this miserable people proceeded. Their own rulers multiplied their vexations, and debarred them from enjoying any little comforts which were left them by the Roman magistrates. The leaders of the people, and the chief priests, were, according to the account of Josephus, profligate wretches, who had purchased their places by bribes, or by other acts of iniquity; and who maintained their illacquired authority by the most abominable crimes. The inferior priests, and all who possessed any shadow of authority, became dissolute and abandoned to the highest degree. The multitude, excited by these corrupt examples, ran headlong into every kind of iniquity; and, by their endless seditions, robberies, and extortions, armed against themselves both the justice of God and vengeance of man.

About the time of Christ's appearance, many Jews of that age concluded the period pre-determined by God to be then completed, and that the promised Messiah would suddenly appear. Devout persons waited day and night for the consolation of Israel; and the whole nation, groaning under the Roman yoke, and stimulated by the desire of liberty or of vengeance, expected their deliverer with the most anxious impatience.

Nor were these expectations peculiar to the Jews. By their dispersion among so many nations, by their conversation with the learned among the heathen, and by the translations of their inspired writings into Greek, a language almost universal, the principles of their religion were spread all over the East. It became the common belief that a Prince would arise at that time in Judea, who would change the face of the world, and extend his empire from one end of the earth to the other.* The whole body of the Jewish people, especially, looked for a powerful and warlike deliverer, who, they supposed, would free them from the Roman authority. All considered the whole of religion as consisting in the rites appointed by Moses, and were unanimous in excluding the other nations of the world from the hopes of eternal life, and indeed from all the blessings to be derived from their Messiah. The learned among the Hebrew nation were divided into a great variety of sects, and defended their tenets with the greatest zeal and pertinacity. The Samaritans, in particular, were violently opposed to the Jews. An account of their opinions, as well as those of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, &c., will be given under each denomination in the Dictionary.

While the more intelligent part of the Jewish nation was divided into a variety of sects, the multitude was sunk into the most deplorable ignorance of religion, and had no conception of any other method of rendering themselves acceptable to God, than by sacrifices, washings, and other external rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law. Hence proceeded that dissoluteness of manners, which prevailed among the Jews during Christ's ministry on earth. Hence also the divine

*Robertson.-About this period the pagans expected some great king, or glorious person, to be born. Hence Virgil, the Roman poet, who lived at this time, in his fourth Eclogue, describes the blessings of the government of some great person, who was, or should be born about this time, in language agreeable to the Jewish prophet's description of the Messiah.

Saviour compares the people to sheep without a shepherd; and their doctors to men who, though deprived of sight, yet pretended to shew the way to others. In taking a view of the corruptions, both in doctrine and practice, which prevailed among the Jews at this time, we find that the external worship of God was disfigured by many human inventions; and a great variety of rites were introduced into the service of the temple, of which no traces are to be found in the Sacred Writings.

The Jews multiplied so prodigiously, that the narrow bounds of Palestine were no longer sufficient to contain them. They poured, therefore, their overflowing numbers into the neighbouring countries with such rapidity, that at the time of Christ's birth there was scarcely a province in the Roman empire where they were not found carrying on commerce, and exercising other lucrative arts. They were defended in foreign countries against injurious treatment by the special edicts of the magistrates, which were the more necessary, since, in most places, the difference of their religion and manners from those of other nations, exposed them to the hatred and indignation of the ignorant and bigoted multitude. All this appears to have been wisely directed by the hand of an interposing Providence, to the end that this people, which was the sole depository of the true religion, and of the knowledge of ONE Supreme God, being spread abroad through the whole earth, might be every where, by their example, a reproach to idolatry, and contribute, in some measure, to check it; and thus prepare the way for a fuller discovery of divine truth, by the ministry of the Son of God.

OF THE GENTILE PHILOSOPHY.

was

AT the important era of Christ's appearance in the world, two kinds of philosophy prevailed among the civilized nations. One was the philosophy of the Greeks, adopted also by the Romans; and the other that of the Orientals, which had a great number of votaries in Persia, Syria, Chaldea, Egypt, and even among the Jews. The former was distinguished by the simple title of philosophy; the latter honoured by the more pompous appellation of science or knowledge, since those who adhered to the latter sect pretended to be the restorers of the knowledge of God, which was lost in the world. The followers of both these systems, in consequence of vehement disputes and dissensions about several points, subdivided themselves into a variety of sects.

Amongst the Grecian sects there were some who declaimed openly against religion, and denied the immortality of the soul; and others who acknowledged a Deity, and a state of future rewards and punishments. Of the former kind were the Epicureans and Academics, of the latter the Platonists and Stoics; for whose peculiarities we again refer our readers to the Dictionary.

Those who professed to believe the oriental philosophy, were divided into three leading sects, which were sub-divided into others. Some imagined two eternal principles, from whence all things proceeded;

the one presiding over light, the other over matter and darkness; and, by their perpetual conflict, explaining the mixture of good and evil that appears in the universe. Others maintained that the being which presided over matter was not an eternal principle, but a subordinate intelligence; one of those which the Most High God produced from himself. They supposed that this being was moved, by a sudden impulse, to reduce to order the rude mass of matter which lay excluded from the mansions of the Supreme Being, and also to create the human race. A third sect entertained the idea of a triumvirate of beings, in which the Supreme Deity was distinguished both from the material evil principle, and from the creator of this sublunary world. From blending the doctrines of the oriental philosophy with Christianity, the Gnostic sects, which were so numerous in the first centuries, derive their origin. Other denominations arose, which aimed to unite Judaism with Christianity. Many of the pagan philosophers, who were converted to the Christian religion, exerted all their art and ingenuity to accommodate the doctrines of the gospel to their own schemes of philosophy. In each age of the Church new systems were introduced; till, in process of time, we find the Christian world divided into that prodigious variety of sentiment which is exhibited in the following pages.

[To prevent the reader from being overwhelmed with this variety and discordancy of opinions, it may be necessary to apprize him, that neither are so great as they appear to be. Sects were formerly greatly multiplied by bearing different names, and being called after different leaders. When infallibility dwelt at Rome, every shade of opinion, every new mode of expression, constituted a new sect, if not a new heresy. Many denominations also differ only in forms of worship, and in rules of discipline.

Another circumstance, worthy to be remembered, is, that as the Church increased in splendour and authority, it degenerated in purity, and in attachment to the holiness of the gospel. When, therefore, any divine, or society of Christians, remonstrated against the corruptions of the Church, some nick-name was immediately given, to exhibit them to the world as heretical or fanatical. This was particularly the case at the time of the Reformation, when every congregation of dissenters from popery was branded by some odious name, to hold them up to ridicule. Modern writers have endeavoured to ascertain the true sentiments of these sects, and great caution has been employed in the following work to guard against misrepresentation, though, perhaps, not always with complete success.

Some farther observations might be here introduced, but it will probably be better to reserve them for our conclusion.]

A

DICTIONARY

OF

ALL RELIGIONS.

ABR

ABECEDARIANS, a term of reproach applied to some of the early Anabaptists, who used to speak contemptuously of learning in matters of religion; improperly considering divine teaching as superseding the use of means. Such persons may be found in every age, not excepting our own; and it may be very difficult for an ignorant and illiterate person to estimate the value of learning.-[Bell's Wanderings of Hum. Intellect, p. 95, who quotes Stockman's Lex. and Osiander, Cent. 16. 1. 2.]

ABBOT, the head of an Abbey, or religious house; and ABBESS, the head of a Convent of Nuns.-[Broughton's Dict.]

ABELIANS, or ABELITES, Some sectaries mentioned by St. Austin to have existed before his time, in the diocese of Hippo. They paid a superstitious respect to the memory of the first martyr, Abel, whom they consider to have died in celibacy. Some of them, however, did not condemn matrimony, though they renounced its duties, and adopted the children of others to preserve their family and their sect.-[Augustine de Hæres. c. 87. -Bayle's Dictionary.]

ABRAHAMITES, sects of the 8th and 9th centuries, called after their respective leaders. The former, who are said to have adopted the pretended errors of the Paulicians, (which see) were put down by the zeal of the Patriarch Syriacus, in the 9th century. The latter (an order of monks) were suppressed by the Emperor Theophilus, under a charge of idolatrous practices.-[Broughton's Dict.-Robinson's

ditto.]

ABR

The celebrated M. Grégoire mentions a modern sect under this name, which he says was discovered in Bohemia, in 1782, and consisted of many thousands scattered in the villages of that country. They profess the religion of Abraham before his circumcision, (that is, the patriarchal faith,) though some were circumcised, as being Jews by birth; others were Protestants, and some few, perhaps, Catholics. In a sort of catechism, attributed to them, inserted in the Journal of M. Meusel, they profess to believe in God, in the immortality of the soul, and a future state of rewards and punishments: but they deny the divine legation of Moses, and admit no scriptures but the decalogue and Lord's Prayer; they reject baptism, the Trinity, &c. An Abrahamite, being questioned as to the Son of God, said, “Î am the Son of God, whose Spirit resides in me, and by whom I am inspired." It is difficult to make any thing of their inconsistent account. But this confession is strikingly similar to that which Ignatius made before Trajan; and as M. Grégoire acknowledges, they were simple country people, of good moral conduct and wellregulated lives, it is not impossible that they might be some pious descendants of the old Hussites, and more orthodox in heart than in head.

Hitherto they had lived concealed; but were no sooner known than persecuted. The reported liberality of the Emperor Joseph II. probably encouraged them to petition for protection against their enemies. His Majesty went so far as to allow them till the 24th of March, 1783, to