JUDGMENT Is that act of the mind whereby one thing is affirmed or denied of another; or that power of the soul which passes sentence on things proposed to its examination, and determines what is right or wrong: and thus it approves or disapproves of an action, or an object considered as true or false, fit or unfit, good or evil. Dr. Watts gives us the following directions to assist us in judging right. 1. We should examine all our old opinions afresh, and enquire what was the ground of them, and whether our assent were built on just evidence; and then we should cast off all those judgments which were formed heretofore without due examination.--2. All our ideas of objects, concerning which we pass…

IMPLICIT FAITH Is that by which we take up any system or opinion of another without examination. This has been one of the chief sources of ignorance and error in the church of Rome. The divines of that community teach, "That we are to observe, not how the church proves any thing, but what she says: that the will of God is, that we should believe and confide in his ministers in the same manner as himself." Cardinal Toletus, in his instructions for priests, asserts, "That if a rustic believes his bishop proposing an heretical tenet for an article of faith, such belief is meritorious." Cardinal Cusanus tells us, "That irrational obedience is the most consummate and perfect obedience, when we obey without attending to…

Religious Lectures Are discourses or sermons delivered by ministers on any subject in theology. Beside lectures on the sabbath day, many think proper to preach on week days; sometimes at five in the morning, before people go to work, and at seven in the evening, after they have done. In London there is preaching almost every forenoon and evening in the week, at some place or other. It may be objected, however, against week-day preaching, that it has a tendency to take people from their business, and that the number of places open on a sabbath day supersedes the necessity of it. But in answer to this may it not be observed, 1. That people stand in need at all times of religious instruction, exhortation,…

CONCORDANCE A dictionary or index to the Bible, wherein all the leading words are ranged alphabetically, and the books, chapters, and verses wherein they occur referred to, to assist in finding out passages, and comparing with the several significations of the same word. Cardinal Hugo de St. Charo seems to have been the first who compiled a concordance to the Holy Scriptures; and for carrying on this work, it is said, he employed 500 monks to assist him. Rabbi Mordecai Nathan published a Hebrew concordance, printed at Venice in 1523, containing all the Hebrew roots, branched into their various significations, and under each signification all the places in Scripture wherein it occurs; but the best and most useful Hebrew concordance is that of Buxtorf, printed…

COMMENTARY An exposition, book of annotations or remarks. There are some people so wise in their own conceit, and think human helps of so little worth, that they despise commentaries on the Scriptures altogether: but every student or preacher whose business is to explain the sacred oracles, to make known the mind of God to others, to settle cases of conscience, to oppose the sophistry of sceptics, and to confound the arguments of infidels, would do well to avail himself of the most judicious, clear, copious, critical, and sound commentaries on the Bible. Nor can I suppose that commentaries can be useless to the common people, for though a spirit of serious enquiry, with a little good sense, will go a great way in understanding…

CATECHISM A form of instruction by means of questions and answers. There have been various catechisms published by different authors, but many of them have been but ill suited to convey instruction to juvenile minds. Catechisms for children should be so framed as not to puzzle and confound, but to let the beams of divine light into their minds by degrees. They should be accommodated as far as possible to the weakness of their understandings; for mere learning sentences by rote, without comprehending the meaning, will be but of little use. In this way they will know nothing but words: it will prove a laborious task, and not a pleasure; confirm them in a bad habit of dealing in sounds instead of ideas; and after…