I

imagination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil CONTINUALLY.

We come now to that period of the world when churches and different forms of religion began to be multiplied. Shem and Japhet were worshippers of the true God; but Ham appears to have approved of the popular idolatrous religion of the old world. Accordingly his grandson Nimrod built Babel, and laid the foundation of the Babylonian, or great Assyrian, empire; and established idolatry, for which worship twenty-two nations of the east became famous.

This brings us to the end of this FIRST PATRIARCHAL CHURCH, comprehending the second dispensation God had given to man.

Agreeably to the order of the sacred history, I shall begin with the descendants of Japhet. Gen. x. 2. The sons of Japhet, Gomer, and Magog, and Medai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. There can be no doubt, but that the worship of the true God was communicated by Japhet to his posterity, who governed fourteen nations. How long they continued in the true worship of God, as given by their progenitor, does not appear. But the records of the Bible inform us that some of these nations, which were distinguished by the name of their respective founders, were very powerful at the time of the prophet Ezekiel, chap. xxxviii. 2. Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, ver. 4. I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, ver. 5. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them. Thus we find that they were

Who was translated.

of such consequence, as to bring Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them against Israel. We have a certain rule for determining that these nations at length fell away from the true worship of God and became idolaters; because it is said that, by these descendants of Japhet, the isles of the Gentiles were divided in their land; and the Gentiles, or nations, for so the original word signifies, were universally idolaters.

Ham is next on record; and here the sacred historian has been particular in giving the origin and descent of idolatrons worship after the flood. It appears to have been his design particularly to notice idolatry, and the true worship of God; the first introduced by Ham, the latter established by the patriarch Shem: therefore as Mitsraim, the son of Ham, settled in Egypt, I shall begin the inquiry concerning idolatrous worship with the Egyptians.

THE RELIGION

OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS.

I have, in another place, said, that the Mythology of the Heathens had its origin in Egypt, that froin thence it passed to the Hebrews, then to the Phani

cians, and the Cretans, and lastly to the Greeks and Romans, from whom it spread over Europe. I shall, therefore, make a few remarks concerning the Egyptian Mythology, and show that it was an application of the names, circumstances, and transactions, related in the ancient part of scripture, to the theology of the day; which, in its origin, no doubt, was as pure as the scripture. But in aftertime, we must be allowed, that it became perverted, and the nations fell into idolatry, by worshipping those things, which, in that representative state of the church, were originally significative of the passions and affections in man. This was confirmed by the prophet, when he was shown in the chamber of imagery, clean aud unclean beasts, which signified the good and evil affections of the Jews.

Apis appears to have been one of the ancient Egyptian idols, in the form of a cow; many writers have said, that it was applied to Joseph; I am of the same opinion; but with regard to the origin of the name APIs, I have not met with any writer who has satisfied me on that subject. It must be granted, that the very ancient Hebrew was the language of Egypt, which only took that name from the time of Eber. It is therefore reasonable to conclude, that APIS must be originally Hebrew. Accordingly, I find it derived from D, pas, embroidery of vari

ous colors, embroidered garments,' such as were worn by the priests, to typify, as Parkhurst justly observes, the various glories and graces irradiating from the divine light. Joseph had an embroidered coat, and married the daughter of the priest of On. It is obvious, that the priesthood was conferred on Joseph, 1 Chron. v. i. 2. for the birth-right was given to him, consequently the priesthood. Now after he had done such wonders for the Egyptians, by preserving them from the direful effect of a seven years famine, and Pharaoh had honored him by arraying him in vestments of fine linen, with a gold chain about his neck, saying, without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt; calling him, Zaphnath-paaneah, the preacher, or manifester, of hidden things: it is not strange that the Egyptians should call him APIs, from the nature of his office as a priest, wearing embroidered garments. We may also remark, that as the Egyptians had experienced the greatest possible good from Joseph's wisdom in laying up corn during the years of plenty, they could not have chosen a more signi→ ficant figure to represent him, than their Apis, or cow, because of its priority to all other animals as to its usefulness to man.

This also had reference to the fat and lean kine, as a primary reason why they represented him by a