. 9. men are called devils; they resemble
Sin and Satan are destroyed, when these evil spirits in malice and en-
their dominion, power, and influence mity against God, and his people;
are taken away, Rom. vi. 6. Heb. ii. and in reproach and slander of them:
14. Satan, the Chaldeans, robbers, and they are agents for Satan on
the pestilence, &c. are called destroy-earth, John vi. 70. Revel. ii. 10. 1
ers, Rev. ix. 11. Jer. iv. 7. Job xv. Tim. iii. † 11.
21. 1 Cor. x. 10. DESTRUCTION, is,
(1.) The taking away of the power
and life of any person or thing, I Sam.
v. 11. 1 Cor. v. 5. (2.) Death, which(1.) Curious work of an artificer, 2
cuts off men from their place and sta-
tion, Psalm xc. 3. and ixxxviii. 11.
(3.) The pestilence, or some other
terrible calamity, Psalm xci. 10. Job
xxi. 17. (4.) The punishment of
hell, 1 Tim. vi. 9. 2 Thess. i. 9.
The poverty of poor men is their
destruction, or consternation; it dis-
tresseth and affrights them, Prov.
x. 15.

DETERMINE; (1.) To decide
or judge a cause, Exodus xxi. 22.
(2.) Firmly to resolve, 1 Sam. xx. 7.
1 Cor. ii. 2. (3.) Unchangeably to ap- ||
point, Job xiv. 5. Dan. ix. 24. The
determinate counsel of God, is his
fixed and immutable decree, Acts
ii. 23.

DEVISE; (1.) To contrive, Exod.
xxxi. 4. (2.) To plot something
hurtful, 2 Sam. xxi. 5. DEVICE;

Chron. ii. 14. (2.) Contrivance; pur-
pose, Eccl. ix. 10. (3.) Crafty pro-
jects, Psalm x. 2. The devices of Sa-
tan, are his crafty temptations, where-
by he ensnares and ruins mens souls,
2 Cor. ii. 11. Men are filled with
their own devices, when the execution
and fruit of them tend to their ruin,
Prov. i. 31.

To DEVOTE; (1.) Solemnly to
set apart to the service and honour
of God, Lev. xxvii. 21.
(2.) To set
apart for destruction, Josh. vi. † 17.
Deut. xiii. † 13. See ACCURSED.

DEVOTIONS; religious observan-
ces, Acts xvii. 25. DEVOUT; much
given to religious exercise, whether
lawful or not, Luke n. 25. Acts x. 2.

DETEST; to hate and abhor axiii. 50. and xvii. 4, 17.
person or thing, as abominable, Deut. DEVOUR; (1.) To eat up greedi
vii. 26. Idols are represented as de-ly, Gen. xxxvii. 20. (2.) To spend
testable things, Jer. xvi. 18. Ezek. v. riotously, Luke xv. 30. (3.) Cu-
11. and vii. 20.
ningly to defraud God or men of their
DEVIL; a fallen ANGEL, especi-due, and seize on it for our own use,
ally the chief of them: so called, be- Matth. xxiii. 14. Prov. xx. 25. (4)
cause he is a malicious accuser of God Cruelly to harass men, and spoil
and his people, Rev. xii. 9, 10. Devils them of their spiritual and eternal
were and are worshipped in the idols happiness, 1 Peter v. 8. (5.) To kill
of the Heathens* and Papists, Deut. or destroy, 2 Sam. ii. 26. Satan, the
enemies of a people, or destructive

* Some of the American idolaters have
a notion of two collateral independent be-
ings, one of whom is good, (called by them
the "Great Spirit,") and the other
evil; which last they imagine has the di-
rection and superintendence of this earth,
for which reason they chiefly worship him;
whence those that give us an account of

the religion of these savages, give out,
with some impropriety, that they worship
the devil. The Chaldeans, in like manner,
believed both a good principle and an eil
one; which last they imagined to be
enemy to mankind.

Ency

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »