700 G O S 
GOSH'GOSHTNK, a Moravian fettlement in Penn- 
Aivania, fituated on Allegliany river, about fifteen miles 
above Yenafigo, or Fort Franklin. 
GOSIL'IA, a river of Bofnia, wliich unites-with the 
river Bnret-za. 
GOS'FING, a town of Germany, in tlie arcliducliy 
of Atifiria: twelve miles foiith-eaft. of BavarianWaid- 
iioven. 
G OS'L!N.G,/'. [from A young-goofc ; a goofe 
not full grown.—'-".ature hath inflruG-ed even a brood 
of gojlings to (tick together, while tiic kite is liovering- 
over their, heads. Swift. 
GOS'PEL, f. [from the Saxon Dob-ypell,"which 
Lye re-ndcrs by “ Dei Sermo, Dei Ferbum ”—The Word of 
God. A more clofe interpretation of the Saxon origi¬ 
nal is “Good MelTage,,” The learned Junius in his 
Etymoiog. Anglican, obferves on the word Gospel, 
“ The Angles retained- this word, when the ufe of it 
w’as quite loll among the higher and low'er inhabitants 
of Germany. For the term Evangclium feemed prefera¬ 
ble to Kcclefiafiics, in tlieir defire of being reputed wife 
above the vulgar, from having recourfe to Roman and 
Greek expreflions lefs known and familiar, in tlieir daily 
homilies addreffed to the people, and on other occafions 
of expounding Scripture. This however was not ne- 
celT'ar.y for them to do ; fince the word gobppell is 
moft enipjiatical, and in corapolition genuinely Teutonic, 
exprelfe-s admirably the force and propriety of the Greek 
word ivayyiXioii. Foi' it is from p5ob, “ good,” and ypell, 
a “liiltory, narration, meffage.^’] 
Gospel then in its highefi; fenfe means, “A Decla¬ 
ration ot tiiat Merciful and Gracious Difpenfation, by 
which God will rellore Man to Ids favour, through 
Christ.” 
In a more limited acceptation, tiie term is ufed to 
ITgnify “ A Book, in which that Declaration is made, 
and the Nativity, Miniftry, Pallion, and Refurreefion 
of Christ are related.” 
Many fuoli Books were written. The primitive Chrif- 
tians were fcrupulous to a degree of uncommon anxiety,' 
not to admit for genuine, any but moft authentic Gof- 
pels. And it is ov/ing to their precifion and exatfiiefs 
in examining, that only Four Gofpels are allowed to 
be Canonical; i. e. of fuch authority as to be our Rules 
and Guides in matters of Chrifiian Information. The 
Four are, the Gofpels of St. Matthew', St. Mark, St. 
Luke, and St. John. It Ihotild llrengtlien our confidence 
in thefe Four Gofpels, that numberlefs others have been 
reje£Ied. The very circumftance of felefilion in pre¬ 
ference to others, by examiners equally able and ferious 
to decide according to Truth, at once ftamfis them with 
credit, and recommends them to our reception as docu¬ 
ments of indifputable veracity. 
It will equally gratity curiolity and confirm our re¬ 
mark on the feleilion made by the primitive Chrifiians, 
if w'e name the Gofpels rejefled as fpurious. Such were. 
The Gofpel of St. A.ndrew. 
The Gofpel of Thaddteus. 
The Golpel of St. Thomas. 
The Gofpel of St. Barnabas. 
The Gofpel of the Infancy of our Sawiour. 
Tlie Gofpel of Apelles. 
The Gofpel according to the Twelve Apofiles. 
The Gofpel of St. Bartholomew. 
The Gofpel of Bafilides. 
The Gofpel of Cerinthus. 
The Gofpel according to the Egyptians. 
The Gofpel according to the Hebrews. 
The Gofpel of Marcion. 
The Gofpel of the Nazarenes. 
The Golpel of St. Peter. 
The Gofpel of Truth. 
Fragments of thele Gofpels are remaining. If any one 
will compare tliem with the Four Canonical Gofpels, 
he will immediately difeern the difiereace between falfe- 
G O S 
hood and truth. The Gofpels fpurious are cmbellifiicd 
with, fanciful conceits and afeititious ornaments tlie 
Gofpels genuine affeft nothing, but to relate facts in a. 
plain manner, correfponding with conviction of truth, 
v.'hich needs no tinfel decoration. 
The word gofpel is fometimes ufed for any general 
dodtrine.—The propagators of this political g-fpel are 
in hopes, their abfiratt principle would be overlooked, 
Burke. 
GOS'PELLER, f. A name of the followers of Wick, 
lifi'e, wl'.o firlt attempted a reformation from popery, 
given them by the papifts in reproach, from tlieir pro- 
felTing to follow and preach only the gofpel: 
'Yhziti gofpdlcrs have had their golden days, 
Have trodden down our holy Roman faith. Rezoe. 
GOSPI'NI, a town of the ifland of Sardinia: twenty, 
four miles foiith of Oriftagni. 
GOS'PORT, a town of England, in the county of 
Hants, fituated on the w'ell fide of the entrance into 
Portfmouth harbour. The town is large, and a plat.e 
of great trade, efpecially in time of war. Several foris 
are erebted, and a platform of twenty cannon, level with 
the water, to defend the channel. Here are feveral 
docks for repairing merchant fhips, and a little to the 
fouthofthe town is an hofpital, called Hafar Hofpital, 
for the reception of fick and wounded fcan\cn in the fer- 
vice of the navy. In time of peace, packets fail from 
Gofport every week to Flavre de Grace and other ports 
of France : one mile from Portfmouth, fi.xteen fouth-eafi 
from Southampton, and feventy-nine fouth-wefl: from 
London. Lat. 50.44.N. Ion. i. 9. W. Greenwicli, 
GOS'PORT, formerly called Appledore, a town 
of tl'.e American States, on Star Ifiand, one ot the ifles 
of Shoals, belonging to Rockingham county. New 
Ilampfiiire : twelve miles eaft-fouih-eall of Pilcataqua 
harbour. 
■ GOSS,y. The fame as Gorse : 
They my lowings follow’d through 
Tooth’d briars, lharp furzes, pricking and thorns, 
Shahejpeare. 
GOS'SAMER,y VgoJIipium, lowLat.] The down of 
plants ; the long white filaments which fiy in the air in 
calm funny weather, el'pecially about the time of au¬ 
tumn. Hanmer. 
A lover may befiride the gojfamour, 
And yet not fall, fo light is vanity. Shakefpeare. 
The filmy now flits no more. 
Nor halcyons balk on the Ihort funny fltore. Dryden, 
According- to M. Bechftein, in the Mtigazin fiir das 
Neuejie aus des Phyfk, vol. vi. parti, p. 53, the goffamer 
ariles from nothing eife than a certain kind of field-fpi- 
ders, which are, however, fo fmall and active, that they 
almolt always efcape notice, unlefs the obferver is en¬ 
dowed with great acutenel's of fight. 
The gofiamer fpider (aranea obtextrix) is as large as the 
head of a fmall pin. On the fore-part of its longilh head 
it has eight grey eyes placed in a circular form; the ex¬ 
tremity of the body is fhaped like an egg ; the body itfelf 
is of a Alining dark-brown colour; the feet are of mode¬ 
rate length, and yellowifii, and the whole animal is co¬ 
vered with infulated hairs. Thefe infed'ts firlt appear in 
the beginning of October, in woods, gardens, and mea¬ 
dows, where their eggs may be hatched unhurt and-un. 
molelled, and thence fpread themfelves over wliole dif- 
firiCts ; to that, during all the month of October, and till 
the middle of November, they may be found on the dry 
fields throughout all Europe; and as they produce a 
numerous progeny, extenlive tracts may fometimes be 
feen fwarming with them. The young, which have not 
attained to their full growth, are not larger than the 
point of a pin; they are black, with grey feet, and al¬ 
molt imperceptible to the naked eye. In the beginning 
of 
