Gordon, George N., a Presbyterian minister and missionarj', was born in Prince Edward Island in 1821. He studied at the Free-Chureh College, Hali- fax, N. S., and -was sent In' the Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia to the New Hebrides, and settled at Enomanga, in 1857, with his wife, whom he married in England. On the 20th of May, 18G1, he and his wife were killed hy the natives. — Wilson, Presb. Hist. Al- manac, 1862, p. 330.
Gordon, James Huntley, an eminent Scotch Jesuit, was born in 1543. He was educated at Rome, and entered the order of Jesuits Sept. 20, 15G3. For nearly fifty j'ears he taught Hebrew and theology at Rome, Paris, and Bordeaux. He travelled also, as missionary, through England and Scotrand, where his zeal for making converts to the Roman Catholic Church caused him to be twice put in prison. He died at Par- is, April IG, 1G20. Gordon was a learned and skillful man, and very zealous for his order. He wrote Con- troversiarum christianre fidei Epitome, 3 parts (i, Limo- ges, 1612; ii, Paris; iii, reprinted with the two oth- ers, Cologne, 1620, 8vo). See Alegambe, Eibliotheca Scriptorum Societatis Jesu ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gene- rale, xxi, 280.
Gordon, Jame.s Lesmore, a Scotch Jesuit, was born at Aberdeen in 1553. He became a member of the Society of Jesus, and tauglit theology in the colleges of his order, at Toulouse and Bordeaux. Later in life he was appointed confessor to Louis XIII. He died at Paris, Nov. 17, 1641. We have from Jiim Dia- triba de catholica veritate (Bord. 1623, 12mo) : — Biblia Sacra, cum commeniariis ad sensum lilteroi et expilica- tione locorum omnium qiue in sacris litteris obscurita- tem hahent (Paris, 1632, fol.) : — Theologia moralis u?ii- versa, viii libiis comprehensa (Paris, 1634, fol.). Du- pin highlj' commends his commentary. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Ghierale, xxi, 280.
Gordon, Robert, D.D., a Scotch divine, was born in Dumfries. "His first settlement in the min- istry was at Kinfauns, 1816 ; in 1820 he was translated to the old Chapel of E:ire, Edinburgh. In 1825 he be- came one of the ministers of the High Church. In 1843 he joined the ' Free-Church movement' and re- signed his preferment. Most of his people went with him, and formed the 'Free High Church,' of which he remained minister to the time of his death, October, 1853. He published Sermons (3d ed. Edinburgh, 1826, 8vo) : — Christ as made Icnoivn to the Ancient Church: — An exposition of the revelation of Diane G7-ace, as un- foldedinihe 0. T. Scriptures (posthumous ; Edinburgh, 1854, 4 vols. 8vo)." — Darling, C'jcloj). Bibllographica, i, 1292 ; Bibliotheca Sacra, July, 1854, p. 631.
Gor'gia.S {ropyiag, a frequent name among the Oriental Greeks), one of the generals of Antiochus Epi- phanes, was chosen by Lj'sias, the general and minis- ter of Antiochus Epiphanes and at this time in sole command of the provinces from the Euphrates to the sea, to undertake an expedition in company with Ptol- emy, the son of Dorymenes, and with Nicanor, against Judffia, B.C. 166 (1 Mace, iii, 38; Joseph. ^1??/. xii, 7, 2, 3, whore he is stjded "a mighty man of tlie king's friends"). These generals were, however, totally de- feated near Emmaus hj' Judas Maccabaeus (1 ]\Iacc. iv, 1 sq. ; Joseph. Ant. 1. c). In B.C. 165, Joseph, the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, two captains in the service of Judas Maccabteus, anxious to get tliemselves a name, and acting without the orders of Judas, attack- ed the garrison of Jamnia. Gorgias, the governor of the forces at Jamnia, defeated them with great loss (1 Mace. V, 56 sq. ; Joseph. /Int. xii, 7, G).
The account of Gorgias in 2 Mace, is verj' confused. In one passage he is described simph' as "a captain, who in matters of war had great experience," and therefore sent with Nicanor, the son of Patroclus, one of the special friends of Ptolomieus, tlie governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenice (comp, 1 Mace, iii, 38 ; Jo-
GORHAM CASE
928
GORTON
seph. Ant. xii, 7, 3), to root out the whole nation of the Jews (2 Mace, viii, 9). In anotliev passage he is rep- resented as "governor of the holds" (crrpaTijybg tw' TUTTMV [Alex. MS. T^joTToj)/], 2 Mace, x, 14), and ap- parentlj' of the holds of the Idumajans (?) (Acrabat- tene [.'], comp. 1 Mace, v, 3 : Joseph. Ant. xii, 8, 1 ; see Evvald, deschichte, iv, 91, 358). He is afterwards, ac- cordinj^ to the present text, described as "governor of Idumica" (2 Mace, xii, 32).
Grotius (see Wernsdorff, Defid. Libr. Mace, § 73) suggests that the reading "governor of Iduniiea" is an error for " governor of Jamnia" (as at 1 Mace, v, 58). Josephus warrants this correction (o r/^c la^i'fiac arpariiyik', Ant. xii, 8, C). From the epithet applied to Gorgias, he seems to have been held in the highest detestation by the Jews (A. V., "that cursed man," rov Ka-aparov, 2 Mace, xii, 35). The description of his flight to Marisa and liis defeat b}' Dositheus, one of Judas's generals, is given at some length, though in an obscure and confused manner (2 Mace, xii, 3'l-38 ; comp. Joseph. Ant. xii, 8, 6). — Kitto, s. v.
Gorham Case, a case in law involving the doc- trine of the Cliurch of England as. to baptismal regen- eration. In August, 1847, the lord chancellor (lord Cottenham) offered to present Mr. Gorham to the vi- carage of Brampford-Spcke. The bishop, on being re- quested to countersign his testimonials, stated on the paper his doubts as to Mr. Gorham's views, both of discipline and doctrine. The lord chancellor, howev- er, presented Mr. Gorham, who applied for institution. The bishop then intimated his intention of examining ]Mr. Gorham before he instituted him. The examina- tion took place, and continued for several daj'S. The result was, that the bishop of Exeter declined to insti- tute Mr. Gorham to the vicarage of Brampford-Speke. " The alleged ground of this refusal was, that after ex- amination the bishop found Mr. Gorham to be of un- sound doctrine as to the efficac}^ of the sacrament of baptism, inasmuch as he held that spiritual regenera- tion is not given or confeiTed in that sacrament in par- ticular, that infants are not made therein ' members of Christ and the children of God,' as the catechism and formularies of the Church declare them to be. The case was brought before the Arches Court of Can- terbury, which decided (18!9) that baptismal regenera- tion is tlie doctrine of the Cluirch of England, and that Mr. Gorham maintained doctrines on the point op- posed to those of the Church, and that consequently the bishop had shown sufficient cause for his refusal to institute, and that the appeal must be dismissed Avith costs. From this decision Mr. Gorham appealed to the judicial committee of privy council. The com- mittee complained that the bishop's questions were in- tricate and entangling, and that the answers were not given plainly and directly. Their decision was in sub- stance as follows, and it must be noted what points tliey undertook to decide, and what not. The court declared that it had no jurisdiction to settle matters of faith, or to determine wliat ought, in any particu- lar, to be the doctrine of the Church of England, its duty lieing only to consider M-hat is by law established to be her doctrine upon the legal construction of her articles and formularies. It appeared tliat ver}' dif- ferent opinions as to the sacrament of baptism were held by the promoters of the Reformation ; that differ- ences of opinion on various points left open were al- ways thought consistent with subscription to the arti- cles; and also, that opinions in no important particu- lar to be distinguished from Mr. Gorham's liad been maintained without censure by many eminent prelates and divines. Without expressing any opinion as to the theological accurac}' of Mr. Gorham's opinions, the court decided that the judgment of the Arches Court should be reversed. Sir. Gorham was accordinglj' in- stituted to Brampford-Speke. During the two j'ears that the suit was pending, the theological question was discussed with all degrees of ability and acrimony in