of this illusion, some of them of the priesthood, Lev. xxiii. Exod. aimed at the subversion of all xxii, 29. Chron. xxiii, 19. Numb. human government. In ancient xv, 19, 20. history we read of four great The first fruits of the spirit are monarchies, the Assyrian, Persian, such communications of his grace Grecian, and the Roman; and on earth as fully assure us of the these men, believing that this new full enjoyment of God in heaspiritual kingdom of Christ was ven, Rom. viii, 23. Christ is called to be the fifth, came to bear the the first fruits of them that slept; name by which they were called. for as the first fruits were earnests FILIAL PIETY, is the affec-to the Jews of the succeeding hartionate attachment of children to vest, so Christ is the first fruits of their parents, including in it love, the resurrection, or the earnest of reverence, obedience, and relief. a future resurrection; that as he Justly has it been observed, that rose, so shall believers also rise to these great duties are prompted happiness and life, 1st Cor. xv. 20. equally by nature and by gratitude, First fruits are mentioned in independent of the injunctions of ancient writers as one part of the religion; for where shall we find church revenue. the person who hath received from First fruits, in the church of any one benefits so great, or so England, are the profits of every many, as children from their pa-spiritual benefice for the first year, rents? And it may be truly said, according to the valuation thereof that if persons are undutiful to in the king's book.

their parents, they seldom prove FIVE POINTS, are the five good to any other relation. See doctrines controverted between article CHILDREN. the Arminians and Calvinists. See CALVINISTS.

FILIATION OF THE SON OF GOD. See SON OF GOD. FIRE PHILOSOPHERS. See THEOSOPHISTS.

FLACIANS, the followers of Matthias Flacias Illyricus, who flourished in the sixteenth century. FIRST FRUITS, among the He taught that original sin is the Hebrews, were oblations of part of very substance of human nature; the fruits of the harvest, offered to and that the fall of man was an God as an acknowledgment of event which extinguished in the his sovereign dominion. There human mind every virtuous tenwas another sort of first fruits dency, every noble faculty, and which was paid to God. When left nothing behind it but universal bread was kneaded in a family, a darkness and corruption. portion of it was set apart, and

FLAGELLANTES. See

given to the priest or Levite who WHIPPERS. dwelt in the place.

If there were FLATTERY, a servile and no priest or Levite there, it was fawning behaviour, attended with cast into the oven and consumed servile compliances and obsequiby the fire. These offerings made ousness, in order to gain a pera considerable part of the revenues son's favour.

FOO

FLEMINGIANS, or FLAN-Sermon on this subject in his DRIANS, a sect of rigid Anabap-Works, vol. i, ser. 14. FORBEARANCE, is the act tists, who acquired this name, in the sixteenth century, because of patiently enduring provocation most of them were natives of or offence. The following may Flanders, by way of distinction considered as the most powerful from the Waterlandians. See WA-incentives to the exercise of this disposition: 1. The consideration TERLANDIANS.

be

FOLLY, according to Mr. that we ourselves often stand in Locke, consists in the drawing of need of it from others, Gal. vi, 1. false conclusions from just princi--2. The express command of ples, by which it is distinguished scripture, Eph. iv, 2. Col. iii, 13. from madness, which draws just-3. The felicity of this disposiconclusions from false principles. tion. It is sure to bring happiBut this seems too confined a de-ness at last, while resentment only own misery.-4. finition. Folly, in its most general increases our acceptation, denotes a weakness of That it is one of the strongest eviintellect or apprehension, or some dences we can give of the reality partial absurdity in sentiment or of our religion, John xiii, 35.-5. The beautiful example of Christ, conduct. See EVIL, SIN.

FOOL, one who has not the Heb. xii, 3. 1st Pet. ii, 21 to 23 FORBEARANCE OF GOD. use of reason or judgment. In scripture, wicked persons are often See PATIENCE of God. FOREKNOWLEDGE OF called fools, or foolish, because such act contrary to reason, trust GOD, is his foresight or knowledge to their own hearts, violate the of every thing that is to come to laws of God, and prefer things vile, pass, Acts ii, 23. This foreknowtrifling, and temporal, to such as ledge, says Charnock, was from are important, divine, and eternal. eternity. Seeing he knows things FOOLISH SPEAKING, such possible in his power, and things power and kind of conversation as includes future in his will, if his folly, and can no ways be profitable resolves were from eternity, his and interesting, Eph. v, 4. Face-knowledge must be so too; or else tiousness, indeed, is allowable, we must make him ignorant of his when it ministers to harmless di-own power, and ignorant of his vertisement and delight to con-own will from eternity, and conversation; when it is used for the sequently not from eternity blessed His knowledge of purpose of exposing things which and perfect. are base and vile; when it has possible things must run parallel for its aim the reformation of with his power, and his knowothers; when used by way of de-ledge of future things run parallel fence under unjust reproach. But with his will. If he willed from all such kind of speaking as in-eternity, he knew from eternity cludes profane jesting, loose, wan-what he willed; but that he did ton scurrilous, injurious, unseason-will from eternity we must grant, able, vain-glorious talk, is strictly unless we would render him forbidden. See Barrow's excellent changeable, and conceive him to

H

be made in time of not willing; uncertainty like ourselves?" See willing. The knowledge God hath OMNISCIENCE.

nature.

in time was always one and the FORGIVENESS, the pardon of same, because his understanding any offence committed against us. is his proper essence, as perfect as This is a virtue which our Lord his essence, and of an immutable expressly inculcates, not as extending to our friends only, but to To deny this is, says Saurin, our enemies. "Ye have heard," to degrade the Almighty; for saith he, "Thou shalt love thy what, pray, is a God who created neighbour, and hate thine enemy; beings, and who could not foresee but I say unto you, love your what would result from their exist-enemies," &c. "This," says an inence? A God, who formed spirits genious writer," was a lesson so united to bodies by certain laws, new, and so utterly unknown, till and who did not know how to taught by his doctrines and encombine these laws so as to fore- forced by his example, that the see the effects they would pro-wisest moralist of the wisest naduce? A God forced to suspend tions and ages represented the dehis judgment? A God who every sire of revenge as a mark of a day learns something new, and noble mind; but how much more who doth not know to-day what magnanimous, how much more bewill happen to-morrow? A God neficial to mankind, is forgiveness! who cannot tell whether peace It is more magnanimous, because, will be concluded, or war con-every generous and axalted dispotinue to ravage the world; whe-sition of the human mind is rether religion will be received inquisite to the practice of it; and it a certain kingdom, or whether it is the most beneficial, because it will be banished; whether the right puts an end to an eternal succession heir will succeed to the crown, of injuries and retaliations." Let or whether the crown will be set us, therefore, learn to cherish this on the head of an usurper? For noble disposition; let the bitterest according to the different deter-enemy we have be softened by its minations of the wills of men, of effects; let us consider also how king, or people, the prince will friendly it is to our own happiness, make peace, or declare war; re-and how much it prevents the unligion will be banished or admitted; happiness of others. "The feuds the tyrant or the lawful king will and animosities in families, and beoccupy the throne: for if God tween neighbours, which disturb cannot foresee how the volitions the intercourse of human life, and of men will be determined, he collectively compose half the micannot foresee any of these events.sery of it, have their foundation What is this but to degrade God in the want of a forgiving temper, from his Deity, and to make the and can never cease but by the most perfect of all intelligences exercise of this virtue on one side, a being involved in darkness and or on both." Paley's Mor. Phil.

vol. i, p. 271; Soame Jenyn's Int.||was designed to be the cement of Evid. p. 67, 68; Clarke's Ser. ser. a sacred, generous, and tender 2, vol. x; Tillotson's Ser. vol. viii, friendship.-4. It leaves the mainp. 254. tenance and education of chil

FORGIVENESS OF SINS.dren, as to the father at least, ut

See PARDON, MERCY.

terly unsecured.-5. It strongly tempts the guilty mother to guard herself from infamy by methods of procuring abortion, which not

FORMALIST, one who places too much dependance on outward ceremonies of religion, or who is more tenacious of the form of re-only destroy the child, but often ligion than the power of it. the mother.-6. It disqualifies the

FORMS OF PRAYER. See deluded creatures to be either PRAYER. good wives, or mothers, in any FORNICATION, whoredom, future marriage, ruining that moor the act of incontinency between desty which is the guardian of nupsingle persons; for if either of the tial happiness.-7. It absolutely parties be married, it is adultery. disqualifies the man for the best While the scriptures give no sanc-satisfactions; those of truth, virtion to those austerities which have tue, innocent gratifications, tender been imposed on men under the and generous friendship.-8. It idea of religion, so, on the other often perpetuates a disease which hand, they give no liberty for the may be accounted one of the indulgence of any propensity that sorest maladies of human nature, would either militate against our and the effects of which are said own interest or that of others. It to visit the constitution of even is in vain to argue the innocency distant generations. of fornication from the natural pas- FORTITUDE is a virtue or sions implanted in us, since “mar-quality of the mind generally conriage is honourable in all," and sidered the same with courage; wisely appointed for the prevention though, in a more accurate sense, of those evils which would other- they seem to be distinguishable. wise ensue; and, besides, the exist- Courage resists danger, fortitude ence of any natural propensity in us, supports pain. Courage may is no proof that it is to be gratified be a virtue or vice, according to without any restriction. That forni- the circumstances; fortitude is cation is both unlawful and unrea-always a virtue: we speak of sonable, may be easily inferred, if desperate courage, but not of deswe consider, 1. That our Saviour perate fortitude. A contempt or expressly declares this to be a crime, neglect of dangers may be called Mark vii, 21 to 23.-2. That courage; but fortitude is the virthe scriptures declare that forni- tue of a rational and considerate cators cannot inherit the kingdom mind, and is founded in a sense of of God, 1st Cor. vi, 9. Heb. xii, honour, and regard to duty. 16. Gal. v, 19 to 22.-3. For- Christian fortitude may be denication sinks into a mere brutal fined that state of mind which commerce, a gratification which arises from trust and confidence in

God; enables us to stand collected from whence the Romans took and undisturbed in the time of their fortuna, was a term invented difficulty and danger; and is at long after the times of Hesiod and an equal distance from rashness on Homer, in whose writings it no the one hand, and pusillanimity on where occurs. The philosophical the other. Fortitude takes differ- sense of the word coincides with ent names, according as it acts what is vulgarly called chance. in opposition to different evils; It is difficult to ascertain what it but some of those names are ap- denotes in the minds of those who plied with considerable latitude. now use the word. It has been With respect to danger in general. justly observed, that they who fortitude has been called intre- would substitute the name of propidity; with respect to the dan-vidence in lieu of that of fortune, gers of war, valour; with respect to cannot give any tolerable sense to pain of body, or distress of mind, half the phrases wherein the word patience; with respect to labour, occurs.

activity; with respect to injury, FRAME. This word is used to forbearance; with respect to our denote any state of mind a man condition in general, magnani-may be in; and, in a religious mity. sense, is often connected with the Christian fortitude is necessary word feeling, or used synonymousto vigilance, patience, self-denial, ly with it. See FEELING. and perseverance. The noble cause "If our frames are comfortin which the christian is engaged;able," says one, "we may make the glorious Master whom he them the matter of our praise, serves; the provision that is made but not of our pride; we may for his security; the illustrious make them our pleasure, but not examples set before him; the ap-our portion; we may make them probation of a good conscience; the matter of our encouragement, and the grand prospect he has in but not the ground of our securiview, are all powerful motives to ty. Are our frames dark and unthe exercise of this grace. Watts's comfortable? they should humble Ser. ser. 31; Evans's Ser. ser.us, but not discourage us; they 19, vol. i; Steele's Christian Hero. should quicken us, but not obstruct

FORTUNE, a name which, a-us in our application for necessary mong the ancients, seemed to have and suitable grace; they should denoted a principle of fortuity, make us see our own emptiness, whereby things came to pass with-but not make us suspect the fulout being necessitated thereto;ness of Christ; they should make but what and whence that principle|us see our own unworthiness, but is they do not seem to have ever not make us suspect the willingprecisely thought. It does not ness of Christ; they should make appear that the antiquity of the us see our own weakness, but not word is very high. It is acknow-cause us to suspect the strength of ledged, on all hands, that Tuz", Christ; they should make us susVOL. I. ૨૧