towards Chaldea, passes through Corofah, and falls | sin, are separated from the church, and deprived of into the Tigris, between Vassith and Naharvan, at spiritual advantages. There are two or three sorts Carna, that is, the Horn, because, in reality, it is the of excommunication. (1.) The greater, by which horn or confluence of the great and the little Eu- the person offending is separated from the body of phrates. Parsons, in his Travels in Asia, writes, the faithful; thus Paul excommunicated the incestu"At Korna, on the extreme point of Mesopotamia, ous Corinthian, 1 Cor. v. 1-5. (2.) The lesser, by the head of our vessel was in the Tigris, the stern in which the sinner is forbidden the sacraments. (3.) the Euphrates, and the middle in the great river That which suspends him from the company of bewhere the two former unite. This point is reckoned lievers; which seems to be hinted at, 2 Thess. iii. 6. to be from Hellah about 180 English leagues." From Augustin speaks in several places of this excomthe lesser, a canal, dug by Trajan's order, passes into munication; and Theophylact says, that it was esthe larger Euphrates. This is the Fossa Regia, or teemed a great punishment. The primitive church Basilius fluvius of the Greeks and Romans, by the was very cautious in the use of excommunication; Syrians called Nahar-Malca, through which the em- using it only for very serious and important reasons, peror Severus passed in his way to Ctesiphon on the and always with great concern. The manner of exTigris, when he besieged that city. The violence of communicating in the primitive church was this; the the Persian gulf causes a reflux of water thirty faithful separated themselves from those whose comleagues above the mouth of the Euphrates. The pany the church had prohibited, without obliging Arabians are persuaded that the waters of this river their superiors to proceed any further. In process are very wholesome, and have virtue in curing dis- of time, however, the bishops used threatenings, eases. Between this river and the Tigris, which is anathemas, and sentences of excommunication; and east of it, is Mesopotamia, and the land of Shinar; at last, to make these ceremonies more frightful, they and east of the Tigris is Assyria. were attended with actions proper for infusing terror, such as the lighting of wax candles, extinguishing them, throwing them on the ground, and trampling them under foot, while the bishop pronounced excommunication, thundering also curses against the excommunicated.

The Mesopotamian Euphrates is a river of consequence in Scripture geography, being the boundary which separated Padan Aram from Syria, and the utmost limits, east, of the kingdom of the Israelites. It was indeed only occasionally, that the dominion of the Hebrews extended so far; but it would appear, that even Egypt, under Pharaoh Necho, made conquests to the western bank of the Euphrates. Its general course is south-east; but in some places it runs westerly, and approaches the Mediterranean, near Cilicia. It is accompanied in most parts of its course (about 1400 miles) by the Tigris. There are many towns on its banks, which are in general rather level than mountainous. The river does not appear to be of any very great breadth. Otter says, "When we passed the Euphrates, the 12th of March, this river had only 200 common paces in width; in its height, it extends 500 or 600 paces into the plains on the right." Thevenot observes, that near to Bir, the Euphrates (July 3) seemed no larger than the Seine at Paris; but it was said to be very broad in winter. Near Hellah, which marks the situation of the ancient Babylon, it was about four hundred feet wide. Mr. Rich, in his memoir on Babylon, says, the current was, at Hellah, at a medium, about two knots (miles) per hour. The Euphrates now overflows the site of Babylon, where, says sir R. K. Porter, "its banks were hoary with reeds, and the gray osier willows were yet there, on which the captives of Israel hung up their harps, and, while Jerusalem was not, refused to be comforted." See BABYLONIA.

The principal effect of excommunication is, to separate the excommunicated from the society of Christians, from the privilege of being present in religious assemblies, from the eucharist, from attendance at the prayers, the sacraments, and all those duties by which Christians are connected in one society and communion. An excommunicated person is, with regard to the church, as a heathen man and a publican, Matt. xviii. 17. But this excision from Christian communion does not exempt him from any duties to which he is liable as a man, a citizen, a father, a husband, or a king, either by the law of nature and nations, or by the civil law. And when the apostles enjoin men to have no conversation with the excommunicated, not to eat with them, not even to salute them, this is to be understood of offices of mere civility, (which a man is at liberty to pay, or to withhold,) and not of any natural obligations; such as are founded on nature, humanity, and the law of nations, 1 Cor. v. 1–5; 2 Thess. iii. 6—14; 2 John 10, 11.

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Among the Jews we see excommunication practised in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, with regard to those who would not dismiss the strange women whom they had married contrary to the law, Ezra x. 10; Neh. xiii. 25-28. Our Saviour, speaking to his apostles, foretold that the Jews, out of hatred EUPOLEMUS, son of John, an ambassador whom to him, would treat them ill, and excommunicate Judas Maccabæus sent to Rome, 1 Mac. viii. 17. them, cast them out of their synagogues." They EUROCLYDON, a dangerous wind in the Le- generally scourged the excommunicated persons, vant, or eastern part of the Mediterranean sea, Acts before they expelled them out of their synagogues. xxvii. 14. It is usually said that this wind blows The act was preceded by censure and admonition, from the north-east; but perhaps it is what our sea- at first, privately; if the guilty person did not amend, men call a Levanter, which is confined to no point the house of judgment, the assembly of judges, deof the compass, but by veering to all points, is at-clared to him, with menaces, the necessity for his tended with great danger.

EUTYCHUS, the name of a young man of Troas, who, sitting in a window while the apostle Paul was preaching, slept, and fell from the third story, and was taken up dead. Paul restored him to life, Acts xx. 10. A. D. 57.

EXCOMMUNICATION, an ecclesiastical penalty, by which they who incur the guilt of any heinous

reformation. If he continued obstinate on four sabbath days successively, his name and the nature of his fault were proclaimed, in order to bring him to shame; and then, if he were incorrigible, he was excommunicated. Our Saviour seems to allude to this practice, where he commands us to tell our brother of his fault between him and us alone; then-that we should take witnesses with us in order to ad non

ish him; and lastly, that we should inform the ham, yet that Ishmael might dwell at Mecca, or in church against him. And if, after this, he do not re- the country adjacent, is unquestionable, and is suffiturn to his duty, then we should look on him as a ciently credible: he might institute some kind of poheathen man and a publican, Matt. xviii. 15-17. litical, religious, or commercial meeting of the tribes The sentence of excommunication among the Jews called Arabs, (for the descendants of Ishmael are was conceived in these terms: "Let such an one be not the only Arabs,) which, after his death, they in excommunication, or separation." The judges, or might continue, for the same reasons as caused its the synagogue, or even private persons, had a right institution. (4.) As the Arabs do not carry the anto excommunicate; but regularly, "the house of tiquity of the Kaaba beyond Ishmael, we are led to judgment," or the court of justice, solemnly pro- inquire whether the interval of time, between Ishmanounced the sentence. One particular person might el and Moses, would be sufficient for the establishexcommunicate another, and he might likewise ex- ment of such an institution as this annual concourse. communicate himself; as they who bound them- Might the tribes of Arabs settled in Egypt in the selves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till | days of Moses, and using this pilgrimage, be suffithey had killed Paul, Acts xxiii. 12. Beasts were ciently numerous to be observed, and to become a sometimes excommunicated: and the rabbins teach, precedent? Was the race of "kings that knew not that excommunication has its effect even on dogs. Joseph," foreigners, whose people were in the habit of thus annually visiting, and confederating with, their former compatriots? It should be remembered, that commerce, no less than devotion, has a great share in forming these caravans; and we are sure that caravans for commerce were customary long before the time of Moses, for to such a one travelling into Egypt, from Gilead, was Joseph sold. Did not, then, caravans for commerce, in those days, as they do at present, furnish the means of devotion, at particular places? and did not such caravans either set out from, or pass through, the land of Egypt from the more westerly parts of Africa, as they now do, so that their nature and their purposes were sufficiently understood by Pharaoh? [It must here be remembered, that the above is merely fanciful conR.

It has been a matter of surprise to some, that our Saviour, whose design was to build his church on the ruins of Judaism, and who evidently attacked the very foundations of the Jewish religious prejudices, was, notwithstanding, never excommunicated. Perhaps the Jews might look on Christ and his followers as a new sect; and as it was not then a custom to excommunicate whole bodies, they might receive the same indulgence as the Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, and Pharisees. See ANATHEMA. EXODUS, (from the Greek "Ežudos, going out,) the term generally applied to the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, under Moses, their divinely appointed leader and legislator.

There are a few things connected with the Exodus which require illustration previously to our consid-jecture. eration of the departure itself.

2. The places named, and the events of the journey of the Israelites.

1. The true reason which actuated Moses in his conduct, was, no doubt, the ultimate deliverance of (1.) It is said of the place from whence the IsraelIsrael from bondage; but, what is the nature and im- ites departed; (Exod. xii. 37.) "and the children of port of the apparent reason which he gives to Phara- Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth." See oh, in Exod. v. 1, 3. "to go three days' journey into also Numb. xxxiii. 3.-Where, and what, was this the desert, for the purpose of a festivity and sacrifice Rameses? We are told, (Exod. chap. i. 11.) that the to the God Jehovah ?"-This may perhaps receive Israelites built, for Pharaoh, treasure cities- Raelucidation, from the similar undertakings which are meses and Pithom. If, as has been generally supposactually accomplished every year, from Egypt, by ed, Pithom was the ancient Pelusium, then it might the caravan of Mecca; and the question naturally be the extremity of Pharaoh's dominions toward the arises, Whether such a custom be as ancient as Mo-east, and probably Rameses was the extremity of his ses? Did Moses reason with Pharaoh something dominions toward the west; for in such frontier after this manner? "We see other people journey situations, it is natural to expect that fortified cities, through your dominions, and many of your own sub- or magazines, would be placed. Now, in Niebuhr's jects also leave your dominions for a time, to perform map of the mouths of the Nile, on the western branch their worship in what they esteem a peculiarly sacred of that river, and rather south of the canal which place, whereas you do not suffer us to enjoy that lib-goes to Alexandria, is a district, or village, named erty; but bind us continually to our burdens: we Ramsis. If this may be taken as an indication of also desire the same permission as they receive, and the name and situation of the ancient Rameses, then propose to form a caravan of Israelites, who may these two accounts of Moses express-that all the worship the God of their fathers, in a place, and in a Israelites, from the most distant parts of Pharaoh's manner of his own appointment, where we may be dominions, assembled, with their property, at the secure from the profane interference of by-standers, proper station for the departure of caravans, Succoth; while performing our sacred services." To see the which, indeed, we know must have been the fact; force of this supposition, it must be observed, (1.) but which has not previously been discerned in the That pilgrimages to certain cities and temples are of Mosaic history. [With far more probability, Gesenius most ancient date in Egypt, and, in fact, appear to regards the city of Rameses or Raamses as the capital have been interwoven with the original establish- | of the land of Goshen, and conscquently situated to ments and institutions of that country:-(2.) that the the eastward of the Delta. This idea is also adopted pilgrimage to Mecca, in particular, though now the by Prof. Stuart; who fixes the site of this city at most famous, was not instituted by Mahomet; he about half the distance between the Nile and Suez, found it already established among the Arabs. Its where the present village of Aboukeyshid is situated, antiquity is, beyond a doubt, very great; as is also, (in accordance with M. Aymé and lord Valentia,) (3.) that of the Kaaba of Ishmael; and though we where are found extensive ruins. If thus located, may reject the Arabian tale of the origin of the well Rameses lay on the borders of the great canal; or, if Zemzem, and that of the miraculous deliverance of this were not yet in existence, it lay on the great valIshmael (instead of Isaac) from the knife of Abra- ley or Wady, up which the waters of the Nile flow