tended, that ecclefiaftics ought to have no poffeffion of their own.

*

Broughton's Historical Library, vol. i. p. 427,

FRENCH PROPHETS. They first appeared in Dauphiny and Vivarais. In the year 1688, five or fix hundred Proteftants of both fexes gave themfelves out to be prophets, and infpired of the Holy Ghoft. They foon became fo numerous, that there were many thoufands of them infpired. They had ftrange fits, which came upon them with tremblings and faintings, as in a fwoon, which made them stretch out their arms and legs, and stagger several times before they dropped down. They ftruck themselves with their hands; they fell on their backs, shut their eyes, and heaved with their breasts. They remained a while in trances, and coming out of them with twitchings, uttered all which came into their mouths. They faid, they faw the heavens open, the angels, paradife, and hell. Thofe, who were juft on the point of receiving the fpirit of prophecy, dropped down, not only in the affemblies, crying out mercy, but in the fields, and in their own houfes. The leaft of their affemblies made up four or five hundred, and fome of them amounted to even three or four thousand perfons. When the Prophets had for a while been under agitations of body, they began to prophefy. The burden of their prophecies was, Amend your lives; repent ye; the end of all things draws nigh. The hills rebounded with their loud cries for mercy, and with imprecations against the priests, the church, the pope, and against the antichriftian dominion, with predictions of the approaching fall of popery. All they faid, at thefe times, was heard and received with reverence and awe.

In the year 1706, three or four of thefe Prophets came over into England, and brought their prophetic fpirit along with them; which difcovered itfelf in the fame ways and manners, by ecftacies, and agitations, and infpirations

They were people of all ages and fexes, without diftinction, though the greatest part of them were boys and girls, from fix or feven to twenty-five years

of age.

infpirations under them, as it had done in France. And they propagated the like fpirit to others; fo that, before the year was out, there were two or three hundred of these Prophets in and about London, of both sexes, of all ages, men, women, and children; and they had delivered, under infpiration, four or five hundred prophetic warnings.

The great thing they pretended by their fpirit, was, to give warning of the near approach of the kingdom of God, the happy times of the church, the millennium ftate. Their mefiage was, (and they were to proclaim it as her alds to the Jews, and every nation under heaven, beginning first at England) that the grand jubilee; the acceptable year of the Lord; the accomplishment of those numerous fcriptures, concerning the new heavens and the new earth; the kingdom of the Meffiah; the mar riage of the Lamb; the first refurrection, or the new Jerufalem defcending from above, were now even at the door: That this great operation was to be wrought, on the part of man, by fpiritual arms only, proceeding from the mouths of thofe, who fhould, by infpiration, or the mighty gift of the Spirit, be fent forth in great numbers to labour in the vineyard: That this miffion of his fervants fhould be witnefied to, by figns and wonders from heaven, by a deluge of judgments on the wicked univerfally throughout the world, as famine, peftilence, earthquakes, &c. That the exterminating angels fhall root out the tares, and there fhall remain upon earth only good corn and the works of men being thrown down, there fhall be but one Lord, one faith, one heart, and one voice, among mankind. They declared, that all the great things they fpoke of, would be manifest over the whole earth within the term of three years.

Thefe Prophets alfo pretended to the gift of langua ges; of difcerning the fecrets of the heart; the gift of miniftration of the fame fpirit to others, by the laying on of hands; and the gift of healing.

To prove they were really infpired by the Holy Ghoft, .they alleged the complete joy and fatisfaction they ex

perienced;

perienced; the fpirit of prayer, which was poured forth upon them; and the anfwer of their prayers by God. Chauncy's Works, vol. iii. p. 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 25, 28, 31, 37, 38, 39.

AIANITÆ, a denomination, which fprang from the Eutychians. They derive their name from Gaian, a bishop of Alexandria, in the fixth century, who denied, that Jefus Chrift, after the hypoftatical union, was fubject to any of the infirmities of human nature.

History of Religion, vol. iv. [See Gaianita.]

GAZARES, a denomination, which appeared about the year 1197, at Gazare, a town of Dalmatia. They held almost the fame opinions with the Albigenfes; but their diftinguishing tenet was, that no human power had a right to fentence men to death for any crime whatever, Broughton's Hiftorical Library, vol. i. p. 598,

GEORGIANS. [See Iberians.]

GNOSIMACHI, a name, which diftinguished those in the feventh century, who were profeffed enemies to the Gnofis, i. e. the ftudied knowledge or fcience of Christianity; which they refted wholly on good works, calling it an useless labour to feek for knowledge in the fcripture. In fhort, they contended for the practice of morality in all fimplicity; and blamed thofe, who aimed at improving and perfecting it by a deeper knowledge and infight into the doctrines and myfteries of religion. The Gnofimachi were the very reverse of the Gnostics. [See Gnoftics.]

Broughton, ibid. p. 599.

GNOSTICS. This denomination fprang up in the first century. Several of the difciples of Simon Magus held the principles of his philofophy, together with the profeffion of Chriftianity, and were diftinguifhed by the appellation of Gnoftics, from their boafting of being able

to

to reflore mankind to the knowledge, war, of the Supreme Being, which had been loft in the world. This party was not confpicuous for its numbers or reputation before the time of Adrian.* It derives its origin from the Oriental philofophy. The doctrine of a foul, diftinct from the body, which had pre-existed in an angelic flate, and was, for fome offence committed in that state, degraded, and confined to the body as a punishment, had been the great doctrine of the eastern fages from time immemorial. Not being able to conceive how evil in fo great an extent could be fubfervient to good, they fuppofed, that good and evil have different origins. So mixed a fyftem as this is, they therefore thought to be unworthy of infinite wifdom and goodness. They looked upon matter as the fource of all evil, and argued in this manner: There are many evils in this world, and men feem impelled by a natural instinct to the practice of those things, which reafon condemns; but that Eternal Mind, from which all spirits derive their existence, must be inacceffible to all kinds of evil, and also of a moft perfect and beneficent nature. Therefore, the origin of thofe evils, with which the universe abounds, must be fought fomewhere elfe, than in the Deity. It cannot refide in him, who is all perfection: therefore, it must be without him. Now there is nothing without or beyond the Deity, but matter: therefore, matter is the centre and fource of all evil, and of all vice. Having taken for granted thefe principles, they proceeded further, and affirmed, that matter was eternal, and derived its prefent form, not from the will of the Supreme God, but from the creating power of fome inferior intelligence, to whom the world and its inhabitants owed their existence. As a proof of their affertion, they alleged, that it was incredible that the Supreme Deity, perfectly good, and infinitely removed from all evil, fhould either create or modify matter, which is effentially malignant and corrupt; or beftow upon it, in any degree, the riches of his wifdom and liberality.

In

Under the general appellation of Gnoftics, are comprehended all thofe, who, in the firft ages of Chriftianity, blended the Oriental philofophy with the doctrines of the gospel,

In their fyftem it was generally fuppofed, that all intelligences had only one fource, viz. the Divine Mind. And to help out the doctrine concerning the origin of evil, it was imagined, that, though the Divine Being himfelf was effentially and perfectly good, thofe intelligences, or fpirits, who were derived from him, and efpecially thofe, who were derived from them, were capable of depravation. It was further imagined, that the derivation of thofe inferior intelligent beings from the Supreme, was, by a kind of efflux or emanation, a part of the fubftance, being detached from the reft, but capable of being abforbed into it again. To thofe intelligences, derived mediately or immediately from the Divine Mind, the author of this fyftem did not fcruple to give the name of gods, thinking fome of them capable of a power of modifying matter.

The Oriental fages expected the arrival of an extraordinary meffenger of the Moft High upon earth; a meffenger, invefted with a divine authority; endowed with the most eminent fanctity and wifdom; and peculiarly appointed to enlighten with the knowledge of the Supreme Being, the darkened minds of miferable mortals, and to deliver them from the chains of the tyrants and ufurpers of this world. When, therefore, fome of these philofophers perceived, that Chrift and his followers wrought miracles of the most amazing kind, and alfo of the most falutary nature to mankind, they were eafily induced to connect their fundamental doctrines with Christianity, by fuppofing him the great meffenger expected from above, to deliver men from the power of the malignant genii, or fpirits, to whom, according to their doctrine, the world was fubjected; and to free their fouls from the dominion of corrupt matter. But though they confidered him as the Son of the Supreme God, fent from

The great boaft of the Gnoftics, was their doctrine concerning the derivation of various intelligences from the Supreme Mind, which they thought to be done by emanation or efflux: and as thofe were equally capable of producing other intelligences in the fame manner, and some of them were male, and others female, there was room for endless combinations of them. It is fuppofed, that the apostle Paul, when he cenfures endless genealogies and fables, has reference to the philofophy of the Gnostics.