PROPITIATION PROSPERITY way of thanksgiving; and extraordinary cars clergy in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Instituted | Among the Jews, there were both ordinary and for the purpose of promoting knowledge and piety. public sacrifices, as holocausts, &c. offered The ministers of a particular division at a set time met together in some church of a market or other large town, and there each in their order explained, according to their abilities, some portion of Scripture allotted to them before. This done, a moderator made his observations on what had been said, and determined the true sense of the place, a certain space of time being fixed for despatching the whole. These institutions, like all others, however, it seems, were abused, by irregularity, disputations, and divisions. Archbishop Grindal endeavoured to regulate the prophesyings, and cover them from the objections that the court made against them, by enjoining the ministers to observe decency and order, by forbidding them to meddle with politics and church government, and by prohibiting all nonconformist ministers and laymen from being speakers. The queen, however, was resolved to suppress them; and having sent for the archbishop, told him she was informed that the rites and ceremonies of the church were not duly observed in these prophesyings; that persons not lawfully called to be ministers exercised in them; that the assemblies themselves were illegal, not being allowed by public authority; that the laity neglected their secular affairs by repairing to these meetings, which filled their heads with notions, and might occasion disputes and sedition in the state; that it was good for the church to have but few preachers, three or four in a county being sufficient. She further declared her dislike of the number of these exercises, and therefore commanded him peremptorily to put them down. The archbishop, however, instead of obeying the commands of his royal mistress, thought that she had made some infringement upon his office, and wrote the queen a long and earnest letter, de-LOGY OF FAITH. claring that his conscience would not suffer him PROSELYTE, a new convert to somet to comply with her commands. The queen was gion or religious sect. Among the Heb so inflamed with this letter, that the archbishop proselytes were distinguished into two sorts: 5 was sequestered from his office, and he never af- first called proselytes of the gate, because se terwards recovered the queen's favour. Thus ed to live among them, and were those who ended the prophesyings; "an useful institution," served the moral law only, and the rules pes says Neale, for promoting Christian knowledge on the children of Noah; the second were and piety, at a time when both were at a very proselytes of justice, who engaged to receive low ebb in the nation. The queen put them down cumcision, and the whole law of Moses, ata, e for no other reason, but because they enlightened joyed all the privileges of a native Hebrew. the people's minds in the Scriptures, and encou- PROSEUCHE, from #pewz, signifies prit raged their inquiries after truth; her majesty be-er; but it is taken for the places of prayer of a ing always of opinion that knowledge and learn-Jews, and was pretty near the same as the ing in the laity would only endanger their nagogues. But the synagogues were org - peaceable submission to her absolute will and in the cities, and were covered places; wb pleasure." PROPHET, a person who foretels future events. It is particularly applied to such inspired persons among the Jews as were commissioned by God to declare his will and purpose to that people. See PROPHECY. False Prophets. See IMPOSTORS; and Josephus's History of the Jews. Sons of the Prophets, an appellation given to young men who were educated in the schools or colleges under a proper master, who was commonly, if not always, an inspired prophet, in the knowledge of religion, and in sacred music, and thus were qualified to be public preachers, 1 Sam. x.; xi.; 2 Sam. xix. ; 2 Kings i. PROPITIATION, a sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath, and render him propitious. The propitiation made by Jesus Christ is the which atones for and covers our guilt, as 1.2 mercy-seat did the tables of the law; or d be defined thus: "It is the averting the paral ment due to any one, by undergoing the pea in the room of the guilty." Thus Jesus Cond is called the propitiation or atonement, is 2 complete righteousness appeases his Father, satisfies his law and justice for all our trang sions. See ATONEMENT, and books under the article. PROPORTION OF FAITH. See for the most part, the proseuches were out o cities, and on the banks of the rivers, havin covering, except, perhaps, the shade of sunet or covered galleries, Acts xvi. 13. PROSPERITY, a state wherein things sa ceed according to our wishes, and are prot of affluence and ease. However desira perity be, it has its manifest disadvanta too often alienates the soul from God; **** pride; exposes to temptation; hardens the b-occasions idleness; promotes effeminacy zeal and energy; and, too often, has a bare" » lative influence. It is no wonder, therefore the Almighty in general withholds it to m children; and that adversity should be th rather than prosperity. Indeed adversity west more beneficial on the whole, although a b» PROVIDENCE PROVIDENCE unpleasant to our feelings. "The advantages of prosperity," says Bacon, "are to be wished; but the advantages of adversity are to be admired. The principal virtue of prosperity is temperance; the principal virtue of adversity is fortitude, which in morality is allowed to be the most heroical virtue; prosperity best discovers vice; adversity best discovers virtue, which is like those perfumes that are most fragrant when burnt or bruised." It is not, however, to be understood, that prosperity in itself is unlawful. The world with all its various productions was formed by the Almighty for the happiness of man, and designed to endear himself to us, and to lead our minds up to him.What however God often gives us as a blessing, by our own folly we pervert and turn into a curse. Where prosperity is given, there religion is abso-ing and preserving all things; particular relates lutely necessary to enable us to act under it as we ought. Where this divine principle influences the mind, prosperity may be enjoyed and become a blessing; for "while bad men snatch the pleasures of the world as by stealth, without countenance from God, the proprietor of the world; the righteous sit openly down to the feast of life, under the smile of heaven. No guilty fears damp their joys. The blessing of God rests upon all they possess. Their piety reflects sunshine from heaven upon the prosperity of the world; unites in one point of view the smiling aspect, both of the powers above, and of the objects below. Not only have they as full a relish as others of the innocent pleasures of life, but moreover, in them they hold communion with God. In all that is good or fair, they trace his hand. From the beauties of nature, from the improvements of art, from the enjoyments of social life, they raise their affections to the source of all the happiness which surrounds them, and thus widen the sphere of their pleasures, by adding intellectual and spiritual to earthly joys." Blair's Sermons, vol. i. ser. 3; Bates's Works, p. 297. and from the astonishing preservation of the Bible and the church through every age, notwithstanding the attempts of earth and hell against them. Providence has been divided into immediate and mediate, ordinary and extraordinary, common and special, universal and particular. Immediate providence is what is exercised by God himself, without the use of any instrument or second cause; mediate providence is what is exercised in the use of means; ordinary providence is what is exercised in the common course of means, and by the chain of second causes; extraordinary is what is out of the common way, as miraculous operations; common providence is what belongs to the whole world; special, what relates to the church; universal relates to the general upholdto individuals in every action and circumstance. This last, however, is denied by some. But, as a good writer observes, "The opinion entertained by some that the providence of God extends no farther than to a general superintendence of the laws of nature, without interposing in the particular concerns of individuals, is contrary both to reason and to Scripture. It renders the government of the Almighty altogether loose and contingent, and would leave no ground for reposing any trust under its protection: for the majority of human affairs would then be allowed to fluctuate in a fortuitous course, without moving in any regular direction, and without tending to any one scope. The uniform doctrine of the sacred writings is, that throughout the universe nothing happens without God; that his hand is ever active, and his decree or permission intervenes with all; that nothing is too great or unwieldy for his management, and nothing so minute and inconsiderable as to be below his inspection and care. While he is guiding the sun and moon in their course through the heavens; while in this inferior world he is ruling among empires, stilling the Spiritual prosperity consists in the continual raging of the waters, and the tumults of the progress of the mind in knowledge, purity, and people, he is at the same time watching over the joy. It arises from the participation of the di-humble good man, who, in the obscurity of his cotvine blessing; and evidences itself by frequency n prayer; love to God's word; delight in his people; attendance on his ordinances; zeal in his cause; submission to his will; usefulness in his church; and increasing abhorrence of every thing that is derogatory to his glory. PROTESTANT, a name first given in Germany to those who adhered to the doctrine of Luther, because, in 1529, they protested against a decree of the emperor Charles V. and the diet of Spires; declaring that they appealed to a general council. The name has also been given to those of the sentiments of Calvin; and is now become common denomination for all those of the reformed churches. See article REFORMATION; Fell's Four Letters on genuine Protestantism; Chillingworth's Religion of the Protestants; Robertson's History of Charles V., vol. ii. p. 249, 250. PROVIDENCE, the superintendence and are which God exercises over creation. The aruments for the providence of God are generally rawn from the light of nature; the being of a od; the creation of the world; the wonderfully isposing and controlling the affairs and actions f men; from the absolute necessity of it; from he various blessings enjoyed by his creatures; he awful judgments that have been inflicted; tage, is serving and worshipping him." "In what manner, indeed, Providence interposes in human affairs; by what means it influences the thoughts and counsels of men, and, notwithstanding the influence it exerts, leaves to them the freedom of choice, are subjects of dark and mysterious nature, and which have given occasion to many an intricate controversy. Let us remember that the manner in which God influences the motion of all the heavenly bodies, the nature of that secret power by which he is ever directing the sun and the moon, the planets, stars, and comets, in their course through the heavens, while they appear to move themselves in a free course, are matters no less inexplicable to us than the manner in which he influences the councils of men. But though the mode of divine operation remains unknown, the fact of an overruling influence is equally certain in the moral as it is in the natural world. In cases where the fact is clearly authenticated, we are not at liberty to call its truth in question, merely because we understand not the manner in which it is brought about. Nothing can be more clear, from the tes timony 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 PROVIDENCE his wise and righteous government. We cannot, indeed, conceive God acting as the governor of the world at all, unless his government were to extend to all the events that happen. It is upon the supposition of a particular providence that our worship and prayers to him are founded. All his perfections would be utterly insignificant to us, if they were not exercised, on every occasion, according as the circumstances of his creatures required. The Almighty would then be no more than an unconcerned spectator of the behaviour of his subjects, regarding the obedient and the rebellious with an equal eye. PRUDENCE is certain that in God's universe nothing com to pass causelessly, or in vain. Every event ha its own determined direction. That chaos of human affairs and intrigues where we can sex no light, that mass of disorder and confusion wri they often present to our view, is all clears and order in the sight of Him who is govering and directing all, and bringing forward every event in its due time and place. The Lord s teth on the flood. The Lord maketh the wr of man to praise him, as he maketh the had the rain obey his word. He hath prepared va throne in the heavens; and his kingdom rut over all. A man's heart deriseth his way, bat the Lord directeth his steps." dence; Gill's Body of Divinity; Ridgley's Bay "The experience of every one also, must, more or less, bear testimony to it. We need not for this purpose have recourse to those sudden and "To follow the leadings of Providence, unexpected vicissitudes which have sometimes no other than to act agreeably to the law of astonished whole nations, and drawn their atten- prudence, and safety, or any particular circ tion to the conspicuous hand of heaven. We stance, according to the direction or determ need not appeal to the history of the statesman tion of the word or law of God. He folke and the warrior; of the ambitious and the enter- dictates of Providence, who takes a due survey prising. We confine our observation to those of the situation he is placed in, compares it wit whose lives have been most plain and simple, and the rules of the word which reaches his case, and who had no desire to depart from the ordinary acts accordingly. To know the will of God as t train of conduct. In how many instances have respects Providence, there must be, 1. Deater we found, that we are held in subjection to a tion.-2. Consultation.-3. Supplication. Th higher Power, on whom depends the accomplish- tokens of the divine will and pleasure in any p ment of our wishes and designs! Fondly we had ticular case are not to be gathered from our no projected some favourite plan: we thought that nations, particular frames, the form of Scripre we had forecast and provided for all that might phrases, impulses, nor even the event, as that happen; we had taken our measures with such cannot always be a rule of judgment; but was vigilant prudence, that on every side we seemed ever appears to be proper duty, true prudenc to ourselves perfectly guarded and secure; but, or real necessity, that we should esteem to be t lo! some little event hath come about, unforeseen will." See Charnock, Flavel, Hoakrell, How by us, and in its consequences at the first seem-kins, Sherlock, Collings, and Fawcet on P ingly inconsiderable, which yet hath turned the whole course of things into a new direction, and blasted all our hopes. At other times our counsels and plans have been permitted to succeed: we then applauded our own wisdom, and sat down to feast on the happiness we had attained. To PRUDENCE is the act of suiting werds and our surprise we found that happiness was not actions according to the circumstances of tang there, and that God's decree had appointed it to or rules of right reason. Cicero thus de be only vanity. We labour for prosperity, and it: "Est rerum expetendarum et fugicna obtain it not. Unexpected, it is sometimes made scientia:"-"The knowledge of what is to to drop upon us as of its own accord. The hap- desired or avoided." Grove thus: "Prudenc piness of man depends on secret springs too nice an ability of judging what is best in the char and delicate to be adjusted by human art: it re- both of ends and means." Mason thus: " quires a favourable combination of external cir- dence is a conformity to the rules of reason, tru cumstances with the state of his own mind. To and decency, at all times and in all circunstans accomplish on every occasion such a combination It differs from wisdom only in degree; wis is far beyond his power; but it is what God can being nothing but a more consummate La at all times effect; as the whole series of external prudence; and prudence a lower degree or weak causes are arranged according to his pleasure, and habit of wisdom." It is divided into, 1. C the hearts of all men are in his hands, to turn tian prudence, which directs to the purses them wheresoccer he will, as rivers of water. that blessedness which the Gospel discovers From the imperfection of our knowledge to as- the use of Gospel means.-2. Moral prokar certain what is good for us, and from the defect has for its end peace and satisfaction of t of our power to bring about that good when known, this world, and the greatest happiness after a arise all those disappointments which continually-3. Civil prudence is the knowledge of a 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 laboured plans of men. "Accident, and chance, and fortune, are words which we often hear mentioned, and much is ascribed to them in the life of man. But they are words without meaning; or, as far as they have any signification, they are no other than names for the unknown operations of Providence; for it ought to be done in order to secure the ou The idea of prudence, says one, inch Bouxz, or due consultation: that is, concerns such things as demand consultation in a r manner, and for a competent time, that the res lution taken up may be neither too prepa PURGATORY PURITANS too slow; and uris, or a faculty of discern- | ness of God can admit nothing into heaven which proper means when they occur. To the per- is not clean and pure from all sin, both great and tion of prudence these three things are fur-small, and his infinite justice can permit none to er required, viz. Svors, or a natural sagacity; receive the reward of bliss who as yet are not out v, presence of mind, or a ready turn of of debt, but have something in justice to suffer, ought; and spa, or experience. there must, of necessity, be some place or state, Plato styles prudence the leading virtue: and where souls departing this life, pardoned as to cero observes, "that not one of the virtues can the external guilt or pain, yet obnoxious to some ant prudence;" which is certainly most true, temporal penalty, or with the guilt of some venial ace without prudence to guide them, piety faults, are purged and purified before their admitould degenerate into superstition, zeal into tance into heaven. And this is what he is taught gotry, temperance into austerity, courage into concerning purgatory, which, though he know shness, and justice itself into folly. See Watts's not where it is, of what nature the pains are, or r. ser. 28; Grove's Moral Phil. vol. ii. ch. 2; how long each soul is detained there, yet he beJason's Christian Mor. vol. i. ser. 4; Evans's lieves that those who are in this place are relieved hrist. Temper, ser. 38. by the prayers of their fellow members here on PSALMODY, the art or act of singing psalms. earth, as also by alms and masses offered up to salmody was always esteemed a considerable God for their souls. And as for such as have no art of devotion, and usually performed in the relations or friends to pray for them, or give alms anding posture; and as to the manner of pro- to procure masses for their relief, they are not unciation, the plain song was sometimes used, neglected by the church, which makes a general ing a gentle inflection of the voice, not much commemoration of all the faithful departed in fferent from reading, like the chant in cathe-every mass, and in every one of the canonical rals; at other times more artificial compositions hours of the divine office. Besides the above ere used, like our anthems. arguments, the following passages are alleged as As to the persons concerned in singing, some-proofs: 2 Maccabees xii. 43, 44, 45; Matt. xii. mes a single person sung alone; sometimes the hole assembly joined together, which was the Lost ancient and general practice. At other mes, the psalms were sung alternately, the conregation dividing themselves into two parts, and aging verse about, in their turns. There was so a fourth way of singing, pretty common in he fourth century, which was, when a single erson began the verse, and the people joined ith him in the close; this was often used for ariety in the same service with alternate psalody. See SINGING. PSATYRIANS, a sect of Arians, who, in e council of Antioch, held in the year 360, aintained that the Son was not like the Father to will; that he was taken from nothing, or ade of nothing; and that in God generation as not to be distinguished from creation. 31, 32; 1 Cor. iii. 15; 1 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 the Scriptures have no reference to this doctrine, as may be seen by consulting the context, and any just commentator thereon.-3. Scripture, in general, speaks of departed souls going immediately at death to a fixed state of happiness or misery, and gives us no idea of purgatory, Isa. lvii. 2; Rev. xiv. 13; Luke xvi. 22; 2 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 further meritorious sufferings detracts from the perfection of Christ's work, and places merit still in the creature; a doctrine exactly opposite to Scripture. See Doddridge's Lec. lec. 270; Limborch's Theol. 1. 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. PURIFICATION, a ceremony which consists in cleansing any thing from pollution or defilement. Purifications are common to Jews, Pagans, and Mahometans. See IMPURITY. PURGATORY is a place in which the just ho depart out of this life are supposed to expie certain offences which do not merit eternal amnation. Broughton has endeavoured to prove at this notion has been held by Pagans, Jews, d Mahometans, as well as by Christians; and at, in the days of the Maccabees, the Jews beved that sin might be expiated by sacrifice after e death of the sinner. The arguments adnced by the Papists for purgatory are these: Every sin, how slight soever, though no more an an idle word, as it is an offence to God, deves punishment from him, and will be punishby him hereafter, if not cancelled by repentce here.-2. Such small sins do not deserve rnal punishment.-3. Few depart this life so re as to be totally exempt from spots of this ture, and from every kind of debt due to God's stice.-4. Therefore few will escape without Tering something from his justice for such ots as they have carried with them out of this orld, according to that rule of divine justice by ich he treats every soul hereafter according to works, and according to the state in which he "During the reign of queen Elizabeth, in ds it in death. From these propositions, which which the royal prerogative was carried to its • Papist considers as so many self-evident utmost limits, there were found many daring ths, he infers that there must be some third spirits who questioned the right of the sovereign ce of punishment; for since the infinite good-to prescribe and dictate to her subjects what PURITANS, a name given in the primitive church to the Novatians, because they would never admit to communion any one who, from dread of death, had apostatised from the faith; but the word has been chiefly applied to those who were professed favourers of a further degree of reformation and purity in the church before the Act of Uniformity, in 1662. After this period, the term Nonconformists became common, to which succeeds the appellation Dissenter. iv. 11; 1 Cor. xii. 28.-5. Our Lord himself land, in maintaining that the Lord's Supper is a | by him, or was by the rest attributed to him.rite of no other moral import than the mere com-4. There was no office above that of an apostle, memoration of the death of Christ. These can- known to the apostles or primitive church, Fr not consider themselves as priests in the rigid sense of the word, but only as presbyters, of which the word priest is a contraction, of the same import with elder. See LORD'S SUPPER. PRIMACY, the highest post in the church. The Romanists contend that St. Peter, by our Lord's appointment, had a primacy or sovereign authority and jurisdiction over the apostles. This, however, is denied by the Protestants, and that upon just grounds. Dr. Barrow observes (Works, vol. i. p. 557,) that there are several sorts of primacy which may belong to a person in respect of others. 1. A primacy of worth or personal excellence.-2. A primacy of reputation and esteem.-3. A primacy of order or bare dignity and precedence.-4. A primacy of power and jurisdiction. As for the first of these, a primacy of worth, we may well grant it to Peter, admitting that probably he did exceed the rest of his brethren in personal endowments and capacities; particularly in quickness of apprehension, boldness of spirit, readiness of speech, charity to our Lord, and zeal for his service.2. As to a primacy of repute, which St. Paul means when he speaks of those who had a special reputation, of those who seemed to be pillars, of the super-eminent apostles, Gal. ii. 6, 9; 2 Cor. xi. 5; xii. 11, this advantage cannot be refused him, being a necessary consequence of those eminent qualities resplendent in him, and of the illustrious performances achieved by him beyond the rest. This may be inferred from that renown which he hath had from the beginning; and likewise from his being so constantly ranked in the first place before the rest of his brethren.3. As to a primacy of order or bare dignity, importing that commonly, in all meetings and proceedings, the other apostles did yield him the precedence, there may be some question; for this does not seem suitable to the gravity of such persons, or their condition and circumstances, to stand upon ceremonies of respect; for our Lord's rules seem to exclude all semblance of ambition, all kind of inequality and distance between his apostles. But yet this primacy may be granted as probable upon divers accounts of use and convenience; it might be useful to preserve order, and to promote expedition, or to prevent confusion, distraction, and dilatory obstruction in the management of things.-4. As to a primacy importing a superiority in command, power, or jurisdiction, this we have great reason to deny upon the following considerations. 1. For such a power it was needful that a commission from God, its founder, should be granted in absolute and perspicuous terms; but no such commission is extant in Scripture.-2. If so illustrious an office was instituted by our Saviour, it is strange, that no where in the evangelical or apostolical history there should be any express mention of that institution.-3. If St. Peter had been instituted sovereign of the apostolical senate, his office and state had been in nature and kind very distinct from the common office of the other apostles, as the office of a king from the office of any subject; and probably would have been signified by some distinct name, as that of archapostle, arch-pastor, the vicar of Christ, or the like; but no such name or title was assumed From these arguments we must evidently what little ground the church of Rome i derive the supremacy of the pope from the e posed primacy of St. Peter. PRIMATE, an archbishop who is in with a jurisdiction over other bishops. See A BISHOP. PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS, th lived in the first ages of Christianity, eral the apostles and immediate followers of our L PRINCIPLE, an essential truth from w others are derived; the ground or motive dỀ ar tion. See DISPOSITION and DOCTRINE PRIOR, the head of a convent; next in nity to an abbot. |