He wears the keys, as an

and the Successor of St. Peter. emblem of his power to open the gates of heaven to repentant sinners, and to excommunicate obstinate offenders. And he wears the triple crown, to inform the Christian world that he is constituted with spiritual jurisdiction over priests, emperors, and kings. This denomination suppose that the bishops of Rome are the descendants of St. Peter, and in that quality have from the beginning exercised jurisdiction over the churches. The principal points which distinguish the papists from the protestants, are, 1. That St. Peter was designed by Christ to be the head of the church; and the bishops of Rome, being his successors, have the same apostolic authority. 2. That the Roman Catholic church is the mother and mistress of all churches, and cannot possibly err in matters of faith: for the church has the Spirit of God to lead it into all truth. 3. That the scriptures are not sufficient without tradition, and that apostolic traditions are of equal authority with the scriptures. 4. That there are seven sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ; viz. baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony; and that they confer grace. 5. That in the mass there is offered unto God a true and propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and dead; and that in the sacra ment of the eucharist, under the forms of bread and wine, is really and substantially present the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is a conversion made of the whole substance of the bread into his body, and of the wine into his blood, which is called transubstantiation. 6. That Lere is a purgatory; and that souls kept prisoners there receive help by the suffrages of the faithful. 7. That the saints reigning with Christ are to be honoured and invoked, and that they offer prayers unto God for us; and their relics are to be had in veneration. 8. That the images of Christ, of the blessed Virgin, the mother of God, and of other saints, ought to be retained in churches; and honour and veneration ought to be given unto them. 9. That the power of indulgences was left by Christ to the church, and that use of them is very beneficial to Christian people. The following ceremonies, and many others too tedious to enumerate, are practised by the

church of Rome in their religious worship:-(1.) They make use of the sign of the cross in all their sacraments, to inform us that they have their whole force and efficacy from the cross.-(2.) Sprinkling holy water by the priest, on solemn days, is used likewise by every one going in or coming out of the church.-(3.) The cremony of blessing bells is, by the Catholics, called christening them; because the name of some saint is ascribed to them, by virtue of whose invocation they are presented, in order that they may obtain his favour and protection.(4.) They have a custom of bowing at the name of Jesus. (5,) They keep a number of lamps and wax candles continually burning before the shrines and images of the saints. (6.) They make use of incense, and have lighted candles upon the altar at the celebration of mass.-(7.) The practice of washing the poor's feet is solemnised on holy Thursday by all the princes of the Romish religion in Europe. The church of Rome observes a variety of holy days, as the festivals of Christ and his apostles, the festivals of the saints, &c. The church of Rome grants a jubilee; i. e. a general indulgence, every twenty-fifth year, and oftener upon emergent occasions.

PROTESTANT CHURCH. Protestants, a name first given in Germany to those who adhere to the doctrine of Luther; because, in 1529, they protested against a decree of the emperor Charles the fifth and the Diet of Spires, declaring that they appealed to a general council. The same name has also been given to the Calvinists, and is Bow become a common denomination for a variety of sects which differ from the church of Rome. See ARMINIANS, CALVINISTS, LUTHERANS, &c.

GREEK CHURCH. In the eighth century there arose a difference between the eastern and western churches, which was carried on with great vehemence during the. ninth century; and in the eleventh century a total separation took place. The Nicene and Athanasian creeds are the symbols of faith in this church. The principal points which distinguish the Greek church from the Latin, are as follow:-(1.) They maintain that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father only, and not from the Father and Son.-(2) They disown the authority of the pope, and deny that the church of Rome is the true catholic

church.-(3.) They do not affect the character of infallibility. (4.) They utterly disallow works of supererogation, indulgences, and dispensations.-(5.) They admit of prayers and services for the dead, as an antient and pious custom; and even pray for the remission of their sins: but they will not allow the doctrine of purgatory, or determine any thing dogmatically, concerning the state of departed souls.-(6.) They sometimes defer the baptism of their children till they are three, four, five, or ten years of age.-(7.) The chrism, or baptismal unction, immediately follows the immersion of baptism. The priest anoints the person baptised in the principal parts of the body, with an ointment consecrated with many curious circumstances for that purpose by a bishop: this chrism is called the unction with ointment. Extreme unction is called the consecration with holy oil. This chrism is a mystery peculiar to the Greek communion, and holds the place of confirmation in that of the Roman: it is styled the seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost.-(8.) They insist that the sacrament of the Lord's supper ought to be administered in both kinds: and they give the sacrament to children immediately after baptism.-(9.) They exclude confirmation and extreme unction out of the seven sacraments.— (10.) They deny auricular confession to be a divine precept, and say it is only a positive institutiou of the church. Confession and absolution constitute this mystery in the Greek church, in which penance does not make a necessary part. (11.) They do not pay any religious homage to the eucharist.-(12.) They administer the communion to the laity both in sickness and health.-(13.) They do not admit, of images in bass-relief, or embossed work; but use painting and sculpture in silver,-(14.) They permit their secular clergy to marry once, but never twice; unless they renounce their function, and become laymen. (15.) They condemn all fourth marriages. The invocation of saints, and transubstantiation, are alike received by the Greek and Latin churches. They observe a number of holidays, and keep four fasts in the year more solemn than the rest; of which the fast in Lent, before Easter, is the chief. In regard to discipline and worship, the Greek church has the same division of the clergy into regular and secular, the same spiritual jurisdiction of

bishops and their officials, the same distinction of ranks and offices with the church of Rome. The Greek church comprehends in its bosom a considerable part of Greece, the Grecian isles, Wallachia, Moldavia, Egypt, Abyssinia, Nubia, Lydia, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Silicia, and Palestine; Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem; the whole of the Russian empire in Europe; great part of Siberia in Asia; Astracan, Casan, and Georgia. The riches of some of the Greek churches and monasteries, in jewels, (particularly pearls) in plate, and in the habits of the clergy, are very great, and not much inferior to those in Roman Catholic countries.

Select Books on Ecclesiastical History.

Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, continued to the end of the 18th century, by Dr. Coote, 6 vols. 8vo. Jortin's Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, 3 vols. 8vo. Milner's History of the Church of Christ. Five volumes only of this work have yet been published. Mc Crie's Life of John Knox, 8vo. Hess' Life of Zuingle, by Miss Aikin, 12mo.

Christian Sects. A brief account of these may be found in Mr. Evans' excellent and compendious Sketch of the different Denominations of the Christian World, 8vo. or 12mo. and Sequel to complete the work. H. Adams' View of Religions, 8vo. or 12mo. and Buck's Theological Dictionary, 2 vols. 8vo. This last is an excellent Digest, written with candour and impartiality, of the most important subjects in Theology, and Ecclesiastical History. To all these works we are indebted for the information comprised in § 2. Adam's Religious World Displayed, 3 vols. 8vo.

CHAP. III.-BIOGRAPHY.

1. BIOGRAPHY is a species of history, which records the lives and characters of remarkable persons. This is at once the most entertaining and instructive kind of history. It admits of all the colouring of romance, but with this very essential difference, that our passions are more keenly interested; because the characters and incidents are not only agreeable to nature, but strictly true. Few books can, with more propriety, be put into the hands of young persons than well written pieces of biography; which, while they exhibit the failings of individuals, serve as a beacon to caution the unwary against error; and which, at the same time that they display the excellencies of a particular

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character, point out, with equal fidelity, the means by which similar excellencies may be attained.

2. As the subjects of biography are the lives of either public or private persons, many useful observations may be made from authentic accounts of those who have been eminently beneficial to society. The lives of immoral characters may serve as a warning to deter others, and especially youth, from listening to the temptations of folly and vice. Posterity should ever perpetuate the memory of those philanthropists, who have exposed their lives, or employed their faculties, in the service of their fellow-creatures. This act is but a just tribute of public gratitude, and serves to treasure up, in the annals of history, a multitude of virtuous examples. The love of fame is natural to the human mind; and, when properly directed, is at once, productive of happiness to the individual, and general benefit to mankind. In the lives of great men, their public characters are principally to be regarded; the investigation of their private conduct may also occasionally be useful, to illustrate the influence of example; but, too minute an inquiry into the foibles and infirmities of eminent men, is highly illiberal, and can never be sufficiently deprecated. The best exemplifications of the interesting and useful department of biography will be found in the following list.

Select Books on Biography.

Watkins' Biographical Dictionary, 8vo. Lempriere's Classical Dictionary, 8vo. Chalmers Biographical Dictionary, 8vo. now in course of publication. Plutarch's Lives, translated by Langhorne, 6 vols. 8vo. Mavor's Abridgment of Plutarch, 12mo. Mavor's British Nepos, 12mo. Johnson's Lives of the Poets. 3 vols. 12mo. Bp. Burnet's Lives, 12mo. Hunter's Sacred Biography, 5 vols. 8vo. Robinson's Scripture Characters, 4 vols. 8vo. or 12mo. Lindley Murray's Power of Religion on the Mind, 8vo. or 12mo.

Memoirs of Colonel Hutchinson, 8vo. Jortin's Life of Erasmus, 3 vols. 8vo. Forbes' Life of Dr. Beattie, 4 vols. 8vo. Pennington's Life of Mrs. Carter, 2 vols. 8vo. Hayley's Life of Cowper, 4 vols. 8vo. Macdiarmid's Lives of British Statesmen, 4to. Wordsworth's Ecclesiastical Biography, 5 vols. 8vo. Cumberland's Memoirs of himself, 2 vols. 8vo. Mudford's Critical Examination of the Life and Writings of Cumberland, 2 vols. 8vo. Bausset's Life of Fenelon by Mudford, 2 vols. 8vo. Butler's Lives of Fenelon and Bossuet, 12mo. Nichols' Literary Anecdotes of the 18th century, with Index, 7 vols. 8vo.