with the secrets of nature, of providence, and grace; therefore we should study humility, and consider itas no dishonour to acknowledge our ignorance of such things as are beyond our comprehension.

Thirdly, as the grand design God had in view was to prepare the world for the reception of the Glorious Redeemer; so he made choice of but one family, or nation, to keep up the knowledge of his name, leaving all others to the freedom of their own wills; and shocking, indeed, was the use they made of it. But even with respect to those infatuated idolaters, God did not leave himself without a witness. With respect to temporal things, he bore with their provocations, and as an earnest, that one day they would embrace the gospel, the Divine Messiah almost as soon as he came into this world, sent to reside some time among them. It may be further added, that many flourishing churches were established in Egypt, in the most early times of Christianity and there it was that the great Athanasius lived.

was,

Lastly, Christians are too ready to give up those.

heathens to perdition, who were never favoured with a Divine Revelation. The learned and pious bishop Wilkins, says, "That the mercy of God, like all his other attributes, is a great depth; and as God has not told us what he will do with the heathens, is it proper that we should instruct him ?" The law of nature, written on their hearts by the finger of God, was, in every sense of the word, a Divine Revelation; and according to the apostle, (see Rom. i. 19, 20.) they will be judged by that law. If it should be objected, that there is no sal- · vation in any other but. Christ Jesus; we must an-. swer, that he was the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world; and how do we know but God might, by means unknown to us, communi-: cate his grace and favour to those people, whom we are too apt to consider as objects of his displea-. ? Let us conclude, in the words of Moses, (see Deut. xxix. 29.) "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed, belong unto us, and to our children. ever, that we may do all the words of this law.".

sure

for

IN giving an account of the religions of ancient nations, we must be directed by two guides; namely, sacred and profane history. The former gives us a general view of their abominations; the latter lays open all that now can be known concerning their public and private rites and ceremonics. Phoenice, Tyre, and Carthage, were all peopled by the sons of Ham; they had the same form of religion, spoke the same language, encouraged the same arts and sciences, used the same instruments in war, and inflicted the same punishments upon criminals. Thus their civil and religious history is so blended together, that we cannot illustrate the latter, without taking some notice of the former. The Phoenicians were a remnant of the ancient Canaanites, who were suffered by the Divine Being to remain unextirpated, that they should be a scourge upon the children of Israel, as often as they relapsed into idolatry. In scripture they are often mentioned, as a warlike people, under the name of Philistines, for the word Phoenica is Greek. They inhabited that part of Asia adjoining to the Mediterranean sea, and worshipped an idol named Dagon, much in the same form as a mermaid is represented by the fabulous writers; a human body from the navel upwards, and the lower part that of a fish. The figure itself was very expressive; for it pointed out, not only their

situation near the sea, but likewise that they were connected, both with sea and land. Invaded in their continental territories by the neighbouring nations, they settled in an island nearly adjoining, which they called Tyre: and they remained in possession of it till the time of Alexander the Great. As a trading people, they sent colonies into different parts of Africa; but most of these were comprehended under the name of Carthagenians; and such regard had Tyre and Carthage for each other, that when Cambyses resolved to make war upon the latter, the Phoenicians refused to accompany him: alleging, in excuse, that they could not fight against their brethren, which obliged that prince to lay aside his design. Nay, the Carthagenians sent an annual tribute to the Tyrians, part of which was for the support of the government, and part of the maintenance of the priests and religion.

The religion of the Carthagenians, which was the same as that of the Tyrians, Phoenicians, Philistines, and Canaanites, was most horrid and barbarous; and so regular were they in practising what will ever dishonour human nature, that Christians, in attending to their duty, may take an example from them. Nothing of any moment was undertaken without consulting the gods, which they did by a variety of ridiculous rites and ceremonies.

Hercules was the god in whom they placed most confidence, at least, he was the same to them, as Mars was to the Romans, so that he was invoked before they went upon any expedition; and when they obtained a victory, sacrifices and thanksgivings were offered up to him. They had many other deities whom they worshipped; but the chief of these was Urania, or the Moon, whom they addressed under different calamities; such as drought, rain, hail, thunder, or any dreadful storms. The Christian fathers, having attained to the knowledge of the truth, often in their writings ridicule these imaginary deities, particularly St. Austin, who was a native of Hippo in Africa, and consequently had reason to point out the absurdities of their idolatry. Urania, or the Moon, is the same which the prophet calls the queen of heaven, (see Jer. vii. 18.) and there we find the inspired writer, reproving the Jewish women for offering up cakes and other sorts of sacrifices to her.

Saturn was the other deity whom the Carthagenians principally worshipped; and he was the same with what is called Moloch in scripture. This idol was the deity to whom they offered up human sacrifices, and to this we owe the fable of Saturn's having devoured his own children. Princes and great men, under particular calamities, used to offer up their most beloved children to this idol. Private persons imitated the conduct of their princes; and thus, in time, the practice became general; nay, to such a height did they carry their infatuation, that those who had no children of their own, purchased those of the poor, that they might not be deprived of the benefits of such a sacrifice, which was to procure them the completion of their wishes. This horrid custom prevailed long among the Phoenicians, the Tyrians, and the Carthagenians, and from them. the Israelites borrowed it, although expressly contrary to the order of God.

The original practice was to burn those innocent children in a fiery furnace, like those in the valley of Hinnom, so often mentioned in scripture, and sometimes they put them into a hollow brass statute of Saturn, flaming hot. To drown the cries of the unhappy victims, musicians were ordered to play on different instruments, and mothers (shocking thought!) made it a sort of merit to divest themselves of natural affections, while they beheld the barbarous spectacle. If it happened that a tear dropped from the eyes of a mother, then the sacrifice was considered as of no effect; and the parent who had that remaining spark of tenderness, was considered as an enemy to the public religion. This savage barbarity, which will for ever remain a disgrace to corrupted nature, was carried to such an height, that even mothers, divesting themselves of that tenderness peculiar to their sex and character, would often embrace their children, and then cheerfully

commit them to the flames. In latter times, they contented themselves with making their children walk between two slow fires to the statute of the idol; but this was only a more slow and excruciating torture, for the innocent victims always perished. This is what in scripture is called, the making their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Moloch; and barbarous as it was, yet those very Israelites, in whose favour God had wrought so many wonders, demeaned themselves so low as to comply with it.

It appears from Tertullian, who was himself a native of Carthage, that this inhuman practice continued to take place long after the Carthagenians had been subdued by the Romans. That celebrated father tells us, that children were sacrificed to Saturn, or Moloch, down to the proconsulship of Tiberius, who hanged the sacrificing priests themselves on the trees which shaded their temple, as on so many crosses raised to expiate their crimes, of which the soldiers were witnesses, who assisted at these executions. In all times of pestilence, they used to sacrifice a vast number of children to their idols; and thus, by endeavouring to atone for their sins, they only increased the number. Sometimes they cut open the bowels of the victim, and then threw it into the fire, but the most common practice was to burn it alive.

Diodorus relates an instance of this more than savage barbarity, which is sufficient to fill any mind with horror. He tells us, that when Agathocles was going to besiege Carthage; the people, seeing the extremity to which they were reduced, imputed all their misfortunes to the anger of their god Saturn, because, that instead of offering up to him children nobly born, he had been fraudulently put off with the children of slaves and foreigners. That a sufficient atonement should be made for this crime, as the infatuated people considered it, two hundred children of the best families in Carthage were sacrificed, and no less than three hundred of the citizens voluntarily sacrificed themselves, that is, they went into the fire without compulsion.

Such was the religion of the ancient Carthagenians, the Phoenicians, the Tyrians, and indeed the Philistines, who were, as we have already observed, a remnant of the Canaanites. In our account of the Egyptian religion, we have taken notice of their ridiculous absurdities; but here we are presented with an account of barbarities unknown to the people of Egypt, and so far as we know, abhorred by the Greeks and Romans. A great man, now alive, states the question: what could induce men to offer up the most valuable of their species, to please their gods? what notion could they form of that being, who took pleasure in cruelty his lordship answers, that perverted minds unenlightened with knowledge, consider the object of their wor

ship as a being like themselves; or to use the words of the Psalmist, they thought God was such a one as themselves, and did approve of their sins. (See Psalm. 1. 22.) They imagined, that the more valuable the victim sacrificed, the sooner would the gods be reconciled to them. Of this we have a striking instance in the conduct of the king of Moab, (Kings, iii. 27) who offered up his son as a sacrifice, in order to procure that victory which he never obtained. There is a strange propensity in the minds of men to transfer their guilt from each other, and appoint a substitute in their room. Vicarius sacrifices are of great antiquity, and to this Homer alludes in his account of Agamemnon's having taken away by force the daughter of the priest of Apollo, which created dissension between him and Achilles, and, in the end, almost occasioned the destruction of the whole Grecian army. Mr. Pope's translation of the above passage, is extremely beautiful.

Latona's son, a dire contagion spread,

And fill'd the camp with mountains of the dead;
The king of men, his reverend priest defied,
And for the king's offence the people died.

"Can

Plutarch, one of the wisest of all the heathen philosophers, writing concerning the offering up of human sacrifices, delivers his sentiments in such a manner as would do honour to a Christian. we (says that great man) be said to entertain an honourable notion of the gods, while we suppose that they are pleased with slaughter, and thirsty for human blood? Religion is placed between two extremes; infidelity on the one hand, and superstition on the other. The one teaches us to doubt the truth of every thing, and the other induces us to believe the grossest absurdities. Impiety induces us to believe that there is no God to reward or punish, while superstition, in order to appease the agonizing pains of a guilty conscience, teaches us to forge new gods, and to ascribe to them unheard of attributes." Such were the sentiments of a sober, wise, and learned heathen, and such should be those of every Christian who believes in Divine Revelation. God is honoured, in consequence of the notions we form of his attributes; but we dishonour him, when we offer up to him such sacrifices as he never required

of us.

Of all the ancient heathen systems of religion,

the Druidical comes nearest to that of the Carthagenians; but then it will be naturally asked, how, or in what manner did the ancient Britons become acquainted with the religion of a people, who, in point of locality, were situated at a vast distance from them? To answer this question, the following things must be attended to: first, the Druidical religion was not confined to the British isles, it was publicly professed and taught among the Gauls and Germans. Nay, it may be added, that long before the destruction of Carthage, all those northern and western nations, whom the Romans called Transalpin Gauls, had the same deities, the same religious ceremonies, and they differed but little in their manners and customs. Secondly, it is evident, that the Druids retained among them many of the religious rites and ceremonies, which had been embraced by the Canaanites soon after the deluge, and much about the time of the calling of Abraham. To a thinking person, this will afford much instruction, because it will serve to convince him, that the account of the dispersion of Noah's children, as related in Genesis x. is genuine; and that all idolatry originated from the mistaken notions which men embraced, after their dispersion on the face of the

earth, when they vainly attempted to build the Tower of Babel. Lastly, the Carthagenians, or Phoenicians, carried on a very extensive commerce with the natives of Britain; a circumstance which could not easily have taken place in those barbarous ages, unless their religions, manners and customs had nearly resembled each other. That they did so, we have many evidences remaining in Britain, particularly in Devonshire and Cornwall; and to support this assertion, we have the testimony of the best Greek and Roman historians.

The Druidical religion was at first extremely simple; but such is the corruption of human nature, that it was soon debased by abominable rites and ceremonies, in the same manner as was practised by the Canaanites, the Carthagenians, and by all the heathens in the other parts of the world.

The following were the leading principles of the Druidical religion:

1. They were to honour the Divine Being as the supreme maker and governor of the universe; but under him they were to seek the assistance of subordinate deities, who were supposed to act rather as messengers than as having any power of their own.

2. They taught the people to believe, that the souls of men were immortal, but that they passed

from one body to another; a sentiment which could never have taken place, had they been reconciled to the events of Divine Providence: for they could not comprehend how virtue and vice went unrewarded, and likewise unpunished here below.

3. They taught, that all such as had been found guilty of notorious blasphemy, should be put to death; and in such cases the priests were the sole judges.

4. That men should do unto others as they would be done by; neither to wrong their neighbours, nor to injure themselves.

5. That it was highly criminal to eat flesh, milk, or eggs, because it was supposed that human souls might have inhabited those animal bodies.

6. That the first appearance of the new-moon, was to be attended to with reverence; as it was supposed that that planet had great influence on the actions of men here below.

7. Women were common among them, but the man who first defloured the virgin was the responsible father.

Lastly, Those who did any thing unjust, while in human bodies, were to be tormented in the bodies of snakes, or other sorts of reptiles, till such time. as they had made an atonement for their sins, according to the directions of the priests.

Such were the theological, or rather mythological sentiments which the Druids taught their followers long before the gospel was known in any of the western parts of the world; and notwithstanding, some of them are extremely erroneous, when compared with the Christian system, yet they do not appear in such a horrid disagreeable light, as the refinements of the Greeks, and the masterly policy of the Romans. But the principal thing we have in view is, their rites and ceremonies, which were most horrid indeed; and considering, that such was the religion of our ancestors, we may be supposed as more nearly connected with it than we are, or ever could be with the heathenish religions of other

nations.

In the more carly ages, the Druids worshipped their gods in groves, and under tall oaks; which ceremony seems to have prevailed among all those nations, who were subdued by the children of Israel, when they took possession of the land of Canaan: and yet those Israelites soon learned to follow the example of those idolaters whom they had conquered. That many abominations took place in these groves, is evident from the testimony both of Cæsar and Tacitus. The high-priest, or Arch-Druid, on every great festival, appeared under a tall venerable oak, dressed in fine linen, with a cope or mitre on his head, and attended by the priests of a subordinate rank. Prisoners taken in battle were sacrificed to the gods; and barbarous indeed was the manner in

which it was done: the victim, stripped naked, and his head adorned with flowers, was chained with his back to an oak, opposite the place where the ArchDruid stood; and while music of all sorts, then in use, was playing, the Druid, having invoked the gods to accept of the sacrifice, walked forward with a knife in his hand, and stabbed the victim in the bowels. The music prevented his cries from being heard by the people; it was sometimes four or five hours before he expired. The people danced to the music; and the sacrificing Druid pretended to relate future events, from the manner in which the blood flowed.

The Druids, in common with the Carthagenians, Gauls, and Germans, offered up to their idols many of the prisoners whom they took in war; and this practice was attended with some of the most horrid circumstances of barbarity. The unhappy victims, were, by hundreds at a time, inclosed in a wicker machine, to which the Arch-Druid, attended by his inferiors, set fire, and they were all reduced to ashes. During this ceremony, the priests sung, and the people danced around the pile; the cries of the sufferers were drowned by the music; the infernal deities were supposed to be pleased; and the people became daily more and more barbarous in their

manners.

But notwithstanding the Druids paying so much regard to sacred groves, yet we have many monu,ments still remaining in Britain, which may serve to show, that their rites and ceremonies were not of an uniform nature. In the more barren parts of the country, where there are few woods or groves, they erected pillars each of one stone, with a broad base, and a spiral top. These stones were placed, so as to form a large circle, and one of them more conspicuous than the rest, was appointed for the Arch-Druid to stand at; and opposite to him, chained to another pillar, stood the victim, who was sacrificed in the same manner as in the groves.

The Druids had such regard for the misletoe, which grows on the oak, that when the season for its appearance approached, persons were sent out to procure the most early intelligence; when the ArchDruid, assisted by his inferior priests, cut it off with a golden bill, or knife; and then it was carried to the principal grove in triumph. The misletoe was considered as a sovereign remedy for all diseases, and a preservative against apparitions, or any thing that could be done by evil spirits. It was supposed to have many other virtues: and it was considered as sacrilege in any person to cut it besides the priests. During all their ceremonies of a public nature, the priest stood looking with his eyes to heaven, and his face towards the east. This ceremony was peculiar to all those heathen nations who lived westward of the Hellespont, as well as the ancient Britons; and

although they had all formed the most unworthy notions of the Divine Being, yet the hopes of a great person being born in the east, seems to have prevailed every where among them. This undoubtedly was handed down to them by tradition; and there is great reason to believe, that they expected he would rectify all the abuses that had crept into their religion, and that he would reign for ever among men. Thus in every nation we meet with something of a traditional hope of the coming of the Messiah, although some are ignorant of the character he is to

assume.

Some traces of the Druidical religion remained in Gaul and Germany till the time of the emperor Constantine the Great; but in that part of Britain, now called England, it was totally suppressed, in consequence of the following incident. In or about the year 62, the Romans having cruelly oppressed the Britons, who were at that time subject to them by conquest, the latter took up arms, and inassacred many of their invaders. News of this having been sent to Rome, Suetonius, a gallant commander, was sent over to Britain, in order to subdue the insure gents, and the whole body of the Druids, calling in the aid of superstition, retired to the island of Mona, since called Anglesey, in North Wales. To that island the Roman general pursued them; and such were the hopes that the Druids had of success, that when the Romans made their appearance, they lighted up fires in their groves, in order to consume them. The Romans, however, put most of the Britons to the sword; and having taken the Druids prisoners, burnt them alive on their altars, and cut down their consecrated groves.

From that time we have but few accounts of the Druids in the southern parts of Britain, although there is the strongest reason to believe, that both in the western parts, and likewise in Ireland, their re

ligion continued much longer. Some of their priests w were extremely ingenius, and made amulets, or rings of glass, variegated in the most curious manner, of which many are still to be seen. They were worn as we do rings on the finger; and having been consecrated by one of the Druids, they were considered as charms, or preservatives against witchcraft, or all the machinations of evil spirits. From what remains of these amulets, or rings, they seem to have been extremely beautiful, composed of blue, red, and green, intermixed with white spots; all of which contained something emblematical, either of the life of the persons who wore them, or of the state to which they were supposed to enter into at death.

The funeral rites according to the Druidical religion, had something in them both majestic and decent. The warlike instruments used by the men, were buried along with them; and along with the women were interred such things as they had considered as objects of worship while alive. Sometimes stones were set up in order to perpetuate the memory of the deceased, but more commonly hillock of earth was raised over the grave.

There cannot remain the least doubt but they believed in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, although they had confused notions concerning it; and this should teach us who live in the present age, to bless the Divine Being that the light of the gospel has been made public to us. The barbarous idolatry of the Druids served only to harden their minds, and deprive the most tender parent of human feelings; but our holy religion, by throwing aside the veil of darkness which overshadowed the eyes of our ancestors, has brought life and immortality to light by the gospel, and pointed out the way to heaven, in such a clear manner, that the weakest may easily discover it.

IN treating of the religion of the ancient Assyrians,

we must be partly directed by sacred history; but more particularly by what has been transmitted to us by Pagan writers. It is, in general, allowed that Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, was the first founder of idolatry; and there remains no manner of doubt but he was the same, who was afterwards worshipped under the title of Belus, which, in the eastern language means strength. He is in scripture called a mighty hunter before the Lord,

and different opinions have been formed concerning the singularity of this very extraordinary character, but the whole may be reduced to a very narrow

compass.

The descendants of Noah soon forgot the knowledge of the true God, and plunged themselves into the grossest idolatries; but as the passions of men are often made subservient towards promoting the ends of Divine Providence, and, as the worst inten-. tions of men often become beneficial in the end, so