fionally be there, with certificates from their brethren in Ireland, America, or elsewhere. From this annual af fembly at London, exhortations and advices are fent to fubordinate meetings, as the general or particular ftate of the fociety may require. They have alfo monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings of female Friends, held at the fame times and places with the men's meetings, in feparate apartments, for the like purpofe of a Chriftian care for their churches. They alfo have felect meetings of ministers and elders, the day preceding their yearly and quarterly meetings, wherein they exhort one another to become examples of believers, in word, converfation, charity, faith, and purity. None of their minifters are allowed to travel abroad without the approbation of the elders, and a certificate from the monthly meeting he or she belongs to. This fociety also have meetings for fufferings, which are compofed of members appointed by the yearly and quarterly meetings. They were originally inftituted, and thus named, in times of perfecution; and are continued, to fuperintend the general concerns of the fociety, during the interval of the yearly meetings. [See Part II.] Sewell's Hiftory of the Quakers, p. 6, 672. Barclay's Apology for the Quakers, p. 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, QUARTODECIMANI, a denomination in the fecond century; fo called, because they maintained, that the feftival of Eafter was always to be celebrated, conformably to the cuftom of the Jews, on the fourteenth day of the moon of March, whatever day of the month that happened to be. Broughton's Hiftorical Library, vol. ii. p. 307. QUIETISTS, the followers of Michael de Molinus, a Spanish priest, who flourished in the feventeenth century. They were fo called, from a kind of abfolute rest and inaction, which the foul is fuppofed to be in, when arrived arrived at that ftate of perfection, which they call the unitive life.* The principles maintained by this denomination, are as follow: That the whole of religion confifts in the prefent calm and tranquillity of a mind removed from all external and finite things, and centered in God, and in fuch a pure love of the Supreme Being, as is independent on all profpect of intereft or reward.t For, fay they, the primitive difciples of Chrift were all of them inward and fpiritual; and when Jefus Christ faid to them, It is expedient for you, that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; he intended thereby, to draw them off from that, which was fenfible, though very holy, and to prepare their hearts to receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit, which he looked upon, as the one thing neceffary. To prove, that our love to the Deity must be difinterefted, they allege, that the Lord hath made all things for bimfelf, as faith the fcripture; and it is for his glory, that he wills our happiness. Our happiness is only a fubordinate end, which he has made relative to the last and great end, which is his glory. To conform, therefore, to the great end of our creation, we muft prefer God to ourfelves, and not defire our own happiness, but for his glory; otherwife we fhall go contrary to his order. the perfections of the Deity are intrinfically amiable, it is our glory and perfection to go out of ourselves, to be loft and abforbed in the pure love of infinite beauty. [See Myftics.] As Mofheim's Ecclefiaftical History, vol. iv. p. 388. Lady Guion's Letters, p. 167. QUINTILIANS, Lady Guion, a woman of fashion in France, who was born in 1648, was a warm advocate of thofe principles. She afferted, that the two means of arriving at this perfect love, are prayer, and the felf-denial enjoined in the gospel. "Prayer," the defines to be, "neither a fweet fenfation, nor the charm of an inflamed imagination, nor an abtracted fpeculative reafoning; but the entire bent of the foul towards its divine origin." +Fenelon, the amiable archbishop of Cambray, favoured the fentiments of this lady, in a publication, entitled, "The Maxims of the Saints." The diftinguifhng tenet in his theology, was the doctrine of the difintercfted love of God for his own QUINTILIANS, a denomination, which appeared in Phrygia, about the year 189. They derived their name from their prophetess, Quintilia, Their diftinguishing tenet was, that women ought to be admitted to perform the facerdotal and epifcopal functions, grounding their practice on that paffage of St. Paul, Gal. iii. 28, There is neither few nor Greek; there is neither male nor female. They added, that Philip, the deacon, had four daughters, who were propheteffes, and were doubtlefs of their fect. In their affemblies, it was ufual to fee the virgins enter in white robes, perfonating propheteffes. This denomination was a branch of the Montanifts, Montanists.] [See History of Religion, vol. iv. [See Quintilians.] RANTERS, ANTERS, a denomination, which arofe in the year 1645. They fet up the light of nature, under the name of Christ in men. With regard to the church, fcripture, miniftry, &c. their fentiments were the fame with the Seekers. [See Seekers.] Callamy's Abridgment of Baxter's History, vol. i. p. 101. REMONSTRANTS. [See Arminians.] ROGEREENS, fo called from John Rogers, their chief leader. They appeared in New-England, about the year 1677. The principal diftinguifhing tenet of this denomination, was, that worship, performed the first day of the week, was a fpecies of idolatry, which they ought to oppose. In confequence of this, they used a variety of measures to disturb thofe, who were affembled for public worship on the Lord's day. Backus's History, vol. i. p. 473- own excellencies, independent of his relative benevolence: an important feature alfo in the theological fyftem of Madam Guion, and the Myftics. See Life of Lady Guion, in two volumes, octavo. See alfo Life of Fenelon, by the Chevafier Ramfay. ROMAN CATHOLICS, a name given to the Papifts, because the bishop of Rome is not only ftyled fupreme, but acumencial, or univerfal bifhop. [See Papifts.] ROSECRUSIANS, a name given to thofe, in the feventeenth century, who blended the doctrines of religion with the fecrets of chemistry. Their fentiments were fimilar with thofe of the Behmenifts. [See Behmenifts.]. Mofheim's Ecclefiaftical History, vol. iv. p. 266. ABBATARIANS, a branch of the Baptists, who obferve the Jewish or Saturday Sabbath, from a perfuafion, that it was one of the ten commandments, which they plead, are all, in their nature, moral, and was never abrogated in the New Teftament, and must, at leaft, be deemed of equal validity for public worship, as any day never particularly fet apart by Jefus Chrift and his apoftles.* Hiftory of Religion, vol. iv. (See Sabbatarians.] SABELLIANS, a denomination, which arose in the third century. They derived their name from Sabellius, an African bishop, or prefbyter, who taught, that there is but one perfon in the Godhead: and in confirmation of this doctrine, he made ufe of a comparifon. He faid, that as man, though compofed of body and foul, is but one perfon; fo God, though he is Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is but one perfon. The Sabellians, upon their mafter's principles, made the Word and the Holy Spirit to be only virtues, emanations, or functions, of the Deity; and held, that he, who in heaven is the Father of all things, defcended into a virgin, became a child, and was born of her, as a Son; and that, having accomplished the mystery of our falvation, The Sabbatarians in Pennfylvania originated from the Kethian Baptists, in the year 1700. falvation, he diffufed himfelf on the apoftles in tongues of fire, and then was denominated the Holy Ghoft. They refembled God to the fun; the illuminative virtue or quality whereof, was the Word; and its warming virtue, the Holy Spirit. The Word, they taught, was darted, like a divine ray, to accomplish the work of redemption; and that, being re-afcended to heaven, as the ray returns to its fource, the warmth of the Father was communicated, after a like manner, to the apoftles. They alfo illuftrated this mystery by one light, kindled, as it were, from another; by the fountain and ftreams; and by the stock and branch. The Sabellians differed from the Noetians in this particular Noetius was of opinion, that the perfon of the Father had affumed the human nature of Chrift; but Sabellius maintained, that a certain energy only, proceeding from the Supreme Parent, or a certain portion of the divine nature, was united to the Son of God, the man Jefus. He confidered, in the fame manner, the Holy Ghoft, as a portion of the everlasting Father. Broughton's Hiftorical Library, vol. ii. p. 348. SACOPHORI, a denomination in the fourth centu ry; so called, because they always went clothed in fackcloth, and affected a great deal of aufterity and penance. Hiftory of Religion, vol. iv. [See Sacophori.] SANDEMANIANS, fo called from Mr. Robert Sandeman, who publifhed his fentiments in the year 1757. He was first a Congregational preacher, at Edinburgh, and afterwards came to New-England, and fettled * * He was a difciple of Mr. John Glas, who was minister of the established church in Scotland. Being charged with a defign of fubverting the national covenant, and fapping the foundation of all national establishments by the kirk judicatory, he was expelled by the fynod from the church of Scotland. In con fequence of Mr. Glas's expulfion, his adherents formed themfelves into churches, conformable, in their inftitution and difcipline, to what they apprehended to be the plan of the first churches, recorded in the New Testament. This denomination were called Glafties in Scotland. Mr. Sandeman was an elder in one of their churches. See Encyclopedia, vol. xvi. p: 647. |