CC may serve his purpose. The "fear of God, so far from being "the beginning of wisdom, should "be the beginning of folly. The

"is more the work of education "than of nature. Modesty is only "an invention of refined volup"tuousness. The law which con"demns married people to live

Thus Frederic was called Luc; "tue, is nothing but a barbarous, D'Alembert, Protagoras, and and "desperate, fatal tenet, and consometimes Bertrand; Voltaire,"trary to all legislation. All ideas Raton; and Diderot, Platon, or "of justice and injustice, of vir its anagram Tonpla; while the "tue and vice, of glory and infageneral term for the conspirators"my, are purely arbitrary, and dewas Cacouce. In their secret meet- "pendent on custom. Conscience ings they professed to celebrate" and remorse are nothing but the the mysteries of Mythra; and "foresight of those physical petheir great object, as they profess-"nalties to which crimes expose ed to one another, was to con- "us. The man who is above the found the wretch, meaning Jesus "law can commit, without reChrist. Hence their secret watch-"morse, the dishonest act that word was Ecrasez l'Infame, "Crush Christ." If we look into some of the books expressly written for general circulation, we shall there find the following doc-"command to love one's parents trines; some of them standing alone in all their naked horrors, others surrounded by sophistry and meretricious ornament to entice the mind into their net before it perceives their nature.-"together, becomes barbarous and "The Universal Cause, that God "cruel on the day they cease to "of the philosophers, of the Jews, "love one another."-These ex"and of the Christians, is but at tracts from the secret correspon"chimera and a phantom. The dence and the public writings of “phenomena of nature only prove these men will suffice to shew us "the existence of God to a few the nature and tendency of the "prepossessed men: so far from dreadful system they had formed. 'bespeaking a God, they are but The Philosophists were diligent"the necessary effects of matterly employed in attempting to pro"prodigiously diversified. It is pagate their sentiments. Their "more reasonable to admit, with grand Encyclopædia was convert"Manes, of a twofold God thaned into an engine to serve this pur"of the God of Christianity. We pose. Voltaire proposed to estab"cannot know whether a God lish a colony of Philosophists at "really exists or whether there Cleves, who, protected by the king "is the smallest difference be- of Prussia, might publish their "tween good and evil, or vice and opinions without dread or danger; "virtue. Nothing can be more ab- and Frederic was disposed to take "surd than to believe the soul a them under his protection, till he "spiritual being. The immortality discovered that their opinions "of the soul, so far from stimu-were anarchical as well as impious, "lating man to the practice of vir- when he threw them off, and even

wrote against them. They con- of all the reviews and periodical trived, however, to engage the mi-publications, established a general nisters of the court of France in intercourse by means of hawkers their favour, by pretending to have nothing in view but the enlargement of science, in works which spoke indeed respectfully of revelation, while every discovery which they brought forward was meant to undermine its very foundation. When the throne was to be attacked, and even when barefaced atheism was to be pro. mulgated, a number of impious and licentious pamphlets were dispersed (for some time none knew how) from a secret society formed at the Hotel d'Holbach, at Paris, of which Voltaire was elected honorary and perpetual president. To conceal their real design, which was the diffusion of their infidel sentiments, they called themselves ECONOMISTS. See ECONOMISTS. The books, however, that were issued from this club were calculated to im-in France completely corrupted, pair and overturn religion, mo- and which, no doubt, greatly acrals, and government; and which, celerated those dreadful events indeed, spreading over all Eu- which have since transpired in rope, imperceptibly took posses that country. sion of public opinion. As soon as the sale was sufficient to pay the expences, inferior editions were printed, and given away or sold at a very low price; circulating libraries of them formed, and reading societies instituted. While they constantly denied these productions to the world, they contrived to give them a false celebrity through their confiden-us to contemplate the nature, tial agents and correspondents, who were not themselves always trusted with the entire secret. By degrees they got possession nearly

and pedlars with the distant provinces, and instituted an office to supply all schools with teachers; and thus did they acquire unprecedented dominion over every species of literature, over the minds of all ranks of people, and over the education of youth, without giving any alarm to the world. The lovers of wit and polite literature were caught by Voltaire; the men of science were perverted; and children corrupted in the first rudiments of learning by D'Alembert and Diderot: stronger appetites were fed by the secret club of Baron Holbach; the imaginations of the higher orders were set dangerously afloat by Montesquieu; and the multitude of all ranks was surprised, confounded, and hurried away by Rousseau. Thus was the public mind

PHILOSOPHY properly denotes love, or desire of wisdom (from os and Eope). Pythagoras was the first who devised this name, because he thought no man was wise but God only; and that learned men ought to be considered as lovers of wisdom than really wise. 1. Natural philosophy is that art or science which leads

causes, and effects, of the material works of God.-2. Moral philosophy is the science of manners, the knowledge of our duty and fe

licity. The various articles in- a slip of parchment, wherein was cluded in the latter are explained written some text of holy scripin their places in this work. ture, particularly of the decalogue, PHOTINIANS, a sect of he-which the more devout people

among the Jews wore on the forehead, the breast, or the neck, as a

The primitive Christians also gave the name Phylacteries to the cases wherein they enclosed the relics of their dead. Phylacteries are often mentioned in the New Testament, and appear to have been very common among the Pharisees in our Lord's time.

retics, in the fourth century, who denied the divinity of our Lord. They derive their name from Pho-mark of their religion. tinus their founder, who was bishop of Sermium, and a disciple of Marcellus. Photinus published, in the year 343, his notions respecting the Deity, which were repugnant both to the orthodox and Arian systems. He asserted that Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary; that a certain divine emanation, || in Bohemia in the fifteenth centuwhich he called the Word, descended upon him; and that, because of the union of the Divine Word with his human nature, he was called the Son of God, and even God himself; and that the Holy Ghost was not a person, but merely a celestial virtue proceeding from the Deity.

PHRYGIANS, or CATAPHRYGIANS, a sect in the second century; so called, as being of the country of Phrygia. They were orthodox in every thing setting aside this, that they took Montanus for a prophet, and Priscilla and Maximilla for true prophetesses, to be consulted in every thing relating to religion; as supposing the Holy Spirit had abandoned the church. See MONTA

NISTS.

PHYLACTERY, in the general, was a name given by the ancients to all kinds of charms, spells, or characters, which they wore about them as amulets, to preserve them from dangers or diseases.

Phylactery particularly denoted

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PICARDS, a sect which arose

ry. Picard, the author of this sect, from whom it derived its name, drew after him, as has been generally said, a number of men and women, pretending he would restore them to the primitive state of innocence wherein man was created, and accordingly he assumed the title of New Adam.— With this pretence, he taught, to give themselves up to all impuritv, saying, that therein consisted the liberty of the sons of God; and all those not of their sect were in bondage. He first published his notions in Germany and the Low Countries, and persuaded many people to go naked, and gave them the name of Adamites. After this, he seized on an island in the river Lausnecz, some leagues from Thabor, the head quarters of Zisca, where he fixed himself and his followers. His women were common, but none were allowed to enjoy them without his permission; so that when any man desired a particular woman, he carried her to Picard,

who gave him leave in these words: || the eucharist as downright idolGo, increase, multiply, and fill theaters; that they denied the corearth. At length, however, Zisca, poreal presence of Christ in this general of the Hussites (famous for his victories over the emperor Sigismund), hurt at their abominations, marched against them, made himself master of their island, and put them all to death except two, whom he spared, that he might learn their doctrine.

ordinance; that they condemned the worship of saints, prayers for the dead, auricular confession, the penance imposed by priests, the feasts and vigils observed in the Romish church; and that they confined themselves to the observance of the sabbath, and of the two great feasts of Christmas and Pentecost. From this account it appears that they were no other than the Vaudois that fled from persecution in their own country, and sought refuge in Bohemia. M. De Beausobre has shewn that they were both of the same sect, though under different denominations.Besides, it is certain that the Vaudois were settled in Bohemia in

them adopted the rites of the Greek, and others those of the

Such is the account which various writers, relying on the authorities of Eneas, Sylvius, and Varillas, have given of the Picards. Some, however, doubt whether a sect, of this denomination, chargeable with such wild principles and such licentious conduct, ever existed. It appears probable that the reproachful representations of the writers just mentioned were calumnies invent-the year 1178, where some of ed and propagated in order to disgrace the Picards, merely because they deserted the commu-Latin church. The former were nion and protested against the pretty generally adhered to till errors of the church of Rome. the middle of the fourteenth cenLasitius informs us, that Picard, tury, when the establishment of the together with forty other persons, Latin rites caused great disturbbesides women and children, set-ance. On the commencement of tled in Bohemia, in the year 1418. the national troubles in Bohemia, Balbinus, the Jesuit, in his Epi-on account of the opposition to tome rerum Bohemicarum, lib. ii, the papal power, the Picards more gives a similar account, and char-publicly avowed and defended ges on the Picards none of the ex- their religious opinions: and they travagances or crimes ascribed to formed a considerable body in an them by Sylvius. Schlecta, se- island by the river Launitz, or cretary of Ladislaus, king of Bo- Lausnecz, in the district of Behemia, in his letters to Erasmus, chin, and, recurring to arms, were in which he gives a particular ac- defeated by Zisca. count of the Picards, says, that PIETISTS, a religious sect that they considered the pope, cardi-sprung up among the Protestants nals, and bishops of Rome, as the in Germany in the latter end of true antichrists; and the adorers the seventeenth century. Pietism of the consecrated elements in was set on foot by the pious and VOL. II.

Li

learned Spener, who, by the pri- || have subsided by degrees, had not vate societies he formed at Franc- the contests that arose at Leipsic fort with a design to promote vital in the year 1689 added fuel to religion, roused the lukewarm the flame. Certain pious and from their indifference, and ex-learned professors of philosophy, cited a spirit of vigour and reso- and particularly Franckius, Schalution in those who had been sa- dius, and Paulus Antonius, the tisfied to lament in silence the disciples of Spener, who at that progress of impiety. The remark-time was ecclesiastical superinable effect of these pious meetings || tendant of the court of Saxony, bewas increased by a book he pub-gan to consider with attention the lished under the title of Pious defects that prevailed in the ordiDesires, in which he exhibited anary method of instructing the striking view of the disorders of the church, and proposed the remedies that were proper to heal them. Many persons of good and upright intentions were highly pleased both with the proceedings and writings of Spener; and, indeed, the greatest part of those who had the cause of virtue and practical religion truly at heart applauded the designs of this good man; though an apprehension of abuses retained numbers from encouraging them openly. These abuses actually happened. The remedies proposed by Spener to heal the disorders of the church fell into unskilful hands, were administered without sagacity or prudence, and thus, in many cases, proved to be worse than the disease itself. Hence complaints arose against these institutions of pietism, as if under a striking appearance of sanctity, they led the people into false notions of religion, and fomented, in those who were of a turbulent and violent character, the seeds and principles of mutiny and sedition.

These complaints would have been undoubtedly hushed, and the tumults they occasioned would

candidates for the ministry; and this review persuaded them of the necessity of using their best endeavours to supply what was wanting, and correct what was amiss. For this purpose they undertook to explain in their colleges certain books of Holy Scripture, in order to render these genuine sources of religious knowledge better understood, and to promote a spirit of practical piety and vital religion in the minds of their hearers. The novelty of this method drew attention, and rendered it singularly pleasing to many; accordingly, these lectures were much frequented, and their effects were visible in the lives and conversations of several persons, whom they seemed to | inspire with a deep sense of the importance of religion and virtue. Many things, however, it is said, were done in these Biblical Col leges (as they were called), which, though they might be looked upon by equitable and candid judges as worthy of toleration and || indulgence, were, nevertheless, contrary to custom, and far from being consistent, with prudence. Hence rumours were spread, tu