and punished at pleasure. They consecrated golden knife, or prunworshipped the Supreme Beinging hook, cropped the misletoe, under the name of Esus, or Hesus, which he received in his robe, and the symbol of the oak; and amidst the rapturous exclamations had no other temple than a wood of the people. Having secured or a grove, where all their reli-this sacred plant, he descended the gious rites were performed. Nortree; the bulls were sacrificed; was any person permitted to en-and the Deity invoked to bless his ter that sacred recess unless he own gift, and render it efficacious carried with him a chain in in those distempers in which it token of his absolute depend-should be administered. ence on the Deity. Indeed, their DRUNKENNESS, intoxicawhole religion originally consist-tion with strong liquor. It is eied in acknowledging that the ther actual or habitual; just as it Supreme Being, who made his is one thing to be drunk, and anabode in these sacred groves, other to be a drunkard. The evil governed the universe; and that of drunkenness appears in the folevery creature ought to obey his lowing bad effects: 1. It betrays laws, and pay him divine homage.most constitutions either to extraThey considered the oak as the vagance of anger, or sins of lewdemblem, or rather the peculiar ness.-2. It disqualifies men for residence, of the Almighty; and the duties of their station, both accordingly chaplets of it were by the temporary disorder of their worn, both by the druids and faculties, and at length by a conpeople, in their religious cere-stant incapacity and stupefaction. monies: the altars were strewed -3. It is attended with expence, with its leaves, and encircled which can often be ill spared.with its branches. The fruit of 4. It is sure to occasion uneasiness it, especially the misletoe, was to the family of the drunkard.thought to contain a divine virtue, 5. It shortens life.-6. It is a and to be the peculiar gift of hea-most pernicious awful example to ven. It was, therefore, sought others.-7. It is hardly ever curfor on the sixth day of the mooned.-8. It is a violation of God's with the greatest earnestness and word, Prov. xx, 1. Eph. v, 18. anxiety; and when found, was Isa. v, 11. Rom. xiii, 13. "The hailed with such raptures of joy, appetite for intoxicating liquors as almost exceeds imagination to appears to me," says Paley, "to conceive. As soon as the druids be almost always acquired. One were informed of the fortunate dis-proof of which is, that it is apt to covery, they prepared every thing return only at particular times. ready for the sacrifice under the oak, and places; as after dinner, in to which they fastened two white the evening, on the market-day, bulls by the horns,; then the arch-in such a company, at such a tadruid, attended by a prodigious vern." How careful, then, should number of people, ascended the we be, lest we form habits of this tree, dressed in white; and, with a kind, or choose company who

are addicted to it; how cautious bling. They use the triune imand circumspect should we act, mersion, with laying on the hands that we be not found guilty of a and prayer, even when the person sin which degrades human nature, baptized is in the water. banishes reason, insults God, and exposes us to the greatest evils! Paley's Mor. Phil. vol. ii, ch. 2; Flavel's Works, vol. ii, p. 349; Buck's Anecdotes, vol. i, p. 82, 3d edition.

Their habit seems to be peculiar to themselves, consisting of a long tunic, or coat, reaching down to their heels, with a sash or girdle round the waist, and à cap, or hood, hanging from the shoulders, DULCINISTS, the followers like the dress of the Dominican of Dulcinus, a layman of Novara friars. The men do not shave the in Lombardy, about the beginning head or beard. The men and woof the fourteenth century. Hemen have separate habitations and taught that the law of the Father, distinct governments. For these which had continued till Moses, purposes they have erected two was a law of grace and wisdom; large wooden buildings, one of but that the law of the Holy which is occupied by the brethren, Ghost, which began with himself the other by the sisters of the sociein 1307, was a law entirely of love, ty; and in each of them there is a which would last to the end of the banquetting room, and an apartworld. ment for public worship; for the DUNKERS, a denomination brethren and sisters do not meet towhich took its rise in the year 1724. gether, even at their devotions. It was founded by a German, who, They live chiefly upon roots and weary of the world, retired to an other vegetables, the rules of their agreeable solitude within fifty miles society not allowing them flesh, exof Philadelphia, for the more free cept on particular occasions, when exercise of religious contempla-they hold what they call a lovetion. Curiosity attracted follow-feast: at which time the brethren ers, and his simple and engaging and sisters dine together in a large manners made them proselytes. apartment, and eat mutton; but They soon settled a little colony, no other meat. In each of their called Euphrate, in allusion to the little cells they have a bench fixed, Hebrews, who used to sing psalms to serve the purpose of a bed, and on the borders of the river Eu-a small block of wood for a pillow. phrates. This denomination seem The Dunkers allow of no interto have obtained their name from course between the brethren and their baptizing their new converts sisters, not even by marriage. The by plunging. They are also call-principal tenets of the Dunkers ed Tumblers, from the manner in appear to be these: that future which they performed baptism, happiness is only to be attained which is by putting the person, by penance and outward mortiwhile kneeling, head first under wa-fication in this life; and that, as ter, so as to resemble the motion Jesus Christ by his meritorious of the body in the action of tum-sufferings, became the Redeemer VOL. I.

of mankind in general, so cach in-those who continue obstinate are dividual of the human race, by reserved in torments until the a life of abstinence and restraint, grand period typified by the jumay work out his own salvation. bilee arrives, in which all shall be Nay, they go so far as to admit made happy in the endless fruition of works of supererogation, and of the Deity. They also deny the declare that a man may do much imputation of Adam's sin to his more than he is in justice or equity posterity. They disclaim violence obliged to do, and that his super-even in cases of self-defence, and abundant works may therefore be suffer themselves to be defrauded applied to the salvation of others. or wronged rather than go to law. This denomination deny the eter- Their church government and nity of future punishments, and discipline are the same with the believe that the dead have the English Baptists, except that every gospel preached to them by our brother is allowed to speak in the Saviour, and that the souls of the congregation; and their best speakjust are employed to preach the er is usually ordained to be the gospel to those who have had no minister. They have deacons and revelation in this life. They sup-deaconesses from among their anpose the Jewish sabbath, sabbatical cient widows and exhorters, who year, and year of jubilee, are ty-are all licensed to use their gifts pical of certain periods, after the statedly.

general judgment, in which the DUTY, any action, or course souls of those who are not then of actions, which flow from the readmitted into happiness are puri-lations we stand in to

fied from their corruption. If any man; that which a man is bound within those smaller periods are to perform by any natural or legal so far humbled as to acknowledge obligation. The various moral, the perfections of God, and to own relative, and spiritual duties, are Christ as their only Saviour, they considered in their places in this are received to felicity; while work.

E.

EASTER, the day on which upon the very same day that the the christian church commemo- Jews observed their passover, and rates our Saviour's resurrection. It others on the first Sunday after is called by the Greeks Pasga; and the first full moon in the new by the Latins Pascha, a Hebrew year. This controversy was deterword signifying passage, applied mined in the council of Nice, to the Jewish feast at the passover. when it was ordained that Easter It is called Easter in English, from should be kept upon one and the the Saxon goddess Eostre, whose same day, which should always be festival was held in April. The Sunday, in all christian churches Asiatic churches kept their Easter in the world.

EBIONITES, ancient heretics,||canon; whereas the Ebionites who rose in the church in the very rejected all the prophets, and first age thereof, and formed them-held the very names of David, selves into a sect in the second Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and century, denying the divinity of Ezekiel, in abhorrence. They also Jesus Christ. Origen takes them rejected all St. Paul's epistles, to have been so called from the whom they treated with the utHebrew word ebion, which in that most disrespect. They received language signifies poor; because, nothing of the Old Testament but says he, they were poor in sense, the Pentateuch. They agreed with and wanting understanding. Eu- the Nazarenes in using the Hesebius, with a view to the same brew gospel of St. Matthew, otheretymology, is of opinion they wise called the gospel of the twelve were thus called, as having poor apostles; but they corrupted their thoughts of Jesus Christ, taking copy in abundance of places; and him for no more than a mere man. particularly had left out the geIt is more probable the Jews gave nealogy of our Saviour, which this appellation to the christians was preserved entire in that of the in general out of contempt; be- Nazarenes, and even in those used cause, in the first times, there were by the Cerinthians. Besides the few but poor people that embraced Hebrew gospel of St. Matthew, the christian religion. The Ebi-the Ebionites had adopted several onites were little else than a branch other books under the names of of the Nazarenes; only that they St. James, John, and the other altered and corrupted, in many apostles: they also made use of things, the purity of the faith the travels of St. Peter, which are held among the first adherents to supposed to have been written by christianity. For this reason, Ori- St. Clement; but had altered them gen distinguishes two kinds of Ebi-so, that there was scarce any thing onites in his answer to Celsus; the of truth left in them. They even one believed that Jesus Christ was made that saint tell a number of born of a virgin; and the other, falsehoods, the better to authorise that he was born after the man- their own practices. ner of other men. The first were ECCLESIASTICAL, an aporthodox in every thing, except pellation given to whatever belongs that to the christian doctrine they to the church; thus we say ecclejoined the ceremonies of the siastical polity, jurisdiction, hisJewish law, with the Jews, Sama-tory, &c.

HIS

ritans, and Nazarenes; together ECCLESIASTICAL with the traditions of the Phari- TORY, a narration of the transsees. They differed from the Na-actions, revolutions, and events, zarenes, however, in several things, that relate to the church. As to chiefly as to what regards the au- the utility of church history, Dr. thority of the sacred writings; for Jortin who was an acute writer on the Nazarenes received all for this subject, shall here speak for us: scripture contained in the Jewish he observes, 1. That it will shew

us the amazing progress of chris-||on the Use and Importance of Eetianity through the Roman empire, clesiastical History, in his Works, through the East and West, al-vol. vii, ch. ii. though the powers of the world

For ecclesiastical historians, see cruelly opposed it.-2. Connected Eusebius's Eccl. Hist. with Valewith Jewish and Pagan history, it sius's notes; Baronii Annales Eccl.; will shew us the total destruction Spondani Annales Sacri; Parei of Jerusalem, the overthrow of Universalis Hist Ecc.; Lampe, the Jewish church and state; Dupin, Spanheim, and Moshiem's and the continuance of that un- Eccl. Hist.; Fortin's Remarks on happy nation for 1700 years, Eccl. Hist.; Millar's Propagation though dispersed over the face of of Christianity; Gillies's Historical the earth, and oppressed at dif- Collections; Dr. Erskine's Sketches, ferent times by Pagans, Christians, and Robertson's Researches. The and Mahometans.-3. It shews us most recent are, Dr. Campbell's, that the increase of christianity Gregory's, Milner's, and Dr. produced in the countries where Haweis's; all which have their it was received, the overthrow excellencies. For the history of and extinction of paganism, which, the church under the Old Testaafter a feeble resistance, perished ment, the reader may consult Milabout the sixth century.-4. Itler's History of the Church; Prishews us how christianity hath deaux and Shukford's Connexions; been continued and delivered down Dr. Watts's Scripture History; and from the apostolical to the present Fleury's History of the Israelites age.-5. It shews us the various ECLECTICS, a name given to opinions which prevailed at dif- some ancient philosophers, who, ferent times amongst the fathers without attaching themselves to and other christians, and how they any particular sect, took what they departed more or less from the judged good and solid from each. simplicity of the gospel.-6. It One Potamon, of Alexandria, who will eneable us to form a true judg-lived under Augustus and Tiberiment of the merit of the fathers, us, and who, weary of doubting and of the use which is to be made of all things, with the Sceptics and of them.-7. It will shew us the Pyrrhonians, was the person who evil of imposing unreasonable formed this sect. terms of communion, and requir- ECLECTICS, or modern Plaing christians to profess doctrines tonics, a sect which arose in the not propounded in scriptural words, christian church towards the close but inferred as consequences from of the second century. They propassages of scripture, which one fessed to make truth the only obmay call systems of consequential ject of their inquiry, and to be divinity.-8. It will shew us the ready to adopt from all the diforigin and progress of popery; ferent systems and sects such teand, lastly, it will shew us,-9. The nets as they thought agreeable to origin and progress of the refor-it. They preferred Plato to the mation. See Dr. Fortin's Charge other philosophers, and looked