filement. Of these there were se-and the other set at liberty. He veral sorts; some were voluntary,as who had touched a dead body, or the touching a dead body, or any had been present at a funeral, was animal that died of itself; or any to be purified with the water of excreaturethat was esteemedunclean; piation, and this upon pain of death. or the touching things holy by one The women who had been deliverwho was not clean, or was not a ed offered a turtle and a lamb for priest; the touching one who had a her expiation; or if she was poor, leprosy, one who had a gonorrhea, two turtles, or two young pigeons. or who was polluted by a dead car- These impurities, which the law cass, &c. Sometimes these impu-of Moses has expressed with the rities were involuntary; as when greatest accuracy and care, were any one inadvertently touched only figures of other more importbones, or a sepulchre, or anything antimpurities, such as the sins and polluted; or fell into such diseases iniquities committed against God, as pollute, as the leprosy, &c. or faults committed against our that they are not outward and The beds,clothes, and moveables neighbour. The saints and prowhich had touched any thing un-phets of the Old Testament were clean, contracted also a kind of sensible of this; and our Saviour, in impurity, and in some cases com-the gospel, has strongly inculcated, municated it to others. These legal pollutions were ge- corporeal pollutions which render nerally removed by bathing, and us unacceptable to God, but such lasted no longer than the evening. inward pollutions as infect the The person polluted plunged over soul, and are violations of justice, head in the water; and either had truth, and charity. his clothes on when he did so, or IMPUTATION is the attributwashed himself and his clothes se- ing any matter, quality, or characparately. Other pollutions conti- ter, whether good or evil, to any nued seven days; as, that which person as his own. It may refer to was contracted by touching a dead what was originally his,antecedentbody. Some impurities lasted for-ly to such imputation; or to whatty or fifty days; as, that of women was not antecedently his, but bewho were lately delivered, who comes so by virtue of such imputawere unclean forty days after the tion only, 2d Sam. xix, 19. Ps. cvi, birth of a boy, and fifty after the 31. The imputation that respects birth of a girl. Others, again, our justification before God is of the lasted till the person was cured. latter kind,and may be definedthus: Many of these pollutions were it isGod's gracious donation of the expiated by sacrifices, and others righteousness ofChristtobelievers, by a certain water or lye made with and his acceptance of their persons the ashes of a red heifer, sacrificed as righteous on the account thereof, on the great day of expiation. When Their sins being imputed to him, the leper was cured, he went to the and his obedience being imputed temple, and offered a sacrifice of to them, they are, in virtue hereof, two birds, one of which was killed, both acquitted from guilt, and ac Natural. Moral. hadad, if he had not waiting on Benhadad been suffered to en- in Hazael's stead, he could not have smoth. ered him as Hazael cepted as righteous before God, did. ii, p. 43; Doddridge's Works, vol. These are a few instances from iv, p. 562; Watts's Works, vol. iii, which we may clearly learn the distinction of natural and moral p. 532. INABILITY, want of power inability. It must not, however, sufficient for the performance of be forgotten, that moral inability any particular action or design. or disinclination is no excuse for It has been divided into natural our omission of duty, though and moral. We are said to be na-want of natural faculties or neturally unable to do a thing when cessary means would. That God we cannot do it if we wish, because may command, though man hath of some impeding defect or obsta- not a present moral ability to percle that is extrinsic to the will, ei-form, is evident, if we consider, ther in the understanding, con- 1. That man once had a power to stitution of body, or external ob-do whatsoever God would comjects. Moral inability consists not mand him, he had a power to in any of these things, but either cleave to God.-2. That God did in the want of inclination, or the not deprive man of his ability.strength of a contrary inclination; 3. Therefore God's right to comor the want of sufficient motives in manding, and man's obligation of view to induce and excite the act returning and cleaving to God, of the will, or the strength of ap-remains firm. See LIBERTY; and parent motives to the contrary. Theol. Misc. vol. ii, p. 488; EdFor the sake of illustration, we wards on the Will; Charnock's will here present the reader with Works, vol. ii, p. 187; Watts on a few examples of both. Liberty, p. 4. Jacob could not re- Potiphar's wife joice in Joseph's ex- could not rejoice in it, altation before he if she continued un heard of it. der it. act INCARNATION, the whereby the Son of God assumed the human nature; or the mystey by which Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, was made man, in order to accomplish the work of our salvation. See NATIVITY. INCEST, the crime of criminal and unnatural commercewithaperThe woman men- Had that woman son within the degrees forbiddenby tioned in 2d Kings, been a very affecti-the law. By the rules of the church, vi, 29. could not kill onate mother, she her neighbour's son could not have killed incest was formerly very absurdly and eat him, when her own son in a time extended even to the seventh dehe was hid and she of plenty, as she did gree; but it is now restricted to the could not find him. in a time of famine. If a dutiful affecthird or fourth. Most nations look have smothered Ben- tionate son had been on incest with horror; Persia ard Hazael could not; Egypt excepted. In the history of differs very little,prohibits marriage the ancient kings of those countries between relations within three dewe meet with instances of brothers grees of kindred; computing the marrying their own sisters, because generations not from, but through they thought it too mean to join in the common ancestor, and accountalliance with their own subjects, ing affinity the same as consanguiand still more so to marry into any nity. The issue, however, of such foreign family. Vortigern, king of marriages are not bastardized, unSouth Britain, equalled, or rather less the parents be divorced during excelled, them in wickedness, by their lifetime." Paley's Mor. Phil. marrying his own daughter. The p. 316, vol. i. queen of Portugal was married INCEST SPIRITUAL,an ideal to her uncle; and the prince of crime, committed between two perBrizil, the son of that incestuous sons who have a spiritual alliance, marriage, is wedded to his aunt. by means of baptism or confirmaBut they had dispensations for these tion. This ridiculous fancy was unnatural marriages from his holi-made use of as an instrument of ness. "In order," says one, "to great tyranny in times when the preserve chastity in families, and power of the pope was unlimited, between persons of different sexes even queens being sometimes dibrought up and living together in a vorced upon this pretence. Incest state of unreserved intimacy, it is Spiritual is also understood of a necessary,byevery method possible, vicar, or other beneficiary, who ento inculcate an abhorrence of inces-joys both the mother and the tuous conjunctions; which abhor-daughter; that is, holds two benerence can only be upheld by the fices, one whereof depends upon absolute reprobationof all commerce the collation of the other. Such spiof the sexes between near relations. ritual incest renders both the one Upon this principle the marriage, and the other of these benefices as well as other cohabitation of bro-vacant. thers and sisters of lineal kindred, INCLINATION is the disposiand of all who usually live in the tion or propensity of the mind to same family, may be said to be for-any particular object or action; or bidden by the law of nature. Re-a kind of bias upon nature, by the strictions which extend to remoter force of which it is carried towards degrees of kindred than what this certain actions previously to the reason makes it necessary to prohi-exercise of thought and reasoning bit from intermarriage, are founded about the nature and consequences in the authority of the positive law of them. Inclinations are of two which ordains them, and can only kinds, natural or acquired. 1. Nabe justified by their tendency to dif-tural are such as we often see in fuse wealth, to connect families, or children, who from their earliest to promote somepolitical advantage. years differ in their tempers and "The Levitical law, which is dispositions. In one you see the received in this country, and from dawnings of a liberal diffusive soul; which the rule of the Roman law another gives us cause to fear he will be altogether as narrow and sordid. Ps. viii, 1, 4. Eccl. v, 2, 3. Job Of one we may say he is naturally xxxvii, 19.-3. To be serious in revengeful; of another, that he is our addresses, and sincere in our patient and forgiving.-2. Acquired behaviour towards him. Caryl on inclinations are such as are superin-Fob xxvii, 25; Tillotson's Serduced by custom, which are called mons, sermon 156; Abernethy's habits; and these are either good Sermons, vol. ii, No. 6, 7; Dodor evil. See HABIT. dridge's Lect. lec. 59. INCOMPREHENSIBILITY OF INCONTINENCY, not abGOD. This is a relative term, staining from unlawful desires. and indicates a relation between See CONTINENCY. an object and a faculty; between INCORPOREALITY OF GOD, God and a created understanding, is his being without a body. That so that the meaning of it is this, God is incorporeal is evident; for, that no created understanding can 1. Materiality is incompatible with comprehend God; that is, have a self-existence, and God being selfperfect and exact knowledge of him, existent, must be incorporeal.-2. such a knowledge as is adequate to If God were corporeal, he could the perfection of the object, Job not be present in any part of the xi, 7. Is. xl. God is incomprehen-world where body is; yet his presible, 1. As to the nature of his essence is necessary for the support sence. 2. The excellency of his and motion of body.-3. A body attributes. 3. The depth of his cannot be in two places at the same counsels. 4. The works of his time; yet he is every where, and providence. 5. The dispensation of fills heaven and earth.-4. A body his grace, Eph. iii, 8. Job xxxvii, is to be seen and felt, but God is 25. Rom. xi. The incomprehen-invisible and impalpable, John i, 18. sibility of God follows, 1. From his Charnock's Works, vol. i, p. 117; being a spirit endued with perfec- Doddridge's Lect. lec. 47; Gill's tions greatly superior to our own. Body of Div. vol. i, p. 45. oct. -2. There may be (for any thing INCORRUPTIBLES, or Is. we certainly know) attributes and CORRUPTIBILES, the name of a sect perfections in God of which we which sprang out of the Eutyhave not the least idea.-3. In chains. Their distinguishing tenet those perfections of the Divine na-was, that the body of Jesus Christ ture of which we have some idea, was incorruptible; by which they there are many things to us inex-meant, that, after and from the plicable, and with which, the more time wherein he was formed in the deeply and attentively we think of womb of his mother, he was not them,the more we find our thoughts||susceptible of any change or alteraswallowed up; such as his self-ex-tion; not even of any natural or istence, eternity, omnipresence, &c.innocent passion, as of hunger, This should learn us, therefore, 1. thirst, &c.; so that he eat without To admire and reverence the Di-occasion before his death, as well vine Being, Zech. ix, 17. Neh. ix, as after his resurrection. 5.-2. To be humble and modest, INCREDULITY, the withhold ing our assent to any proposition,||pendently, and not by force. He notwithstanding arguments suffi-shews mercy because it is his pleacient to demand assent. See Dun- sure to do so, Rom. ix, 18. That can Forbes's piece entitled, Reflec- God is independent, let it farther tions on the sources of Incredulity be considered, 1. That all things with regard to Religion. depend on his power which brought INDEPENDENCY OF GOD, them into and preserves them in beis his existence in and of himself, ing. If, therefore, all things depend without depending on any other.on God, then it would be absurdity "His being and perfections," as to say that God depends on any Dr. Ridgley observes (Body of thing, for this would be to suppose Div. q. 7) "are underived, and not the cause and the effect to be mucommunicated to him, as all finite tually dependent on and derived perfections are by him to the crca-from each other, which infers a con This attribute of indepen-tradiction.-2. If God be infinitely dency belongs to all his perfections. above the highest creatures, he can1. He is independent as to his not depend on any of them, for deknowledge. He doth not receive pendence argues inferiority, Is. xl. ideas from any object out of him-15, 17.-3. If God depend on any self, as intelligent creatures do. creature, he does not exist necessaThis is elegantly described by the rily; and if so, then he might not prophet, Is. xl, 13, 14.-2. He is have been: for the same will by independent in power. As he re-which he is supposed to exist might ceives strength from no one, so he have determined that he should not doth not act dependently on the have existed, which is altogether will of the creature, Job xxxvi, 23. inconsistent with the idea of a God. -3. He is independent as to his From God's being independent, we holiness, hating sin necessarily and infer, 1. That we ought to conclude not barely depending on some rea- that the creature cannot lay any sons out of himself inducing him obligation on him, or do any thing thereto; for it is essential to the Di-that may tend to make him more vine nature to be infinitely oppo-happy than he is in himself, Rom. site to sin, and therefore to be inde-xi, 35. Job xxii, 2, 3.-2. If inpendently holy.-4. He is indepen-dependency be a divine perfection, dent as to his bounty and goodness. then let it not in any instance, or by He communicates blessings not by any consequence, be attributed to constraint, but according to his so- the creature; let us conclude that vereign will. Thus he gave being all our springs are in him; and that to the world, and all things therein, all we enjoy and hope for is from which was the first instance of boun-him, who is the author and finisher ty and goodness; and this not by of our faith, and the fountain of all constraint, but by his free will; our blessedness." 'for his pleasure they are and were INDEPENDENTS, a sect of created.' In like manner, what- Protestants, so called from their ever instances of mercy he extends maintaining that each congregation to miserable creatures, he acts inde-of Christians which meets in one |