ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS

UNder this Head of ECCLESIASTICAL RELATION (Clergy, Spiritual, Church,) are comprehended the several Notions and respects belonging to a Church-state. By Church is meant a Society of men as agreeing in the same kind of inward apprehensions of, and ex∣ternal demeanour towards, the Divine Nature: to which may be oppo∣sed the word TEMPORAL, Civil, Humane, Secular, Lay, Prophane.

Notions of this kind, may be distinguished into such as do denote

• KINDS OF RELIGION. I.
  • Persons; in regard of their
    • ECCLESIASTICAL CALLINGS. II.
    • STATES OF RELIGION. III.
  • Actions; belonging to
    • WORSHIP. IV.
    • DISCIPLINE. V.
    • INSTITUTIONS. VI.

I. That habit of reverence towards the Divine nature, whereby we are inabled and inclined to serve and worship him after such a manner as we conceive most acceptable to him, is called RELIGION, Piety, God∣liness. The Privation of which is styled ATHEISM, Irreligion, Impiety.

Men are distinguished by their kinds of Religion into such as

• Are wholly without any revelation of the true God and his Worship; but that knowledge which they have is either
  • Simple, from the dictates of mere Reason.
    • NATURAL RELIGION.
  • Mixed, and corrupted with the worship of false gods.
    • PAGANISM, Heathenism, Ethnic, Infidel, Gentil, Painim.
• Have revelations: or pretend to them; whether by
  • Moses, in which they rest.
    • JUDAISM, Iudaical, Iew.
  • Christ and his Apostles, added to Moses.
    • CHRISTIANITY.
  • Mahomet, superadded to the rest.
    • MAHOMETISM, Turcism.

II. Those who apply themselves to the businesses of Religion as their particular Calling, may be stiled ECCLESIASTICAL PERSONS,*Cler∣gy, Churchman, spiritual, Hierarchy.

To which may be opposed, TEMPORAL, Lay-ic, civil, secular, pro∣phane.

These may be distinguished into such as are

• Injoyned; being set apart to some peculiar function in the Church, and by way of office devoted to assist in the duties of Religion, whether such as were in use
  • Before the Law; being ‖ the chief Administrators of religious Services, as Masters of Families: or such others as then and since were extraor∣dinarily called and gifted to foretell future things.
    • PATRIARCH.
    • PROPHET-ical, divine, prophesie, foretell, presage, prognosticate, Prediction, Seer, Sibyl.
  • Vnder the Law; ‖ appointed for the principal works of divine Service: or such as were subordinate and assistant to them.
    • PRIEST.
    • LEVITE-ical.
  • Vnder the Gospel; being either
    • Temporary; ‖ who were first indued with the power of Miracles, of whom there were onely twelve: or such others as these took in for their help, to travel up and down for the spreading of Christianity.
      • APOSTLES-ical.
      • EVANGELISTS-ical, Gospel.
    • Permanent, and to be continued; whether
      • More principal; denoting the chief Ecclesiastical Officer ‖ of a Pro∣vince, with several Cities: or some particular City and the Terri∣tory adjoyning.
        • PRIMATE, Arch bishop, Metropolitan, Mufty, Patriarch, Pro∣vince.
        • BISHOP, Prelate, Ordinary, Episcopal-acy, Suffragan, Superin∣tendent, Pontificial, Diocess, See, Cathedral, Mitre, Crosyer, Hie∣rarchy.
      • Less principal; such as are ‖ the chief Officers of particular Parish-churches: or others subordinate and assistant to these.
        • PRESBYTER, Priest, Elder, Minister, Incumbent, Curate, Chaplain, Parson.
        • DEACON, Minister.

• Not injoyned; but voluntary, to be further distinguished, according to the
  • General name; denoting those that are under a vow of Poverty, Coe∣libate, and obedience to their Superiours, to whom may be adjoyn∣ed for affinity, such others as oblige themselves to certain offices with them.
    • REGULAR, Religious Person, order, rule.
    • PENITENTS, Confraternity, Convert.
  • Particular kinds; such as live either ‖ together in Society: or alone by themselves.
    • MONK, Frier-ry, Nunn-ery, Novice, Abbot, Abbess, Abby, Prior-ry, Ge∣neral, Provincial, Gardian, Monastic, Monastery, Minster, Cloister, Covent, Society, Cowle, Father.
    • HERMIT, Anchorite, Cell, Recluse.

III. Persons considered according to their several STATES and Conditions in respect OF RELIGION, may be distinguished either by their

• Faith and Iudgments; whether ‖ true, or false, as to the essential points of Religion.
  • ORTHODOX, Believer.
  • HERETIC-al, Heresie, Miscreant.
• Charity to and communion with the body of those that agreee in the same Profession: or being the faulty cause of the breach of such Communion.
  • CATHOLIC, Communicant, Communion, Son of the Church.
  • SCHISMATIC, Schism-atical, Sect-ary, Recusant, Separate.
• Suffering upon the account of Religion; being either Great, but not unto Death.
  • CONFESSOR.
• Great unto Death. To which may be opposed the inflicter of suffer∣ings upon account of Religion.
  • MARTYR-dom.
  • PERSEQUUTOR:
• Eminent degrees of ‖ Religiousness: or Irreligiousness.
  • SAINT, Hero-ical, canonize.
  • SCANDAL-ous, profligate, Offence.
• Former state, in respect of the several terms from which and to which men are changed; either ‖ from bad to good: or from good to bad.
  • CONVERT, Proselyte, regenerate, reclaim, turn, come over.
  • APOSTATE, Back-slider, Renegado, Defection, revolt, draw back, turn, forsake, fall away, relapse, Fugitive, Tergiversation.

IV. That inward and outward reverence whereby we acknowledge the Esteem due to the Superiority and Excellency of another,* together with the two extremes of this, viz. Redundant, when men give this to such things as they ought not for the Matter, or in such a degree as they ought not for the Measure; and Deficient, when men do either contemn or neg∣lect sacred things and duties, are styled

• WORSHIP, Adoration, Veneration, Devotion, devout, Liturgy, Divine service, Mattins, Vespers, Even-song.
  • SUPERSTITION, Bigot.
  • PROPHANENESS, Impiety, impious, ungodly.

The more special acts of Worship may be distinguished into such as are more

• Ordinary and constant; whereby we
  • Apply our selves to God; whether more
    • General; whereby we ‖ address to him for relief in all our wants and fears, upon the belief of his infinite Goodness and Power: or making solemn and religious promises to him.
      • PRAYER, Invocation, Collect, Orizon, Oratory, Ejaculation, call upon.
      • VOW, Votary, devoted.
    • Special; whereby we do either ‖
      • Acknowledge our own faults and deserts: or intreat his favour and help.
        • CONFESSION, acknowledge, Shreeve.
        • PETITION, supplicate, sue, beg, Litany, crave, request, Supply∣ant, Bedes-man, Boon.
      • Return our acknowledgements to him for the good things we enjoy; either ‖ more general: or by Singing.
        • THANKSGIVING, praise, magnifie, extol, Grace.
        • PSALM, Hymn, Anthem.
  • Instruct others publicly, or excite them to religious duties; either ‖ in a more continued solemn Discourse: or by the asking and answering of Questions in the plainest manner about the most necessary points of Religion.
• PREACHING, Homily, Sermon, Postil, Pulpit.
• CATECHISING, Catechism.

• Occasional; relating unto
  • Solemnities of ‖ joy: or sadness.
    • FESTIVITY, Festival, Holy-day, High-day, Sabbath, Iubilee, Wake, genial, good time.
    • FASTING, Humiliation, Ember-week, Lent, Vigil, Eve.
  • Ritual Offices observed amongst Christians; pertaining to
    • Entrance into the state of Wedlock: or dissolving of that state.
      • MARRIAGE, Wedd-ing, Matrimony, nuptial, Bride-groom, Hymen.
      • DIVORCE.
    • Return into the Congregation after Parturition.
      • CHURCHING.
    • Actual taking upon themselves the Obligation made by their Sponsors in Baptism.
      • CONFIRMATION.
    • Performing the Rites due to the Dead by putting their bodies ‖ into the ground: or under some Monument, to preserve the memorial of them.
      • BURYING, interr, Grave, Funeral, Obit, Obsequies, Herse, Se∣pulture, Church-yard, Charnel-house.
      • ENTOMBING, Tomb, Sepulchre, Monument, Epitaph.

V. Actions relating to Ecclesiastical Authority or DISCIPLINE, do concern the due ordering of the circumstances of Ecclesiastical or Sa∣cred things to the best convenience. The Notions belonging to this Head, do refer either to the work of,

• Setting things aside to a peculiar use; according to the
  • More general Notion belonging to Things, and Times, and Places, as well as Persons; namely, the ‖ separating of them from common use: or abusing them as being but common.
    • CONSECRATION, sacred, sanctifie, hallow, devote, dedica•e, Holiness.
    • PROPHANATION, unhallowed, impious, common, Lustration.
  • More particular kind, appropriated to Persons.
    • ORDINATION, Consecration,
    • DEPRIVATION, depose.

• Regulating of abuses in Ecclesiastical matters; according to the more
  • General name.
    • CENSURE.
  • Particular kinds; consisting in a
    • Temporary privation of Church-priviledges.
      • SUSPENSION.
    • Permanent, being the highest Ecclesiastical punishment; by a ‖ cutting off from all Church-communion and privileges: or the re∣storing one so cut off.
      • EXCOMMUNICATION, Anathema, Curse, cut off, separate.
      • ABSOLVTION, loosing, discharge, assoile, purge, clear pardon, acquit.

VI. By INSTITUTIONS or Ordinan••s are properly meant such kinds of things or duties as we could not have known or been obliged unto without particular Revelation. These may be distinguished into

• Rules for our Instruction in Religion; which, according to the several manners of conveyance, were either ‖ written: or unwritten.
  • SCRIPTURE, Bible, Word of God, Holy Writ, Text, Testa∣ment.
  • TRADITION, Delivery, Cabala.
• Services to be done; according to the more
  • General name; consisting in our offering or giving things unto God.
    • OBLATION, Offering, Offertory.
  • Particular kind, proper to the times under the Law; which required the offering of such things by Fire as were either ‖ for Food: or for Perfume.
    • SACRIFICE, Victim, Holocaust, Host, Oblation, Hecatombe.
    • INCENSE, Censor.
• Certain external signs and means for the signifying and conveying of in∣ternal spiritual Grace; according to the more
  • General name.
    • SACRAMENT-al.
  • Particular kinds.
    • Vnder the Law; for the ‖ initiating: or confirming men in that Re∣ligion.
      • CIRCUMCISION, Cutting off the fore-skin.
      • PASSOVER. Paschal, Easter.
    • Vnder the Gospel; whether for ‖ initiating: or confirming.
      • BAPTISM, Christen, Font, Paedobaptism
      • EUCHARIST, Communion, the Lord's Supper, The Sacrament, Host, Mass, Missal.