16. form habits of this kind, or choose com- || tables, the rules of their society not al pany who are addicted to it; how cau- || lowing them flesh, except on particular tious and circumspect should we act, occasions, when they hold what they that we be not found guilty of a sin call a love feast: at which time the which degrades human nature, banishes brethren and sisters dine together in a reason, insults God, and exposes us to large apartment, and eat mutton; but the greatest evils! Paley's Mor. Phil- no other meat. In each of their little vol. ii. ch. 2. Flavel's Works, vol. ii. p. cells they have a bench fixed, to serve 349; Buck's Anecdotes, vol. i. p. 82. 5th || the purpose of a bed, and a small block edition; Lamont's Ser., vol. i. ser. 15, of wood for a pillow. The Dunkers allow of no intercourse between the brethren and sisters, not even by marriage. The principal tenets of the Dunkers appear to be these: that future happiness is only to be attained by penance and outward mortification in this life; and that, as Jesus Christ by his meritorious sufferings, became the Redeemer of mankind in general, so each individual of the human race, by a life of abstinence and restraint, may work out his own salvation. Nay, they go so far as to admit of works of supererogation, and declare that a man may do much more than he is in justice or equity obliged to do, and that his superabundant works may therefore be ap DULCINISTS, the followers of Dulcinus, a laymen of Novara in Lombardy, about the beginning of the fourteenth century. He taught that the law of the Father, which had continued till Moses was a law of grace and wisdom; but that the law of the Holy Ghost, which began with himself in 1307, was a law entirely of love, which would last to the end of the world. DUNKERS, a denomination which took its rise in the year 1724. It was founded by a German, who, weary of the world, retired to an agreeable solitude within fifty miles of Philadelphia, for the more free exercise of religious contemplation. Curiosity attracted fol-plied to the salvation of others. This lowers, and his simple and engaging manners made them proselytes. They soon settled a little colony, called Euphrate, in allusion to the Hebrews, who used to sing psalms on the borders of the river Euphrates. This denomination seem to have obtained their name from their baptizing their new converts by plunging. They are also called Tumblers, from the manner in which they performed baptisin, which is by putting the person, while kneeling, head first under water so as to resemble the motion of the body in the action of tumbling. They use the true immersion, with laying on the hands and pray er, even when the person baptized is in the water. denomination deny the eternity of future punishments, and believe that the dead have the Gospel preached to them by our Saviour, and that the souls of the just are employed to preach the Gospel to those who have had no revelation in this life. They suppose the Jewish, sabbath, sabbatical year, and year of jubilee, are typical of certain periods, after the general judgment, in which the souls of those who are not then admitted into happiness are purified from their corruption. If any within those smaller periods are so far humbled as to acknowledge the perfections of God, and to own Christ as their only Saviour, they are received to felicity; while those who continue obstinate are reserved in torments until the grand period typified by the jubilee arrives, in which all shall be made happy in the endless fruition of the Deity. They also deny the imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity. They disclaim violence even in cases of self-defence, and suffer themselves to be defrauded or wronged ra Their habit seems to be peculiar to themselves, consisting of a long tunic, or coat, reaching down to their heels, with a sash or girdle round the waist, and a cap, or hood, hanging from the shoulders, like the dress of the Dominican friars. The men do not shave the head or beard. The men and women have separate habitations and disther than go to law. tinct governments For these purposes they have erected two large wooden buildings, one of which is occupied by the brethren, the other by the sisters of the society; and in each of them there is a banqueting room, and an apartment for public worship; for the brethren and sisters do not meet together, even at their devotions. They live chiefly upon roots and other vege Their church government and discipline are the same with the English Baptists, except that every brother is allowed to speak in the congregation; and their best speaker is usually or dained to be the minister. They have deacons and deaconesses from among their ancient widows and exhorters, who are all licensed to use their gifts statedly. DUTY; any action, or course of actions, which flow from the rela tions we stand in to God or man; that which a man is bound to perform by any natural or legal obligation. The various moral, relative, and spiritual duties, are considered in their places in this work. E EASTER, the day on which the from the Nazarenes, however, in seveChristian church commemorates our ral things, chiefly as to what regards the Saviour's resurrection. It is called by authority of the sacred writings: for the the Greeks Pasga; and by the Latins Nazarenes received all for Scripture Pascha, a Hebrew word signifying pas-contained in the Jewish canon; whereas sage, applied to the Jewish feast at the passover. It is called Easter in English, from the Saxon goddess Eostre, whose festival was held in April. The Asiatic churches kept their Easter upon the very same day that the Jews observed their passover, and others on the first Sunday after the first full moon in the new year. This controversy was determined in the council of Nice, when it was ordained that Easter should be kept upon one and the same day, which should always be Sunday, in all Christian churches in the world. the Ebionites rejected all the prophets, and held the very names of David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, in abhorrence. They also rejected all St. Paul's epistles, who they treated with the utmost disrespect. They received nothing of the Old Testament but the Pentateuch. They agreed with the Nazarenes, in using the Hebrew Gospel of St. Mathew, otherwise called the Gospel of the twelve apostles; but they corrupted their copy in abundance of places; and particularly had left out the genealogy of our Saviour, which was preserved entire in that of the Nazarenes, and even in those used by the Cerinthians. Besides the Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew, the Ebionites had adopted several other books under the titles of St. James, John, and the other apostles; they also made use of the travels of St. Peter, which are supposed to have been written by St. Clement; but had altered them so, that there was scarce any thing of truth left in them. They even made that saint tell a number of falsehoods, the better to authorise their own practices. ECCLESIASTICAL, an appellation given to whatever belongs to the church; thus we say ecclesiastical polity, jurisdiction, history, &c. EBIONITES, ancient heretics, who rose in the church in the very first age thereof, and formed themselves into a sect in the second century, denying the divinity of Jesus Christ. Origen takes them to have been so called from the Hebrew word ebion, which in that language signifies poor; because says, he, they were poor in sense, and wanting understanding. Eusebius, with a view to the same etymology, is of opinion they were thus called, as having poor thoughts of Jesus Christ, taking him for no more than a mere man. It is more probable the Jews gave this appellation to the Christians in general out of con tempt; because, in the first times there 'were few but poor people that embraced the Christian religion. The Ebionites were little else than a branch of the Nazarenes; only that they altered and corrupted, in many things, the pu-church. rity of the faith held among the first adherents to Christianity. For this reason, Origen distinguishes two kinds of Ebionites in his answer to Celsus; the one believed that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin; and the other,that he was born after the manner of other men. The first were orthodox in every thing, except that to the Christian doctrine they joined the ceremonies of the Jewish law, with the Jews, Samaritans, and Nazarenes; together with the traditions of the Pharisees. They differed ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, a narration of the transactions, revolutions, and events, that relate to the As to the utility of church history, Dr. Jortin, who was an acute writer on this subject, shall here speak for us: he observes, 1. That it will show us the amazing progress of Christianity through the Roman empire, through the East and West, although the powers of the world cruelly opposed it.-2. Connected with Jewish and Pagan history, it will show us the total destruction of Jerusalem, the overthrow of the Jewish church and state; and the continuance of that unhappy nation for 1700 years, though dispersed over the genius of the Christian doctrine. One of the principal patrons of this system was Ammonius Saccas, who at this time laid the foundation of that sect, afterwards distinguished by the name of the New Platonics in the Alexandrian school. face of the earth, and oppressed at dif- church towards the close of the second ECSTACY, or EXTACY, a transport of the mind, which suspends the functions of the senses by the intense contemplation of some extraordinary ob For ecclesiastical historians, See Eu-Constantinople, was the author of it. See sebius' Ecclesiastical Hist. with Valesius' EUTYCHIANS notes; Baronii Annales Eccl.; Spondani EDIFICATION; this word signifies Annales Sacri; Parei Universalis Hist. a building up. Hence we call a buildEcc.; Lampe, Dupin, Spanheim, and Mos-ing an edifice. Applied to spiritual heim's Ecclesiastical History; Fuller's, and things, it signifies the improving, adornWarner's Ecclesiastical History of England; ing, and comforting the mind; and a Jortin's Remarks on Ecclesiastical History Christian may be said to be edified when Miller's Propagation of Christianity; Gil he is encouraged and animated in the lies Historical Collections; Dr. Ersk ne's ways and works of the Lord. The Sketches and Robinson's Researches. The means to promote our own edification most recent are, Dr Campbell's Grego-are, prayer, self-examination, reading ry's, Miller's and Dr. Haweis'; all which the Scriptures, hearing the Gospel, mehave their excellencies. See also ditation, attendance on all appointed orBogue and Bennet's History of the Dissen-dinances. To edify others, there should tera. For the history of the church un-be love, spiritual conversation, forbearder the Old Testament, the reader ance, faithfulness, benevolent exertions, may consult Miller's History of the church; and uniformity of conduct. Prideaux and Shuckford's Connexions: Dr. Watts' Scripture History; and Fleury's History of the Israelites. ECLECTICS, a name given to some ancient philosophers, who, without attaching themselves to any particular sect, took what they judged good and solid from each. One Potamon, of Alexandria, who lived under Augustus and Tiberius, and who, weary of doubting of all things, with the Sceptics and Pyrrhonians, was the person who formed this sect. ECLECTICS, or modern Platonics, a sect which rose in the Christian EFFRONTES a sect of heretics, in 1534, who scraped their forehead with a knife till it bled, and then poured oil into the wound. This ceremony served them instead of baptism. They are likewise said to have denied che divinity of the Holy Spirit. EICETÆ, a denomination in the year 680, who affirmed that, in order to make prayer acceptable to God, it should be performed dancing. EJACULATION, a short prayer, in which the mind is directed to God on any imergency. See PRAYER. ELCESAITES, ancient heretics, wh Dr. Guise, on the passage 1 Tim. v. 17. "that the apostle intends only preach ing elders, when he directs double honour to be paid to the elders that rule well, especially those who labour in the word and doctrine; and that the distinction lies not in the order of offi made their appearance in the reign of the emperor Trajan, and took their name from their leader, Elcesai. They kept a mean between the Jews, Christians, and Pagans: they worshipped but one God, observed the Jewish sabbath, circumcision, and the other ceremonies of the law; yet they rejected the Pen-cers but in the degree of their diligence, tateuch and the prophets; nor had they any more respect for the writings of the apostles. ELDER (geburgos,) an overseer, ruler, leader. and visibly separates his people from the world by effectual calling, John xv. 19.-4. That eternal, sovereign, uncon of God, whereby he selected some from among all mankind, and of every nation under heaven, to be redeemed and everlastingly saved by Christ, Eph. i. 4. 2 Thess. ii. 13. See DECREE, and PREDESTINATION. faithfulness, and eminence in laboriously fulfilling their ministerial work; and so the emphasis is to be laid on the word labour in the word and doctrine, which has an especially annexed to it " Elders, or seniors, in ancient Jewish ELECTION. This word has differpolity, were persons the most consi nt meanings 1. It signifies God's derable for age, experience, and wis-taking a whole nation, community, or dom. Of this sort were the 70 men ody of men into external covenant whom Moses associated with himself in with himself by giving them the advanthe government: such likewise after-tage of revelation as the rule of their bewards were those who held the first lief and practice, when other nations rank in the synagogue as presidents are without it, Deut vii. 6.-2 A temElders, in church history, were origi-porary designation of some person or nally those who held the first place in persons to the filling up some particular the assemblies of the primitive Chris- station in the visible church, or office in tians. The word presbyter is often used civil life, John vi. 70. 1 Sam x 24.-3. in the New Testament in this significa. That gracious and almighty act of the tion; hence the first councils of Chris-Divine Spirit, whereby God actually tians were called Presbyteria, or coun cils of elders.-Elders in the Presbyte rian discipline, are officers who, in con junction with the ministers and deacons,ditional, particular, and immutable act compose the kirk sessions, who for merly used to inspect and regulate matters of religion and discipline; but whose principal business now is to take care of the poor's funds. They are chosen from among the people, and are receiv. ed publicly with some degree of cere- ELOQUENCE, Pulpit. "The chief mony. In Scotland there is an indefi-characteristics of the eloquence suited nite number of elders in each parish, to the pulpit are these two,-gravity generally about twelve. See PRESBY- and warmth. The serious nature of the subjects belonging to the pulpit requires gravity; their importance to mankind requires warmth. It is far from being either easy or common to unite these characters of eloquence. The grave, when it is predominant, is apt to run. into a dull, uniform solemnity. The warm, when it wants gravity, borders on the theatrical and light. The union of the two must be studied by all preachers, as of the utmost consequence, both in the composition of their discourses, and in their manner of delivery. Gravity and warmth united form that character of preaching, which the French call onction: the affecting, penetrating, interesting manner flowing from a strong sensibility of heart in the preacher, the importance of those truths which he delivers, and an earnest desire that they may make full impression on the bearts of his hearers." See DECLAMATION, SERMONS. TERIANS. It has long been a matter of dispute, whether there are any such officers as lay elders mentioned in Scripture. On the one side it is observed, that these officers are no where mentioned as being alone or single, but always as b ing many in every congregation. They are also mentioned separately from the brethren. Their office, more than once is described as being distinct from that of preaching not only in Rom xi where he that rul th is expressly distinguished from him that exhorteth or teacheth, but also in that passage, 1 Tim v. 17 On the other side it is said, that from the above-mentioned passages, nothing can be collected with certainty to es tablish this opinion; neither can it be inferred from any other passage that churches should be furnished with such officers, though perhaps prudence, in some circumstances, may make them expedient. "I incline to think," says EMULATION, a generous ardour kindled by the praise-worthy examples of others, which impels us to imitate, to rival, and, if possible, to excel them This passion involves in it esteem of the person whose attainments or conduct we emulate, of the qualities and actions in which we emulate him, and a desire of resemblance, together with a joy springing from the hope of success. The word comes originally from the Greek maz, contest; whence the Latin amulus, and thence our emulation. Plato makes emulation the daughter of envy if so, there is a great difference between the mother and the offspring the one being a virtue and the other a vice. Emulation admires great actions, and strives to imitate them; envy refuses them the praises that are their due; emulation is generous, and only thinks of equalling or surpassing a rival; envy is low, and only seeks to lessen him. It would, therefore, be more proper to suppose emulation the daugh ter of admiration; admiration being a principal ingredient in the composition of it. ENCRATITES, a sect in the second century, who abstained from marriage, wine, and animals. ENDOWMENT, ECCLESIASTI CAL; a term used to denote the settlement of a pension upon a minister, or the building of a church, or the severing a sufficient portion of tithes for a vicar, when the benefice is appropriated. Among the Dissenters, they are benefactions left to their place or congregation, for the support of their minis ters. Where the congregation is poor or small, these have been found beneficial; but in many cases they have been detrimental. Too often has it tended to relax the exertions of the people; and when such a fund has fallen into the hands of an unsuitable minister, it has prevented his removal; when, had he derived no support from the people, necessity would have caused him to depart, and make room for one more worthy. a becoming act of charity to let them have the public prayers of the church, at which they were permitted to be present. ENTHUSIASM. To obtain just definitions of words which are promiscuously used, it must be confessed, is no small difficulty. This word, it seems, is used both in a good and a bad sense. In its best sense it signifies a divine afflatus or inspiration. It is also taken for that noble ardour of mind which leads us to imagine any thing sublime, grand, or surprising In its worst sense it signifies any impression on the fancy, or agitation of the passions, of which a man can give no rational account. It is generally applied to religious characters, and is said to be derived (aro Tayev busiais pavovv) from the wild gestures and speeches of ancient religionists, pretending to more than ordinary and more than true communications with the gods and particularly ev Quotas, in the act or at the time of sacrificing. In this sense, then it signifies that impulse of the mind which leads a man to suppose he has some remarkable intercourse with the Deity, while at the same time it is nothing more than the effects of a heated imagination, or a sanguine constitution. Now That the Divine Being permits his people to enjoy fellowship with him, and that he can work upon the minds of his creatures when and how he pleases, cannot be denied. But, then, what is the criterion by which we are to judge, in order to distinguish it from enthusiasm ? It is necessary there should be some rule, for without it the greatest extravagancies would be committed, the most notorious impostors countenanced, and the most enormous evils ensue this criterion is the word of God; from which we learn, that we are to expect no new revelations, no extraordinary gifts, as in the apostles' time: that what ever opinions, feelings, views, or impressions we may have, if they are inconsistent with reason, if they do not tend to humble us, if they do not in ENERGICI, a denomination in the fluence our temper, regulate our lives, sixteenth century: so called because and make us just, pious, honest, and they held that the eucharist was the uniform, they cannot come from God, energy and virtue of Jesus Christ; not but are evidently the effusions of an enhis body, nor a representation thereof.thusiastic brain. On the other hand, if ENERGUMENS persons supposed to be possessed with the devil, concern ing whom there were many regulations among the primitive Christians. They were denied baptism and the eucharist; at least this was the practice of some churches; and though they were under the care of exorcists, yet it was thought the mind he enlightened, if the will which was perverse be renovated, detached from evil, and inclined to good; if the powers be roused to exertion for the promotion of the divine glory and the good of men; if the natural corruptions of the heart be suppressed; if peace and joy arise from a view of |