the close of the last century. Since that time, however, they have
advanced rapidly, and have been embraced by some of the wisest and best
men in the land.
Of late years, the Congregational Unitarians have generally abstained from
controversy, in the United States. They have, however, published and
circulated extensively a large number of tracts, of a doctrinal and
practical character. They have at the present time assumed a _positive_
condition, gained a strong and permanent hold amongst the Christian sects,
and are manifesting new signs of vitality and usefulness.
The following proof-texts are some of those upon which the Unitarians rest
their belief in the inferiority of the Son to the Father:—John 8:17, 18.
John 17:3. Acts 10:38 1 Tim. 2:5. 1 John 4:14. Rom. 8:34 1 Cor. 11:3. John
10:29. John 14:28. Matt. 19:17. John 17:21. John 20:17. 1 Cor. 8:5, 6.
John 10:25; 7:16, 17, 8:28; 5:19, 20; 8:49, 50. Matt. 20:23. John 6:38,
57; 5:30. Mark 13:32. Luke 6:12. John 11:41, 42. Matt. 27:46. Acts
2:22-24. Phil. 2:11. Col. 1:15. Rev. 3:14. Heb. 3:3. Matt. 12:18. Luke
2:52.
BROWNISTS.
A denomination which sprung up in England towards the close of the
sixteenth century. They derive their name from their leader, Robert Brown.
This denomination did not differ in point of doctrine from the church of
England, or from the other Puritans; but they apprehended, according to
Scripture, that every church ought to be confined within the limits of a
single congregation, and that the government should be democratical. They
maintained the discipline of the church of England to be Popish and
antichristian, and all her ordinances and sacraments invalid. Hence they
forbade their people to join with them in prayer, in hearing the word, or
in any part of public worship. They not only renounced communion with the
church of England, but with all other churches, except such as were of the
same model.
PURITANS.
This name was given to a party which appeared in England in the year 1565,
who opposed the liturgy and ceremonies of the church of England.
They acquired this denomination from their professed design to establish a
purer form of worship and discipline.
Those who were first styled _Puritans_ were Presbyterians, but the term
was afterwards applied to others who differed from the church of England.
Those who separated from the church of England were also styled
_Dissenters_.
BOURIGNONISTS.
The followers of Antoinette Bourignon, a lady in France, who pretended to
particular inspirations. She was born at Lisle, in 1616. At her birth, she
was so deformed that it was debated some days in the family whether it was
not proper to stifle her as a monster; but, her deformity diminishing, she
was spared, and afterwards obtained such a degree of beauty, that she had
her admirers. From her childhood to her old age she had an extraordinary
turn of mind. She set up for a reformer, and published a great number of
books, filled with very singular notions; the most remarkable of which are
entitled “The Light of the World,” and “The Testimony of Truth.” In her
confession of faith, she professes her belief in the Scriptures, the
divinity and atonement of Christ. She believed, also, that man is
perfectly free to resist or receive divine grace; that God is ever
unchangeable love towards all his creatures, and does not inflict any
arbitrary punishment, but that the evils they suffer are the natural
consequence of sin; that religion consists not in outward forms of
worship, nor systems of faith, but in an entire resignation to the will of
God. She held many extravagant notions, among which, it is said, she
asserted that Adam, before the fall, possessed the principles of both
sexes, that, in an ecstasy, God represented Adam to her mind in his
original state, as also the beauty of the first world, and how he had
drawn from it the chaos; and that every thing was bright, transparent, and
darted forth life and ineffable glory, with a number of other wild ideas.
She dressed like a hermit, and travelled through France, Holland, England,
and Scotland. She died at Franeker, in the province of Frise, October 30,
1680.
JEWS.
A complete system of the religious doctrines of the Jews is contained in
the five books of Moses, their great lawgiver, who was raised up to
deliver them from their bondage in Egypt, and to conduct them to the
possession of Canaan, the promised land.
The principal sects among the Jews, in the time of our Savior, were the
Pharisees, who placed religion in external ceremony; the Sadducees, who
were remarkable for their incredulity; and the Essenes, who were
distinguished by an austere sanctity.
The Pharisees and Sadducees are frequently mentioned in the New Testament;
and an acquaintance with their principles and practices serves to
illustrate many passages in the sacred history. At present, the Jews have
two sects—the Caraites, who admit no rule of religion but the law of
Moses; and the Rabbinists, who add to the laws the tradition of the
Talmud, a collection of the doctrines and morality of the Jews. The
expectation of a Messiah is the distinguishing feature of their religious
system. The word _Messiah_ signifies one anointed, or installed into an
office by an unction.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, in whom all the
Jewish prophecies are accomplished. The Jews, infatuated with the idea of
a temporal Messiah, who is to subdue the world, still wait for his
appearance.
The most remarkable periods in the history of the Jews are the call of
Abraham, the giving of the law by Moses, their establishment in Canaan
under Joshua, the building of the temple by Solomon, the division of the
tribes, their captivity in Babylon, their return under Zerubbabel and the
destruction of their city and temple by Titus, afterwards emperor, A. D.
70.
Maimonides, an illustrious rabbi, drew up for the Jews, in the eleventh
century, a confession of faith, which all Jews admit. It is as follows:—
“1. I believe, with a true and perfect faith, that God is the
Creator, whose name be blessed, Governor, and Maker, of all
creatures, and that he hath wrought all things, worketh and shall
work forever.
“2. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name
be blessed, is _one_, and that such a unity as in him can be found
in none other, and that he alone hath been our God, is, and
forever shall be.
“3. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name
be blessed, is not corporeal, nor to be comprehended with any
bodily property, and that there is no bodily essence that can be
likened unto him.
“4. I believe, with a perfect faith, the Creator, whose name be
blessed, to be the first and the last, that nothing was before
him, and that he shall abide the last forever.
“5. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name
be blessed, is to be worshipped, and none else.
“6. I believe, with a perfect faith, that all the words of the
prophets are true.
“7. I believe, with a perfect faith, the prophecies of Moses, our
master,— may he rest in peace;—that he was the father and chief of
all wise men that lived before him, or ever shall live after him.
“8. I believe, with a perfect faith, that all the law which at
this day is found in our hands, was delivered by God himself to
our master, Moses. God’s peace be with him.
“9. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the same law is never to
be changed, nor another to be given us of God, whose name be
blessed.
“10. I believe, with a perfect faith, that God, whose name be
blessed, understandeth all the works and thoughts of men, as it is
written in the prophets. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he
understandeth all their works.
“11. I believe, with a perfect faith, that God will recompense
good to them that keep his commandments, and will punish them who
transgress them.
“12. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Messiah is yet to
come; and, although he retard his coming, yet I will wait for him
till he come.
“13. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the dead shall be
restored to life, when it shall seem fit unto God the Creator,
whose name be blessed, and memory celebrated, world without end.
AMEN.”
This people constitute one of the most singular and interesting portions
of mankind. For about three thousand years, they have existed as a
distinct nation; and, what is remarkable, by far the greatest part of this
time they have been in bondage and captivity.
The calling of Abraham, the father and founder of this nation; the
legislation of Moses; the priesthood of Aaron: the Egyptian bondage; the
conquest of Canaan, and the history of the Jews to the coming of the
Messiah; their cruel and injurious treatment of this august and innocent
personage,—are facts which the Scriptures disclose, and with which, it is
presumed, every reader is well acquainted.
For about eighteen hundred years, this wonderful people have maintained
their peculiarities of religion, language, and domestic habits, among
Pagans, Mahometans, and Christians, and have suffered a continued series
of reproaches, privations, and miseries, which have excited the admiration
and astonishment of all who have reflected on their condition.
The siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general, was
one of the most awful and distressing scenes that mortals ever witnessed;
and the details, as given by Josephus, are enough to make humanity
shudder. During the siege, which lasted nearly five months, upwards of
eleven hundred thousand Jews perished. John and Simon, the two generals of
the Hebrews, who were accounted the ringleaders of the rebellious nation,
with seven hundred of the most beautiful and vigorous of the Jewish youth,
were reserved to attend the victor’s triumphal chariot. The number taken
captive, during this fatal contest, amounted to ninety-seven thousand;
many of whom were sent into Syria, and the other provinces, to be exposed
in public theatres, to fight like gladiators, or to be devoured by wild
beasts. The number of those destroyed in the whole war, of which the
taking of the holy city was the bloody and tremendous consummation, is
computed to have been one million, four hundred and sixty thousand.
In addition to the terrors of the Roman sword, this devoted nation was
exposed to famine, pestilence, and the implacable fury of contending
parties among themselves, which all conspired together to make the siege
of Jerusalem surpass, in horror, every account of any other siege in the
records of the world.
A small portion, indeed, of this wretched, ruined nation were permitted to
remain, and establish themselves in Judea, who, by degrees, reorganized a
regular system of government, which became the centre of Jewish
operations, not only for those in Judea, but for such as were dispersed in
other nations. But the yoke of foreign masters was so grievous and
burdensome, that they were continually restless and impatient; and, in
consequence of a general revolt under the emperor Adrian, in 134, they
were a second time slaughtered in multitudes, and were driven to madness
and despair. Bither, the place of their greatest strength, was compelled
to surrender, and Barchochba, their leader, who pretended to be the
Messiah, was slain, and five hundred and eighty thousand fell by the sword
in battle, besides vast numbers who perished by famine, sickness, fire,
and other calamities.
Kings have enacted the severest laws against them, and employed the hand
of executioners to ruin them. The seditious multitudes, by murders and
massacres, have committed outrages against them, if possible, still more
violent and tragical. Besides their common share in the sufferings of
society, they have undergone a series of horrid and unutterable
calamities, which no other description of men has ever experienced in any
age, or in any country. Princes and people, Pagans, Mahometans, and
Christians, disagreeing in so many things, have united in the design of
exterminating this fugitive and wretched race, but have not succeeded.
They have been banished, at different times, from France, Germany, Spain,
Bohemia, Hungary, and England; and from some of these kingdoms they have
been banished and recalled many times in succession.
The Romans and Spaniards have probably done more than any other nations to
oppress and destroy this people; and the inquisition has doomed multitudes
of them to torture and death.
At different times, they were accused of poisoning wells, rivers, and
reservoirs of water, and, before any proof of these strange and malicious
charges was produced, the populace in many parts of Germany, Italy, and
France, have fallen upon them with merciless and murderous severity. At
one time, the German emperor found it necessary to issue an edict for
their banishment, to save them from the rage of his exasperated and
unrestrained subjects.
As the Jews have generally been the _bankers_ and _brokers_ of the people
among whom they have resided, and have made a show of much wealth, this
has tempted their avaricious adversaries to impose upon them enormous
taxes and ruinous fines.
Muley Archy, a prince of one of the Barbary states, by seizing the
property of a rich Jew, was enabled to dispossess his brother of the
throne of Morocco.
The English parliament of Northumberland, in 1188, for the support of a
projected war, assessed the Jews with 60,000 pounds, while only 70,000
were assessed upon the Christians; which proves either that the Jews were
immensely rich, or that the parliament was extremely tyrannical.
The English king John was unmercifully severe upon this afflicted people.
In 1210, regardless of the costly freedom he had sold them, he subjected
them all, as a body, to a fine of 60,000 marks. The ransom required by
this same unfeeling king, of a rich Jew of Bristol, was 10,000 marks of
silver; and on his refusing to pay this ruinous fine, he ordered one of
his teeth to be extracted every day; to which the unhappy man submitted
seven days, and on the eighth day he agreed to satisfy the king’s
rapacity. Isaac of Norwich was, not long after, compelled to pay a similar
fine. But the king, not satisfied with these vast sums extorted from these
injured Israelites, in the end confiscated all their property, and
expelled them from the kingdom.
About the beginning of the 16th century, the Jews in Persia were subjected
to a tax of two millions of gold. Long would be the catalogue of injuries
of this kind, which this outcast and hated nation has sustained. Numerous
are the cases in which those who have become deeply in debt to them for
borrowed money, have procured their banishment, and the confiscation of
their property, as the readiest way to cancel their demands; and, as they
have ever been addicted to usurious practices, they have, by this means,
furnished plausible pretexts to their foes to fleece and destroy them.
The fraternal disposition of this people led them to seek the society of
each other; and, notwithstanding the wideness of their dispersion, in
process of time, they, by uniting under different leaders, formed two
communities of considerable extent, known by the name of the eastern and
western Jews. The western Jews inhabited Egypt, Judea, Italy, and other
parts of the Roman empire; the eastern Jews settled in Babylon, Chaldea,
Persia, &c. The head of the western division was known by the name of the
patriarch, while he who presided over the eastern Jews, was called the
prince of the captivity. The office of patriarch was abolished, by
imperial laws, about 429, from which time the western Jews were solely
under the rule of the chiefs of their synagogues, whom they called
primates. But the princes of the captivity had a longer and more splendid
sway. They resided at Babylon, or Bagdad, and exercised an extensive
authority over their brethren, as far down as the 12th century. About this
period, a Jewish historian asserts that he found, at Bagdad, the prince of
the captivity, lineally descended from David, and permitted, by the
caliph, to exercise the rights of sovereignty over the Jews from Syria to
Indostan.
The existence of a succession of these imaginary potentates, from the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the Jews have ever been strenuous
in maintaining, partly to aggrandize their nation, and partly to deprive
Christians of the benefit of an argument furnished by the prophecy of
Jacob, concerning the termination of the Jewish polity and independence,
soon after the coming of the Messiah.
Notwithstanding the world, in general, has shown a spirit of hostility and
contempt for the remnant of Israel, yet they have found a few, in every
age, who, either from motives of policy or justice, have treated them with
kindness and respect. The first Mahometan caliphs, a number of the Roman
pontiffs, and some of the Asiatic and European sovereigns, have shown them
friendship and protection. Don Solomon, a learned and illustrious Jew of
Portugal, in the 12th century, was raised to the highest military command
in that kingdom. Casimir the Great, of Poland, in the 14th century,
received the Jews as refugees into his kingdom, and granted them extensive
privileges; and from that time to the present, they have been more
numerous in that country than in any other in Europe.
For many centuries, this persecuted race found a favorite asylum in
Holland, and, by their dexterity and success in commerce, became very
affluent.
Cromwell, seeing the benefit which the Netherlands had derived from this
money-making and money-lending community, was very desirous to recall them
to England, from which they had been exiled about three hundred and fifty
years. The celebrated Manasses Ben Israel had many interviews with the
Protector; and so high were the expectations of the Israelites, from the
clemency and authority of this illustrious statesman, that they began to
look up to him as the promised Messiah. And, although Cromwell’s friendly
proposals, as to their recall, were overruled by the bigoted and
intolerant policy of the times, yet, from that period, they have found
favor and protection in England, and have been much more numerous and
prosperous there than formerly.
In France and the United States, the Jews are admitted to equal rights
with all other citizens, which cannot be said of any other nations in
Christendom. In the United States, they have acquired this freedom, of
course, with all other citizens of this free country. In France, they were
admitted to it by Bonaparte; and afterwards, in 1807, by his directions,
they convened a Grand Sanhedrim, consisting, according to ancient custom,
of 70 members, exclusive of the president. The number and distinction of
the spectators of this Sanhedrim greatly added to the solemnity of the
scene. This venerable assembly passed and agreed to various articles
respecting the Mosaic worship, and their civil and ecclesiastical
concerns.
The extreme aversion of the Jews to every thing which bears the Christian
name, and their obstinate attachment to their ancient religion, have, in
former years, discouraged all attempts to convert them to the Christian
faith. And not only has their conversion been neglected, but for many
centuries they have been persecuted, plundered, and destroyed, by those
who have called themselves Christians; they have not been permitted to
enter their churches as worshippers, nor their dwellings as guests, nor
reside in their territories, where Pagans and Mahometans have found an
unmolested abode. While we, then, blame the blindness and incredulity of
the descendants of Abraham, let us lament the folly and unkindness of the
professed disciples of the mild and compassionate Redeemer. But a
different spirit is now prevailing in many parts of Christendom, and a new
era, as to the tribes of Israel, seems about to burst upon the world.
Societies are formed in Europe and America for their benefit, and a
disposition is said to be increasing, among the Jews, favorable to that
Messiah and that religion which they have so long hated and rejected.
The history of this people certainly forms a striking evidence of the
truth of divine revelation. They are a living and perpetual miracle,
continuing to subsist as a distinct and peculiar race for upwards of three
thousand years, intermixed among almost all the nations of the world,
flowing forward in a full and continued stream, like the waters of the
Rhone, without mixing with the waves of the expansive lake through which
the passage lies to the ocean of eternity.
INDIAN RELIGIONS.
“Lo, the poor Indian! whose untutored mind
Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind;
His soul proud science never taught to stray
Far as the solar walk, or milky way;
Yet simple nature to his hope has given,
Behind the cloud-topped hill, an humbler heaven—
Some safer world in depth of woods embraced,
Some happier island in the watery waste,
Where slaves once more their native land behold,
No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold.
To be, contents his natural desire;
He asks no angel’s wing, no seraph’s fire;
But thinks, admitted to that equal sky,
His faithful dog will bear him company.”—POPE.
The natives of CANADA have an idea of the Supreme Being; and they all, in
general, agree in looking upon him as the First Spirit, and the Governor
and the Creator of the world. It is said that almost all the nations of
the Algonquin language give this Sovereign Being the appellation of the
Great Hare. Some, again, call him Michabou, and others Atahocan. Most of
them hold the opinion that he was born upon the waters, together with his
whole court, entirely composed of four-footed animals, like himself; that
he formed the earth of a grain of sand, which he took from the bottom of
the ocean; and that he created man of the bodies of the dead animals.
There are, likewise, some who mention a god of the waters, who opposed the
designs of the Great Hare, or, at least, refused to be assisting to him.
This god is, according to some, the Great Tiger. They have a third, called
Matcomek, whom they invoke in the winter season.
The Agreskoui of the Hurons, and the Agreskouse of the Iroquois, is, in
the opinion of these nations, the Sovereign Being, and the god of war.
These Indians do not give the same original to mankind with the
Algonquins; they do not ascend so high as the first creation. According to
them, there were, in the beginning, six men in the world; and, if you ask
them who placed them there, they answer you, they do not know.
The gods of the Indians have bodies, and live much in the same manner as
themselves, but without any of those inconveniences to which they are
subject. The word _spirit_, among them, signifies only a being of a more
excellent nature than others.
According to the Iroquois, in the third generation there came a deluge, in
which not a soul was saved; so that, in order to repeople the earth, it
was necessary to change beasts into men.
Beside the First Being, or the Great Spirit, they hold an infinite number
of genii, or inferior spirits, both good and evil, who have each their
peculiar form of worship.
They ascribe to these beings a kind of immensity and omnipresence, and
constantly invoke them as the guardians of mankind. But they never address
themselves to the evil genii, except to beg of them to do them no hurt.
They believe in the immortality of the soul, and say that the region of
their everlasting abode lies so far westward, that the souls are several
months in arriving at it, and have vast difficulties to surmount. The
happiness which they hope to enjoy is not believed to be the recompense of
virtue only; but to have been a good hunter, brave in war, &c., are the
merits which entitle them to this paradise, which they, and the other
American natives, figure as a delightful country, blessed with perpetual
spring, whose forests abound with game, whose rivers swarm with fish,
where famine is never felt, and uninterrupted plenty shall be enjoyed
without labor or toil.