and to him, indeed, is principally ment they had pronounced in this due the glory of having suppress-matter, and to strengthen it by ed this sect in its very birth. their exhortations, their letters, Things went more smoothly and their writings. Zosimus yieldwith Pelagius in the East, where ed to the perseverance of the Afrihe enjoyed the protection and fa-cans, changed his mind, and convour of John, bishop of Jerusalem, demned, with the utmost severity, whose attachment to the senti- Pelagius and Celestius, whom he ments of Origen led him natu- had honoured with his approbarally to countenance those of Pe- tion, and covered with his prolagius, on account of the confor- tection. This was followed by a mity that there seemed to be be- train of evils, which pursued these tween these two systems. Un two monks without interruption. der the shadow of this powerful They were condemned, says Moprotection, Pelagius made a pub- sheim, by that same Ephesian lic profession of his opinions, and council which had launched its formed disciples in several places. thunder at the head of NestoAnd though, in the year 415, he rius. In short, the Gauls, Britons, was accused by Orosius, a Spanish and Africans, by their councils, presbyter, whom Augustin had and emperors by their edicts and sent into Palestine for that pur-penal laws, demolished this sect pose, before an assembly of bishops met at Jerusalem, yet he was dismissed without the least censure; and not only so, but was soon after fully acquitted of all errors by the council of Diospolis.

in its infancy, and suppressed it entirely before it had acquired any tolerable degree of vigour or consistence.

PENANCE, a punishment either voluntary or imposed by auThis controversy was brought thority for the faults a person has to Rome, and referred by Ce- committed. Penance is lestius and Pelagius to the deci- the seven sacraments of the Rosion of Zosimus, who was raised mish church. Besides fasting, to the pontificate, A. D. 417. The alms, abstinence, and the like, new pontiff, gained over by the which are the general conditions ambiguous and seemingly ortho- of penance, there are others of a dox confession of faith that Ce- more particular kind; as the relestius, who was now at Rome, peating a certain number of ave had artfully drawn up, and also marys, paternosters, and credos; by the letters and protestations of wearing a hair shift, and giving Pelagius, pronounced in favour oneself a certain number of stripes. of these monks, declared them In Italy and Spain it is usual to see sound in the faith, and unjustly Christians, almost naked, loaded persecuted by their adversaries.. with chains and lashing themThe African bishops, with Augus-selves at every step. See POPERY. tin at their head, little affecte with this declaration, continue obstinately to maintain the judg

PENITENCE is sometimes used for a state of repentance, and sometimes for the act of repenting.

It is also used for a discipline or were admitted who were above punishment attending repentance, thirty-five years of age. Since its more usually called penance. It reformation by Mary Alvequin, also gives title to several religious in 1616, none have been admitted orders, consisting either of con- but maids, who, however, still reverted debauchees and reformed tain the ancient name, Penitents. prostitutes, or of persons who PENITENTS, an appellation devote themselves to the office of given to certain fraternities of pereclaiming them. See next article. nitents, distinguished by the diffeOrder of Penitents of St. Mag-rent shape and colour of their hadalen was established about the bits. These are secular societies year 1272, by one Bernard, a ci- who have their rules, statutes, and tizen of Marseilles, who devoted churches, and make public proceshimself to the work of converting sions under their particular crosses the courtezans of that city. Ber- or banners. Of these, it is said, nard was seconded by several there are more than a hundred, the others, who forming a kind of most considerable of which are as society, were at length erected in- follow: The White Penitents, of to a religious order by pope Ni- which there are several different cholas III, under the rule of St. sorts at Rome, the most ancient of Augustine. F. Gesney says, they which was constituted in 1264: the also made a religious order of the brethren of this fraternity every penitents, or women they con-year give portions to a certain verted, giving them the same rules number of young girls, in order and observances which they them-to their being married: their haselves kept.

bit is a kind of white sackcloth, and on the shoulder is a circle, in the middle of which is a red and white cross. Black Penitents, the most considerable of which are the Brethren of Mercy, instituted

Congregation of Penitents of St. Magdalen, at Paris, owed its rise to the preaching of F. Tisseran, a Franciscan, who converted a vast number of courtezans, about the year 1492. Louis, duke of Or-in 1488 by some Florentines, in leans, gave them his house for a order to assist criminals during monastery; or rather, as appears their imprisonment, and at the by their constitutions, Charles time of their death. On the day VIII gave them the hotel called of execution they walk in procesBochaigne, whence they were re-sion before them, singing the seven moved to St. George's Chapel, in penitential psalms, and the lita1572, by virtue of a brief of nies; and, after they are dead, pope Alexander. Simon, bishopthey take them down from the gibof Paris, in 1497, drew them up bet, and bury them: their habit is a body of statutes, and gave them black sackcloth. There are others the rule of St. Augustine. It was whose business it is to bury such necessary before a woman could persons as are found dead in the be admitted that she had first com-streets: these wear a death's head mitted the sin of the flesh. None on one side of their habit. There

are also blue, gray, red, green, and violet penitents, all which are remarkable for little else besides the different colours of their habits.

Penitents, or Converts of the Name of Jesus, a congregation of religious at Seville, in Spain, consisting of women, who have led a licentious life, founded in 1550. This monastery is divided into three quarters: one for professed religious; another for novices; a third for those who are under correction. When these last give signs of a real repentance, they are removed into the quarter of the novices, where, if they do not behave themselves well, they are remanded to their correction. They observe the rule of St. Augustine.

that of pope Gregory the Third, &c.

PENITENTIARY, in the ancient Christian church, a irame given to certain presbyters or priests appointed in every church to receive the private confessions of the people, in order to facilitate public discipline, by acquainting them what sins were to be expiated by public penance and to appoint private penance for such private crimes as were not proper to be publicly censured.

Penitentiary, also, in the court of Rome, is an office in which are examined and delivered out the secret bulis, dispensations, &c. Penitentiary is also an officer in some cathedrals vested with power from the bishop to absolve in cases referred to him.

Penitents of Orvieto, are an orPENTATEUCH, from ls, der of nuns instituted by Antony five, and 7%, an instrument or Simoncelli, a gentleman of Orvi- volume, signifies the collection of eto, in Italy. The monastery he the five instruments or books of built was at first designed for the|| Moses, which are Genesis, Exoreception of poor girls abandon-dus, Leviticus, Numbers, and ed by their parents, and in danger Deuteronomy. Some modern wriof losing their virtue. In 1662 it ters, it seems, have asserted that was erected into a monastery, for Moses did not compose the Penthe reception of such as, having tateuch, because the author alabandoned themselves to impu-ways speaks in the third person; rity, were willing to take up, and consecrate themselves to God by solemn vows. Their rule is that of the Carmelites.

PENITENTIAL, an ecclesiastical book retained among the Romanists, in which is prescribed what relates to the imposition of penance, and the reconciliation of penitents. There are various penitentials, as the Roman penitential; that of the venerable Bede;

abridges his narration like a writer who collected from ancient memoirs; sometimes interrupts the thread of his discourse, for example, Gen. iv, 23; and because of the account of the death of Moses at the end, &c. It is observed, also, in the text of the Pentateuch, that there are some places that are defective: for example, in Exodus xii, 8. we see Moses speaking to Pharaoh,

PENTECOST, a solemn festival of the Jews, so called, because it was celebrated fifty days after the feast of the passover, Lev. xxiii, 15. It corresponds with the Christian's Whitsuntide, for which it is sometimes used.

where the author omits the be- port as much: and though some ginning of his discourse. The Sa- passages have been thought to immaritan inserts in the same place ply the contrary, yet this is but what is wanting in the Hebrew. a late opinion, and has been suffiIn other places the same Sama-ciently confuted by several learned ritan copy adds what is deficient men. It is probable, however, that in the Hebrew; and what it con-Ezra published a new edition of tained more than the Hebrew the books of Moses, in which he seems so well connected with the might add those passages that rest of the discourse, that it would many suppose Moses did not be difficult to separate them. Last-write. See Ainsworth and Kidder ly, they think they observe cer- on the Pentateuch; Prideaux's Con., tain strokes in the Pentateuch vol. i, p. 342, 345, 573, 575; which can hardly agree with Mo-Marsh's Authenticity of the Five ses, who was born and bred in Books of Moses considered; WarEgypt; as what he says of the burton's Divine Legation; Fenearthly paradise, of the rivers thatkins's Reasonableness of Christiwatered it, and ran through it;unity; Watson's Apology, let. 2 of the cities of Babylon, Erech, and 3. Resen, and Calneh; of the gold of Pison; of the bdellium, of the stone of Sohem, or onyx stone, which was to be found in that country. These particulars, observed with such curiosity, seem to prove that the author of the Pentateuch lived beyond the Euphrates. Add what he says con-quality of a thing in which it cerning the ark of Noah, of its is free from defect or redundancy. construction, of the place where According to some, it is divided it rested, of the wood wherewith into physical or natural, whereby it was built, of the bitumen of Ba- a thing has all its powers and fabylon, &c. But in answer to all culties; moral, or an eminent these objections it is justly ob-degree of goodness and piety; served, that these books are by and metaphysical or transcendent the most ancient writers ascribed is the possession of all the essento Moses, and it is confirmed by tial attributes or parts necessary the authority of heathen writers to the integrity of a substance; or themselves that they are his wri-it is that whereby a thing has or ting besides this, we have the is provided of every thing beunanimous testimony of the whole longing to its nature; such is the Jewish nation ever since Moses's perfection of God.-The term time. Divers texts of the Penta-perfection, says the great Witteuch imply that it was writtensius, is not always used in the by him; and the book of Joshua same sense in the scripture. 1. and other parts of scripture im- There is a perfection of sincerity,

PERFECTION, that state or

PERMISSION OF SIN. See

SIN.

whereby a man serves God with- || his omniscience; profaning his out hypocrisy, Job i, 1. Is. xxxviii, name, and violating truth. It has 3.-2. There is a perfection of always been esteemed a very departs, subjective with respect to testable thing, and those who the whole man, 1st Thess. v, 23. || have been proved guilty of it have and objective with respect to the been looked upon as the pests of whole law, when all the duties society. See OATH. prescribed by God are observed, Psal. cxix, 128. Luke i, 6.-3. There is a comparative perfection PERSECUTION is any pain ascribed to those who are ad-or affliction which a person devanced in knowledge, faith, and signedly inflicts upon another; sanctification, in comparison of and, in a more restrained sense, those who are still infants and un-the sufferings of Christians on taught, 1st John ii, 13. 1st Cor. ii, account of their religion. Perse6. Phil. iii, 15.-4. There is an cution is threefold. 1. Mental, evangelical perfection. The righte- when the spirit of a man riseth ousness of Christ being imputed up and opposes another.-2. Verto the believer, he is complete in bal, when men give hard words him, and accepted of God as and deal in uncharitable censures. perfect through Christ, Col. ii, 3. Actual, or open by the hand, 10. Eph. v, 27. 2d Cor. v, 21.-such as the dragging of innocent 5. There is also a perfection of persons before the tribunal of jusdegrees, by which a person per- tice, Matt. x, 18. The unlawfulforms all the commands of God ness of persecution for conscience with the full exertion of all his sake must appear plain unto every powers, without the least defect, one that possesses the least degree This is what the law of God re- of thought or of feeling. “To quires, but what the saints cannot banish, imprison, plunder, starve, attain to in this life, though we hang, and burn men for religion,' willingly allow them all the other says the shrewd Jortin, "is not kinds above-mentioned, Rom. vii, the Gospel of Christ; it is the 24. Phil. iii, 12. 1st John i, 8. gospel of the devil. Where perseWitsii Economia Federum Dei, cution begins, Christianity ends. lib. iii, cap. 12, § 124; Bates's Christ never used any thing that Works, p. 557, &c.; Law and looked like force or violence, exWesley on perfection; Doddridge's cept once; and that was to drive Lectures, lec. 181. bad men out of the temple, and PERFECTIONS OF GOD not to drive them in." See ATTRIBUTES.

PERJURY is the taking of an oath, in order to tell or confirm a falsehood. This is a very heinous crime, as it is treating the Almighty with irreverence; denying, or at least discarding

We know the origin of it to be from the prince of darkness, who began the dreadful practice in the first family on earth, and who, more or less, has been carrying on the same work ever since, and that almost among all parties. "Perse