They contain the chronology of ancient history, from 1582 to 355 B.C., and said to have been sculptured 264 B.C. They were found in the Isle of Paros about 1610. The characters are Greek, of which there are two translations.

JESUITS.

The Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus, derive their origin from one Ignatius, who was born in the Castle of Loyola in 1495, in Guipuscoa, a part of Biscay near the Pyrenees. He was bred up in the court of Charles V., and was famed for his licentious vices and pleasures. He went into the army, and served in the garrison of Pampeluna when besieged by the French in 1521, where he was wounded in the left leg, and had his right one broken.

Ribadeneira, in his Lives of the Saints, says, that St. Peter appeared to Ignatius on the eve of his feast, and with a very gracious aspect said, that he was come to cure him. From the time of this visit, says this Chronicler of the Saints, Ignatius grew much better, and not long after recovered his perfect health; but as he was a spruce young gallant, desirous to appear in the most neat and comely fashion, he caused the end of a bone which stuck out under his knee, and did somewhat disfigure his leg, to be cut off, that so his boot might sit more handsomely, as he himself told me, thinking it to be against his honour that such a deformity should be in his leg: nor would he be bound while the bone was sawed off.

Another biographer of Ignatius says, that although he was restored to health, his right leg nevertheless remained shorter than his left. Attired in the coarsest garb, he made a pilgri mage to Rome; for, as there is but one step between the ludicrous and sublime, so Ignatius Loyola, or Ignatius of Loyola, was transformed from the gay and debonair to the self-mortifying saint. He soon met with those who were as enthusiastic as himself; and having assembled ten of them at Rome in the 1538, he proposed to substitute a new order, and for this purpose applied to Pope Paul III., then reigning. The historian Robertson says—

year

"The pope, to whom Loyola had applied for the sanction of his authority to confirm the institution, referred his petition to a Committee of Cardinals. They represented the establishment to be unnecessary, as well as dangerous, and Paul refused to grant his approbation of it. At last Loyola removed all his scruples, by an offer which it was impossible for any pope to resist. He proposed that, besides the three vows of poverty, of chastity, and of monastic obedience, which are common to all the orders of regulars, the members of his society should take a further vow of obedience to the Pope; binding themselves to go whithersoever

he should command, for the service of religion, and without requiring any thing from the holy see for their support. At a time when the Papal authority had received such a shock by the revolt of so many nations from the Romish church; at a time when every part of the Popish system was attacked with so much violence and success, the acquisition of a body of men thus peculiarly devoted to the See of Rome, and whom it might set in opposition to all its enemies, was an object of the highest consequence. Paul, instantly perceiving this, confirmed the institution of the Jesuits by his bull, granted the most ample privileges to the members of the society, and appointed Loyola to be the first General of the order. This event hath fully justified Paul's discernment, in expecting such beneficial consequences to the See of Rome from this institution. In less than half a century the society obtained establishments in every country that adhered to the Roman Catholic church; its power and wealth increased amazingly; the number of its members became great; their character, as well as accomplishments, became greater; and the Jesuits were celebrated by the friends, and dreaded by the enemies of the Romish faith, as the most able and enterprising order in the church."

ORDER OF SERVITES.

A religious order of the church of Rome, founded about the year 1233 by seven Florentine merchants, who, with the approbation of the Bishop of Florence, renounced the world, and lived together in religious community on Mount Senar, two leagues from that city. It is said, that when they first appeared in the black habit given them by the Bishop, the very children at the breast cried out "See the Servants of the Virgin!" and that this miracle determined them to take no other name than "Servites,' or "Servants of the Virgin." The order was reformed in 1593, and continues to exist in Italy. There are also Nuns of this order, who have several monasteries in Germany, Italy, and Flanders.

THE CHURCH CATHOLIC.

The Church-meaning by that term the Catholic or Universal Church mentioned in the Creeds-is that society instituted by our Blessed Lord, and completed by his Apostles. Its prescribed form of admission is Baptism; its constant badge of membership is the sacrament of the Eucharist; its officers are bishops and priests, assisted by deacons.

The term Catholic was first applied to the Christian Church to distinguish it from the Jewish; the latter being confined to a single nation, the former being open to all who should seek admission into it by Holy Baptism. Hence the Christian Church is general or universal. The first regularly organized Christian

Church was formed at Jerusalem. When Churches were formed afterwards at Samaria, Antioch, and other places, these were not looked upon as entirely separate bodies, but as branches of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. St. Paul says (1 Cor. xii. 13), By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body; and (Ephes. iv. 4), There is one Body and one Spirit. A Catholic Church means a branch of this one great society, as the Church of England is said to be a Catholic Church; the Catholic Church includes all the Churches in the world under their legitimate bishops. From this may be seen the absurdity of calling the Papists Catholics. The Romanists or Papists belong to a peculiar society, in which errors have been added by a Synod at Trent to the orthodox faith. But when we call them Catholics, we as much as call ourselves heretics, we as much as admit them to be orthodox. And they gladly avail themselves of this admission, on the part of some ignorant Protestants, to hold up an argument against the Church of England. Pacian being asked why Christians were called Catholics, answered, it was to distinguish them from heretics, and added, "Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname.”

PROTESTANTS.

The following circumstances gave birth to the name Protestants, now given to such a large body of Christians.

In the year 1529, in a diet of the Princes of the Empire, held at Spires, it was decreed by the majority,―That in those places where the Edict of Worms had been received, it would be lawful for no one to change his religion; that in those places where the new Lutheran religion was exercised, it should be maintained until the meeting of a council, if the ancient, the Popish religion, could not be restored without danger of disturbing the public peace; but that the mass should not be abolished, nor the Papists hindered from the free exercise of their religion, nor any one of them be allowed to embrace Lutheranism; that the Sacramentarians should be banished the empire; that the Anabaptists should be punished with death; and that no preacher should explain the Gospel in any other sense than what was approved by the church. Six Princes of the empire entered their protest against this decree. John, Elector of Saxony; George, Margrave of Brandenburgh; Ernest and Francis, Dukes of Lunenburgh and Brunswick; Philip, Landgrave of Hesse; and Wolfang, Prince of Anhalt.

From this protest the followers of Luther first obtained the name of Protestants, which was afterwards used as a general term to denote all who protest against Popery. The word does not occur in the liturgical formularies of the English Church, and is now popularly used as a term of negation. Protestant is the negative, Catholic the definite name of all orthodox Christians.

LOLLARD.

The term Lollard is derived from a Waldensian pastor, Walter Lollard, who was burnt alive for these doctrines at Cologne in 1322. At the close of the fourteenth century it was given to the followers of Wickliffe.

MAHOMETAN.

The Mahometan religion derives its name from Mahomet of Mecca, who originally was nothing more than a private soldier. He had many enemies even in his native place, from whence he fled in 622 to Arabia. His followers compute their time from this era, which in Arabic is called Hegira, i. e., the Flight. The Koran, commonly called the book of Allah, is a collection of all those various fragments which the prophet, during the time of his apostolic office, successively promulgated as so many revelations from heaven.

METHODISM.

A writer does Mr. Whitfield the honour of being the first author of Methodism, whom he also calls a fellow of Pembroke College, in Oxford. Mr. Whitfield, however, was not concerned in the first institution of Methodism, though he has since made so shining a figure amongst them; for some years before he came to the University, Mr. John Wesley, fellow of Lincoln College, his brother Charles, a student of Christ Church, Mr. Clayton of Brazen Nose, and two or three more young gentlemen, with very laudable intention, agreed to spend two or three evenings together in a week, in reading history or other entertaining books, instead of drinking, which at that time was too much in vogue among the young people of the University. The Sunday evenings they appropriated to religious authors, which soon convinced them of the great neglect of practical religion in that place, as well as in other parts of the kingdom. In consequence of these convictions, they formed themselves into a society, and raised a small fund for charitable uses; to relieve the necessitous, buy medicines for the sick, and to disperse books amongst the ignorant. They agreed also to go occasionally and visit the prisoners in the Castle, who at that time were much neglected; and that they might have the more leisure for these charitable offices, without breaking in too much upon the business of their Colleges, they were obliged to fix stated hours for these employments, and their other religious exercises, to which they were directed by Mr. Nelson's Practice of Devotion. This strict regularity and methodical conduct, after some time acquired them the name of Methodists; though not without allusion probably to an ancient school of physicians of that denomination.

* Historical Review of the Transactions of Europe.

MORAVIANS.

The founder of this religious society was Nicholas Lewes, Count Zinzendorf, a native of Saxony, who died at Chelsea in 1760. The Society was first instituted in Moravia, from whence they derived their appellation. Their principal establishment in England is in the neighbourhood of Bradford, in Yorkshire.

QUAKERS.

The sect denominated Quakers first appeared in the year 1650, in the reign of Charles II.; they were founded by one Fox, who, in 1665, after a series of persecutions, was confined in Scarborough Castle. The year preceding, sixty Quakers were put on board the ship Black Eagle, and exported to America.* Such was the persecution this sect met with in the reign of their "good friend Charles," as they denominated him, as will be seen from the following remarkable address which they presented to James II., on his accession to the throne:-"We are come to testify our sorrow for the death of our good friend Charles, and our joy at thy being made our Governor. We are told thou art not of the Church of England any more than we; and therefore we hope, thou will grant unto us the same liberty which thou allowest thyself."

The derivation of the term Quaker is somewhat obscure; but as the Ranters are thus denominated from their ranting, or boisterous worship, so it may be fairly concluded that Quakers received that appellation from the meekness of theirs; being, during their worship, or supposed to be, in a state of fear and trembling, or in other words, quaking for their offences.

BIBLE AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.

The principal Societies which have for their exclusive object the dispersion of the Scriptures, and the propagation of the Christian religion are the following:

Founded.

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,

1698

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 1701

Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge,

1709

Moravian Missions,

1731

Naval and Military Bible Society,

1780