stances consecutively, or of transmitting them to us in a plain and intelligible form. But-2. The above extracts, and the fragments of their ancient history, from which they are taken, a satisfactorily prove, that they had no such knowledge to impart-that they knew not the author of their own existence-that they created to themselves an infinite number and variety of Gods and Mediators, to whom they attributed the omnipotence of God-the malevolence of demons, and the weaknesses, passions, and vices of men-that they deteriorated to the lowest point in religion and morals -and were, in the most affecting sense, "without hope, and without God in the world." Now I ask you where are the points of resemblance between the Egyptian Theology, and that of the Jewish Lawgiver? The Infidel, my friends, would take you from under the direction of Moses and the Prophets, and hand you over to the Egyptian Priest, to be conducted into a labyrinth, where you may spend an earthly existence in fruitless endeavours to find a pathway leading either to rest, to God, or to Heaven! Shall we then, at the bidding of the Infidel, give up Moses? God forbid ! We come now to a Warburton, ii. 138.-See Stillingfleet, Cudworth, and Russell. E The account which the CHALDEANS have given of the origin of things. "Bishop Waterland observes, that if an appeal be made to all the ancient books in the world, sacred, or profane, Christian, Jewish, or Pagan, instead of lessening, they would establish the credit and authority of the Bible as the word of God."a Tom Payne, was aware of this, and acted with more judgment and discrimination than many of his sceptical brethren, when he resolved in arguing against the truth of the Bible, "to wave the advantages to be derived to Infidelity, from the testimony of ancient history." Assured that the unbeliever can derive no argument of weight from the writings of antiquity, with which to wound the reputation of the Bible, we admit in this enquiry the authenticity of these writings, which, as Stillingfleet says, might well be questioned, and give him, in addition to this, the benefit of that information, respecting the first planting of the nations, which is found only in the book which he desecrates. Here we are directed to an important period in the history of our species! "Nimrod, began to be a mighty one in the earth, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel," which afterwards became so magnificent, as to be called "Great Babylon," a Page 27. b Genesis, x. viii. and x. 66 "the glory of Kingdoms," "the beauty of the Chaldeans' excellency." This, therefore, was a nation of great and undoubted antiquity, "being probably the first formed into a national government after the flood, and therefore more likely to find out those arts and sciences by which the memory of the first ages might be preserved to the view of posterity."a They unquestionably had greater advantages than any other Heathen nation, not only as they enjoyed for a long period, uninterrupted peace and prosperity, but also lived in or near that very place where the grand ancestors of the world had their chief residence." "b "The name Chaldea was originally derived from Chesed, the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother."c The inhabitants of this Empire, early distinguished themselves by their proficiency in several useful and ornamental arts. They excelled in architecture and sculpture; also in designing and casting metals. Their manufactories of rich embroideries, sumptuous vestments, magnificent carpets, and fine linen were famous: and their purple constituted a considerable article of Eastern commerce. "When I saw, said Achan, among the spoils of Jericho, a goodly Babylonish garment, then I "d a Stillingfleet, 40. b Ibid 41. c Genesis, xxii. xx. d Wells's Sacred Geography, vol. i. 247. coveted it and took it." Their Metropolis, seated "as the gem of nations," in the midst of the world, and their two great rivers-Euphrates and Tigris, which rise in the snowy mountains of Arminia, and after sweeping through a vast extent of country, unite their streams and pour their accumulated waters into the Persian gulph-made them naturally a commercial nation. With the exception of some fragments preserved by Josephus and Eusebius, all the writings of Barosus, their first historian, are lost." "From the specimens we have," says Miller, "it is evident that we have no reason to regret the loss; as had they been extant, they would have been of no great antiquity, authority, or use. "He was contemporary with Alexander, and wrote of the affairs of the Chaldeans, and of the actions of their Kings: also astronomical observations for 480 years.' His account of creation is as follows:There was a time when all was darkness and water, but Baal cutting the darkness in the middle, separated the earth and heaven from one another, and so formed the world; this Baal also producing the stars, the sun, and the moon, and the five planets." This passage is adduced by Cudworth, in proof of their 66 יי e Joshua, vii. 21. vi. 306. e יי London Encly.-Article, Babylon. a Miller, vol. "belief in one Supreme Deity, the maker of the whole world." That they ever held so pure and rational a principle of religion is not so easily proved, as that they acknowledged, at a very early period in their history, "Lords many, and Gods many!" In its simplest and least objectionable form their idolatrous worship was addressed to the sun and moon; but they soon multiplied their divinities, adding to the former 'Gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.'d They erected temples, and held festivals to the honour of serpents, esteeming them. "the Supreme of all Gods, and the superintendents of the whole world." They were the first, it is supposed, who introduced the cruel and barbarous practice of sacrificing human victims in the worship of their Deities." The Idolatry of the world had long been divided between the worshippers of idols, called Sabeans; and the worshippers of fire, called Magians. "These Idolators maintained the sun to be the throne of the divine glory, and also that deity resided in elementary fire on earth: yet they did not worship the sun or fire, they said, but only God in them." Their Priests were the great Mathematicians, d Daniel, v. 4. e Bryant, ii. 203. Article-Babylon, London Ency g Prideaux, 158. |