this part of a sermon that it will || fect to discharge their office by be seen whether a man under- narrating and reasoning only: but stands his subject, enters into the such should remember that reaspirit of it, or whether, after all soning is persuasion; and that his parade, he be a mere trifler. themselves, as often as any men, I have known some, who, after slide into personal application, having given a pleasing exordium especially in discussing certain faand ingenious plan, have been vourite points in divinity. Apvery deficient in the amplification plication is certainly one of the of the subject; which shews that a most important parts of a serman may be capable of making a mon. Here both the judgment good plan, and not a good ser- and the passions should be powermon, which of the two, perhaps, fully addressed. Here the miis worse than making a good ser-nister must reason, expostulate, mon without a good plan. The invite, warn, and exhort; and all best of men, however, cannot al- without harshness and an insultways enter into the subject with ing air. Here pity, love, faiththat ability which at certain times fulness, concern, must be all disthey are capable of. If in our at- played. The application, howtempts, therefore, to enlarge on ever, must not be too long or unparticulars we find our thoughts natural, nor, I think, concluded do not run freely on any point, we abruptly.-We shall now subjoin should not urge them too much-a few remarks as to syle and dethis will tire and jade the faculties livery. too soon; but pursue our plan. As to style: it should be perspiBetter thoughts may occur after-cuous. Singular terms, hard words, wards, which we may occasionally insert. As to the application. It is much to be lamented that this is a part which does not belong to the sermons of some divines. They can discuss a topic in a general way, shew their abilities, and give pleasing descriptions of virtue and religion; but to apply they think will hurt the feelings of their auditors. But I believe it has been found that, among such, little good has been done; nor is it likely, when the people are never led to suppose that they are the parties interested. There are also some doctrinal preachers who reject application altogether, and who af bombastic expressions, are not at The style should be correct: that a man may preach, and do good, without knowing grammar, is not to be doubted; but certainly it cannot be pleasing to hear a man, who sets himself up as a teacher || they had for the serpent that of others, continually violating all tempted Eve, and the worship paid to a real serpent: they pretended that the serpent was Jesus Christ, and that he taught men the know the rules of grammar, and rendering himself a laughing-stock to the more intelligent part of the congregation; and yet, says one, "Iledge of good and evil. They dis have heard persons, who could scarce utter three sentences without a false construction, make grammatical criticisms not only on the English language, but on Latin, Greek, and Hebrew." Care should always be taken not to use a redundancy of words, and a jingle of sentences and syllables, as they carry more an air of pedantry than of prudence. tinguished between Jesus and Christ. Jesus, they said, was born of the Virgin, but Christ came down from heaven to be united with him: Jesus was crucified, but Christ had left him to return to heaven. They distinguished the God of the Jews, whom they termed Jaldabaoth, from the supreme God: to the former they ascribed the body; to the latter the soul of men. It is said they had a live serpent, which they kept in a kind of cage: at certain times they opened the cage-door, and called the serpent: the animal came out, and, mounting upon the table, twined itself about some loaves of bread. This bread they broke, and distributed it to the company; and this they called their Eucharist. As to the use of figures. "A noble metaphor, when it is placed to an advantage, casts a kind of glory round it, and darts a lustre through a whole sentence." But the present and the past age have abounded with preachers who have murdered and distorted figures in a shameful manner. Keach's metaphors are run beyond all due bounds. Yet I know of no method so useful in preaching as by SERVITES, a religious order figures, when well chosen, when in the church of Rome, founded they are not too mean, nor drawn about the year 1233 by seven Floout into two many parallels. The rentine merchants, who with the scriptures abound with figures. approbation of the bishop of FloOur Lord and the disciples con- rence, renounced the world, and stantly used them; and people un-lived together in a religious comderstand a subject better when re-munity on Mount Senar, two presented by a figure, than by leagues from that city. learned disquisitions. SETHIANS, heretics who paid As to the delivery of sermons, divine worship to Seth, whom we refer to the articles DECLA-they looked upon to be Jesus MATION and ELOQUENCE. See also Christ, the son of God, but who MINISTER and PREACHING. was made by a third divinity, and SERPENTINIANS, or Op-substituted in the room of the two HITES, heretics in the second cen- families of Abel and Cain, which tury, so called from the veneration had been destroyed by the deluge. strength very cheerfully this way: their chief speaker often calls for their attention, when they all stop, and hear some harangue, and then begin dancing again. They assert that their dancing is the token of the great joy and happiness of the Jerusalem state, and denotes the victory over sin. One of their most favourite exertions is turning round very swiftly for an hour or two. This, they say, is to shew the great power of God. Such is the account which different writers have given us of this sect; but others observe, that though, at first, they used these violent gesticulations, now they have "a regular, solemn, uniform dance, or genuflection, to as regular, solemn, a hymn, which is sung by the elders, and as regularly conducted as a proper band of music." See New York Theol. Mag. for Nov. and Dec. 1795. They appeared in Egypt in the second century; and, as they were addicted to all sorts of debauchery, they did not want followers. They continued in Egypt above two hundred years. SEVERITES. See ANGELITES. SHAKERS, a sect which was instituted, about the year 1774, in America. Anna Leese, whom they style the Elect Lady, is the head of this party. They assert that she is the woman spoken of in the 12th of Revelations, and that she speaks seventy-two tongues; and though those tongues are unintelligible to the living, she converses with the dead, who understand her language. They add farther, that she is the mother of all the elect, and that she travels for the whole world;that,in fine, no blessing can descend to any person but only by and through her, and that in the way of her being possessed of their sins by SHAME, a painful sensation their confessing and repenting of occasioned by the quick apprehenthem, one by one, according to sion that reputation and character her direction. They vary in their are in danger, or by the percepexercises: their heavy dancing, as tion that they are lost. It may it is called, is performed by a per- arise, says Dr. Cogan, from the impetual springing from the house-mediate detection, or the fear of floor, about four inches up and detection, in something ignominidown, both in the men's and wo-ous. It may also arise from native men's apartment, moving about diffidence in young and ingenuous with extraordinary transport, sing-minds, when surprised into situing sometimes one at a time, and sometimes more. This elevation affects the nerves, so that they have intervals of shuddering, as if they were in a violent fit of the ague. They sometimes clap their hands, and leap so high as to strike the joists above their heads. They throw off their outside garment in these exercises, and spend their ations where they attract the peculiar attention of their superiors. The glow of shame indictates, in the first instance, that the mind is not totally abandoned; in the last, it manifests a nice sense of honour and delicate feelings, united with inexperience and ignorance of the world. SHASTER, the name of a book in high estimation among the ido-simoniacal patron, nor were eflaters of Hindostan, containing all ficacious enough to repel the nothe dogmas of the religion of the torious practice of the thing, diBramins, and all the ceremonies vers acts of parliament have been of their worship. made to restrain it, by means of civil forfeitures, which the modern prevailing usage with regard spiritual preferments calls aloud to be put in execution. SIBYLLINE ORACLES, prophecies delivered, it is said, by certain women of antiquity, shew-to ing the fates and revolutions of kingdoms. We have a collection of them in eight books. Dr. Jortin observes, that they were composed at different times by different persons: first by Pagans, and then, perhaps, by Jews, and certainly by Christians. They abound with phrases, words, facts, and passages, taken from the LXX, and the New Testament. They are, says the Doctor, a remarkable specimen of astonishing impudence and miserable poetry, and seem to have been, from first to last, and without any one exception, mere impostures. SIN, the transgression of the law, or want of conformity to the will of God. 1st John iii, 4. 1. Original sin is that whereby our whole nature is corrupted, and rendered contrary to the law of God; or, according to the 9th article of the church of England, "it is that whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is, of his own nature, inclined to evil.” This is sometimes called indwelling sin, Rom. vii. The imputation of the sin of Adam to his posterity is also what divines generally call, with some latitude of expression, original sin.-2. Actual sin is a di generally applied to those who are capable of committing moral evil; as opposed to idiots, or children, who have not the right use of their powers.-3. Sins of omission con SIMONY, is the corrupt presentation of any one to an ecclesi-rect violation of God's law, and astical benefice, for money, gift, or reward. It is so called from the resemblance it is said to bear to the sin of Simon Magus, though the purchasing of holy orders seems to approach nearer to this offence.sist in the leaving those things unIt was by the canon law a very done which ought to be done.-4. grievous crime; and is so much Sins of commission are those which the more odious, because, as Sir are committed against affirmative Edward Coke observes, it is ever precepts, or doing what should not accompanied with perjury; for the be done.-5. Sins of infirmity are presentee is sworn to have com- those which arise from the infirmitted no simony. However, it mity of the flesh, ignorance, surwas not an offence punishable in a prise, snares of the world, &c. See criminal way at the common law, INFIRMITY.-6. Secret sins are it being thought sufficient to leave those committed in secret, or those the clerk to ecclesiastical censures. which we, through blindness or But as these did not affect the prejudice, do not see the evil of, Psalm xix, 12-7. Presumptuous lasting life." See ATONEMENT, sins are those which are done REDEMPTION; and Edwards, Wesley, and Taylor, on Original Sin; Gill's Body of Div., Article Sin; King's and Fenyns's Origin of Evil; Burroughs's exceeding Sinfulness of Sin; Dr. Owen on Indwelling Sin; Dr.Wright's Deceitfulness of Sin; Fletcher's Appeal to Matter of Fact; Williams's Answer to Belsham; Watts's Ruin and Recovery; Howe's Living Temple, p. 2, c. 4; 7. P. Smith's Sermon on the Permission of Evil. SINCERITY,freedom from hy boldly, and against light and conviction. [See PRESUMPTION.] 8. Unpardonable sin is the denial of the truths of the Gospel, with an open and malicious rejection of it. The reason why this sin is never forgiven is not because of any want of sufficiency in the blood of Christ nor in the pardoning mercy of God, but because such as commit it never repent of it, but continue obstinate and malignant until death. The corruption of human na-pocrisy or dissimulation. The Lature is universal as to the subjects of it, Rom. iii, 23. Is. liii, 6.-2. General, as to all the powers of man, Is. i, 6.-3. Awful, filling the mind with constant rebellion against God and his law.-4. Hateful to God, Job xv, 16; and, -5. Punishable by him, 1st Sam. ii, 9, 10. Rom. ii, 9. Why the Almighty permitted it, when his power could have prevented it, and how it is conveyed from parents to their children, form some of those deep things of God, of which we can know but little in the present state; only this we are assured of, that he is a God of truth, and that whatever he does, or permits, will ultimately tend to promote his glory. While we contemplate, therefore, the nature, the evil, the guilt, the consequence of sin, it is our happiness to reflect that he who permitted it hath provided a remedy for it; and that he "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everVOL. II. 3 K tin word sincerus,from whence our English word sincere is derived, is composed of sine and cera, and signifies without wax, as pure honey, which is not mixed with any wax; thus denoting that sincerity is a pure and upright principle. The Greek word engiveta, translated sincerity (2d Cor. i.12), signifies properly a judgment made of things by the light and splendor of the sun; as, in traffic, men hold up goods they are buying to the light of the sun, to see if they can discover any defect in them. Thus, those who are truly sincere can bear the test of light, and are not afraid of having their principles and practices examined by it. This word, however, like many others, is abused, and often becomes a subterfuge for the ungodly and the indolent, who think that their practice is nothing; but that sincerity, or a good heart, as they call it, is all in all. But such deceive themselves, for a tree is known by its fruits; and true godly sincerity will evidence itself |