Pike and Hayward's Cases of Conscience; Watts' Use and Abuse of the Passions; MLaurin's Essays, sec. 5 and 6, where this subject is masterly handled. Jeremy Taylor's Works, vol. ii. pp. 114, 164. AFFINITY, SPIRITUAL, in the church of Rome,-a relation contracted by the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, according to which a godfather may not marry his god-daughter without a dispensation. AFFIRMATION, the solemn declaration of Quakers, and the members of some other sects, in confirmation of their testimony in courts of law, or of their statements on other occasions, on which the sanction of an oath is required of other persons. The English laws did not permit affirmations instead of oaths, in criminal cases, until 1828. In the United States, no difference has been made between civil and criminal cases in this respect, it being permitted both to Quakers and other scrupulous persons to give testimony on mere solemn affirmation. The same privilege is extended in Prussia to certain sects whose principles do not allow them to make oath. AGAPE, or LOVE FEASTS, (from ayarn, “love,") feasts of charity among the ancient Christians, when liberal contributions were made by the rich to the poor. It has been supposed by many that the custom is sanctioned by 1 Cor. xi. 20, 21; but the following verse clearly shows that the apostle reprobates the idea of the Corinthian Christians eating any other social meal in public but that of the Lord's Supper. St. Chrysostom gives the following account of this feast, which he derives from the apostolic practice. He says, "The first Christians had all things in common, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles; but when that equality of possessions ceased, as it did even in the apostles' time, the Agape or love feast was substituted in the room of it. Upon certain days, after partaking of the Lord's Supper, they met at a common feast, the rich bringing provi sions, and the poor, who had nothing, being invited." It was always attended with receiving the holy sacrament; but there is some difference between the ancient and modern interpreters as to the circumstance of time,-viz., whether this feast was held before or after the communion. St. Chrysostom is of the latter opinion; the learned Dr. Cave of the former. These love feasts, during the first three centuries, were held in the church without scandal or offence; but in after-times the heathens began to tax them with impurity. This gave occasion to a reformation of these Agapes. The kiss of charity, with which the ceremony used to end, was no longer given between different sexes; and it was expressly forbidden to have any beds or couches for the conveniency of those who should be disposed to eat more at their ease. Notwithstanding these precautions, the abuses committed in them became so notorious, that the holding them (in churches at least) was solemnly condemned at the council of Carthage in the year 397. Attempts have been made, of late years, to revive these feasts, but in a different manner from the primitive custom, and, perhaps, with little edification. They are, however, not very general. AGAPETÆ, a name given to certain virgins and widows who, in the ancient church, associated themselves with, and attended on, ecclesiastics, out of a motive of piety and charity.-See DEACON ESSES. AGEDA, SYNOD OF, an assembly of Jewish doctors, held A.D. 1650, and so denominated from a plain on which they met, about thirty leagues from Buda, in Hungary. More than 300 Rabbins, and many other Jews, of different nations, attended. The object was to debate the question---Whether the Messiah had appeared. The negative of the question was carried, and it was agreed that his coming was delayed on account of their sins and impenitence. They were of opinion that he would be born of a virgin, come as a great conqueror, deliver the Jews from every foreign yoke, and alter nothing in the Mosaic religion. Some ecclesiastics from Rome attended this meeting, but the Jews would not hear them. AGENDA, among divines and philosophers, signifies the duties which a man lies under an obligation to perform: thus we meet with the agenda of a Christian, or the duties he ought to perform, in opposition to the credenda, or things he is to believe. It is also applied to the service or office of the church, and to church books compiled by public authority, prescribing the order to be observed, and amounts to the same as ritual, formulary, directory, missal, &c. AGENT, that which acts: opposed to patient, or that which is acted upon. AGENTS, MORAL.-See MORAL AGENT. AGNOËTÆ, (from ayo, "to be ignorant of,") a sect, the followers of Meophronius, of Cappadocia, which appeared about 370. They called in question the omniscience of God, alleging that he knew things past only by memory, and things future only by an uncertain prescience. There arose another sect of the same name in the sixth century, who followed Themistius, deacon of Alexandria. They maintained that Christ was ignorant of certain things, and particularly of the time of the day of judgment. It is supposed they built their hypothesis on that passage in Mark xiii. 32, "Of that day and that hour knoweth no man; no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." The meaning of which most probably is, that this was not known to the Messiah himself in his human nature, or by virtue of his unction, as any part of the mysteries he was to reveal; for, considering him as God, he could not be ignorant of anything. AGNUS DEI, in the Church of Rome, a cake of wax, stamped with the figure of a lamb supporting the banner of the cross, with the year and name of the pope. The name literally signifies "Lamb of God." These cakes, being consecrated by the pope with great solemnity, and distributed among the people, are supposed to have great virtues. They cover them with a piece of stuff, cut in the form of a heart, and carry them very devoutly in their processions. The Romish priests and religious derive considerable pecuniary advantage from selling them to some, and presenting them to others. Agnus Dei is also used as a prayer in the Romish Liturgy, which begins with the words, and is generally sung before the communion. According to the regulation of Pope Sergius I., in 688, it was also sung at the close of the in the seventh century, who prayed always standing, as thinking it unlawful to kneel. AGRICOLA, JOHN, the son of a tailor at Eisleben, was born in 1492. He was one of the most active among the theologians who propagated the doctrines of Luther. He studied at Wittemberg and Leipsic, was afterwards rector and preacher in his native city, and, in 1526, chaplain to the Elector John of Saxony. He subsequently was made chaplain to Count Albert of Mansfeldt, and took a part in the delivery of the Augsburg Confession, and the signing of the articles of Smalcald. When professor at Wittemberg, whither he went in 1537, he stirred up the Antinomian Controversy with Luther and Melancthon. After a life of disputation, he died at Berlin, in 1566. Besides his theological works, he published one, the object of which was to explain the common German proverbs. Its patriotic spirit, strict morality, and pithy style, place it among the first prose German compositions of the time, at the side of Luther's translation of the Bible. In conjunction with Julius Pflug and Michael Heldingus, he composed the famous INTERIM, which see. AGYNIANI, a sect which appeared before 694. They condemned all use of flesh and marriage as not instituted by God, but introduced at the instigation of the devil. AHRIMAN, according to the system of the ancient magi, one of the two original principles, the cause of all evil, whose symbol was darkness, and whose influence was experienced in all the ills of life. AINSWORTH, HENRY, a celebrated nonconformist divine of the 16th and 17th centuries, but both the time and place of his birth are unknown. In the year 1590, he greatly distin guished himself among the sect called Brownists; and in early life gained very great reputation by his knowledge of the learned languages, and particularly of Hebrew. The Brownists having fallen into great discredit in England, Ainsworth was involved in their difficulties and troubles; and at length he was compelled to quit his native land, and retire into Holland. In conjunction with Johnson, he erected a church at Amsterdam, and published a Confession of Faith of the Brownists, in the year 1602, which caused much contention, AIN and a division between him and Mr. Johnson was the result; the latter removing to Embden with half the congregation, and Ainsworth remaining at Amsterdam; but Johnson soon after died, and his congregation was dissolved. Ainsworth also left his people for a short time, and went to Ireland, but returned to Amsterdam, and continued there till the time of his death. Nothing could persuade him, however, to return home; and he died, as he lived, in exile. This circumstance was at that time very prejudicial the Protestant cause in general, and especially to the puritans; and it has ever been a matter of regret, that this great and able man was prevented from the public exercise of his ministry in his native country. Very few authors are more quoted than Ainsworth by the literati of all countries; and not only at a considerable distance of time, but by all sects and parties. To his works the celebrated Bishop Hall paid much attention. a man of profound Ainsworth was learning, well versed in the scriptures, and deeply read in the works of the Rabbins. He published several treatises, many of which excited great interest, particularly that entitled "A counter Poison against Bernard and Crashaw." Ainsworth is, however, most celebrated for his "Annotations on several Books of the Bible." These were printed at various times and in different sizes. In those on the Five Books of Moses, Psalms, and the Canticles, the Hebrew words are compared with and explained by the ancient Greek and Chaldee versions, and other records and monuments of the Hebrews. Mr. Ainsworth's death was sudden; and suspicion of his having been poisoned was raised by his having found a diamond of great value, belonging to a Jew, and his refusing to return it to him till he had conferred with some of his Rabbins on the prophecies of the Old Testament, relating to the Messiah, which was promised; but the Jew not having sufficient interest to obtain one, it is thought he was the instrument of his death. Mr. Ainsworth was a great, a pious, and a learned man; and his name will be justly handed down to posterity, as worthy not only of praise, but imitation. In addition to the works referred to in this life, he was the author of "A Treatise on the Communion of Saints;" "A Treatise on the Fellowship that the 27 Faithful have with God, his Angels, and ALASCANI, a sect of anti-Lutherans ALBANENSES, a denomination which commenced about the year 796. They held, with the Gnostics and Manicheans, two principles, the one of good, and the other of evil. They denied the divinity and even the humanity of Jesus Christ; asserting that he was not truly man, did not suffer on the cross, die, rise again, nor really ascend into heaven. They rejected the doctrine of the resurrection, affirmed that the general judg ment was past, and that hell torments were no other than the evils we feel and suffer in this life. They denied free will, did not admit original sin, and never administered baptism to infants. They held that a man can give the Holy Spirit of himself, and that it is unlawful for a Christian to take an oath. This denomination derived their name from the place where their spiritual ruler resided. See MANICHEANS and CATHARIST. ALBIGENSES, a party of reformers about Toulouse and the Albigeois, in Languedoc, who sprung up in the twelfth century, and distinguished themselves by their opposition to the Church of Rome. They were charged with many errors by the monks of those days; but from these charges they are generally acquitted by the Protestants, who consider them only as the inventions of the The Albigenses grew so forRomish Church to blacken their character. midable, that the Catholics agreed upon a holy league or crusade against them. Pope Innocent III., desirous to put a stop to their progress, stirred up the great men of the kingdom to make war upon them. After suffering from their persecutors, they dwindled by little and little, till the time of the Reformation; when such of them as were left, fell in with the Vaudois, and conformed to the doctrine of Zuinglius, and the disciples of Geneva. The Albigenses have been frequently confounded with the Waldenses, from whom it is said they differ in many respects, both as being prior to them in point of time, as having their origin in a different country, and as being charged with divers heresies, particularly Manicheism, from which the Waldenses were exempt. See WAL DENSES. ALEXANDRIAN MANUSCRIPT, a famous copy of the Scriptures, in four volumes quarto. It is written in uncial or capital letters, without breathings or accents. It contains the whole Bible in Greek, including the Old and New Testament, with the Apocrypha, and some smaller pieces, but not quite complete. It is of the greatest importance to biblical criticism, and is at present preserved in the British Museum. It was sent as a present to King Charles I. from Cyrillus Lucaris, patriarch of Constantinople, by Sir Thomas Rowe, ambassador from England to the Grand Seignior, about the year 1628. Cyrillus brought it with him from Alexandria, where probably it was written. In a schedule annexed to it he gives this account:-That it was written, as tradition informed them, by Thecla, a noble Egyptian lady, about 1300 years ago, not long after the Council of Nice. But this high antiquity, and the authority of the tradition to which the patriarch refers, have been disputed; nor are the most accurate biblical writers agreed about its age. Grabe, who follows it in his edition of the Old Testament, thinks that it might have been written before the end of the fourth century; others are of opinion that it was not written till near the end of the fifth century, or somewhat later. Dr. Woide published the New Testament from this copy with fac-simile types. This edition is so perfect a resemblance of the original, that it may supply its place. The Old Testament has been published in a similar style by the Rev. Mr. Baber. ALEXANDRIAN VERSION. See ancient BIBLE VERSIONS, No. 9. ALLAH, the name of God in Arabic, and adopted into most other languages spoken by Mahommedans. It signifies "the Adorable," from the verb alaha, "to venerate, adore." From the same root the Hebrew forms Eloah and Elohim are derived. ALLEGORY, a mode of speech under which something is understood different from what is expressed. It differs from metaphor, in that it is not confined to a word, but extends to a whole thought, or, it may be, to several thoughts. Allegory may be expressed by pictures, Ezek. iv. 1; actions, Ezek. iii. iv. v., Luke xxii. 36, or by any significant thing. In interpreting allegories, their general design is to be ascertained, and then the primary word or words are to be sought for, and their force expressed by a word or words that are not figurative, and explained accordingly. It must never be forgotten, that the comparison is not to be extended to all the circumstances of the allegory. Thus, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the point to be illustrated is the extent of the duty of benevolence. Most of the circumstances in the parable merely go to make up the verisimilitude of the narration, so that it may give pleasure to him who reads or hears it. But how differently does the whole appear when interpreted by an allegorizer of the mystic school! According to him, the man going from Jerusalem to Jericho, is Adam wandering in the wilderness of this world; the thieves are evil spirits; the priest is the law of Moses; the Levite is good works; the good Samaritan is Christ; the twopence the price of atonement; the oil and wine, grace, &c. What may not a parable be made to mean, if imagination is to supply the place of reasoning and philology! And what riddle or oracle of Delphos could be more equivocal, or of more multifarious significancy than the Bible, if such exegesis be admissible? It is a miserable excuse which some interpreters make, that they render the Scriptures more edifying and significant by interpreting them in this manner. Are the Scriptures, then, to be made more significant than God has made them? or to be amended by the skill of the interpreter, so as to become more edifying than the Holy Spirit has made them? If there be a semblance of piety in such interpretations, a semblance is all. Real piety and humility appear to the best advantage in receiving the Scriptures as they are, and expounding them as simply and skilfully as the rules of language will permit, rather than by attempting to amend and improve the revelation which God has given. Stuart's Ernesti. but ALLENITES, the followers of Henry Allen, a man of natural good sense, of a warm imagination, who, about the year 1774, journeyed through most parts of the province of Nova Scotia, and, by his popular talents, made many conver's He also published several treatises and sermons, in which he maintains, that the souls of all the human race are emanations, or rather parts, of the one Great Spirit; but that originally they had individually the powers of moral agents; that they were all present with our first parents in the Garden of Eden, and were actually in the first transgression. He supposes that our first parents in innocency were pure spirits, without material bodies; that the material world was not then made; but, in consequence of the fall, mankind being cut off from God, that they might not sink into immediate destruction, the world was produced, and they were clothed with hard bodies; and that all the human race will in their turns, by natural generation, be invested with such bodies, and in them enjoy a state of probation for happiness of immortal duration. He maintains, that the body of our Saviour was never raised from the grave, and that none of the bodies of men ever will be; but when the original number of souls have had their course on earth, they will all receive their reward or punishment in their original unembodied state. He held baptism, the Lord's supper, and ordination, to be matters of indifference. These are his most distinguishing tenets, which he and his party endeavour to support, by alleging that the Scriptures are not to be understood in their literal sense, but have a spiritual meaning. He had such influence over his followers, that some of them pretend to remember their being in the Garden of Eden. Of the moment of their conversion they are so well assured, that some of them are said even to calculate the age of their cattle by it. Allen died in 1783, after which his party greatly declined.-H. Adams Alphabet. Compend. ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF GOD, is that power or attribute of his nature whereby he is able to communicate as much blessedness to his creatures as he is pleased to make them capable of receiving. As his self-sufficiency is that whereby he has enough in himself to denominate him completely blessed, as a God of infinite perfection; so his allsufficiency is that by which he hath enough in himself to satisfy the most enlarged desires of his creatures, and to make them completely blessed. We practically deny this perfection, when we are discontented with our present condition, and desire more than God has allotted for us. Gen. iii. 5. Prov. xix. 3. 2. When we seek blessings of what kind soever, in an indirect way, as though God were not able to bestow them upon us in his own way, or in the use of lawful means. Gen. xxvii. 35. 3. When we use unlawful means to escape imminent dangers. 1 Sam. xxi. 13. Gen. xx. and xxvi. 4. When we distrust his providence, though we have had large experience of his appearing for us in various instances. 1 Sam. xxvii. 1 Ps. lxviii. 19. 2 Chron. xvi. 2. Chron. xiv. 9, 31. Josh. vii. 7, 9. 5. When we doubt of the truth or certain accomplishment of the promises. Gen. xviii. 12. Ps. lxxvii. 74. Is. xlix. 14. 6. When we decline great services, though called to them by God, under a pretence of our unfitness for them. Jer. i. 6, 8. The consideration of this doctrine should lead us-1. To seek happiness in God alone, and not in human things. Jer. ii. 13. 2. To commit all our wants and trials to him. 1 Sam. xxx. 6. Heb. xi. 19. 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. 3. To be courageous in the midst of danger and opposition. Ps. xxvii. 1. 4. To be satisfied with his dispensations. Rom. viii. 28. 5. To persevere in the path of duty however difficult. Gen. xvii. 1. Ridg ley's Body of Div. ques. 17; Saurin's Ser. ser. 5. vol. i.; Barrow's Works, vol. ii. ser. 11. ALL-SAINTS, FEAST OF.-After the persecutions against the Christians had ceased, in the fourth century, the Sunday after Whitsuntide was appointed to commemorate the martyrs. Chrysostom's 74th Homily was delivered on such an occasion, and shows how far they were from being objects of adoration in his day. This feast was introduced into the Western Church in 610, by Boniface IV. The Emperor Phocas had presented the Pantheon at Rome to this pope, who made a church of it, and dedicated it as such, March the 4th, to the honour of the Virgin and all the martyrs. This church still exists under the name of Rotunda. Greg. IV. in 835, appointed Nov. 1 for the celebration of this feast, and consecrated it to all the saints and angels. In order that it might be generally celebrated, he solicited the Emperor Louis le Debonnaire to confirm it. About 870 it was introduced into England. ALL-SOULS.-A feast celebrated on the 2d of November, in commemoration |