r H E 



THE 



flour ; that more water in proportion is confolidated in the 

 formutioii of bread from barley, and ftill a larger quantity 

 ill that from oats; but that the gluten in wheat, being in 

 mucli larger quantity than in other grain, feems to form a 

 combination with the ilarch and water, which renders 

 wheaten bread more digellible than other fpecies or kinds 

 of bread. 



On this principle too it is probable, tliat this fort of 

 bread may be more fuitable and proper for the lefs labori- 

 ous clafTes of fociety, though the other kinds may be equally 

 or more .nourirtiing and lauing for thofe who are engaged 

 in hard work. 



THEOSOPHI'STS, the denomination of a clafs of 

 philofophers, who profefs to derive their knowledge of na- 

 ture from divine revelation. Not contented with the natural 

 light of human reafon, nor with the llmple dotlrines of 

 fcripture underllood in their literal lenfe, thefe perfons have 

 recourfe to an internal fupernatural hght, fuperior to all 

 other illuminations, from which they pretend to derive a 

 myfterious and divine philofophy, manifefted only to the 

 chofen favourites of heaven. They boall, that, by means 

 of this celeftial light, they are not only admitted to the 

 intimate knowledge of God, and of all divine truth, but 

 have accefs to the moft fublime fecrets of nature. They 

 afcribe it to the Angular manifeftation of divine benevolence, 

 that they are able to make fuch an ufe of the element of 

 fire, in the chemical art, as enables them to difcover the 

 cflential principle of bodies, and to difclofe ftupendous 

 myfteries in the phyfical world. (See Fire Philofophers.) 

 They even pretend to an acquaintance with thofe celeftial 

 beings, which form the medium of intercourfe between 

 God and man, and to a power of obtaining froui them, by 

 the aid of magic, ailrology, and other fimilar arts, various 

 kinds of information and afliftance. This they afRrm to 

 have been the ancient fecret wifdom, firft revealed to the 

 Jews under the name of Cabbala, and tranfmitted by tradi- 

 tion to pofterity. Philofophers of this clafs have no com- 

 mon fyftem ; but every one follows the impulfe of his own 

 imagination, and conftrucls an edifice of fanaticifm for him- 

 felf. They only agree in abandoning human reafon, and pre- 

 tending to divine illumination. Many traces of the fpirit of 

 Theofophifm are to be found in the whole hiftory of philo- 

 fophy, in which fanatical and hypocritical pretenfions to divine 

 illumination frequently occur. Among moderns, the fii-ft 

 name that is mentioned with any diftinftion in this clafs of 

 philofophers is Paracelfus. ( See his biographical article. ) 

 He was fucceeded by Robert Fludd, who compounded 

 into a new mafs of abfurdity all the myfterious and incom- 

 prehenfible dieams of the Cabbahfts and Paracelfians. He 

 fuppofed two univerial principles, the northern or condenf- 

 ing power, and the fouthern or rarefying power ; and over 

 thefe he placed innumerable intelligences and geniufes, and 

 called together whole troops of fpirits from the four winds, 

 to which he committed the charge of difeafes. ( See his 

 article.) Another dazzhng luminary in the conftellation of 

 Thcofophifts was Jacob Bcehmen. See Behmen. 



A more fcientific Th.eofophift than Boehmen was Van 

 Helmont. (See Helmont.) The moft elegant and philofo- 

 phical of all the Thcofophifts was Peter Poiret, who was 

 born at Metz in the year 1646, and educated in the academy 

 of Bafil. In 1668 he became a ftudent in the univerfity of 

 Heidelberg, with a view of qualifying himfelf for the cleri- 

 cal profeflion, and in 1672 he alTumed the charafter of an 

 ecclefiaftic in the principality of Deux-Ponts. After a 

 fevere fit of illnefs, he wrote his " Cogitationes Rationales de 

 Deo, Anima, et Malo," in which he moftly followed the 

 principles of Des Cartes, having in his youth ftudied the 



Vol. XXXV. 



Cartefian philofophy ; a work which he defended againft 

 the cenfures of Bayle. Being obhged by the public tumults 

 to withdraw from his clerical cure, he removed to Holland, 

 and afterwards to Hamburgh, where he became acquainted 

 with the celebrated myftic Mad. Bourignon, and cnhfted 

 himfelf in the number of her difciples. Abandoning Car- 

 tefianilm, and fafcinatedwith Bourignonian myfticifm, he re- 

 jected the light of reafon as ufelefs and dangerous, and in- 

 veighed againft every kind of philofophy that was not the 

 effeft of divine illumination. Towards the clofe of his life 

 he fettled at Rheinfburg, in Holland, and employed himfelf 

 in writing myftical books ; luch were his treatifes " Dc CEco- 

 nomia Divina," " De Eruditione Triphci," and the laft edi- 

 tion of his " Cogitationes Rationales." He died in the year 

 1 7 19. Some of his myftical notions may be colleAed from 

 the preliminary differtation prefixed to his works : they are 

 fuch as thefe : " It hath pleafed God, in order that he may 

 enjoy a vivid and delightful contemplation of himfelf, be- 

 yond that folitude which belongs to the divine eftence, to 

 create external beings in whom he may produce an image of 

 himfelf. The eftence of the human mind is ' thought,' 

 capable and defirous of light, and joyful complacence ; the 

 properties in which it bears a refemblance of the divine 

 effence. Nothing is more intimate or eflential to the mind 

 than this defire ; by which it is borne always towards the 

 true and infinite good. In order to fatisfy this defire, the 

 illumination of faith is neceffary ; by means of which the 

 mind, confcious of its weaknefs and impotence, difclaims 

 all the fiftions of human reafon, and direfts itfelf towards 

 God with an intenfe and ineffable ardour, till, by the fiknt 

 contemplation of him, it is filled with tranquillizing light 

 and joyful complacence ; although, whilft opprefTed with 

 the load of mortahty, it cannot behold his unveiled face. 

 From this divine illumination proceeds the moft pacific fe- 

 renity of mind, the moft ardent love of God, and the moft 

 intimate union with him." 



To the clafs of Thcofophifts it has been ufual to refer 

 the entire fociety of Rofycrucians ; which fee. 



It will be fufficient to obferve, at the clofe of this article, 

 that the whole fyftem of Theofophifm is founded in delu- 

 fion, and that it is injurious both to philofophy and rehgion. 

 Thefe fuppofed illuminations are to be afcribed either to 

 fanaticifm or to impofture. The faftidious contempt, with 

 which thefe pretenders to divine wifdom have treated thofe 

 who are contented to foUow the plain dictates of common 

 fenfe, and the fimple doftrine of fcriptures, has unquef- 

 tionably impofed upon the credulous vulgar, and produced 

 an indifference to rational enquiry, which has obftrufted the 

 progrefs of knowledge. And their example has encou- 

 raged others to traduce philofophy and theology in general, 

 by reprefentiug them as refting upon no better foundation 

 than enthufiafm and abfurdity. It is to be charitably pre- 

 fumed, that thefe deluded vifionaries have not been them- 

 felves aware of the injury which they have been doing to 

 the interefts of fcience and rehgion. Neverthelefs, it muft 

 be regretted, both on their own account, and on account of 

 the multitudes they have mifled, that whilft they have 

 thought themfelves following a bright and fteady luminary, 

 they have been led aftray by wandering meteors. Brucker 

 by Enfield. 



THEOTOCUS, Deipara. See Mother 0/ Go//. 



THEOXENIA, eic^ina, in Jntiqmty, 3. feftival in ho- 

 nour of all the gods, and celebrated in many cities of 

 Greece, but efpeciaHy Athens. 



THEOXINI Malagma, the name of a fort of cata- 

 plafm, good againft pains of the feet. 



THERA, m Ancient GeographyyOXX of the iflands called 



3 R Sj^QradfS) 



