sation of the woman of Sychar, we learn that even the more corrupt class had some knowledge of the Messiah, and expected his appearance, John iv. 25.

2. The Sadducees were a kind of deists. They received their appellation from Sadoc their founder, who lived B. c. 280 years. At first they rejected only the traditions of the elders, as being destitute of divine authority, but afterwards they adopted many impious notions like those of Epicurus, a heathen philosopher, and rejected the whole of the sacred writings except the five books of Moses. They denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul. They admitted the being and providence of Almighty God; but they rejected the doctrine of rewards and punishments in a future state. Josephus, the Jewish historian, observes, "Whenever they sat in judgment upon criminals, they always were for the severest sentence against them. He also says, "Their number was the fewest of all the sects of the Jews: but they were only those of the best quality, and of the greatest riches among them.

3. The Pharisees were the principal sect among the Jews; and though they were haughty despisers of the common people, the vulgar entertained such an opinion of their sanctity, that it became a common notion among them, that if only two persons were received into heaven one of them must be a pharisee. The greater part of the doctors of the law and the scribes were of this party. They esteemed the traditions of the wise men as of nearly equal authority with the word of God, and generally gave them the preference! They were intolerably proud of their religious attainments; supposing themselves to merit the divine favour by their duties and observances. On these accounts they were justly characterised by our Lord as grossly hypocritical, and at a greater distance from the kingdom of God than even publicans and harlots.

4. The Essenes were a rigid sect of the Jews, a branch of the pharisees; but they entered upon a more

mortified way of living, and were probably more free from hypocrisy. Though our Saviour often censured the other sects, we have no account of his mentioning them; nor are they noticed specifically by the writers of the New Testament. This has been accounted for by their living in solitary places, somewhat in the manner of the Romish monks, and from their seldom coming to the temple or into public assemblies. Many suppose that John the Baptist lived among them. They believed in a future state of happiness, but doubted of the resurrection. They mostly disallowed marriage, adopting the children of the poor to train up in their principles. Candidates for communion with them were in probation for three years, and when fully admitted, they were required to bind themselves to worship God, to practise justice, to conceal none of their mysteries from any of the society, and to communicate them to no other, even to save their lives. They despised riches, and held their property common; they were remarkably abstemious, ate at a common table, and were extremely plain in their apparel.

5. The Scribes among the Jews were not a particular sect, but transcribers of the sacred books; also persons who addicted themselves to literary pursuits; they were interpreters of the law and instructors of the people.

6. The Herodians were not so much a religious sect as a political party. They complied with many heathen practices to ingratiate themselves with Herod and his patrons the Romans.

7. The Galileans, or Gaulonites, appear to have been a turbulent political party among the Jews, rather than a religious sect. Their first leader was Judas the Galilean, Acts v. 37.

8. The Libertines, Acts vi. 9, were such Jews or proselytes as were free citizens of Rome, having a synagogue in Jerusalem peculiar to themselves.

CHAPTER X.-HERESIES AND SECTS MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

It will be evident to every reader of the New Testament, that during the apostolic age many pernicious heresies infested the infant churches. Some of them were introduced by judaizing teachers, who wished to incorporate the Levitical ceremonies with the simplicity of the gospel. Others arose from a false philosophy which was borrowed from the heathen, and which the apostle denounces as vain deceit, Col. ii. 8. To draw up a detailed account of these pagan principles, would be unsatisfactory in itself and unsuitable to this work; yet it seems indispensable to give some short notices concerning the chief of them.

1. The Nicolaitanes have been supposed to have had Nicolas, one of the seven deacons, for their leader in false doctrine and immorality: but this seems contrary to his character, as declared by the evangelists, Acts vi, and we have no evidence that Nicolas, the deacon, ever departed from the faith of the gospel. These corrupters of religion were a kind of practical antinomians; they allowed themselves to participate in the sacrifices of the idolaters, and indulged in the vilest impurities to the scandal of their profession, and to the destruction of their souls.

2. The Antichrists mentioned by the apostle, 1 John ii. 18, were certain heretical teachers, whose principles contradicted the true doctrines of the gospel. They were called Ebionites, from one Ebion; Cerinthians, from one Cerinthus; and Gnostics, from gnosis, a Greek word signifying knowledge. Simon Magnus, Acts viii. 9-24, is said to have been the parent of these heresies. It is difficult to ascertain precisely what doctrines these heretics taught; some making a distinction between Jesus and the Christ; some denying the divine nature of our Lord, and others his humanity; some rejecting his vicarious atonement, and all disregarding his holy precepts. To refute and destroy their pernicious absurd

ities, the apostle John was inspired to write his gospel and epistles, testifying the proper Godhead, the real manhood, and the propitiatory sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour. John i. 1-3. 14; 1 John i. 1, 2; ii. 18–24; iii. 1. 3. 9, 10.

3. The Stoics, Acts xvii. 18, were pagan philosophers, the founder of whose sect was Zeno, who flourished about 350 years before the Christian era. They affected a perfect indifference to both pleasure and pain, professing to believe that all things are governed by an irresistible necessity called fate, which was superior to the will of all their gods.

4. The Epicureans were another sect of philosophers, who were the disciples of Epicurus, an Athenian, who flourished about 300 years before the Christian era. They taught principles the very opposite to the Stoics; they ascribed all things to chance, and consider pleasure as the chief good.

CHAPTER XI.-FULFILLED Prophecies of the Bible. THE evidence arising from the fulfilment of prophecy that the Bible was given by divine inspiration, is at once edifying to the believer and confounding to the infidel. "God in his goodness hath afforded to every age sufficient evidence of his truth. Miracles may

be said to have been the greatest proofs of revelation to the first ages, who saw them performed. Prophecies may be said to be the great proofs of revelation to the last ages, who see them fulfilled." It does not comport with the design of this little manual to embrace all the predictions of the Bible: nor even the principal of those which relate to all the momentous subjects of prophecy. Those which relate to our Lord Jesus Christ alone would require a whole volume. It is designed to notice, and that as briefly as possible, only a few of those relating to nations and countries, the fulfilment of which is remarkable, and the proofs of which

are manifest to all observers, even in our own days. For further information the reader is referred to Keith on the Evidence of Prophecy.

SECTION I. THE ARABS.

The Arabs claim their descent from Ishmael, the son of Abraham. Concerning him, an angel of the Lord announced to his mother, before his birth: "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. Behold thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him and he shall dwell in the presence of his brethren," Gen. xvi. 10-12.

The divine promise concerning Ishmael has been wonderfully verified. In a few years the family of Ishmael was so increased, that in Gen. xxxvii we read of Ishmaelites trading into Egypt. His posterity was multiplied exceedingly in the Hagarenes, probably so called from his mother Hagar; in the Nabatheans, who had their names from his eldest son Nebaioth; in the Itureans, so called from his son Itur; and in the Arabs or Saracens, who overran a great part of the world, and who remain to this day a numerous people. Ishmael himself subsisted by rapine in the wilderness; and his posterity, in every succeeding age, infested Arabia and the neighbouring countries by predatory incursions. Every petty chief, in his own district considers himself a sovereign prince; and though seemingly divided, they are all united in a sort of league. They live in a state of continual war with the rest of the world, generally robbers by land and pirates by sea. And, as they have been such enemies to the rest of mankind, it can excite no surprise, that, in return, mankind have always been enemies to them. In every age, travellers have been obliged to traverse their country in caravans or large companies, with arms for their protection, and, to defend themselves from the assaults of these freebooters, to march with their sentinels, to