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manner in which it is brought | Power, on whom depends the accomplishment of our wishes and designs? Fondly we had projected some favourite plan: we thought that we had forecast, and provided for all that might happen; we had taken our measures with such vigilant prudence, that on every

about. Nothing can be more clear, from the testimony of scripture, than that God takes part in all that happens among mankind; directing and over-ruling the whole course of events so as to make every one of them answer the designs of his wise and right-side we seemed to ourselves pereous government. We cannot, in- fectly guarded and secure; but, deed, conceive God acting as the lo! some little event hath come governor of the world at all, unless about, unforeseen by us, and in its his government were to extend to consequences at the first seemingall the events that happen. It is ly inconsiderable, which yet hath upon the supposition of a particu- turned the whole course of things lar providence that our worship into a new direction, and blasted and prayers to him are founded. all our hopes. At other times our All his perfections would be utter- counsels and plans have been perly insignificant to us, if they were mitted to succeed: we then apnot exercised, on every occasion, plauded our own wisdom, and sat according as the circumstances of down to feast on the happiness we his creatures required. The Al- had attained. To our surprise we mighty would then be no more found that happiness was not there, than an unconcerned spectator of and that God's decree had apthe behaviour of his subjects, re-pointed it to be only vanity. We garding the obedient and the re-labour for prosperity, and obtain bellious with an equal eye.

it not. Unexpected, it is some"The experience of every one times made to drop upon us as of also, must, more or less, bear tes- its own accord. The happiness of timony to it. We need not for man depends on secret springs too this purpose have recourse to nice and delicate to be adjusted those sudden and unexpected vi- by human art: it requires a facissitudes which have sometimes vourable combination of external astonished whole nations, and circumstances with the state of his drawn their attention to the conown mind. To accomplish on spicuous hand of heaven. We every occasion such a combinaneed not appeal to the history of tion, is far beyond his power; the statesman and the warrior; of but it is what God can at all the ambitious and the enterpriz-times effect; as the whole series of ing. We confine our observation to those whose lives have been most plain and simple, and who had no desire to depart from the ordinary train of conduct. In how many instances have we found, that we are held in subjection to a higher

external causes are arranged according to his pleasure, and the hearts of all men are in his hands, to turn them wheresoever he wills as rivers of water. From the imperfection of our knowledge to ascertain what is good for us, and from

Forsyth's Piece on Providence,Enc.
Brit.; Wollaston's Religion of Na-
ture delineated, sec. 5; Thomson's
Seasons, Winter, conclusion.

the defect of our power to bring about that good when known, arise all those disappointments which continually testify that the way of man is not in himself; that he is not the master of his own lot; that, though he may devise, it is God who directs; God, who can make the smallest incident an effectual instrument of his providence for overturning the most la-" The knowledge of what is to be boured plans of men.

PRUDENCE is the act of suiting words and actions according to the circumstance of things, or ru'es of right reason. Cicero thus defines it: "Est rerum expetendarum fugiendarum scientia."

desired or avoided." Grove thus: "Accident, and chance, and "Prudence is an ability of judging fortune, are words which we often what is best in the choice both of hear mentioned, and much is ends and means." Mason thus: ascribed to them in the life of man. “ Prudence is a conformity to the But they are words without mean-rules of reason, truth, and decening; or, as far as they have any cy, at all times, and in all circumsignification, they are no other stances. It differs from wisdom than names for the unknown ope- only in degree; wisdom being norations of Providence; for it is thing but a more consummate certain that in God's universe no-habit of prudence; and prudence thing comes to pass causelessly, or a lower degree or weaker habit of in vain. Every event has its own wisdom." It is divided into, 1. determined direction. That chaos Christian prudence, which directs of human affairs and intrigues to the pursuit of that blessedness where we can see no light, that which the Gospel discovers by the mass of disorder and confusion use of Gospel means.-2. Moral which they often present to our prudence has for its end peace and view, is all clearness and order in satisfaction of mind in this world, the sight of Him who is governing and the greatest happiness after and directing all, and bringing death.-3. Civil prudence is the forward every event in its due knowledge of what ought to be time and place. The Lord sitteth done in order to secure the outon the flood. The Lord maketh the ward happiness of life, consisting wrath of man to praise him, as he in prosperity, liberty, &c.-4. Momaketh the hail and the rain obey nastic, relating to any circumstanhis word. He hath prepared his ces in which a man is not charged throne in the heavens; and his king-with the care of others.-5. ŒEcodom ruleth over all. A man's heart nomical prudence regards the condeviseth his way, but the Lord di- duct of a family.-6. Political recteth his steps." See Charnock, refers to the good government of Flavel, Hopkins, Sherlock, and Col- a state. lings on Providence; Gill's Body of The idea of prudence, says one, Div.; Ridgley's Body of Div., qu. includes ex, or due consul18; Blair's Ser., ser. 18, vol. v;tation; that is, concerning such

things as demand consultation in
a right manner, and for a compe-
tent time, that the resolution taken
up may be neither too precipitate
nor too slow; and overis, or a fa-
culty of discerning proper means
when they occur. To the per-
fection of prudence these three
things are further required, viz.
δεινότη, or a
natural sagacity;
Ayxo,, presence of mind, or a
ready turn of thought; and E-
sip, or experience.

psalms were sung alternately, the congregation dividing themselves into two parts, and singing verse about, in their turns. There was also a fourth way of singing, pretty common in the fourth century, which was when a single person began the verse, and the people joined with him in the close: this was often used for variety in the same service, with alternate psalmody. See SINGING.

PSATYRIANS, a sect of Ari

och, held in the year 360, maintained that the Son was not like the Father as to will; that he was taken from nothing, or made of nothing; and that in God's generation was not to be distinguished from creation.

Plato styles prudence the lead-ans who, in the council of Antiing virtue; and Cicero observes, "that not one of the virtues can want prudence ;" which is certainly most true, since without prudence to guide them, piety would degenerate into superstition, zeal into bigotry, temperance into austerity, courage into rashness, and justice itself into folly. See Watts's Ser., ser. 28; Grove's Moral Phil., vol. ii, ch. 2; Mason's Christian Mor., vol. i, ser. 4; Evans's Christian Temper, ser. 38. PSALMODY, the art or act of singing psalms. Psalmody was always esteemed a considerable part of devotion, and usually performed in the standing posture; and as to the manner of pronunciation, the plain song was sometimes used, being a gentle inflection of the voice, not much different from reading, like the chant in cathe-soever, though no more than an drals; at other times more artificial compositions were used, like our anthems.

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PURGATORY is a place in which the just who depart out of this life are supposed to expiate certain offences which do not merit eternal damnation. Broughton has endeavoured to prove that this notion has been held by Pagans, Jews, and Mahometans, as well as by Christians; and that, in the days of the Maccabees, the Jews believed that sin might be expiated by sacrifice after the death of the sinner. The arguments advanced by the Papists for purgatory are these: 1. Every sin, how slight

idle word, as it is an offence to God, deserves punishment from him, and will be punished by him hereafter, if not cancelled by repentance here.-2. Such small sins do not deserve eternal punishment.-3. Few depart this life so pure as to be totally exempt from spots of this nature, and

general commemoration of all the faithful departed in every mass and in every one of the canonical hours of the divine office. Besides the above arguments, the following passages are alleged as proofs: 2d Maccabees xii, 43, 44, 45. Matt. xii, 31, 32. 1st Cor. iii, 15. 1st Pet. iii, 19. But it may be observed, 1. That the books of Maccabees have no evidence of inspiration, therefore quotations from them are not to be regarded.-2. If they were, the texts referred to would rather prove that there is no such place as purgatory, since Judas did not expect the souls departed to reap any benefit from his sin-offering till the resurrection.

The texts quoted

from every kind of debt due to God's justice.-4. Therefore few will escape without suffering something from his justice for such debts as they have carried with them out of this world, according to that rule of Divine justice by which he treats every soul hereafter according to its works, and according to the state in which he finds it in death. From these propositions, which the Papist considers as so many self-evident truths, he infers that there must be some third place of punishment; for since the infinite goodness of God can admit nothing into heaven which is not clean and pure from all sin, both great and small, and his infinite justice can permit none to receive the reward of bliss who from the scriptures have no referas yet are not out of debt, but ence to this doctrine, as may be have something in justice to suffer, seen by consulting the context, there must, of necessity, be some and any just commentator thereplace or state, where souls depart-on.-3. Scripture, in general, ing this life, pardoned as to the speaks of departed souls going imexternal guilt or pain, yet obnoxi-mediately at death to a fixed state ous to some temporal penalty, or of happiness or misery, and gives with the guilt of some venial faults, are purged and purified before their admittance into heaven. And this is what he is taught concerning purgatory, which, though he know not where it is, of what nature the pains are, or how long each soul is detained there, yet he believes that those who are in this place are relieved by the prayers of their fellow members here on earth, as also by alms and masses offered up to God for their souls. And as for such as have no relations or friends to pray for them, or give alms or procure masses for their relief, they are not neglected by the church, which makes a

us no idea of purgatory, Isa. lvii, 2. Rev. xiv, 13. Luke xvi, 22. 2d Cor. v, 8.-4. It is derogatory from the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction. If Christ died for us, and redeemed us from sin and hell, as the scripture speaks, then the idea of farther meritorious suffering detracts from the perfection of Christ's work, and places meritstill in the creature; a doctrine exactly opposite to scripture. See Dod dridge's Lec., lec. 270; Limborch's Theol. I. 6, ch. 10, § 10, 22; Earl's Sermon, in the Sermons against Popery, vol. ii, No. 1; Burnett on the Art. 22; Fleury's Catechism, vol. ii, p. 250.

mony which consists in cleansing any thing from pollution or defilement. Purifications are common to Jews, Pagans, and Mahometans. See IMPURITY.

PURIFICATION, a cere- they obtained the name of Puritans. The queen made many attempts to repress every thing that appeared to her as an innovation in the religion established by her authority, but without success: by PURITANS, a name given in her almost unlimited authority she the primitive church to the Nova- readily checked open and avowed tians, because they would never opposition, but she could not exadmit to communion any one, who, tinguish the principles of the Purifrom dread of death, had aposta- tans, by whom alone,' accordtized from the faith: but the word ing to Mr. Hume, 'the precious has been chiefly applied to those spark of liberty had been kindled who were professed favourers of and was preserved, and to whom a farther degree of reformation the English owe the whole freeand purity in the church before the dom of their constitution.' Some act of uniformity, in 1662. After secret attempts that had been this period, the term noncon-made by them to establish a sepaformists became common, to rate congregation and discipline which succeeds the appellation had been carefully repressed by Dissenter.

the strict hand which Elizabeth held over all her subjects. The most, therefore, that they could effect was, to assemble in private houses, for the purpose of worshipping God according to the dictates of their own consciences. These practices were at first connived at, but afterwards every mean was taken to suppress them, and the most cruel methods were made use of to discover persons who were disobedient to the royal pleasure."

During the reign of queen Elizabeth, in which the royal prerogative was carried to its utmost limits, there were found many daring spirits who questioned the right of the sovereign to prescribe and dictate to her subjects what principles of religion they should profess, and what forms they ought to adhere to. The ornaments and habits worn by the clergy in the preceding reign, when the Romish religion and rites were triumphant, Elizabeth was The severe persecutions carried desirous of preserving in the Pro-on against the Puritans during the testant service. This was the reigns of Elizabeth and the Stucause of great discontent among a arts, served to lay the foundation large body of her subjects: multi-of a new empire in the western tudes refused to attend at those world. Thither as into a wilderchurches where the habits and ce- ness they fled from the face of remonies were used; the conform-their persecutors, and, being proing clergy they treated with con-tected in the free exercise of their tumely; and, from the superior religion, continued to increase, till purity and simplicity of the modes in about a century and a half they of worship to which they adhered, became an independent nation.

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