crown in getting it established. Its doctrines are Calvinistic. See article PRESBYTERIANS.

CHURCH WARDENS, officers chosen yearly, either by the consent of the minister, or of the parishoiners, or of both. Their business is to look to the church, church-yard, and to observe the behaviour of the parishioners; to levy a shilling forfeiture on all such as do not go to church on Sundays, and to keep persons orderly in church-time,

&c.

CHURCH-YARD, a piece of ground adjoining to the church, set apart for the interment of the dead. In the church of Rome, church-yards are consecrated with great solemnity. If a church yard which has been thus consecrated shall afterwards be polluted by any indecent actions or profaned by the burial of an infidel, a heretic, an excommunicated or unbaptized person, it must be reconciled; and the ceremony of the reconciliation is performed with the same solemnity as that of the consecration! | See CONSECRATION.

God. These words in their mouths were the signal of slaughter, more terrible than the roaring of a lion. They had invented an unheard-of punishment, which was to cover with lime, diluted with vinegar, the eyes of those unhappy wretches whom they had crushed with blows and covered with wounds, and to abandon them in that condition. Never was a stronger proof what horrors superstition can beget in minds destitute of knowledge and humanity. These brutes, who had made a vow of chastity, gave themselves up to wine,, and all sorts of impurities: running about with women and young girls as drunk as themselves, whom they called sacred virgins, and who often carried proof of their incontinence. Their chief took the name of chief of the saints. After having glutted them. selves with blood, they turned their rage upon themselves, and sought death with the same fury with which they gave it to others. Some scrambled up to the tops of rocks, and cast themselves down headlong in multitudes; others burned CIRCONCELLIONES, a species of themselves, or threw themselves into fanatics: so called because they were the sea. Those who proposed to acContinually rambling round the houses quire the title of martyrs, published it in the country. They took their rise long before; upon which they were among the Donatists, in the reign of feasted and fattened like oxen for the the emperor Constantine. It is incre- slaughter; after these preparations they dible what ravages and cruelties they set out to be destroyed. Sometimes committed in Africa, through a long they gave money to those whom they series of years. They were illiterate met, and threatened to murder them if savage peasants, who understood only they did not make them martyrs. Theothe Punic language. Intoxicated with doret gives an account of a stout young a barbarous zeal, they renounced agri- man, who, meeting with a troop of these culture, professed continence, and as- fanatics, consented to kill them, prosumed the title of "Vindicators of jus- vided he might bind them first; and tice, and protectors of the oppressed." having by this means put it out of their To accomplish their mission, they en power to defend themselves, whipped franchized slaves, scoured the roads. them as long as he was able, and then forced masters to alight from their cha- left them tied in that manner. Their riots, and run before their slaves, whom bishops pretended to blame them, but they obliged to mount in their place; in reality made use of them to intimiand discharged debtors, killing the cre- date such as might be tempted to for ditors if they refused to cancel their sake their sect; they even honoured bonds. But the chief objects of their them as saints. They were not, howcruelty were the Catholics, and espe-ever, able to govern those furious moncially those who had renounced Dona-sters; and more than once found them. tism. At first they used no swords, because God had forbidden the use of one to Peter: but they were armed with clubs, which they call the clubs of Israel, and which they handled in such a manner as to break a man's bones without killing him immediately, so that he languished a long time, and then died. When they took away a man's life at once, they looked upon it as a favour. They became less scrupulous afterwards, and made use of all sorts of arms. Their shout was Praise be to

selves under a necessity of abandoning them, and even of imploring the assistance of the secular power against them. The counts Ursacius and Taurinus were employed to quell them: they destroyed a great number of them, of whom the Donatists made as many martyrs. Ursacius, who was a Catholic, and a religious man, having lost his life in an engagement with the barbarians, the Donatists did not fail to triumph in his death, as an effect of the vengeance of heaven. Africa was the theatre of these

bloody scenes during a great part of Constantine's life.

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word clergy, however, among us, always refers to ecclesiastics.

The clergy originally consisted of bishops, priests, and deacons; but in the third century many inferior orders were appointed; such as sub-deacons, acoluthists, readers, &c. The clergy of the church of Rome are divided into regular and secular. The regular con

CISTERCIANS, a religious order founded by St. Robert, a Benedictine, in the eleventh century. They became so powerful that they governed almost all Europe both in spirituals and tem porals. Cardinal de Vitri, describing their observances, says, they neither wore skins nor shirts, nor ever ate flesh,sists of those monks or religious who except in sickness; and sustained from fish, eggs, milk, and cheese: they lay upon straw beds in tunics and cowls; they rose at midnight to prayers; they spent the day in labour, reading, and prayers, and in all their exercises observed a continual silence.

have taken upon them holy orders of the priesthood in their respective monasteries. The secular clergy are those who are not of any religious order, and have the care and direction of parishes. The Protestant clergy are all secular. For archbishops, bishops, deans, &c. &c. see those articles.

CLEMENCY denotes much the same as mercy. It is most generally The clergy have large privileges alused in speaking of the forgiveness ex-lowed them by our municipal laws, and ercised by princes. It is the result, indeed, of a disposition which ought to be cultivated by all ranks, though its effects cannot be equally conspicuous.

Clemency is not only the privilege, the honour, and the duty of a prince, but it is also his security, and better than all his garrisons, forts, and guards, to preserve himself and his dominions in safety. That prince is truly royal who masters himself, looks upon all injuries as below him, and governs by equity and reason, not by passion, or caprice. David, king of Israel, appears in no instance greater or more amiable than in sparing the life of his persecutor Saul, when it was in his power.

had formerly much greater, which were abridged at the reformation, on account of the ill use which the popish clergy had endeavoured to make of them; for the laws having exempted them from almost every personal duty, they at tempted a total exemption from every secular tie. The personal exemptions, indeed, for the most part, continue. A clergyman cannot be compelled to serve on a jury nor to appear at a court leet, which almost every other person is obliged to do; but if a layman be summoned on a jury, and before the trial takes orders, he shall notwithstanding appear, and be sworn. Neither can he be chosen to any temporal office; as bailiff, reeve, constable, or the like, in regard to his own continual attendance on the sacred function. During his attendance on divine service, he is priviledged from arrests in civil suits. In cases of felony also, a clerk in orders shall have the benefit of clergy, without being branded in the hand, and may likewise have it more than once; in both which cases he is distinguished from a layman.

CLERGY (from the Greek word nangos, heritage,) in the general sense of the word, as used by us, signifies the body of ecclesiastics of the Christian church, in contradistinction to the laity: but strictly speaking, and according to Scripture, it means the church. "When Joshua," as one observes, “divided the Holy Land by lot among the Israelites, it pleased God to provide for a thirteenth part of them, called Levites, by assigning them a personal Benefit of Clergy was a privilege estate equivalent to that provision made whereby a clergyman claimed to be by real estate which was allotted to delivered to his ordinary to purge himeach of the other twelve parts. In con- self of felony, and which anciently was formity to the style of the transaction, allowed only to those who were in orthe Levites were called God's lot, in- || ders; but, by the statue of 18th Eliz., heritance, or clergy. This style, how every man to whom the benefit of ever, is not always used by the Old clergy is granted, though not in orders, Testament writers. Sometimet they is put to read at the bar, after he is call all the nation God's lot. Deut. xxxii found guilty, and convicted of felony, 9. Ps. lxxviii. 71. Ps. xxviii. 9. &c. The and so burnt in the hand; and set free New Testament writers adopt this term, for the first time, if the ordinary or deand apply it to the whole Christian puty standing by do say, Legit ut cleri church, 1 Pet. v. 3. Thus it is the cus: otherwise he shall suffer death. church distinguished from the world, As the clergy have their privileges, so and not one part of the church as dis- they have also their disabilities, on actinguished from another part." The "count of their spiritual avocations. Cler

gymen are incapable of sitting in the commandments were promulgated by house of commons; and by statute 21 Moses, not as a rule of obedience, but Henry VIII. c. 13, are not in general as a representation of the covenant of allowed to take any lands or tenements grace-that when the Jews had proto farm, upon pain of 10l. per month,voked the Deity by their various transand total avoidance of the lease; norgressions, particularly by the worship upo. like pain to keep any tap-house or f the golden calf, the severe and serbrew-house; nor engage in any trade, vile yoke of the ceremonial law was nor sell any merchandise, under for-added to the decalogue, as a punishment feiture of the treble value; which pronflicted on them by the Supreme Being hibition is consonant to the canon law. in his righteous displeasure-that this The number of clergy in England yoke, which was painful in itself, beand Wales amount, according to the ame doubly so on account of its typical best calculation, to 18,000. The reve- signification; since it admonished the Dues of the clergy were formerly con-Israelites from day to day of the impersiderable, but since the reformation fection and uncertainty of their state, they are comparatively small, at least filled them with anxiety, and was a those of the inferior clergy. See the perpetual proof that they had merited Bishop of Landaff's Valuation of the the righteous displeasure of God, and Church and University Revenues; or, could not expect before the coming of Cove on the Revenues of the Church, the Messiah the entire remission of their 1797, 2d edition; Burnett's Hist. of his iniquities-that indeed good men, even own Times, conclusion See article MI-under the Mosaic dispensation, were immediately after death made partaCLERK: 1. A word originally used kers of everlasting glory; but that they to denote a learned man, or man of were nevertheless, during the whole letters; but now is the common appel-course of their lives, far removed from lation by which clergymen distinguish that firm hope and assurance of salvathemselves in signing any deed or in-tion, which rejoices the faithful under strument.-2 Also the person who reads the responses of the congregation in the church, or gives out the hymns at a meeting.

NISTER.

the dispensation of the Gospel-and that their anxiety flowed naturally from this consideration, that their sins, though they remained unpunished, were not pardoned; because Christ had not as yet offered himself up a sacrifice to the Father, to make an entire atonement for them.

COCCEIANS, a denomination which arose in the seventeenth century; so called from John Cocceius, professor of divinity in the University of Leyden. He represented the whole history of the CENOBITE, one who lives in a Old Testament as a mirror, which held convent, or in community under a cerforth an accurate view of the transac-tain rule; in opposition to a hermit, who tions and events that were to happen in lives in solitude Cassian makes this the church under the dispensation of difference between a convent and a mothe New Testament, and unto the end nastery, that the latter may be applied of the world. He maintained that by to the residence of a single religious or far the greatest part of the ancient pro- recluse; whereas the convent implies phecies foretold Christ's ministry and coenobites, or numbers of religious living mediation, and the rise, progress, and in common. Fleury speaks of three revolutions of the church, not only under kinds of monks in Egypt; anachorets, the figure of persons and transactions,|| who live in solitude; canobites, who but in a literal manner, and by the very continue to live in community; and sasense of the words used in these predic-rabaites, who are a kind of monkstions; and laid it down as a fundament-errant, that stroll from place to place. al rule of interpretation, that the words He refers the institution of cœnobites and phrases of Scripture, are to be understood in every sense of which they are susceptible, or, in other words, that they signify in effect every thing that they can possibly signify.

to the time of the apostles, and makes it a kind of imitation of the ordinary lives of the faithful at Jerusalem; though St. Pachomius is ordinarily owned to be the institutor of the cœnobite Cocceius also taught, that the cove-life, as being the first who gave a rule nant made between God and the Jewish to any community. nation, by the ministry of Moses, was COLLECT, a short prayer. In the of the same nature as the new covenant, liturgy of the church of England, and obtained by the mediation of Jesus the mass of the Romanists, it denotes a Christ. In consequence of this general || prayer accommodated to any particular principle, he maintained that the ten day, occasion, or the like. In general,

all the prayers in each office are called collects, either because the priest speaks in the name of the whole assembly, whose sentiments and desires he sums up by the word "Oremus" "Let us pray," or because those prayers are of fered when the people are assembled together. The popes Gelasius and Gregory are said to have been the first who established collects Dr. Despence, of Paris, wrote a treatise on collects, their origin, antiquity, &c.

COLLEGIANS, or COLLEGIANTS, a sect formed among the Arminians and Anabaptists in Holland, about the beginning of the seventeenth century; so called because of their colleges or meetings twice every week, where every one, females excepted, has the same liberty of expounding the Scripture, praying, &c. They are said to be all either Arians or Socinians: they never communicate in the college, but meet twice a year, from all parts of Holland, at Rhinsberg (whence they are also called Rhinsberghers,) a village two miles from Leyden, where they communicate together; admitting every one that presents himself, professing his faith in the divinity of the Holy Scriptures, and resolution to live suitably to their precepts and doctrines, without regard to his sect or opinion. They have no particular ministers, but each officiates as he is disposed. They baptize by immersion.

the meaning given comport with the text; he who gives himself no trouble to investigate the Scripture for himself, but takes occasion to be indolent because others have laboured for him, surely does wrong. Nor can it be said that those preachers use them properly, who, in making their sermons, form their plans from the commentator before they have thought upon the text, Perhaps the best way is to follow our own talents; first, by prayer, study, and attention to form our scheme, and then to examine the opinions of others concerning it. We will here present the reader with a view of some of those commentaries which are the most generally approved. And, 1st, in my opinion, Henry takes the lead for common utility. The sprightly notes, the just inferences, the original thoughts, and the warm applications to the conscience, makes this work justly admired. It is true that there are some expressions which do not agree to the evangelic system; but, as the late Mr. Ryland observes, "'Tis impossible for a person of piety and taste to read him without wishing to be shut out from all the world to read him through without one moment's interruption." Mr. Henry did not live to complete this work. He went as far as the end of Acts Romans was done by Dr. Evans; the 1 Corinthians, Sam. Brown; 2 Corinthians, Dr. Mayo; Galatians, Mr. Bayes; EpheCOMMENTARY, an exposition; sians, Mr. Boswell; Philippians, Mr. book of annotations or remarks. There Harris; Collossians, Mr. Harris; 1 and are some people so wise in their own 2 Thessalonians, Mr. Mayo; 1 and 2 conceit, and think human helps of so Timothy, Mr. Atkinson; Titus, Jer. little worth, that they despise commen-Smith; Philemon, Mr. Mottershead; taries on the Scriptures altogether; but Hebrews, Mr. Tong; James, Mr. every student or preacher whose busi-Wright; 1. Peter, Mr. Hill; 2 Peter, ness is to explain the sacred oracles, to Mr Morril; 1, 2, and 3 John, Mr. Reymake known the mind of God to others,nolds; Jude, Mr. Billingsley; and Reveto settle cases of conscience, to oppose lations by Mr. Tong. the sophistry of sceptics, and to confound the arguments of infidels, would || do well to avail himself of the most judicious, clear, copious, critical, and sound commentaries on the Bible. Nor can I suppose that commentaries can be useless to the common people, for though a spirit of serious inquiry, with a little good sense, will go a great way in understanding the Bible. yet as the language is often figurative, as allusions are made to ancient customs, and some parts require more investigation than many common Christians have time for, a plain exposition certainly must be useful. Expositions of the Bible, however, may be made a bad use of. He who takes the ipse dixit of a commentator, without ever examining whether

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2 Pooli Synopsis Criticorium, 5 folio volumes. This is a valuable work, and ought to be in the possession of every student: it is much esteemed abroad, three editions of it having been published on the continent.

3 Poole's Annotations, a rich and useful work. These were printed at London in 1685, in two volumes, folio. Poole did not complete this work himself. Mr. Jackson, of Moulscy, is the author of the annotations on the 59th and 60th chap. of Isaiah. Dr. Collings drew up the notes on the rest of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations, as also those on the four Evangelists, the two epistles to the Corinthians, and that to the Galatians. Those to Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and the Revelation, Ezekiel, and

the minor Prophets, were done by Mr. | tains an instructive preface, a perspiHurst. Daniel by Mr. Cooper; the cuous analysis of each book, with short Acts by Mr. Vinke, the epistle to the notes. It is a perfect contrast to that Romans by Mr. Mayo; the Ephesians, of Wolfius. Mr. Veale; the Phillippians and Colossians, Mr. Adams; the Hebrews, Mr. Obadiah Hughes: the_epistle of St. James, the two of St. Peter, and that of Jude, by Mr. Veale; the three epistles of St. John by Mr. Howe.

1. Burkit contains many ingenious observations, fine turns, natural plans, and pungent addresses to the conscience. There are some expressions, however, that grate upon the ear of the evange-Job, commentaries on Psalms, Isaiah, lical Christian.