excommunication.

malecontents left the former, because they were displeased with this connexion, and the laxness of church discipline. Under Jan Jacob, their teacher, they constituted a separate church on the most rigid principles. They were not numerous. During the negotiations of the Flemingians with the Frieslanders, there appeared among the former a Friesland peasant, Uke Wallis, who held the opinion that Judas and the high priests were blessed, because in the murder of Jesus they had executed the designs of God. In 1637, he collected a party of individuals who adopted this opinion, but still remained distinct from the other Anabaptists, on account of their aversion to the excessive strictness of the ancient Flemingians. The Uke Wallists, or Gröningenists, so called because the sect arose in the territory of Gröningen, received the malecontents of the united parties, and therefore called themselves emphatically the ancient Flemingians, or the ancient Frieslanders; but by their adversaries they were denominated the Dompelers, i.e. Dippers, because some of their churches used, in baptism, the three-fold immersion of the whole body. The other Anabaptists, on the contrary, regarded the sprinkling of the head as sufficient. Be

The stricter party punished every individual transgression against morality and church order with excommunication, and carried their severity so far, that near relations, even husbands and wives, were obliged to renounce all connexion with one another, in case of such punishment. The more moderate party resorted to excommunication only in cases of long-continued disobedience to the commands of the Holy Scriptures. Moreover they never inflicted this punishment till after various kinds of warnings and reproofs, (gradus admonitionis,) -and then it did not extend beyond the relation of the individual excommunicated with the church. As neither party would yield, and the strict often excluded the moderate from their communion, the Anabaptists have continued to this day divided into two parties. The moderate party were called Waterlanders, because their earliest congregations lived in the Waterland, on the Pampus, in the north of Holland, and in Franeker. By the strict party they were styled the Gross, and even the dung-carts, as a designation of their inferior purity. This latter party, who consisted of the Frieslanders in and about Emden, Flemish refugees (Flemingians), and Germans, called themselves the Pure (Dieyond Friesland, though not numerous, they Feinen), i. e. the Blessed, the Strict.

Menno did not wholly adopt the excessive rigour of the Pure, nor yet would he abandon the Frieslanders, among whom he taught. Immediately after his death, in 1565, a contest broke out among the Pure, and they divided into three parties. Of these, the Flemingians were more severe and fanatical than the rest, and maintained the utmost severity in regard to excommunication; the Frieslanders did not, indeed, exercise this discipline on whole congregations, nor extend the curse, in the case of individuals, to the destruction of their family relations; the Germans were distinguished from the Frieslanders only by more carefully avoiding all luxury. To the party of these Germans belonged those who were settled in Holstein, Prussia, Dantzic, the Palatinate of the Rhine, Juliers, Alsace, and Switzerland, and the numerous Anabaptists who inhabited Moravia till the thirty years' war. In 1591, they were again united with the Frieslanders by means of the concept of Cologne, so called, or articles of faith, chiefly because their separation was injurious to commerce, in which the Anabaptists soon became much engaged.

With these two sects thus connected, after many attempts towards reconciliation and friendship, the strictest Anabaptists at length joined themselves, and certain articles of faith were adopted by the whole body. But these arrangements were insufficient to check the bitterness with which they persecuted one another. Soon after the union of the Frieslanders with the Germans, a large number of

spread to Lithuania and Dantzic. The Anabaptists in Galicia, a part of the ancient Moravia, who were divided, on account of their dress, into Buttoners, (those who buttoned their clothes,) and Pinners, (those who used wire pins instead of buttons, and wore long beards,) and comprehended about twenty-four families, of the simple country-people, agreed with the Uke Wallists in maintaining the ancient doctrines and strict exercise of excommunication, and were distinguished for purity of morals. The ancient Flemingians, or the strictest sect of Anabaptists, persevere firmly in the ancient doctrines and practices of the sect. They reject the word person, in the doctrine of the Trinity, and explain the purity of the human nature in Christ, according to Menno, by saying that he was created out of nothing by God, in the womb of Mary, although he was nourished by the blood of the mother. They view the baptism of their own party as alone valid, and practise the washing of feet, as an act commanded by Christ, not only towards travellers of their own party, like the Pure, but even in religious assemblies. Like Anabaptists in general, they view as improper, oaths, the discharge of civil offices, and all defence of property, liberty, or life, which requires violence against their fellow men. Hence they were formerly called, without distinction, the unarmed Christians. Only in this particular, and in church discipline, are the ancient Flemingians more strict than the other Anabaptists. Immorality, the bearing of arms, marriage with a person out of their church, extravagance in

The confession of faith of the true Mennonites, composed by Cornelius Riss, one of their teachers, and published in German, at Hamburg, in 1776, corresponds, in almost every point, with the doctrines of the Calvinist church. The Remonstrants have departed the most widely from the faith and

dress or furniture, they punish by excommunication, without gradus admonitionis, and extend their discipline to domestic life. Those of Dantzic excluded persons who had their portraits painted, as a punishment for their vanity. In general they strive to imitate, with the utmost exactness, the simplicity, purity, and government of the earliest apos-order of the ancient Anabaptists. They retolic church, the restoration of which was originally the object of every Anabaptist. They appoint their teachers by a vote of the whole church, forbid them to enjoy any political office, and place but little value on learning. In modern times, it is true, they have gradually remitted their severity, and given up, in particular, the rebaptism of proselytes from other Anabaptist sects; while Christians, who have only been baptized in infancy, are admitted into any sect of the Anabaptists only after rebaptism. The Flemingians, Frieslanders, and Germans, who had united, 1649, and at first belonged also to the Pure, gradually sided with the moderate party, with which they are now reckoned.

A division took place in the general church of the united Waterlanders, Flemingians, Frieslanders, and Germans, in 1664, on account of the favour with which a part of them regarded the doctrines of the Remonstrants. Galenus Abrahamssohn, of Haen, a learned physician and teacher of the Anabaptists, of a gentle disposition, and distinguished talents, was the leader of this new party, which was called, after him, the sect of the Galenists. He maintained that sound doctrine is less decisive of Christian worth than a pious life; and, therefore, church communion should be refused to no virtuous person believing in the Scriptures. But he betrayed, by these opinions, his Socinian views of Christ and the Holy Ghost. Samuel Apostool (also a physician and teacher of the church), and the orthodox party in it, declared themselves opposed to such innovations, and determined to maintain their ancient faith and discipline. Besides the branches of the ancient Flemingians, or the proper Pure, described above, there are now two leading parties of Anabaptists, the Apostoolians, who, from their attachment to the ancient confessions, founded on the doctrines of Menno, are called Mennonites, in a more limited use of that word; and the Galenists, who are likewise styled Remonstrants, and Arminian Baptists, after Arminius, the founder of the Remonstrants.

The Mennonites, as they belong to the moderate party, no longer maintain Menno's doctrine of the creation of Christ in the womb of Mary; they rebaptize no proselyte, and punish none but gross crimes with excommunication, and that not without previous warning. They do not require the churchmembers utterly to avoid the excommunicated. They carefully prohibit oaths, military service, and the holding of civil offices.

ject all symbolical books, and permit the most unrestrained reading: hence they have among them many Socinians. They tolerate, in the bosom of the church, those of a different faith, and receive Christians of all creeds, but only in a few congregations, without rebaptism. They consider the Pure and Mennonites as brethren; seldom exclude members, except from the sacrament, and this not so frequently as the latter parties; permit military service, and the discharge of civil offices, and even an oath of testimony, and prohibit only the oath of promise. They allow of learning, and have erected a seminary at Amsterdam for the education of ministers, to which young men of the Mennonite party are also admitted. In Holland, the Anabaptists obtained toleration under William I., and complete religious liberty in 1626. There are now in that country 131 churches, and 183 teachers of all the parties of Anabaptists, of whom the majority belong to the Remonstrants, about one-third to the Mennonites, and a few small congregations to the Pure. The Anabaptists in Germany, where they are most numerous, on the banks of the Rhine, in East Prussia, Switzerland, Alsace, and Lorraine, consider themselves pure Mennonites. In the religious worship of all, there is but a trifling difference from the forms of the Protestant service; but they more nearly resemble the Calvinists than the Lutherans. The Pure have elders or bishops who administer the sacraments, ministers who preach, and deacons or almoners. All these officers are chosen by the vote of the churches. The Mennonites have ministers or deacons, of whom the former are the proper pastors, and the latter only exhorters or preachers; but both are chosen by the ecclesiastical council or presbytery. The Remonstrants pursue a similar course. In general, the Anabaptists still deserve the praise formerly bestowed upon them, of diligence, industry, order, and purity of morals. Many of them, however, have become so accustomed to the manners of the world, that the peculiarities of this sect have gradually worn away, and the sect itself seems hastening to decay. The Antipædobaptists in England form a distinct sect, without any connexion with the successors of the ancient Anabaptists here described.

ANALOGY OF FAITH, is the proportion that the doctrines of the Gospel bear to each other, or the close connexion between the truths of revealed religion. Rom. xii. 6. This is con

for example, the rest of the sabbath, in the anagogical sense, significs the repose of everlasting happiness.

ANAGOGY, the anagogical interpretation of Scripture just described.

ANATHEMA (Gr.) signifies originally something set apart, separated, devoted, from avarionu, sepono. Among the Jews, things devoted to destruction could not be redeemed at any rate, as might be done in the case of things devoted to the service of God. If the thing devoted had life, it was to be put to death; if it had not, it was to be destroyed by fire, or some other way. We meet with many instances of these anathemas in the Jewish history. All the cities of the Ca

to destruction. Achan fell under the same curse, for having saved some of the plunder of that city, which was to have been destroyed. And Saul would have sacrificed his. own son Jonathan, for ignorantly incurring the curse which he had laid upon those who should eat or drink whilst he was in pursuit of his victory.

It is also, in church history, one kind of excommunication, or cutting off, any person from the communion or privileges of a society.

sidered as a grand rule for understanding the true sense of Scripture. It is evident that the Almighty doth not act without a design in the system of Christianity, any more than he does in the works of nature. Now this design must be uniform; for as in the system of the universe every part is proportioned to the whole, and made subservient to it, so in the system of the Gospel all the various truths, doctrines, declarations, precepts, and promises, must correspond with and tend to the end designed. For instance, supposing the glory of God in the salvation of man by free grace, be the grand design; then whatever doctrine, assertion, or hypothesis, agrees not with this, it is to be considered as false. Great care, however, must be taken, in mak-naanites, particularly Jericho, were devoted ing use of this method, that the inquirer previously understand the whole scheme, and that he harbour not a predilection only for a part; without attention to this, we shall be liable to error. If we come to the Scriptures with any preconceived opinions, and are more desirous to put that sense upon the text which quadrates with our sentiments rather than the truth, it becomes then the analogy of our faith, rather than that of the whole system. This was the source of the error of the Jews, in our Saviour's time. They searched the Scriptures; but, such were their favourite opinions, that they could not, or would not, discover that the sacred volume testified of Christ. And the reason was evident, for their great rule of interpretation was what they might call the analogy of faith, i.e. the system of the Pharisean scribes, the doctrine then in vogue, and in the profound veneration of which they had been educated. Perhaps there are few who have not, more or less, been guilty in this respect. It is, how-to Andronicus and his accomplices; but let ever, of great use to the serious and candid inquirer; for, as some texts may seem to contradict each other, and difficulties present themselves, by keeping the analogy of faith in view, he will the more easily resolve those d.fficulties, and collect the true sense of the sacred oracles. What "the aphorisms of Hippocrates are to a physician, the axioms in geometry to a mathematician, the adjudged cases in law to a counsellor, or the maxims of war to a general, such is the analogy of faith to a Christian." Of the analogy of religion to the constitution and course of nature, we must refer our readers to Bishop Butler's excellent The form of denouncing anathemas against treatise on that subject. See also Dr. Camp-heresies and heretics is very ancient. But, bell's Prelim. Dissert. as zeal about opinions increased, and Christians began to set a greater value on trifles, than on the weightier matters of the law, it grew to be a common practice to add anathemas to every point in which men differed from one another; which arrived at last to such a pitch, that in the council of Trent, a whole body of divinity was put into canons, and an anathema affixed to every one of them. How important an instrument of spiritual

ANAGOGICAL, signifies mysterious, transporting; and is used to express whatever elevates the mind, not only to the knowledge of divine things, but of divine things in the next life. The word is seldom used, but with regard to the different senses of Scripture. The anagogical sense is when the sacred text is explained with regard to eternal life, the point which Christians should have in view;

The anathema differs from simple excommunication, in the circumstance of being attended with execrations and curses. It signifies not only to cut off the living from the church, but the dead from salvation. It was practised, in the ancient church, against notorious offenders. The form of anathema, such as that pronounced by Synesius against one Andronicus, is preserved to us, and is as follows:-" Let no church of God be open

every sacred temple and sanctuary be shut against them. I admonish both private men and magistrates neither to receive them under their roof, nor to their table; and priests more especially, that they neither converse with them living, nor attend their funerals when dead." When any one was anathematized, notice was given of it to the neighbouring churches, and sometimes to the churches all over the world, that all churches might confirm and ratify this act of discipline, by refusing to admit such an one to their communion.

MUNICATION.

power the anathema was in the hands of the in silence. Others suppose that he did this popes in the middle ages, and how little it is because of the proneness of the Gentile regarded in modern times, is matter of his-world, and even the Jews, to idolatry: but a tory. Yet every year the Pope publicly re- better reason has been assigned by others, viz. peats the anathema against all heretics, that this first history was purposely and prinamongst whom Protestants, Lutherans, &c. cipally written for information concerning are specified. See MARANATHA, and EXCOм- the visible world; the invisible, of which we know but in part, being reserved for a better life. Some think that the idea of God's not creating them before this world was made, is very contracted. To suppose, say they, that no creatures whatever, neither angels nor other worlds, had been created previous to the creation of our world, is to suppose that a Being of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, had remained totally inactive from all

ANCHORETS, a sort of monks, so called (áñò rov ávaxúρav) from their retiring from society, and living in private cells in the wilderness. Such were Paul, and Anthony, and Hilarion, the first founders of the monastic life in Egypt and Palestine. Some of them lived in caves, év onηλαιοiç, as Chrysostom tells us the monks of Mount Casius, near Antioch, did; and others in little tents or cells, veternity, and had permitted the infinity of oixiokog. When many of those were placed together in the same wilderness, at some distance from one another, they were all called by one common name, Laura, which, as Evagrius informs us, differed from a Canobium, or community, in this, that a Laura consisted of many cells, divided from each other, where every monk provided for himself; but a Coenobium was but one habitation, where the monks lived in society, and had all things in common. See MONK, CŒNOBITE, and LAURA.

space to continue a perfect vacuum till within these 6000 years; that such an idea only tends to discredit revelation, instead of serving it. On the other hand, it is alleged that they must have been created within the six days; because it is said, that within this space God made heaven and earth, and all things that are therein. It is, however, a needless speculation, and we dare not indulge a spirit of conjecture. It is our happiness to know that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who are heirs of salvation.

ANGEL, a spiritual intelligent substance, the first in rank and dignity among created beings. As to the nature of these beings, we are The word angel (άyyɛXoç) is Greek, and signi- told that they are spirits; but whether pure fies a messenger. The Hebrew word, spirits divested of all matter, or united to from the Arabic and Ethiopic laaka, to send some thin bodies, or corporeal vehicles, has on any errand, to execute a commission, sig- been a controversy of long standing; the nifies the same. Angels, therefore, in the more general opinion is, that they are subproper signification of the word, do not im- stances entirely spiritual, though they can at port the nature of any being, but only the any time assume bodies, and appear in human office to which they are appointed, especially shape. Gen. xviii. and xix. Gen. xxxii. by way of message or intercourse between Matt. xxviii. Luke i. &c. The Scriptures God and his creatures. Hence the word is represent them as endued with extraordinary used differently in various parts of the Scrip- wisdom and power, 2 Sam. xiv. 20. Ps. ciii. ture, and signifies, 1. Human messengers, or 20; holy, and regular in their inclinations; agents for others, 2 Sam. ii. 5. "David sent zealous in their employ, and completely happy messengers (Heb. angels) to Jabesh Gilead." in their minds, Job xxxviii. 7. Heb. i. 7. Prov. xiii. 17. Mark i. 2. James ii. 25.-2. Matt. xviii. 10. Their number seems to be Officers of the churches, whether prophets or great, Ps. lxviii. 17. Heb. xii. 22; and perordinary ministers, Hag. i. 13. Rev. i. 20.- haps they have distinct orders, Col. i. 16, 17. 3. Jesus Christ, Mal. iii. 1. Is. lxiii. 9.-4. 1 Pet. iii. 22. 1 Thess. iv. 16. Dan. x. 13. Some add the dispensations of God's provi- They are delighted with the grand scheme of dence, either beneficial or calamitous. Gen. redemption, and the conversion of sinners to xxiv. 7. Ps. xxxiv. 7. Acts xii. 23. 1 Sam. God. Luke ii. 12. 1 Pet. i. 12. Luke xv. xiv. 14; but I must confess, that, though I 10. They not only worship God, and exedo not at all see the impropriety of consider- cute his commands at large, but are attendant ing the providences of God as his angels or on the saints of God while here below, Ps. messengers for good or for evil, yet the pas-xci. 11, 12. Heb. i. 13. Luke xvi. 22. Some sages generally adduced under this head do conjecture that every good man has his parnot prove to me that the providences of God ticular guardian angel, Matt. xviii. 10. are meant in distinction from created an-xii. 15; but this is easier to be supposed than gels.-5. Created intelligences, both good and to be proved; nor is it a matter of consebad. Heb. i. 14. Jude vi. the subject of the quence to know. "What need we dispute," present article.-As to the time when the an- says Henry, "whether every particular saint gels were created, much has been said by the has a guardian angel, when we are sure he learned. Some wonder that Moses, in his has a guard of angels about him?" They will account of the creation, should pass over this rather the elect in the last day, attend the

Acts