than are to be found in all the parts of the world beside, among whom must be many sensible, learned and judicious men, as appears from the wisdom displayed in their laws and forms of civil governments long established among them; whether; I say, all these populous nations are so far lost to a sense of the dignity of human nature, as to worship images, stocks, and stones, as such, believing them to be gods, (as is by some asserted) requires better proof than we have hitherto had concerning the credulity of so vast a proportion of the human When they are told, it is supposed by Christians, that they worship these things, they show their disapprobation of every thing of this nature, and say, that they use them only as representative figures of the GREAT ONE, who made and governs all things.

race.

EUROPEAN PAGANS.

The Polytheism of the European Pagans has, by some writers of great credit, been fixed to five or six different orders, or professions. First, the Polytheism of the ancient Grecians, and the Ro

3rd.

mans. 2nd. The Teutonic, and the Gothic. The Celtic nations. 4th. The Sclavonian. 5th. The most northern regions of Europe, as far as Lapland, Greenland, &c. According to the best authorities, France and England were first peopled by the Celts, who established the worship of the Druids. The Goths entered Germany, Scandinavia, and thus introduced the Runic mythology.

IN NORTH AMERICA

The different professions of the Christian religion are the same as in Europe. EPISCOPALIANS, PRESBYTERIANS, and INDEPENDENTS, are all tolerated. And

IN SOUTH AMERICA

The religion is in general Roman Catholic. NEW MEXICO, OLD MEXICO, CHILI, PERU, TERRA FIRMA, BRAZIL, and PARAGUAY, are accounted to have received the doctrines of the church of Rome. But the natives of AMAZONIA are Pagans. They have a great number of idols, supposed to

be subordinate to one God, but their notions concerning him are very confused. They have a great veneration for their priests, who address their worship to idols, and pretend to receive answers from them. When they go to war, they always consult the priests, who then apply to their idols for assistance against the enemy. The priest pronounces a heavy curse in the name of the idol they worship, and when they embark on their great rivers, the idol accompanies them. They never pray but for victory, vengeance, and riches.

Before I attempt to define the particular views of the different sects of the Christian religion, I shall introduce Mahometanism here for the following reason, though Mahomet did not make his appearance till the beginning of the seventh century. Mahomet compiled the Koran, which contains the Mahometan creed, partly from the Old testament, and partly from the books of the Pagans. It would therefore be out of order to introduce Mahometanism, when giving an account of the different sects of the Christian religion. It appears to me most proper to introduce those sects of professors who were nearest allied to each other, as to their profession of religion; and as the Mahometans reject Christ, and have adopted many of the tenets of the Pagans, it certainly is more orderly to link

them with Pagans, than to introduce the Mahometan religion, when giving an account of the descent of the Christian religion.

In the year 622 of the Christian æra, Honorius the fifth, being the bishop of Rome, and Heraclius Cæsar emperor of the west, when idolatry had spread its baneful influence over Arabia; Mahomet, an Arabian, seeing the many gross absurdities of such a religious system, and not being able to comprehend the doctrine of the Trinity, as it was then taught by the professors of Christianity; formed the plan of a new sect, by combining a part of the Pagan rites with some of the laws of Moses, and the precepts of the new testament, and published them as a new code of laws. In order to make these laws revered, he pretended that he received them from the archangel Gabriel by the command of God, and that he was the prophet chosen to promulgate them.

There is no other way of accounting for the great progress which this new religion made, by the conversion of the eastern nations to the Mahometan

faith, unless on the ground of this impostor holding forth the unity of God, and the promise of sensual enjoyments in Heaven, to those who obeyed his laws. The first commandment was taken from the Bible; it runs thus in the Mahometan code: I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD ONLY. This struck at the root of the polytheism of the east, and was one great cause of the reception of his doctrines.

The Koran is the sacred book of the Mahometans, written in pure Arabic, and is in as high estimation with them, as the Bible is with Christians.

Mahomet was obliged to propagate his doctrines by sensual indulgence and the terror of the sword; but being conscious that the Bible, from which he endeavoured to frame his system, did not allow of any thing like sensual indulgence, and finding that a system of self-denial was not calculated to give him popularity, he adopted many of the Pagan rites, and also gave permission to indulge in sensual pleasure. Therefore, he promised that every good Mahometan, who died fighting for his religion, should possess a multiplicity of wives, beautiful as the houris, and that all who thus fell should be immediately translated to Paradise.

The Mahometan is the established religion of SYRIA, PALESTINE, MESOPOTAMIA, PERSIA, EGYPT, MOROCCO, FEZ, ALGIERS, TRIPOLI,