THEISM

(Lat. Deus; Gr. @i«s, God.) BeJief in the existence and attributes of God, coupled with disbelief in any expre revelation of his will. There exist various shades of opinion among Deists, which the reader will find pointed out in Clarke's learned work on the Attributes; but general usage has a igned this word a meaning synonymous with sceptic or freethinker: hence it is regarded as a term of reproach. In its original acceptation, theist was directly opposed in meaning to atheist j but these terms are now frequently, though very incorrectly, employed without distinction to designate an unbeliever in Christianity. [s. 336]