DEXS
748
DEPOSIT
ster. At first its proceedings included lo^'al addresses to the throne. Dr. Calamy preached in 1781 tlie first sermon to ministers in Dr. Williams's library, in Red- cross Street ; and this concio ad clerum continued for several years. "Every con^^regation of Protestant dissenters, Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists, in and within twelve miles of London, appoints two deputies. Since 1787 the election has regularly taken place, and the committee have unremittingly watched over bills brought into Parliament in any way affect- ing dissenters, kept alive an interest in behalf of the repe:il of the Test and Corporation acts, supported ev- ery measure which promised to be beneficial in ex- tending and consolidating religious liberty, and suc- cessfully exerted themselves in protecting individual ministers and congregations against those molestations to which they have been exposed on the part of bigoted and persecuting churchmen." — Buck, Theol. Diet. s. v.
Dens, Pbtrr, a Roman Catholic theolo^an, was born in 1690 at Boom, in Belgium. "Apparently nothing is known — at least by Protestant writers — ^re- garding the incidents of his life, as his name appears in no encyclopsedia or biographical work that we are acquainted with. The scanty information we possess is derived from the epitaph inscril)ed on his t*>mb in the chapel of the archiepiscopal college of Malines by the present (1857) rector. From this epitaph it ap- pears that he wus reader in theulo^ at Malines for twelve years, plebctnus or parish parish of St Rumold's or Riimbold's Church in the same city, and president of the College of Malines for forty years. He also held various honorary church offices. He was canon and penitentiary, synodical examiner and scholastic arch priest of St, Rumold's — the metropolitan church of Belgium. He died February 15, 1775, in the 85th year of his age. The work which has rendered Dens*s name familiar, even to the Protestant public, is his TheoLgia MoraUs ei Dogmatica (new ed. Dublin, 1832, 8 vols. I'ii.o). It is a systematic exposition and de- fence— in the form of a catechism — of every point of ethics and doctrine maintained by Roman Catholics, and is extensively adopted as the text-book of theolo- gy in their colleges. It appears to owe its popularity more to its being a handy compilation than to any great talent exhibited by its author" (Chambers, i^n- cyclopcBfiia^ s. v.). A synopsis of the work by Dr. J. F. Berg, with copious notes illustrating the dangerous tendency of the Romaniftt moral theolo xy, was pub- lished in 1840 (Philadelphia), and passed through re- peated editions.
Deodatns, Pope. See Dbusdedit.
Deontology (rb Shv^ tchat w chte or binding; and \6yoi:, dismursfi). We take the following citations on the use of this word from Fleming, Vocabulcmf of Ph'Uosoplty (Phila. I860), s. v. : " Deontologj-, or that which is proper, has been chosen as a fitter term than any other which could be found to represent, in the field of morals, the principle of utilitarianism, or that which is useful" (Bentham, Deontology^ or (he Science of Af orals). On the other hand,Whewell {Preface to AfacldntosKt Prelim. Dissert, p. 20) says that " the term deontolo^' expresses moral science, and expresses it well, precisely because it signifies the science of duty, and contains no reference to utility." Deontology in- volves the being bound or being under obligation, the very idea which utility does not give. " The ancient Pythagoreans defined virtue to l)e "E^tf rov ^kovroQ (that is, the habit of duty, or of doing what is bind- ing), the oldest definition of virtue of which we have any account, and one of the most unexceptionable which is yet to be found in any system of philosophy" (Stewart, Active and Moral Powers^ ii. 446). Sir W. Hamilton observes that ethics are " well denominated deontology" (Reid's Worka^ p. 540, note).
Dependence, feeling of, the essence of relig-
ion, according to Schleiermacber. See !
MACHER.
Deposit (Vl'^iJ^} pikkadon', BosnethiBg trust f " store/' Gen. xli, 36 ; ''delfTered," Ln. Sept. wapaOitKri [so in 2 Tim. 1, 12}, or [see Grinfield, A'. T, HeUenisticum^ p. 1146]; V^i positum). The arrangement by which ow bqh at another's request the property of the \aixa tA\ manded back (Exod. xxii,7), was one canons the nations of antiquity (Sir W. Jones, Lm ^M mentSf in his Works^ viii, 448) ; and the diainani ing with such trusts is marked by pro&iie vnie extreme reprobation (Herod, vi, 86 ; JuTensl, etc. ; Joseph. Ant, iv, 8, 38 ; Jf or, iv, 8, S,7).ni which is likewise taken by Clemens Alex. (&na. 749), Chrysostom {prat. Ixiv, p. 610), and ttksH Rawlinson, Herod, iv, 477, note). Even oar Si« seems (Luke xvi, 12) to allude to conduct iatsdi as as a test of honesty. In later timea, whea Boksf system was as vet devised, shrines weie ofteomiv the custody of treasure (2 Mace, iii, 10. li,ld; lo^ Anab. v, 8, 7; Cicero, Lcgy. ii, 16; Plntirek.i^ 18). Among an agricultural people, the exignea war and other causes of absence most ofiea Iif« » dered a temporary' deposit, especially sb k^a mals, an owner's only course of safety. See Tsara Nor was the custody of such property burda^ist' the use of it was no doubt, so far as that ne (s» ent with its unimpaired restoration, allowed Id tK^ positary, which office also no one was annpefi^&K^ cept The articles specified hj the Moauekva (1) ** money or stuff;" and (2) "an asa,aria8if a sheep, or any beast" The first case wu rienii only liable to loss by theft (probably for kes (ft j» dental fire, etc. no compensation could be and the thief, if found, was to pay double, L e. ^ bly to compensate the owner's loss, and the in^vtv picion thrown on the depositary (comp. Gdsdei^* les. ub. Cknlrecht, II, ii, 316). If no theft w^^ proved, the depositary was to swear hefon the j^ that he had not appropriated the article, aid tl]e n quit (comp. Schweppe, Rom, iVtwrfrrcft*, p. 3^1 i the second, if the beast were to "die, or be hsit driven away, no man seeing it" — accidenta to «fei beasts at pasture were easily liable (comp. rct ^ Chron. v, 21)— the depositary was to patge Wm^^ a similar oath. (Such oaths are probably allak^c a Heb. vi, 16, as ** an end of all strife"). In <»» k* ever, the animal were stolen, the deposrtaiT«*^* to restitution, which probably was nccessry ^ ^ vent collusive theft (Kalisch, Ezod. p.419> S« ^^ AOES. If it were torn by a wild beast, somepa^'* easily producible, and, in that case, no rcstitatKt" due *(Exod. xxil, 7-13). The Je>rish comnsatfl make various distinctions on this enactment (« &■ senmQller, in loc.). In case of a false oath » ui^^ the perjured person, besides making restitotfco. »^ "add the fifth part more thereto," to compeafia* one injured, and to "bring a ram for a tresi«s«^ ing unto the Lord" (Lev. \t, 5, 6). In the b«i i^> hit (v. 3) a written acknowledgment of a d*p«^ ^ mentioned (i, 14 [17] ; iv, 20 [21]). This b««^^ merely facilitated the proof of the fict of the of^ deposit, leaving the law untouched. The SfW {Baba Mfzia, c. iii ; Shebuoth, v. 1) shows that tte U» of the oath of purgation in such ca«cs aartiM* » force among the later Jews (Michaelis, M».Bf^^ 162). See Smith's Dic^. of doss. Ant^. s. t. DfT itum. The Roman law of deposit is rtated in Jff ian's Institutes^ iii, tit. xiv, 3 ; comp. iv, tJ*-^^'.'^, (See Sandars, p. 429, 540, 543; Vinnias, p. 81^ '^■ A deposit, in Athenian law, was likewise called rs? .- Kara^hicq (Demosthenes, pro J^orm. Oraiv- ^. Bekker, Oxon. vi, 1042). Comp. the Aoyoc ^Tlf" ijcoc of Isocrates (Or, ^ttfci, Bekker, Oxo!i.ii,51**> — Smith, s. v.; Kitto, 8.v. Comp. Pi-«»b.