Supernaturalist, a name commonly given in Germany at the end of the last and the beginning of the present century to all who believed in supernatural agency as exerted in the inspiration of the Scriptures, the performance of the miracles therein recorded, etc. Their opponents are called Antisupernaturalists.
Supernumerary Preacheu. L In the Methodist Episcopal Church, a "supernumerarj' preacher is one who, because of impaired health, is temporarily unable to perform effective work. He may receive an appoint- ment or be left without one, according to the judgment of the Annual Conference of which he is a member; but he shall have no claim upon the beneticiarj' funds of the Church except by vote of the Conference, and he shall be subject to all the limitations of the Discipline in respect to reappointment and continuance in the same charge that apply to effective preachers. In case he be left without an appointment, he shall have a seat in the Quarterly Conference, and all the privileges of membership in the place where he may reside" (Disci- jiline, xviii, 1). In 1800, on motion of Dr. Coke, super-
SUPERPELLICE
33
SUPERSTITION
iiumerarj' preachers, their widows and orphans, were to have the same support which was then accorded to ef- fective preachers. The funds of the Conferences increas- ing, as well as the advantages of membership multiply- ing, great difficulties arose, and in 18G0 the General Conference abolished the relation so far as the Annual Conferences were concerned. In 18()4 the relation was restored with the definition at present given, with the jirovision that no supernumerary jireacher shall have a claim upon the beneficiary funds of the Church without ;i vote of the Annual Conference. In 187G the number of supernumerary preachers was reported at 701.
2. Among the English Wesleyans, in order to secure the relation of supernumerary the consent must be ob- tained of the May District JMeeting. They receive a maintenance according to the number of years they have been in the active work. This is derived from the Annuitant Society, which is in reality their own life-assurance fund, and provides, to a certain extent, for the support and education of their children. Upon entering into business they are reckoned as local preach- ers, after four years as superannuated, and if members of the legal hundred, are superseded. They are under the supervision of the District Meeting: and if their names are on the minutes, they are members of the Quarterly, Local Preachers', and District Meetings. See Simpson, Cyclop, of Methodism, s. v.
Superpellice (or Supeipelliceum^, a surplice (q.v.).
Sliperpositio, a w^ord used in the ancient Church to designate a fast, which lasted not only through the day, but till the morning of the following day, or for several days together, as was usual in the Passion week. The stations, or fasts on stationary days, terminated at three o'clock in the afternoon. See Fasting; Sta- tion,
Superpurgation, purgation or cleaning beyond what is needed.
Super-slab, or Super-table. See Altar, Port- able.
Superstition (^ekti? ntjuox'i'a, dcemon-terroi-). Fes- tus, governor of ,hula?a, informed Agrippa that Paul had disputed with the other Jews concerning matters of their own superstition (Acts xxv, 19), in which he spoke like a true pagan, equally ignorant of the Chris- tian religion and of the Jewish. Paul, writing to the Colossians (ii, 23 ), recommends to them not to regard false teachers, who would persuade them to a compli- ance with human wisdom in an affected humility and superstition; and, speaking to the Athenians, he says, "I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious" (Acts xvii, 22). The heathen idea of religion has al- ways been one of terror. A superstitious man looks on God as a severe and rigid master, and obeys with fear and trembling. Varro says the pious man honors and loves God, the superstitious man dreads him, even to terror; and Maximus Tj'rius observes that a man tridy pious looks on God as a friend full of goodness, whereas the superstitious serves him with base and mean flat- tery. In the New Test., however, the word " supersti- tion" or "superstitious" is used in a less offensive sense. Festns. a governor newly arrived in his province, woidd hardly have paid so ill a compliment to Agrippa, a king of the Jewish religion, as to call his religion sujiersti- tious; and when Paul at Athens tells the Areopagites that they are too superstitious, he uses a word no doubt susceptible of a good as well as of a bad sense, as it would have been highlj' indecorous, nor less unneces- sary, to calumniate the religious disposition of his judges whom he was addressing. If we take the word in the sense of worship or reverence, Festus may sav, " Paul and the Jews differ in respect of certain objects of spiritual reverence," and Paul may say, " I perceive ye are greatly attached to objects of spiritual rever- ence," not oiilv without offence, but as a ver3- gracefid X.— C
introduction to a discourse which proposed to describe the only proper object of such reverence. See Paul.
The Hebrews were never given to such gross super- stition as the heathen nations of antiquity ; yet there are traces of the same weakness of the human mind in their various modes of divination (q.v.) and their views of possessed persons (q. v.). A special instance has been found in tlie case of Azazel (q. v.) ; also in the satyr (q. v.) and the night-monster (q. v.). See also Spectre.