generations, clung with devoted attachment, was consummated by embracing among the objects of worship evil beings, acknowledged to be such; so that the things which the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to devils, and not to God.

4. Nor was this the condition of barbarous nations merely, but of the polite and civilized inhabitants of Greece and Rome, who have been so highly famed for their skill in arts, and their ardour in the acquirement of knowledge. Constituting the works of nature, and even the works of their own hands, the objects of their worship, the number of their gods was incredibly great; and nothing can give us a more melancholy idea of the state of religion among them than this, that their popular system of theology was full of the genealogies, the rapes, the adulteries, the contentions of their gods,-that these things were acted on the theatres with the applause and approbation of the people, that these were the deities to whom temples and altars were erected, and sacrifices offered,to whose statues divine honours were paid, and whom the poets sung in all the charms of flowing numbers.

The philosophers, priests, and magistrates, in place of attempting to enlighten the people, and elevate them to just conceptions of the character of God, employed their influence in enforcing the duty of adhering to the system of polytheism and idolatry already established. They themselves had most erroneous notions of the divinityspoke in terms which showed their uncertainty whether there were one or many gods-mingled their views, even when they seemed to approach to the truth, with most dangerous errors-were mainly instrumental in corrupting the ancient tradition relating to the one true God, and the creation of the world; and, in many cases, they exerted their efforts to subvert the fundamental principles of all religious belief. The best of them candidly owned their ignorance; maintained that they ought not to assert

any thing concerning the gods, for they had no knowledge of them.

5. In this state of deplorable ignorance in regard to the first truth of all religion, were the most enlightened nations of the earth; and though their ignorance was far from being excusable, it teaches us, that the doctrine of the divine unity is not made known so clearly by reason and nature, as to render further light undesirable and unnecessary. The argument for this fundamental truth, arising from the consideration that a necessary and selfexistent being must be one, possesses much weight; but it amounts to no more than a high degree of probability. The other argument for this doctrine, derived from the unity of design, perceptible throughout the works of nature, is more fitted to impress the mind. All who are capable of reflection may understand that unity of counsel may be inferred from the perfect harmony which is seen to subsist in the great system of the universe. But as it is conceivable that more beings than one could unite in the same contrivance, and in the same plan, mankind are still left in some degree of uncertainty. Besides, this argument requires, from its very nature, an attentive and extensive survey of the works of God, which only the learned and the contemplative have leisure and capacity to make; and the doctrine of the unity of God would scarcely be known; or, if in any measure known, would not maintain a permanent influence on the minds of the great body of mankind, when left to discover it by their own reasoning. Hence the tendency which they have always shown to polytheism and idolatry.

6. But they have manifested as much ignorance of the perfections of God, more especially of his goodness, as they have of his unity. Though in regard to his beneficence he has never left himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful

seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness, the cruel rites which all nations have practised in his worship, attest the erroneous views which they entertained of the character of God. The deities whom they worshipped were objects of dread and terror, who were considered to be animated by malignant and revengeful passions. Many of them were acknowledged to be evil beings, the authors of all the calamities which afflict the human race, and ever prone to every kind of mischief. Hence men presented in sacrifice their fellow-men, and even their nearest and dearest relatives, to appease their wrath. This cruel and immoral practice obtained among all nations, and continued for a long time to be in use among the Greeks and Romans upon extraordinary occasions.

7. Mankind had also most erroneous views of the holiness and justice of God-errors which had, and must have had, a deteriorating influence on their moral character and conduct. How remote from the truth must have been their notions of the divine purity when they worshipped monsters of iniquity as gods, beings who were represented as perpetrating the foulest crimes. Could they be supposed to have had just views of duty and of moral obligation, the objects of whose worship were so impure? The greatest excesses arose out of their religion. Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, they gave themselves over unto lasciviousness, to commit all uncleanness with greediness. Their magistrates and priesthood, legislators and philosophers, were concerned in countenancing this ignorance of God involved in the system of polytheism and idolatry which was established, and would not allow any infringement of its rites, however grossly immoral.

8. But without some accurate conceptions of the infinite purity and holiness of the divine character, the virtue of man has no stable foundation to rest upon, no

adequate motive to enforce its practice, no infallible standard with which to compare it. A practical recognition of God as the holy and righteous Governor of the world is necessary to the moral improvement of man. How else can he entertain the conviction of his responsibility to the Judge of the world; or of the imperfection which attaches to his nature when contrasted with spotless purity? If to know and to recognise the perfections of infinite goodness, holiness, wisdom, and power, and to have the best grounds for believing that these attributes of God are exercised for the ultimate advantage of the universe, be happiness suited to a rational and immortal being, must not a state of ignorance in regard to these involve in it pollution, and misery, and spiritual death?

9. (II.) If the ignorance of mankind, without the light of revelation of the unity and character of God, has been great, it has not been less with respect to divine providence. In proportion as they receded from the knowledge of the one true God, and became immersed in idolatry and polytheism, did their notions of providence become erroneous and debased. They imagined that the administration of the supreme government was divided among the many gods and goddesses whom they worshipped, to whom respectively were assigned different provinces in which they were sovereign and independent. In place, therefore, of regarding the order and course of the universe as under the direction and control of one infinitely wise and gracious God, they considered it not as subordinate to the will of any one being, but liable to be capriciously meddled with by numerous deities, who were animated with all the jealousies of weak mortals.

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10. Of these deities, Fortune, whom they regarded as blind and inconstant, had, according to their notions, the chief influence in the events of this life. Through the world," says the elder Pliny, "in all places, and at all times, Fortune is universally invoked by all persons.

This alone has the praise or blame of every thing, and is at the same time worshipped and reproached; esteemed by the most of mankind to be blind, uncertain, various, and inconstant, a favourer of such as are unworthy: to this all events are attributed, both prosperous and adverse, and in the whole management of human affairs this fills up both sides of the account." The people besides considered providence as extending only to the affairs of this life, and therefore they applied to the gods for riches, health, and prosperity, but not for wisdom, or virtue, or moral endowments. All men attributed the external commodities they enjoyed, their plenty of corn, wine, oil, and fruits, to the gods; "but no man ever acknowledged," says Cicero," his having received his virtue from God." This is the judgment of all mankind, that the gifts of fortune were to be asked of God, but that a man is to expect wisdom only from himself.*

11. Did the philosophers attempt to give juster views of providence to the people? On the contrary, many of them denied the existence of a providence in the affairs of men. The Epicureans and others maintained that the gods gave themselves no concern with the events of this life, and took no notice of human actions. Tacitus having represented it as uncertain in his judgment whether human affairs were governed by fate and immutable necessity, or by chance, observes, that in this matter the wisest of the ancients and their followers were of different sentiments and that many had this opinion fixed in their minds, that neither our beginning, nor our end, nor men at all, are minded by the gods. Pliny represents it as ridiculous to imagine that the God who is supreme takes any care of human affairs; and adds, that without doubt the divinity would be polluted with such a sad and troublesome ministry. It was urged by many learned men among the pagans, as an objection against the professors of Christianity, that they asserted a providence as extending

* De Nat. Deor. lib. iii. cap. 36.