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Samaria, the Samaritans like the Jews, established themselves in Egypt. Like them they contracted an inclination for philosophy and the sciences; particularly for the Platonic philosophy joined with the Chaldaic, which consisted principally in the art of producing certain marvellous effects by the hidden virtues of plants, by the delusions of astrology, and the superstitious invocation of the genii. Some among the Samaritans had blended this kind of philosophy with the dogmas of their religion: and in Samaria were to be found certain magicians who pretended an immediate mission from Almighty God, and seduced the people by their false miracles. The histories of Dositheus and of Simon the magician, establish this fact beyond dispute.

The East had been the original nursery of mankind; there the arts and sciences were first invented and duly fostered ; there, cities were first built, states and empires formed, at a period when the Western hemisphere was inhabited by simple shepherds, or, in many instances, by savage hordes of rude barbarians. Wars, excessive population, and a variety of contingencies, compelled the adventurous among polished nations, to leave their original settlements, and to sail in quest of new abodes. These colonies formed different establishments in maritime countries, and particularly in Italy; softened the manners of the barbarous people among whom they settled, and organized a number of small independent states, which had each their peculiar laws, religious usages and customs, and were much exposed, from their local situation, to frequent wars. Thus, while ease and luxury had corrupted and enfeebled the nations of the East, the contrary habits enured, in a corner of the West, a hardy race of men to the toils and dangers of almost perpetual warfare, and the enterprise of free booty. To characters of this description, imperial Rome owed its origin and its grandeur. At its birth it resembled a kind of open plain, inhabited by a set of warriors or marauders, drawn together by the prospect of plunder, and, not unfrequently, by the hopes of impunity for their crimes. The excellence of its original constitution, and its advantageous situation, seemed already to prognosticate in its favour the conquest of Italy and Greece, as well as of the East, Spain and Gaul; all which, in effect, it gradually subdued. Almost the whole of the then known world took part in the awful contest between two of its rival citizens, the renowned Julius Cæsar, and Pompey surnamed the Great.

With these conquests were introduced into the republic the vices of the conquered countries; and the love of honour, liberty, and patriotism disappeared. In their place were substituted ambition, and a boundless thirst for riches. Thus every thing in the Roman commonwealth foreboded a revolution; and an absolute monarchy was in fact established by Julius Cæsar. Nor did the efforts of Brutus and Cassius, who deprived him of the

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sovereign power together with his life, restore their country to its former liberty. Augustus, triumphing over the assassins and their party, effectually suppressed the spirit of opposition, and governed in peace a mighty empire, extending from the Indian ocean to the Danube.

Augustus was succeeded by Tiberius, a prince still more powerful and more despotic. He lived without reproach as long as he remained in a private capacity, and even at the head of armies, under Augustus: but when no longer restrained by the fear or love of any man, his vices were indulged in defiance of all justice, honor or decorum; and the world had for its ruler a prince, infamous for his shameful irregularities; cruel, avaricious; extremely jealous of his power; suspicious to a degree of frenzy. To his mad jealousy he immolated whole hecatombs of citizens; and to his dark suspicions thousands of innocent people were inhumanly and almost daily sacrificed. Rome was full of informers; and to be virtuous or rich was deemed high treason: none presumed to advocate the cause of the unhappy sufferers, or even to bemoan the dead. The voice of nature was stifled in the general corruption; and a servile fear had silenced every sympathetic murmur. The government of the provinces was confided to the hands of unprincipled and rapacious ministers; men devoid of every virtuous feeling,-without honor, without humanity; who promoted to the dignities of the state other miscreants as wicked as themselves, and disposed at pleasure of the life and fortunes of all within the grasp of their control.

Tiberius named for his successor Caius Caligula. This prince had been educated in the midst of camps. He joined with sovereign power the ferocity of the soldier; a disposition-violent, impetuous and sanguinary; and he associated with none but stage-players and public debauchees. Under this monster the atrocious reign of Tiberius himself appeared desirable; and his murderers were of course applauded by the people. From this period the soldiery conferred, and took away, the imperial dignity at their discretion: the different armies named each their emperor; and the horrors of civil war were added to the vices of the prince, and to that universal corruption which infected the whole body of the empire. The rage of arms continued to spread desolation over the earth until the reign of Trajan.

CHAPTER V.

The origin and progress of idolatry.

THUS had ambition and lawless violence, joined with the impiety of heathenism and superstition, annihilated the very phantom of true virtue, and substituted the most frightful cor

ruption and degeneracy of morals in its place. The nations of the earth, indeed, had lost the knowledge of the true God at a very early period after the universal flood, and together with it, had forfeited, in great measure, their very reason; may we not add, the privilege too, of common sense: so horribly perverted was their judgment, that there was nothing in the heavens or on earth, nay, even in hell itself, that they did not compliment with divine honours; nothing in nature, whether good or evil, that they deemed not worthy of deification.

The various species of idolatry in general may be classed as follows:-First, the worship of angels and spirits, or pure and abstracted intelligences, who were imagined to preside over provinces and kingdoms; and these in holy scripture are termed Elohim or Gods,-strange Gods, the Gods of the Heathens, &c. concerning which see Exod. xviii. 11. xxii. 19. 2 Kings xvii. 7. Secondly, the worship of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars. This in scripture is termed worshipping the host of heaven. Thirdly, the worship of idols or statues of various forms and shapes; as of men, beasts, birds, fishes, and the Lord knows what: and this kind of worship was of all the most universally established, and what is most properly called idolatry. Fourthly, the worship of living animals in their own figure: for instance, of lions, tigers, horses, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, dogs and cats, mice, and even spiders; of the eagle, the ibis, phoenix, hawks, and other birds and fowl; the whale, and various kinds of fish, with serpents of every species, and other reptiles; as we read in authentic history. Fifthly, the worship of things inanimate, as fire, water, air, the winds, the earth with all sorts of herbs and plants, stones, and shapeless blocks of marble, &c. Sixthly. the heathen world worshipped not only what had substance, but also the mere modes and accidents of things, as life, death, the passions of love, anger, fear, envy, and the like: diseases, as the fever; also health, honour, fidelity, truth, peace, money and mirth; and, what is still more shameful, impudence, calumny, fraud, fury and discord, with a train of the most vicious propensities of the human heart, were all esteemed divinities, and had temples erected for their impious worship. Seventhly, another branch of idolatry was, the paying of divine honors to kings and heroes who had performed extraordinary feats or exploits, as if they had in them something more than human; and therefore they were adored in quality of Demi-gods. Thus the emperors of China, India, and the Tartars, are worshipped at this day. Lastly, the most impious kind of idolatry of all was, the worshipping of devils and evil spirits, called Caco-Demons. Their wretched votaries, by way of apology, allege, that God is good, and will not hurt them; therefore they need not pray to him: but, say they, the wicked

spirits in the air, as they are inclined and have a power to do mischief, so they most undoubtedly will do it, if not appeased with sacrifices and supplications. Such diabolical adoration is very frequent at this day in the Indies, in America, and in other parts of the yet heathen world.

It is a generally received opinion among the learned, that Ninus, the first Assyrian monarch, was the original author and introducer of idol-worship. With a view to immortalize the name and memory of his father Belus, the same with the famous Nimrod mentioned in holy scripture, he impiously caused a statue representing him, to be adored by his infatuated subjects; and the more easily to induce them to it, he declared the temple in which it stood, a sanctuary or asylum for the guilty and the oppressed. The contagion quickly spread from the Assyrians and Chaldees to the neighbouring nations, to the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, the Syrians, the Phoenicians, the Persians, Grecians and Indians, the latter of whom have been ever since obstinately addicted to the worship of false Gods; and the secret of deification being thus early discovered, the heathen world, with inconceivable stupidity, multiplied their divinities without end or measure, according as their silly fancies, or the evil spirit that beguiled them, happened to suggest.

PART II.

Comprehends the whole intermediate period from the coming of our Redeemer in the flesh, to the sixteenth century, or the famous epoch of the reformation.

First century of the christian era.

SUCH was the dark reign of superstition and of all iniquity, at the period of which we have just spoken! The time was now elapsed, which had been so distinctly marked by the ancient prophets for the coming of the Messiah; and the Jews, groaning under the pressure of a foreign yoke, and the tyranny of Herod whom Augustus had confirmed in the usurpation of the Jewish sceptre, were eagerly expecting their promised Redeemer. The Roman empire was just beginning to enjoy a profound peace, when this divine Saviour appeared upon our earth-with all the characteristics necessary to distinguish him, and to make him

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known to mortals. But the Jews, under the erroneous persua→ sion that their Messiah was destined to be a famous conqueror, would not recognise him in the person of Jesus Christ, and fancied they had found him under the guise of certain fanatics who called themselves Messiah and kings of Israel, and excited the people to sedition and revolt. (Joseph. Antiq. 1. 17, c. 12; de Bell. 1. 2, c. 4, 5, 6.)

To discharge the functions of his sacred ministry, our blessed Redeemer traverses Judea, and discovers to the Jews the whole extent of the corruption of lost man. He announces to them the unity of the Godhead in three persons, and assures them that he himself is one of these divine persons, made man in order to redeem mankind. He declares to them their religious obligations to this most blessed Trinity, and promises to all that shall believe his doctrine and practise his laws, not a temporary reward as the Jews expected, but a spiritual and eternal recompence; a felicity unaltered and which knows no end. Universal benevolence, simplicity of heart, a tender condescension and compassion towards our fellow creatures; the pardon of injuries, and the love of our very enemies themselves, together with an inviolable attachment to truth, are duties which he exacts from us all, in our mutual intercourse with each other. In regard of God, he enjoins a worship tempered with love, with filial respect, with a certain reverential fear, and with divine hope. He then institutes his sacraments, to procure for men the succours necessary to enable them to comply with their duty; proves the divinity of his mission, and the truth of his doctrine by incontestible miracles; commissions his apostles to preach his doctrine over the whole earth; consummates his course among mortals by dying upon the cross; rises from death by the efficacy of his own power, and ascends all-glorious into heaven.

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The progress of christianity; the preaching of the apostles; the miracles wrought by them, and even the very virtues practised by the community of the faithful, inflame the hatred of the Jews to fury, and make them persecute outrageously the church of God. The christians of Jerusalem are dispersed over all Palestine, and throughout all the provinces of the East, in which their countrymen had formed any settlements; and they quickly disseminate their doctrine among the most distant nations of the globe. Some philosophers had already, in their writings, had the courage to attack polytheism; though with much reserve, and without throwing any light upon the origin of man, or his final destination. But never before this extraordinary epoch, had a whole society of men, devoid of education for the most part, and unacquainted with human literature, attempted to explain what the philosophers had in vain endeavoured to account for, concerning the first origin of things, and the nature and destiny of man; or to teach a morality calcu

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