English
Mankind in general are more affefted by appeafanfces than by i-ealities : the former they comprehetid, but the- 'latter are difficult to be understood. Hence learned t'utors place figures before them, that their minds may be composed ■ and condufted, by degrees, to the essentialUriity, who survives the annihilation, when the Debtas and. -all created existence afe absorbed into his essence^."* • ., * From a Persic Version of the Yoog Vashesti, a wry ancient composition Jn Sanscrit, quotfi) by Lord Teignmouth, in iiis life of Sir W. Jonei, T. 8, p. 284, 8vo. eait. ^ 162 Quotations such as thesey are indeed frequetit- ly brought forward with triumphant ostentationi for the purpose of depreciating the necessity of revelation, ajjd of exalting the purity of Pagan philosophy. With what justice and propriety this method is pursued, will be a subjeQ: of future discussion : but when Paganism arrogates to herself the merit of inculcating the Unity and Spirituality of the Divine Essence, she assumes a claim which does not belong to her.. This may be shewn from the observation already mad^i concerning the manner in which this tenet i? inculcated, and from the little influence whiph it possessed on the practice of the heathep world. Neither does it appear, that the idea of one invisible Spirit pervading and animating all nature is that, which would have been likely to be adopted by human reason unaided hy the light of revelation. ' The propensities of piankind have constantly led them to different conclusions* Not only the proqe^egs ;of'the, yulgar in every age and country, to relapse into polytheistic and '.idolatrous worship, strongly militates against this supposition j but it is still more forcibly opposed, by the refinements and speculations of philoso- phers themselves. If the vulgar paid their ado-: ration to a variety of sensible objefts, it was l63 because the philosot)hef first delighted to trace the Deity > through ':the different operations of nature j and the distinfilion, of these diversified powers, at length led to a separation of them. The observation is not vvithout its force* that the Unity of God may be an idea, too sublime for the human mind to dwdl on; and it was therefore natural to view, in its several parts, and to observe in ite various eflPefls, what, in the whole, was an objefil too vast for mental contemplation. Still however it must be allowed, that as all our speculations concerning the attributes 6i God, must, from our limited capacities, be liable to uncertainty, the marks of primeval tradition, on' this article,, may not be so evident. A dif" ficulty may occur in distinguishing (between what might have been reasoned out by the iutelle£tyal faculties, and what must have been communicated by express revelation. We may imagine it im-j probable, that man would ever have arrived a^t any just conceptions of the supreme Being by his own unassisted reason ; nay, we may perhaps pronounce it absolutely impossible. We can proceed, however; with more confidence to the second article ; which from the nature of God, descends to the condition of man. The next proof of primitive tradition discernible in every m2 i64 mythology of the; ancient world, and piarticuiarly ' in theJ^ahiia^aical-systemjis thepALL of Man.. The f^I of man then, may. be considered either as a i barrea fkft. ifti the history of the hxim;4n: species, coming down to us attested by the same evidence as any other fefil ; or as an 'article of^ religious faith, and conneQied with, other opinions necessarily arising from it., It will be sufficient in this place, to consider it in the former point of view, as a matter of faft, without entering into a discussion of the various and contradi£i:ory opinions, which -have been, entertained concern- ing. its.eHFefts. , The idea that man was originally placed, bjc bis Creator, in a state of perfe£t enjoyment, which he forfeited by some transgression of his own, would scarcely have suggested itself with- out! a i foundation in reality. Such an event is the most unlikely, solution which human reason, wduldi have devised, to account for the origin of evil. It is prob^blythe last conclusion which the huriian ,mind, on a survey of the a£luali condition of the universe would be likely to. embrace. On a candid review of the general harmony which prevails throughout the ■order of nature, of the marks of J)eneficent contidvance. 165 •of the adapftation of ^agents to eftds, and on a xdnaparison of the gadd^and^evii tviMchiafe blended in it, we caiitiot forbear dfawing the ciftidusioni that the preponderartce is decidedly in faVor of the formed. " It is 'a happy world after all," we should be obliged to exclaim -^^h •an amiittble Christian moralist. But even if the iooBce^sLEtn shouM fere- made,/; that iiiiarirhas a propensity 't© magnify, beyond its jast 'proportion, the sum of natural atad rnoral evil,i!'or)'that there really exists a: considerable sumusfiobotti; still the conclosion that either the onpforthe other, is a just punishment iinftiEted on miani by hjs Creator, on haccount of sometrahfijgnessicmcorrt- mitted in a former aivd happier s'ttate^'wbMll'd; never havei>een drawn. The remark may perhaps bfe hazarded, without danger of cdntradiSKpni that •ibe-most, probable sOflutidnfWihich the IWiMhan 'mindi^^unaided by the light of leveiatjioij, -wdatd r adopt, if not at onde enveloped: in the ^tocnflffjef atheisnii would, be that 'which •ha^ptevkiled ^o wdSly throughout the eastern world j the MasM- chean cBci£ti'tn^ 'of two opposite ^rinrcipies' of equal force.^and alternately oontroliiilig the affatrs -©f the world, , Jn^. ,163 ^^t,, ..(( j1 I,) Bvit yfet wefind, that thenrost!cdmi5?toi5riethod jof accounting for'the loiagin of '^J.?isfth'e dege- M 3 ' , 106 neracy of man frona a state of purity to a state of corruption : a doftnne which has retained a place in the popular creed of every nation. Of Brahniiftism iti may be almost said to form 'the basis. It is this idea, which has regulated its elaborate scheme of chronology ; it is this idea, which causes its followers to submit to the most excruciating penances, in order to purge the soul from the stains wbich she bas contrafted, during her abodfe; in. this polhatied body. They have indeed corrupted and obscured this doftrinej they haveengrafted on it additions which do not properly belong to it j they have carried, it so far, as to inspire them with a hatred of life, arid a-dereliftioa of every worldly enjoyment ; they have continually placed ! before their' eyes the accomplishment of that pielancholy period, when a total dec^ of bodily strength, as well as an entire degeiieracy of morals shall increase the sum. of present misery-j but these deviations from the.truthcouldnever have happened, unless they had truth itself for a foundation. These are phantoms of the iniagination, which would never have existed, if they had not been derived from sojjie correspondent re?tlity. From the fall of man we are naturally led to the consideration of a positive ordinance, im^ i67 'mediately conneSed with it, and springing out of itj THE CUSTOM OF SACRIFICIAL OBLATIONS AS AN EXPIATION FOR, SIK. In whatever point of view this custom may be regarded, whether as eucharistical or propitia- tory, ^Vhether originating in the idea that it was a proper mode of expressing sentiments of grati- .tude to theJDeity, for the enjoyment of the boun- ties of nature, or as a proper atoneraentfor guilt ; still a rite so peculiar and so universal, must have received its san£tion from some positive command, and could never have beeu the dictate of natural reason> The oblation either of the fruits of the ground, or of, the choicest produce of the flock, could ■never be supposed any proper method of demon- strating gratitude, , or appeasing the wrath of the supreme £eing.- **Thinkest thou that I will eat bull's flesh, or drink the blood of goats," is a question, which 4vould have-suggested itself, though it had not proceeded from the mouth of God. " Shall I offer tlfe friiit of my body for, the sin of my soul," is a sentiment of natural reason, which, with reverence be it mentioned, geems not to require the stamp of divine authority, m4' m .An opinion has indeed been maintained 'with some 4)lausibilityj that animal sacrifices might have deFi^^eci their -osrigin (from the hieraglyphrcal language of former times ; and that it was customary to typify vices, by animals, whose propensities were airalogous to thejii. To the ignorant and uninformed li^ultitudte,. such*' an hieroglyphic would iseem to pi-escribe the a£fcual sacrifice' of the an^raaal. But in what respe£l does this; analogy hold good ? /Is there any cort:espondence, in hieraglyphicaManguage, be- tween the qualities of -those domesHc animals which supplied man with sustenance, and those depraved appetites which were supposed to be thus offered up to the Deity ? Was the tender lamb, which is well fcpown to, havfe been the favourite victim, not only jind'ei; the Jewish theocracy, but throughout the heathen wbfM, an apposite .emblem, pf pridcj of lust,- of revenge, pr of any of those vices which debase.thehuman heart? Can the period be pointed '6ut:when sacrificial victims were seJeftedj, with any re- ference tQ the qualities which: they I'epresented in hieroglyphical langfiage?