3

it

shipped by the Philistines; Ashteroth, goddess of the Zidonians; Baalzebub, worshipped at Ekron, near Samaria; Baalim, and Baalperith, of the Midianites; Merodach, Bel, Nebo,' gods of Babylon; Misroth, a god of the Assy-> rians. The Sun, the Moon, and the hosts of heaven, were also objects of adoration; being supposed that they were inhabited by spirits of a superior order. None of the gods of Egypt are mentioned, until the flight of a remnant of the Jews after the destruction of Je rusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; nor were those introduced into notoriety by the polite lite rature of the Greeks, and afterwards transplanted to Rome. Although the word Satan' is so frequently used in the New Testament, it appears but comparatively seldom in the more ancient records; where it always denotes a seducer, or betrayer, or enemy, but it never refers to an object of worship. The Serpent is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, as characteristic of seduction or deceit, but not as a god of the heathens.

It has been supposed by some, that these different idols were but varied representatives of the heavenly bodies, which were ultimately the objects of all worship; under the belief that

*See Note H.

they were inhabited by spirits of a superior order. This may possibly have been the origin of their idol worship, but they did not adhere to this more refined species of idolatry. The ideas of the vulgar are always arrested by the present object; expecting from that alone some immediate emanations of power, without paying the least attention to emblematical representations. We may also observe that the names of several of these idols, most probably of all, are in the Syriac and Chaldaic languages,, significant of those characters, and attributes, which correspond with the idea of local deities. We are told that Baal, Milcom, Moloch, Merodach, signify a king, sovereign, ruler; that the name of Ashteroth has a relation to flocks," herds, and riches; that Dagon, the god of the Philistines, signifies a dispenser of corn, and also of fish, and that Baalzebub of Ekron, was the god of flies.* As both Palestine and Samaria were situated near the sea coast, it is probable that these names may have been deemed appropriate to the peculiar supplies that were expected from these local deities; or protection from the peculiar evils to which they were exposed. Proper names in ancient times were not merely tokens of distinction; they had always an im-.

* See Note I.

port respecting power, character, office, or memorial. It is highly probable that many of these idols were erected and worshipped by the ignorant and superstitious, according to the urgency of the occasion: and since to a people who are in a state of perpetual warfare, the idea of power, conquest, dominion, are the most prevalent and flattering, titles expressive of these would be the most frequent. The gods of the imagination having been created by every passion and affection of the human mind, by gratitude, by hopes, by fears, the term dæmon which has been given to them, was originally generic, without any immediate reference to character or disposition: Good was solicited, evil deprecated from one and the same object of adoration. But as gratitude is, perhaps, the least in exercise of all our respectable affections, and as the fear of an overwhelming evil, is much stronger than the most ardent desire of any positive good, thus dæmons began to degenerate, in the conceptions of those who believed in their existence, into beings of a resentful and vindictive character, requiring bribes to prevent their inflicting evil, instead of continuing benevolent agents, disposed to confer favours.

These local deities were surrounded by various

officers, who subsisted upon the bigotry and superstition of the ignorant multitude; whom, of consequence, it was their interest to deceive. The professed employment of the Priests, was the service of the altar. It was exclusively

their office to offer up sacrifices and oblations to the gods. The province of a Magician chiefly consisted in working miracles, and interpreting dreams. Sorcerers, Soothsayers, those who practised divinations, &c. pretended to foresee future events; read the destinies of men; to explain ominous appearances in the skies, in the flight of birds, intestines of animals, &c. They undertook to procure, for particular votaries, the blessings of health, worldly prosperity, or whatever they might deem most valuable; and also to inflict diseases and other calamities, on the disobedient and refractory.

That the populace were firm believers in the superior knowledge and power of these professed Intermediates, there can be no doubt; and that many of the Priests, Magicians, and Sorcerers, believed also in the truth of the religion they professed, is highly probable. But this belief would be no impediment, in corrupt minds, to their using deceit for the good of mankind, or to promote their own interest. was an avowed maxim among the sages of anti

P

It

quity, that the vulgar are best governed by deceit. As it was an early doctrine in the Christian church, that sacred truths may be supported occasionally by falsehood, and that pious frauds, committed with the best intentions, had more of merit than of demerit in their contexture, it cannot be expected, that those engaged in the service of dæmons would be more scrupulous. If christianity itself was thus perverted by its professed advocates, through their ignorance of its nature and design, what could be expected from the advocates of a religion, of which morality was not a constituent part?

He

In the Jewish dispensation, no deceit of any kind was permitted. The God of truth required the promulgation of truth, and authorized his messengers to expose every deception. aimed at their conviction that, while they were demolishing idolatry, they were vindicating the cause of human reason, by maintaining the exclusive empire of Jehovah.

From the numberless unequivocal evidences of this fact, we shall select a few. When the Israelites were ordered to destroy every appearance of paganism, they were assured that those whom the heathens worshipped were false gods, were no gods. After the establishment of this people in the land of promise, as they were deeply corrupt