labour? Surely they must be a set of useless beings, to reap so little wages; or else they are unjustly treated!!!

with advantage and honour the whole time of man." Blair's Ser, vol. iv. ser 8; Clarke's Serm. ser. on Deut. xxix. 29; Seed's Posth. Serm. ser 7.

CURSE, the action of wishing any tre

CURIOSITY, a propensity or disposition of the soul which inclines it to inquire after new objects, and to delight in viewing them.mendous evil to another. In scripture lanCuriosity is proper, when it springs from a guage it signifies the just and lawful sentence desire to know our duty, to mature our of God's law, condemning sinners to suffer judgments, to enlarge our minds, and to re- the full punishment of their sin, Gal. iii 10. gulate our conduct; but improper when it CURSING and Swearing. See SWEARING. wishes to know more of God, of the decrees; CUSTOM, a very comprehensive term, the origin of evil; the state of men, or the denoting the manners, ceremonies; and fa nature of things than it is designed for us to shions of a people, which having turned into know The evil of this is evident. It re-habit, and passed into use, obtain the force proaches God's Goodness; it is a violation of of laws. Custom and habit are often con Scripture, Deut. xxii. 29 it robs us of our founded. By custom, we mean a frequent time; it often makes us unhappy; lessens reiteration of the same act; and by habit, our usefulness and produces mischief. To the effect that custom has on the mind or cure this disposition let us consider the divine the body. See HABIT. command, Phil. iv. 6, that every thing essen- "Viewing man," says Lord Kames, “as tial is revealed; that God cannot err; that a sensitive being, and perceiving the influwe shall be satisfied in a future state, Is. xiii. ence of novelty upon him, would one suspect 7. Curiosity concerning the affairs of others that custom has an equal influence? and yet is exceedingly reprehensible. "It interrupts," our nature is equally susceptible of both; not says an elegant writer, "the order, and only in different objects, but frequently in breaks the peace of society. Persons of this the same. When an object is new, it is disposition are dangerous troublers of the enchanting: familiarity renders it indiffe world Crossing the lines in which others rent; and custom, after a longer familiarity, move, they create confusion, and awaken re- makes it again desirable. Hunan nature, sentment. Hence, many a friendship has diversified with many and various springs been broken; the peace of many a family of action, is wonderful, and indulging the has been overthrown: and much bitter and expression, intricately constructed. Custom lasting discord has been propagated through hath such influence upon many of our feelings, society. Such a disposition is entirely the by warping and varying them, that we must reverse of that amiable spirit of charity our attend to its operations, if we would be acLord inculcates. Charity, like the sun, brigh-quainted with human nature. A walk upon tens every object on which it shines: a cen- the quarter-deck, though intolerably confined, sorious disposition casts every character into becomes, however, so agreeable by custom, the darkest shade it will bear. It is to be that a sailor, in his walk on shore, confines further observed, that all impertinent curio- || himself commonly within the same bounds sity, about the affairs of others tends greatly I knew a man who had relinquished the sea to obstruct personal reformation. They who for a country life; in the corner of his garare so officiously occupied about their neigh- den he reared an artificial mount, with a bours, have little leisure, and less inclination, level summit, resembling, most accurately, to observe their own defects, or to mind their a quarter-deck, not only in shape, but in: own duty. From their inquisitive researches, size; and here was his choice walk." Such they find, or imagine they find, in the behav- we find is often the power of custom. jour of others, an apology for their own failings; and the favourite result of their inquiries generally is, to rest satisfied with themselves. We should consider, also, that every excursion of vain curiosity about others is a subtraction from that time and thought which are due to ourselves, and to God. In the great circle of human affairs, there is room for every one to be busy, and well employed in his own province, without encroaching upon that of others. It is the province of superiors to direct: of inferiors to obey; of the learned to be instructive; of the ignorant to be docile; of the old to be communicative; of the young to be advisable and diligent. In all the various relations which subsist among us in life, as husband and wife, master and servants, parents and children, relations and friends, rulers and subjects, Innumerable duties stand ready to be performed, innumerable calls to activity present themselves on every hand, sufficient to fill up

CYNICS, a sect of ancient philosophers, who valued themselves upon their contempt of riches and state, arts and sciences, and、 every thing, in short, except virtue and mo rality. They owe their origin and institution to Antisthenes of Athens, a disciple of Socrates; who being asked of what use his philosophy had been to him, replied, "it enables me to live with myself." Diogenes was the most famous of his disciples, in whose life the system of this philosophy ap pears in its greatest perfection. He led a most whimsical life, despising every kind of convenience; a tub serving him for a lodg ing, which he rolled before him wherever he went: yet he was not the more humble on account of his ragged cloak, bag, and tub. One day entering Plato's house, at a time when there was a splendid entertainment for several persons of distinction, he jumped, in all his dirt, upon a very rich couch, says ing, "I trample on the pride of Plato!"

"Yes," replied Plato, "but with still greater || lighted lanthern in his hand, telling the peopride, Diogenes!" He had the utmost con- ple" he was in search of an honest man." tempt for all the human race; for he walked But with all his maxims of morality, he held the street of Athens at noon day, with a some very pernicious opinions.

DAMIANISTS, a denomination in the || meddled with the concerns of human life, sixth century, so called from Damian, bishop || urge a number of specious arguments. The of Alexandria. Their opinions were the same as the Angelites, which see. DÆMONS, a name given by the ancients to certain spirits or genii, which, they say, appeared to men, either to do them service, or to hurt them.

Several of the heathen philosophers held that there were different kinds of dæmons; that some of them were spiritual substances of a more noble origin than the human race, and that others had once been men.

Greeks and Romans of old, say they, did believe in the reality of dæmoniacal possession. They supposed that spiritual beings did at times enter into the sons and daughters of men, and distinguish themselves in that situation by capricious freaks, deeds of wanton mischief, or prophetic enunciations, But in the instances in which they supposed this to happen, it is evident no such thing took place. Their accounts of the state and conduct of those persons whom they believed to be possessed in this supernatural manner, shew plainly that what they ascribed to the

But those dæmons who were the more immediate objects of the established worship among the ancient nations were human spi-influence of dæmons were merely the effect rits, such as were believed to become damons, or deities, after their departure from their bodies.

of natural diseases. Whatever they relate concerning the larvati, the cerriti, and the lymphatici, shews that these were merely people disordered in mind, in the same unfortunate situation with those madmen, idiots, and melancholy persons, whom we have among ourselves. Festus describes the lar vati as being furiosi et mente moti. Lucian describes dæmoniacs as lunatic, and as staring with their eyes, foaming at the mouth, and being speechless It appears still more evident that all the persons spoken of as possessed with devils in the New Testament, were either mad or epileptic, and precisely in the same condition with the madmen and

It has been generally thought, that by damons we are to understand devils, in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament Others think the word is in that version certainly applied to the ghosts of such dead men as the heathens deified, in Deut. xxxii. | 17. Ps. cvi. 37. That damon often bears the same meaning in the New Testament, and particularly in Acts xvii. 18. 1 Cor. x. 21. 1 Tim. iv. 1, Rev. ix. 13. is shewn at large by Mr. Joseph Mede (see Works, p. 623, et. seq.) That the word is applied always to human spirits in the New Testa-epileptics of modern times. The Jews, ment, Mr. Farmer has attempted to shew in his Essay on Dæmoniacs, p. 208. et seq. As to the meaning of the word dæmon, in the fathers of the Christian church, it is used by them in the same sense as it was by the heathen philosophers, especially the latter Platonists; that is, sometimes for departed human spirits, and at other times for such spirits as had never inhabited human bodies. In the fathers, indeed, the word is more commonly taken in an evil sense, than in the ancient philosophers.

among other reproaches which they threw out against our Saviour, said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? The expressions he hath a devil, and is mad were certainly used on this occasion as synonymous. With all their virulence, they would not surely ascribe to him at once two things that were inconsistent and contradictory. Those who thought more favourably of the character of Jesus, asserted concerning his discourses, in reply to his adversaries, These are not the words of him that hath a dæmon; meaning, DÆMONIAC, a human being whose vo- no doubt, that he spoke in a more rational lition and other mental faculties are over- manner than a madman could be expected powered and restrained, and his body posses- to speak. The Jews appear to have ascribsed and actuated by some created spiritualed to the influence of demons, not only that being of superior power. Such seems to be the species of madness in which the patient determined sense of the word; but it is dis-is raving and furious, but also melancholy puted whether any of mankind ever were in this unfortunate condition. That the reader may form some judgment, we shall lay before him the arguments on both sides.

madness. Of John, who secluded himself from intercourse with the world, and was distinguished for abstinence and acts of mortification, they said, He hath a damon. The 1. Damoniacs, arguments against the ex-youth, whose father applied to Jesus to free fatence of Those who are unwilling to al-him from an evil spirit, describing his unNow that angels or devils have ever inter- happy condition in these words, Have metry

on my son, for he is lunatic, and sore vexed the following are urged by the Dæmonianwith a damon: for oft times he falleth into || ists. In the days of our Saviour, it would the fire, and oft into the water, was plainly appear that dæmoniacal possession was epileptic Every thing, indeed, that is related very frequent among the Jews and the in the New Testament concerning dæmo- neighbouring nations. Many were the evil niacs, proves that they were people affected spirits whom Jesus is related in the Gospels with such natural diseases as are far from to have ejected from patients that were being uncommon among mankind in the pre- brought unto him as possessed and tormentsent age. When the symptoms of the disor-ed by those malevolent dæmons. His aposders cured by our Saviour and his apostles tles, too, and the first Christians, who were as cases of dæmoniacal possessions correspond most active and successful in the propagation so exactly with those of diseases well known of Christianity, appear to have often exerted as natural in the present age, it would be the miraculous powers with which they were absurd to impute them to a supernatural endowed on similar occasions. The dæmons cause. It is much more consistent with com- displayed a degree of knowledge and malemon sense and sound philosophy, to suppose volence which sufficiently distinguished them that our Saviour and his apostles wisely, and from human beings; and the language in with that condescension to the weakness and which the dæmoniacs are mentioned; and prejudices of those with whom they conversed, the actions and sentiments ascribed to them which so eminently distinguished the chain the New Testament, shew that our Saracter of the Author of our holy religion, viour and his apostles did not consider the and must always be a prominent feature in idea of dæmoniacal possession as being merethe character of the true Christian, adoptedly a vulgar error concerning the origin of a the vulgar language in speaking of those un- disease or diseases produced by natural fortunate persons who were groundlessly causes. The more enlightened cannot alimagined to be possessed with dæmons, ways avoid the use of metaphorical modes though they well knew the notions which of expression; which though founded upon had given rise to such modes of expression error, yet have been so established in lanto be ill founded, than to imagine that dis-guage by the influence of custom, that they eases which arise at present from natural cannot be suddenly dismissed. But in descauses, were produced in days of old by the criptions of characters, in the narration of intervention of dæmons, or that evil spirits facts, and in the laying down of systems of still continue to enter into, mankind in all doctrine, we require different rules to be cases of madness, melancholy, or epilepsy.observed. Should any person, in compliance Besides, it is by no means a sufficient reason with popular opinions talk in serious lanfor receiving any doctrine as true, that it guage of the existence, dispositions, declarahas been generally received through the tions and actions of a race of beings whom world. Error, like an epidemical disease, he knew to be absolutely fabulous, we surely is communicated from one to another. In could not praise him for integrity: we must certain circumstances, too, the influence of suppose him to be either exulting in irony imagination predominates and restrains the over the weak credulity of those around him, exertions of reason. Many false opinions or taking advantage of their weakness, with have extended their influence through a the dishonesty and selfish views of an imposvery wide circle, and maintained it long. tor. And if he himself should pretend to On every such occasion as the present, any connection with this imaginary system of therefore, it becomes us to enquire not so beings; and should claim in consequence of much how generally any opinion has been his connection with them, particular horeceived, or how long it has prevailed, as nours from his contemporaries; whatever from what cause it has originated, and on might be the dignity of his character in all what evidence it rests. When we contemplate other respects, nobody could hesitate to the frame of Nature, we behold a grand brand him as an impostor. In this light must and beautiful simplicity prevailing through we regard the conduct of our Saviour and the whole: notwithstanding its immense ex- his apostles, if the idea of dæmoniacal postent, and though it contains such number-session were to be considered merely as a less diversities of being, yet the simplest machine constructed by human art does not display greater simplicity, or an happier connection of parts We may therefore, infer by analogy, from what is observable of the order of nature in general to the present case, that to permit evil spirits to inter-whom they had possessed. They demanded, meddle with the concerns of human life, would be to break through that order which the Deity appears to have established through his works; it would be to introduce a degree of confusion unworthy of the wisdom of Divine providence.

II. Demoniacs, arguments for the existence of In opposition to these arguments,"

vulgar error. They talked and acted as if they believed that evil spirits had actually entered into those who were brought to them as possessed with devils, and as if those spirits had been actually expelled by their authority out of the unhappy persons

too, to have their possessions and declarations believed, in consequence of their per forming such mighty works, and having thus triumphed over the powers of hell. The reality of dæmoniacal possessions stands upon the same evidence with the Gospel system in general. Nor is there any thing unreasonable in this doctrine. It does not ap

in this sense in the sacred Scripture. Thus it is said in Rom. xiii. 2 "They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation," i. e. condemnation," from the rulers who are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.” Again, in 1 Cor. xi. 29. "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself;" i. e. condemmation; exposes himself to severe temporal judgments from God, and to the judgment and censure of the wise and good. Again, Rom. xiv. 23. "He that doubteth is damned if he eat ;" i. e. is condemned both by his own conscience, and the word of God, because he is far from being satisfied that he is right in so doing.

pear to contradict those ideas which the general appearance of Nature and the series of events suggest, concerning the benevolence and wisdom of the Deity, by which he regulates the affairs of the universe. We often fancy ourselves able to comprehend things to which our understanding is wholly inadequate we persuade ourselves, at times, that the whole extent of the works of the Deity must be well known to us, and that his designs must always be such as we can fathom. We are then ready whenever any difficulty arises to us in considering the conduct of Providence, to model things according to our own ideas; to deny that the Deity can possibly be the author of things which we cannot reconcile; and to assert, that he DANCERS, a sect which sprung up about must act on every occasion in a manner con- 1373 in Flanders, and places about. It was sistent with our narrow views. This is the their custom all of a sudden to fall a dancing pride of reason; and it seems to have sug- and, holding each other's hands, to continue gested the strongest objections that have thereat, till, being suffocated with the extrabeen at any time urged against the reality of ordinary violence, they fall down breathless dæmoniacal possession. But the Deity may together. During these intervals of vehement surely connect one order of his creatures agitation, they pretended to be favoured with with another. We perceive mutual relations wonderful vision. Like the Whippers, they and a beautiful connection to prevail through roved from place to place, begging their all that part of Nature which falls within victuals, holding their secret assemblies, and the sphere of our observation. The inferior treating the priesthood and worship of the animals are connected with mankind, and church with the utmost contempt. Thus we subjected to their authority, not only in infiud, as Dr. Haweis observes, that the French stances in which it is exerted for their ad- Convulsionists aud the Welch Jumpers have vantage, but even where it is tyrannically had predecessors of the same stamp. There abused to their destruction. Among the is nothing new under the sun. Hawes and evils to which mankind have been subject-Mosheim's Ch. Hist. Cent. 14. ed, why might not their being liable to demoniacal possession be one? While the Supreme Being retains the sovereignty of the universe, he may employ whatever agents he thinks proper in the execution of his purposes; he may either commission an an- Darkness, says Moses, was upon the face gel, or let loose a devil; as well as bend of the deep, Gen. i. 2. that is to say, the chaos the human will, or communicate any parti- || was plunged in thick darkness because cular impulse to matter. All that revela- hitherto the light was not created. Moses, at tion makes known, all that human reason the command of God, brought darkness upon can conjecture concerning the existence of Egypt, as a plague to the inhabitants of it. various orders of spiritual beings, good and The Septuagint, our translation of the Bible. bad, is perfectly consistent with, and even and indeed most others, in explaining Mofavourable to, the doctrine of dæmoniacal ses' account of the darkness render it " possession. It is mentioned in the New Tes- darkness which may be felt ;" and the Vul tament in such language, and such narra gate has it." palpable darkness;" that is, a tives are related concerning it, that the darkness consisting of black vapours and exGospels cannot be well regarded in anyhalations, so condensed that they might be other light than as pieces of imposture, and perceived by the organs of feeling or seeing; Jesus Christ must be considered as a man but some commentators think that this is who took advantage of the weakness and carrying the sense too far, since, in such a ignorance of his contemporaries, if this doc-medium as this, mankind could not live an trine be nothing but a vulgar error; it teaches nothing inconsistent with the general conduct of Providence; in short, it is not the caution of philosophy, but the pride of reason that suggests objections against this doctrine. See the essays of Young, Farmer, Worthington, Dr Lardner, Macknight, Fell, Burgh, &c. on Damoniacs; Seed's Posthumous Sermons, ser. vi. and article DEMONIAC in Enc. Brit.

DARKNESS, the absence, privation, or want of natural light. In scripture language it also signifies sin, John iii. 19. trouble, ls. viii. 21. obscurity, privacy. Matt. x, 27. forgetfulness, contempt, Ec. vi. 4.

a

were terrified by the apparitions of evil spirits, or rather by dreadful sounds and murmurs which they made. What made it still worse, was the length of time it continued. Three days, or, as bishop Hall expresses it, six nights in one.

with his writings, by the common hangman DEACON, Axxovos, a servant, a minister, 1. In ecclesiastical polity, a deacon is one of the lowest of the three orders of the clergy. He is rather a novitiate, or in a state of probation for one year, after which he is admitted into full orders, or ordained a priest.

women, whose particular business it was to assist in the entertainment and care of the itinerant preachers, visit the sick and imprisoned, instruct female catechumens, and

larly necessary, from the peculiar customs of those countries, the persecuted state of the church, and the speedier spreading of the Gospel. Such a one it is reasonable to think Phebe was, Rom. xvi. 1. who is expressly called diaxovov, a deaconess or stated servant,

During the last three hours that our Saviour hung upon the cross, a darkness covered 2. In the New Testament the word is used the face of the earth, to the great terror and for any one that ministers in the service of amazement of the people present at his exe- God: bishops and presbyters are also styled cution. This extraordinary alteration in the deacons; but more particularly and generally face of Nature, says Dr. Macknight, in his it is understood of the lowest order of miHarmony of the Gospels, was peculiarlynistering servants in the church, 1 Cor. iii. 5. proper, whilst the Sun of Righteousness was Coli 23, 25 Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. withdrawing his beams from the land of Is- The office of deacons originally was to rael, and from the world; not only because serve tables, the Lord's table, the minister's it was a miraculous testimony borne by God table, and the poor's table. They took care himself to his innocence, but also because it of the secular affairs of the church, receivwas a fit emblem of his departure and its ed and disbursed monies, kept the churches' effects, at least till his light shone out anew accounts, and provided every thing necessawith additional splendour in the ministry of ry for its temporal good. Thus, while the his apostles. The darkness which now co-bishop attended to the souls, the deacons atvered Judea, and the neighbouring countries, tended to the bodies of the people. The pasbeginning about noon, and continuing till Jesus tor to the spiritual, and the deacons the expired, was not the effect of an ordinary temporal interests of the church, Acts vi. eclipse of the sun, for that can never happen DEACONESS, a female deacon. It is but at the new moon, whereas now it was generally allowed, that in the primitive full moon; not to mention that the total dark-Church there were deaconesses, i. e pious ness occasioned by eclipses of the sun never continues above twelve or fifteen minutes wherefore it must have been produced by the divine power, in a manner we are not able to explain Accordingly Luke (chap. xxiii.assist at their baptism; then more particu44,45,) after relating that there was darkness over all the earth, adds, " and the sun was darkened, which perhaps may imply that the darkness of the sun did not occasion, but proceeded from, the darkness that was over all the land Farther, the Christian writers, in their most ancient apologies to the heath-as Doddridge renders it. They were usually ens, affirm, that as it was full moon at the widows, and to prevent scandal generally in passover when Christ was crucified, no such years, 1 Tim. v. 9. See also Spanheim. Hist. eclipse could happen by the course of Nature. Christ. Secul. 1. p. 554. The apostolic conThey observe, also, that it was taken notice stitutions, as they are called, mention the orof as a prodigy by the heathens themselves. dination of a deaconess, and the form of prayDAVIDISTS, the adherents of David er used on that occasion (lib. viii. ch. 19, 20.) George, a native of delft, who, in 1525, be- Pliny, also, in his celebrated epistle to Tragan to preach a new doctrine, publishingjan (xcvii.) is thought to refer to them, when, himself to be the true Messiah; and that he was sent of God to fill heaven, which was quite empty for want of people to deserve it. He is likewise said to have denied the existence of angels, good and evil, and to have disbelieved the doctrine of a future judgment. He rejected marriage with the Adamites. held with Manes, that the soul was not defiled by sin; and laughed at the self-denial so much recommended by Jesus Christ. Suchffice were his principal errors. He made his escape from Delft, and retired first into Friesland, and then to Basil, where he changed his name, assuming that of Jhn Bruck, and died in 1556. He left some disciples behind him, to whom he promised that he would rise again at the end of three years Nor was he alto gether a false prophet herein; for the ma gistrates of that city being informed at th three years' end of what he had taught ordered him to be deg up and burnt, together

speaking of two female Christians whom he put to the torture, he says, quæ ministræ dicebantur, i. e. who were called deaconesses-But as the primitive Christians seem to be led to this practice from the peculiarity of their circumstances, and the Scripture is entirely silent as to any appointment to this supposed office, or any rules about it, it is very justly laid aside, at least as an

DEAN, an ecclesiastical dignitary, next under the bishop in cathedral churches, and head of the chapter. The Latin word is de. canus, derived from the Greek Arxa, ten, because the dean presides over at least ten canons, or prebendaries. A dean and chapter are the bishop's council, to assist him in the affairs of religion.

DEATH is generally defined to be the separation of the soul from the body. It is styl "ed in scripture language, a departure out of