R ANTERS, a denomination which arose in the year 1645. They set up the light of nature under the name of Christ in men. With regard to the church, scripture, ministry, &c., their sentiments were the same with the Seekers. See Seekers. REMONSTRANTS. See Arminians. ROGEREENS, so called from John Rogers, their chief leader. They appeared in New England about the year 1677. The principal distinguishing tenet of this denomination was, that worship performed the first day of the week was a species of idola that women ought to be admitted to perform the sacerdotal and episcopal functions ; grounding their practice on Gal. iii. 28, There is neither jew nor greek, there is neither male nor female. They added that Philip, the deacon, had four daughters who were prophetesses, and were doubtless of their sect. In their assemblies it was usual to see the virgins enter in white robes, personating prophetesses. This denomination was a branch of the Montanists.+ See Montanists. try which they ought to oppose. In consequence of this they used a variety of measures to disturb those who were assembled for public worship on the Lord's day.§ ROMAN CATHOLICS, a name given to the papists, because the bishop of Rome is not only styled supreme, but œcumenical, or universal bishop. See Papists. ROSECRUSIANS, a name given to those in the seventeenth century who blended the doctrines of religion with the secrets of chemistry. Their sentiments were similar with those of the Behmenists. See Behmenists. * Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 388. Broughton, vol. ii. p. 309. Cambray op Pure Love, pp. 131-138. Lady Guion's Letters, p. 167. History of Religion, vol. iv. Broughton, vol. ii. p. 310. Callamy's Abridgment of Baxter's History, vol. i. p. 101. Backus's History, vol. i. p. 473. Mosheun, vol. iv. p. 266. ABELLIANS, a denomi- as the ray returns to its source, third century. They derived their name from Sabellius, an African bishop, or presbyter, who taught that there is but one person in the Godhead; and in confirmation of this doctrine he made use of a comparison. He said, that as man, though composed of body and soul, is but one person; so God, though he is Father, Son, and holy Ghost, is but one person. The Sabellians, upon their master'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, descended into a virgin, became a child, and was born of her as a Son; and that, hav-` ing accomplished the mystery of our salvation, he diffused himself on the apostles in tongues of fire, and then was denominated the holy Ghost. They resembled God to the sun, 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-ascended to heaven, * Broughton, vol. ii. p. 318. communicated after a like manner to the apostles. They also illustrated this mystery by one light kindled, as it were, from another-by the fountain and stream, and by the stock and branch. The Sabellians differed from the Noetians in this particular: Noetius was of opinion that the person of the Father had assumed the human nature of Christ; 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 Jesus. He considered in the same manner the holy Ghost as a portion of the everlasting Father.* SACOPHORI, a denomination in the fourth century; so called because they always went clothed in sackcloth, and affected a great deal of austerity and penance.† SANDEMANIANS. [A sect which originated in Scotland, about the year 1728; where it is at this time, distinguished by the name of Glassites, after its founder, Mr. John Glass. He was a minister of the established Mosheim, vol. i. p. 244, testimony passively received by the understanding; and that this divine testimony carries in itself sufficient ground of hope to every one who believes it, without any thing wrought in us, or done by us, to give it a particular direction to ourselves. church in that country; but of the truth, or the divine being charged with a design of subverting the national covenant, and sapping the foundation of all national establishments of religion, was expelled by the synod from the church of Scotland. His sentiments were fully explained in a tract published at that time, entitled, "The testimony of the king of martyrs," and which is preserved in the first volume of his works. In consequence of Mr. Glas's expulsion, his adherents formed themselves into churches, conformable in their institution and discipline to what they apprehended to be the plan of the first churches recorded in the new testament. Soon after the year 1755, Mr. Robert Sandeman, an elder in one of these churches in Scotland, published a series of Letters, addressed to Mr. James Hervey, occasioned by his "Theron and Aspasio," in which he endeavours to shew that his notion of faith is contradictory to the scripture account of it, and could only serve to lead men professedly holding the doctrines called Calvinistic to establish their own righteousness, upon their frames, feelings, and acts of faith. In these letters Mr. Sandeman attempts to prove that justifying faith is no more than a simple belief Some of the "popular preachers," as they were called, had taught that it was of the essence of faith to believe that Christ is ours: but Mr. Sandeman contended that that which is believed in true faith is the truth, and what would have been the truth though we had never believed it. They dealt largely in calls and invitations to repent and believe in Christ, in order to forgiveness: but he rejects the whole of them, maintaining that the gospel contained no offer but that of evidence, and that it was merely a record or testimony to be credited. They had taught that though acceptance with God, which ineluded the forgiveness of sins, was merely on account of the imputed righteousness of Christ; yet that none was. accepted of God, or forgiven, till he repented of his sin, and received Christ as the only Saviour: but he insists that there is acceptance with God, through Christ, for sinners while such, or before "any act, exercise, or exertion of their minds whatsoever;" consequently, before repentance; and that “a passive belief of this quiets the guilty conscience, begets hope, and so lays the foundation for love." It is by this passive belief of the truth, that we, according to Mr. Sandeman, are justified, and that boasting is excluded. If any act, exercise, or exertion of the mind were necessary to our being accepted of God, he conceives there would be whereof to glory; and justification by faith could not be opposed, as it is in Rom. iv. 4, 5, to justification by works. The authors to whom Mr. Sandeman refers under the title of "popular preachers," are Flavel, Boston, Guthrie, the Erskines, &c.; whom he has treated with great acrimony and contempt. “I would be far (says he) from refusing even to the popular preachers themselves what they so much grudge to others, the benefit of the one instance of a hardened sinner finding mercy at last: for I know of no sinners more hardened, none greater destroyers of mankind than they." Some of the writers who have vindicated these ministers from his invectives, have yet acknowledged that he has pointed out many meat dark strokes in their writings; " And if (said one of them) he could clear off all their mistakes, he should be as welcome to them as any crow could be to take all the carrion out of our fruitful fields: but who would abandon their fruitful fields, because some crowswas found there ?" Others have endeavoured to shew that Mr. Sandeman's notion of faith, by excluding all exercise or concurrence of the will with the gospel way of salvation, confounds the faith of devils with that of christians, and so is calculated to deceive the souls of men. It has also been observed, that though Mr. Sandeman admits of the acts of faith and love as fruits of believing the truth; yet "all his godliness consisting, (as he acknowledges to Mr. Pike) in love to that which first relieved him," it amounts to nothing but self-love. And as self-love is a stranger to all those strong affections expressed in the hundred-and-nineteenth Psalm towards the law of God, he cannot admit of them as the language of a good man; but applies the whole psalm to Christ, though the person speaking acknowledges that "before he was afflicted he went astray." Others have thought, that from the same principle it were easy to ac count for the bitterness, pride, and contempt, which distinguish the system for selflove, say they, is consistent with the greatest aversion to all beings, divine or human, excepting so far as they become subservient to us.--As there is no article in this work which states the arguments of Mr. Sandeman's opponents, we thought it but impartial to say as much as the above, under this. The practices in which this denomination differ from the generality of other christians are, their weekly administration of the Lord's supper; their love-feasts, of which every member is not only allowed, but required to partake, and which consist of their dining together at each others houses in the interval between the morning and the afternoon service; their kiss of charity, on the admission of a new member, and other occasions; their weekly collection before the Lord's supper for the support of the poor, and other necessary expences; mutual exhortation; abstinence from blood, and from things strangled; and the washing of each others feet. Every one, it is said, considers all that he has in his possession and power liable to the calls of the poor and the church. They also hold M m it to be unlawful to lay up treasures upon earth, by setting them apart for any distant future, and uncertain use. They allow of public and private diversions, so far as they are not connected with circumstances really sinful. Mr. Sandeman pleads, towards the close of his Letters on Theron and Aspasio, pretty much in favour of theatrical amusements; and it is said that an attendance on them is very common among his followers: but apprehending a lot to be sacred, they disapprove, (merely however on this account) of lotteries, playing at cards, dice, &c. They have a plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops, in each church. In the choice of them, the want of learning, or engagement in trade, is no sufficient objection, if qualified according to the instructions given by Paul to Timothy and Titus: but second marriages disqualify for the office. In discipline they are strict and severe, thinking themselves obliged to separate from the communion and worship of all such religious societies as appear to them not to profess the simple truth for their only ground of hope, and who do not walk in obedience to it. Moreover, as in their church proceedings they are not governed by majorities, |