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النشر الإلكتروني

A TABLE OF

OFFICES AND CONDITIONS OF MEN.

PATRIARCHS, or Fathers of Families, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his sons.

Judges, Temporary Supreme Governors, immediately appointed by God over the children of Israel.

Kings, And they either of the whole nation, or after the falling off of the ten tribes, of Judah or Israel.

Elders, Senators, the LXX. or Sanhedrin.

Officers, Provosts, Sheriffs, or Executioners.

Judges, Inferior rulers, such as determine controversies in particular cities.

Israelites, Hebrews, descendants from Jacob.

An Hebrew of Hebrews, an Israelite by original extraction. A Proselyte of the Covenant, who was circumcised, and submitted to the whole Law.

A Proselyte of the Gate, or Stranger who worshipped one God, but remained uncircumcised.

Officers under the Assyrian or Persian Monarchs. Tirshatha, or Governor appointed by the kings of Assyria or Persia.

Heads of the Captivity, The Chief of each tribe or family, who exercised a precarious Government during the captivity. Under the Grecian Monarchs.

Superior Officers.

Maccabees, the Successors of Judas Maccabeus, High Priests, who presided with kingly power.

Under the Roman Emperors.

Presidents, or Governors, sent from Rome with imperial

power.

Tetrarchs, who had kingly power in four Provinces.
Proconsuls, or Deputies of Provinces.

Inferior Officers.

Publicans, or Taxgatherers.

Centurions, Captains of an hundred men.

Ecclesiastical Officers, or Sects of Men.

High Priests, who only might enter the Holy of Holies. Second Priests, or Sagan, who supplied the High Priest's Office, in case he were disabled.

High Priests for the War, set apart for the occasion of an expedition.

Priests, Levites of the sons of Aaron, divided into twentyfour ranks, each rank serving weekly in the Temple.

Levites, of the tribe of Levi, but not of Aaron's family; of these were three orders, Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, several sons of Levi.

Nethinims, Inferior servants to the Priests and Levites (not of their tribe), to draw water and cleave wood, &c.

Prophets, anciently called Seers, who foretold future events, and denounced God's judgments.

Children of the Prophets, their disciples or scholars.

Wise-men, called so in imitation of the eastern Magi, or Gentile Philosophers.

Scribes, Writers and Expounders of the law.

Disputers, that raised and determined questions out of the law.

Rabbies or Doctors, Teachers of Israel.

Libertines, Freed-men of Rome, who, being Jews or Proselytes, had a synagogue or oratory for themselves.

., Gaylonites, or Galileans, who pretended it unlawful to obey an Heathen magistrate.

Herodians, who shaped their religion to the times, and particularly flattered Herod.

Epicureans, a sect of Heathen Philosophers, who placed all happiness in pleasure.

Stoicks, who denied the liberty of the Will, and pretended all events were determined by fatal necessity.

Simon Magus, Author of the heresy of the Gnosticks, who taught that men, however vicious their practice was, should be saved by their knowledge.

Nicolaitans, the disciples of Nicolas, one of the first seven Deacons, who taught the community of wives.

Nazarites, who under a vow abstained from wine, &c.
Nazarenes, Jews professing Christianity.

Zelots, Sicarii, or Murderers, who, under pretence of the law, thought themselves authorized to commit any outrage. Pharisees, Separatists, who, upon the opinion of their own godliness, despised all others.

Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the dead, angels, and spirits.

Samaritans, mongrel professors, partly Heathen, and partly Jews, the offspring of the Assyrians sent to Samaria.

Apostles, Missionaries, or persons sent; they who were sent by our Saviour, from their number, were called The Twelve. Bishops, Successors of the Apostles in the government of the Church.

Deacons, Officers chosen by the Apostles to take care of the poor.

Jews of Alexandria, A sect of Jews who lived in Alexandria, and there offered sacrifice in the temple which Onias had built in imitation of Solomon's Temple, thus acting contrary to the command of God, not to offer sacrifice any where but in Jerusalem. Grecians, The Jews which in their synagogues used the Greek tongue and not the Hebrew, viz. the Septuagint Translation. They were accounted schismaticks by the other Jews.

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PREFACE.

THE Holy Scriptures are the grand medium of communication between God and man, heaven and earth. They reveal the Deity to the human intellect in all the treasures of His grace; and exalt the human soul, far beyond the vanities of time and sense, to the glorious riches of eternity. In the Seriptures, the Sovereign of Nature draws aside the impenetrable vail which concealed Him from mortal ken, descends from His inaccessible throne, and converses with His creature man. He un folds the counsels of His love, displays His pardoning grace, discloses the invisible world, and brings life and immortality to view. He commands, He entreats, He encourages erring man to forsake the ways of sin and death, and to pursue the path of glory, honour, and immortality.

The Holy Scriptures display a wisdom by which the wisest may learn, and a moral by which the most virtuous may improve. In them we trace the sublime philosophy of Heaven; the glory of the Father manifested in and

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