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odious in it, and it was often given to the first Christians. The fathers frequently mention the Gospel of the Nazarenes, which differs nothing from that of St. Matthew, which was either in Hebrew or Sy

cellency, and perfections peculiar || to himself.-2. Human nature sig nifies the state, properties, and peculiarities of man.-3. Good nature is a disposition to please, and is compounded of kindness, forbearance, forgiveness, and self-riac, for the use of the first condenial.-4. The law of nature is verts, but was afterwards corruptthe will of God relating to hu- ed by the Ebionites. These Naman actions, grounded in the mo-zarenes preserved this first Gospel ral differences of things. Some in its primitive purity. Some of understand it in a more compre- them were still in being in the time hensive sense, as signifying those of St. Jerome, who does not restated orders by which all the proach them with any errors. parts of the material world are go- They were very zealous observers verned in their several motions of the law of Moses, but held the and operations.-5. The light of traditions of the Pharisees in very nature does not consist merely in great contempt. those ideas which heathens have actually attained, but those which are presented to men by the works of creation, and which, by the exertion of reason, they may obtain, if they be desirous of retaining God in their mind. See RELIGION.-6. By the dictates of nature, with regard to right and wrong, we understand those things which appear to the mind to be natural, fit; or reasonable.-7. The state of nature is that in which men have not by mutual engagements, implicit or express, entered into communities.-8. Depraved nature is that corrupt state in which all mankind are born, and which inclines them to evil.

NAZARENES, Christians converted from Judaism, whose chief error consisted in defending the necessity or expediency of the works of the law, and who obstinately adhered to the practice of the Jewish ceremonies. The name of Nazarenes, at first, had nothing

The word Nazarene was given to Jesus Christ and his disciples; and is commonly taken in a sense of derision and contempt in such authors as have written against Christianity.

NAZARITES, those under the ancient law who made a vow of observing a more than ordinary degree of purity, as Samson and John the Baptist. The Nazarites engaged by a vow to abstain from wine and all intoxicating liquors; to let their hair grow without cutting or shaving: not to enter into any house that was polluted, by having a dead corpse in it; nor to be present at any funeral. And if by chance any one should have died in their presence, they began again the whole ceremony of their consecration and Nazariteship.This ceremony generally lasted eight days, sometimes a month, and sometimes their whole lives. When the time of their Nazariteship was accomplished, the priest brought the person to the door of

the ceremonies belonging to it, he contented himself by contributing to the expence of the sacrifice and offerings of those that had made and fulfilled this vow; and by this means he became a partaker in the merit of such Nazariteship. When St. Paul came to Jerusalem, in the year of Christ 58, the apostle St. James the Less, with the other brethren, said to him, (Acts xxi, 23, 24), that, to quiet the minds of the converted Jews who had been informed that he every where preached up the entire abolition of the law of Moses, he ought to

the temple, who there offered to || found that he was not in a condi the Lord a he-lamb for a burnt-tion to make a vow of Nazariteoffering, a she-lamb for an expia-ship, or had not leisure to perform tory sacrifice, and a ram for a peace-offering. They offered likewise loaves and cakes, with wine necessary for the libations. After all this was sacrificed and offered to the Lord, the priest or some other person shaved the head of the Nazarite at the door of the tabernacle, and burnt his hair, throwing it upon the fire of the altar. Then the priest put into the hand of the Nazarite the shoulder of the ram, roasted, with a loaf and a cake, which the Nazarite returning into the hands of the priest, he offered them to the Lord, lifting them up in the pre-join himself to four of the faithful sence of the Nazarite. And from who had a vow of Nazariteship this time he might again drink upon them, and contribute to the wine, his Nazariteship being now charge of the ceremony at the accomplished, Numbers vi. Amos shaving of their heads; by which ii, 11, 12. the new converts would perceive Those that made a vow of Na-that he continued to keep the law, zariteship out of Palestine, and and that what they had heard of could not come to the temple him was not true. when their vow was expired, contented themselves with observing the abstinence required by the law, and, after that, cutting their hair in the place where they were: as to the offerings and sacrifices prescribed by Moses, which were to be offered at the temple by themselves, or by others for them, they deferred this till they could have a convenient opportunity.termined by the causes preceding Hence it was that St. Paul, being at Corinth, and having made a vow of a Nazarite, had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, and put off fulfilling the rest of his vow till he should arrive at Jerusalem, Acts xviii, 18. When a person VOL. II.

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NECESSARIANS, an appellation which may be given to all who maintain that moral agents act from necessity. See next article, and MATERIALISTS.

NECESSITY, whatever is done by a cause or power that is irresistible, in which sense it is opposed to freedom. Man is a necessary agent, if all his actions be so de

each action that not one past action could possibly not have come to pass, or have been otherwise than it hath been, nor one future action can possibly not come to pass, or be otherwise than it shall be. On the other hand, it is assert

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nor praiseworthy, it will follow that God himself is not a moral being, because he is a necessary one; and the obedience of Christ cannot be good, because it was ne

ed, that he is a free agent, if he be || betray Christ, yet he did it volunable at any time, under the causes tarily. Jesus Christ necessarily beand circumstances he then is, to came man, and died, yet he acted do different things; or, in other freely. A good man doth naturally words, if he be not unavoidably and necessarily love his children, determined in every point of time yet voluntarily. It is part of the by the circumstances he is in, and happiness of the blessed to love the causes he is under, to do that God unchangeably, yet freely, for one thing he does, and not possi- it would not be their happiness if bly to do any other thing. Whether done by compulsion. Nor does it, man is a necessary or a free agent, says the Necessarian, render man is a question which has been de- unaccountable, since the Divine bated by writers of the first emi- Being does no injury to his ranence. Hobbes, Collins, Hume, tional faculties; and man, as his Leibnitz, Kaims, Hartley, Priest- creature, is answerable to him; beley, Edwards, Crombie, Toplady, sides, he has a right to do what he and Belsham, have written on the will with his own. That necessity side of necessity; while Clarke, doth not render actions less moKing, Law, Reid, Butler, Price, rally good, is evident; for if neBryant, Wollaston, Horsley, Beat-cessary virtue be neither moral tie, Gregory, and Butterworth, have written against it. To state all their arguments in this place would take up too much room: suffice it to say, that the Anti-necessarians suppose that the doc-cessary. Farther, say they, necestrine of necessity charges God as the author of sin; that it takes away freedom of the will, renders man unaccountable, makes sin to be no evil, and morality or virtue to be no good; precludes the use of means, and is of the most gloomy tendency. The Necessarians deny these to be legitimate consequences, and observe that the Deity acts no more immorally in decreeing vicious actions than in permitting all those irregularities which he could so easily have prevented. The difficulty is the same on each hypothesis. All necessity, say they, doth not take away freedom. The actions of a man may be at one and the same time free and necessary too. It was infallibly certain that Judas would

sity does not preclude the use of means; for means are no less appointed than the end. It was ordained that Christ should be delivered up to death; but he could not have been betrayed without a betrayer, nor crucified without crucifiers. That it is not a gloomy doctrine, they allege, because nothing can be more consolatory than to believe that all things are under the direction of an Allwise Being; that his kingdom ruleth over all, and that he doeth all things well. So far from its being inimical to happiness, they suppose there can be no solid true happiness without the belief of it; that it inspires gratitude, excites confidence, teaches resignation, produces humility, and draws the soul to God. It is

the righteousness of Christ; but in this, that God, abrogating the exaction of perfect legal obedience, reputes or accepts of faith itself, and the imperfect obedience of faith, instead of the perfect obedience of the law, and graciously accounts them worthy of the reward of eternal life."-This opinion was examined at the synod of Dort, and has been canvassed between the Calvinists and Arminians on various occasions.

also observed, that to deny necessity is to deny the foreknowledge of God, and to wrest the sceptre from the hand of the Creator, and to place that capricious and undefinable principle, the self-determining power of man, upon the throne of the universe. Beside, say they, the scripture places the doctrine beyond all doubt, Job xxiii, 13, 14. Job xxxiv, 29. Prov. xvi, 4. Is. xlv, 7. Acts xiii, 48. Eph. i, 11. 1st Thess. iii, 3. Matt. X, 29, 30. Mat. xviii, 7. Luke xxiv, Towards the close of the seven26. John vi, 37. See the works of teenth century a controversy was the above-mentioned writers on agitated amongst the English Disthe subject; and articles MATE- senters, in which the one side, who BIALISTS and PREDESTINATION. were partial to the writings of Dr. NECROLOGY, formed of x- Crisp, were charged with Antinogös, dead, and λoyos, discourse, or mianism, and the other, who faenumeration; a book anciently voured Mr. Baxter, were accused kept in churches and monasteries, of Neonomianism. Dr. Daniel wherein were registered the bene- Williams, who was a principal factors of the same, the time of writer on what was called the Neotheir deaths, and the days of their nomian side, after many things commemoration; as also the had been said, gives the following deaths of the priors, abbots, reli- as a summary of his faith in refergious canons, &c. This was other-ence to those subjects.-"1. God wise called calendar and obituary. has eternally elected a certain deNECROMANCY, the art of finite number of men who he will revealing future events, by con- infallibly save by Christ in that versing with the dead. See DIVI-way prescribed by the Gospel.-2.

NATION.

NEONOMIANS, so called from the Greek 80s, new, and voμos, law; signifying a new law, the condition whereof is imperfect, though sincere and persevering obedience.

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These very elect are not personally justified until they receive Christ, and yield up themselves to him, but they remain condemned whilst unconverted to Christ.-3. By the ministry of the Gospel there is a serious offer of pardon and glory, Neonomianism seems to be an upon the terms of the Gospel, to all essential part of the Arminian sys- that hear it: and God thereby retem. "The new covenant of grace quires them to comply with the which, through the medium of said terms.-4. Ministers ought Christ's death, the Father made to use these and other Gospel bewith men, consists, according to nefits as motives, assuring men that this system, not in our being jus-if they believe they shall be justifitified by faith, as it apprehends led; if they turn to God, they shall

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dom from the curse, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life, to every sincere believer; which promise God will certainly perform, notwithstanding the threatening of the law."

live; if they repent, their sins shall ministers should be so urged. be blotted out; and whilst they ne|| 10. The law of innocence, or moglect these duties, they cannot have ral law, is so in force still, as that a personal interest in these re-every precept thereof constitutes spective benefits.-5. It is by the duty, even to the believer; every power of the Spirit of Christ free- breach thereof is a sin deserving ly exerted, and not by the power of death: this law binds death by of free-will, that the Gospel be- its curse on every unbeliever, and comes effectual for the conversion the righteousness for or by which of any soul to the obedience of we are justified before God, is a faith. 6. When a man believes, righteousness (at least) adequate yet is not that very faith, and much to that law which is Christ's alone less any other work, the matter of righteousness: and this so imthat righteousness for which a puted to the believer as that God sinner is justified; i. e. entitled to deals judicially with him accordpardon, acceptance as righteous, ing thereto.-11. Yet such is the and eternal glory before God; grace of the Gospel, that it proand it is the imputed righteous-miseth in and by Christ a freeness of Christ alone, for which the Gospel gives the believer a right to these and all saving blessings, who in this respect is justified; by Christ's righteousness alone. By both this and the fifth head it appears that all boasting is excluded, and we are saved by free grace.-7. Faith alone receives the Lord Jesus and his righteous-who also uses the term condition, ness, and the subject of this faith that "Christ undertook that those is a convinced, penitent soul; hence who were to be taken into this we are justified by faith alone, and covenant should receive grace enyet the impenitent are not forgiven.abling them to comply with the 8. God has freely promised that all whom he predestinated to salvation shall not only savingly believe, but that he by his power shall preserve them from a total or a final apostacy.-9. Yet the believer, whilst he lives in this world, is to pass the time of his sojourning here with fear, because his warfare is not accomplished, and that it is true, that if he drawrily in a due use of means, and in back, God will have no pleasure a way discountenancing idleness, in him. Which with the like cau- and fit encouragement given to tions God blesseth as means to the the use of means.' ints' perseverance, and these by

Dr. Williams maintains the conditionality of the covenant of grace, but admits with Dr. Owen,

terms of it, fulfil its conditions, and yield the obedience which God required therein."

On this subject Dr. Williams further says, "The question is not whether the first (viz. regenerating) grace, by which we are enabled to perform the condition, be absolutely given. This I affirm, though that be dispensed ordina

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The following objection among

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