Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/169

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tore into new compofitions ; and entered new Antes- of being, which had no relation to the former. Lucrct. 1. 3. If nature admitted any Annihilation, the world, fays Ocellus Lucanus, had lono- ago perifhed. Blount, Anim. Mund. §. 5. Hence they derived two qthcr notions, viz. r. That of the prae-extftence and immortality of fouls, which being diflin£t things from the body, can neither be produced not annihilated. 2. That the forms and qualities of bodies are nothing diftinct from matter, fince they are generated and annihilated; a doc- trine held by all the antient atomifts except Anaxagoras. Bibl. Choif. T. 1. p- no.

TbePerfian Bram'ins held, that after a certain period of time confiftmg of 71 Joogs, God not only annihilates the whole univerfe, but every tiling elfe, angels, fouls, fpirits and all, by which he returns to the fame ftate he was in before the creation ; but that having breathed awhile, he goes to work again and a new creation arifes, to fubfift 7 1 joogs more, and then to be annihilated in its turn. Thus they hold there have been almoft an infinite number of worlds; but how many joogs are elapfed fince the laffc creation, they cannot certainly tell, only in an almanac written in the Sanfcript language in 1 670, the world is faid to be then 3892771 years old from the laft creation. Vid. Phil-. Tranf. N 3. 268. p. 732,

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1 he Siamefe heaven is exactly the hell of fome Socinians, and other Chriffian writers, who, fliocked with the horrible pro- ipe£t of eternal torments, have taken refuge in the fyftem of Annihilation* This fyftem feems countenanced by fcripture; for that the words death, deflruction, and perifhing, whereby the punifhments of the wicked is mod frequently expreffed in fcripture, do raoft properly import Annihilation and an utter end of being. — To this Tillotfon anfwers that thefe words as well as thofe corresponding to them in other languages, are often both in fcripture, and other writers ufed to fignify a ftate of great mifery and fufFering, without the utter extinc- tion of the miferable. Thus God is often faid in fcripture to bring deflruction on a nation, when he fends judgments upon them, but without exterminating or making an end of them ; fo in other languages it is frequent by perifhing to exprefs a perfons being made very miferable, as in that known pafiiige in Tiberius's letter to the Roman fenate. — Ita rne d'ti, de&que emnes pejus perdant, quam hodie perire me fentio. As to the word death, a ftate of mifery which is as bad or worfe than death may properly enough be called by that name. And thus the punifhment of wicked men after the day of judgment is in the book of revelations frequently called the fecond death. Vid. Bibl. Choif. T. 7. p. 314. feq. Supp. to b'wind. p. 396. feq.

This fuppofition excludes all pofitive punifhment and torment of finners ; the fire of hell is quenched at once, and turned only into a frightful metaphor without further meaning. Add that, in this fuppofition, the punifhment of all finners muft of neceflity be equal, fince there are no degrees of Annihi- lation, or not being ; which is directly Contrary to the words of fcripture.

The Socinians aflert, that God will annihilate the fouls of the damned, to put an end to their pains ; this Annihilation makes what they call the fecond death, or general death. Vid. Mem. de Trev. 1702. p. 6.

Some Chriftian writers allow a long time of the moft terrible torments of finners, and after that fuppofe, that there fhall be an utter end of their being a ; of which opinion Iremeus ap- pears to have been, who, according to M.du Pin, taught that the fouls, at leaft of the wicked, would not fubfift eternally ; but that, after having undergone their torments for a certain pe- riod, they would at length ceafe to be at all. But Tillemont, Petit, Didier, and others, endeavour to defend Irena?us from this imputation, as being too favourable to the wicked b. Athanafius feems to fpeak, as if man would have been annihilat- ed after the fall, had it not been for his redemption c. Tho' fome have doubted whether this be to be underftood of an abfolute Annihilation. — [» Vid. Bibl. Choif. T. 7. p. 316. feq. Supp. to Swind. p. 400. feq. i> Vid. Act. Erud. Lipf. Supp. T. 3- P- 243. feq. Jour, des Scav. 1724. p. 195. feq. c Vid. Nouv. Rep. Lett. T. 16. p. 458.]

It has been much difputed among divines, whether, at the con- fummation of things, this earth is to be annihilated, or only purified, and fitted for the habitation of fome new order of beings.

Gerard in his common places, and Hakewil in his apology, contend earneftly for a total abolition or Annihilation. Ray d , Calmet, and others, think the fyftem of renovation, or refti- tution more probable and more confonant both to fcripture, reafon, and antiquity. — The fathers who have treated on the queftion are divided, fome holding that the univerfe (hall not be annihilated, but only its external face changed ; others af- fert that the fubftance of it fhall be deftroyed. But they all generally agree that there will be a renovation of the earth ; fo that they who hold for the Annihilation fuppofe there will be a new creation c .~ [ J Ray, Phyf. Theol. Difc 3. c. 11. c Jour, des Scav. Aout. 1715. p. 167. Jour, des Scav. 1723. Juin. p. 584.]

How widely have the fentioients of mankind differed, as to the poftibility and impoffibility of Annihilation? According Supfl. Vol. I.

to fome, nothing fo difficult ; it requires the infinite power of the Creator to effect it ; fome go further, and feem to put it out of the power of God himfelf. According to others- nothing fo eafy ; exiftence is a ftate of violence ; all things are continually endeavouring to return to their primitive no- thing; it requires no power at all. It will do itfetfi nay^ what is morcj it requires an infinite power to prevent it. I know not whether fome do not deny it in the Creator's power to prevent it.

Many authors eonfider prefervation as a continual reproduc- tion of a thing, which fubfifting no longer of itfelf, would every moment return into nothing, — This fome call the repro- ductive fyftem. Mem. de Trev. 1715. p. 224. Gaftbndi on the contrary afferts, that the world may indeed be annihilated by the fame power which firft created it, but that to continue it there is no occafion for any power of pre- fervation. Ibid; p. 225.

The jews had a fpecies of excommunication, called chere?n t which implied a total extermination or cutting off, and which according to Maimonides extends to an Annihilation of the foul, and an exclufion from all future life. Some divines, of which number the learned bifhop King feems to be, hold Annihilation for the greatcft of all evils, worfe even than the utmoft torments of hell flames ; while others with fome of the eaftern philolbphers acknowledge Annihilation for the ultimate pitch of happinefs human nature is capable of: that fo- vercign good ; that abfolute beatitude, fo long vainly fought for by the philofophers is found here. No wonder it had been (o long concealed ; for who would have thought of looking for the fumnnan bonum, where others have placed the fum, of mi- fery. Mem. de Trev. an. 171 1. p. 2078. Bilhop King propofes it as a queftion, whether fufFering eter- nal torments be a greater evil than not exifting ? He thinks it highly probable that the damned will be fuch fools, that feeling their own mifery in the moft exquifite degree, they will rather applaud their own conduct and ehoofe to be, and to be what they are j rather than not to be at all ; fond of their condition, however wretched, like people enraged, they will perfift in their former fentiments without opening their eyes to their folly, and perceive by way of indignation and revenge,

M. Bayle refutes him on this head, but might, one would think, have faved himfelf the trouble. V. Nouv. Rep. Lett. T. 37. p. 73.

The Talapoins hold it the fupreme degree of happinefs to have the foul totally annihilated, and freed from the burden and flavery of tranfmigrations.' — They fpeak of three Tala- poins who after a great number of tranfmigrations became Gods, and when arrived at this ftate, procured this further reward of their merit to be annihilated. The firft of thefe, who is called Nacodon, or Sommonocodom, is fuppofed to have patted through five thoufand fucceffive bodies ; fince his Annihilation there has been no God left. Chau- mont, Relat. de l'Ambaff. a Siam* Act. Erud. Lipf, 2687; p. no*

The ultimate reward of the higheft perfection man can arrive at is Nieurepan, or Annihilation^, which at length is granted to thofe who are perfectly pure and good, after their fouls, have wandered many thoufand years through divers bodies. De la Loubere, Du Royaume de Siam. p. 487. Act. Erud. Lipf. 1692. p. 487.

The Romilh church holds a total Annihilation of the whole fubftance of the bread and wine in the euchariit; but that the antient church were not of the fame belief, appears clearly from that celebrated paffage in St. Chryfoftom's epiftle to the monk Caefarius, as well as from the firft dialogue of The- odoret, and pope Gelafius's book de duabus naturis. Vid. Nouv. Rep, Lett. T. 8. p. 1418. feq.

The quietifts fpeak much of a kind of myftic Annihilation^ whereby the human will is fwallowed up, or extinguished in the divine.

An uniformity between the divine and human wills, as to the fame objects, is called union ; which they hold may be (o clofe, that the foul fhall lofe all endeavour or inclination of refitting. This ftate they call the myftical Annihilation, death, divifion, or deftruction of our own will, whereby man is brought to will or nill nothing but as God does. Vid. Act. Erud. Lipf. 17 13. p. 490.

This th&y pretend is founded on fcripture. St Paul fays, / am nothing f ; and of Chrift, that he made himfelf nothing F» tile fe exaninivit. Are not thefe plain marks of Annihilation h ? Who can doubt it ? It is a misfortune the Englifh tranflation fhould have rendered the latter paffage, fo as to be of no fer- vice to their caufe.— [ f 2 Cor. xii. 11. * Phil. ii. h Apol. Theol. Myft. n. 15.]

1 M. De la Bruyere rallies the quietifts on the total Annihilation which they require of their penitents ; a man who is made for thinking muft have very extraordinary affiftanees to enable him to think of nothing, that is not to think at all ; and how will women fupport fo painful a fufpenfion of all their facul- ties ? Nouv. Rep. Lett. 1699, T. 17. p. 34.

ANNIVERSARY-^*, [Cycl.) were antiently called jw- days, or mind-days^ 1. e. memorial-days. In fome authors we alfo find it written anniverfaL

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