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trous practice of eating things offered up to idols, as mentioned, Rev. ii. 14. with the Christian order of worship. Therefore, the Carpocratians, who lived at this time, must necessarily be meant by those who are thus clearly described by the apostle. In this church also, there were some who held the doctrine of the Nicholaitans, Rev. ii. 15.

THE CERINTHIANS AND EBIONITES.

These professors also lived in the time of the apostle John. The practice of eating things offered to idols, or of offering the sacrifice to the idol, and then eating it, had become customary among the followers of Cerinthus, who wished to retain a little of the old idolatry.

Cerinthus lived in the time of the emperor Domitian : his doctrines were much the same as those taught by Nicholas and Carpocrates. They admitted only the gospel of Matthew, and denied the divinity of Christ. Agreeably to the above-mentioned authorities, they belonged to the church of Thyatira, which suffered them to remain with them, through the influence of Jezebel, who seduced them to eat things offered unto idols. Rev. ii. 20. i. e. to join idolatry to Christianity.

From these a number of sects sprang up, varying but little either in doctrine or practice; till the heresy of Sabellius made its appearance at the beginning of the third century.

THE SABELLIANS

Taught that there was but one person in the Godhead, and that this was the Father. They believed that the Father suffered, and were on that account called

PATRIPASSIANS,

Who personified the Father, or divine essence.

ANTHROPOMORPHITES.

This is a compound word, from the Greek, signifying the form of man. This sect appeared in the early ages of the Christian church. They believed that God was in the form of man, and were on that account called Anthropomorphites.

They were first called Audiani, from Audeus their leader, who lived in the time of the emperor Valentinian, 340 years after Christ.

It would answer no valuable purpose to notice the little variations of those, who attempted to differ from the generally received doctrine and practice of the church. When this was done, though but of a trifling nature, it was only sanctioned by the name of the inventor, who by it obtained notice; yet all the trifling variations have by some writers been magnified into sects. I therefore pass over these, who, as above observed, varied in so trifling a manner from the Nicholaitans, Car

pocratians, Cerinthians, and Ebionites, as not to be worthy of notice; they were individuals lost in the great body of the professors of genuine Christianity.

For the first three hundred years after Christ, or until the time of the famous council of Nice, nothing of importance arose to disturb the unity of the church. Then it was that Arius published his opinions; and a schism being thus made, separation ensued, and new opinions generated different sects. From this period, we must necessarily date the beginning of those distinctions, which have taken place in the church of Christ.

Having said as much as is necessary concerning those sects alluded to in scripture, and by the first fathers of the Christian church, I shall now begin with the sects which immediately appeared after the Nicene council; and conclude by defining the doctrines of the different sects of the Christian religion, as they are at this day held forth in Europe.

THE GREEK CHURCH.

The Greek Church was so called, because, after the dispersion of the Jews, the scriptures were read in Greek for as the Jews only were in possession of the Hebrew language; and the Greek language being then spoken and understood among all the nations of the Grecian empire; the Septuagint translation was introduced; and the gospels, which were originally written by the apostles in Hebrew, the language of their country, were

translated into the Greek tongue. This appears to have been confirmed by the apostle Paul, as we cannot sup-> pose that he wrote his epistle to the Hebrews in Greek, a language which the great mass of the people did not understand. But the time, when it began to be generally known by this appellation, was when Constantine the Great embraced Christianity, at the beginning of the fourth century.

The faith and worship of the Greek church is professed by many of the eastern nations, and it is the established form of religion throughout the Russian empire. They use the liturgies of Basil and Chrysostom. The service is read in ancient and modern Greek; and in some places they read it in the Sclavonian tongue. The churches subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople are the Russian, Georgian, and Mingrelian. The eastern churches not under the immediate government of the Patriarch of Constantinople, are the Armenian, and the Nestorian: the Abyssinian, Coptic, and Jacobite Monophysists, are also subject to the same patriarch, but differ from the Armenian and Nestorian churches; in as much as the word Monophysist, derived from μovos, solus, and quais, natura, implies their belief that there is only one nature in Christ. Turkey in Europe contains a great number of christians, but those of the Greek church are the most numerous. The Patriarch of Con- 7 stantinople governs the church with an authority similar to that, which has been exercised by the Roman pontiffs. The next dignitaries in order after the patriarch, are the metropolitans. The number of the metropolitans was originally seventy-two, after the manner of the Sanhedrim of the Jews.

tropolitan,

The bishops are subject to the me

They retain the custom of the Greek fathers, Basil and Chrysostom, of reading the liturgy in the Greek language. The sacrament they administer in both kinds, viz. the bread is mixed with the wine, which is given together with the words, hoc est corpus meum, 'this is my body.'

They taught that the traditions of the church are of equal authority with the scriptures: that the patriarch and his synod have authority to interpret the scripture, and that their interpretation is infallible. This authority seems to be acknowledged at present, for Peter the Great, of Russia, applied for, and obtained, the sanction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. They have great faith in auricular confession, but the form of absolution is deprecative only: thus, may God absolve you. They allow their priests to marry once. They teach that we cannot be justified by faith alone, but in conjunction with works; agreeably to the words of James. "Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works." The Greek church deny the supremacy and the infallibility of the pope. They receive the decrees of the first seven general councils, viz. Nice, in the year 325; Constantinople, in 381; Ephesus, in 431; Chalcedon, in 451; Constantinople, in 553; Constantinople, in 680; Nice, in 787. These they receive as the rule of faith. They believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only.

With regard to the notions of a few individuals at these early periods of the church, they are not worthy of notice; and though they have been magnified into sects by some writers, because of a little variation in doctrine, or practice, such as the Nestorians, from Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, 400 years after Christ; Pelagians, from Pelagius, a Briton, 382; Jacob

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