■ « . ( ii II r h PRESENTED TO Drew Theological Seminary, '4 BY / f iU rti-i, \ I 7 r -i V 17 1391 Sej^ ‘Division — Sfcti5n_;s5 S’ 5 SiWM. ..^.L., 3 ^ . S V J . v.A • '* r v‘ - ^ \ • »♦ »• * V- l #, iK s t; ‘\ ♦ > 1 }■. . V ^^3 * ' n ' . THE RELIGIOJVS AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF ALL NATIONS, wrrn a view of the PRESENT STATE OF THE WORLD, AS TO RELIGION, POPULATION, RELIGIOUS TOLERATION, GOVERN- MENT, EDUCATION, Sic. A VIEW OF ALL RELIGIONS; X AND THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF ALL NATIONS AT THE PRESENT DAY. IN’ FOT7A PARTS. Part !• CHRISTIANITY. Part II. JUpAISM. Part III. MAHOMETANISM. Part IV. PAGANISM. INCLUDING AN ABRIDGMENT OF "THl^ XROX.RTRV OF THE HUTEOOS; THEIR HISTORY, LITERATURE, RELIGION, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, &e. BY WILLIAM WARD, D. D. of Serampore.” WITH THE RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OE OTHER PAGAN NATIONS. Compiled and Selected from the best Authorities, BY THOMAS ROBBINS, Minister of the Gospel in East-Windsor, Corlif- SECOND EDITION. HARTFORD ; OLIVER D. COOKE & SONS. 1824 , CONTENTS i^ART I CHRISTIANITY. PART If JUDAISM. PART 1 1 [ MAHOMETANISM PART IV PAGANISM. r 1 - - [ DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT, ss. Be it temembered, That on the twenty first day of Novem- L. S. her, in the forty-eighth year of the independence of the United States of America, Oliver D. Cooke & Sons, of the said dis- trict, have deposited in this office the title of a Book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit : “ All Religions and Religious Ceremonies, in two parts. Part I. Christianity, Mahometanism, and Judaism, To which is added a Tab- ular Appendix, exhibiting the present state of the world as to .'■eligpon, population, religious toleration, government, &c. by Thomas Williams. Part 11.— A view of the history, religion , manners and customs of the Hindoos, by William Ward. Together with the religion and ceremo- nies of other Pagan Nations.” In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, enti- tled, “An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the authors and proprietors of such cop- ies, during the times therein mentioned.” 1 CHARLES A. INGERSOLL, \ Chrk of the District of Connecticut. A tfue copy of Record, examined, and sealed by me, f I CHARLES A. INGERSOLL, Cierk of the DUlrict of Conneclieut. PLAN OF THE FIRST PART OF THE WORK. 1st. To exhibibit an impartial view of the Doctrines of each Religious denomination of the present day, as they are pro- fessed by each sect, taken as far as is practicable from their own Creeds or Confessions of faith ; and when this could not be done, to use the words of their most respected and distin- guished divines. 2d. In order as far as possible, to exclude the spirit of contro- versy from the work, it has been the practice to present, simply, ii^tements o/ facts without disputation. 3d. In compiling the work, it has been the aim to render it in- structive and interesting ; to treat of the numerous sects in such a manner as to avoid giving just cause of ofl’ence. ADVERTISEMENT. In the following Work, the compiler has made his selections and obtained facts from the best sources with which he was acquainted. He has been most indebted to Dr. Hurd’s “ Uni- versal History of the Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs of the whole World to a learned work, entitled “ The Religious World displayed,” by the Rev. Robert Adam, of Edinburgh ; and to a late laborious publication under the title of “ The Re- ligions and Religious Ceremonies of all Nations,” by the Rev. J. Nightingale. In the present edition, the volume has been carefully revised, some things e^unged, and considerable original matter has been added. The quick sale of the former edition, though laige, has induced the compiler to take much pains to make^ the present one useful to its readers. The more we know of the various religious sentiments of our fellow men, with their multiplied rites and ceremonies, the greater reason shall we perceive to approve of the doctrines and practices of most of the churches in this land, which partake so much of the simpli- city that is in Christ. The first Planters of all the early Colo- nies, which now compose the United States, had a primary regard to the interests of religion in sitting down in the western wilderness. While we walk in their steps the blessings of our Fathers’ God will not be withheld from us. East-Windsor, July 6, 1821. GRAND DIVISIONS 6F THE RELZaZOUS WOZILD. THE Religious World is divided into four grand Systems, viz. Christianity — Judaism — Mahometanism * — «nd Paganism. 1. Christianity includes all those who believe that the promised Messiah is already come, that Christ is the Messiah, and the Saviour of the world. 2. Judaism, all those who still expect and look for a promised Messiah. 3. Mahometanism, all those who acknowledge Ma^ hornet to have been a Prophet ; and 4. Paganism, all those who have not the knowledge of the true God, but worship idols. The only people who may not be classed under one or other of these four divisions, are, the Deists and the Atheists ; — the latter differing from them all in owning no religion ; and the former, in owning no divine revela- tion as the foundation of their religion. The inhabitants of the world may be supposed to amount, at the present time, to about 800,000,000, Of whom we may suppose The Christians to he The Jews, The Mahometans, The Pagans, 175,500,000 2 500,000 140.000. 000 482.000. 000 800,000,000 ♦The name of the Arabian impostor is written differently, by differ- ent authors, as Mahomet, Mahomed, Mobammid, &c. As the names Mahomet and Mahometanism, have been generally used in our lan- guage, and have the authority of the best writers, they are adopted in this summary. Grand Divisions of the Religions World. Yii. The grand Subdivisions among Christians’ are, — 1 . The Greek and Eastern Churches. 2. The Roman Catholics, who acknowledge the au- thority of the Pope ; and, 3; The Protestant, or Reformed Churches and Sects, who reject it* Their numbers may be thus, — The Greeit and Eastern Churches, - 30,000,000 The Roman Catholics, ... 80,000,000 The Protestants, - - - 65,500,000 175,500,000 Mr. Worcester in his Universal Gazetteer, has the 'following statement of Religious Denominations in the United States. Congregations* Baptists - - • 3298 Presbyterians 14t4 ) 2614 Congregationalists 1200 ' Methodists - - 1875 German Lutherans • - - - 650 Friends or Quakers ... . 625 Episcopalians ... . 400 Dutch Reformed - - - - 150 Associate and other Presbyterians - - 210 German Calvinists .... 100 Moravians h - - 50 The Roman Catholics have one Archbishop and four Bishops. There are also Universalists, Shakers, Tunk- ers, Mennonites, Swedenborgians, Jews, &c. Dr. Morse has the following statement of Religious Congregations in the United States ; *The congregations of some denominations, have far greater nuyn- Oers attached luthem, than those of other denominations, so that in esti- mating numbers, but little dependante can be placed on the number of Congregations or of nominal preachers. There are many persons in this country who, occasionally, preach, that do not profess to be devoted (o tbe,niinistiy of the Gospel. viii Grand Divisions of the Religious World. Presbyterians Congregationalists Baptists about Quakers Episcopalians Dutch Reformed Church Associate do. Presbyterian German Calvinists Moravians Besides numerous Methodists, and considerable num hers of German Lutherans, Universalists, ff' bbath Daj Baptists, &c. In England, Ireland and Wales, the number of Reli- gionists of various sects and denominations, (says Mr. Nightingale,) may be estimated nearly as follows : 1. Church of England* - - - 5,000,000 2. Roman Catholicst - - - 3,400,000 3. Presbyterians, who are (in England) chiefly Unitari- rians, Arians, and General Baptists - - 60,000 4. Quakers and Moravians ... 60,000 5. Wesleyan Methodists .... 500,000 6. Baptists of various kinds, exclusive of General Baptists 60,000 7. Independents, including the Whitfleldians, and other Cal- vinistic Methodists - - - - 110,000 8. Swedenborgians - - - 20,000 9. Miscellaneous minor Sects - - 15,000 10. Resident Jews ... . 15.000 11. Deists, Theophilanthropists, and other Free-Thinkers 25,000 *The number of Livings in England and Wales is above 10,500. +ln England and Wales there are about 300,000, of w'hom 5,000 are in London. There are 900 Catholic churches and chapels in England. 1224) 1200 S Congregation} 2424 2132 525 300 150 100 100 50 INTRODUCTION -<5 @ O- RELIGION is the knowledge of the relation existing be- tween us and God, with the observance of the duties thence re- sulting. It is intellectual and practical. The mind must be informed of the nature of the relation which exists between man and his God, that the duties arising from this relation may be duly performed. .And the performance of these duties consti- tutes the great business of human life. The relation existing between us and our God, cannot be un- derstood, without some correct views both of the divine char- acter and our own. God must be known, as a being infinite and eternal, possessed of every moral excellence, as our Crea- tor, as the author of all our blessings, as our holy Redeemer and Judge. There must also, be a knowledge of ourselves, as moral and immortal beings, as capable of serving and plea- sing God. These truths being understood, the obligations of obedience, of love, of trust in God, are easily perceived. Without a knowledge of the reasonableness of these duties, it is not to be expected they will ever be performed. Much has been said on the subject of Natural Religion, in- cluding those truths which, it is supposed, may be known con- cerning God and moral duty, without any revelation from heaven. Our reasonings upon this subject must be very uncertain. The experiment has never been made, and never can be. There has never been any portion of mankind wholly destitute of a knowledge of those divine truths which God has made known to man by his own immediate testimony. The ftue Light (the Lord Jesus) lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The knowledge of the divine character, and the fundamental prin- ciples of moral truth, early made known to the ancient patri- archs, can never be wholly obliterated from the minds of their posterity. God made known his will to mankind, in various U'ays, from age to age, previous to the times of the prophets of Israel. Many of these early revelations, we have reason to be- lieve, are not recorded in the volume of divine truth. Job and his friends, as well as many others, understood the first princi- ples of the divine character and of moral truth, previous to tlie time of Moses. The Church of God, always the depository of revealed truth, has ever been so situated as to afford the greatest facilities of intercourse with the various nations and tribes of men. Though we know but little from facts of what the human mind could discover in the researches of moral truth, without 2 K INTRODUCTIOxX. the aid of divine revelation, it is not to be doubted that the works of creation and providence afford evidence, if justly per- ceived, of the essential perfections of God, and of the funda- mental principles of moral obligation. Yet, through the defects of a darkened understanding, perverted by the corruptions of the heart, this evidence is but imperfectly discerned, and the truth poorly understood. We thus perceive the necessity of a full revelation from God, to teach us his character and our own, to learn us our duties to him and our fellow men, and to make known our privileges, our hopes, and prospects. Such a revelation he has given, through the medium of prophets and apostles, and has not left the wond without a witness, in addition to the benevolence of his works, that he is indeed coon. Various and multiplied are the systems of religion that have jjrevailed and still exist among mankind. Sceptical minds have greatly exulted in this fact, and have attempted to deduce from it a favourite conclusion, that religion itself has no higher ori- gin than the interests and fancies of men. The correct conclu- -ion, however, from this fact, must be directly the reverse. From a just view of the human character, we have no right to believe man would have any religion at all, had it not been originally taught from heaven. The earliest records of nations clearly prove that the most ancient religion of mankind was the worship of one God. This preceded all idolatry. The most famous divinities of India, Egypt, and Greece, were deified men, heroes, founders of cities, and public benefactors, conse- crated, after their death, by the affection and pride of their countrymen, to the privileges of celestial beings. Most people, however, constantly acknowledge a supreme invisible God, superior to their favorite deities, and not degraded, like them, by the vices and passions of men. The most ancient idolatry was far less absurd than that which received the improvement and refinement ot later times. In giving our readers a view of the various religions and re- ligious ceremonies which prevail among mankind, it is necessa- ry to consider the false as well as the true. Or, to speak in milder terms, those which are the least conformable to truth, as well as those which are the most consistent wdth the divine precepts. While it is probable, there is no religious communi- ty wholly destitute of errors, still, as all religion had its origin lii the revealed will of God, we may hope there is no religious lyslem without some mixture of truth. Our attention will naturally be directed, in the first place, to Christianity. Not only because it is the religion of the time God, and the only one established upon the basis of his reveal- ed truth, but as it is professed by a greater portion of mankind than any other, including all the most enlkhtened nations of the world. Judaism may perhaps be thought to deserve a prior consideration, as this is more ancient than Christianity, and also of divine aufhorilv. But Judaism has now, in a great measure, INTRODUCTION. XI re.iscd to exist, and has become emerged in the religion ot Christ, as it was designed to he, and cannot hold a- very im- portant place, though it will deserve a distinct consideration in the progress of this work. Christianity is built upon the foundation of prophets, (Jews] as well as apostles, Jesus Christ being, of the whole, the chief corner stone. CHRISTIANITY is tlie religion of all who believe inChri.-t Jesus as the Saviour of men, and receive the hoi)’ scriptures as the word of God. This ndigion is professed by the people ot all Christian countries, and recc^nized by tlieir various usuhges and laws. The professors of Christianity are divided into a great number of different classes and denominations. Fron; this fact, which the mysterious providence of God has always suffered to exist, the enemies of this religion have contended that it cannot be ascertained what Christianity is : they say that different denominations describe it in a very different manner, each pronouncing others to be wrong. The difference of senti- ment among the various classes of professing Christians is, in- deed, much to be regretted ; yet this difierence has always been magnified by the enemies of righteousness, and is, in re- ality, much less than has been commonly supposed. Good men, of all Christian churches, whenever they become acquainted, always find that they can truly call each other brethren. The difference which has existed in the separate portions of the Christian church has generally consisted in objects of, com I>aratively, minor importance, and not in the essential principle. s and practices of Christianity. No greater difference in seriti- Jiient, in practice, in feeling, has ever existed between any ex- tensive portions of Christendom than between Catholics and Protestants. And yet, when the Protestants separated from the Catholic church, witli a commotion which convulsed the world, they called the change no more than a Reformation. They considered themselves as remaining on their former basis, though divers alterations and improvements were necessary to be made. In looking over the numerous Creeds and Confessions ci Faith formed in different ages and countries, it is very interest- ing to the friends of righteousness, to perceive a general coin- cidence of sentiment in all the fundamental principle’s of divine truth. Differences in minor things are indefinitely numerous, while the leading features of the Christian system are almost universally maintained. The following things have been acknowledged as fundam^ie al principles, by the professed friends of Christ, with fey of ceptions, in all ages of the Church. The divine authffirist, the Holy Scriptures, salvation by the righteousness ''of holy the perfection of the Saviour’s character, the necertion of the obedience to the divine commandments, the r^ and misery dead, the general judgment, the eternal happifbbafn, and the of the righteous and the wicked, the Christy Christian Sacratwents. / f . INTRODUCTION. / 's These are the essential principles of our holy religion, and all who cordially receive and observe them may be considered as resting upon the Rock of the divine salvation. While we take this general survey of the Christian world, and find our high obligations of gratitude to God. it is not to be fbjxolten that it is divided into a number of different classes, alienated, to a considerable degree, from each other, not less from a rvant of intercourse and correct information, than from teal differences in sentiment and practice. A just view of these is necessary to a correct knowledge of the various religions of tlie world, and may have a tendency to promote that charity which is the bond of perfectness. In an attempt to present such a view to our readers, the Catholic Church, on account of its antiqiuty, its numbers, and various other considerations, will deserve the first attention. The Greek Church, indeed, claims a priority in the time of its existence, yet, for the reasons men- tioned, and the deeper interest felt by Americans in the Catho- lic Chun;h, we conclude to give that the first place in the fal- lowing work. ^*ART i. CHRISTJAMTV. CHAPTER 1. THE CATHOLIC CHERCH. ThI i-ise onlfresle? hfcfuJed thc%!!nUi!^ or general, assume Hie appellation of Ca?AoIIc belil ^ Ciinstian cliurch to fo distinguish itself from all sects ’irh^ fi ‘"^'^'’-^otenstic term names, sometimes sheltered them^Ivic Party of Christians. The Romish Hie common name the term CatAo/fc, in oppositio!l to‘'anTvho‘^l*‘'^“’"''‘'* itself by 'chismXt:'"'*’ co^s^enin;:;:!^ ‘z us, that they ar/a? old as P church, hrst bishop svas St. Peter, svho hev ^ ‘^'oir Rome , and they assume to trace the^ c ''3s first bishop of succession from the apostles Iheir first bishop belomrincr ^ to the present time. Rome, they, after ife lapse of fome the see of Ao»,o„ to their other appel aS nTr ^^Jooct the reformation ii The i6i£ Cniversal. been designated by various namL hi tl ""'^’’ i^"® Romanists, &c. These hein» enemies ; Panisfs tese Christian,, weirall caSfX S ferring the use of that appelfa ion them ; pre- offence ; and by which thev are • T ' ‘'•^'^riot possibly gi\ e modern statute-books. ’ now recognized in Secondly, because all its doctrines ^ J ti'o world • to holiness ; but more especiallv’ °^^crvanccs tenfj and cannot fall into erroT^f any kind '® '»‘aJ''ible. by the power of Jesus Christ xvL^ ^‘'Pt and upheld munity of the faithful ; iivisTb)? f“pT?Rom»,"who'are^6h?& ‘h^l^Tfet'aSsc'E. / HISTORY, &c. 14 ^ of latter days, and the secession of the Greek Church in former . times ; Fourthly, because the bishops and pastorsof this church , are all descended from the apostles ; the line of succession nev- ' er having been broken in a single instance. It is proper to remark here, that the Roman Catholics do not bold an opinion that the Pope himself is infallible, as many charge them ; they only say that the Pope and the rest of the bishops in a general council, assembled to settle points of doctrine, or essential branches of church discipline, have always been preserved from error ; and this they defend by the text, that “ the church is the pillar and ground of the truth and that when it seenieth right to them and to the Holy Ghost — so to assemble, then Christ is so truly in the midst of them that they cannot, as a whole church, fall into error. ^ But they admit that the Pope, individually, as well as any other man, may fall into gross errors and very grievous sins ; they admit very great latitude as to matters ol mere opinion •, / carefully distinguishing between articles of faith or belief, and , minor subjects of opinion, or convenience. *. ■ They say that as theirs is the only true church, and as there can be no salvation out of the true church, so no one can be saved who obstinately withdraws from, or does not unite hirasell to their church ; btit they make a distinction between wilful dis- obedience to the churches authority, and invincible ignorance of the right way. Asa body, however, the}^ tolerate no religion at variance with their own, — nor admit the possibility of the salvation of obstinate and wilful heretics ; because the holy Roman Catholic Cljurch being the only true church, it is the duty and the interest of all men to become obedient to her laws and teachings. Hence, it is manifest, that the Roman Catholics reject the Protestant doctrine of “the right of private judgment in mat- ters of religion,” teaching that all spiritual knowledge and all ecclesiastical autliority, emanate to the faithful, first from Christ, and secondly, from the church, whose bead and members may, as individuals, err, but as a w'hole, cannot. The Pope of Rome, though they do not admit his infallibility, is acknowledged as first or supreme in the church, as well in matters of faith as in those of discipline ; but we shall have more to say concerning the Pope, when we come to treat ot Ceremonies and Rites. The Religion of the Roman Catholics ought always, in strictness to be considered apart from its professors, whether kings, popes, or inferior bishops ; and its tenets, and \{s forms, should he treated of separately. To the acknowledged creeds, catechisms, and other formularies of the Catholic Church, we .should resort for a faithful description of what Roman Catholics do really hold as doctrines essential to salvation ; and as such, held by the faithful in all times, places, and countries. Though the Catholic ybrms, in some points, may vary in number and •splendour, the Catholic doctrines cannot though opimoitt OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 1.^ may differ, and change with circumstances, articles of faith remain the same. Without a due and constant consideration of these facts, no Protestant can come to a right understanding respecting the essential faith and worship of the Roman Catholics. It has been owing to a want of this discrimination that so many absurd, and so many even wicked tenets have been palmed upon our brethren of the Catholic Church ; that which they deny, we have insisted they religiously hold ; — that Hhich the best informed amongst them utterly abhor, we have held up to the detestation of mankind, as the guide of their faith and the rule of their actions. This is not fair : — it is not doing to others as we would have others do unto us : a different spirit and conduct shall be observed in this sketch, written for itistruction ; and not to serve party objects and party ends. The various misrepresentations of the Roman Catholic doc- trines and practices, which had gone forth into the world about the time of the Reformation in the 16th century, at length in- duced the Church of Rome to call a general council, which as- sembled at the city of d'rent ; at this celebrated council, the doctrines of the Reformation, at least those that were deemed new doctrines or opinions, and such as were at variance with the church’s supreme authority in all matters relating to faith and practice, were denied and rejected, whilst all the doctrines pe- culiar to the ancient church were solemnly confiimed. It is not needful to go into a historj' of this great council. Dr. Jurieu, and Father Paul, have both given very minute de- tails of the proceedings that then took place : the decrees of this council, with the creed of Pope Pius IV. may very well be said to contain every thing necessary to be known in order to form a conect judgment of the doctrines of the Roman Catho- lics of the present and all former times. The council of Trent defines the church to be one, visible, holy, catholic, and apostolic community, established by Al- mighty God, on a solid basis, who has bestowed upon it the power of opening the gates of heaven to all true believers, and shutting them to all heretics and infidels. It likewise has the power of pardoning sin, and excommunicating all such as are disobedient. This church is both triumphant and militant : the former is the illustrious society of those blessed spirits and saints, who, having triumphed over the world, the flesh, and the devil, enjoy everlasting happiness, peace, and security ; the latter is the congregation of all true believers upon earth, who are constantly obliged, during their whole lives, to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. Jesus Christ is the immediate governor of that part of the church which is triunjphant in the heavens ; but, as the church militant required a visible head or director, Jesus Christ has substituted one in his .stead, who is accounted by all true Cath- olies, as the chief, if not the supreme, head and director or HISTORY, (kc. earth of the faitli of all Christians throughout the world : — this great personage is the Pope already briefly spoken of. The word POPE is derived from the Latin word papa, which signifies father. It was at first applied to all bishops ; but in < process of time, it was applied to the Bishops of Piome only. ' It is from this word papa that the Roman Catholics came to be . called papists, and their doctrines popery ; but these are terms they disclaim. The Bishop of Rome is not only the prime or chief head of the church, but also an ecumenical, or universal bishop. The Pope is likewise styled his Holiness — God’s Vicege- rent — The Vicar of Christ — Successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles. He styles himself “ A Servant of the Servants of God.” But of the Pope more hereafter ; at present, let us I proceed to a more detailed summary of the doctrines of the Catholic Church. ' In performing this portion of my labour, I shall take the creed of Pope Pius IV'. with the best, e.xpositions 1 can collect of each of the Articles as we pass along : ARTICI.E I. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and 'mvisible. The one true and living God in Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Exposition. — This article principally consists in believing that God is the maker of all things, that it is our duty to adhere to him with all the powers and faculties of the mind, through faith, hope, and charity, as being the sole object that makes us happy b)' the communication of that sumtnurn bonnm, or chief good, which is himself. The internal adortion, which we render unto God, in spirit and in truth, is attended with ex- ternal signs, as a solemn acknowledgment of God’s sovereign- ty over us, and of our absolute dependance upon him. The idea of God which nature lias engraven on the minds oi men, reiiresents him as a being indepemlent, omnipotent, all- perfect ; the author of all good and all evils ; that is, of all the punishments inflicted on account of sin or transgression. • ARTICLE n. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son ot God ; begotten of the Father before all worlds ; light of light ; very God of very God ; begotten not made, being of one sub- stance with the Father by whom all things were made. Exposition. — I do profess to be fully assured of this most certain and necessary truth, that Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Messiah, is the true, proper, and natural Son of God, begotten of the substance of the Father, which being incapable of mul- tiplication or division, is so really and absolutely communicated to him, that he is of the same essence, God of God, light of light, very God of very God. 1 acknowledge none but him to OF THE ROMAxN CATHOLICS. 17 be begotten of God by that poper and natural generation, and thereby excluding all which are not begotten, as it is a genera- tion ; all which are said to be begotten, and which arc called sons, are so only by adoption. ARTICLE III. Who for us men, and our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Marj", and was made man. Exposition . — That in this Person, the divine and human na- tures were so united, that they were not confounded ; but that two whole and perfect natures, the God-head and manhood, were joined together in one person ; that of him many things are said that are proper to one person only. ARTICLE IV. And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate : he suffer- ed and was buried. Exposition . — That this person did truly suffer in his human nature, the divine being not capable of suffering*. ARTICLE V. And the third day rose again, according to the scriptures. Exposition . — Christ did truly rise again from death with that very body which was crucified and buried. I also knew' him in the flesh, says Ignatius, and believe in him. ARTICLE ri. He ascended into heaven ; sits at the right hand of the father. Exposition . — This article teaches us, that he ascended in like manner into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the father to make intercession for us. ARTICLE VII.. And is to come again with glory, to judge both the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. Exposition . — Our Lord’s remaining in heaven till the day of judgment, appears from Acts iii. 20, 21 ; and chap. x. ver. 42. ARTICLE VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who spake by the prophet. Exposition . — This article teaches, 1, that the Holy Ghost proceeds both from the Father and the Son ; 2. that he is of one substance, majesty and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God ; inasmuch, as such op erations are ascribed to the Holy Ghost as cannot be ascribed to a person distinct from the Father and the Son, and therefore must be a person distinct from them both ; and. inasmuch, as euch things 4# 18 HISTORY kc. arc ascribed to him as cannot be ascribed to any but Clod, and tor this reason they are co-equal and consubstantial. ARTICLE IX. 1 believe in one only catholic and apostolic church. Exposition . — From these words we gather, 1. that Jesus Christ has ahva 3 's a true church upon eartli ; 2. that this church is always one by the union of all her members in one faith and communion ; .3. that she is always pure and holy in lier doctrine and terms of communion, and consequently always free from pernicious errors ; 4. that she is catholic, that is universal, by being the church of all ages, and more or lesS of all nations ; 5. that this church must have in her a succession from the Apostles, and a lawful mission derived from them ; 6. that this true church of Christ cannot be any of the Protestant sects, but must be the ancient church communicating with the Pope or Bishop of Rome ; that this church is infallible in all matters relating to faith, so that she can neither add to, nor subtract from what Christ taught. Accordingly we find that the Catholic Christian asserts, that God has been pleased, in every- age, to work most evident mir- acles in the church by the ministry of his saints, in raising the dead to life, in curing the blind and lame, in casting out dev- ils, in healing inveterate diseases in a minute, attested by the most authentic monuments, which will be a standing evidence to all nations, that the church of Rome is the true spouse of Christ. ARTICLE X. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. Exposition . — Baptism is a sacrament instituted by our Sav- iour to wash away original sin, and all those we may have com- mitted ; to communicate to mankind the spiritual regeneration and the grace of Christ Jesus ; and to unite them to him as the living members to the head. St. Cyril of Jerusalem saj’s the catechumens, after they were unclothed, were anointed from the feet to the head with ex- orcised oil ; after this they were conducted to the laver, and were asked if they believed in the Father, Son, and Holy- Spirit. Having made a profession, they were plunged three times in the water. ARTICLE XI. 1 look for the resurrection of the dead. Exposition . — I am fully persuaded of this, as a most evident and infallible truth, that, as it is appointed for all men once to die, so it is also determined, that all men shall rise from death ; that the souls, separated from our bodies, are in the hands of God, and live ; that the bodies dissolved in dust, or scattered in ashes, shall be re-collected and re-united to their souls ; that the same flesh which lived before shall be revived, and thr OF TFIE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 1 ? iame numerical body which did fall shall rise ; that this resur- rection shall be universal, no man excepted ; that the just shall he raised to a resurrection of life, and the unjust to a ressurrcc- tion of damnation ; and that this shall be performed at the last day, when the trumpet shall sound. ARTICLE XII. I believe in the life of the world to come. Amen. Exposition . — I believe that the just, after their resurrection and absolution, shall, as the blessed of the Father, receive the inheritance, and, as the servants of God, enter into their Mas- ter’s joy, freed from all possibility of death, sin, and sorrow, filled with an inconceivable fulness of happiness, confirmed in an absolute security of an eternal enjoyment in the presence of God and of the Lamb forever. Thus far the profession of the Catholic faithds perfectly con- tbrmable to doctrines of the Church of England, as laid down by the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds. The remaining twelve articles, with the expositions, exhibit a portion of the faitii of the Roman Catholics, somewhat repugnant to the Protestant Churches. ARTICLE XIII. I most firmly admit and embrace the apostoli®! and ecclesi- astical traditions, and all other ohseivances and^onstitutions of the same church. Exposition . — The Roman Catholic Christians say, that the whole doctrine, to be delivered to the faithful, is contained in ^jhe Word of God, w'hich Word of God is distributed into scrip- ture and tradition ; scripture signifies simply writing ; tradition, that which has been preserved and handed down to us by words, from generation to generation ; and the Catholics have many ai^uments in favour of tradition, as forming part of the word or revealed w'ill of God. ARTICLE XIV. I do admit the Holy Scriptures in the same sense that our Ploly Mothe- Church doth, whose business ij is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of them ; and I will interpret them according to the unanimous consent of the fathers. Exposition . — The Roman Catholics hold that the church, w hich is alone infallible, posse.sses tlie power of judging of the right sense of the holy .scriptures, and of the traditions ; this church being ahva}-s under the same divine influence that in- spired the prophets and apostles of old. The apostolical tra- ditions are those which are supposed to have had their origin or institution from the apostles, such as infant baptism, the Lord’s Day, or first day of the week, receiving the sacra- ment, &c. Ecclesiastical traditions are such as received their institution 20 HISTORY, from the church, after the first age of the apostles ; such as holidays,' feasts, fasts. Sac. They tell us, that the way hy which we are to judge of what really are apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions, is the same as that by which the faithful judge of all matters of faith and doctrine, (viz.) the unerring authority of the church, expressed in her councils, and preserved in her universally admitted for- mularies and constant practice. ARTICLE XV. 1 do profess and believe, that there are seven sacraments, truly >ind properly so called. Instituted by Jesus Christ our Lnrd, and necessary for the salvation of mankind, though not all of them to every one, (viz.) baptism, confirmation, eucharist, j)enance, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony, and that they do confer grace, and that of these things, baptism, confirmation, and orders, cannot be repeated without sacrilege. I also re- ceive and admit the received and approved rites of the catholic church, in her solemn administration of all the aforesaid sacra- ments. Expodtion . — A sacrament is supposed to be an institution of (Christ, consisting of some outward sign or ceremony, by which grace is given to the soul of the worthy receiver. Of these several sacraments, though they might appear rather to belong to the ceremonial part of the subject than to the doc- iriiial, it will be proper to give some account in this place, inas- much as they form so essentia! a portion of the catholic faith. The accompanying cuts wiU assist the reader in understanding the forms used in their administration. 1. Baptism, according to the Roman Catholics, is an institu- tion of Christ of a very important nature. The mode in which it is administered is somewhat similar to that observed by the Church of England. In this particular, however, the Church of Rome appears to have the advantage, in point of liberality, if I ina}' so term it : should an unbaptised intant fall sick, and there, be no priest at hand to administer this holy sacrament, the nurse, or any other person, of the congregation of the taithful, may perform the sacred office : for, argue the Catholics, it were a sad thing that the soul of a child should be damned eternally for want of this essential rile, through the unavoidable necessi- ty of the priest’s absence ; and it is clear that the Roman Cath- olics do hold the indespcnsible necessity of baptism, from the 10th Article of Pope Pius’s Creed, which enjoins this rite for the remission of sins including, of course, original curruption as well as actual transgression. The ceremonies now used in the administration of baptism, according to several approved authors, are as follows : First, they consecrate the water with prayer, and pouring in of oil tliree times : Secondlfi, they cross the party on the eyes, ears, no.«e, and breast : Thirdly, he is exorcised with a certain I harm, or exsufllalion,or breathing : Fovrthly, they put coi.se- I OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 21 crated sail mto his mouth : Fifthly, they put spittle into his nose and ears : Sixthly, tliey add imposition of hands, and the sacer- dotal blessing : Seventhly, they anoint him with holy oil on the breast: and. Eighthly, tliey anoint him on the crown of the head, using perfume, &c. It was anciently the practice to give the party the kiss of peace ; to put a lighted taper in his hand ; give him milk and honey to drink ; and then clothe him with a white garment ■ but these practices are now, I believe, universally laid aside.’ llie words used, and the rest of the form, arc similar to tnosc in the protestant episcopal churches. Baptism, amongst the Roman Catholics, is not confined to inlants, nor to adults ; but, properly speaking, they may be ranked amongst the supporters of infant baptism ; for in this respect, like other Christians, the)' have varied in their practice, though not in their opinions on the subject. 2. Confirmation^, is a sacrament wherein, by the Invoca- tion ot the Holy Ghost, and the imposition of the bishop’s hands, with the unction of holy chrism, a person receives the grace of the Holy bpirit, and a strength to enable him to make prutession ot his faith. In this sacrament the Roman Catho- lics make use ot olive oil, and balm ; the oil to signify the clearness nt a good conscience ; and the balm as the savour of a good reputation. They use the following form : “ I sign time with the «;ign of the cross, and confirm thee with the chricin GlSr” ‘ 'I'e Son, and the Holy Calmet says, the ConfirmcUion is that which makes us perfect Christians, and impresses an indelible character after baptism and imparts to us the spirit of fortitude, whereby we are en- abled to profess Christianity, even at the hazard of our Jives • and IS thereby deemed a s.mrament ot the church. ’ • r F RhCHARi-T, or Lord’s Sutper, is a sacrament of infinite importance in the catholic church, and has given rise to •fi ^ be leve and assert, that the Eucharist si->-ni- and in truth contains the vmry ed ^int traiiMibst aiitiated, or transform^ ami set aoa t"afe"'*""® v consecrated am set apa.t at the sacrihce ot the mass, which shall be fuliv expl lined Lrther on. It is called the Eucharist, because .Ls.« Po CoVV'*? 'n^»'‘n!'o„ofthis divine sacrament, L^ave hnv such sobbd and impious practices. But of this v\c come U\treat of Indvigeneies. OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 23 5. Extreme Unction is a sacrament of a very singular nature, and is only administered to persons in imminent danger of immediate death ; it is the office of religion ^plied to the soul. A well known book, entitled “ Grounds of the Catholic Faith,” says that we have a full description of this sacrament in James V. 14, 15, where it is said, “ Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders (the priests) of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord ; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up ; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” It is evident, therefore, that extreme unction consists in prayer, and in anointing the body with oil. It is called extreme unctifu), because administered in the last extremity. 6. Orders. The Council of Trent is very severe upon those who say that orders, or holy ordination, to the office of priests, is not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ. A dreadful anathema is denounced upon all such, and against all those who say that the Holy Ghost is not given by holy ordination. Orders are a sacrament instituted by Christ, by which bishops, priests, &c. are consecrated to their respective functions, and receive grace to discharge them well ; if this be true, it is certainly a sacrament of great value. 7. Matrimony, or Marriage, is also a sacrament conferring grace ; and those who say to the contrary let them be an anath- ema, decrees the Council of Trent. But this is not all : “if any man says, a churchman in holy orders may marry, or con- tract marriage, and that, when it is contracted, it is good and valid, notwithstanding any ecclesiastical law to the contrary, or that any who have vowed continence may contract marriage, let him be an anathema.” This is a singular sentence ; but the church has so decreed. As to the form of marriage in the catholic church, it differs nothing materially from that performed in the church of Eng- land ; it is performed either in private or in public, in the open church or in a private dwelling, as may suit the wishes or de- signs of those who are to receive the grace of this holy sacra- ment. Such is a brief description of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. VVe now proceed with Pope Pius’s ereed. ARTICLE XVI. I embrace and receive every thing that hath been defined and declared by the holy council of Trent, concerning original sin and justification. Exposition . — Good works, says the council, do truly deserve eternal life ; and whosoever holds the contrary is accursed. 24 HISTORY, c ARTICLE XVIII. And I believe, that under one kind only, whole and entire, Christ is taken and received. Exposition . — Bread and wine, after consecration, being turned into the-substance of Christ’s body and blood, without cnanging the species, the people are forbidden to receive the sacrament in both kinds. The Council of Constance decreed, that Christ himself instituted the sacrament in both kinds, and that the faithful in the primitive church used so to receive it ; y«t, that the prac- tice of receiving in one kind only, was highly commendable ; they, therefore, appointed the continuance of the censecration in both kinds, and of giving to the laity only in one kind. For this they assigned the following curious reasons : lest the blood of Christ should be spilt — the wine kept for the sick should fret — lest wine might not always be had — or lest some might not be able to bear the smell or taste. The Council of Constance has the following words : “ In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, Fatlier, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen. This present sacred, general Council declares, decrees, and determines, that although Christ instituted and administered to his disciples this venerable sacrament after supper, under both kinds of bread and wine ; yet, this notwith- standing, the laudable authority of sacred canons, and the approved custom of the church, hath maintained, and doth maintain, that such a sacrament as this ought not to be made after supper, nor to be received by the faithful, otherwise than fasting, excepting in case of infirmity, or other necessity granted or admitted by law, or by the church : and since, tor avoiding ."ome dangers and scandals, the custom has been rationally introduced. That though tins sacrament was in the primitive church received by the faithful under both kinds, and after- ivards bj' the makers of it, under both kinds, and by the laity only under the species of bread — such a custon as this ought to he accounted a law, which must not be rejected, or at pleasure changed, without the authority of the church. They who assert the contrary are to be driven away as heretics and severely punished by the diocesans of the place, or their officials, or by the inquisitors cl heretical pravity.” The Council of Florence, speaking in relation both to this and to the cucharist, decrees as follows : “ The jpriest, speaking, in the name of Christ, maketh this sacrament ; for, by virtue of (he very words themselves, the bread is changed into the body »f Christ, and the wine into his blood ; yet so that#(he whole. Christ is contained under the species of bread, and the whole species of wine ; al.=o in eveiy consecrated host and consecrated wine, when a separation is made there is whole Christ.” The host consists of a wafer composed of the finest flour and wine ; and is that which is here called bread. They use w ine, however, separately ; the priest only partaking of this. The communicant, in receiving the sacrament, has a consecrated OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 37 wafer placed upon his tongue by the priest, the former devoutly kneeling. ARTICLE XIX. I do firmly believe that there is a purgatory, and that the souls kept prisoners there do receive help by the suffrage of the faithful. To this Bellarmine and the Rhenish Annotations have added — That the souls of the Patriarchs and holy men, who departed this life before the crucifixion of Christ, were kept as in a prison, in a department of hell without pain — That Christ did really go into local hell, and deliver the captive souls out of this confinement. The fathers assert, that our Saviour descended into hell ; went thither specially, and delivered the souls of the fathers out of their mansions. Exposition . — Bellarmine says there is a purgatory after this life, where the souls of those that, are not purged, nor have satisfied for their sins here, are to be purged, and give satisfac- tion, unless their time be shortened by the prayers, alms, and masses of the living. This is also asserted by the Council of Trent. That same Council decreed, that souls who die in a state of grace, but are not sufficiently puiged from their sins, go first into purgatory, a place of torment, bordering near upon hell, from which their deliverance may be expedited by the suffrages, that is, prayers, alms, and masses, said and done by the faithful. It is also decreed, that souls are detained in purgatory till they have made full satisfaction for their sins, and are thor- oughly purged from them ; and that whoever says that there is no debt of temporal punishment to be paid, either in this world or in purgatory, before they can be received into heaven, k accumed. ARTICLE XX. I do believe, that the saints reigning together wu'th Christ arfe V to be worshipped and prayed unto ; and that they do offer prayers unto God for us ; and that their relics are to be had in veneration. E.cposition . — It must not hence be inferred, that the Romaa Catholics worship the saints departed, or their relics, as their saviours or redeemers ; but simply as inferior mediators, being near the throne of Cod, and having constant access to Ilis divine presence, ddiey lielieve that the prayers of these saints are always acceptable to Almighty God : and that as they are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation on earth, they consequently know uhat is taking place in the church, and are specially mindful of the wants and desires of their suffering brethren below. So the faithful here think they may and ought to supplicate the ^ood offices of the glorified sr hits before the footstool of the Omnipotent. The worship which is paid to HISTORY, &c. these saints is far from supreme ; it is merely the bowing with reverence, and the supplications of less favoured beings. Relics of saints, iic. are held in veneration ; but are not worshipped in anywise ; but only as we hold in veneration the pictures or the goods of our dearest friends. It would be amusing here to give a full account of the sacred relics which are deposited in the churches of the stations at Rome, exhibited during Lent, and upon other solemn occasions, to the veneration of the faithfyl ; but the limits to which this work is confined forbid it. There are fifty-four st?tions held in Rome, the ceremonies of which commence upon the first day of Lent, and end on the Sunday Dominica in Albis or Low Sunday. St. Isidor, who wrote about the twelfth century, does not allow any other signification to the word station than an offering made on a fixed and appointed day ; and in support of that opinion cites the practice of Elkanah in the first book of Samuel, chap. i. “ And the man went up yearly out of his city to worship, and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh and in the following chapter, when Hannah brought to Samuel “ a little coat from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly stntutis diebus) sacrifice.” From which it appears, Isidor considered the term station to be derived from the verb statuere, to which opinion Polidore Virgil seems to incline, when treating of this matter in his eighth book. But many object to this explanation, prefering the verb stare as more designative of the ceremony ; quoting in support of their argument numerous authorities, some of very remote antiquity, to prove that the word station is not intended to signify any determinate place nor any particular ceremony performed on some certain day ; but from the act of the people standing on such occasions, which custom upon these solemn days is inva- riably observed. In allusion also to the words of the gospel, “ where two or three are gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst of them and also after the resurrection, in a congregation ot the disciples of Jesus, where it is written, “ stetit Jesus in medio eorum the Sovreign Pontiff', in quality of his title as Christ’s vicar, by this act reminds the people of the promise. Others pretend that it merely denotes the church, where the Pope stands 'or some one in his place) and preaches to the people, in imitation of Jesus, in the sixth chapter of St. John, and in other place«, w’here it is said he stood and pieached to the multitude ; and which example w’as followed by Peter, as in the second chapter of Acts, and from him handed down to the present time. The practice of preaching to the people standing continued, and is still observed on the days of holding the sta- tions, in the time of Lent daily, as particularly noted in the homilies of St. Gregory when speaking of the custom ; from which it is manifest, that it is not the church where the cere- mony is observed, but the act, from which the word station ik OF THE ROaiAN CATHOLICS. 29 derived. Some have ventured to attribute the origin of the custom to Pope Simplicius, from Ifs directing the jiriests to attend at the cliurches of St. Peter and St. Paul ; and of St. Lawrence, on the octaves of their festivals, to administer the sacraments of baptism and penance ; but this is clearly errone- ous, as the practice can be proved to be much more ancient than the time of Simplicius. Finally, therefore, the word .-ta- tion IS evidently ilerived from the act of standing, and not from the words of Christ, nt>r from the pontilf, nor trom the priests appointed by Simplicius, but from the people solemnly assem- bling and conforming to a more ancient practice. It w'as anciently the custom to go in procession to the church of the station ; hut the people at present go at such times of the da}' as suit tlleir particular convenience ; where, devoutly pray- ing lor a certain time, they return to their ordinary occupa- tions. Pope Boniface V'lll. granted an indulgence ot’ one year and forty days fo nil- those Tn-ho, xvith true contritiun, having conjest, kept the stations regularly from the commencement on Ash Wednesday to the feast of Easter ; besides all other indul- gences gr.iiited b}' his predecessors, to each church, in particu- lar, a remission of 100 days of penance to all such as were, un- der the same regulations, found attending the apostolic benedic- tions. Lent originally began on the Gth Sunday before Easter. St. Gregory added the four days preceding, making thereby the 40 lasting days, in commemoration of the fast in the de.sert ; the 6rst and last Sundays not being days of penance. By way of specimen of an account of these several churches, of the sta- tion.®, and of the saints to which they are respectively dedicated, take the following, which is the first in the list : — The Church of Saint Sabina in Mdvnt Aventine. This hill is one of the seven hills of Rome, having the Tiber on one side, and on the other the Palatine, and Monte Celio. Aventinus, king of Alba, being killed by lightning, was tlisre buried, and thus left the name, Aventinus, to the hill which concealed his remains. This hill was anciently called Pomeria, or rather the surrounding district, and was inclosed with walls and united to the city under Claudius. Plin}% who wrote in the time of Vespasian, says, that Rome embraced seven hills, and that it contained fourteen districts, and Publius Vdetorius oum- bers the Aventine as the thirteenth. Since the building of the church of St. Sabina, and the popes having entire possession of the city of Rome, the divisions of the city have been altered, and this of Mount Aventine is now ranked as the first ; this is noted by Anastasius in the life of Eugenius I. This district has been for many centuries the hereditary property of the illustri- ous family Savelli ; the Popes Honorius III. and IV. were of this family, who are styled “ Nobles of Mount Aventine.” Mount Aventine was, in the early ages of the city, adorned with a number of temples, which, there is good reason to believe, on the introduction of Christianity, were converted to the pur- 30 HISTORY, &c. poses for which (hey are at present used, for, besides many other authorities, Arcadius and Honorius directed that the pub- lic edifices should not be destroyed. It is therefore, probable that this church of St. Sabina was the celebrated temple of Diana, or at least built on the site, with the ruins of the afore- named temple ; and this is strengthened further by the testimony of Appianus, in his account of the civil wars of Rome, book 1. that C. Gracchus, in his flight from the temple of Diana Aventine, passed the Tiber by the wooden bridge ofSublicias, which bridge was afterwards restored by Antoninus Pius, and being by him built of marble, obtained tbe name of Marmorea ; and which place to this day, where the church of St. Sabina stands, is called Marmorata. If to these reasons is superadded, that the port Trigemena, through which the way led from the city to Mount Aventine, was at the foot of the hill through which Gracchus passed to cross the river, which was in ex- istence some time back, and was the customary thorughfare to the church of Sabina, whose principal entrance faces the west, it is more evident it was formerly the temple of Diana, or at least the site of that temple. This church of St. Sabina was built in the year 425, in the time of Theodosius, and in the papacy of Celestine the first, by Peter of Savona, a cardinal priest of Rome. The church is veiy^ magnificent, having a portico supported by two beautiful columns of black marble, and another with columns at the side, the front ornamented with elaborate bas-reliefs ; twenty-four columns of white marble di- vide the aisles from the nave, in which is a noble tribune als« of marble ; the sacred utensils are of a magnificence corres- ponding with the splendour of the church, amongst which is a ciboriuin of several pounds weight, together with another cibo- rium, chalice, paten, and corporal, all of silver, given as it i« said, by Honorius III. in 1216. The station at St. Sabina, be- ing the first day of Lent, the pope goes early in the morning,, with the whole of his court, to the neighbouring church of St. Anastatia, on Mount Palatine, where he standstill the people are assembled ; and it is called The CoUetUt. The pope then distributes the ashes to the cardinals and those assembled ; after which ceremony the litany is sung ; and the whole of the clergy and the people go in procession to the church of St. Sabina, where mass is said, and a sermon from the gospel of the day ; at the end of which the deacon announces the station for the following day at St. George. There are, besides the day of the station, other festivals at this church, on the 2Pth of August, to celebrate the birth or martyrdom of the saint ; and •n the 3d of May for other martyrs. RELICS AT THE CHURCH OF ST. SABINA, EXHIBITED ON SOLEMN festivals. Under the high altar, given by Sixtus V. arc the bodies of the five following saints, which were found under the ancient al- OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 31 lar of Pope Eug;pnius II. in 1 586. according to the inscription of a leaden chest whicl) incloses them ; — The body of St. Sabina. — — Serapl)ia. — — Alexander, pope. — — Eventius, priest to said pope. — — Theodorius, a companion ol Eventius. In the church also. An .arm of St. Sabina. Part of the cane with which Christ was beaten and derided, A rib of one of tl)e lioly innocents. Pones of the 40 martyrs. Bones of the 1 1,000 Virgins. Part of the tunic of St. Dominic. A cross of Silver, in the middle of which is another cross containintr various relics, viz. A piece, of the true crossofoiir Saviour ; on Ihe right arm of this cross are relics of Si. Thomas, Apostle, and St. Lawrence. In the left arm, of Si. Bartholomew and St. Mary Magdalen In the top, of St. Peter and St. J-aines, apostles. In the bottom, of St. Alexander, pope, St. Sabina, St.Sera- phia, St. Agnes, and St Ilypolitus, and his companions. Part of the stone on which our Saviour slept. Part of the Sepulchre of the blessed Virgin. Some olives from Mount Olivet. Some earth and stone from the holy sepulchre, besides other relies of St. Peter, Paul, Matthew, Stej)hen, Philip, James, Cosmas. Damanus, Apollinarius, Cath- arine, Cecilia, and many more. In the middle of the pavement of the church is seen a black stone, of which it is said that St. Dominic one night praying at this spot, his enemy the devil hurled a stone at him, which touched him slightly, but forced its way through the pavement on which he was kneeling and buried itself in the earth ; upon moving the high altar to its present spot, this stone w'as found, and the miracle is celebrated in a legend inscribed thereon. Of such materials are composed the various relics found in the other stations, at Rome, and in other parts of the Roman Catholic world. The account here inserted has been furnished by a Catholic gentleman who has resided at Rome, and observ- ed whatever is curious or interesting in that venerable city. We have the Council of Trent and the catechisms for au- thorit}- in asserting that all good Roman Catholics are taught, that in lionouring saints who sleep in the Lord — in invoking them — in reverencing their sacred relics and ashes, the glory of Cod is so far from being lessened that it is greatly increased ; that they are to be worshipped, rayers to God for us; 3d, that it is good and profitable to invoke them, that is, to have recourse to their intercession and prayers ; and, 4th, that their relics are to be had in veneration. They tell us further, that the church in all ages has paid this honour and veneration to the saints, by erecting churches, and keeping holidays to their memory ; a practice wh.ch the Pro- testants have also retained. In their invocations, however ; they simply say to the saints, “pray for us.” To the Virgin Mary, the common invocation is this, “ Kail Maiy, mother of God, the Lord is with thee ; pray for us sinners now at the hour of death !” They, however, frequently in their books of com- mon prayer, missals as we call them, use the most pleasing and endearing epithets to the Virgin. ARTICLE XXI. I do believe that the images of Christ, of the blessed Virgin the mother of God, and of other saints, ought to be had and re- tain- d, and that due honour -and veneration ought to be paid unto them. Exposition. — “ Pictures are the books of the unlearned.” But it is not this idea alone that suggests to*the pious Catholic the propriety of paying venerat'Oij to the images of the saints ; the catechism says that the minister shall teach the people, that images of saints are to be placed in churches that they . may be likewise worshipped. If any doubt arise about the meaning of the word worship, when applied to images, the minister shall teach them, that images were made to instruct them in the history of both testaments, and to refresh their memories ; for being excited by the remembrance of divine things, the}’^ excite more strongly to worship God himself. It is a stupid and illiberal error to charge the Roman Catho- lics with the proper wor>hip of saints or of images ; and to call them idolaters, as many have done, and some ill-informed Pro- testants still do ;,the charge is both untrue and unjust. Who has not often involuntarily ejaculated a prayer to the One God, when looking upon some well-executed piece of sculpture or painting, representing some person or scene of sa- cred history ? The scriptural paintings of tlie late Mr. West, some of which-ornament the altar-pieces of our own churches, have a powerful tendency to call forth this feeling ; and he has but a cold heart, if not even a sceptical one, who can look upon that artist’s “ Christ healing the sick,” or his “ Christ reject- ed,” and be totally unmoved by something of a devotional spir t. It is certain, that nothing more than the excitation of this fee'ing islinteniled by the use of images and pictures amongst the Roman Catholics. If ignorant persons in ignorant times have made any other use of these visible remembrances of departed worth, it has been an abuse of an harmless, if not a pixintable. OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 3o practice. The Catholic Church forbids idolatry, ranking it as one of the deadly sins. Lot them he rightly understood on this as on other points. Let us not charge them with being of a re- JigioiMvhich they deny, nor judge them lest we also be judged. I neither justify nor condemn ; but state facts. Rut it must be confessed that their language, especially when speaking of the Virgin Maiy, is sometimes extremely poetical and devout ; in the little office of the blessed Virgin, she is desired to loose the bonds of the guilty — to drive away evils from us — to demand all good things for us — make us chaste — protect us from the enemy — receive us at the hour of death. She is set forth as the mother of mercy, and the ho|ie of the world ; but why may not a Roman Catliolic call her The Mother of God ? These are all so many pious hyperboles and nothing' more : worship, in the highest sense of the word, the Catholics pay to the Trinity only : — the very same Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which is “ worshipped and glorified” by Christians of the re- formed churches in all countries. ARTICLE XXII. I do affirm that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the church ; and that the use of them is very beneficial to Christian people. Exposition. — Bossuet asserts, and only what is commonly be- lieved, that the Council of Trent proposes nothing more relative to indulgences, but that the church had the power of granting them from Jesus Christ, and that the practice of them is whole- some ; ivhich custom, the council adds, ought still to be pre- served, though with moderation, lest ecclesiastical discipline should he weakened by too great toleration. By indulgences granted by the popes and prelates of the church, jiersons are discharged from temporal punishment here and in purgatory. On few subjects has the Catholic religion been more misrep- resented than on this of indulgences : there is something ob- noxious in the very term. We are apt to attach an idea and importance to it. when applied as in this case, which do not be- long to it. That a bad use may have, at times, been made of it, is readily admitted : for w'hat good is there that has not been abused ? But it is denied that the Catholic religion gives any authority to its popes or prelates, or other ecclesiastical officers to grant a licence to sin, as many well-meaning Protestants sup- pose they may. The forgery about Tetzel at the time of the reformation ought not to be mentioned, except to the individual disgrace of the forgers. 1 vindicate not the practice or the doc- trine of indulgences in any sense ; but the author, as an honest writer, w ill endeavour to screen the youthful mind, for whom he principally now writes, from the contagion of prejudice and mistake on this, as on other points. In the first ages of the Christian church indulgences were common. In those times of strict ecclesiastical discipline, very HISTORY, kc. severe penalties were inflicted on those who had been guilty of any sins, w()cther public or private ; and in particular they were i'orhidden, for a certain time, to partake of the Lord’s supper, or to hold any communion with the church. General rules were formed upon these subjects ; but as it was often found expedient to make a discrimination in the degrees of punishment, according to the different circumstances of the olfenders, and especially when they shewed marks of contrition and repentance, power was given to the bishops, by the Council of Nice, to relax or remit those punishments as they should see reason. Every favour of this kind was called an indulgence or ^)ardon. In course of lime, however, this wholesome discipline began to relax and degenerate, and some few ambitious and designing men, in those dark ages, began to make a bad use of it : in the very teeth of their own religious tenets and doctrines, these in- dulgences were actually bought and sold, just as in our own times church-livings, advow.sons as they are called, seals in par- liament, lucrative and honoraiy offices in church and state, arc sold. The doctrine itself implies neither more nor less than a merciful relaxation of some severe ecclesiastical discipline ; and the practice, though not the name, is still retained by many of the sects of the present day. At present, the utmost length to which the use of indulgen- ces is carried in the Church of Rome, is their extension to the dead : and here the Catholics tell us, they are not granted by w.iy of absolution, since the pastors of the church have not that jurisdiction over the dead ; but are only available to the faithful shepherd, by way of or spiritual succour, applied to their souls out of the treasuiy of the church. They have also what they call a jubilee ; and so called from the resemblance it bears to the jubilee in the eld Mosaic law' ; vvhicb was a year of remission, in which bondmen were restored to liberty^ apd evei^’ one returned to his possessions. — The Catholic',fi'i>i/ee is a plenary or entire indulgence granted eveiy Iwenty-fi'nh year, as also upon other extraordina^' occasions, to such as^ being truly peniteM, shall worthily receive the blessed sacrament, and perform the other conditions of fasting, alms, and prayer, usually prescribed at such times. There are olher plenary indulgences, differing from a jubilee. A juirilceis more solemn, and accompanied with certain privile- ges, not usually granted upon other occasions, rvith regard to their daeing absolved lay any approved confessor from all ex- communications, and other reserved cases ; and having vows exchanged into the performance of other works of piety. To wdiic b may be added, that as a jubilee is extended to the whole church, which at that time joins as it were in a body, in offering a holy violence to heaven by prayer and penitential works ; and as the cause for granting an indulgence is usually more evident, and greater works of piety are prescribed for the obtaining of it. OF THE ROMAN CATllOIACS. the indulgence, of consequence, is likely to he more certain nm’ secure. In the ordinary, or wh.at may be called the every-day prac- tice, indulgences eN’tcnd only to the granting ot tin' laity to ea certain meats, or abstain from certain formal fasts and olrservan CCS, from considerations of sickness, convenience, & •-. This is the sum of that dreadful bug-bear at which ue have so long startled with horror, and shrunk back from witli indig- nation: the practice may be absurd ; but it is not nicked when rightly understood, and observed in conformity with the .=pirif and tenure of the rest of the Roman Catholic religion. ARTICLK XXUI. I do acknowledge the holy Catholic and aimstolic Homan Church to be the mother and mistress of all churche> : and I do promise and swear true obedience to the Bishop ot Home,^ the Successor of Peter, the prince of the Apostles, ar.d the Vicar of .Tesus Christ. Exposition. — This article has reference chiefly to what has been, somewhat improperly, called the pope’s supremacy ; it ouffht rather to be called the pope’s primac}\ The Catholic doctrine is as follows : That St. Peter was head of the church under Christ — that the pope, or Bishop or Rome, is at present head of the church, and Clirist’s vicar upon earth. This they attempt to prove by the unanimous consent of the fathei’s, and the tradition of the church, and say that St. Peter translated his chair from Antioch to Romc._ Hence the see of Rome in all ages has been called the see of Peter — the chair of Peter ; and absolutely the see apostolic ; and in thar. quality has, from the beginning, e.xercised jurisdiction over all other churches. The Church of Rome they call the mistress and mother of all churches ; because her bishop is St. Peter’s successor, and Christ’s vicar upon earth, and consequently the father and pas tor of all the faithful ; and therefore this church, as being St. Peter’s see, is the mother and mistress of all churches. Pope Boniface VIII. in his canon law, asserts and decrees as follows ; “ Moreover we declare, and say, and define, atgi pro- nounce to every human creature, that it is altogether necessary to salvation, to be subject to the Romon pontift.” It is proper here to caution the reader against the notion that Roman Catholics, in admitting the' pope’s supremacy, or prima- cy, hold that the pope's power over the Christian world is of a temporal nature : it has no such e.xtension ; no such reference ; for how often have the pope’s spiritual subjects, catholic kings and emperors, gone to war w'ith his holiness ? Kings do not now hold their crowns at the disposal of any one except of the laws and of their own subjects. The pope’s authority over his owS temporal dominions, which he holds as any other sovereign, is, of course, not purely of an ec'Clesiastical kind ; and his spiritual power is greatl}’ limited, even in Catliolic countries, as Prance, 30 HISTORY, Lc. Spain, &c. The French or (lallican church, in parlicular, is very independent. As far as relates to local discipline, the pope has but a limited authority ; even in the church ofnhiclilieis recognized as the head. ARTICIE XXIV. I do undoubtedly receive and profess all other things that are delivered, defined by the ,«acred canons and a'ciunenical coun- eils, and especiallj' by the hoiy Synod of Trent : and all other things contrary hereunto, and all heresies condemned, rejected, and anathematized by the church, I do likewise condemn, re- ject, and anathematize. This, it must be confessed, is a sweeping article : but oven here we shall do well not to mistake or misrepresent. The in- tolerance here manifest is evidentlj’ directed against “ things” rather than persons. They are heresies, real or supposed, that are condemned, rejected, and anathematized, and not the per- sons of the heretics. It ought not, honever, to be denied or concealed, that this famous bull, as it is called, which bears date Nov. 1664. repeatedly denounces curses on all those who dare dispute its statements. This solemn “ bull, concerning the form of an oath of profession of faith,” all ecclesiastical per- sons, whether secular or regular, and all military orders, are obliged to take and subscribe as follows : “ This true Catholic faith, without which no one can be saved, which at this present time I do of my own accord profess and sincerely hold, 1, the same N. N. do promise and vow, and swear, and God assisting me, most constantly to retain and confess, entire and unviolated, to the last breath of my life ; and .so far. as in me lies, I will likewise take care that it shall be held, taught, and preached by my subjects, or those the care of whom belongs to me, in the discharge of my office.” ^'he exclusive character of the Roman Catholic religion is its worst feature ; in doctrines, of a purely theological nature, it differs little from the Calvinist, or at best from tbe reformed churches : in morals it is equal to the best of them : in disci- pline it is more rigid than any of them : but in the exclusive spirit, which it almost every where breathes, it is more uni- formly explicit, and expressive than all the others. Itistrue, that in the Church of England, wc boldly pronounce “ God’s wrath and everlasting damnation” on all who do not believe, or hold, or “ keep whole and undefiled,” the creed of St. Atha- nasius. It is equally true, that the Calvinian churches do not admit salvation without faith, meaning thereby faith as under- stood and exfiressed by them. Nor is it less a fact, that many sects and parties “ do not see how a man can be saved holding such and such a creed, differing from their own ;” but, then, we do not, liki the Roman Catholics, call persons heretics, and anathematize them at the repetition of every docirine, consign- ing them to the blackness of darkne?.? for ever and ever, be- cause tliey do not s.ay our Shiboleth in every particular. We OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 37 do not finally and fully condemn for every trivial error : it is only the man who disputes the most material of the “ Five Points” that vve ail of us g;ive over to Satan. If a man believes the holy trinity, original sin, vicarious sacrifices, and eternal punishment — if he holds the imputed righteousness of Christ — the final perseverance of the saints — the extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit, and has taken the oath of abjuration, and that also against transubstantiation, we all admit that such an one is, at least, in a salvable state. But how different this from, the creed of the Homan Catholics, which calls all men heretics except the invincibly ignorant, who do not believe all the arti cles of the Christian faith ? I should not do justice to the religious opinions of the pres- ent race of H.oman Catholics were 1 to omit the insertion of the following address, issued a few years ago, expressive of the general sentiments of this body of Christians on some of those points on which they have been so grossly misunderstood. I extract it from my work, the “ Portraiture of the Roman Cath* olic Religion,” not having the original paper before me : — ” .An address of several of his majesty’s Homan Catholic sub- jects, to their Protestant tellow-subjects. His majesty’s Roman Catholic subjects flattered themselves that the declarations they bad already made of the integrity of their religious and civil tenets — the oaths the}’ had taken to his majesty’s person, family, and government, — the heroic exertions of a considerable pro- portion of them in his majesty’s fleets and armies, — the repeat- ed instances iti which they have come forward in their country’s — their irreproachable demeanour in the general relations o*fe, — and above all, the several acts of parliament passed for their relief, avowedly in consequence of, and explicitly recog- nizing, their meritorious conduct, would have been a bond, to secure to them for ever, the affection and confidence of all their fellory-subjects, and to make any further declaration of their principles wholly unnecessary ; “ But with astonishment and concern, they observe, that this is not altogether the case : — they are again publicly traduced ; and attempts are again made to prejudice the public mind against them : “ 'kVe, therefore, English Roman Catholics, whose names are here under-written, beg leave again to solicit the attention of our countrymen, and to lay before them the lollowing unanswer- ed and unaswerable document, of the parity and integrity of the. religious and civil principles of ALL his majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, in respect to their king and their country. “ We entreat you to peruse them ; — and when you have pe- rused them to declare, — Whether his majesty’s Roman Catho- lic subjects maiiitain a single tenet inconsistent with the purest loyalty ; or interfering, in the slightest degree, with any one duty which an Englishman owes his God, his king, or hi*, country? -- ‘‘ I.— The first document we present to you, is the oa#i and 4* HISTORY, &ZC, p c? dfclaralion prescribed by the British Parliament, of the 31st of his present majesty, and which is taken by all English Catholics. I, Jl. B., do hereby declare, that I do profess the Roman Catholic religion. jB.', do sincerely promise and swear, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his majesty King George the Third, and him will defend to the utmost of my power, against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever that shall be made against his person, crown, or dignity ; and I will do my utmost endeavour to disclose and inake known to his majesty, his heirs, and successors, all treasons and traitorous conspira- cies, wliich may be formed against him or them : And I do faithfully promise to maintain, support, and defend, to the ut- most of my power, the succession of the crown ; which suc- cession, by an act, entitled, ‘ An act for the further limitation of the crown, and better securing the rights and liberties of the subject,’ is, and stands limited to the Princess Sophia, Electress and Dutchess Dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being protestants ; hereby utterly renouncing and abjuring any ■obedience or allegiance unto any other person claiming or pre- tending a right to the crown of these realms. And I do swear, tliat 1 do reject and detest, as an unchristian and im.pious posi- tion, that it is lawful to murder or destroy any person or per- sons whatsoever, for, or under pretence of their being heretios or infidels ; and also that unchristian and impious principle, that faith is not to be kept with horeticts or infidels : And 1 further declare, that it is not an article of my faith; and that 1 do renounce, reject, and abjure the opinion, that prinfees excommunicated by the pope and council, or any authority of the see of Rome, or by any authority whatsoever, may be de- posed or murdered by their subjects, or any person w hatsoever ; And 1 do promise, that I will not hold, maintain, or abet any such opinion, or an)' other opinions contrary to v.’hat is express’- <;d in this declaration : and 1 do declare that 1 do not believe that the pope of Rome, or any other foreign prince, prelate, state or potentate, hath or ought to have, any temporal or civil jurisdiction, power, superiority, or pre-eminence, directly or indirectly, within this realm : And I do solemnly, in the pres- ence of God, profess, testify, and declare, that 1 do make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the xvords of this oath, without any evasion, squivoca- tion; or mental reservation whatever, and without any dispen- sation alread)' granted by the pate nature ? "The universities answered unanimously: — 1. That the pope or caidinals, or any body of men, or any individual of the Church of Rome, has not any civil authority, power, jurisdiction or pre-eminence whatsoever, within the realm of England. 2. That the pope or cardinals, or any body of men, or any indi- vidual of'the church of Rome, cannot absolve or dispense with his majesty’s subjects from their oath of allegiance, upon any jmetext whatsoever. 3. That there is no principle in the tenets of the catholic faith, by which catholics are justified in nut keeping faith with heritics, orother persons differing from them in religious opinions, in any transactions either of a public or a private nature. As soon as the opinions of the foreign univer- sities were received, they were transmitted to Mr. Pitt ; but we earnestly beg of you to observe, that it was for his satisfac- tion, not ours, that these opinions were taken : assuredly, his majesty’s Roman Catholic subjects did not want the wisdom of foreign universities to inform them, that his majesty is the lawful sovereign of all his Roman Catholic subjects ; and that, by every divine and human law, his Roman Catholic subjects owe him true, dutiful, active, and unreserved allegiance. “ Such then, fellow-countiymen and fellow-subjects, — such .beiiig- our religious and civil principles, in respect to our kitig and our country, — let us now again ask you, — is there in them a single tenet which is incompatible with the purest loyalty ; or which in the slightest degree, interferes with the duty we owe to God, our King, or our country ? “ But, — are these principles really instilled into us ? Do cur actions correspond with them ? In reply we ask, — Are there i\ot at this very moment, thousands of his majesty’s Roman Catholic subjects, who daily and hourly make the most heroic exertions and sacrifices in those fleets and armies, to whose patient and adventurous courage it is owing that we are still blessed with a king and countiy'. “ Now then, fellow'-countrymen and fellow subjects, he as- sured, that among these heroic and inestimable defenders and 42 HISTORY, &C. supporters of their king and their country, there is not one, whose parents and whose priests have not taught him, that loyalty is a religious as much as a civil duty ; and that when he is fighting for his king and his country, he is performing a duly to his God.” This paper was signed by 59 of the most respectable catho- lic noblemen and gentlemen of the kingdom, with the late ven- erable Dr. Douglas, Vic. Ap. London, at their head. A faithful view having thus been exhibited of the Rei.igion of the Roman Catholics, so far as relates to doctrines and opin- ions, noiliing remains but to attempt a similar description of llieir Rues and Ceremonies, including some religious Practi- ces not already sufficiently explained. It is well known that the Roman Catholics perform divine service in the Latin tongue. The Council of Trent decreed that this ought to be the case. This practice was introduced so early as the year 66G ; a veiy ominous number, being no other than the number of the beast mentioned in the holy scriptures, that beast being, as we protestants believe, no other than the church ol’ Rome herself;* though some ignorant catholics have declar- ed that it meant the famous Doctor Martin Luther ; and several later writers, that it applies to Napoleon Bonaparte, ribw' fallen like Babylon of old. However this may be, (he Church of Rome has chosen to have all her masses performed in the Latin tongue ; but for the instruction of the ignorant, all those prayers, &c. are translated into the mother-tongue. It has been said, but wdthout foundation, that^the Roman catholics forbid the use of the holy scriptures in the vulgar tongue ; they now have numerous translations in use among the laity as w'ell as among the cleigy ; but the church does not en- courage any translation besides her own. Something ought to be said concerning Persecution and the Inquisition ; but all that is needful to be stated on those points is, that the religiun of the catholics forbids the former, and knows no more of the latter than the protestant religion knows of the Star-chamber. They are state institutions and state practices, not properly chaigeable upon the religion of the catholics ; though they may be upon catholic princes and rulers, who “ not, knowing w hat manner of spirit they were of,” encourgcd them in despight of the obvious tenets of their religion. The Worship of the Church of Rome is of the grandest and most imposing character. Its ceremonials, especially in foreign countries, are extremely splendid. The most remarkable of their religious solemnities shall be now described. The 4i,tar, according to the sacred canons, should be made of stone ; and it is. the bishop's province to consecrate it. The table'should be made of one single stone, supported by pillars ; ♦The opiiiinn that the Catholjr. Church is the Antichrist of (lie scriptures is not so general among Protestants as it has been. That church has never denied, explicitly, the Father ami the Son OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 43 Uiere should be three steps to go up to it, covered with a car- pet ; and it is tlie clerk’s business to see that the table he cover- ed with a chrismal, that is, a fine cloth as white as possible, laid upon it. All this must be observed with the greatest exactness with regard to the high altar, where Christ’s body, or the host, is generally deposited. The clerks must be dressed in their surplices when they approach it, and immediately kneel down and adore the holy sacrament. Certain rules are likewise to be observed in the change ol' the ornaments ; the whole of which must be blessed, crossed, &c. and sprinkled with holy, or consecrated water. The same formalities are to be observed with respect to the Tabernaclk of the altar, to the pyx, that is, the box wherein the host is locked up, and the corporals on which they conse- crate ; in all n hich they are to provide every thing of the great- est value ; neither gold, silver, nor precious stones, are spared — to adorn it ; and the most splendid productions of art contribute to its lustre. Tapers are set on the right and leit side, which must be made of white wax, except in offices for the dead, &c. There must be a crucifix, in alto relievo, on the altar ; which is generally of curious workmanship. This crucifix must be so placed, that the foot may be as high as the top of the candle- stick. There are, also, sundry cruets, basins. S^c. for wash- ing ; also, a little bell to be rung at what is called the sanctus, and the two elevations, or liftings-up, of the host. The clerk must tinkle it twice at each saiiclus ; and at the two elevations nine times (viz.) thrice when the priest kneels down ; thrice when he elevates the host, and thrice when he sets it down upon the Itar. Ti e same formalities are observed in regard to the chalice, or cup. ’ The altar is inclosed within rails generally of curious work manship, and the whole service is conducted with solemnity and great ceremony. It will be proper here to explain, as well as I can, “ obscured as they are in the. mist of antiquity,” some of these ceremonies, and of the vestments with which the priests are decorated on their solemn occasions. The Rev. Peter Gandolpiiy, a learned priest of the metropolis, has given sufficient explanation of them in his preface to his edition of the liturgy, published a ferv years ago. These ceremonies, compo.sed, as he says, for the edification of the faithful, were mostly intended to bear a mystical signification ; though convenience and propriety olten dictated the adoption of some. Thus the praying with uplift- ed hand.s, in imitation of Moses, mystically expresses the ele- vation of our thoughts to God, St. Paul al.-!0 gives a mysLical reason for the custom of men praying uncovered in churches • and even to many of their ceremonies which propriety has in- troduced, the church has added a mystical sense. Thus the altars in the Roman Catholic churches are always raised above the level of the pavement, that the people may more easily 44 IlIiTORY, &ZC. ■ ebservc the mysteries as tliey are celebrated ; yet, in this the ciiurch proposes to herself a meaning of a mystical kind, which is that they are the altars of mediation between heaven and earth. In the same manner the sacred vestments were, we are told, originally common garments, in universal use when first intro- duced into the offices of religion. These several vestments are called by the following names : The chasuble and dalmatic : these were coloured dresses, corresponding in shape to the French /rocA; worn by our labouring peasants : convenience ha^ taught the Catholics to leave the seams unsewed at the sides . — ‘ The cope. This is an exact pattern of our modern trooper’s cloak. — The stole : this was a smaller cloak, more resembling A tippet, or a Spanish mantle, which the scissors have gradual- ly narrowed to its present shape. — The manuple was originally a cloth, hanging from the left arm, to wipe the face. The amice was a cloth tied over the head ; used perhaps for warmth, and so placed that it might be drawn back upon the neck and shoulders at pleasure. The alb was the universal under gar- ment of all ranks, full, and reaching down to the heels ; and is still the common dress of the Asiatics. — T\\e girdle was a cord necessary to confine it close to the body. — The surplice was a short loose w hile dress, and so called because occasionally worn over a dress made of the fur and hair of animals.' Such are the names, and such the origin, of the principal vestments worn by the Catholic priests of the present day ; but influenced by the ever-varying fashion of the times, the church soon affixed to them a mystical signification, and piously assim- ilated them to the virtues in which the Christian’s soul is ever supposed to be arrayed. The amice, or liead-clolh, for instance, was compared. to the protecting helmet of .spiritual grace and salv ition'. The long alb. or white linen garment, was supposed to !>e emblematical of future glory and immortality. — The via- nuple was thought to be an emblem of persecutions and suffer- iriiT-s for Christ’s sake ; and the chasuble, dalmatic, &c. to.e.xpress the voke and burthen of the. gospel. ^ Divine service, amongst ihc Catholics, consists of prayers and holy lessons, w'hich the church has appointed to be read every- day by the clergy at particular hours. This service is called by llie' < hurch the canonical hours ; because it was ordained by the canons of the church, which not only prescribe the hours in which it was to be said, but likewi.se the p;jrticular circum- stanr.e.s by vvhic!) it is to be said. This office i.s generally called the breviary, which derives its name from its being an abridgment of a longer service, that was formerly used, than is at present. This office is to be said in a standing posture, pursuant to the ancient custom of the church ; and upon the knees on the day of penance. . , , , The office consist- of seven hours, if mattms and lauds are to he reckoned ofie ; luit of eight, in case they are divided. In OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. the more early ages it was composed of six parts only. At present they are divh'ded into seven or eight parts, (viz.) mattins ior night, lauds for the morning ; prime, tierce, sexte, and none for the day ; vespers for the evening, and compline for the be- ginning of the night. • of saying prune is directly after sun-rising ; tierce IS fixed to the third hour of the day ; sexte at the sixth hour • none at the ninth hour ; vespers towards the evening, and com- plme af er sun-set. Due care is taken, that these oSices be all punctually performed at or near the times specified. Uhen the pope celebrates mass himself, the cardinals ap- pear in white damask robes, laced with gold. The cardinal • bis lops wear copes ; the cardinal priests chasubles ; the car- dinal deacons tunics; and all of them white damask mitres. J lie bishops were copes also ; but they are all of rich silks white linen mitres sewed on paste- The Ceremonies of the Mass come next to be described In this most solemn service, which is, as I have already stated a holy sacrifice, toe church not only prays herself, but Jesus Christ by the sacrifice of his own body, is supposed to offer i^ihlv adoration^that can pos- *ess than a sacrifice offered to the Almighty by one who is himself God. nini to f ^om the begin- nin„ to the offering, formerly called the mass of the catechu- S'"tim conclusion.'call- eu me mass of the faithful. All persons without distinction till the offering, the deacon then crieth out hence^!’^ ^ .= Profane depart In Picart’sbook on Religious Rites and Ceremonies we have o fener than thirty-hve curious prints, illustrative of the Lord’s V’e priest goes to the altar, in allusion to our L rd retreat with his apostles to the Garden of Olives 2 Before he begins mass, he says a preparato^ n,™ Tk ' drivp^ to look on himself as one abandoned of^God and m Adam. 3 T^rfest makes confession for himself, and for the people in wh 10^11 i< required that he be free from mortal and from venial sin 4 he priest kisses the altar, as a token of our reconciliation with" betrayed by a kiss. T Tl e piS nifies^ Lord have m P*"'®®* die Ayne Eloison, which sig- rUs the altar, says, Domxuus voSnscum, i. e. The Lord be HISTORY, with 70U ; the people return this salutation, eum tm, and with thy Spirit, Jesus Christ looking at Peter. 9. The priest reads the epistle relating to Jesus being accused tiefore Pilate. 10. The priest bowing before the altar, says Munda mr, i. e. Cleanse our hearts. The gradual is sung. This psalm is varied according as it is the time of Lent or not. The devotion is now directed to our Saviour’s being accused before Herod, and making no reply. 11. The priest reads the gos- pel wherein Jesus Christ is sent from Herod to Pilate. The gospel is carried from the right side of the altar to the left, to denote the tender of the gospel to the Gentile.s, after refusal by the Jews. 12. The priest uncovers the chalice, hereby to •epre.sent our Lord was stripped in order to be scourged. 13. The oblation to the host, the creed is sung by the congregation. The priest then kisses the altar, then the priest offers up the host, which is to represent or import the scourging of Je.sns Christ, which was introductory to his other sufferings. 14. The priest elevates the chalice, then covers it. Here Jesus being crowned with thorns is supposed to be figured to the mind, shewing that he was going to be elevated a victim ; and it is well known the victims of the Pagans were crowmed before they were sacrificed to their idols. 15. The priest washes his fingers, as Pilate washed his hands, and declares Jesus innocent, blesses the bread and the wine, blesses the {rankincense, and perfumes the bread and wine, praying that the smell of this sacrifice may be moie acceptable to him than the smoke of victims. 16. The priest turning to the peo- ple, says, Coremus Fratres, i. e. let us pray. He then bows himself to the altar, ad.lresses himself to the Trinity, and prays in a very low voice. This is one of the secretums of the mass, and the imagination of the devout Christian is to find out the conformity between this and Chri.st being clothed with a purple robe ; but we shall be cautions of adding more un this head, that we may not loose ourselves in the boundless «cean of allusions. 17. The priest says the preface at the «>lose of the Secretuin. This part of the ma.ss is in affinity to •lesus Christ being crucified. The priest uses a prayer to God rbe Father, which is followed by the Sajictus, holy, holy, holy iS the Lord, &c. which the people sing. 18. The priest join- ing his hand.s prays for the faiihful that are living. This is said to be in allusion to Jesus Christ bearing the cross to die upon, that we might live. 19. The priest covers with a cloth the host and chalice, St. Veronica offering her handkerchief to Jesus Christ. 20. The priest makes the sign of the cross ipon the host and chalice, to signify that .Tesus Christ is nailed to the cross. 21. The priest adores the host before elevated, and then he raises it up, in tfie best manner to represent our Saviour lifted upon the cross. He repeats the Lord’s prayer, with his arms extended, that his body might represent the fig- ure of a cross, which is the ensign of Christianity. 22. The priest likewise «»»)s»erates the chalice, and elevates it, to rep / OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 47 igjent the blood of Jesus Christ shed upon (he cross. 23. The priest sa 5 's Memento for the faithful tliat are in purgatoiy. Tliis prayer is in allusion to that which our Lord made for his enemies ; but (his allusion would be forced and unnatural, un- less the devotees looked upon themselves as his enemies. 24. The priest then raises his voice, smiting his breast, begs God’s blessing oi\ himself and congregation, for the sake ol such saint* as he enumerates, and implores the divine Majesty for a place in paradise, to imitate the thief upon the cross. 25. The priest elevates the host and cup, and says the;rcr omnia, then the Lord’s prayer. The sign of the cross, w hich he makes on the host, (he chalice, and the altar, is to represent to God that bleeding sacrifice which his Son offered up to him of himself ; then the devout Christian becomes the child of God, and all this is an allusion to the Virgin Mary’s being bid to look on St. John as her son. 26. After the Lord’s prayer the priest Says a private one to God, to procure his peace by the mediation of the Virgin Mary and the saints, then puts the sacred host upoo the paten, and breaks it, to represent Jesus Christ giving up the ghost. 27. The priest puts a little bit of the host into the chalice. The true Christian is now with an eye of faith to be- hold Jesus Christ descending into Limbo, i e. hell. 28. T^^ .. the priest says, and the peojile sing, .Jgnus Dei, &c. thrice on er, and the priest smites bis breast. This action is an allusion to those who, having seen our Lord’s sufferings, returned lionie smiting their Iweasts, 29. After the A^nns Dei is sung, the priest says a private prayer for the peace of the church. He then kisses the altar, and the instrument of peace called the paxis, which being received at his hands by the deacon, it is handed about to the people to be kissed, and passed from each other with these words, peace be uith you ; and whilst the paxis is kissing, tiie priest prcpaies himself for the communion by two other prayers, when he adores the host, and then says, with a low' voice, / u'ill eat of the celestial bread ; and smiting his breast, says, I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter into my house, three times, after eating of the bread. He uncovers the chalice, repeating verse i. of the 1 f5th psalm, according to the Vulgate. When the priest has received the communion, he ad- ministers it to the people. The application of these ceremo- nies is to the death and burial of Jesus Christ, and his descent into hell. 30. After this, the priest putting the wine into the chalice, in order to take what is called the ablution, repeats a short prayer ; then he causes wine and water to be poured out for the second ablution, accompanied with another short prayer, and then salutes the congregation. These ablutions allegori- cally represent the washing and embalming the body of Jesus Christ, &c. 3 1 . The priest sings the post communion or prayer for a good effect of the sacrament then received, expressed by the glorious resurrection of the regenerate Christians, and is to be looked upon as the representation of our Lord’s resurrection. ^ 32. The priest, turning to the people, says, Dominus vobrs- HISTORY, kc. I'J cum, salutes the congregation, as the ambassador of Clirist, with the message of peace. 33. The priest reads the l egin- ning of St. John’s gospel, and particularly of Jesus’s appear- ing to his mother and disciples, and uses some short prayers. 34. The priest di^misses the people witli these words, he inis- sa esi, depai t, the mass is concluded, to which they answer, God he thanked. This, they say, points to the ascens'on of .Tesus Christ, where he receives the eternal reward of tiiat sa- crifice, both as priest and victim. 35. The people receive the benediction of the priest or hishop, if he. is present, to repre- sent' the blessings promised and poured down upon the apostles b}- the Holy Gliost. This benediction must be given after kissing, with eyes erected to heaven, and arms stretched out, and then gently brought hack to the stomach, that the hands may join in an affectionate (nanner for the congregation of the faithful. The extension of the arms and the joining of the hands are both mystical, and shew the charity with which the priest calk his spiritual brethren to God. When he pronounces the benediction he must lean in an en- gaging posture towards the altar. The general division of masses is into high and low. High Mass, called also the Grand Mass, is that .“ung by the choris- ters, and celebrated with the assistance of a deacon and a sub-deacon. Loti' Mass, wherein the prayers are barely re- heated, without any sit)ging, and performed without much ceremony, or the assistance of a deacon and a sub-deacon. — The music on these occasions is generally as full and as rich as possible.. As to ordinary masses, there are some which arc said for the Christian’s soul ; for releasing it from purgatory, or mitigating its punishment there. A sufficient sum must be left to the parish priest for that purpo.se. There are also Private Masses, for the restoration to health, for travellers, and for returning thanks to Almighty God for par- ticular mercies ; these are called Votive Masses. 'J'he mass used at sea is called the Dry Mass, because on tho.se occasions the dup is omittgd, lestihe motion of the vessel should occasion any of the consecrated w ine, which is the blood of God, to he spilled. There are otlier sorts of solemn masses, as the collegiate, the pontifical, those celebrated before the pope, cardinals, or bish- ops. at Christmas, Pesslon-week, &c. When high nia.ss is performed episcopallv, or by a bishop, it is attended with still greater ceremony and magnificetme. As soon as the hishop is observed to come in sight, the bells are rung ; that is of course, where bells are-used, which is not veiy common. On liis setting his foot within the church doors the organs begin to play ; tbe master of the ceremonies gives the sprinkle to the head-canon, who presents it, after he has kissed both that and the prelate’s hand. His lordship sprinkles him- OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. li' self, and then the canons with it, in the name of the Father, the Son. and the Holy Ghost ; and then p;oes and says a prayer be- fore the altar, on which stands the holy sacrament, at a desk prepared for that particular purpose, and does the same at the high altar, from whence he withdraws into the vestry, and there puts on his peculiar ornaments in the following; order The sub-deacon g;oes to a little closet contiguous to the altar, and takes from thence the episcopal sandals ana stockings, which he elevates and presents to the bishop. Then the deacon kneels down, and pulls off his lordship’s shoes and stockings, in the midst of seven or eight acolites and readers, the former being generally young persons, whose business it is to wait ori the pope, or serve in churches, as in this instance. The word itself simply signifies followers. These are all dressed in their respec- tive habits, and with the deacons, all upon their knees, spread the prelate’s robes. Two of the acolites, or accolythi, after that they have washed their hands, fake the sacred habiliments, hold them up, and give them to the two deacon-assistants, to put upon the bishop as soon as he has washed his hands. The deacon salutes the bishop, takes off his upper garment, and puts j^n his astiice, the cross whereof he devoutly kisses. Then the}’ give him the albe, the girdle, the cross, for his breast ; the stole, and pluvial. Upon receiving each of these the bishop kisses the cross, there- by to testify his veneration of that sacred emblem. The dea- cons and assistants likewise kiss the holy vestments. As soon as the bishop is seated, they put his mitre on, and a E riest presents him with the pastoral ring. The deacon gives iin his right glove, and the sub-deacon his left, which each ot them kiss, as also the hand they have the honour to serve in all these circumstances Prayers intended to return God thanks for the sanctification of his church by the Holy Ghost, are ejaculated, and adapted to each individual piece of the episcopafrobes. The devotion of this ceremony is also supported and confirmed by the singing the office of the tierce. These several robes. &c. have also each a mystical or spiritual signification ; as the stole describes the yoke of' the gospel ; the taking off of the shoes alludes to Moses putting oft' his shoes. The pluvial was formerly used by' travellers, to represent the miseries of this life, &c. &c. The bishop being thus dressed in all his habiliments, his clergy range themselves round about l^pi. Two deacons, who are canons, place themselves on each side of him, both in their dalmaticus ; and after them a deacon and sub-deacon. Then the incense-bearer, with the censer, and a priest, with the navel, out of w'hich the bishop takes the incense, puts it into the censer, and gives it his benediction. After this he kisses the cross, which is upon the vestry altar ; and then goes in pro- cession to the other altar, where he is to celebrate the mass. The incense bearer walks at the head of the process on ; two wax-candle-bearers, with lighted tapers in their hands, march io HISTORY, &c. next on each side of him who bears the cross. All the clergry follow them. The sub-deacon, who is to sing the epistle, car- ries before bis breast the New Testan)ent shut, with the bish- op’s maniple in it. A deacon and priest march just before the bishop ; his lordship carnf'ing his shepherd's crook in his left hand, to dispense his blessings on those good Christians he passes in his way. The bishop being advanced to the altar, bows himself once to the clergy and then advances on the first step of the altar ; delivers his crook to the sub-deacon, the deacon taking off the mitre. Then the prelate and cleigy all bow before the cross on the altar ; aftej which the clergy withdraw, except two priest’s assistants, one on his right hand and the other on his left, with the incense-bearer, the sub deacon, the two deacon’s as- sistants ; and thus the ceremony of the mass-service begins, the choir singing the Introit. Want of room prevents a further description of the cere- monies attending mass in the various forms in which that great .service, or sacrifice, is pertormed ; or an amusing account of the solemn mass, as celebrated by the Pope himself, might be given ; a ceremony abounding with unusual pomp and mag- nificence. * It would be equally amusing to describe the peculiar cere- monies attending high-mass at Christmas, when his holiness officiates ; but this cannot be done ; space is only left to notice some other topics of interest and importance connected with this venerable and singular community of Christians. The procession of the host on Good Friday in Catholic coun- tries is peculiarly solemn ; though not so grand and imposing as on some occasions. At Courtray, a town in the Austrian Netherlands, it was, and .it is believed still is, the practice on Good Fridays, to have a grand procession to what they call Mount Calvary, when a poor man is hired to represent the suffering Saviour, and in that ca- pacity receives no small ^rtion of thumps and blows. It was also, once the custom at Brussels to have a public representa- tion of the crucifixion ; but I am inclined to believe, that the advancement of knowledge has taught the agents to lay aside that absurd custom. And it should be observed, once for all, that these, and such like practices, have nothing to do with the ceremonies of the church properly speaking. ' in all Catho- lic countries, however, ^ this day, the practice of procession- walking, on numerous occasions, particular on what is called corpus ckristi, is very prevalent. The prone, or ought not to be overlooked. Under tills word prone, we are to include the instruction which is giv- en to the people relative to what is necessary to salvation ; the prayers or the church in a peculiar manner for the faithful ; the publication of festivals, fasts, banns of matrimony, holy orders, and other things concerni% the discipline of the church. The OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIf'S. 3J prone follows the gospel in the performance of divine service. It is performed with great ceremony and pomp. It will he expected that some notice should be taken of the use of beads, the rosary, &c. The lioman Catholics tell us that the beads, (which are a number of small beads strung loosely on a piece of thread or silk) is a devotion, consisting of a certain number of Paternos- ters and Ave Marias, directed for the obtaining of the blessings of God through the prayers and intercession of our Lady, that is, the Virgin Marj"^. Those persons who use beads in their devotions are generally found amongst the more ignorant and poor of the congregation : they shift or move a bead every time they have said a hail Mary, or a Lord's Praytr ; and in the service of the beads, they usually say ten hail Maries for one Lord's Prayer. By the rosary is meant a method of saying or telling the beads, so as to meditate on the incarnation, passion, and resur- rection of Christ ; and it is divided into three parts ; each part eonsistingof five mysteries, to be contemplated during the re- petition of five decades, or tens, upon the beads. 'I’he five first are called the joyful mysteries ; namely, the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity of Christ, and his representation in the temple ; the7JMr//fc«t)o?fof the blessed Virgin ; and Christ’* being found in the temple in the midst of the doctors, &c. The next five are called tiie dolorous and sorrowful mysteries, hav- ing a relation to the passion of Christ ; as his agony in the gar- den ; his being crowned xvith thorns ; his carrying his cross ; his being scourged at the pillar ; his crucifixion and death. Then come five glorious mysteries, namely, the resurrection of Christ ; his ascension ; coming of the Holy Ghost ; assump- tion of the blessed Vii^in, &c. and the eternal glory of the saints in heaven. This is, altogether, called the service of the rosary. It is the opinion of the Roman Catholics, that miracles have not ceased in the church ; and some very recent instances have been solemnly stated, by the present learned Dr. Milner, an English Catholic prelate of great antiquarian and theologi- cal repute ; but as those miracles are not admitted by all Catholics, they will not here be described. There are many very enlightened and truly liberal priests, who do not give credence to every thing that is related of this kind ; although . their general orthodoxy cannot be reasonably disputed. The consecration of crosses, bells, vestments, vessels, &c. * must all be passed over, with barely mentioning that such are the practices of this ancient church ; as that of churches, church-yards, bells, and regimental colours, is prevalent among . the refonned. The .«ame observation will apply to the sign of the cross ; though that ceremony is much more frequently used by Catho- lics than by Protestants. HISTORY, &ic. 5t The feasts and fasts of the Catholic Church are numerous ; and are observed by them with great veneration and punctuali- ty. Catholics do really fast. Easter is kept with peculiar zeal and solemnity by the Catholics ; so is Christmas and other holidays of that kind. Lent is' also very rigidly observed by tliern . Exorcisms, or the casting out of evil spirits, are now’ but seldom practised by the Roman Catholics ; but they constantlj' I exo’cise salt, candiles, water, &c. but all they mean thereby is ble.^'sing those articles, by way of begging of God, that such as religiously use thecn may obtain blessings, &c. An .dgnus Dei is a piece of wax, stamped with the Lamb of God, blessed by the rope with solemn prayer, and anomted with the holy chrism. These were formerly articles of sale ; and the traffic in them was ver)’ productive. Eveiy good Catholic on entering his place of worship first dips his finger in the holy water, placed near the door ; then crossing himself, gently bends the knee — looking towards the altar. From this has arisen the practice among Protestants, in the church of England, of putting their hats, or hands, be- fore their faces, and uttering a short prayer, before they take their seat at church. We have also borrowed the practice of bowing at the name of Jesus from the Roman Catholics, though, as will be shown in another part, we do not use that cererriony so frequently as they do. The practice of burning candles, or wax-tapers, before the image of saints, the crucifix, and in the churches is of very an- cient origin. In the continental churches, the lamps are fre- quently numerous, brilliant, and costly. In de.scribing the various forms and usages of the Catholic Church, it is lamentable to notice the eagerness with which many w'riters have quoted distorted representations professedly at enmity with the church and people they attempt to delineate.' Prejudice and bigotry’ and imperfections are not confined to any one sect of Christians. It is easier to sneer and to laugh than to reason ; and much easier to profess than to practice the Christian duties. Let such as gratify tliemselves in seeking out the errors and imperfections of any denomination of Christians with a view of disputation only, and thus pass judgment upon liiem, reflect upon the follow’ing Scripture texts. “ Judge not that ye be not judged.” “ He that is w’ithout sin among you let him cast the first stone.” “ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, and considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye.” “ Let all bitterness and wrath and clamour and ei'll speaking be put away from you.” ” If it lie f ossible as much as lieth in you live peaceable w'ith all men.” t is idle to suppose any body of Christians are entirely’ void of error or imperfection. “ The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately w’icked.” 'I’hese reflc’ctions have been called fortli from the considerations of the hasty OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. oo (•pinions which have lieen formed on tlie usages of tiie CafhoHc church ; and particularly of Holy U ater, the Canonization of Saints, k.c. The Canonization of Saints takes place in the Catholic church, on the proof, real or supposed, of miracles having been wrought at or by their relics : this is a harmless opinion, and does not abstract from the rationality of the Catholic in his conception and practice of more weighty opinions, and is often ill-under- stood by the unthinking reformist. The kissing of the I’ope’s toe originated in a desire to exhibit profound humility and veneration for the successor and the cause of Christ ; from the notion, probaidy, that the more lowly the appearance of attachment, the more holy the object of it, and more devout the suppliant. It remains only to describe the existing orders and societies of priests in the Catholic church. At one time tlie religious orders were extremely numerous ; but the improvements of modern times have greatly reduced them. The march of reason and commerce has done much Ibr posterity ; and monastaries and Gonvents are now growing into disrepute, and out of fashion, .all over the Christian world. Several Orders, as they are called, however still exist : it will be sufficient to notice the most prevalent and numerous. The Benedictines were formerly the great preservers and propagators ot learning in the Christian world ; but they are now greatly diminished in number and influence. Some houses, however, still remain on the continent ; and, were it only for the service they have rendered to the republic of letters, they m(;rit the gratitude and respect of the whole Christian and phi- losophic world. Th^ follow what is called the rule of St. Benedict, and were founded about the year 529. They have somewhat relaxed their former austerity ; they were once obliged to perform their devotions seven times in twenty-four hours, and always walk two together ; — they fasted every day in Lent, till six o’clock in the evening, and abated of their usual time in eating, sleeping, &c. Every monk of this Order has two coats, two cowls, a table-book, a knife, a needle, and a handkerchief ; and the furniture of his bed formerly consisted of only a mat, a blanket, a rug, and a pillow. To this Order the English owe their conversion to the Chris- tian faith from the darkness and superstition of idolatry. They founded the metropolitan church of Canterbury, and all the cathedrals afterwards erected. One of this Order, Alcuisius, founded the University of Paris ; Guido, a Benedictine, in- vented the scale of music ; and Sylvester, the organ. Many pious and learned men, however, of this Order, still remain in various parts of Christendom. The Domhiicans, also called Jacobins, and, in this country. Black Friars, were at one time, the most powerful supporters of the papal authorirj' in the world. They were founded by St. Dominic, a celebrated Spaniard, in the early part of the 13(h 54 HISTORY, iic. aentury, and still exist in France and other countries. Tlie principal object of this Order was tlie extirpation of error, and the destruction of heretics. They came to England about the year 1221 ; and, in the j'ear 1276, the lord mayor and aider- men gave them two streets near the Thames ; where they had a most magnificent monastary ; no part of which now remains, Init the place is still called Black Friars. In contradistinction to the Franciscans, the order of St. Dominic maintain that the Virgin Mary was born without ori- ginal sin. The modern term Jacobins was derived from this Order ; and some of the first and most active promoters of the French rev- olution belonged to it. 'I'he Flagellants can hardly he now said to have any existence as a body : — they never were a recognised. Order. In all ages of the world, a strange notion has existed that the Deity must necessarily he pleased with the self-inflicted punishment of his creature.s ; instances of this unaccountable infatuation exist i oven at the present day.* These fanatics at one time maintain- *The practice of inflicting self punishment, in some instances, has degenerated, or rather risen, into an occasion of rejoicing, or some mere form. I know not precisely whenc# arose the Irish custom of passing lietween the two fires of Heal. In the old Irish glossaries, noticed hy Mr. Lhuwyd. mention is made that the Irish druids used to liglit the solemn fires every year, through which all four-footed beasts were driven as a preservative against con- tagious diseases. The Irish still preserve the ancient custom, and light the fires in the milking yards ; the men, women, and children^ pass through, or leap over these sacred fires ; and the cattle are driven through the flames on t the first of May. , I St. John's eve is another of those festivals, at which time the sacred • fires are lighted in every district throughout the kingdom, to ihe^ amount of many thousands; in the remote part of the country, all famili; s extinguish their domestic fires, which must be re-lighted from the bonfire. In Ireland is an ancient cave and chapel, dedicated to St Patrick. The cave appears to have been cut out of the solid rock. Within it is ' a very sm..ll rill of water, issuing from the rock at the side of the chapel, an 1 passing through it To this chapel and cave, on a certain day in each year, and on Pat- , rick's day in particular, the natives pay their devotions in pilgrimages, which, for certain stages, theyundertake barefoot; but when they I come to a certain spot in the way, they go on their bare knees, and continue their devotions all the way to the cave, on stone and gravel, f intermixed with heath and grass. During their devotions at the cave, there is great struggling to get j a drop of the water, with which the cripples, and those who have bad i ulcers, are sure to wash themselves, in hopes of being made well. They then put on shoes and stockings, and being now merry, are no I longer eoncerned for the sins that were the cause of this severe I OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. Oo «d a very conspicuous figure, particularly in Italy : whenever a kind of penitential procession was celebrated, the selt-convicted criminals marched solemnly through the streets, whipping them- selves with the utmost severity, and imploring, in the most pite- ous strains, the mercy of God. To such an extravagant extent had this fanatical furor at length proceeded, that Pope Clement VI. formaiJy condemned their practice and themselves as impious and pernicious heretics. The practice of self-punishir.ent is not yet abolished; even in this enlightened age it is deemed meritorious. The Franciscans were founded by St. Francis, in the year 1209 ; and it is, or was, a strict Order. At the time it was fou ided. the churciimen, of every description, had become en- ervated by riches. The pleasures of the table, the sports of the field, and the allurements of luxury and sensuality, were in- dulged in without restraint. The e.stablishment of an Order, fiiunded on the injunctions of the Christian author, to his disci- ples, when he says ‘‘ provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, inyour purses ; neither two coats, nor shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meal was under these circum- stances, highly proper “ The Rule of Penance of the Spiritual Father, St. Francis,*’ prhited at Douay, in 1644, savrs, that the brothers or sisters, that are to be received into this Order, ought tube faithful cath- olics ; not tied to matrimony ; free from debt.s ; sound in body ; prompt in mind ; not touched with any public infamy ; reconciled to their neighbours ; a id before their admission, to be diligently examined of these things, by those that have power to receive them. St. Francis built an edifice well calculated to be beneficial to mankind, had his successor followed the essential parts of his regulations. He no doubt intended that his followers should be abstemious and moderate in all their appetites ; but he likewise intended that they should labour with the ir hands for their sub- sistence ; and serve in spiritual matters almost gratuitously. In- stead of observing these wise and benevolent rules, they attach- ed themselves to the observance of the most rigid poverty ; and a superstitious adherence to the coarseness and form of the hab- it, particularly to the figure of the capnee. 'Phis became the cause of many divisions ; and finally occasioned the separation of the society into three distinct and independent Orders, besides other subdivisions, with particular statutes. The Franciscans became a rich and powerful body, and they penance ; then they return in haste, both men and women, to a green spot on the side of a hill, and begin dancing and carousi ,g for the rest of the day, whii-h seldom pas es without a general hght, or scuffle ; terminating, however, through the interference of the old men and Women, in good humour; after which they retire to their respcctiv'e I hoiu- s, without retaiiting the least feeling of animosity against each \ other. 56 HISTORY, Szc. widely extended their tenets and influence, but they are now sunk into comparative meannessand insignidcance. The Span- isii Franciscan inonks are particularly disgustinaj in their ap- pearance and habits ;^e very sight ol" them, as a learned monk of the Benedictine Order personally informed the aullior, would dispose iiiany persons, not only to despise the individna*. but set them againiydl religious Orders whatever; and, perhaps, excite antipathy to me catholic church itself, for suffering and encour- aging a system of vandalism So meanly are the Spanish inonks and triars generally esteemed, that the Spaniards have an alliter- ative proverb, expressive ot abhorrence and contempt : “ Qm. cn. dice Frayle, dice Fravde ; whoever says friar says fraud all this is the con.-equence ol their departure from tlie rules and duties of their seieral in?titutions. The order ot St. Jingustine was founded tn the year 1256. Their rule was nearly similar to the Franciscans. Soon after their institution they came to Fngland, and progressively ob- temed about thirty houses in different parts^ particularly one in London, at the place still known by the name of .duftia *FV?«rs. VV hen that most rapacious of all rapacious monarchs, Ueniy V III. formed the design of laying waste the clmrch and suppressing the monasteries, these inonks decreased in power and nurntier, and gradually became extinct ; but the Augustine’s still exist in catholic countries. But ot all the religious Orders that of the Jesuits was !he most powerful and influential ; this .society or Order, has been suppressed and revived ; extolled and defamed ; till the whole world has become familiar with the word Jesuit, its meaning and character. This Order was founded in. the year 1540, by an illu.^trious Spaniard of the name of Ignatius Loyola ; lit pretended to nothing less than divine inspiration, and his order received the distinguished title of the “'Societv of Jf,sus.” Besides the three common vows of poverty, chastity, and monastic obedi- ence, the Jesuits bound them.selves to a vow of obedience to the pope, to go wherever he should command them for the ser- vice of religion, and without requiring any thing from the holy ^ ^ irit of the monastic life ; which taught men to separate tliemselves from the world, and from connection with its affairs; — in the solitude and silence of the cloister, and the cenobetical life, the monk is called on to work out his own salvation by extraordinary' acts of mortificat on and piety ; he is dead to the world, and ought riot to mingle in its transactions ; he can be of no benedt to mankind, but by his ex- ample and prayers But in opposition to all this, the Jesuits became the most ac- tive and operative body of men in the world ; there was not an affair of state, in any part of Europe, or even in India, where they did not exert their influence in tlie most elfectiv' manner. That they might have full leisure for this active ser vow seemed to be somewhat Passing through the fires on St. John's Day. p. 54. UF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 57 vice, they were totallj’ exempted from those functions, the per- formance of which is the chief Imsiness of other monks, 'i'hey appeared in no processions ; they practised no rigorous austeri- ties; they did not consume one half of their time in the repeti- tion of tedious offices ; but tliey were required to attend to all the transactions of the world, on account of tne influence which they might have upon religion, they were directed to study the dis- positions of persons in high rank, and to cultivate their friend- ship ; and by the very constitution, as well as genius of the order, a spirit of action and intrigue was infused into all its members. Other orders are to be considered as voluntary associations, in which whatever afl’ects the whole body is regulated by the common suffrage of all its members. In this, a general chosen for life by deputies from the several piovinces, possessed power that was supreme and independent, extending to every person, and te every case. He, by his sole authority, nominated pro- vincials, rectors, and every other officer employed in the gov- ernment of the society, and could remove them at pleasure. In him was vested the sovereign administration of the revenues and funds of the Order. Every member belonging to it was at his disposal ; and by his uncontrollable mandate he could impose on them any task, or employ them in any service. 'J’o his commands they were required not only to yield outward obedience, but to resign to him the inclinations of their wills, and the sentiments ol their minds. There is not in the annals ot mankind any example of such absolute despotism, exercised not over monks confined in the cells of a convent, but over men dis^Jersed among all the nations of the earth. ' As the con- stitutions of the Older vested in the general such ab.solute do- minion over all its members, they caretully provided for his being perfectly informed with re.^pect to the character and abilities of his subjects. Every novice, who oftiered himself as a candidate for entering into the Order, was obliged to lay open his conscience to the superior, or to a person appointed by him : and in doing this he was required to confess not only his sin.s and defects, but t9 discover the inclinations, the pas- sions, and the bent of his soul. This manifestation was to be renewed every six months. The society, not satisfied with penetrating in this manner into the innermost recesses of the heart, directed each member to observe the words and actions of the novices ; and he w as bound to disclose evefy thing of im- portance concerning them to the superior. In order that this scrutiny into their character might be as complete as possible, a long noviciate was to be permitted, during which they passed through the several gradations of ranks in the society ; and they must have attained the full age of thirty-three years, before they could be admitted to take the final vows, by which they be- came professed members. In order that the general, w ho was the soul that animated and moved the whole society, might have under his eye every thing nece.ssaiy to inform or direct him, the 5a HISTORY, &c. provincials and heads of the several houses were obliged to transmit to him regular and frequent reports concerning the members under their inspection. In tliese they descended into minute details with respect to the character of each person, his abilities natural or acquired ; his temper, his experience in tlie affairs, and the particular department for which he was best fitted. These reports, when digested and arranged, were enter- ed into registers kept on purpose ; that the general might, at one comprehensive view', survc}' the stale of the society in every corner of the earth ; obserj e the qualifications and talents of its members ; and thus choose, with perfect information, the instru?nents, which his absolute power could employ in any service for which he thought proper to destine them. Unhappily for mankind, the vast influence which the Order of Jesuits acquired, was often exerted with the most pernicious effect. Such was the tendency of that discipline observed by the society in forming its members, and such the fundamental maxims in its constitution, that every Jesuit w'as taught to re- g'ard the interest of the society as the capital object, to which every consideration was to be sacrificed, d'his spirit of attach- ment to their Order, the most ardent, perhaps, that ever influ- enced any body of men, is the characteristic principle of the .Tesuits ; and serves as a' key to the genius of their policy, as well as to the peculiarities in their sentiments and conduct. The active genius of this Order, which penetrated the remotest countries of Asia at a very ear!}' period of the seventeenth cen- tury, directed their attention to the extensive continent of Ame- rica, as a proper object of their missions. Conducted by their leader, St. Franci| Xavier, they formed a considerable settle- ment in the province of Paraguay ; and made a rapid progress in instructing the Indians in arts, religion, and the more simple manuiactures : and accustoming them to the blessings of secu- rity and order. A few Jesuits presided over many a thousand Indians, d'hey soon, l.owever, altered their views, and direct- ed them altogetlter to the increase of the opulence and power of their Order. Immense quantities of gold were annually transmitted to Europe ; and in the design of securing to them- selves an independent empire in these regions, they industri- ously cut off all communication with both the Spaniards and Portuguese in the adjacent p ovinces, and in.-pired the Indians with th.e most determined attestation to those nations. .Such w as the state of affairs when, in the year 1750, a treaty was concluded between the courts of Lisbon and Madrid, which ascertained the limits of their respective dominions in .South America. Such a treaty was death to the projects 6f the Jesuits ; and the consequence was a violent contc.st between the united forces of the two European powers and the Indians of Paraguay, incited by the Jesuits. The crafly and vindic- tive marquis of Pombal, who had raised himself from perform- ing the duties of a comrhon soldier, in the character of a cadtit, to he absolute minister of the kinsrdom of Portugal, could no OF THE ROMAxN CATHOLICS. 5 » easily Ibrgive this refractory conduct ; and, perliaps he miglit apprehend the downfal of his own authority, unless some deci- sive check were given to the growing influence of this danger- ous society. In the beginning of the year 1759, therefore, the Jesuits of all descriptions were banished the kingdom of Portu- gal ; on the plea that certain of their Order were concerned in the attempt upon the life of the king in September 1768 ; and their eft'ects were confiscated. The disgrace of the Jesuits in France proceeded from dif- ferent and more remote causes. By their influence the bull ol rnigenitus, which condemned so strongly the principles of the Jaiisenists, was generally supposed to have been obtained. The Jesuits, who omitted no opportunity of enriching their treasury, engaged largely in trade, particularly with the island of Mar- tinico : but certain losses falling heavily upon them, the Jesuit, who was the ostensible person in the transactions, affected to become a bankrupt, and to shift the payment of the debts he had incurred from the collective body. As a monk, it was evideut he could possess no distinct property ; and he had been always considered as an agent for the society. The affair was, fl erefore, litigated before the parliament at Paris, who werg not too favourably disposed to the holy fathers, the course of the proceedings, it was necessary to produce the institute of rules of their Order, which were found to contain maxims subversive equally of morals and of government : other political motives concurring at the same time, the Order was abolished in France by a royal edict, in the year 1762, and their colleges and possessions alienated and sold. Pope Gan- ganelli, on tlie 21st of July, 1773, signed a brief for the final suppression of the Jesuits. This account is chiefly given on the authority of Dr. Grego- ry’s Ilistoiy of the Church ; and considering that it comes from an avowed enemy of the Catholic religion, is, upon the whole, a faithful description of this famous Order. When the present king of Spain, Ferdinand VII. was restor ed to his crown and kingdom, by the exertions of the English, under the Duke of Wellington, and those renowned patriots the Spanish Cortes, he attempted to restore the Inquisition and the Order of the Jesuits ; but the Revolution which afterwards took place m that kingdom thwarted these tyrannical intentions— it is hoped forever. The present Emperor of Russia, Alexander, has recently forbidden the Jesuits from exercising their func- tions in bis dominions. It cannot be denied, that to this Order the world has been indebted for the encouragement they have given to arts, science, and literature ; and their various knowledge will long be es- teemed, while their ipmoralities are detested. In England there is a college or monastery of Jesuits, situate m the county of Lancaster : that establishment is conducted in a very respectable manner ; and the members conduct them- t T GQ HISTORY, &c. selves in the true spirit of their religion, without embroiling themselves with the affairs of the world. Mi)sheim, and other writers, have given us the following ac- count of the truly respectable and venerable Order of Jansen- isrs. founded in France in the year 1640. The founder of this Order was Cornelius Jansen, originally professor of divinity in the university of Louvain, and after- wards bishop of Ypres, in Flanders. This eminent and learn- ed person became early attached to the writings of St. Augus- tine, and had imbibed all that father’s opinions concerning the nature of human liberty and divine grace. The chief labour of bis life was exhausted in digesting these opinions into a regular treatise, which, in honour of his master, he entitled Augustinus. Me left the work complete at his death, in 1638, and submitted it, hy his last will, to the holy see. The publication might, possibly, have passed with little notice ; or, at most, like many other speculations, have enjoyed only a temporary celebrity, if (he imprudence of the Jesuits, who were alarmed by an imagi- n-' W attack on their infallibility, had not selected it as an ob- . ject on which they might display their unbounded influence, > The famous cardinal Richelieu was not favourably disposed to (he memory of its author, who, in a former w'ork, had condemn- ed the politics of France ; and, therefore, unding with the Jesu- its, he procured the condemnation of the work of Jansen, by successive bulls. Persecution generally produces opposition ; and, perhaps, the unpopularity of the Jesuits might tend consid- erably to increase the disciples of Jansen. His doctrines were embraced by a coasiderable party, both in France and the Ne- (lierlands, and had the honour to rank among their defenders James P>oonen, arch-bishop of Malines, Libertus Fromond, An- thony Arnauld, Blaise Pascal, Peter Nicholas, Pasquier du Q,uc«nel. and many others of scarcely inferior reputation. The utmost vigilance of the church could not exclude the spirit ot Jansenism from penetrating the convents themselves ; but none was so distinguished as the female convent of Port Royal, in the neighbourhood of Ppris. These, nuns observed the strict rules of the Cistertians : the vale in which the convent was situated soon became the retreat of the Jansenist penitents, and a num- ber of little huts were presently erected within its precincts. .After various vicissitudes of persecution, in 1709, the nuns re- fusing to subscribe the declaration of Alexander VII. , the weak ^ and intolerant Louis XIV. ordered the whole building to be utterly flemolished. The principal tenets of the Jansenists are as follow : 1. That there are divine precepts, which good men, notwithstanding their desire to observe them, are, nevertheless, absolutely una- ble to obey : nor has God given them that measure of grace which i« essentially necessary to render them capable of such obedience. 2. That no person, in this corrupt state of nature, can resist the influence of divine grace, when it operates upon *he mind. 3. That, in order to render human actions merilo- Procession of the Host or Gonsscrated WuJ'er. OF TEIE ROMAN CATl/OLICS. 6 i nous, it is not requisite liiat they be exempt from necessity, i>ut that they be free Irohi constraint. 4. That the Semipelagians err greatly in maintaining that the human will is endowed with the power of either receiving or resisting the aids and influen- ces of preventing grace. o. That whoever affirms that Jesns Christ made expiation, by his suti’erings and death, for the sins of all mankind, is a Somipelagian. It will be observed, that the Jansenists hold some opinions not very much unlike some of the Calvinian tenets, fllany ol the Etiglish cathol.es are attache I to Jansenism. The history of the Roman Catholic Religious Orders tnay be concluded by the following account of a Society formed a few years a^o in America, under the title of the Order of St. Sulpicius, The author is indebted for this information to an amiable Benedictine Monk. The persons forming this society vvere fortunate enough to escape the horrors and dangersof the French Revolution ; and saving a sm.dl remnant of their property, they took refuge in the United States, and established themselves at Baltimore ; where, conformably to their profession, th^' engaged them- selves to communicate religious and literary irislruction. In the beginning their labours were confined to the instruction of young men, destined for the churcli ; but the candidates tor the priesthood being few in that country, they afterwards admitted respectable persons of every description, to the participation afforded by their institution. Those that profess the catholic , communion gre regularly instructed in the doctrines and prac- ! tices peculiar to their church ; whilst the Protestants are mere- ly obliged to attend the places of worship to which they respec- tively belong. ^By this impartial and equitable line of conduct, proper discipline, and a strict attention to their professional I duties, they have founded one of the most respectable literaiy establishments of the present day. Their course of education is not limited to the study of Greek and Latin, Literature, I Philosophy, and the different branches of the Mathematics ; I but comprehends the liberal and ornamental arts ; as dancing,' I mu.sic,‘botany, natural history ; arid the living languages. Besides these advantages that may be considered purely I Icoal and academical, the benefits of this college are extended' to the whole country. The inhabitants of Baltimore and its \ i- ; cinity are particularly benefitted by the residence ' of these worthy ecclesiastics ; for, notwithstanding their profe.ssional . duties, they do not neglect the cultivation of those arts whidi are Bubservient to the comforts of life. They have a regular j portion of land, sufficient to furnish their numerous community with abundance of fruit and vefiotables of every kind ; and they . Ii.ave naturalized many exotics ; including a great number of the productions of the West Indies, without any shelter or ar- I lificial heat. In their gr<;en and hot-houses they raise such I'lants as cannot thrive in the open air, for the purpose of bot- _ niical improvement, and the benefit of the curi^ us. They have I 62 HISTORY, &ic. also erected an elegant little church, in the most ancient style of architecture. Thus they contribute to diffuse a taste for the fine arts ; while the labouring and manufacturing parts of the community are benetiitted by obtaining employment under them. The following authorities have been consulted in describing the Roman Catholic religion, and religious ceremonies ; — The Creed of Pope Pius IP. : — The Decrees and Catechism of the Council of Trent : — The Catholic Christian Instructed — and many other authors. In addition to the previous full details of the catholic religion and ceremonies, the reader will be gratified and instructed by tlie following eloquent passages from the Life of Chaucer : — The authors or improvers of the Romish religion were per- fectly aware of the influence which the senses possess over the heart and the character. The buildings which they constructed for the purposes of public worship are exquisitely venerable. Their stained and painted windows admit only a “ dim religious light.” The magnificence of the fabric, its lofty and concave roof, the massy pillars, the extensive aisles, the splendid choirs, are always calculated to inspire the mind with religious solem- nity’. Music, painting, images, decoration, nothing is omitted which may fill the soul w’ith devotion. The uniform garb of the monks and nuns, their decent gestures, and the slowness of their processions, cannot but call oft’ the most frivolous mind from the concerns of ordinary life. The solemn chaunt and the sublime anthem must compose and elevate the heart. The splendour of the altar, the brilliancy of the tapers, the smoke .and fragrance of the incense, and the sacrifice, as is pretended, of God liimself, which makes a part of every celebration of public worship, are powerful aids to the piety of every sincere devotee. He must have a heart more than commonly harden- ed, who could w itness the performance of the Roman Catholic worship on any occasion of unusual solemnity, w'ithout feeling strongly moved. Whatever effect is to be ascribed to such spectacles, was generated in ways infinitely more multiform in the time of Chaucer, than in any present country of the Christian world. Immense sums of money had been bequeathed by the devout and the timorous to pious and charitable purposes. Beside the splendour of cathedrals and churches not now easily to be con- ceived, the whole land was planted with monastic establish- ments. In London stood the mitred abbeys of St. .Tohn and of ^^’estminster. in addition to the convents of nuns, and the abides of monks and of friars, black, white, anil grey'. Every’ time a man went from his house he met some of these persons, whose clothing told him that they had renounced the world, and that their lives were consecrated to God. The most ordinary spectacle vdiich drew together the idle and the curious, >\as_ the celeh’-ation of some great festival, the performance ot jolemn masses for the dead, or the march of some religious OF THF ROMAN CATHOLICS. 63 procession, and the exhibition of the Bon Dieu to tlie e^ cs of an admiring populace. Henry Vlll., the worse than Vandal of our English story, destroyed the inhabitants and the memori- als which belonged to our ancient character, and exerted himself to the best of his power to make us forget we ever had ancestors. He who would picture to himself the religion of the time of Chaucer must employ his fancy in rebuilding these ruined edifices, restoring the violated shrines, and collecting again the scattered army of their guardians. Besides eveiy other circumstance belonging to the religion of this period, we are bound particularly to recollect two distin- guishing articles of the Homan Catholic system ; prayer for the (lead, and the confession of sins. These are circumstances of the highest importance in modifying the characters and senti- ments of mankind. Prayer for the dead is unfortunately liable to abuses, the most dangerous in increasing the power of the priest; and the most rediculous, if we conceive their masses (which were often directed to be said to the end of time) and picture to ourselves the devout of a thousand years ago shoving and elbowing out, by the multiplicity of their donations of this sort, all posterity, and leaving scarcely a bead to be told to the memor}' of the man who yesterday expired. But, if we put these and other obvious abuses out of our minds, w'e shall probably confess that it is difficult to think of an institution more consonant to the genuine sentiments of human nature, than that of masses for the dead. When I have lost a dear friend and beloved a.ssociate, my friend is not dead to me. "idle course of nature may be abrupt, but true affection admits of no sudden breaks. I still see my friend ; 1 still talk to him. I consult him in every arduous question ; I study in every difficult proceeding to mould my conduct to his inclination and pleasure. Whatever assists this beautiful propensity of the mind, will be dear to every feeling heart. In «aj’ing masses for the dead, I sympathise with my friend. I believe that he is anxious for his salvation ; I utter the language of my anxiety. I believe that he is passing through a period of trial and puri- fication ; I also am sad. it appears as i- ;ie were placed be- yond the reach of my kind offices ; this sciemnity once again re.'tores to me the opportunity of aiding him. The woild is busy and elaborate to tear him from my recollection ; the hour of this mass revives the thought of him in its tenderest and HH'St awful form. My senses are mortified that they can no Icng('r behold tiie object of their cherished gratification ; but this disadvaiitr.ge is mibgated, by a scene, of which my friend is the principle .•n 1 e.-seuce, presented to my senses. The practice of auricular confession is exposed to some of the same objections as masses for the dead, and is comiecfed with many not less conspicuous advantages. There is no more restless am! unappeasable propensity of the nded than the love of cotnumnic dion. 'I'he desire to pour out our >oul in the ear of a confident and a friend. There is no more laudabte check 64 HISTORY, &c. upon the moral errors and deviations of our nature, than the persuasion tiiat what we perpetrate of base, sinister, and dis- graceful, we sliall not be allowed to conceal. Moralists have recommended to us that, in cases of trial and temptation, we should imagine Cato, or some awful and upright judge of virtue, the witness of our actions ; and that we should not dare to do what he would disapprove. Devout men have pressed the con- tinued recollection of the oninit>resence of an all-perfect Being. The Roman religion, in the article here mentioned, directs us to some man, venerable by character, and by pntfession devot- ed to the cure and relief of human Iraillies. I’o do justice to the original and pure notion of the benelits of auricular confes- sion, we must suppose the spiritual father really to be all that the office he undertakes requires him to be. He should have with his penitent no rival passions nor contending interests. He is a being of a different sphere, and his thoughts emplo^'ed about widely different placets, liy should have with the per- son he hears, so much of a common nature, and no more, as should lead him to sympathise with his pains, and compassion- ate his misfortunes. In this case we have many of the advan- tages of having a living man before us to fix our attention and satisfy our communicalive spirit, combined with those of a superior nature which appears to us inaccessible to weakness and folly, ^^'e gain a friend to whom we are sacredly bound to tell the little story of our doubts and anxieties, who hears us with interest and. fatheily affection, who judges us uprightly, who advises us with an enlightened and elevated mind, who frees us from the load of undivulged sin, and enables us to go forward with a chaste heart and purified conscience. There is nothing more allied to the barbaious and savage character than sullenness, concealment, and reserve. There is nothing which operates more powerfully to mollify and humanise the heart than the habit of confessing all our actions, and concealing none of our weaknesses and absurdities. SeveraPother circumstances in the Roman Catholic, religion, ns it was practised in the fourteenth century, co-operated with those which have just been mentioned, to give it a powerful ascendancy over the mind, and to turn upon it a continual re- collection. One .of these is to Be found in the fast.s and absti- nences of the church. These i^'ere no doubt so mitigated as «carcely to endanger any alarming consequences to the life or lieahli of the true believer. But th«' at Ic.ast interfered, in some cases, to regulate the diet, and in others to delay the liours of customary refection. .One hundred and twenty-six days may easily be reckoned up in the calendar, which were modified by directions of this sort. Thus religion, in its most palpable form, vvas continually protruded to the view, and gain- ed entrance into every family and house. The preparation for death is one of its foremost injunctions. The Host, that is, the true and very body of Ids Redeemer, is conducted in state to the dying man’s house, conveyed to his Auricular Confession of the Catholics. p. 63 . OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 6a chamber, and placed upon bis parched and fevered tongue ; he is anointed witli holy oil ; and, after a tliousand awful ceremo- nies, dismissed upon his dark and mysterious voyage. Every thing is sedulously employed to demonstrate that he is a naked and wretched creature, about to stand before the tribunal of an austere and rigorous judge ; and that his blameless lite, his un- daunted integrity, his proud honour, and his generous exertions for the welfare of others, will all of them little avail him on this tremendous and heart-appalling occasion. The foregoing account of the Catholic Church is principally, from a respectable English author, who writes >vith a good deal of feeling, and discovers, in some parts of his account, a par- tiality in favour of the Catholics, and, in others an unnecessary severity. The Catholics are to be considered a large part, and at the present day, a very interesting part, of the visible Church of Christ. They have their errors, great errors, but they have always held the Scriptures to possess the highest au- thority, and their Creeds, in highest repute, are scriptural and evangelical. The exertions of the present day to disseminate the scriptures among the Catholics, have been eminently success- ful. Much less opposition to this work is experienced than was generally expected. And, so far as opportunity has been af- iorded, catholics discover an unexpected solicitude to procure and read the sacred Volume. There is no more devoted or .successful labourer in the Bible cause, at the present time, than the eminent Professor Van Ess, a catholic clei^yman at Mar- bura: in German}'. The state of the catholic church has greatly meliorated since the Reformation, and their progress in improvement was never more rapid than at the present time. The number of persons devoted to the ascetic life, withdrawn from society and from usefulness, confined to the idleness of the convent, is daily di- minishing, The odious tribunal of the Inquisition, if it be not already, finally abolished, surely must be soon. The increase of education and the establishment of common schools, in all catholic countries, a distinguishing characteristic of the present times, will gradually destroy many of the offensive features of their religious system. The intercourse between Cutholics and Protestants is constantly increasing, and this will lead good men to see their own deficiencies, as well as the excellencies of their Christian brethren. A .system of religion that is stable, main- taining the primary principles of the gospel of Christ, not to be withdrawn from its own steadfastness, is always more safe, and a greater security to the cause of righteousness than one that is carried about with every wind of doctrine. No civil government was ever more attentive to passing events, and to the general state of mankind, than the court of Rome. The events of the present age have given an impulse to the moral world which is irresistible. The religion and gov- ernment of nations must and will be adapted to the state of the times. Individual opinion must be respected, and the minds of 6G RELIGION AND CEREMONIES men must be convinced of the truths they are called to believe, and of the reasonableness of the duties they are required to practise. W hile the Lord Jesus sends his gospel to nations that hitherto have known him not, he sheds increasing light upon those countries in which his truth has been long obscured by the darknessof error. We trust the day of the peace of the Church is approaching, when God will give to his Son all parts of the earth for his possession. It is not to be expected that the Catholic Church will be lost, in the changes which will take place at the approach of that day : but, like every portion ol the Visible church, will be purified of its errors and corruptions, and be made meet for the approbation of its Saviour. It has a little strength, and in an important sense, has not denied the name of the I.ord Jesus. CHAPTER II. THE GREEK CHURCH. The greatest division of the Christian Church that has yet taken place, and one more ancient than any other that has be- come permanent, is into the Eastern and Western Churches. The respective limits of the two departments have had fre- quent variations, but, generally, the Eastern Church has in- cluded all who acknowledge the religion of Christianity in Ashi, .Africa, and the eastern parts of Europe. The Western Church includes the central and w'estern countries of Europe, from which have sprung all the churches on the continent of America. These two portions of Christendom have been commonly de- nominated in modern times, the Greek and Latin Churches. The eastern was called the Greek Church because it included ancient Greece ; its principal centre was at Constantinople, and the public proceedings of the Church, together with their forms of vvorship, have been, generally, in the Greek language. The Western has been denominated the Latin Church, as its principal seat was at Rome, and the Latin language has been generally used in the liturgies and public transactions of the Church. The primaiy cause of this ancient division, which became the source of great calamities to the Christian world, was the removal of the seat of empire from Rome to Constantinople. This event took place in the year 330, a few years after the Emperor Constantine had embraced the Christian faith, and the pagan persecution ceased. The church, now released from the oppressions which had been endured ever since the ascension of Christ, in the enjoyment of external prosperity, decorated with the splendours of wealth and power, became OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 67 the object of attention to worldly minds, and declined from that purity and internal peace which had been, hitherto, its greatest ornament and strength. 'I'be jealousies, which natur- ally arose between the modern and ancient capital, became, in tbeir progress, as injurious to the peace ot the church, as they were fatal to the perpetuity of the empire. In the first ages of Christianity all of its ministers possessed an equality of office. The terms. Bishop, Elder, Mitiister, are used in the New 'I'estament, interchangeably, relerring to the same office, rvith the same rights and duties in the church. A number of cbmehes, within certain convenient limits, usually united together, tor their mutual benefit, for additional strength, and for the proper mainli r.ai i e ( f gospei order, which W(;uld naturally beconte an estaOlished ecclesiastical body. For the sake ol' convenience and due order of proceeding, the pastor of the church in the pr iicijial town gradually became the standing moderator and piesiding officer of the body. IJy de- grees this distinction was claiiiied as a matter ot right, and, with moie or less reluctance, was acceded to by the other pas- tors and churches. This led to t'le establishment of bishops as a superior order of clergj i.i the Christian chuich. Upon the same principle that the clergy ot the provincial towns acquired a superiority o\ er their brethien in the vicinity, the bishops of the great cities claimed a precedence above all others of the episcopal order. This led to a distinct denomina- tion in the cleiical office, and introduced the titles of metropli- tan bishops and archbishops. An additional authority and su- premacy were given by the Christian emperors to the bishops of Home, Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria, w ho exer- cised a certain comroul over all other bishops and churches, and wore dignified by the title of P'driarchs. As the declining purity and increasing opulence of the; church afforded additional mo- tives to aspiring ambition, the patriarch of Constantinople, with the countenance of the imperial city, gradually acquired a superiority over those of Antioch and Alexandria, -while the I patriarch of Rome, through a variety of concurring causes, was rapidly increasing his dominion over all the churches of fhe ■ est. These two ambitious prelates had been too successful i in their progress to wealth and power to endure w ith jratience the sight of a rival. One presiding in the metropolis, and the ' other in the most august city of the empire, each claimed the I supremacy, and, in vindication of their claims, involved the : respective portions of the church in perpetual contentions. I While good men exceedingly regretted these events, which ! brought so great a reproach upon the Christian c'use, all attempts to reconcile the contending parties seemed intfec- ■ tual. .'\l times the contest would abate for a season, but various causes were constantly increasing the alienation. In the beginning of the seventh century, one of the gloomiest 1 periods of the church, about the time of the rise of Maliomet- I tanism, Fliocas, an inhuman tyrant, who had obtained the impe- 68 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES rial crown at Constantinople by the murder of the reigning; emperor, knowing in what a light his character must he viewed in that city, and desirious to obtain support in tlie distant pro- vinces, proclaimed Boniface, the patriarch of Rome, universal bishop of the Christian church. All others were directed to acknowledge his supremacy. -As a violent death soon depriv- ed the tyrant of power to enforce his command, and as his reign was considered a usurpation, the edict of Phocas was generally treated with contempt. The Roman pontilf, however, has never ceased to assert his supremacy, from that time, and has condemned as schismatics all Christians who do not acquiesce in his arrogant pretensions. In the next age the breach between the Easteni and the West- ern churches was widened by violent contentions respecting the worship of images. This practice was advocated by the Latins, and violently opposed by the Greeks. The latter, how- ever, after the long controversy had subsided, gradually fell into the practice, and adopted the error of the churches of the West. But “ the great schism,” as it has generally been call- ed by ecclesiastical writers, may be considered as established, from the time of the claim of the title of Universal Bishop by the Roman Pontiff. And, from that time to the present, there has been an alienation between the Greek and Latin Churches which no efforts have been able to reconcile. The separation, however, was not considered as confirmed, till about the middle of the ninth centuiy. The Eastern, or Greek Church, may be considered as divid- ed into too distinct communities. The first, that of the Greek Christians, properly so called, who agree in all points of doc- trine and worship with the Patriarch residing at Constantinople, and are subject to his jurisdiction. The second comprehends those Christians who are not sub- ject to the Patriarch of Constantinople, and who differ in some respects, from him in doctrine and forms of worship. SECTION I. Of the Greek Oiurch subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Oriental or Greek church is the most ancient of all Chris- tian churches ; for, though it may he granted that the Roman pontiff had acquired a spiritual, or rather a temporal jurisdic- tion, before the patriarch of Constantinople, and perhaps be- fore any other Oriental patriarch, yet it cannot be doubted that the first Christian church or society was established at Jerusa- lem. The next churches were, doubtless, those of S3’ria and Greece ; and if ever St. Peter was at Rome, which has not yet been fully ascertained, it was not till after he had been bishop of Antioch ; so that the Latin church is unquestionably the daughter of the Greek, and is indebted to her for all the bles- Worship in the Armenian Greek Church, p. 102. 69 OF THE GREEK CHURCH. Slugs of the gospel : a truth which one of our own bishops acknowledgeil in the Council of Trent. “ The law went out of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This city was the mother of all churches the original emporium of the Christian faith ; the centre from which the healing rays of Christianity diverged and spread over the world. In the history of theGreei Church Jrom the fatal separation in the ninth ccntuiy, little occurs, that is interesting, excepting the (Jrwtades, or holy wars, and the vast accession that was made to it by the conversion of the Russian dominions, in the 10th century, till about the middle of the fifteenth ( 1453,)_w hen Mahomet the II. took Constantinople, and overthrew the Grecian Empire, under Constantine Palceologus, the last of the Byzantine Caesars. With the empire of the Greeks, their religious establishment was overthrown ; and though a partial toleration was at first permitted, the religious despotism of their conquerors soon con- tracted it within more confined limits, and reduced the Chris- tian religion and its professors to the miserable state in which they now exist under the j'oke of the Ottomans. The Greek church still subsists under the sceptre of Mahomet. But how does it subsist ? Like the tree (says the venerable Bishop Horne) that had suffered excision, in the dream of the Chaldean monarch ; its root indeed remains in the earth, w'ith a band of iron and brass, and it is wet with the dew of heaven, until seven times shall have passed over it ; at the expiration of which, it may come into remembrance before God, and again bud, and put forth its branches, and bear fruit, for the shadow and sup- port of nations y et unknown. But at present its condition Ls not to he envied or coveted. The Mahometan power has been raised up to he the Pharaoh, the Mebuchadnezzar, and the An- tiochus Epiphanes of these last days, to the Eastern churches. Let those therefore th^t now stand, “ be watchful, and strength- en the things t-iat rem lin^ that are ready to die,” lest they also fall. The promise of div’ine protection, and indefectible sub- sistence is not made to any particular church or churches, but to the church of Christ in general ; and as the Seven Churches of Asia have, of a long time, almost wholly disappeared, and the glory of the Greek Church has for ages been wretchedly obscured, so may any .cburch or churches, however flourishing I now, be one day equally obscured : and, sooner or later, even 1 wholly extinguished and forgotten. DI^TI^'GUlSHI^-p Doctrinks. — The Greek church agrees in most things with eitlier the church of Rome, ©r the Reform- ed church ; wherein it differs from the one, it for the most part, agrees with ‘the other. Many of the corruptions of the church of Rome arose before the final separation took place between it and the Greek cburch ; and, as many of these had their origin in the East, they continued in both churches after the division, so that, in the Greek church, may be found many of what we consider as enors in the Latin 70 KELIGION AND CEREMONIES church : but, (liouch tlic former lias departed \ridely from the faith which it once jirofcssed, and is now sunk into deplorable ignorance and superstition, it caji scarcely be admitted that it is so corrupt as the latter. It agrees with the reformed church, in disowning the pre- tended supremacy and infallibility of the Pope, and the church of Rome as the tine Catholic church ; and in rejecting purga- tory b)’ fire, — graven images, — the celibacy of the secular clerg)’, — and in administering the sacrament in both kinds : — but it differs from it in the number of sacraments, — in using /n'etwres, — in admitting the invocation of sainsts, — in transubstantiation, and, of course, the adoration of the host ; and, though it rejects purgatory, it has something that may be said to resemble it ; and it admits masses and services for the dead. But as this church has no public or established articles of faith, like those of the United church of England and Ireland, .tc. we can oni}’^ collect what are its doctrines, from the coun- cils whose decrees it receives. — from the different offices in its liturgies, — and from the catechisms which it authorizes to be taught. The Holy Scriptures, and the decrees of the first seven gen- ' ral councils, arc acknowledged by the Greeks as the rule of their faith ; and the doctrine of the Trinity, together with the articles of the Nicene and Athanasian creeds, are received by them, in common with most other Christians. In one particular indeed, they differ from the other churches of Europe, whether Romish or reformed, viz. in believing that the Holy Spirit pro- ceeds from the Father only, and not from the Father and the Son : and, in defence of this opinion, the}’ appeal to the Holy .Scriptures,* — ecclesiastical history, — the acts of councils, — the v.ritings of the Fathers, — ancient manuscripts, and especially to co])y of the .'Viccne or Constantinopolitan creed, engraven on two tables of silver, and hung up in the church of St. Peter, at Home, by order of Leo III., in the beginning of the 9tli centuiy, where, we are told, it still appears without the interpolation in dispute. They assert, that the bishops of the church of Rome, without consulting those of the Eastern churches, and without any regard to the anathema of the council of Ephesus, have ad- de'd'the word Filioque (and the Son) in the Nicene creed : Yet, to remove all suspicion of their entertaining any heterodox opinion in regard to the third person of the ever blessed 'J'rin- ity, they declare, that “ they acknowledge the Holy Spirit to be of the same substance with the Father and the Son ; — to be tjod from eternity, proceeding from the essence and nature of the Father, and to be equally adored.” They have seven sacraments, or, as they term them, mysie- rics ; which are defined to be, “ ceremonies or acts appointed by God, in which God giveth, or signifieth, to us his grace.” 'ili'ls n'Tmber tliey have probably received from the Lati»>. Ppp St. Jotin XV. OF TME GREEK CHURCH. 71 church, several of them having no foundation in scripture or an- tiquity as sacraments. They are, 1. Baptism ; 2. The Chrism, or baptismal unction ; 3. The Eucharist, or sacrament of the Lord’s Supper ; 4. Confession ; 5. Ordination; 6. Marriage ; and, 7. The Euchelaion, or Mystery of the Holy Oil, with pr^er. Of these, Baptism and the Eucharist are deemed the chief ; both which, together with the Baptismal Unction and Confes- sion, are to be received by all Christians ; but ot the other three, none, not even the Euchelaion, is considered as obligatory upon all. With respect to baptism, I am not aware that they hold any peculiar opinions as to its nature ; but they lay so great stress on its necessity to salvation, that, with the church of Rome, they admit of lay baptism when a priest or deacon cannot be had to administer it ; and they never repeat it on any occasion what- ever. They baptise by immersion, and they use the trine im- mersion, or form of dipping the child thrice in water ; but, pre- vious to baptism, the child, though not two months old, must be solemnly initiated into the church, as a catechumen, through the medium of its sponsors, when exorcism is used ; and the other rites and ceremonies connected rvith the administration of this sacrament are equally singular. Formerly only one sponsor was required, and there have been regulations to prevent more ; but they are not now observed ; nor is the number limited in the Greek church. It is however not unworthy of notice, that a godfather is not permitted to marry his goddaughter. When the child is baptised, the priest proceeds immediately to anoint it witli the holy chrism ; for this, though reckoned a distinct mystery, is inseparable from baptism. Previous to baptism, the child was anointed with oil, w'hich was likewise used in the consecration of the baptismal water ; but this chrism is a very different thing from it,* and consists of various oils, and other precious ingredients, which, in different propor- tion, are all boiled together, and afterwards solemnly consecra- ted by a bishop. It can be prepared only by a bishop, and only on Maunday Thursday, i. e. Thursday in Passsion Week ; and, as the anointing with it is substituted in place of the apostolical rite of laying on of bands, called confirmation in the churches of Rome and England, and is occasionally used for some other purposes, great quantities of it are of course prepared at once, and distributed! among the different churches of each diocese. This anointing the Greeks call “the seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost which w’ords the priest repeats while he applies ♦It likewise differs from, and is much more costly than, the chrism or ointment, which was used lor confirmation in the ancient church, and which was made simply of oil olive, and the balm of Gilead. t In round vials, or alabaster boxes, in allusion to that which MarU •hlagdalm broke and poured on mjr Saviour's head. — T hompson's Travels, voj. i. p. S9-fc 72 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES the chrism, or holy oil, to the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast, hands, and feet, of the child. Immediately after, or some days after, as ordered, the child is again brought to the church ; when the priest, after praying for it. unties its girdle, and linen clothes ; and then taking a new sponge, moistened with clean water, he washes its face, breast, &c. saying, ‘‘ Thou hast been baptised, enlightened, anointed, sanctified, and washed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, now, and for ever, even unto ages of ages. Amen. Archbishop Platon observes that Ihe invisible effects of Baptism are only obtained by faith-, and adds, “ for tlie words of the gospel remain unalterable, £rc€pt a man be born of water, and of the spirit, he cannot en- ter into the kingdom cf God. In the baptism of infants, in place j of their own faith, that of tlreir parents and sureties serves, and j is sufficient.” 'J'he last ceremony appended to baptism, is that of the tonsure, or cutting the hair of the child’s head in the form of tlie cross ; when the priest offers up for it several prayers, all alluding to the rite to be perfonned ; and then cuts its hair crosswise, saying, “ N. the servant of God, is shorn, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of tlie Holy Ghost,” he. as above. For the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the Greeks have three liturgies that are occasionally used, viz. that of St. Chrysostom, which is in ordinary daily use ; that of St. Basil, used upon all the Sundays of the great fast, or lent, except ; Palm Sunday ; upon Holy Thursday and Saturday, or Easter Eve ; upon the vigils of Christmas and the Epiphany ; and upon St. Basil’s day : — and that of the Pre-sanctified, which is used on all the week days during the great fast, except Satur- days, Sundays and the Lady Day. The liturgies of St. Chry- sostom and St. Basil are supposed to have been considerably corrupted, particularly the former; in their present state there i is no essential difference between them ; and the office of the Pre-sanctified is merely a form of dispensing the communion with elements which had been consecrated on the preceding Sunday, whence it has its name. In the offertory there is a strange ceremony, called “ the slay- isig of tlie Holy Lamb ;” which may be seen in Dr. King’s • Rites and Ceremonies of the Greek Church in Russia, p. 137, &c. The Greek church, strictly so called and considered by itself, had no notion of the Romish scholastic doctrine of tran- substantiation. That monstrous tenet, as it has no true found- ation in Scripture, so was it utterly unknown to the primitive ; church. I Thi.s, among other arguments, has been evinced from the^ | frame of the ancient liturgies ; in which, after those words ot I our Lord, This is rny body,— This is my blood, whereby, as the >1 church of Rome maintains, the substance of the bread and wipe i OF TliF IS changed into the substance of his body and blood,— there b an express and most solemn invocation ; praying God the Father to send down his Holy Spirit to sanctify the elements, and make them the body and blood of Christ, for pardon, grace, and salvation, to those who should duly receive them. Wliicli prayer is quite incompatible with the belief of transubstantia- tion, but quite consentaneous to the doctrine of our Saviour — “ It is the Spirit that quickeneth : the flesh profiteth nothing ; the words that 1 speak unto you are spirit and are life.”* Now, the Greek Church at the present day uses this invocation, and, in opposition to the Roman, lays the great stress of the conse- cration upon it. Whence it may be as clearly argued, that the Greek church, according to the voice of its liturgies, even as published by Goar in his Euchologion, owns not transubstantia- tion, as defined by the Romanists. It is, however, a humiliat ing consideration, that the Greeks, in their low depression, scarcely understood their own offices, and used many ternw without any precise meaning. And therefore, when the Latin.* gained influence over them, they found them fit scholars foj their own school ; and by every undue means, but very capti vating to poverty, tutored many of them into their own opin ions; thus gaining suffrages to make it be believed, that theii opinion had been all along that ol the Gr^-ek church al.so. But others, and among them the famous but lamented Patriarcl. Cyril Lucary have borne plain testimony against them. It is true, in their Orthodox Confessioti (so called,) Iransub stantiation, in the Romish sense, is roundly asserted ; but this has been transfused from their Latin teache^, whose scholastic sophistry the modern Greeks were not able fo unriddle. In this church, it is deemed essential to the validity of this holy sacrament, that a little warm water be mixed witii the wine ; that the napkin, which is spread over the holy table, and answers to the corporale ot the church of Rome, be consecrat(ki by a bishop, and that it may have some small particles of, the reliquesof a martyr mixed in the web, otherwi.se the euchafi.st cannot be administered. It may also be observed, that leaven- ed bread is used in this sacrament ; that children may receive the communion immediately after baptism ; that the clergy receive the elements separately ; and that the lay communf cants, of whatever age, receive both the elements together, the bread being sopped in the cup, and that they receive them standing, provided their age, &c. will admit of that posture. Previous to receiving the communion, the mystery of Coiifes sion is always necessary ; the church, indeed, prescribes it t<’ all her members four times a year, and it is so often performed in monasteries, and much oftener by those who have made grea^ advances in holiness , but the laitv, for the most part, confess only once in the year, to which, in Russia, they are obliged by the laws of the land ; and it is usual to do it in the great fa,* • St. John, vi. 63, 7 * KliiLIUIUJN AJN*U UEKfc;iVlUiNiJ:.b /4 before Easter. It is said that they do not consider confession as a divine precept, but allow it to be only a positive injunction ot the church ; but if such be really the case, it does not readi- ly appear how it agrees with the definition of a sacrament. It used, however, to be a much more rational and edilying service here than in the church of Rome ; for the ancient Greek church, as Dr. Covil observes, commanded her penitents to confess their sins in secret to God alone ; and bade theiil consult their priest or pastor in what was then needful to instruct them, and “ restore them in the spirit of meekness so that here the end of confession was the amendment of the pfnitent ; whereas, in the church of Rome, it serves rather to magnify the glory of the priest. In the former church, the confessors pretended only to abate or rellht the penance, declaring the pardon to come from God alone ; in the latter, they take upon them to remit or forgive the sin itself. But, if we may credit a learned and judicious traveller (Tournefort,) the practice of confession is now much abused among the Greeks. And another learned author calls it “ one of the fundamental pillars of the Eastern churches ; the axis upon which their whole ecclesiastical polity turns ; and that, without which, the clergy would no longer have any au- thority or influence over the consciences of the people,” The next in order of their mysteries, or sacraments, is ordi- nation, and in this church they have the same division of the clergy into regular and secular, as in that of Rome ; and there •ire five orders of them promoted by imposition of the bishop’s hands, with praym', viz. Readers,\ Subdeacons, Deacons, Pres- byters and Bishop. — The forms used in the ordination of dea- cons, priests, and bishops, are serious and significant, bearing iti themselves evident mtrks ot great antiquity ; but it does not appear that that of the reader or subdeacon is considered oy them as a sacrament, or that ordination in general was so considered in the primitive church. At the consecratioiv^pf a bishop, several bishops lay on their hands, together with the archbishop ; but it does not appear from Dr. King, who gives these offices, at full length, that in this church the attending uresbyters lay on their hands, together with tlie bishop, at the ordination of a presbyter, as is the practice in the church of England. Great care used to be taken that the candidate for holy «i»rders have no lameness, or other defect, either ot body or iimbs ; but the ancient discipline of the Greek church, with -espect to ordination, is said to be now much neglected ; the canons being seldom consulted about the requisite age and •character ot the candidate, or the interval that should take place between the several orders ; so that it trequently hap- pens that they are ail conferred in the space of three or four ♦ Ricaut's Prifare In the State of the Greek Church, p. 1.?. + This office iacluiica singers, acoLtlijsts, Sic. Ur inn, uitiuiiiv uriuiiun. to days. Yet, in those who are candidates for the Mitre, celiba- cy, and the assumption of Monastic habits, are still indispensa- bly requisite : and hence, few or no bishops are elected from among the secular clergy, but almost every bishop elect is an Jlrchimatulrite, or Hieromonachus, i. e. an abbot or chief monk in some monastary. This church, as well as that of Rome, seems to admit matri- mony into the number of sacraments, on the ground of an ex- pression of St. Paul concerning marriage, where, speaking of the union of husband and wife as being a stronger tie than that of parents and children, he adds. “ this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”* But surely the apostle’s language would have been different and more explicit*^ had he meant that a Christian sacrament should be built on this text. Besides, the term mystery is of much greater latitude than sacrament ; every sacrament is a mystery, but every mys-- tenj is not a sacrament. The ceremonies with which matrimony is performed in the Creek church, consists of three distinct offices, formerly cele- brated at different times, after certain intervals, which now make but one service. First, there was a solemn service when the parties betrothed themselves to each other, by giving and receiving rings, or other presents, as pledges of their mu- tual fidelity and attachment. At this time the dowry was paid, and certain obligations were entered into to forfeit sums jn pro- portion to it, if either of the parties should refuse to ratify the engagement. At this ceremony, called the espousals or betroth- ing, the priest gives lighted tapers to the parties to be contract- ed, making the sign of the cross on the forehead of each, vvitij the end ot the taper, before he delivers it. The second ceremony, which is properly the marriage, is called the office of matrimonial coronation, from a singular circumstance in it, that of croaming the parties. This is done in tgken of the triumph of continence ; and therefore it has, in some places, been omitted at second marriages. Formerly these crowns were garlands, made of flowers or shrubs ; but now there are generally kept in most churches crowns of silver, or some other nietal, for the celebration of matrimony. At the putting of them on, the priest says, “ M. the servant of God, rs crowned for the hand-maid of God, N. and “ N. the hand- maid of God, is crowned for the servant of God, M. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; adding thrice, “ O Lord our God, crown them with glory and honour.” The third ceremony is that of dissolving the crowns on the eighth day ; after which the bride is conducted to the bride- groom’s house, immediately to enter on the cares of his family. 'I'he Greeks have no good opinion of second marriages, and a much worse of those who engage in holy matrimony a third time ; and ihs fourth marriage is condemned as absolutely siri- * Ephes. V. RELIGION AND CEREMONIES . ful. It is required that the man be above fourteen years of age, and the woman above thirteen, before they enter into the state of matrimony ; and the consent of parents or guardians is deemed so necessary, that the want of it destroys tbe validity of the marriage. The solemnization of marriage during the fasts is prohibited, and divorces are not frequent, nor easy to be obtained. The lust sacrament of the Greek church is that of the holy oil, or euchelaion, which is not confined to persons at the point of death, or dangerously ill, like the extreme unction of the church of Rome, but is administered, if required, to devout persons, upon the slightest malady. This ceremony, or mys- tery, as they are pleased to call it, is chiefly founded upon the advice of St. James, ch. v. ver. 14. 15. but is not deemed ne- cessary to salvation ; and it is well that it is not, for seven priests are required to administer it regularly, and it cannot be administered at all by fewer than three. This oil may be consecrated by a priest ; and when conse- crated, each priest in his turn, takes a twig, and dipping it in the oil, now made holy, anoints the sick person crosswa 3 ’’s, on the forehead, on the nostrils, on the paps, the mouth, the breast, and both sides of the hands, praying that he may be delivered from the bodily infirmity under which he labours, and raised up by the grace of Jesus Christ. This service the Latins, who are desirous to make all the cer- emonies of the Greek church coincide with their own, consider the same as, or equivalent to, extreme unction : but though the Greek church reckons it in tbe number of her mysteries or sacraments, it differs from the Roman sacrament in its not being confined to persons pcriculose vegrotantibus, et mortis periculo imminente, and in its adhering more closely to the text on which it is founded, by requiring more priests than one to ad- minister it. The invocation of savits is practised in the Greek as well as in the Roman Church. They pay a secondary adoration to the Virgin Mary, to the twelve apostles, and to a vast number of saints with which tbe Greek kalendar abounds ; but they denj- that they adore them as believing them to be gods. J'he pri- mary object of all religious worship is undoubtedly the Su- preme Being ; and the homage paid to those saints is only a re-pect as they define it, due to those who are cleansed from original sin, and admitted to minister to the Deity, “ thinking it more modest, and more available, to apply to them to inter- cede with God, than to address thenisoJves immediatel}' to the Almighty.’’ 'i'hus, as to the object, they assert that they are dearly distinguisheil from idolaters, notwithstanding their offer- (i:g pra)’ers, and burning incense to their saints. But however plausible tliis reasonii g may at first sight appear, it certain!^' implies the ascription of the divine and incommuni- ' cable attribute of ubiquity to the saints, and it will be difficult U> OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 77 geconeile it with that text of St. Paul, “ Theise is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”* Though the members of this church abhor the use of carved w graven images, and charge the Latins with idolatry on that account, they, notwithstanding, admit into their houses and churches the pictures of our Saviour, the Virgin Maty, and a whole multitude of saints, to instruct, they say, the ignorant, and to animate the devotions of others. These pictures are usually suspended on the partition or screen that separates the chancel from the body of the church, which, from thence, receives the name of Iconostos ; and they honor them by bowing, kissing them, and offering up their devotions before them : they like* wi.«e sometimes perfume them with incense. This church, at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, com- memorates the faithful departed, and even prays for the remis- sion of their sins ; at the same time, she rejects purgatory, and pretends not to determine dogmatically concerning the state or condition of departed souls. She must, hon'ever, believe in a middle or intermediate state between death and the genera! resurrection, and that no final judgment is passed upon the great body of mankind, till the consummation of all thiiigs, oth- envise such pra3'ers could not be offered without absurdity ; and in this belief she is countenanced by most of the primitive fathers of the church, if not by several passages of scripture. f This commemoration of, and these prayers for, their deceased friends, seem to have been established, partly out of respect to the dead, and for their benefit, and partly to impress on tlie minds of the living a sense of their mortality. It is upon the same principle that a regard is paid to the reliques of saints and martyrs, of which, it must be owned, too superstitious a use is made in this church, as well as in that of Rome. Works of supererogation, with their consequent indulgences and dispensations, -which were once so profitable, and after- wards so fatal, to the interests of this last church, are utterly disallowed in tliat now under consideration ; nor does she lay claim, with her daughter of Rome, to the character of infalli- hility. Yet, on this head, she seems to be, like some'other churches, not a little inconsistent ; for, while she rvisely disowns an absolute freedom from error, her clergy seem to consider their own particular mode of worship as that which is alone ac- ceptable to God, and their own church that which alone is entitled to the character of true and orthodox, whereby they as- sume in effect, what they deny in terms. Predestination is a doctrine of this church ; but if viewed in the same light by her members in general, as amongst the peo- ple of Russia, where Dr. King tells us it is a very prevailing opinion, viz. “ as depending on the attribute of prescience in * 1 Tim. ii. 15. t The period between death and the resurrection is an intermediate •late of sensible existence of the soul, but it is not a period of probation , 78 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES the divine nature few, I presume, of the most anti-calvinisti - , cal in this, or any country, will find much difficulty in subscrib- ing to their doctrine on this most intricate subject. They consider the Septungint as the authentic version of the Old Testament ; — acknowledge the eighty-five apostolical ca- nons as of great authority ; — receive nine provincial councils ; and allow nearly the same authority that is due to the sacred Scriptures, to the canons of the first seven oecumenical or gen- eral ones ; which are these : 1. The council of Nice, held in the year 325, under Constan- tine, against Arius, who denied the divinity of the Son, ex- cept in an inferior sense. 2. The first council of Constantinople, held A. D. 381, under Theodosius the Great, against Macedonius, who denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost. 3. The council of Ephesus, A. D. 431, in the reign of Theo- dosius Minor, against Nestorivs, who maintained the same opinion as Arius, and asserted, besides, that our blessed Lord had two persons, as well as two natures. 4. The council of Chalcedon, A. D. 451, in the reign of Mar- cian, against Eutyches, who denied the humanity of Christ, and asserted that there was only one nature in him, the oppo- site extreme to the Nestorians. 5. The second council of Constantinople, A. D. 553, in the reign of Justinian, in which the three chapters, and certain doctrines of Origen, k.c. were condemned. t3. The third council of Constantinople , in Trullo, A. D. 680, under Constardine Pogonatus, against Sergius, pope Honorius, Macarius, bishop of Antioch, and others, who held that Christ had but one nature and one will, and were thence called Monothelites. 7. The second council of Nice, A. D. 787, in the reign of Constantine and bis mother Irene, against the Iconomachi, who condemned the use of pictures and images ; and it is on the authority of this council that the Greeks defend the use of their pictures in their churches and worship. The Greeks observe a great number of holy days, and days of abstinence ; and keep four fasts in the year more solemn than the rest, of which that of Lent i.s the chief. It is even said that there is not a day in the year, which, in their church, is not either a fast ora festival : and that the several books containir^ the church-service for all the da3’’s in the year, amount to more than twenty volumes folio, besides one large volume called the Regulation, which contains the directions how the rest are to be used. - L -j They have twenty-two fixed and immoveable leasts, besides those of the church of England. Their other festivals are move- able, and depend upon Easter, in assigning which, they make use of the old pascal or lunar cycle, as established by the first general couqcil of Nice. OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 70 Sermons being rarely preached among them, in many places never, or hut seldom, except in Lent, and catechising being much neglected, what knowledge they still have of Christianity is thought to he chiefly owing to their strict observation of the festivals and fasts ; “ by which,” says Sir P. Ricaut, ” the peo- ple are taught as in a visible catechism the history of Christian- ity.”* By these religious solemnities, the memory of our Sa- viour’s birth, death, resurrection, and ascension ; the doctrine of the ever-blessed Trinity, and other fundamental articles of our faith, are kept alive in their minds ; and, while they commemo- rate the suflerings of the apostles and others saints, they are ani- mated by such glorious examples, to undergo the trials and hardships to which they themselves are daily exposed, and to endure patiently the Mahometan yoke. They use the cross to drive awa^ evil spirits, &.c. and many cf them aljstain from things strangled, from blood, and from such other meats as are forbidden in the Old Testament. But it is not to be imagined, that all the various superstitions of the vul- gar, or the particular opinions of every writer on the subject of religion, are, in any country, to be considered as the re- ceived doctrines of the church ; yet this distinction has not, in all cases, been duly attended to, and particularly in regard to this church, respecting which, in its present state of ignorance and depression, more full and correct inlormation is still a de- sideratum in the history of religion. Dr. Mosheim refers us, for the doctrine of the Greek church, to a treatise, entitled, The Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Church, which was drawn up by Peter Alogislaits, metropolitan of Kioff" or Kivw, in the Ukraine, in a pro\incial council assembled in that city, and originally meant merely for the use of his own diocese. This confession, origi- nally composed in the Russian language, was afterwards trans- lated into Greek, revised, approved, and confirmed, in 1643, by Parthenius of Constantinople, and the other three Grecian patriarchs; nho decreed, ” that it laithfully followed the doc- trine of the church of Christ, and agreed entirely with the holy canons.” WoKsHip, Rites, ano Ceremonies.— M uch of what should belong to this head is already anticipated, and yet much still *The presmt stale of the Greek and Armenian Churches, p. 16. Armo, 1678. Dr Siuitli also has a very affecting remark qu this sub- ject, in his Account of the Greek ( hurcfi. “ Next to the miraculous and gracious providence of God, I ascribe the preservation of Christianity among them,” says he, “ to the strict and religious observation of the festivals and fasts of the church ; this being the happy and blessed effect of those ancient and pious institu- tion.?, the total neglect of which would soon introduce ignorance, and a s; nsilile di'cay of piety and religion in other countries besides those tri tlie Levant,” &c &c. See the whole pass\ge in pp. 18, 19. A p.Ts«age weH worthy the attentim of many professing Christians among ourselreB. 80 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES ^mains to be said ; for the pablic service of the Geek church is so long and so complicated, that it is very difficult to give a clear account of it, and still more difficult to give a short one. The greatest part of it varies every day in the year, and every part of the day, except in the corninunion-office, where the larger part is fixed, and where, as already observed, three liturgies or offices are occasioaiily in The service of every day, whether it has a VMgil or not, be- gins in the evening of what we would call the preceding day, as among the .Tews ; and, for the satne reason, viz. because it is sai 1 in the Mosaic account of the creation, that, “ the even- ing and the mornmg were the first day.” — The several ser- vices for each day. according to the original or monkish insti- tution, are, l.si. The Fespers, which used to be celebrated a little before sunset ; ‘2d, The Afler-Vespers, answering to the Coinpletoritcm if tiie Latin church, which used to be celebrated after the monks had supped, and before they went to bed ; tid, the Me^onuclion, or midnight service ; 4th, The Matins, at break of day, answering to the laudes of the Romish church ; oth. The First hour of prayer, or prima, at sunrise ; 6iA, The Third hour, or lertia, at the thinl hour of the day ; 1th, The Sixth hour, or sexta, at noon ; and 8t. vol. v. p. 259. i MelropoHlans had the government of a province, and Suffragan bishops under them, and were so called from their usually being the bishops of the capital city of the province. Moshcira tells us, that ia the fourth century, they had likewise the archbishops under thein . 33 RELK310N AND CEREMONIES. Little occurred in the ecclesiastical history of Russia, except perhaps the rise ol the sect of the Raskoliki, which excited considerable tumults and commotions in that kingdom, till Peter the Great ascended the tlirone of Russia ; who, in the begin- ning of the eighteenth century, made some remarkal^le changes in the form and administration both of its civil and ecclesiasti- cal govertmient. This great prince made no change in the articles of faith re- ceived among his countrymen, which contain the doctrine of the Greek church ; but he took the utmost pains to have this doc- trine explained in a manner conformable to the dictates of right reason, and the spirit of the gospel ; and he used the most effect- ual methods to destroy, on the one hand, the influence of that hideous superstition that sat brooding over the whole nation ; and, on the other, to dispel the ignorance of the clergy, which was incredible, and that of the people, which would have sur- passed it, had that been possible. To crown these noble attempts, he extinguished the spirit of persecution, and renewed and confirmed to Christians, of all de- nominations, liberty of conscience, and the privilege of per- forming divine worship in the manner prescribed by their re- spective liturgies and institutions. This liberty, however, was modified in such a manner, as to restrain and defeat any at- tempts that might be made by the Jesuits and other members of the church of Rome, to promote the interests of Popeiy in Russia, or to extend the jurisdiction of the Roman pontift’ be- yond the chapels of that communion that were tolerated by law ; and particular charge was given to the council, to which belonged the cognizance of ecclesiastical affairs, to use their utmost care and vigilance to prevent the propagation of Romish tenets among the people. All this caution had, no doubt, arisen I'rom the repeated efforts of the designing pontiffs of Rome and their missionaries, to extend the papal empire over the Greek churches, under the pretence of uniting the two communions; and, with this view, a negotiation was entered into in 1580, under John IJasilides, Grand Duke of Russia, who seems to have had political ends to answer in pretending to favour this union. But, although the professed object of this negotiation failed, the ministry ot Poxsevin, the learned and artful Jesuit, who was charged with the mission on the part of the Roman pontiff, was not without fruit among the Russians, especially among those residing in the Polish dominions. Proposals for uniting the tw'o communions bad been made by different Popes, as llonorius 111., Gregory IX., Innocent IV., Gregory Xlll., and last of all, by the Academy of Sorbonne in IT 18 ; but the Russian Sovereigns and the nation have always remained firm and true to their religion : at the same time, all religions, without exception, are tolerated in Russia. In the year 1681, in the reign of Czar John Vasilievitz, Pope Gregoiy hut Metropolitan ;-.nd Ardii)ishop have Png been almost s ynonymon', and their oilic. s also much the same. OF THE RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 80 XHl., proposed to that sovereign that tlie Lutheran clergy should he banished from Russia ; but he was answered, that in that country all nations have a free exercise of their religions ; and now in Russia there are Lutherans, Calvinists, Hernhutters, Armenians, Jews, Mahometans, Pagans, Hindoos, &:c. &.c. Ro- man Catholics aie to be met with in almost every government, particularly in those conquered from the Polish dominions : their clergy are governed by their own rulers, and are totally independent of the liussian ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Peter likewise introduced a considerable change into the manner of governing the church. The splendid dignity ot patriarch, which apjnoached too near the lustre and preroga- tives of majesty, not to be offensive to the emperor and burnen- some to the people, was suppressed, in 1721, hy this spirited monarch, who declared himself (and thus became, like the British monarch,] head of the national church. 'J'he functions of this high and important office were entrust- ed with a council assembled at St. Petersbuigj, which was called the Holy Synod ; and one of the archbishops, the most distin- guished by his integrity and prudence, was appointed as presi- dent of it. The other orders of the clergy continued in their respective rank and offices; but both their revenues and their authority were considerably diminished. It was resolved at first, in this general reformation, to abolish all monasteries and convents, as prejudicial to the public, and unfriendly to population ; but this resolution w as not put in execution ; on the contrary, the empe- ror himselt erected a magnificent monastery in honor of Alexan- der Neu-sky, w horn the Russians place in the list of their heroes and saints. DisTi.vGi’iSHixG Doctrines. — This church agrees almost in every point of doctrine w ith the Greek Church subject to the patriarch of Constantinople. If, of course, receives seven Alsyteries or sacraments ; admits no statues or graven images, but pictures onl}', upon which the name of the saint must al- ways be inscribed. Dr. King assures us, that the more learned of the Russian clergy “ would wiiiingiy allow no picture or representation whatever of God the Father ; for the figure of ‘ the ancient of days,’ from I'aniel’s vision, whose ‘ garment was white as snow', and the hair ol his head like fhe pure wool,’ is by them interpreted to be the second person of the Trinity, who so appeared to the prophet ; }'et it must be confessed, that the common practice is om other Christian societies, whether of the Greek or Latin communion, and from each other, in several points, both of doctrine and worship ; though the principal reason of their separation lies in the opinion which they entertain concerning the nature and person of Jesus Christ. Following the doctrine of iJioscorus, Barsuma, Xenias, Fullo, and others, whom they consider as the heads, or chief ornaments of their' sect, they maintain that in Christ the rfreine and man nature rvere re- duced into one, and consequently reject both the decrees of the council of Chalcedon, and the famous letter of Leo the Great. 100 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES Unsuccessful Attempts of the Church of Rome to Convert them. — Tlius situated, the votaries of Home might well suppose that the Monophysites would become an easy prey, and be readily brought under the papal yoke ; and they seem to have been no less indefatigable in attempting the sub- jection of the African Monophysites, than of those in Asia. The Portuguese having opened a passage into the country of the Abyssinians in the hlleenth century, this was thought to be a favourable occasion for extending the influence and authority of the Roman pontiff". Accordingly, John Bermudes was sent into Ethiopia for this purpose ; and, that he might appear with a certain degree of dignity, he was clothed with the title of Patriarch oj the Abyssinians. The same important commis- sion was afterwards given to the several Jesuits ; and, at first, several circumstances seemed to promise them a successful and happy ministiy. But the event did not answer this fond expectation, for the Abyssinians stood so firm to the faith of their ancestors, that towards the end of the sixteenth century, the Jesuits had almost lost all hopes of succeeding in that quar- ter. THE ARMENIAN CHURCH. It appears highly probable, tliat both the Greater and the Lesser Armenia were enlightened with the knowledge of the truth in the first century, or early in the second ; but the Arme- nian church was not completely formed till the beginning of the fourth, when Gregory, the son of Hitaar, who is commonly called the Enlightener, from his having dispelled the darkness of the Armenian superstitions, converted to Christianity Tiridates, king of Armenia, and all the nobles of his court. In consequence of this, Gregory was consecrated bishop of the Armenians, by Leontius, bishop of Cappadocia, and his ministry was crowned with such success, that the whole pro- vince was soon converted to the Christian faith. From that period Armenia has undergone so many revolu- tions, that it must appear more remarkable that the Armenians should still persevere in the Christian faith, than that they should deviate in many particulars from the original doctrines of their church. They no longer exist collectively as a nation, once famous for the wealth and luxury of its monarchs ; but successively conquered by, and alternately subject to, the Turks, Tartars, and Persians, they have preserved only their native language, (and even it is disused at Constantinople,) and the remembrance of their ancient kingdom. On the other hand, the state of religion in that church deriv- ed considerable advantages from the settlement of a vast number of Armenians in different parts of Europe, for the pur- OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH. 101 poses of commerce. These merchants, who had fixed their residence, during the seventeenth centurj-, at London, Amster- dam, Marseilles, and Venice, were not unmindful of the in- terests of religion in their native country. And their situation furnished them with favourable opportunities of exercising their zeal in this good cause, and particularly of supplying their Asiatic brethren with Armenian translations of the Holy Scrip- tures, and other theological books, from the European presses, especially from those of England and Holland. These pious and instructive productions, being dispersed among the Arme- nians who lived under the Persian and Turkish governments, contributed, no doubt, to preserve that illiterate and supersti- tious people from falling into the most consummate and deplor- able ignorance.”* Distinouishing Doctrines. — The Armenian was consider- ed as a branch of the Greek Church, professing the same faith, and acknowledging the same subjection to the see of Constan- tinople, till near the middle of the sixth century, wlieii the heresy of the Monophysites spread far and wide tlirough Africa and Asia, comprehending the Armenians also among its votaries. But, though the members of this church still agree with the oth- er Monophysites in the main doctrine of that sect relating to the unity of the divine and human nature in Christ, they dilfer from them in so many points of faith, worship, and discipline, that they do not hold communion with that branch of the Monophysites who ajre Jacobites in the more limited sense of that term ; nor, 1 believe, with either the Copts or the Abyssin- ians. The Armenians believe that neither the souls nor bodies of any saints or prophets departed this life, are in heaven, unless it be the blessed V'iigin, and tlie prophet Elias. Yet, notwith- standing their opinion that the saints shall not be admitted into heaven until the day of judgment, “ by a certain imitation of the Greek and Latin churches, they invoke them with prayers, reverence and adore their pictures or images, and burn lamps to them, and candles. The saints which are commonly invok- ed by them, are all the prophets and apostles, likewise, St. Sil- vester, St. Savorich, &c.” Worship, Rites, and Ceremonies. — “ Their manner of worship is performed after the Eastern fashion, bj' prostrating their bodies, and kissing the ground three times, (which the Turks likewise practise in their prayers.) At their first en- trance into the church, they uncover their heads, and cross * Dr. Mosheim’s EccI. Hist. vol. v. pp. 261-2. Many religious books, principally Bibles, Liturgies, and the beatific visions of their saiuts, have also been printed at Venice and Constantinople. In 1704, the Acts of the Apostles were translated into Armenian verse by Cosmo di Carltognano ; and in 1737 they printed St. Chrysostom’s “ Commi alary on St. John," at Constantinople, where the Arnieniao press is still employed. 102 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES themselves three times, but afterwards cover their heads, and sit cross-legged on carpets, after the manner of the Turks. The most part of their public divine service they perform in the morning, before day, which is very commendable, and I have been greatly pleased to meet hundreds of Armenians in a summer morning about sun-rising, returning from their devo- tions at the church, wherein, perhaps the)' had spent two hours before, not only on festival, but on ordinary days of work : in like manner, they are very devout on vigils to feasts, and Sat- urday evenings, when they all go to church, and, returning home, perfume their houses with incense, and adorn their little pictures with lamps. In their monasteries the whole Psalter of David is read over every tw'enty-four hours : but, in the cities and parochial churches, it is otherwise observed ; for the Psal- ter is divided into eight divisions, and every division into eight parts ; at the end of eveiw one of which is said the Gloria Patri, &c.”* The Armenian is the language that is still used in the servi- ces of this church ; and in her rites and ceremonies there is so great a resemblance to those of the Greeks, that a particular detail here might be superfluous. Their liturgies also are either essentially the same with those of the Greeks, or are at least ascribed to the same authors. Church Government and Discipline. — When the Arme- nians withdrew from the communion of the Greek church, they made no change in their ancient episcopal form of church gov- ernment : they only claimed the privilege of choosing their own spiritual rulers. The name and office of patriarch was continu- ed ; but three, or according to Sir P. Kicaut, four prelates, shared that dignity. The chief of these resides in the monaste- ry at Ekmiazin, near Erivan, and at the foot of Mount Ararat, in Turcomania ; his jurisdiction extends over Turcomania, or Armenia Major, and he is said to number among his sufifragans no few'er than forty-two archbishops, each of whom may claim the obedience of four or five suffragans. f His opulent revenues of 600,000 crowns, are considered only as a fund for his nume- rous charities : for, though elevated to the highest rank of ec- clesiastical power and preferment, he rejects all the sjilendid insignia of authority ; and, in his ordinary dress, and mode ot living, he is on a level with the poorest monastic. Nay, the Armenians seem to place much of their religion in fastings and abstinences ; and, among the clei'gy, the higher the degree, the * Sir P. Ricaut, pp. 407-8. M. Tavernier observes, that “ they all put off their si'oes before they go into church. Nor do the Arme- nians kneel, as in Europe, but stand all the while upright.’’ — Lib. i. c. 3. + Father Simon has subjoined to his Crit. Hist. (p. 184, &c.) a list of the churches that are subject to this grand patriarch. But this list, though taken from Uscanus, an Armenian bishop, is said by Dr. Mo- sheim to be “ defective in many respects.” OF THE NESTORIAN CHURCHES. 103 lower they must live, insomuch, that it is said the archbishops live on nothing but puise. In the Armenian church, as in the Greek, a monaster}' is con- sidered as the only proper seminary for dignilied ecclesiastic ; for it seems to be a tenet of their church, that abstinence in diet, and austerity of manners, should increase with preferment. Hence, though their priests are permitted to marry once, their patriarchs and mastaoets, (or martabets) i. e. bishops, rnust re- main in a state of strict celibacy ; at least no married priest can be promoted in their church until he shall have become a wid- ower. It is likewise necessary, that their dignified clergy should have assumed the sanctimonious air of an ascetic. Their monastic discipline is extremely severe. The reli- gious neither eat flesh nor drink wine ; they sometimes continue in prayer from midnight till three o’clock in the afternoon, during which time they are required to read the Psalter through, besides many other spiritual exercises. THE NESTORIAN CHURCHES. Names, Rise, Histoy, &c. — The denomination ol Chris- tians now to be considered, who are frequently called CTia/dce- ans, from the countr}' where they long principally resided, de- rive the name of JSi'estorians, by which they are more generally known, from JS'estorius, a Syrian and patriarch of Constantino- ple, in the beginning of the fifth century ; “ a man,” says Dr. Moshiem, remarkable for his learning and eloquence, which were, however, accompanied with much levity, and with in- tolerable arrogance and, it may be added, with violent en- mity to all the sectaries. The occasion of the fatal controversy in which he involved the church, was furnished by Anastasius, who was honoured with his friendship. This presbyter, in a public discourse, delivered in 424, de- claimed warmly against the title oi Mother of God, which was then frequently attributed to the Virgin Mary in the contro- \ersy with the Arians, giving it as his cminion that the Holy Virgin was rather to be called Mother of Christ, since the De- ity can neither be born nor die, and, of consequence, the Sou of man alone could derive his birth from an earthly parent. .S'esturius applauded these sentiments, and explained and de- fended them in several discourses. But both he and his friend were keenly opposed by certain monks at Constantinople, w ho maintained that the Son of Mary was God incarnate, and ex- cited the zeal and fury of the populace against him, from an idea that he had revived the error of Paulus Samosatenus and Photinus, who taught that Jesus Christ was a mere man. His piscourses were, however, well received in many places, and had the majority on their side, particularly among the monks 104 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES of Egypt, though in opposition to the sentiments and whishes of Cyril, “ a man of haughty, turbulent, and imperious tem- per,” who then ruled the see of Alexandria. But nothing tended so much to propagate with rapidity the doctrine of Ncstorius, as its being received in the famous school at Eclessa, where the youth were instructed in the Nestorian tenets ; and the writings of Nestorius, and his masters, the re- nowned Theodorius of Ahpsuesiia , and Diodorus of Tarsus, were translated from the Greek into the Syriac language, and spread abroad throughout Assyria and Persia. And the famous Barsvmas, who w'as ejected out of his place in this school, and consecrated bishop at A'isibis in 435, laboured with incredible zeal and dexterity to procure for the Nestorians a solid and per- manent footing in Persia, in which he was warmly seconded by Maanes, bishop of Ardascira. So remarkable was the success which crowned the labours of Bar si mas, that his fame extended throughout the East ; and the Nestorians, who still remain in Chalclsea, Persia, Assyria, and the adjacent countries, consider him alone as their parent and founder. Nor did his zeal and activity end here ; for he erected a famous school at Nisibis, from whence issued those Nestorian doctors, w ho, in that and the follow'ing centuries, spread abroad their tenets through Egypt, Syria, Arabia, India, Tartar}', and China. It is proper for us to add, to the lasting honour of the Nesto- rians, that of all the Christian societies established in the East, they have been the most careful and successful in avoiding a multitude of superstitious opinions and practices that have in- fected the Greek and Latin Churches.” Although the Nestorians have fi.xed their habitations chiefly in Mesopotamia and the adjacent countries, they are to be found throughout the east of Asia, as in Tartary, India, &c. in greater numbers than any other sect of Christians, whence they not only call themselves the Eastern Oiristians, as already observed, but are sometimes so called by others. The}' celebrated the Eucharist with leavened bread, and ad- minister it in both kinds : they do not worship images, and they allow their clergy to marry once, twice, and even thrice ; but whether this liberty extends to the regular clergy, I hare not yet been able to ascertain. Their monks are habited in a black gow'n, tied with a leathern girdle, and wear a blue turban ; and their nuns must ^be forty years old before they take the monastic habit, which is much the same with that of the monks, except that they tie a kind of black veil about their heads, and about their chins. OF THF NESTORIAN CHURCH. 106 THE NESTOR! ANS OF MALABAR, USUALLY CALLED THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. THOMAS. With regard to the Nestorians who inhabit the coast of Mal- abar and Travancore, and are commonly called the Christians of St. Thomas, and by some, the St. Thorne Oirislians, there exists much difiference of opinion as to their origin. The Por- tuguese, who first opened the navigation of India, in the fifteenth century, and found them seated there for ages, assert that St. Thomas, the apostle, preached the gospel in India ; and that these are the descendants of his proselytes, whose faith had been subsequently perverted bj' the unwaiy admission of the Nestorian bishops from Mousul. Others observe, that Mar, or St. Thome, is considered by the Nestorians as the first who introduced Christianity into Malabar in the fifth or sixth centu- ry, and as their first bishop and founder, from whom they derive the name of St. Thorne Christians ; and others, that they were originally a colony of Nestorians, who fled from the dominions of the Greek emperors; after Theodosius the II. had commenc- ed the persecution of that sect. The Tiev. Dr. Buchanan, vice-provost of the college of Fort- William, who visited these Christians in 1806, and counts fiftj'- five churches in Malayalaf denies that they are Nestorians, and observes that their doctrines “ are contained in a veiy few articles, and are not at variance in essentials with the doctrines of the church of England. They are usually denominated Jacobitcef but they differ in ceremonial from the church of that name in Syria, and indeed from any existing church in the world. Their proper designation, and that which is s. nctioned by their own use. is Syrian Christians, or The Syrian Church of Malayala." Yet the Doctor remarks, that they acknow- ledge “ the patriarch of Antioch,” and that they are connected with certain churches in Mesopotamia and Syria, 215 in num- ber, and labouring under circumstances of discouragement and distress ; but he does not say whether it is to the Greek or the 7aco6i order of the great Council of Constance, one in 1414, the other two years after. And the persecution continued with unrelent- ing severity against their followers. Yet these cruelties made no small impression upon the minds of men ; these martyrs .and their sentiments could not be forgotten ; the seed of heavenly truth was extensively sown, and, though it vegetated long, a century after it brought forth a glorious harvest. The leading quality in the character of Luther was an intre- pidity of mind which has never been surpassed. Fearless in RISE OF THE PROTESTANTS. 109 danger, immutable in his purpose ; opposition confirmed his de- cision, difficulties increased his confidence in God, and strength- ened his adherence to the path of duty. His sentiments made a rapid progress, a host of opponents arose against him, but their violence and imbecility served merely to render the tri- umph of the Reformer the more conspicuous. The court oi Rome became, at length, roused to a view of their danger, and, as if given up of God to pursue those courses which would prove most favourable to their adversaries, they seemed to lose that vigour and policy by which they had so long wielded the desti- nies of Europe, and, by a mixture of violence, indecision and duplicity, defeated their own purposes, while the cause of the Reformation was daily advancing. At the same time, to with- draw the affections of men from a system of religious sentiment and practice, confirmed by the veneration of ages, purposely constructed in such a manner as to attach all the dominant aft'ec- tions of the human heart, was one of the most arduous labours ever undertaken, and not to be effected except by the special assistance of the providence of God. Luther had many great and efficient fellow-labourers. In different countries, men the most disttfguished for talents, learning, and piety, espoused the cause oithe Reformation, and advocated it with unshaken constancy and perseverance. The most eminent of these were Zuinglius in Switzerland, Melanc- thon in Germany, Calvin in France, and Cranmer in England. Luther also enjoyed the uniform protection and favour of his sovereign, the Elector of Saxony, while several other independ- e*nt princes of Germany and many of the free cities warmly espoused his cause. After se\ eral ineffectual attempts to produce a reconciliation, the court of Rome formally condemned the sentiments of Luther, and, a few months after, January 152 1 j he was solemnly excom- municated Ity the Pope and subjected to all those anathemas which hail so long been the terror of sovereign princes and whole nations. A little before this event, knowing what was designed again.st him, Luther, in a public and solemn manner, denounced the authority of the Roman Pontiff, and vvithdre^^' from all that portion of the Christian church that continued to acknowledge him as its supreme head. A few months after his excommunication at Rome, he was condemned by the Diet of Germany, with the approbation of the Emperor Charles V. and declared an enemy of the empire. He was now' placed in the situation of a public enemy, and his life was exposed to the rage of his numerous adversaries. But he had many friends, and God was his protector. The Reformer, in connexion with Melancthon and otiiers, now proceeded to the formation of a church upon the principles of the gospel of Christ, which he denominated tlie Evangelical, but it has ever been called by his followers and others, the Lu- theran Church. This was made fhe established chu>-ch in 10 * no RISF. OF THE PROTESTANtS. Saxony in the year 1527, and the elector, as chief magistrate in his dominions, was acknowledged its supreme head. At the Diet of Spire, in 1529, it was decreed that no prince of the empire should be allowed to regulate the concerns of re- ligion in his own territories, and that all change of the estab- lished Catholic religion, in doctrine, discipline, or worship, should be deemed unlawful. Against this unjust decree, the Elector of Saxony, and five other princes of the empire, with the deputies of thirteen imperial cities. Protested, and appeal- ed to the decision of a general Council of the Church, (which they insisted should be convoked,) as the only proper authori- ty to decide on these subjects. In consequence of this protest, the followers of Luther were denominated Protestants — A gen- eral term which was applied to all who adopted the principles of the Reformation in opposition to the Catholic church, and has continued to the present time. Nothing in the character of the Reformers demands such high admiration as their extraordinary moderation. In most revolutions, when long established systems are broken, when the base injustice and stern oppressions of tyranny are exposed, when the minds of mgn are unhinged by the breaking of the shackles in which they have long been bound, they throw oflf restraint and vibrate to the opposite extreme. On this account, good men have always dreaded revolution more than the con- tinuance of existing evils. The people of Europe had long been accustomed to look upon the Roman Catholic system as Christianity; and they knew of no other system of revealed re- ligion. They were, at the same time, deeply tinctured with licentiousness and vice. Why they did not, under such circum- stances, abandon all religion as imposture, and run to the license of infidelity and the dogmas of atheism, is one of the most as- tonishing events to be found in the history of man. To the Protestant Reformers, and the sixteenth century belongs the extraordinary honour of having broken, effectually, the strong- est power and one of the most extensive systems of error, that have ever existed, and stopped the terrible current of revolu- tion at the precise point of rational freedom, government and truth. Rather, it was done by the mercy of God. This was a greater work than the human mind has ever performed. HE wl)o promised bis gracious presence to his people, even unto the end of the world, enlightened their minds, sanctified their liearts, imparted to them divine wisdom, and led them to such results as fixed bis Church on the immutable basis of the truth of God. No material improvement has been made in the con- dition of Protestant churches from the days of the Reformation to the present time. The Protestant Church is divided into various classes and denominations, which will now be noticed in order. UF THE LUTHERANS. Ill SECTION I. OF THE LUTHERANS. The Lutherans derive their name from Martin Luther, a celebrated reformer, who sprung up and opposed tlie church of Rome with great vehemence and success, in the beginning of the Ibth century. The system of faith embraced by the Lutherans, was drawn up by Luther and Malancfhon, and presented to the Emperor Charles V., in 1530, at the diet of Augusta, or Augsburg, and hence called the Augustan or Augsburg Confession. It is di- vided into two parts, of which the former, containing twenty- one articles, w’as designed to represent, with truth and perspi- cuity, the religious opinions of the reformers ; and the latter, containing seven articles, is emph)yed in pointing out and con- futing the seven capital errors which occasioned their sepa- ration from the church of Rome ; these were communion in one kind, the forced celibacy of the clerg)’, private masses, auricular confession, legendary^ tradition, monastic vows, and the excessive power of the church. The leading doctrines of this confession are the true and essential divinity of the Son of God ; its substitution and vicarious sacrifice ; and the necessity, freedom, and efficacy of divine grace. From the time of Luther to the present day, no change has been introduced into the doctrine and discipline received in this church. The method, however, of illustrating, enforcing, and defending the doctrines of Christianity, has undeig;one several changes in the Lutheran church ; and, though the con- fessions continue the same, yet some of the doctrines which were warmly maintained by Luther, have been of late wbollr abandoned by his followers. In particular, the doctrines of ah~ solute prede'itination, human impotence, and irresistible grace, for which Luther was a zealous advocate, have been rejected by most of his followers, and are now generally known by the name of Calvinistic doctrines. The Lutherans now maintain, in regard to the divine decrees, that they respect the salva- tion or mise^ ot men, in consequence of “ a previous know- ledge of their sentiments and character,” and not with the Calvinists, as founded on “ the mere wdll of God.” The capital articles which Luther maintained are as follow ; to which are added a few of the Texts and arguments which he employed in their defence. 1. That the holy scriptures are the only source whence we are to draw our religious sentiments, whether they relate to faith or practice, John v. 39. 1 Cor. iv. 16. 2 Tim. iii. 1.5— 17. Reason also confirms the sufficiency of the scriptures ; for if the written word be allowed to be a rule in one case, how' can it be denied to be a rule in another ? 2. 3'hat justification is the effect of faith, exclusive of good RELIGIOxN AND CEREMONIES 112 works ; and that faith ought to produce good works purely in obedience to God, and not in order to our justification :* for St . Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, strenuously opposed those who ascribe our justification (though but in part) to works: If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Gal. ii. 21. Therefore it is evident we are not justified by the law', or by our works ; but to him who believeth, sin is par- doned, and Christ's righteousness imputed. 3. That no man is able to make satisfaction for his sins ; for our Lord teaches us to say, when we have done all things that are commanded. We are unprojitable servants. Luke xvii. 10. Christ’s sacrifice is alone sufficient to satisfy for sin, and noth- ing need be added to the infinite value of his atonement. Luther also rejected tradition, purgatory, penance, auricular confession, masses, invocation of saints, monastic vows, and other doctrines of the church of Rome. On the points of Predestination, Original Sin, and Free- Will, Luther coincided with Calvin, and sometimes expressed himself more strongly ; but on matters of Church discipline they widely differed ; likewise on the presence of Christ’s body in the Sacrament. His followers also deviated from him in some things : but the following may be considered as a fair statement of their principles, and the difference betw'een them and the Calvinists; (1.) The Lutherans have bishops and superintendants for the government of the church. But the ecclesiastical government which Calvin introcluced was called Presbj'terian ; and does not admit of the institution of bishops, or of any subordination among the clergj'. (2.) They differ in their notions of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Lutherans reject iransubstantiation ; but affirm that the body and blood of Christ are materially present in the sacra- ment, though in an incomprehensible manner ; this they called consubstantiation. The Calvinists hold,- on the contraiy, that ■Tesus Christ is on\j spiritually present in the ordinance, by the external signs of bread ami wine. (3.) They differ in their doctrine of the eternal decrees of God respecting man’s salva- tion. The modern Lutherans maintain that the divine decrees, respecting the salvation and misery of men, are founded upon the divine prescience. I'he Calvinists, on the contrary, con- sider these decrees as absolute and unconditional. In 1523, Luther drew up a liturgy or form of prayer and ad- ministration of the sacraments, which, in many particulars, differed little from the mass of the church of Rome. But he' did not intend to confine his followers to this form ; and hence every country, where Lutheranism prevails, has its own liturgy, * Liitiicr constantly opposeJ this doctrine to the Roirddi tenet, that man hy works of his own, prayer, fasting, and corporeal alllict'.ons, might merit and claim pardon : and he used to call the doctrine of jus tificalion by faith alone “ Arliculus staiitis vel cadentis ccclesia'. ’ .■in article with ichirh the church must stand or full. OF THE LUTIJErw\NS. 113 which is the rule of proceeding in all that relates to external worship, and the public exercise of religion. The liturgies used in the different countries, which have embraced the sys- tem of Luther, perfectly agree in all the essential branches of religion, in all inattei-s that can be considered as of real moment and importance ; but they differ widely in many things of an indifl’erent nature, concerning which the Scriptures are silent, and which composp that part of the public religion that derives its authority from the wisdom and appointment of men. Assem- blies for the celebration of divine worship meet eveiy where at st.ife(l times. Here the Holy Scriptures are publicly read ; prayers and hj’mns addressed to the Deity ; thesacraments ad- ministered ; and the people instructed in the knowledge of re- li°:ion, and excited to the practice of virtue, by the discourses of their ministers. Of all Protestants, the Lutherans are perhaps those who dif- fer Jeast from the church of Rome, not only in regard to their doctrine of consubstantiaiion, namely, that the body and blood of Christ are materially present in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, though in an incomprehensible manner ; or, that the partakers of the Lord’s Supper receive along n'lth, nntlcr, and >71 the bread and wine, the real body and blood of Christ ; but likewise as they represent several religious practices and cer- emonies as tolerable, and some of them useful, which are re- tained in no other Protestant church. Among these may be reckoned tfie forms of e.xorcism in the celebration of baptism ; the use of wafers in the administration of the Lord’s Supper ; the private confession of sins ; the use of images, of incense, and of lighted tapers in their churches (particular!)' at the cele- bration of the Lord’s Supper,) with a crucifix on the altar. All these are practices of the church of Rome. Some of them, how- ever. are not general, but confined to particular parts. In e\cry country were Lutheranism is established, the su- preme head of the state is, at the same time, the supreme visi- ble ruler of the church ; but “ all civil rulers of the Lutheran persuasion are effectually restrained, by the fundamental prin- ciples of the doctrine they profess, from any attempts to change or destroy the established rule of faith and manners, — to make any alteration in the essential doctrines of their religion, or in any thing intimately connected w'ith them, — or to impose their particular opinions upon their subjects in a despotic and arbi- trary manner.” The councils, or societies, appointed by the sovereign to watch over the interests of the church, and to gov- ern and direct its affairs, are composed of persons versed in the knowledge both of civil and ecclesiastical law', and, accord- ing to a veiy' ancient denomination, are called Consistories. The internal governnmnt of the Lutheran Church seems to be in some respects anomalous. It bears no resemblance to Inde- pendency. and yet it is equally removed from Episcopacy on the one hand, and from Presbyterianism on the other. e must, however, except the kingdoms of Sw'eden and Denmark 114 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES (including Norway,) in which the form of ecclesiastical govern- ment that preceded the Reformation is retained ; .pui^ed, in- deed, from the superstitions and abuses that rendered it so odious. “This constitution of the Lutheran hierarchy,” says Dr. Mosheim. “will not seem surnrising, when the sentiments of that people, with respect to ecclesiastical polity, are duly con- sidered. On the one hand they are persuaded that there is no law, of div ine authority, which points out a distinction between the ministers of the gospel with respect to rank, dignity, or prerogatives ; and therefore they recede from Episcopacy. But, on the other hand, they are of opinion, that a certain subordination, a diversity in point of rank and privileges among the clergy, is not only highly usefufl, but also necessaiy to the perfection of church communion, by connecting, in consequence of a mutual dependence, more closely together, the members of the same body ; and thus they avoid the uni ormity of the Presbyterian governments. They are not, however, agreed with respect to the extent of this subordination, and the de- grees of superiority and precedence that ought to distinguish their doctors ; for in some places this is regulated with much more regard to the ancient rules of church government, than is discovered in others. The constitution of the Lutheran church in Sweden bears great resemblance to that of the church of England. However, neither in Sw'eden, nor in Denmark, is that authority and dig- nity attached to the Episcopal office, which the church of Eng- land bestows upon her dignitaries. Lutheranism is the established creed and form of religion in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, in a great part of Germany, particularly in the north, and in Saxony ; in Livonia, and Estho- nia, and the greatest part of Prussia. There are also Lutheran churches in Holland, Courland, Russia, Hungary, North Amer- ica, the Danish West India Islands, &c. In Russia, the Lu- therans are at present more numerous (ban any other sect, that of the Greek Christians excepted. In Poland are several Lutheran churches ; and in Hungary, the Lutherans have 439 churches ; and 472 pastors, who are elected by the people, and regulate among themselves their church government. The Lutherans have too long cherished in their breasts that sjiirit of intolerance and bigotry, from which they themselves had suffered so long, and so much ; and this spirit has often impeded among them the progress of science and enlightened inquiry, and tfustrated many attempts of the relormed party towards a re-union. But this bigotry is by no means charac- teristic in them ; and during the last thirty-five or forty years, learning has been cultivated, and liberality of sentiment and doctrine practised by them, in at least an equal degree w'ith any other Christian party. OF THE CALVINISTS. 115 SECTION II. OF THE CALVINISTS. Calvinists are those who embrace the doctrine and sentiments of Calvin, the celebrated Reformer of the Christian church from Romish superstition and doctrinal enors. John Calvin was born at iSoyon, in France, in the year 1609. He first studied the civil law, and was afterwards made pro- fessor of divinity at Geneva, in the year 1536. His genius, learning, eloq^uence, and piety, rendered him respectable even in the eyes ot his enemies. J'he name of Calvinists seems to have been given at first to those who embraced not merely the doctrine, but the church government and discipline established at Geneva, and to distin- guish them from the Lutherans. But since the meeting of the synod of Dort, the name has been chiefly applied to those who embrace his leading views of the Gospel, to distinguish them from the Arminians. .The leading principles taught by Calvin, were the same as those of Augustine. The main doctrines by which those who are called alter his name are distinguished from the Arminians, are reduced to five articles : and which, from their being the princioal points discussed at the synod of Dort, have since been denominated the Jive points. These are, predestination, particular redemption, total depravity, effectual calling, and the certain perseverance of the saints. The following statement is taken principally from the writ- ings of Calvin and the decisions at Dort, compressed in as few words as possible. 1. They maintain that God has chosen a certain number of the fallen race of Adam in Christ, before the foundation of the world, unto eternal glory, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions performed by the creature ; and that the rest of mankind he was pleased to pass by, and «rdain to dishonour and wrath, for their sins, to the praise of his vindictive justice. In proof of this they allege, among many other Scripture passages, the following : “ According as he hath c/iosm us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love. — For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, ami 1 will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So, then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, that showeth mercy. Thou wilt say, then. Why doth he yet find fault ; for who hath resisted bis will ? Nay, but O man !. who art thou that repliest against God ? Shall the thing form- ed say to him that formed it. Why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to 116 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour V Hath Go 1 cast away his people whom he foreknew ? Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias ? Even so at this present time, also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest are blinded. — Whom he did predestinate, them he also called. — We give thanks to God always for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanc- tification of tlie Spirit and belief of the truth. As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.” Eph. i. 4. Rom. ix. xi. 1 — 6. viii. 29,30. 2 Thess. ii. 13. Acts xiii. 48. They think also that the greater part of these passages, being found in the epistolary writings, after the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, who was promised to guide the apostles into all truth, is an aig:ument in favour of the doctrine. They do not consider predestination, however, as affecting the agency or accountableness of creatures, or as being to them any rule of conduct. On the contrary, they suppose them to act as freely, and to be as much the proper subjects of calls, warnings, exhortations, promises, and threatnings, as if no de- cree existed. The connection in which the doctrine is intro- duced by the divines at Dort, is to account for one sinner’s be- lieving and being saved rather than another ; and such, the Calvinists say, is the connexion which it occupies in the Scriptures. With respect to the conditional predestination admitted by the x\rminians. they sa)'^ that an election upon faith or good works foreseen, is not that of the Scriptures ; for that election is there made the cause of faith and holiness, and cannot, for this reason, be the effect of them. With regard to predestina- tion to death, they say, if the question be. Wherefore did God decree to punish those who are punished ? the answer is. On account of their sins. But if it be. Wherefore did he decree to punish them rather than others ? there is no other reason to be assigned, but that so it seemed good in his sight. Eph. i. 3, 4. John, vi. 37. Rom. viii. 29, 30. Acts, xiii, 48 1 Pet. i. 1. Rorn. ix. 15, 16. xi. 5, 6. 2. They maintain that though the death of Christ be a most perfect sacrifice, and satisfaction for sins, of infinite value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world ; and though on this ground the gospel is to be preached to all mankind indiscriminately ; yet it was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of the cross, should efficaciously redeem all those, and those only, who were from eternity elected to salvation, and given to him by the Father. Calvin does not appear to have written on this subject as a controversy, but his comments on Scripture agree with the above statement. The following positions are contained in the resolutions of the synod of Dort. under this head of doctrine : OF THE CALVIN FS^i'S. li' " the 3eath of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacri- fice and satisfaction for sms, of infinite value and price, abun- dantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world. The promise of the Gospel is, that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified shall not perish, but have everlasting life ; which promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought promiscuously and indiscriminately to be published and proposed to all people and individuals, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the Gospel. Whereas many who are call- ed by the Gospel do not repent nor believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief ; this proceeds not from any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross, but from their own fault. As many as truly believe, and are saved by the death of Christ from their sins, and from destruction, have to ascribe it to the mere favour of God, which he owes to no one, given them in Christ from eternity. For it was the most free counsel, and gracious tvHI ami intention of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy' of the most precious death of his Son should exert itself in all the elect, to give unto them only justifying faith, and by it to conduct' them infallibly to sal- vation ; that is, it was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should efficaciously redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity elected to salvation, and given to him by the Father.” These positions they appear to have considered as not only a declaration of the truth, but an answer to the arguments of the Remonstrants. In proof of the doctrine, they allege among others the fol- lowing Scripture passages : “ Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. I la)' down my life for the sheep. He died not for that nation only, but that he might gather together in one the children of Goa that are scattered abroad,. — He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a pe- culiar people, zealous of good works. He loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it and present it to himself, &c. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy ; for thou wast slain and hast redeemed xis to God by thy blood, out of eveiy kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” John, xvii. 2. x. 11, 15, xi. 52. Tit. ii. l-l. Eph. V. 25 — 27. Rev. v. 9. 3. They maintain that mankind are totally depraved, in consequence of the fall of the first man, who, being their pub- lic bead, his sin involved the corruption of all his posterity, and which corruption extends over the whole soul, and renders it unable to turn to God, or to do any thing truly good, and ex- poses it to his righteous displeasure, both in this world and that wliich is to come. The explanation of original sin, as given by Calvin, is as fol 118 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES lows : “ Original sin seems to be the inheritable descending perverseness and corruption of our nature, poured abroad into all parts of the soul, which first maketh us deserving of God’s wrath, and then also bringeth forth those works in us, called, in Scripture, the Tcorks of the flesh. These two things are distinct- ly to be noted, that is, that, being thus in all parts of our nature corrupted and perverted, we are now, even for such corruption only, holden worthy of damnation, and stand convicted before God to whom nothing is acceptable but righteousness, inno- cence, and purity. And yet we are not bound in respect of another’s fault ; for where it is said that by the sin of Adam we are made subject to the judgment of God, Rom. v. 18. it is not so to be taken, as if we, innocent and undeserving, did bear th& blame of his fault ; but as, in consequence of his offence, we are ultimately clothed with the curse, therefore it is said that he hath bound us. Nevertheless from him not the punishment only came upon us, but also the infection distilled from him ibideth in us, to the which the punishment is justly due.” The resolutions of the divines at Dort on this head, contain ihe following positions. “ Such as man was after the fall, such children did he beget — corruption by the righteous judgment of God being derived from Adam to his posterity — not by imita- tion, but by the propagation of a vicious nature. Wherefore all men are conceived in sin, and are born the children of wrath, unfit for every good connected with salvation, prone to evil, dead in sins, and the servants of sin ; and without the Holy Spirit regenerating them, they neither will nor can return to God, amend their depraved natures, nor dispose themselves for its amendment.” In proof of this doctrine, the Calvinists allege, among other Scripture passages, the following : “ By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all liave sinned. By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners. I was born in sin and shapen in iniquity. God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon .the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Eveiy one of them is gone back : they are altogeth- er become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no not one. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world among whom also tee all had our conversation in times past, in the htst of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind ; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.'' Rom. v. 12 — 19. Ps. li. 5. Gen. vi. 5. Ps. liii. 2, 3. Rom. iii. Eph. ii. 1 — 3. 4. They maintain that all whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call by his word and Spirit out of that state of sin and death in which hey are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. /.* l: OF THE CALVINISTS. 119 They admit that the Holy Spirit, as calling men by the min- istry of the Gospel, may be resisted ; and that where this is the case, “ the fault is not in the Gospel, nor in Christ offered by the Gospel, nor in God calling by the Gospel, and also con- ferring various gifts upon them ; but in the called themselves. They contend, however, that where men come at the divine call, and are converted, it is not to be ascribed to themselves, as though by their own free will they made themselves to difter, but merely to him who delivers them from the power of dark- ness, and translates them into the kingdom of his dear Son, and whose regenerating influence is certain and efficacious.'’ In proof of this doctrine the Calvinists allege, among others, the following Scripture passages ; “ Whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he also glori- fied, That ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-w'ard who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wTOught in Christ when he rais- ed him from the dead. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are \us xvorkmatiship created in Christ .lesus unto good works. God, that commanded the light to shine out of dark- ness, hath shined into our hearts, \.c. 1 will take away liie stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them hearts of flesh.” Kom. viii. 29. Eph. i. 19, 20. ii. 9, 10. 2 Cor. iv. G. Ezek. -\xxvi. 26. .a. Lastly : They maintain that those whom God has effectu- ally called, and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace. They admit that true believers may fall partially, and would fall totally and finally but for the mercy and faithfulnes of God, w’no keepeth the feet of his saints ; also, that he wlio besfoweth the grace of perseverance, bestowelh it by means of reading and hearing the word, meditation, exhor- tations. threatenings, and promises ; but that none of these things imply the possibility of a believer’s falling from a state of justification. In proof of this doctrine they allege the foilowjiig among other Scripture passages : “ I will put my fear in tneir hearts, and they shall not depart from me. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing np into everlasting life. This is the Father’s will, that of all u-hich he hath given me I should lose nothing. This is life eternal, to knoiv thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. They went out from ns, but they were not of us ; for if they had been of us. they would have continued with us ; hut they went out, that they rnight he made manifest that they were not all of us. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, do- minion and power, both now and ever, Amen.” Jer. xxxii. dCt. 120 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES. Mark, xvi. 16. John, iv. 14, vi. 40. xvii. 3. 1 John, iii. ?. u. 19. Jude, 24, 25. Such \rere the doctrines of the old Calvinists, and such in sub- stance are those of the present times. In this, however, as in every other denomination, there are considerable shades of difference. Some think Calvin, though right in the main, yet carried ihinp too far ; these are commonly known by the name of Moderate Calvinists. Others think that he did not go far enough ; and these are known by the name of High Calvinists. It is proper to add, that the Calvinistic system includes in it the doctrine of three co-ordinate persons in the Godhead, in one nature, and of two natures in Jesus Christ, forming one person. Justification by faith alone, or justification by the imputed right- -eousness of Christ, forms also an essential part of this system. They suppose that on the one hand our sins are imputed to Christ, and on the other, that we are justified by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us ; that is, Christ the innocent was treated by God as if he were guilty, that we, the guilty, might out of regard to what he did and sufTered, be treated as if we were innocent and righteous. Calvinism originally subsisted in its greatest purity in the city of Geneva ; from which place it was first propagated into Ger- many, France, the United Provinces, and Kritain. In France it was abolished by the revocatiot) of the edict of Nantz. It has been the prevailing religion in the United Provinces ever since 1371. The theological system of Calvin was adopted and made the public lule of faith in England under the reign of F.divard \’l. The church of Scotland also was modelled by John Knox, agreeably to the doctrine, rites and form of ecclesi- astical government established at Geneva. In England, Calvin- ism had been on the decline from the time of queen Elizabeth until about sixty j'ears ago, when it was again revived, and has been on the increase ever since. The major part of the cleig^y, indeed, arc^ not Calvinists, though the articles of the Church of England are Calvinistical. Calvin considered every church as a separate and independ- ent bod}', invested with the power of legislation for itself. He proposed that it should be governed by presbyteries and synods composed of clergy and laity, without bishops, or any clerical subordination ; and maintained that the province of the civil magistrate extended only to its protection and outward accom modation. SECTION HI. OF THE ARMINIANS. The Arminians derive their name from James Arminius, a disciple of Beza, and an eminent professor of divinity at Ley- OF THE ARMINIANS. 121 dcB, about IGOO, wlio is said to have attracted the esteem and applause of his very enemies by his acknowledged candour, penetration and piety. '1 he principal tenets of the Arminians are comprehended in the five following articles. 1. That God has not fixed the future state of men by an absolute unconditional decree ; but determined trom all eternity to bestow salvation on those who persevere unto the end in their faith in Jesus Christ ; and to inflict everlasting punishments on those who continue in their unbelief, and resist unto the end his divine succours. 2. That Christ, by his sufferings, made an atonement tor the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in partic- ular ; and that his death hath put all men in a capacity of being }ustified and pardoned, on condition of their faith, repentance, and sincere obedience to the laws of the new covenant. John ii. 2. iii. 16, 17. Heb. ii. 9. Isa. i. 19, 20. 1 Cor. viii. 11. 3. That mankind are not totally depraved ; and that the sin of our first parents is noiimputed to us, nor shall we be hereafter punished for any but our own personal transgressions. Jer. xxxi. 29, 30. 4. That there is a measure of grace given to every man to profit withal, which is neither irresistible nor irrevocable, but is the foundation of all exhortations to repentance, faith, &c. Isaiah i. l6. Deut. X. 16. Eph. iv. 22. 3. That true believers may fall from their faith, and forfeit finally their state of grace ; and they conceive that all com- mands to persevere and stand fast in the faith, shew that there is a possibility of believers falling away. See Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6. 2 Pet. ii. 20,21. Luke xxi. 33. It appears, therefore, that the follow'ers of Arminius believe that God, having an equal regard for all his creatures, sent his Son to die for the sins, not of the elect only, but of the whole world ; that no mortal is rendered finally unhappy by an eternal and invincible decree, but that the misery of those who perish arises from themselves ; and that, in this present imperfect state, believers, if not peculiarly vigilant, may, through the force of temptation, and the influence of Satan, fall from grace, and sink into final perdition. They found these sentiments on the expressions of our Saviour, respecting his willingness to save all that come unto him ; es- pecially on his prayer over Jerusalem ; on his Sermon on the Mount ; and, above all, on his delineation of the process of the last day, in which the salvation of men is not said to have been obtained by any decree, but because “ they hav’c done the will of their Father, who is in heaven.” This last argument they deem decisive. They also say, that the terms respecting •election in the Epistle to the Romans, are applicable only to the state of the Jews as a body, and relate not to the religious con- sideration of individuals, either in this world, or the ne.\t. 1 . * RELIGION AND CEREMONIES The religious principles ot the Arminians have insinuated thenibeives more or less into the established church in Holland, and altected the theological system of many of those pastors who are appointed to maintain the doctrine and authority of the synod ol Dort. '1 he principles of Arrainius were early intro- duced into various pther countries, as Britain, France, Geneva and many parts ol Switzerland ; but their progress is said to have been rather retarded of late, especially in Germany and several parts ot Switzerland, by the prevalence of the Leibnit- zian and ollian philosophy, which is more favourable *o Cal- vinism. SECTION IV. OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ENGLAND. The Church of England dates its origin from the time of the Reformation, when Henry VIH. shook off the Pope’s authority and took upon himself the title of “ Head of the Church,” as'he had been previously dignified by his Holiness with that of “ Defender of the f’aith.” The last of these titles, which are hereditary in the Crown ol England, was obtained as a reward for a book the king had written on the Seven Sacraments, against Luther’s book, “ Of the Captivity of Babylon.” The first title was an assumed one ; but soon obtained legal sanction by the consent of the nation at large ; taken up because the pope re- fused to sanction Henry’s Divorce from Q,ueen Catherine, his affections having been transferred to Anne Boleyn. The Arch- bishop of Canterbury, who took npon himself to annul the former marriage, was solemnly condemned by the pope ; and Henry, out of revenge, annulled his connexion with, and threw off his obedience to, the papal see. He became supreme head of the church himself, and he may be said to have been the founder ol the Church of England. Its principles, however, are grounded on those of the Reformation, having in many respects, a resemblance to the Lutheran tenets and practice. The religious tenets or doctrines of this church are to be found in the book of Homilies, consisting of short moral and doctrinal discourses, and in the Thirty-Nine .Articles, which, with the three Creeds and Catechism, are inserted in the Book of Com- mon Prayer. Concerning some of the doctrines professed by the Church of England, her members are not agreed : a very great majority of the cleigy insisting upon it that the church is not Caivinistic, in regard to Jhe doctrine of predestination, irre- sistible grace, and the final perseverance of the saints ; whilst a very respectable and increasing portion of the clergy and laity maintain, with great confidence, that the 17th article roundly and plainly asserts the great and important doctrine of predes- tination, as tought by Calvin and the first reformers. The / OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 123 warm, not to say acrimonious, disputes which this difference of construction put upon the articles has occasioned, hjive tended to increase the number of dissenters, whose interests are greatly promoted by that part of the clergy usually denominated Cal- vinistic, or evangelical. The great Earl of Chatham said openly in the House ol Commons, that we ha\e “ a Popish liturgy, a Calvinistic creed, and an Arminian clergy since that time, the cleigy are many of them become protessors of the Calvinistic doctriiies ; and, P erhaps, on a rigid examination of the Articles, Homilies, and ra}’ers, it would be difficult to put any other construction upon many parts of them, particularly of the 17th article. Leaving this point, respecting the Calvinism or Arminianisna of the Church of England, to be decided amongst the members themselves, we shall lay before the reader an impartial account of her doctrines, worship, rites, and ceremonies, collected, as they ought to be, from those acknowledged formularies, and standards of faith, the book of Homilies, the book of Common Prayer, including the thirty-nine Articles, the Liturgy, &.c. and such other works of authority as are usually referrea to on this subject. It cannot with truth be denied, that the Liturgy abounds with the purest sentiments of devotion, and the genuine principles of the Christian faith. The language breathes the highest spirit of K , often in a style of the most eloquent and affecting pathos. are found some of the very best specimens of our English style of composition. A committee was appointed to compose this Liturgy, at the head of which was Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbu- ry, who was the chief promoter of the Reformation, and had a principal hand in all the steps made towards it. This Lituigy, compiled by martyrs and confessors, together with divers other learned bishops and divines ; and being revis- ed and approved by the archbishops, bishops and clei-gy of both the provinces of Canterbury and \ork, was then conhrmed by the king, A. D. 1548. About the end of the year 1550, or the beginning of 1551, some exceptions were taken at some things in this book, which were thought to savour too much of superstition ; on which account it was again revised and altered, under the inspection of Bucer and Martyr, two foreign reformers, and again confirm- ed by Act of Parliament ; but both this and the former Act, made in 1548, were repealed in the first year of Q,ueen Mary. But upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth, the second book of King Edward was again established, with some slight altera- tions and corrections ; and in this state the Liturgy continued, without any farther alteralioin until the first year of King James the First, when a few small alterations were made ; and this it remained till the time of Charles the Second, when the whole book was again revised. The commission for this purpose was dated March 25, 1661, and empowered twelve bishops aad 124 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES twelve presbyteriaii divines to make such reasonable and neces* sary alterations as they might jointly agree upon. In a word, the whole Liturgy was then brought to tlie state it now stands, j and was unanimously subscribed to by both houses of Coiivoca* • tion, on Friday, December 20, 1661 ; and being brought to the House of Lords the March following, both Houses very readily passed an Act for its establishment, when the thanks of the lords were ordered to the bishops and clergy, for the great care and industry shown in the review of it. The Creed, commonly called “ the Apostles’ Creed,” forms an essential part of the doctrines of the English Church, and from its great antiquity, is of high authority. It is asserted that the genuineness of this creed may be proved from the unanimous testimony of antiquity, in the writings of the fathers. Clemens Romanus, in his epistle (A. D. 65;, saith, “ that the apostles having received the gift of tongues, while they were together, by joint consent composed that creed, which the church of the faith- ful now holds.” This matter is largely set down by Ruffinus, in his preface to the exposition of the creed, and affirmed, not only by him, but a cloud of unexceptionable witnesses, whose words are too long to insert, and their names too many to- men- tion. Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Ruffinus, and many other orthodox fathers, whose tes- timonies will> 4 126 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES and many of them no doubt long before ; for this is certain, that tliese pra3'ers were collected and put in order by St. Gregor}’, that great light and guide of the church. Tlie Festivals of the English Church are held on what are called “ Saints’ Days,” with some others. St. Andrew’s on the 30th of November ; St. Thomas’, 31st December ; St. Stephen’s 26th of December ; St. John the Evangelist, 27th of December ; the Innocents’ day, on the 28th December. This day is commemorated by the church because the Holy Innocents* were the first that suffered upon our Saviour’s ac- count ; also for the greater solemnity of Christmas, the birth of Christ being the cause of their deaths. The Greek Church reckons the number forty thousand ; but the scripture is silent on the subject. Conversion of St. Paul, 25th January ; St. Matthias’ day, 24th February ; St. Mark’s, 25th April ; St. Philip and St. James, 1st of May ; St. Barnabas the Apostle, 11th of June ; Nativity of John the Baptist, 24th June ; Beheading of John the Baptist, 29th August ; St. Peter’s day, 29th June ; St. James the Apos- tle, 25th July ; St. Bartholomew the Apostle, 24th August ; St. Matthew the Apostle, 21st of September ; St. Jlichael and All Angels, 29th of September ; St. Luke the Evangelist, 18th Oc- tober ; St. Simon and St. Jude, 28th October ; and All Saints, the 1st of November. The reformers having laid aside the celebration of a great many martyrs’ days, which had grown too numerous and burthensome to the church, thought fit to retain this day, whereon the church, by a general commemoration, returns her thanks to God for them all. Besides these festivals may be mentioned two others, not con- nected with those relating to the apostles : these are the Purifi- cation, on the second of February ; and the .Annunciation, on the 25th of March.f Such are the saints, and such the days on which festivals are kept in the Church of England. They are, however, at present but little attended to, except at the “ public offices,” in which “ red-letter days,” so called from being usually printed with red ink in the common almanacks, are observed as holidays, &c. There are other days, as Good-Friday, Easter, Whitsuntide, and Lent, observed in their church ; but they are all well known. The communion service of this church is appointed to be read at the altar, or communion-table, every Lord’s day, and upon every festival or fast throughout the year. To “ receive the communion,” means to receive the sacrament of the Lord's Sup- per, called the eucharist by the Roman Catholics ; and here it may be proper to observe, that the Church of England allow’s of two sacraments only, (viz.) and the eucharist. Those ♦The children of Bethlehem, slain by Herod. +The Episcopalians in the United States neglect the most of thesi* fjesdvaU. OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 127 called occasional offices of the church, are the Lord’s Supper ; baptism ; the catechism ; confirmation ; matrimony ; visitation of the sick ; burial of the dead ; churching of women ; and the commination. The Church of England, though admitting the eucharist as a- sacrament, conferring grace, when worthily administered and received, does not attach any superstitious importance to it. This sacrament is generally taken by persons a little before death, as is that of extreme unction in the Roman Catholic Church ; but it is administered once a month publicly in the church. The manner of its administration may be seen in all our common prayer-books. Baptism is the other sacrament of the Church of England, and it may be administered to either infants or adults ; but generally to the former, and is either public or private. There are three services for this sacrament : 1st. “ the ministration of public baptism of infants, to be used in the church ; 2d. the ministra- tion of baptism of children in houses ; and 3d, the ministration of baptism to such as are of riper years, and are able to answer for themselves.” Infants receive their Christian names at this rite. The use of sponsors, or god-fathers, at the time a child is bap- tized, or christened, as it is called, is indispensable : for a nriale there must be two god-fathers and one god-mother ; and for a female, two god-mothers and one god-father, who “ promise a vow,” in the child’s name, “ that it shall renounce the devil and all his works ; believe all the articles of the Christian faith ; keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same till the end of its life !” The catechism of the Church of England teaches the leading doctrines of the church, and instructs the young in many of their duties, moral and theological. Con^rmatfow.— When children are properly instructed in the nature and obligations promised for them in baptism, by the church catechism, they are then required to be presented to the bishop for confirmation, in order to ratify those vows in their own persons, by this rite ; but not being instituted by Christ, it cannot properly be called a sacrament. The office of the church begins with a serious admonition to all those Avho are desirous to partake of its benefits ; and that they should renew' in their oton names the solemn engagement which they entered into by their sureties at their baptism, and this in the presence oj God and the whole congregation ; to which every one ought to answer, with reverence, and serious consid- eration, i do. Then follow some acts of praise and prayer, proper for the occasion. The ceremony consists of the impo- sition, or laying on of hands upon the head. The office con- cludes with suitable prayers. The bishop having laid his hand upon the head of each person, as a token of God’s favour, hum- bly supplicates the Almight}’ and everlasting God, that his band may be over them, and his Holy Spirit may be always with them. 128 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES to lead them in the knowledge and obedience of his word, so that at the end of their lives they may be saved through Jesus Christ : and to this is added a collect out of the communion-service, concluding with the bishop’s blessing, who now desires, that the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, may be bestowed upon them, and remain with them.forever. Matrimony is not deemed a sacrament in this church, although regarded as a sacred and holy rile. U is performed, either in public in the church, or in a private house, and either by li- cense, or the publication of banns ; and cannot be dissolved except by an especial act of parliament, after previous convic- tion of the crime of adultery, or some other lawful cause, heard and adjudged in the courts of law. Accordingly, therefore, the laws of England forbid any divorce to take place on account of alleged adultery in either party, till such acts of adultery have been clearly proved ; after which the aggrieved party may apply to parliament for an act of divorce, or, as it was anciently called, “ a Bill of Divorcement.” This law, however, cannot be considered, as some have considered it, “ an ex post facto law,” or a law made to punish an offence, against which there was no previous law. The Funerals of the Church of England are very simple and affecting ; and the service of the most solemn and devout kind. They have a practice of publicly returning thanks by women after child-birth, which they call Churching of JVomen, and for which there is a distinct service in the book of common prayer ; snd this, with what is called the Commination, a long list of curses, used only on the first day of Lent, concludes that singular, and, in many respects, very excellent book. In concluding this analysis of the liturgy of this body of Christians, it may be observed, that the morning service for- merly consisted of three parts, which were read at three differ- ent times in the forenoon. These are now thrown into one, and are all used at the same time. This conjunction of the services produces many repetitions. For instance, the Lord’ s Prayer is always repeated five times every Sunday morning ; and on sacrament days, if there happen to be a baptism and a churching, it is repeated about eight limes in the course of about two hours. These and some other defects have been repeatedly attempted to be reformed ; but hitherto without success. The government, discipline, «^c. of this church are next to be considered. • There are two Archbishops, (viz.) Canterbury and York, the first of which is primate of all England, though the king is temporal head of the church ; and has the appointment of all the bishops. There are twenty-six bishops, besides the two Archbishops, who are all peers of the realm ; except the bish- op of Sodor and Man, who is appointed by t^e Duke of Atljol ; Snd has no seat in the house of peers. OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 129 The Church of Ireland is also episcopal, and is governed by tour archbishops and eighteen bishops. Since the union of Britain and Ireland, one archbishop and three bishops sit alter- nately in the house of peers, by rotation of sessions. The province of York comprises four bishoprics, viz. Dur- ham, Carlisle, Chester, and the Isle of Man ; all the rest, to the number of twenty-one, are in the province of Caiilcr- bu^. The clerical dignitary, next to the bishop, is the arch-deacon, whose duly, though very different in different dioceses, may be termed that of a representative of the bishop in several of liis less important functions. The number of arch-deacons in England is about sixty. The name of Dean [Decanus) was probably derived from his originally superintending two canons or prebendaries. Each bishop has a chapter or council ap- pointed to assist him, and each chapter has a Dean lor a presi- dent ; but there are in the Church of England many deaneries of other descriptions. Rector is, in general, the title of a clergyman holding a living, of which the tithes are entire : Vicar is understood of a living when the great tithes have pas- sed into secular hands. The very general name of Curate signifies, sometimes, (as curt in France) a clergyman in pos- session of a living, but more frequently one exercising the spir- itual office in a parish under the rector or vicar. The latter are temporary curates, their appointment being a matter of ar- rangement with the Rector or Vicar ; the former, more per- manent, are called perpetual curates, and are appointed by the impropriator in a parish which has neither rector nor vicar. The name of Priest is, in general, confined to the clergy of the church of Rome ; in the Church of England, the corres- ponding term is a “ Clerk in Orders.” A parson [parsona ecclesi^, denotes a clergyman in possession of a parochial church. Deacon is, in England, not a layman (except with the Dissenters) as in Calvinistic countries, but a clergyman of limited qualifications, to preach, baptize, marry, and bury ; but not to give the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. “ Readers" are not regular clergymen ; but laymen, of good character, licensed by the bishop to read prayers in churches and chapels, where there is no clergyman. The number of church-livings in England and Wales is very great, being fully 10,500. From this multiplicity of benefices, and from the general smallness of the incomes, have arisen two irregularities : ' pluralities, and non-residence. To prevent, at least to lessen this latter abuse, an Act of Parliament was passed in 1813, directing that every non-resident incumbent should nominate a curate of a salary of not less than 80/. per ann. unless the entire living should be less. The effect of this Act was to reduce the number of non-resident clergymen, by fully 800 ; they had previously been about -1700 ; but in 1815 12 130 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES the official return to Parliament of the incumbents in England and Wales were as follows : Non-resident from the following causes : — Sinecures 52 — Vacancies 16^1 — Sequestrations 40 — Recent Institutions 87 — Dilapidated churches 32 — Held by Bishops 22 — Law-suits, absence on the Continent, &c. 122— Livings from which no report 279, total 798 — Incumbents non-resident from other causes 3856 — Incumbents resident 5847 — total 10,501 livings. The rental of England and Wales was, by a late return, dis- criminated as follows in regard to tithes : — Tithe-free in toto ----- 7,904,379 Tithe-free in part . - - . . 856,185 Free on the payment of a inodns - . . 498,823 Subject to titlie ----- 20,217,467 Total 29,476,854 A part, and by no means ao inconsiderable one, of the tithes of England is held by laymen ; but as the church have other resources of income, its total revenue is computed at nearly 3,000,000^. ; but the absorption of large sums by several of the prelates, and the accumulation of the best livings among a few individuals of influence, reduce the annual average income of the curates, or most numerous class, to little more than 100/. a-year. Tithes necessarily fluctuate with the state of agriculture at present ( 1 820- 1 ) the deficiency is extremely alarming. This was also the case in the year 1815, when the clei'gy began to discover, that the tithe w'as a very unsuitable and impolitic source of revenue. Application was made to Parliament, and the subject was, for some time, under serious discussion ; but the rise of corn in 1816 and 1817 prevented any other measure than an Act, founded on a Committee Report of the I8th of June, 1816, authorising the possessor of tithes, (laymen as \vell as clergymen) to grant leases of them for a term not exceeding fourteen years. According to a return in Parliament, made in June 1817, it appears that the incomes of tho»e benefices where there is no parsonage-house, or at least none that forms a suitable resi- dence, are as follow : — livings. From 10/. to 100/. - - 615 — 100 to 150 - - - 442 — 1 50 and upwards •• - 793 1 850 A prior, and more comprehensive return, had stated the number of churches and chapels, for the established faith, at 2533 ; and as these were thought inadequate, (the members ot the established church being about five millions, or half the pop- ulationof England and Wales,) an -\ct was passed in 1810, and OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 131 even pecuniary aid, to the amount of owe million pounds sterling, given by government, for the erection of an additional number of churches. The previous attempts to raise the requisite funds, by the issue of briefs and voluntary subscriptions, had exhibited a miserable specimen of misapplied labour ; the expenses of the collection, and of the patent and stamps, ab- sorbed more than half the money received from the subscribing parties.* I'here were not a few worthy and conscientious members of the established church, who questioned the policy and expe- diency of taking from the public purse so great a sum as one million, at the time when the nation was already greatly em- barrassed by the stagnation of trade, and the weight of the ex- isting taxes. In addition to the details already given of the ecclesiastical statistics, and other affairs connected with the government, dis- cipline, and revenues of the Church of England, the reader will be instructed and amused by some facts, partly taken from that singular production, “ A Plea for Religion and the Sacred Writings,” by the late Rev. David Simpson, Minister of Christ Church, Macclesfield, than whom a better or more honest and conscientious clergyman the Church of England never pos- sessed. It is well known, says this good man, that there are about 18,0Wt clergymen in England and Wales of the established religion, and nearly 10,000 parishes. The rectories 5098 ; the Vicarages 3687 ; the livings ot other descriptions 2970 ; in all 11,755. Twenty or thirty of these livings maybe a thousand a-year and upwards ; four or five hundred of them 500/. and upwards ; two thousand of them under 200/. ; five thousand under 100/. a-year. The average value of livings is 140/. a-year, reckoning them at 10 , 000 . In the year 1714, when Q,ueen Anne’s Bounty began to be distributed, there were 1071 livings not more than 10/. a-year : 1467. 20/. ; 1126, 30/. ; 1149, 40/. ; 884, 50/. In all 5697 livings, not more than 50/. a-year a-piece. All the 10/. and 20/. livings have been augmented by the above donation. This bounty is about 13,000/. a-year, clear of deductions ; and is, therelore, equal to 65 augmentations annually, at 200/. a-piece. The Clergy are indebted to Bishop Burnet for this applica- tion. The money itself arises from the first-fruits and tenths of church livings, above a certain value, which, before the time of , Henry VIII. used to go to the Pope of Rome. * See the return of briefs delivered to Parliament, May 19, 1019. t These have rather inereased since Mr. Simpson wrote. ]32 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES The whole income of (he church and two Universities £= about 1,500,000/.* a-year. There are 26 bishops, whose annu- al income is 72,000/. ; or, according to another account, 92,000/. ; each bishop, therefore, has on an average 2770/. or 3538/. a-year, supposing he had no other preferment. There are 28 Deaneries and Chapters, whose income is about 5000/. a-year each, making together about 140,000/. a-year. The income of the two Universities is together about 180,000/.; the clergy have together about 1,108,000/. a-year among them,, which is little more than 100/. a-piece. The whole bodj’^ of the clergy and their families make nearly 100,000 souls. Reck- oning the population of England and Wales at 8,000,000, of people, every clergyman would have a congregation of 444 persons to attend to in the same way of calculation. There are moreover 28 Cathedrals, 26 Deans, 60 Archdea- cons, and 544 Prebends, Canons, &c. Besides these, there are in all about 300 in orders belonging to different Cathedrals, and about 800 Lay-Officers, such as singing-men, officers, &c. who are all paid from the Cathedral emoluments ; so that there are about 1700 attached to the several Cathedrals, who divide among them the 140,000/. a year, making on an average nearly 83/. a year a-piece.f There are nearly 1000 livii^s in the gift of the king ; but it is customary for the Lord Chancellor to present to all the livings under the value of twenty pounds in the king’s book, and for the Minister of State to present to all the rest. Those under 20/. are about 780, and those above, nearly 180. Up- wards of 1600 places of church-preferment, of different sizes and descriptions, are in the gift of the 26 bishops : more than 600 in the presentation of the two Universities ; about 1000 in the gift of the several cathedrals, and other clerical institutions ; about 5700 livings are in the nomination of the nobility and gentry of the land, men, women, and children ; and 50 or 60 of then) may be of a different description from any of the above. The titles by which some of the highest orders of the clergy are dignified, are, in some instances, little inferior to those given to the Pope of Rome. The archishop of Canterbury is addressed as “ His Grace, the most Reverend ’Father in God, A* , hy Divine Providence, Lord Archbishop of Canterbu- ry.'^ The Bishops are styled “ Right Reverend Fathers in God, by Divine Permission, Lord Bishops of, y brethren, swear not ; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath ; but let your yea be yea, and j’our nay nay, lest ye fall into condemnation.’ “ From the same sacred collection of the most e.\cellent pre- cepts of moral and religious duty, from the example of our Lord himself, and from the corresponding convictions of his Spirit in their hearts, they arc confirmed in the belief, that wars and fightings are in their origin and elfects utterly repug- nant to the Spirit and doctrines of Christ, who by excellency is called the Prince of Peace. “ They affirm that it is not lawful for Clu istians either to give or receive such flattering titles of honour, as your Holiness, your Majesty, your Excellency, &c. Neither do they think it right to use what are commonly called compliments; such a? your humble servant, your most obedient servant, &:c. The}' atfinn that it is not lawful for Christians to kneel, or prostrate themselves to any man, or to bow the body, or t» uncover the head to them ; because kneeling, bowing, and uncovering the head, is the only outward signification of our adoration towards God ; and, therefore, it is not lawful to give it unto man. They affirm that it is not lawful for Christians to use such superflui" ties in apparel as are of no use, save for ornament and vanity. That it is not lawful to use games, sports, or plays, among Christians, under the notion of recreation, which do not agree with Christian gravity and sobriety ; for sporting, gaming, mocking, jesting, vain talking, &c- are not consonant with Christian liberty nor harmless mirth. With regard to religious liberty, they hold that the rights (jf conscience are sacred and unalienable, subject only to the control of the Deify, who has not given authority to any man, or body of men, to compel another to his or their religion. “ On their church-government, or discipline . — To effect the salutary purposes of discipline, they have established monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings.” All marriages among them are proposed to these meetings for their concurrence, which is granted, if, upon inquiry, the parties appear clear of other engagements respecting marriage, and if they also have the consent of their parents or guardians ; without which concurrence no marriages are allowed : for this society has always scrupled to acknowledge the exclusive au- thority of the priests to marry. Their marriages are solemn- ized in a public meeting for worship ; and the monthly meeting keeps a record of them ; as also of the births and burials of its members. This society does not allow its members to sue each other at law ; it therefore enjoins all to end their differences by speedy and impartial arbitration, agreeably to the rules laid down ; and if any refuse to act according to these rules, they 3re disowned. The Friends are chiefly to be found in Great Britain and Ireland, and in North America. In 1681, King Charles the Second granted to William Penn, in lieu of arrears due to hi.s 14 * 15 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES father Admiral Penn, a large tract of land in Nortli America, since called Penn.s3'lvania after his name ; and it is remarka- ble, that all the settlements of the Europeans in America, ex- cept the Quaker settlement of Pennsylvania, were made by force of arms, with ver}^ little regard to any prior title in the natives. We maj' well commend the mild creed, and universal charity, or fraternal love, of the Quakers, though some have thought that a nation of Quakers could not exist, except all nations were of the same persuasion. To this, however, it has been said by one of their writers, that any nation actually possessing and practising Christian principles, may be contented with the pro- tection of Heaven, which can always find means to protect what it brings to pass. However few of other denominations may be disposed to think well of their religious opinions, or of many of their peculiar customs, it cannot be denied that the Quakers, as members of society, are a respectable body ; and that, though they have a church not only without sacra- ments, but even w'ithout a priesthood, and a government with- out a head, they are perhaps the best oi^anized and most unan- imous religious society in th^ world. Their benevolence, moral rectitude, and commercial punctuality have excited, and long secured to them, ver)' general esteem ; and it has been well observed, that in the multitudes that compose the vast le- gions of vagrants and street beggars, not a single Quaker can be found. At the present day, the Quakers, both in England and Amer- ica, are gradually deiiarting from (he peculiarities of principles and manners which have distinguished their predecessors. OF THE UNITARIANS. Being strenuous advocates for the scriptural doctrine of the Divine Unity, they generally claim the appellation of Unita- rians : and as many of them are zealous advocates for the sim- ple humanity of Christ, or maintain, that our Saviour is pro- perly' a human being, some of them have taken the name ©I Humanitarians. They lay claim to a very hig^h antiquity, and even say, “ that there is no such thing as a Trinitarian Chris- tian mentioned, or supposed, in the New Testament ; all there- in named being perfect Unitarians — the blessed Jesus himself, his apostles, and all his followers.” They were, however, scarcely heard of in England till the time ol Charles the First, and their numbers were very limited as a community, till towards the end of the last century, when they began to increase, and to acquire distinction, from the writings and influence of Dr. Priestly and his zealous ameei* ates. OF THE UN1TAUJAN5. 150 Dr. Priestly, having met with much opposition and persecu- tion in England, retired to America in 1704, where, in conse- quence of his exertions, in conjunction with those of his fellow’- labourer, Mr. William Christie, and others, several Unitarian congregations have been formed. The Unitarians believe the Scriptures to be faithful records of past transactions, but sonte of them deny that their authors were divinely inspij-ed ; and they reject the miraculous con- ception, and the worship of Christ, or any other being besides God the Father. “ A consistent Unitarian, acknowledging Je- sus as a man in all respects like to his brethren, regards his kingdom as entirely of a spiritual nature, and as consisting in the empire of his gospel over the hearts and lives of its profes- sors.” Unitarians ” allow' the inspiration of the writers of the New Testament in no cases where thej' do not themselves ex- pressly claim it : and are not sparing of the labour necessary to distinguish, even in the canonical books, what is of divine authority from that which is of human origin.” Hence they do not believe in our Lord’s Miraculous Conception, but are of opinion, that he was the legitimate son ol Joseph and Mary. Mr. Lindsey tells us, that he therebj’ means no “ want of re- spect to that kind Saviour of men,” whom, he trusts, he “ is disposed to love and honour, now' and forever, with the affec- tion and reverence so justly due to him, for his perfect virtue and benevolence. But,” adds he, ” I cannot make him the supreme God, or invoke, or pray to him, as such ; because I am persuaded, that if he could hear, and make himself known to me, he would call out from heaven, as he did formerly to Paul, — ‘ I am Jesus of Nazareth ; one wlio was once a mortal man like thyself: worship God.’ ” “ The Unitarians believe, upon grounds common to all Christians, that Jesus of Nazareth was a divinely commission- ed teacher of truth and righteousness ; and that, having been publicly crucihed by his enemies, he was raised from the dead on the third day. They regard it as an indispensable duty to believe whatever he vtias commissioned to teach. And partic- ularly, upon the evidence of his doctrine and resurrection, they expect a general resurrection of the dead, ‘ both of the just and of the unjust;’ and a subsequent state of retribution, in which all shall be treated in exact correspondence with their moral characters. The Unitarians believe Jesus to have been a man, for the same reasons for which they believe the proper humani- ty of Peter and Paul, of Moses and Abraham. He appeared as a man, he called himself a man, he was believed by all his com- panions and cotemporaries to be a man ; he had all the accidents of a man ; he was born, he lived, he eat and drank, and slept, he conversed, he rejoiced, he wept, he suffered, and he died as other men. That he was nothing more than a man, possessed of extraordinary pow'ers and invested with an extriordinarj* di- vine commission, and that had no existence previous to his kirth, they believe, simply upon this ground, that there is n* ICO RELIGION AND CEREMONIES evidence to prove tlie contrary. It is not incumbent upon them, nor do they pretend, to produce proof, that a person who ap- peared as a man was really such. ‘ if any maintain that Jesus of Nazareth was sometliing more than a human being, whether an angelic, super-angelic, or divine person, it is their business to prove tlieir assertion. In this scheme of theolo^, along with our Lord’s divinity, and the distinct personal existence of the Holy Ghost, the doctrines of original sin, and the atonement, also fall to the ground. According to Dr. Priestly, the par-' | don of sin is represented in Scripture ‘ as dispensed solely on account of men's personal virtue, a penitent upright heart, and a reformed exemplary life, without the least regard to the suf- ferings or merit of any being whatever.’ The Unitarians also reject the doctrine of an extraordinary divine influence upon the mind for moral and religious pur- poses ; but they do not deny the beneficial efficacy of divine truth in regulating the affections and governing the life of every true Christian. Dr. Priestly tells us, that at an early period of his theological career, and while he was yet an .■(rian, he became ‘ persuaded of the falsity of the doctrine of atonement, of the inspiration of the authors of the hooka of Scripture as Tvriters, and of all idea of supernatural influence, except for the purpose of miracles.’ ” Such are the grand and leading doctrines of the Unitarian system. Several other dogmas are maintained by most Unita- rians, as the rejection of the existence and agency of the devil ; of the spirituality and separate existence of the soul ; — ol an in- ter.mediate stale between death and the general resurrection ; — and of the eternity of future punishment : but these, not being essentially connected with their system, and being held by them in common with some others, ought not to be viewed, exclusive- 13 ', as Unitarian doctrines. Mr. Belsham tells us, that “ the existence of an evil spirit is no where expressly taught as a doctrine of Revelation he also says, that he, for one, is not ashamed to avow, that he re- gards the notion of a devil, and his agency, “ as an evanescent prejudice which it is now a discredit to a man of understanding to believe.” Dr. Priestley’s opinions respecting the soul, of course, led him to disbelieve the doctrine of an intermediate state. Believing that as the whole man died, so the whole man would be called again to life at the appointed period of the resurrection of all men, he regarded the intermediate portion of time as a state of utter insensibility ; as a deep sleep, from which the man would awaken, when called on by the Almighty, with the same associations as he had when alive, without being sensible of the portion of time elapsed. With regard to the doctrine and the duration of future punishments, Dr. Priestley, we are told, “ had no notion of ^nishment, as such, in the common acceptation of the term. The design of the Creator, in his opinion, was the ultimate happiness of all his creatures, by the means best fitted to produce it.” Punishment he con- OF THE TRINITARIA.NS. ibl sidered to be merely “ the medicina menits exhibited tor our good by the Physician of souls. Nor have we any reason to believe, that it is greater in degree, or longer in duration, than is necessary to produce the beneficial effect for which it is in- flicted. It is the sort of punishment which a kind but wise par- ent inflicts on a beloved child. ’ With regard to the moral code of the Unitarians, it is the same as others ; but they allow of somewhat greater latitude with regard to things innocent, than the Methodists and Q,ua- kers. The prjjftice of virtue is represented by them, as the only means of attaining happiness, both here and hereafter ; and. they teach, that the Christian religion “requires the absolute renunciation of every vice, and the practice of every virtue.” Love is with them the fulfilment of the law, and the habitual practice of virtue, from a principle of love to God, and benev- olence to man, is, in their judgment, “ the sum and substance of Christianity.” The\' reject every thing in the commonly received creeds that has the appearance of mystejy, that surpasses the limits of hu- man comprehension, or borders upon contradiction. OF THE TRINITARIANS. Trinitarians include all thatportion ofChristians who believe in the Trinity of the Godhead. They believe that the Deity exists three persons in one God. 1 know of no better defini- tion of this doctrine than that with which we are so familiar. “ There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.” Trinitarians claim that this doctrine has been believed, in eve- ry age, by much the greater part of the Christian world. That it was never called in question, to any extent, till the fourth cen- tury after Christ. Soon after the sentiments of Arius began to prevail, which denied the divinity of the Son and the Spirit, a great Council was held at Nice, by order of the Emperor Constantine, to determine the questions which agitated the Christian church. This Council decided that the doctrine of the Trinity was an essential article of the Christian faith. Trinita- rians have always maintained that this was the most venerable ecclesiastical council, and that their decrees ought to be view'ed as of the highest authority, of any one that has been assembled since the apostolic age. It w'as held in the year 325, consist- ing of more than 300 bishops, the most of whom had passed through the perils of the Diocletian persecution, and had been, during that most terrible of all Pagan persecutions, faithful con- fessoi-s and sufferers for Christ. IGJ RELIGION AND CEREMONIES ^ Still, (hey do not rest their sentiments on any human deci- sions, but on what they deem the clearest testimony of the scriptures of truth. They admit that the doctrine is a mystery, but claim that it is no greater mystery than the self-existence of God, his eternity, or the nature of spiritual beings, or the union of the human body and soul, or many other truths with which all are familiar. They also claim that a mystery is not an ab- ■■surdity or contradiction : that the scripture doctrine of a sepa- i rate state, and the resurrection of the dead, and many others, f though nn’steries.pre not deemed absurd and incredible : that • we know little of God except what ho has revealed ol himsell : and that it is absurd, if not impious, to reject his own testimony concerning himself, because it makes known truths above our comprehension. The Jac( that there are three persons in one God is as intelligible as the truth that God is self-existent, and is not to be rejected because we cannot understand this ?node of the divine existence. A few of the scripture testimonies, by which the doctrine ot the Trinity is supported, are the following. God speaks of him- self as existing in plurality. Gen. 1. 26. “ And God said. Let' us make man in o«r image, after o?6ii-Iove, they act from a bad end ; for those who have no true love to God, really fulfil no duty when they attend on the exter- nals of religion. 180 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES 4. That the impotency of sinners, with respect to believing m Christ, is not natural, but moral : for it is a plain dictate of common sense, that natural impossibility excludes all blame. But an unwilling mind is universally considered as a crime, and not as an excuse ; and it is the very thing wherein our wicked- ness consists. 6. That, in order to faith in Christ, a sinner must approve in his heart of the divine conduct, even though God should cast him off for ever ; which however neither implies love to misery, nor hatred of happiness. For if the law is good, death is due to those who have broken it ; and the judge of all the earth cannot but do right. Gen. xviii. 26. It would bring everlasting re- proach upon his government to spare us, considered merely as in ourselves. Mnen this is felt in our hearts, and not till then, we shall be prepared to look to the free grace of God, through Christ’s redemption. 6. That the infinitely wise and holy God has exerted his om- nipotent power, in such a manner as he proposed should be followed with the existence and entrance of moral evil in the system. For it must be admitted on all hands, that God has a perfect knowledge, foresight, and view of all possible existences and events. If that system and scene of operation, in w'hicb moral evil should never have existence, was actually preferred in the divine mind, certainly the Deity is infinitely disappointed in the issue of his own operations. 7. That the introduction of sin is, upon the whole, for the general good. For the wisdom and power of the Deity are dis- played in carr3'ing on designs of the greatest good : and the existence of moral evil has, undoubtedly, occasioned a more full, perfect, and glorious discovery of the infinite perfections of the divine nature, than could otherwise have been made to the view of creatures. 8. That repen.ance is before faith in Christ. By this is not intended, that repentance is before a speculative belief of the being and perfections of God and of the person and character of Christ ; but only, that true repentance is previous to a saving faith in Christ, in which the believer is united to Christ, and, entitled to the benefits of his meditation and atonement. So Christ commanded. Repent ye, and believe the gospel; and Paul preached repentance tors'ords God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus ('hrist. IMark i. 15. Acts xx. 21. 9. That, though men became sinners by Adam, according to a divine constitution, yet they were, and are accountable for no sins but personal : for, (l.J Adam’s act, in eating the forbidden fruit, was not the oc? of his posterity : therefore, they did not ,sjn at the same time he did. (2.) The sinfulness of that act could not be transferred to them afterwards ; because the sin- tiilnessofan act can no more be transferred from one person to another, than an act itself. (3.) Therefore Adam’s act, in eat- ing the forbidden firoit, was not therfl'iwe. but only the orcasicM OF 7'HE SfJAKERS. i O 1 ot liis posterity’s being sinners. Adam sinned, and now God brings bis posterity into the world sinners. 10. That though believers are justified through Christ’s righteousness, yet his righteousness is not transferred to them. For personal righteousness cannot be transferred from one per- son to another ; nor personal sin, otherwise the sinner would be innocent and Christ the sinner. The Hopkinsians warmly advocate the doctrine of the divine decrees, that of particular election, total depravity, the special influences of the spirit of God in regeneration, justification by faith alone, the final perseverance of the .saints, and the consist- ency between entire freedom and absolute dependence ; and therefore claim, since the world will make distinctions, to be called the Hopkinsian Calvinists. SHAKERS, or Sh.vking Quakehs, a sect which originated in Lancashire, England, with .Tames Wadley, a tailor, and his wile Jane. They pretended to extraordinary visions and new revelations, which however padually subsided, till a new im- petus was given by Anne Lee, who. became a distinguished leader of this denomination. She was received and acknow- ledged by the Shakers as the first mother, or spiritual parent, in the line ot the females, and the second heir in the covenant of life, according to the present display of the gospel. In 1774, she, and a number of her followers, set sail from Liverpool for New Aork. Being joined by others here, they settled near Albany, where they have spread their opinions, and increased to a considerable number. The tenets on which the Shakers most dwell, are lbo.se of human depravity, and of the miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit. Their leading practical tenet is the abolition of mar- rwge. or indeed the total separation of the sexes. They assert that the day of judgment is past, and consider their testimony as a new dispensation, which they call Christ’s second appear- ance. They maintain that it is unlawful to take oaths, game or use compliments to each other. In their worship they prac- tice a regular, solemn, uniform dance, to a regular, solemn hymn, which is sung by the elders, and as regularly conducted as a proper band of music. They practice a community of pc^s, and hold that nothing short of this union in all thin°-s both spiritual and temporal, can constitute a true church. The government of the Society is t^ested in a ministry, consistine of male and female. ^ In the. beg inning of the year 1780, the Society con.sisted of only ten or twelve persons, all of whom came from England -At present the first and largest Society is at New-Lebanon, in tJie state ol New-York, and consists of between 600 and 600 persons, Ihere is alsoone at Watervliet, near Albany, contain- ing upvprds of 200 persons. One at Hancock, in the state of Wassapusetts, qpntaining about 300 members. One at Tyrin"- nam, in the same state, containing about 100 members. Ort'^ 16 * 182 RELIGION AxND CEREMONIES at Enfield, Connecticut, which contains about 200 members. One at Harvard, in the state of Massachusetts, which contains about 200 members. One at Shirley, containing about 150 members. There are, in addition to the above, four distinct Societies in New-Hampshire and Maine, containing upwards of 750 members, and five in the Western States, containing about 1700 members. The number of believers, both in the Eastern and Western States, exceed 4000. The SANDEMANIANS, or Glassites, seJ called from Mr. Saudeinan, an elder in one of these churches. Their leading sentiments are, 1. That justifying faith is no more than a simple belief of the truth, or the divine testimony passively received. 2. That this divine testimony is in itself sufficient ground of hope, to those who believe it, without any thing wrought in us, or done by us, to give it a particular direction to ourselves. The principal practices in which they differ from other de- nominations are as follows ; They administer the Lord’s sup- per every Sabbath. They make weekly collections before the Lord’s supper, for the support of the poor, &c. In the interval f)elvveen their morning and afternoon service, they have their luve-feasts, of which every one is required to partake. At these love-feasts, and on the admission of a new member, they use the i kiss of charity, or the saluting each other with a holy kiss, a ' duty they believe expressly enjoined — Rom. xvi. 16, and in 1 Cor xvi. 20. They also practice washing each other’s feet, for which usage they allege John xiii. 14, 15. They hold to com- munity of goods, so far as that every one is to consider what he hath liable to the calls of the poor and of the church. With excommunicated persons they hold it unlawful either to eat or drink. Mr. Sandeinan came to New'-England and settled a society i at Boston, Danbury, See. He died at Danbury in 1771. | The SOUTHCOTTIANS, or followers of the late Joanna | -Southcott. This poor w’oman set forth that she was divinely * inspired, and had a commission to announce to the world the speedy reign of Christ upon earth. She even pretended to have been miraculously pregnant of the divine Shiloh ; but alas ! the poor woin.aa expired before her delivery ; and when her body was opened, no appearance of a child could be found. WILKINSON, Jemima, an American female of some noto- riety. She as«erted that in 1776, she was taken sick, and actu- ally died, and her soul went to reside in Heaven. Soon after her body wa.« reanimated with the spirit and power of Christ, upon w’hich she set up as a public teacher. She pretended to foretel future events, to discern the secrets of the heart, and to have the power of healing diseases. She acknowledged no other name but that of Universal Friend. ^ J OF THE UNlVERSALfSTS. 183 UNIVERSALISTS are those who suppose that, as Christ died for all, so, before he shall have delivered up his mediatori- al kingdom to the Father, all shall be brought to a participa- tion of the benefits of his death, in their restoration to holiness and happiness. They teach that the wicked will receive a punishment apportioned to their crimes ; that punishment itself is a mediatorial work, and founded upon mercey ; that it is a mean of humbling, subduing, and finally reconciling the sinner to God. They suppose that the words eternal, everlasting, &c. as they sometimes applj' to the things which have ended, so they cannot apply to endless miseiy' ...... of the character of Christ, and that the scriptures cannot be reconciled upon any other plan. The arguments used by Universalists are, 1. Christ died not for a select number of men only, but for mankind univr.rsallt/ : for, say they, the scriptures- are full on this point. 1 Thes. v. to ; 1 Cor. XV. 3 ; Rom. v. 6 ; Pet. iii. 18 ; John i. 29 ; John iii. l(j, 17 ; 1 John ii. 2 ; Heb. ii. 9. 2. It is the purpose of God, that mankind universally, in consequence of the death of his son Jesus, shall certainly and finally be saved. Rom. v. 12 ; Rom. viii. 19, 2J ; Col. i. 19, 20 ; Eph. iv. 10; Eph. i. 9, 10 ; 2 Tim. i. 4. 3. As a mean for salvation, God will sooner or later, in this state or another, reduce them all under a willing and obedient subjection to his moral government. 1 John iii. 8 ; ■lohn i. 29 ; Matth. i. 21 ; Psalm viii. 5, 6 ; Heb. ii. 6, 9 ; Phil. ii. 9, 1 1 ; 1 Cor. xv. 24, 29. Their opponents observe that the scriptures expressly declare that the punishment of the finally impenitent shall be eternal. Matth. xvii. 8 ; Matth. xxv. 41, 46 ; Mark ix. 43 ; Rev. xiv. 11 2. Thes. i. 9 ; Eph. ii. 17 ; Jude 13 ; Rev. ix. 3; Rev. XX. 10; Matth. xii. 31,32; Luke xii. 10; Mark iii. 29 ; 1 John V. 16 ; Heb. i. 1, 6 ; Heb. x. 26, 27 ; Matth. xxvi. 24 ; -Mark ix. 45, 46. MEXXOXITES, a sect of Baptists, who arc said to believe that the New Testament is the only rule of faith ; that the terms person and Trinity are not to be used when speaking of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; that the first man was not created perfect, (all Mennonites may not unite in this belief) ; that it is unlawful to take oaths or to wage war upon any occa- sion ; that infants are not the proper subjects of baptism ; and that ministers of the gospel ought not to receive salaries. They maintain that practical piety is the essence of religion, and debar none from their assem'blies who lead pious lives. In their private meetings every person has liberty to speak. The Mennonites in Pennsylvania do not baptize by immersion, theii common method is to baptize the person kneeling, the minister holds his hands over him, into which the deacon pours water, through which it runs on the head of the baptized, after which Succeeds the imposition of hands and prayer. is most consonant to the perfections 184 THE ATHEISTS. MILLENNARIANS, tliose who Ijelieve that Christ will reign personally on earth lor a thousand years with the saints, before the end of the world and after the first resurrection. The ancient Millennarians held that after the coming of Anti- christ, and the destruction which will follow, there shall be a first resurrection of the just alone ; that all who shall be found on earth, good and bad, shall remain alive : that Jesus Christ will then descend from beaven in his glory. That Jerusalem will be rebuilt as described in Revelation, chap. xxi. and Eze- kiel xxxvi. chap, and that Christ will here establish his kingdom and reign with the prophets and saints for a thousand years, who will enjoy perfect felicity. The following are some of the texts which refer to this subject. Mat. xiii. 41, 43. Luke xvii. 29, 30. Acts iii. 21. Heb. i. 11, 12. 2 Pet. iii. 13. Rev. XX. 4. 6. Dan. ii. 36. However the Millennarians may differ among themselves respecting the nature of this great event, it is agreed on all hands, that such a revolution will be effected in the latter days, by which vice, and its attendant misery, shall be banished from the earth ; that the dissensions and animosities by which the religious world has been agitated, will then cease to exist. The Atheists are those who deny the existence of a God ; this is called speculative Atheism. Professing to belifeve in God, and yet acting contrary, is called practical Atheism. Absurd and irrational as Atheism is, it has had its votaries and martyrs. The open avowal of Atheism by several of the leading mem- bers of the French Convention seems to have been an extraor- dinary moral phenomenon. Archbishop Tillotson justly observes, that speculative Athe- ism i.s unreasonable upon five accounts. 1. Because it gives no tolerable account of the existence of the world. 2. It does not gi\ e any reasonable account of the universal consent of mankind in this apprehension that there is a God. 3_ It requires more evidence of things than they are capable of giving. 4. The Atheist pretends to know that which no man can know'. 5. .Atheism contradicts itself. Under the first of these he thus ai^ues — “ I appeal to any man of reason whether any thing can be more unreasonable than obstinately to impute an effect to chance, which carries in the very face of it all the arguments and characters of a wise design and contrivance. Was ever S considerable work^ in which there was required a great variety of parts, done by chance ? AVill chance fit means to ends, and that in ten thousand instances, and not fail in any one ? How often might a man, after he had jumbled a set of letters in a bag, fling tliern out on the THE ATHEISTS. THE DEISTS. 185 sjround, before they would fall into an exact poem ; yea, or so, much as make a good discourse in prose ? And may not a little book be as easily made by chance, as the great volume of the world ? How long might a man be in sprinkling colours upon canvass with a careless hand, before they would happen to make an e.xact picture of a man ? And is a man easier made by chance than his picture ? How long might twenty thousand blind men, who should be sent out from several remote parts of England, wander up and dowm before they would meet on Salisbury plain, and fall into rank and file in the exact order of an army ? And, yet, this is much more easy to be imagined than how the innumerable blind parts of matter should rendez- vous themselves into a w’orld. A man that sees Henry the Seventh’s chapel at Westminster might wdth as good reason maintain fj’ea with much better, considering the vast difference betwixt that little structure and the huge fabric of the world) that it was never contrived or built by any means, but that the stones did by chance grow into those curious figures into which they seepi to have been cut and graven ; and that upon a time (as tales usually begin) the materials of that building, the stone, mortar, timber, iron, lead, and glass, happily met together, and very fortunately ranged themselves into that delicate order in which we see them now, so close compacted, that it must be a very great chance that parts them again. What would the world think of a man that should advance such an opinion as this, and write a book for it ? If they would do him right, they ought to look upon him as mad ; but yet with a little more reason than any man can have to say, that the world was made by chance, or that the first men grew up out of the earth as plants do HOW'. For, can any thing be more ridiculous, and against all reason, than to ascribe the production of men to the first fruitfulness of the earth, without so much as one instance and experiment, in any age or history, to countenance so mon- strous a supposition ? The thing is, at first sight, so gross and palpable, that no discourse about it can make it more apparent. And yet, these shameful beggars of principles give this preca- rious account of the original of things ; assume to themselves to be the men of reason, the great wits of the world, the only cautious and wary persons that hate to be imposed upon, that must have convincing evidence for every thing, and can admit of nothing without a clear demonstration of it.” - « g ■ ® - e»- THE DEISTS. The Deists are a class of people, vvhSse distinguishing char- acter it is, not to profess any particular form or system of reli- J pon ; but only to acknowledge the existence of a God, and to ollow the light and law' of Nature, rejecting revelation and op 186 THE DEISTS. posing Christianily. The name of deists seems to have been first assumed, as the denomination «f a party, about the mid- dle of the 16lh century, by some gentlemen in France and Italy, who were desirous of thus disguisine their opposition to Christianity by a more honourable appellation than that of atheists. V iret. an eminent reformer, mentions certain persons in his epistle dedicatory, prefixed to the second volume of his Instruction Chretienne, published in 165:t, who called them- selves by a new name, that of deists. These, he tells us, pro- fess d to believe in God, but shewed no regard to Jesus Christ, and considered the doctiine of the apostles and evangelists as fables and dreams. He adds, that they laughed at all religion, though they outwardly conformed to the retigioH of those with whom they lived, or whom they wished to please, or feared to offend. Some, he observed, professed to believe the immor- tality of the soul ; others denied both this doctrine and that of providence. Many of them we.'^e considered as persons of acute and subtile geiwus, and took pains in disseminating their notions. The deists hold, that, considering the multiplicity of religions, the numerous pretences to revelation, and the pre- carious arguments generally advanced in proof thereof, the best and surest way is to return to the simplicity of nature, and the belief of one God ; which is the only truth agreed to by all nations. They complain, that the freedom of thinking and reasoning is oppressed under the yoke of religion, and that the minds of men are tyrannized over, by the necessity im- posed on them of believing inconceivable mysteries ; and con- tend that nothing should be requiredTo be assented to or believed but what their reason clearly conceives. 'i'he distinguishing character of modem deists is, that they discard all pretences to revelation as the effects of imposture or enthusiasm. They profess a regard for natural religion, though they are far from being agreed in their notions concern- ing it. They are classed by some of their own writers into mortal and immortal deists ; the latter acknowledging a future state ; and tlie former denying it, or representing it as very uncertain. Dr. Clarke distinguishes four sorts of deists. 1. Those who pretend to bclieve the existence of an eternal, infinite, independ- ent, intelligent Being, who made the world without concerning himself in the government of it. — 2. Those who believe the being and natural providence of God, but deny the difference of actions as morally good or evil, resolving it into the ar- bitrary constitution of human laws ; and therefore they sup- pose that God takes no notice of them. With respect to both these classes, he observes that their opinioas can con- sistently terminate in nothing but downright atheism. — 3. Those who, having right apprehensions concerning the nature, attri- butes, and all-governing providence of God, seem also to have some notion of his moral perfections ; though they consider •hem as transcendent, and such in nature and degree, (hat we THE DEISTS. i57 can form no true judgment, nor argue with any certainty concern- ing them ; but they deny the immortality of human souls ; al- leging that men perish at death, and that the present life is the whole of human existence. — 4. Those who believe the existence, perfections, and providence 6t God, the obligations of natural religion, and a state of future retribution, on the evidence ot the light of Nature, without a divine revelation ; such as these, he says, are the only true deists : but their principles, he ap- prehends, should lead them to embrace Christianity ; and therefore he concludes that there is now no consistent scheme of deism in the world. The first deistical writer of any note that appeared in Great Britain was Herbert, baron of Cherburj’. He lived and wrote in the seventeenth century. His book De Ver- Hate was first published at Paris in 1624. This, together w ith his book De Causis Errorum, and his treatise De Religione Laid, were afterwards published in London. His celebrated wmrk De Religione Gentilium, was published at Amsterdam in 1663 in 4to., and in 1700 in 8vo. : and an English translation ol it was published at London in 1705. As he was one of the first that formed deism into a system, and asserted the sufficiency, universality, and absolute perfection of natural religion, w'ith a view to discard all extraordinary revelation as useless and needless, we shall subjoin the five fundamental articles of this univei-sal religion. They are these : 1. There is one supreme God. -2. That he is chiefly to be worshipped. — 3. That piety and virtue are the principal part of his worship. — 4. That we must repent of our sins ; and if we do so, God will pardon them. — 5. That there are rew'ards for good men and punish- ments for bad men, both here and hereafter. A number of ad- vocates have appeared in the same cause ; and however they may have differed among themselves, they have been agreed in their attempts of invalidating the evidence and authority of divine revelation. We might mention Hobbes, Blount, 'Poland, Collins, Wooiston, Tindal, Morgan, Chubb, lord Bolingbroke, Hume, Gibbon, Paine, and some add lord Shaftsbury to the number. Among foreigners, Voltair. Rosseau, Condorcet, and rngny other celebrated French authors, have rendered them- selves conspicuous bj’ their deistical writings. fART. II. JUDAISM. OF JUDAISM, OR THE RELIGION OF THE JEWS, The term Jens is tlie appropriate denomination of the de- scendants of Judah, which soon inclnded under it llie Benja- mites, who joined themselves to the tribe of Judah, on the revolt of the other ten tribes from the house of David. After the Babylonish captivity, when many individuals of these ten tribes returned with the men of Judah and Benjamin to rebuild Jerusalem, the term Jews included them also, or rather was then extended to all the descendants of Israel who retained the Jewish religion, whether they belonged to the two or to the ten tribes ; whether they returned into Judea or not. Hence, not only all the Israelites of succeeding times have been called Jews, but all the descendants of Jacob are frequently so called by us at present, and we speak even of their original dispensation as the Jewish dispensation. The expectation of the promised Messiah is the leading tenet of the religion of the modern Jews ; and in this they differ widely from Christians, uho believe that the Me.ssiah has al- ready come, and that in Christ Jesus all the Jewish prophecies respecting him were accomplished. Infatuated with the idea of a temporal Messiah and deliverer, who is to subdue the world and reinstate them in their own land, the Jews still wait for bis appearance ; but they have not fixed either the place w'hence, or the time when, he is to come. Fiudingdt difficult to evade the ’force of ceitaiu texts in Isaiah, &c. wbffch speak of a suffering Messiah, some have had recourse to the idea of two Messiahs, who are to succeed each other ; Ben Joseph, of the tribe of Ephraim, in a state of humiliation and suffering ; and Ben David, of the tribe of Judah, in a state of gloiy, magnificence, and power. As to the character and mis- sion of their Messiah, he is to be ol the tribe of Judah, the lineal descendant of David, and called by his name, and to be endued with the spirit of prophe^- ; and his especial mission is, to restore the dispersed sheep of Israel, plant them safely in their own land, subdue their enemies, and by that means bring the whole world to the knowledge of the one true God. The Jews say, that his coming and their restoration have not yet taken place, because they are still umvorthy to be redeemed, OF THE JEWS. 109 aua have not repented, or have no» 3 ’et received the full meas- ure of their punishment. Yet, tliey insist that their redemption is not conditional, but will take place at the appointed time, thougrh they should not repent ; that God will not redeem and restore them for any merit of their own. but for his name’s sake, for the sake of the few righteous, and also in consideration of what they will be after their redemption, when they will all be good and righteous. They believe that Judea will be the seat of those wars which will precede their redemption ; and that, after due vengeance taken on the nations for the cruelties exer- cised on the people of God, during this long and deplorable captivity, thej’ will terminate in the complete subjection of all nations to the power of the IVIessiah, and in the introduction of universal peace and hap[)iness that shall never more be inter- rupted. Though the}' profess to know nothing of the abode, or [ )rcsent .state, ot the ten tribes, yet thej' believe that they arc ost only in name, and shall be restored together with .ludah and Benjamin : that all those Jews who have embraced Christianity or Mahometanism, shall then return to the religion of their fathers ; and that their nation, thus restored and united, shall never again go into captivitj', nor ever be in subjection to any power ; hut that all the nations of the world shall thence- forward be subject to them. Judea will then again become fruitful ; Jerusalem “ will be built on its ancient ground-plot and the real descendants of the priests and Levites will be rein- stated in their respective offices, though they max- have been forced to apostatize. Then also will be restored the spirit of prophec}', the ark and cherubim, fire from heaven, &c., as for- merly, in the tabernacle, in the wilderness, and in Solomon’s temple. In fine, then will idolatr)' wholly cease in the earth, and all men will acknowledge the unity of God, and his king- dom, (Zerh. xiv. 9.) Such are the e.xpectations of the modern Jew.s, with respect to the Messiah and his kingdom, which they still avow to be not of a spiritual, but of a temporal na- ture. The Jews are scattered over the face of the whole earth, wherever at least there can be found the least traffic of a profit- able nature, connected with what are called civilized nations. The early history of the Jew's is to be found in the books of the Old Testament ; and the Pentateuch particularly should be consulted for a complete system of Judaism. The religious tenets of the modern Jews are to be found in the celebrated confession of faith drawn up by Mainaonides at the close of the twelfth century. It is as follows : 1. I believe with a true and perfect faith, that God is the Creator (whose name be blessed,) governor, and maker of all creatures ; and that he hath w rought all things, worketh, and shall work, forever. — 2. 1 believe, with perfect faith, that the Creator (whose iftme be blessed) is one ; and that such an unify as is in him can bd found in none other ; and that he alone hath been our God, is, and for ever shall be. — 3. I believe, w ith a 190 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES perfect faith, that the Creator (whose name be blessed) is not corporeal, not to be comprehended with any bodily properties ; and that there is no bodily essence that can be likened unto him. — 4. 1 believe, with a perfect faith, the Creator (whose name be blessed) to be the first' and the last, that nothing was before him, and that he shall abide the last for ever. — 5. I be- lieve, with a perfect faith, that the Creator (whose name be blessed) is to be worshipped, and none else. — 6. I believe, with a perfect faith, that all the words of the prophets are true. — 7. 1 believe, with a perfect faith, that the prophecies of Moses our master, (may he rest in peace !) were true ; that he was the father afid chief of all wise men that lived before him, or ever shall live after him. — 8. I believe with a perfect faith, that all the law, which at this day is foutid in our hands, was delivered by God himself to our master Moses, (God’s peace be with him.) — 9. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the same law is never to be changed, nor any other to he given us of God (whose name be blessed.) — 10. I believe, &c. that God (whose name be blessed) understandelh all the works and thoughts of men, as it is written in the prophets ; he fashioneth their hearts alike, he understandelh all their works. — 11. I believe, Lc. that God will recompense good to them that keep his command- ments, and will punish thorn who transgress them. — 12. I believe, Szc. that the Messiah is yet to come ; and although he retard his coming, yet I will wait for him till become. — 13. I believe, &zc. that the dead shall be restored to life, when it shall seem fit unto God, the Creator (whose name be blessed, and memory celebrated world without end. Amen.) But the great and distinguishing doctrine of the Jews, like that of Maiiometans, is that there is hut o.ne God. Many intelligent Jews disclaim any notion of a trinity of persons in the Godhead ; and some of them have asserted that this doctr ine is the greatest bar to the conversion of the Jews to the Christian faith. The chief, however, of the conversions that have as yet taken place amongst the Jews, have been to the trinitarianism of Christians. Although the modern rabbis denounce the most dreadful % anathemas against all who presume to calculate the time of the Messiah’s appearance, the expectation of this great event is a leading tenet of their faith. Numbers of them are still buoyant with expectations of a temporal monarch, who shall lead theiD in triumph to their native land, as they deem Palestine to be. The Jews believe that two great ends are to be effected by the resurrection, the one particular, and the other general. “ The first great end, which I call a particular one, as it is for the Jewish nation only, is to effect, that those who have been persecuted and slain, during this long and dreadful cap- tivity, for adhering to the true faith, may enjoy the salvation of tne Lord, according to what the prophet says, (Isaiah xxvi. 19, and Ixvi. 10.) The second great end, which I call a gen- eral one, because it affects all mankind, whether Jews, Gen- OF THE JEWS. J.91 i t»les, or Christians, is to bring; all nations to the knowledge erf I the true God, and to effect, that the firm belief ot his unity may I be so unalterably fixed in their hearts, as that they may attain I the end for which they were created, to honour and glorify i God, as the prophet observes, Isaiah xliii. 7.” Several other doctrines are maintained by the Jews, which are not contained in the thirteen articles already given. The rabbis acknowledged, that there is in man a fund of corruption ; and the Talmud speaks of original sin thus ; “ We ought not to be surprised that the sin of Adam and Eve was so deeply en- graven, and. that it was sealed as it were with the king’s signet, that it might be thereby transmitted to all their posterity ; it was because all things were finished the day that Adam ^^•as created, and he was the perfection and consummation of the world, so that when he ^inned, all the world sinned with him. We partake of his sin, and share in the punishment of it, but not in the sins of his descendants.” The rabbis teach, that the evils in which men were involved by sin will be removed by the Messiah. They do not, howev- er, entertain the idea that this illustrious personage will make an atimement for sin ; this they suppose is done by the fulfilling of the law and circumcision. They pray God to remember unto them the merits of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The Jews maintain, that the souls of the righteous enjoy the beatific vision of God in Paradise, and that the souls of the wicked are tormented in hell with fire and other punishments. They suppose, that the sufferings of the most attrocious crimin- als are of eternal duration, while others remain only for a lim- ited time in purgatory, which does not differ from hell with respect to the place, but to the duration. They pray for the souls of the dead, and imagine that many are delivered from puigatoiy on the great day of expiation. They suppose that no Jew, unless guilty of heresy, or certain crimes specified by the rabbis, shall continue in purgatory above a year ; and that there are but few who suffer eternal J unishment. Maimonides, Abarbanel, and other celebrated ewish writer.s, maintain the annihilation of the wicked. Others suppose, that the sufferings of hell have the power ol purifying souls and expiating sin. It appears from authentic accounts, that many Jews at the present day have imbibed the principles of infidelit}', and no longer receive the writir^s of the Old Testament as divinely inspired, or expect the coming of the Messiah. 'I'he accusation ol infidelity is confirmed by a distinguished Jewish writer, David Levi, who complains, that there are twm different parties in the nation who slight the prophecies which speak of their future restoration, and ridicule the idea of a Messi.ah coming to redeem them. The one consists of such as call themselves philosophers, enlightened men, who, says he, ”• are perfect deists, not believing a syllable of revelation, and 192 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES Dot ascribing our sufferings to the immediate providenee of God, but to a concatenation of causes in a political light.” The other party are such, as either through the length of the captiv- ity, or the easy circumstances that they are in, and the splendid and voluptuous manner in which they live, neither look for nor desire a restoration. The Jews, since the destniction of their temple, have not offered any sacrifices ; and several religious rites, which were enjoined upon frheir ancestors, cannot be observed by the na- tion in modern times, on account of their being local, and con- fined to the promised land. The modern Jews, however, still adhere as closely to the Mosaic dispensation as their dispersed condition will permit them. Their religious worship consists chiefly in reading the law and prophecies in their synagogues, together with a variety of prayers. As formerly, while they enjoyed an established religion, they still have liturgies, in which are all the prescribed forms of their synagogue worship ; “ and those who have not time to go to the synagogue must say their prayers at home three times every day, i. e. in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night.” They repeat blessings and particular praises to God, not only in their prayers, but on all accidental occa- sions, and in almost all their actions. It is a rule among them that no day must be passed without reading a portion of the law at home, nor any affair undertaken till they have implored i the divine blessing. They are strictly prohibited from all vain sw'earing, and pronouncing any of the names of God without necessity. They abstain from meats forbidden by tbe Levitical law ; for which reason, whatever they eat must be dressed by those of their own nation, in a manner peculiar to them- ,i selves. At the east end of ever}' synagogue is an ark, or press, in commemoration of the ark of the covenant, which was in the li temple. Here the Pentateuch is deposited, written on a vol- ume or roll of parchment with the utmost exactness, and wrap- ped up in silk curiously embroidered, ^^’hen the Jews say their prajers in the morning they put on a talith or vail over their other clothes, and a robe with fringes at the four corners, with tassels, called Tzitzith ; and also the tephilin or phylacteries. “ It is an article of faith among us,” says David Levi, “ that every Jew must every morning, during the time of reading the §hema, and saying the nineteen pra}’ers, at least, have on the i phylacteries, because it is a sign of our acknow lodging the Al- mighty to be the Creator of all things, and that he has power to do as he pleases ; and therefore oh the sabbath, and other fes- ' tivals, we do not put on the phylacteries, because the duly ob- Jl serving of them is a sufficient sign of itself, as expressed in Ex- j odus xxxi. 12, 13.” I In the synagogue w orship, the cohen or priest leads the de- votional exercises by chaunting prayers ; but laymen are ad- mitted to read the book of the law to the people ; tlic prece- OF THE JEWS. l‘J3 ilcnce is, Lowever, given to the priest. After prayers the rabbis frequently deliver a sermon. , r , a 'I'he Jews venerate the sabbath above all other festivals, and observe it with the utmost strictness on account of its feeing en- joined in various parts of Scripture, particularly in the deca- *lo‘>'ue. On this day they are forbidden to kindle or extinguish aiiv tire ; the food is, therefore, prepared on t riday. I hey are also prohibited from discoursing on any kind ol business, troni carrying any burden, troin riding on horseback, in a carnage, going by water, or walking above a mile from the city or place where they reside, or playing upon any musical instrument. Voc.il music is very common in their synagogues, but instrumen- tal music is seldom uk*d ; yet not because it is deemed improp- er, for the synagogue in Prague had an oi-gan ; but because it cannot be performed on the sabbath or holidays. 1 hey are likewise forbidden to inter llieir dead, or mourn, or last sabbath ; but are sometimes permitted to circumcise a cnild, because that ceremony must be performed exactly on the eighth tisy • The sabbath begins on Friday, an hour before sun-set, both summer and winter, for they suppose the day commences ^frrjin tile precedTng evening, according to Genesis i. 5, and the evening and the morning were the first day.” As soon as the time arrives they leave all manner of work, and, having cleans- ed and decorated themselves in honour of the holy day, repair to the evening service. The women are bound to light a fitmp with seven cotton wicks, in remembrance of the days of the week, saying, “ Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God ! King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, and commanded us to light the lamp oi the sabbath.” 1 he reason why this ceremony is invariably assigned to the women is, that as their original mother, by her crime in eating the for- bidden fruit, first exliaguislied the lamp of righteousness, they are to make an atonement for that sin by rekindling it, in light- ing the lamp of the sabbath. They then spread a clean cloth upon their table, and set two loaves of bread upon it. baked on Friday', and covered with a napkin, in memory of the manna which tell, with dew under and above it, yet descended not (for on the Friday they had a double portion) on the sabbath. When they are placed at table the master of the family takes a cup of wine, repeating the three first verses in the 2d chapter of Genesis, and after givng God thanks, and enjoining them to observe the sabbath, he blesses the wine, drinks, and gives some to the rest of the tamily. He then Idesses and distributes the bread. They repeat the usual grace after supper, with the addition of making mention ol the sab- bath. In the morning they repair to the synagogue later than usual on the week days, where, after the accustomed prayers, besides others which are appropriate to the day, they read a lesson from the law, and aftenvards a corresponding portion from the 17 * KKLKJION A^D ceremonies lUl prophets. When the reading is concluded, (hey pray for the f ieace and prosperity of tlie government under which (hey ive, in ohservance of the direction in Jeremiah xxix. 7. Then the law is put into the ark. They then pray that God would he pleased to deliver them from captivity, and bring them to the holy land, where they should be able to perform the offerings of the sabbath according to the law. After some other prayers the morning service is concluded The religious rites observed at dinner ate similar to those used at supper. They frequently have sermons either in the morning or afternoon, the subject of which is taken from the lesson read that day in the l^cntateuch. They make three meals on the sabbath, one on Friday evening and two the next day, in honour ol the festival. On this holy day they be- seech God to he merciful, and grant them an inheritance in that day which is all sabbath and eternal rest ; meaning the kingdom of the Messiah ; for they suppose that the world is to continue six thousand years, (according to the six days of the creation) and the seventh to be that of the Messiah. It is that which is here alluded to, as being the day which is all an entire sabbath. In the evening, as soon as the stars appear, they suppose the sabbath is ended, and that it is lawful to do any work alter they have attended the evening prayer's at the synagogue. The Jewish year is either civil, or ecclesiastical. The civil }’ear commences in the month Tishri, or September. The Jews have a tradition that the world was created ois the first day of thismontl), and from this epoch they compute the age of the world, and make use ui this date in all their civil acts. The ecclesiastical year commences about the vernal equinox, in the month Nisan, which answers to part of March and April. All the religious rites and cei'emouies are reeulated hy the ecclesi- astical year. T he Jews call the ser enih month of the civil, the first of the ecclesiastical year, because at the departure of tire children of Israel from Egypt, it is enjoined, that “ this month shall he unto them the beginning of months, and the first month it) the year.” — Exodus xii. 2. On the first of every month they celebrate the feast of the new moon, pra3’ing God to restore them to the holy city, and erect the temple at .lerusalem. where they could render the offering for the feast according to the law. Numbers xxviii. 11. On the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the celebration of tile passover commences, and immediately after the fea*t of unleavened bread ; the wliole includes eight days. On the evening preceding the festival, the first horn of every family observes a fact, in remembrance of God’s mercy in protecting the nation. During the whole of the feast (he Jews are obliged to eat only uiJeavened bread, and refrain from servile labour. They begin tlie passover with carefully searching the house, aad rerroving every thing which has had leaven in it. The two first and two last days are kept as strictly as the sabbath-, only they permit fires to be kindled, and prepare food. As OF 'HIE JEWS. 195 llity cannot now offer the paschal sacrifice, tlie passover cakes ' are placed on the table with some bitter herbs, and they eat a . piece of unleav ened bread instead of the paschal lamb. The I festival concludes with psalms aiid thanksgiving to God for their great deliverance, and petitions that he would put a period to ( their captivity, and bring them to Jerusalem. ! The feast of Pentecost commences seven w'“eks after the passover, hence it is called the feast of weeks. At present this I festival is observed two days, during which time all servile I labour is prohibited. ! 'rite feast of trumpets is observed on the first and second of I 'I'ishri, or September, the seventh of the ecclesiastical and first I of the civil year ; hence the first ot this month is called new year’s day. They then pray for the protection of the govern- ment under which they reside, and blow the trumpet, which is made of a ram’s horn, saying, “ Blessed be thou, O Lord, our God ! King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, anil commanded us to liear the sound of the trumpet.” After this ceremony, they repeat with a loud voice the following verse, “ Happy are the people who hear the joyful sound ; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.” On the morning of the second day they repair to the syna- gogue, and repeat nearly the same prayers as on the preced- ing day. They then read the 22d chapter ot Genesis, which gives an account of .\braham’s ofl’ering his son Isa.x, and God’s blessing him and his seed for ever. Foi', according to their re- ceived tradition, that grea.t event took place on that day. They, therefore, beseech the .Almighty through the merits of this memorable ever.t to bless them. A:ter reading the law and prophets, they blow the trumpet, and ))jay as usual, that God would gather them from their dispersion, and conduct them to Jerusalem. The feast of tabernacles is observed on the fifteenth of the iiioiith Tishri, and lasts nine days. Each person at the commencement of the fe-tival erects an arbour, which is cov- ered 'vith green houghs, and decked with a variety of orna- ments, in remembrance of their miraculous preservation in the wilderness. 'Lhe two first and two last days are kept with great solemnity, but the intermediate time is not observed with equal strictness. On the first day they take branches of palm, myrtle, willow, and citron bound together, and go round the altar, or pulpit, singing psalms, because formerly they used to perform this ceremony in the temple. The Jews chiefly reside in their respective tabernacles du- ring the feast, both night and day, if the weather will permit. At every meal, during seven days, they are obliged to repeat *,the following gracg : “ Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God ! King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with thy command- ments, and commanded us to dwell in tabernacles.” During the feast they beseech the Lord to be merciful, and erect for RELIGION AND CEREMONIES lao them the taberuacle of David which is fallen ; and portions of tile law and propliets are read in their synagogues. On tlie seventli day of tlie festival, they take seven of the laws from out of the ark and carry them to the altar, and those who are possessed of the palm branch, &.C., with the reader at their head, go seven times round the altar, in remembrance of the sabbatical years, singing the 29th Psalm. On the evening of this day the feast ot solemn assembly convmences, which be- ing a time ot rejoicing, they assemble and entertain their friends ; but are strictly enjoined not to do any servile labour. They read passages from the law and prophets, and entreat the Lord to be propitious to them, and deliver them from captivi- ty. On the ninth day they repeat several prayers in honour of the law, and bless God for his mercy and goodness in eiving it to them by his servant Moses, and read that part of Scripture vkhich makes mention of his death. After going to the syna- gogue in the evening,, and saying the usual prayers, the festival is concluded. f)n the fourteenth of Adar, or March, the Jews celebrate the feast of Purim, in commemoration of their deliverance from the destruction designed by Hainan. This festival is observed two days, and derives its name from Esther ix. “ Therefore they called these days Purim.” Previous to the feast, a solemn fast is observed in remembrance of Esther’s fasting. The whole book of Esther, written on parchment, is repeatedly read during the feast ; and as often as the name of Hainan is mentioned, it is customary for the children (who have little wooden hammers) to knock against the wall, as a memorial that they should en- deavour to destroy the race of Amelek. Part of the first day is spent in feasting and rejoicing, sending presents to each other, giving liberally to the poor, in visiting their friends, and entertaining them by all kinds of diversions. The Jews, at the present day, observe many festivals which are not appointed by Mose.s. In particular they celebrate the dedication of the altar, which was instituted by lire Maccabees, in remembrance of the victoiy’ tiiey obtained over Aiitiochus Epipiianes. This tyrant, having profaned the temple, reduced them to the nece.ssity of cleansing and dedicating it anew. The festival is observed in a splendid manner, and lasts eight days ; and is appointed to be kept by lighting lamps. The reason they assign for this ceremony is, that, after they had purified and dedicated the temple, there was only enough of pure oil left to burn one night, which miraculously lasted eight nights, till they were able to obtain a fresh supply. The great day of expiation is observed by the Jews, though they have no high priest to officiate, nor temple wherein to of- fer the sacrifice. Before the fast commences, they think it a duty incumbent upon them to ask pardon of those they have offended : to make restitution to those whom they have de- fi'auded of any property ; to forgive those who have offended them ; and, in »lrort,, to do every thing irhioh uasgr serve to OF THE JEWS. 197 evince the sincerity of their repentance. This great fast is observed on the tenth day of the month Tishri, or September. In the preceding evening they repair to the synagogue, where they remain saying prayers upwards of three lioui'S : and when they return from the synagogue, they may not taste any kind of sustenance, and are even prohibited from taking one drop of water. They are also forbidden to do any kind of labour, even to kindle a fire, and observe this day as strictly as the sabbath. At six in the morning they attend the synagogue, and offer those prayers and supplications for the pardon of their sins, which are peculiar to the occasion. In the course of the ser- vice various portions of scripture are read, particularly part of Leviticus xxvi.. Numbers xxix., and Isaiah Ivii. They men- tion in their prayers the additional sacrifice of the day, and en- treat God to rebuild their sanctuary, to gather their dispersions from among the Gentiles, and conduct them to Jerusalem, where they may offer the sacrifice of atonement agreeably to the Mo- saic law. In the afternoon service, besides portions from the law and prophets, the greatest part of the Book of Jonah is read in the synagogues. The)' beseech God to be propitious, and foigive their sins. The fast continues from morning to night, for upwards of twelve hours, without intermission. In Awb, which answers to July or August, in the filth month of the ecclesiastical year, the Jews observe a strict fast, occa- sioned by the destruction of the first temple by Nebuchadnez- zar. On this day also the second temple was Durnt by the Ro- mans. During this fast they not only abstain from all food, but do not even taste a drop of water. In the evening they go to the sy nagogue, and, after their usual prayers, the book of Jere- miah is read in a low mournful voice. In the morning they at- tend the synagogue early, and read a portion of the law, and part of the 8th and 9th chapters of Jeremiah. They go to the synagogue again in the afternoon, and read passages from the law and the projphets suitable to the occasion. All their prayers OB this day tend to remind them of their captivity, and the de- struction of their temple, which deprived them of ofl'ering the daily sacrifice by which an atonement was made for their sins. The marriages of the Jews are always celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. In London they are usually celebrated at some of the principal taverns or cofiee-houses. The author, two or three years ago, attended at the wedding of a Jewish friend’s daughter at the City of London Tavern ; the ceremony itself was solemn and imposing, and the company extremely numerous and respectable. Alter some time spent in an anti- room, where sat the intended bride and bridegroom, receiving the compliments and caresses of their particular friends, and during which the truly venerable and presiding rabbi of the Ger- man Jews in London, Dr. Solomon Hirschel, assisted by others, at intervals, but apparently without order, uttered some pray- ers, or repeated some texts of Scripture, and the necessary 193 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES marriage articles were signed by the parents of the young eouple, we were ushered into the large room of that very ele- gant tavern. In the midst of the room, a portion was marked out by a thick red cord fastened to four posts. In the centre of this stood the presiding rabbi and his assistants, or readers, under a rich canopy of crimson velvet, supported by four gen- tlemen, who held long poles to which it was fastened at the four corners. At length, after some preliminaries, the bridegroom was solemnly led into the room by his friends, and placed under the canopy. Then followed in a slow and lingering step, support- ed by her mother, and other friends, and covered almost from head to foot with a rich muslin white veil, the bride, who was directed to take her stand by the side of her intended husband. The marriage service now commenced, consisting of words nearly similar to those used among Christians. A small glass ot wine was given to the bridegroom, and another to the bride. The}’ each drank a small portion. After this an empty wine glass was held up by one of the persons employed in the cere- mony ; and certain words implying a vow of constancy being uttered, the glass was cast upon the floor, trod upon, and broken to pieces ; by which was meant to be conveyed a wish, that till those pieces should be reunited, the marriage between the par- ties might never be dissolved. The whole company then retired to another room : ceremo- nies and caresses in abundance followed ; a most costly dinner was provided for a numerous retinue of ladies and gentlemen, and the evening passed with sacred vocal music, religious invo- cations, &c. Sic. The rite of circumcision is invariably practised ; and it is a season of great joy and merriment. Their manner of solemnly e.Tposm^ or exhibiting the law to the people, who, it may be observed, do not perform their public worship uncovered, after the manner of most Christian churches, will be sufficiently elucidated by the accompanying cut of that ceremony. Ever since the .Ascension of the divine Redeemer, Christians have been desirous to persuade the tribes of Jacob that Jesus ot Nazareth was the true Messiah, long promised to their fathers, and to induce them to accept of his holy religion. During the apostolic age, these exertions vyere attended with much success, and many of tlie Jews, though so unbelieving while their Lord was present with them, were converted to Christ. Still, those who continued in unbelief evinced an uncommon obstinacy, and an inveterate enmity to Christianity, beyond any other people. The same has been the character of Jews ever since. This deep-rooted unbelief has produced a great discouragement in the minds of Christians, and has been the principal cause why so little has been done, since the primitive times, for the con- version of Jews. And the great reason why the conversions have been few is that few and feeble have been the means used OF THE JEWS. 199 tor this purpose. The general truth, that God gives success to all wise and faithful exertions for the salvation of men, is ap- plicable to Jews, as well as to Mahometans and Pagans. At the present day, distinguished for the exertions of Chris- tians for the spread of the blessings of the gospel, the attention of many is turned to the interesting state of the long-neglected childrenjjf Abraham. While a general sentiment is prevailing that the day of the peace of the Church is-drawing on, that the Jews will constitute a leading part of the Church at that day, and that they are to be brought to the acknowledgment of Christ before the gospel will overspread the earth, new and judicious, and vigorous efforts are making, in Europe and America, for the salvation of Israel. The success that attends these exertions is highly encouraging. The Jews’ Societies in this countrj', in connexion with those in Great Britain, and extensive connexions on the confiner.t, are doing much. It would seem that no reli- gious charity cnii be more acceptable to the God of Jacob, the God of the promises, and none attended with more sure .suc- cess, than that whose object is to rescue Irorn blindness and ruin the venerable remnant, “beloved for the fathers’ .sakes.” And let all who feel for the afflictions of those who have long been “ an astonishment, a proverb, and a by w ord among all nations,” “ driven out unto the outmost parts ot heaven,” make their “ prayer to God for Israel, that they might be saved.” PART in. MAHOMETANISM. 1\- the beginning of the seventh century, when tlie Jews had very generally departed from the worship and service of the true God, and when the Christians of the east had almost uni- versally forsaken the simple doctrines, and discipline of their Divine Teacher, there sprung up, in the city of Mecca, in Ara- bia, one of the most extraordinary and enterprising pretenders to prophecy that the \vorld ever witnessed. This man’s name was M^homkt, or Mohammed: he was horn in the year 671, of poor parents, but of rich and respectable connexions. His father died before he was tw'o years old, and all the power and wealth of his family devolved to his uncles ; especially to Abu Taleb, who afterwards became possessed of the chief sway in the city, and surrounding country of .Mecca. After the death of his father, his uncle Abu Taleb, under- took the care of his education ; and ever after, airtiough he re- fused to listen to his nephew’s pretensions as a prophet, mani- fested great affection for him, and more than once protected him against the fury of his enemies. He continued in the employment of his utfcle, who was a merchant, trading principally to Syria with camels, until he had attained his twenty-fifth year. About that time died one of the chief men of the city, leaving a widow of the name of Cadiga ; who requiring a factor to manage her stock, Mahomet enter- ed her service, and traded for her some years, to Damascus and other places. In this .service Mahomet conducted him- self w’ith so much propriety, that he not only merited the re- spect, but actuall}’ won the affections of his mistress, who was twelve years older than himself ; he being then onlj- twenty- eight years of age. Cadiga having married him, he became suddenly exalted to an equality with some of the richest men of the city. Whether this unlo disciples continued to increase, it was at length thought ne- cessary bj' some to arrest his career by putting him to death. A combination to effect this was accordingly formed ; but the plot having come to the knowledge of his uncle Abu Taleb the prophet was saved from destruction through his means. ’ -The main arguments, which Mahomet used to delude men into a belief of this imposture, were promises and threats, which he knew would wmk most strongly on the afiections of the vul- gar. His promises were chiefly of Paradise, which with great art he trained agreeably to the taste of the .'Arabians : for they lying within the torrid zone, were, through the nature of their cliinate, as well as the corruption of their manners, exceedinfflv given to the love of women ; and the scorching heat and dryness of the country, making rivers of water, cooling drinks, shaded gardens, and pleasant fruits, most refreshins: and delightful to them, they were from hence apt to place their highest enjoy- ment in things of this nature. For this reason, he made the joys of his Paradise to consist totally in these particulars • which he promises them abundantly in many places of the’ Koran. On the contrary, he described the punishments of hell which he threatened to all who would not believe in him to consist of smch torments as would appear to them the most af- flicting and grievous to be borne ; as, “ that they should drink nothing but boiling and slinking water, nor breathe any thinff but e.\ceedingly hot winds, things most terrible in Arabia : that diey should dwell for ever in continual fire, excessively burn- ing, and be surrounded with a black hot salt smoke, as with a coverlid, &c. Mahomet pretended to receive all his revelations from the angel Gabriel, who, he said, was sent from God, on purpose to ^ tver them unto him. He was subject, it is said, to the la.ling-sickness ; so that whenever the fit w'as upon him he pretended it to be a trance, and that then the Angel Gabriel was come from God with some new revelations. His pretend- ed revelations he put into several c’^apfers ; the collection of which makes up the Koran, .vhich is me Bible of the Mahom etans. Ihe original pf this book was laid up, as he taught 18 202 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES his followers, in the archives of heaven ; and the angel Ga- briel brought him the copy of it, chapter by chapter, as occa- sion required, that they should be published to the people : that is, as often as any new thing was to be set on foot, any objection against him or his religion to be answered, any dif- ficulty to be solved, any discontent among his people to be quieted, any otfence to be removed, or any thing else done for the furtherance of his grand scheme, his constant recourse was to the angel Gabriel for a new revelation ; and then appeared some addition to the Koran, to serve his purpose. But what perplexed him most was, that his opposers demanded to see a miracle from him ; “ for,” said they, “ Moses, and Jesus, and the rest of the prophets, according to thy own doctrine, worked miracles to prove their mission from God ; and therefore, if thou be a prophet, and greater than any that were sent before thee, as thou boasteth thyself to be, do thou work the like miracles to manifest it unto us.” This objection he endeavoured to evade by several answers ; all of which amount only to this, “ that God had sent Moses and Jesus with miracles, and yet men would not be obedient to their word ; and therefore he had now sent him, in the last place, without miracles, to force them by the power of the sword to do his will.” Hence it has become the universal doctrine of the Mahometans, that their religion is to be propagated by the sword, and that all true Mussulmen are bound to fight for it. It has even been said to be a custom among them for their preachers, while they de- liver their sermons, to have a drawn sword placed by them, to denote, that the doctrines they teach are to be defended and propagated by the sword. Some miracles, at the same time, are told, which Mahomet is said to have wrought ; as, ” That he clave the moon in two ; that trees w'ent forth to meet him, Sic. &c. ;” but those who relate them are only such as are rank- ed among their fabulous and legendary writers ; their learned doctors renounce them all ; and when they are questioned, how without miracles they can prove his mission, their common an- swer is, that the Koran itself is the greatest of all miracles ; for that Mahomet, who was an illiterate person, who could neither write nor read, er that any man else, by human wisdom alone, should be able to compose such a book, is, they think, impos- sible. On this Mahomet himself also frequently insists, chal- lenging in several places of the Koran, both men and dev ils, hy their united skill, to compose any thing equal to it, or to any part of it. From all which they conclude, and as they think, infallibly, that this book could come from none other but God himself ; and that Mahomet, from whom they received it, was his messenger to bring it unto them them. In the eighth year of his pretended mission, his party growing formidable at Mecca, the city passed a decree, by vvhich they iorbade any more to join themselves with him. This, however, did not much aSect him, while his uncle Abu Taleb lived to protect him : but he dying two years after, and the govern- OF THE MAHOMETANS. 20J ment of the city then falling into the hands of his enemies, a fresh opposition was renewed against him, and a stop soon put to the turther progress of his designs at Mecca. His wife Cadi- ga being now dead, after living with him two and twentj- years, he took two other wives in her stead, Ayesha, the daughter of Abubeker, and Lewda, the daughter of Zama ; adding a while after to them a third, named Haphsa, the daughter of Omar ; and by thus making himself son-in-law to three of the principal men of his party, he strengthened his interest considerably. Ayesha is said to have been then only six years old ; on which account the completion of that marriage was deferred, though not for many years, the eastern w’omen being very early mar- riageable. In the twelfth year of his mission is placed the mesra, that is, his famous night-journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and thence to heaven ; of which he tells us, in the seventeenth chapter of the Koran : for the people calling on him for mira- cles to prove his mission, and finding himself unable, or being unwilling, to feign any, to solve the matter, he invented this story of his journey to heaven. The storj', as related in the Koran, and believed by the Mahometans, is this : At night as he lay in his bed with his best beloved wife Ayesha, he heard a knocking at his door ; upon w'hich, arising, he found there the angel Gabriel, with seventy pair of w ing's, expanded from his sides, whiter than snow, and clearer than crystal, and the beast -\lborak standing by him ; which, they say, is the beast on which the prophets used to ride, when they rvere carried from one place to another, upon the execution of any divine command. As soon as Mahomet appeared at the door, the angel Gabriel kindly embraced him, saluted him in the name of God, and told him, that he was serrt to bring him unto God into heaven ; where he should see strange mj^steries, which were not law- ful to be seen by any other man. He prayed him then to get upon .“Mborak ; but the beast having lain idle and unemployed from the time of Christ to Mahomet, w‘as grown so mettlesome and skittish, that he would not stand still for Mahomet to mount him, till at length he was forced to bribe him to it, by promising him a place in Paradise. \S hen he was firmly seated on him, the angel Gabriel led the w'ay with the bridle of the beast in his hand, and carried the prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem in the twinkling of an eye. On his coming thither, all the de- parted prophets and saints appeared at the gate of the temple to salute him ; and, thence attending him into the chief oratory, desired him to pray for them, and then withdrew. After this, Mahomet went out of the temple with the angel Gabriel, and tound a ladder of light ready fixed for them, when they imme- diately ascended, leaving Alborak tied to a rock till their return. Oil them arrival at the first heaven, the angel knocked at the gate ; and intormiiig the porter who he was, and that be had 264 RELIGION AND CEREMONIE^j brought Mahomet, the friend of God, he was immediately ad» mitted. This first heaven, he tell^ us, was all of pure silver ; from whence he saw the stars han^g from it by chains of gold, each as big as mount Noho, near Mecca, in Arabia. On his entrance he met a decrepid old man, who it seems was our first father Adam ; and, as he advanced, he saw a multitude of an- gels in all manner of shapes ; in the shape of birds, beasts, and men. We must not forget to observe, that Adam had the piety immediately to embrace the prophet, giving God thanks lor so great a son ; and then recommended himselt to bis pray- ers. From this first heaven, he tells us, that be ascetided into the second, which was at the distance of five hundred years’ journey above it ; and this he makes to be the distance of every one of the. seven heavens, each above the other. Here the gates being opened to him as before, at his entrance he met Noah, who, re- joicing much at the sight of him, recommended himself to his prayers. This heaven was all of pure gold, and there were twice as many angels in it as in the former ; for he tells us that the number of angels in every heaven increased as he advanced. From this second heaven he ascended into the third, which was made of precious stones, where he met Abraham, who also re- commended himself to hisprayers ; Joseph, the son of Jacob, did the same in the fourth heaven, which was all of emerald ; Mo- ses in the fifth, which was all of adamant ; and John the Baptist in the sixth, which was all of carbuncle : whence he ascended into the seventh, which was all of divine light, and here he found Jesus Christ. However it is observed, that here he alters his style ; for he does not say that Jesus Christ recommended himself to his prayers, but that he recommended himself to the pry-ers of Jesus Christ. The angel Gabriel, having brought him thus far, told him that he was not permitted to attend him any further ; and therefore directed him to ascend the rest of the w ay to the thrond-of God by himielf. This he performed with great difficulty, passing through rough and dangerous places, till he came where he heard a voice, saying unto him, “ O MahomeJ^salute thy Crea- tor whence ascending higher, he came into a place where he saw a vast expansion of light, so exceedingly bright, that his eyes could not bear it. This, it seems, was the habitation of the Almighty, where his throne was placed ; on the right side of which, he says, God’s name and his own were written in these Arabic words ; “ La ellah ellallah Mahomet reful ollah that is, “There is no God but God, and Mahomet is his PROPHET,” which is at this day the creed of the Mahometans. Being approached to the divine presence, he tells us, that God entered into a familiar converse with him, revealed to him many hidden mysteries, made him understand the whole of his law, gave him many things in charge concerning his instructing men in the knowledge of it ; and, in conclusion, bestowed on him several privileges above the rest of mankind. He then return- ed, and found the angel Gabriel waiting for him in the place I OF THE MAHOMETANS. 205 where he left him. The. angel led him back along the seven heavens, through which he had brought him ; and set him again upon the beast Alborak, which stood tied to the rock near Jeru- salem. Then he conducted him back to Mecca, in the same man- ner as he brought him thence ; and all this within the space of the tenth part of one night. On his relating this story to the people the next morning after he pretended the thing to have happened, it was received by them with a general outcry ; and the imposture w'as never in greater danger of being totally blasted, than by this ridiculous table. It was deemed at first so grossly ridiculous, that it occasioned the revolt ol many of his disciples, and made his stay at Mecca * no longer practicable. But what he lost at Mecca he gained at Medina, then called Yathreb, a city lying 270 miles north-west Irom Mecca ; which was inhabited, the one part by Jews, and the other by heretical Christians. These, two parties did not agree at all ; and feuds and factions rose at length so high among them, that one party, exasperated against the other, went over to Mahomet. Thus we are told, tliat in the thir- tdenth year of his mission, there came to him from thence seventy- three men and two women. Twelve of these he re- tained awhile with him at Mecca, to instruct them in his new religion ; then sent them back to Yathreb, as his twelve apos- tles, there to propagate it in that town. In this they labourea abundantly, and with such success, that, in a short time, they drew over the greatest part of the inhabitants ; of which Ma- r receiving an account, resolved to go thither immediately, finding it unsafe to continue any longer at Mecca. , • obtained the end at which he had long been aim- ing, that IS, that ot having a town at his command, he entered upon a scheme entirely new. Hitherto he had been only preaching his religion for thirteen years together ; for the re- maining ten \'ears ol his life he took the sword, and fought for it. He had long been teamed and perplexed at Mecca with questions, and objections, and disputes about what he had preached, by w^hich he was often perplexed and put to silence • liencelorth he forbade all manner of disputing ; telling his dis- ciples, that his religion was to be propagated not by dis- puting but by fighting. He commanded them therefore to arm themselves, and slay with the sword all that would not em- brace It, unless they submitted to pay a yearly tribute for the redenaption of their lives. Having erected his standard, he called them all to come armed to it ; and his followers being then veiy numerous, he made several successful expeditions and fanally succeeded in establishing his relic-ion in almost everv part of his own countiy. After his des ^-read ov’er a far greater extent of territory than eve ' itself Tow^ards the endof the loth year of / .Jahoiiiet * The flight from Mecca to V ^ 206 RELTGIOxN AND CEREMONIES look a journey in pilgrimage to Mecca, where a great concourse of people resorted to him from all parts of Arabia, whom he instructed in his law, and then returned to Medina. This pil- f rimage is called by his followers, the i>ilgriinageof valediction, ecause it was the last he made ; for after his return to Medina, he began daily to decline, through the force of poison which he had taken three years before at Caibar. It had been working in him all the while, and had at length brought him so low that he was forced on the 28th day of Saphar, the second month of their year, to take to his bed ; and, on the 12th day of the fol- lowing month, it put an end to his life, after a sickness of thir- teen days. He was buried in the place where he died, which was in the chamber of his best-beloved wile, at Medina ; and there he lies to this day. Mahomet was a man of good stature and comely aspect, and affected much to be thought like Abraham. He had a piercing and sagacious wit, and was extremely well versed in all those arts w'Tiich are necessary to lead mankind. In the first part of his life, be was wicked and licentious, much delighting in ra- pine, plunder, and blood-shed, according to the usage of the Arabs, who have generally followed this kind of life. The Ma- hometans, however, would persuade us, that he was a saint from the fourth year of his age : for then, they say, the angel Gabriel separated him from his fellow's, while he was at play with them ; and carrying him aside, cut open his breast, took out his heart, and wrung out of it that black drop of blood, in which they imagined was contained the fames peccati ; so that he had none of it ever after. His two predominant passions, however, contradict this opinion. They were ambition and lust. The course which he took to gain empire abundantly shews the former ; and the multitude of women with whom be was connected, proves the latter. While Cadiga lived, which was till his fiftieth year, it does not appear that he had any other wife ; for, she being the origin and foundation of all his for- tunes and graadeur, it is probable he durst not displease her by bringing in another wife. But she was no sooner dead, than he multiplied them to a great number, besides which he had several concubines. They that reckon the fewest, allow him to have married fifteen ; but others reckon them to have been one and twenty, of which five died before him, six he divorced, and ten were alive at his death. One of the main arguments which the followers of Mahomet used, to account for his having had so many wives, is, that he might beget young prophets : he left, however, neither prophet nor prophetess tong behind him of all his wives. ^ The two leading articles of the creed of this denomination of religionists are — the unity of God, and the “acknowledgment of Mahomet as his prophet : and, in a catechism, said to have been printed at Constantinople a few' years ago, some further partic- ulars are added, and tlie principal articles to which the young OP 'J’HE MAHOMETANS. 207 Mussulman is there required to give his assent, are comprised iij the lolloping declarations : — ^ “ I believe in the books which have been delivered from heaven to the prophets. In this manner was the Koran eiven to Mahomet, the Pentateuch to Moses, the Psalter to David and the Gospel to Jesus. I believe in the prophets, and the’ miracles which have been performed. Adam was the first prophet, and Mahomet was the last. I believe that for tlie space of filty thousand years, the righteous shall repose under the shade ol the terrestrial Paradise ; and the wicked shall be exposed naked to the burning rays of the sun. I believe in the bridge birat, which passes over the bottomless pit of hell. It is as fine as a hair, and as sharp as a sabre. All must pass over it, and the k icked shad be thrown off. I believe in the water- pools ot Paradise. Each of the prophets has in Paradise a basin tor his own use ; the water is whiter than milk, and sweeter than honey. On the ridges ol the pools are vessels todrink out ot and they are bordered ^Yith stars. I believe in heaven and hell ; the inhabitants of the loriner know no want, and the Houris w'ho attend them are never afflicted with sickness. The floor jM Earadise IS musk, the stones are silver, and the cement gold. Ihe damned are, on the contrary, tormented with fire, and bv voracious and poisonous animals.” rhe great and meritorious act of Mahometan devotion, is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca ; an act which the KorU has enjoined, and the pious Mu.ssulman implicitly performs as riecessaiy to the obtaining pardon of his sins, and qualifying him to be a partaker ot the alluring pleasures and e.xquisite en- joyments ol Paradise. ^ To the speral ai tides of faith to which all his followers w'ere to adhere, Mahomet added four fundamental poids S religious practice : viz. prayer Jive times a day. fasting, a/ms- g-imng-, and the /n. to Mecca. Under the Jrst of these “"T^hended those Irequent washings or purifications which he prescribed as necessary preparations for the duty of prayer, fco necessary did he think them, that he is said to have declared, that the practice of religion is founded upon cleanliness, vvhich is one half of faith, and the key of prayer ” Ihe second of these he conceived to be a duty of so great moment that he used to say it was the gate of religion^ and of him who fasteth is more grate ful to God than that ofjnusk.” The third is looked up^afso' pleasing m the sight ot God, that the Caliph Omar Ebn 4bdal- aziz used to say, Prayer carries us half way to God • fastine- mSn“”‘° his palace; and aliL procure us ad? negative precepts and institutions of this religion 203 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES. The Mussulmen have paid as much superstitious attention to the Koran, as the Jews did to the Bible. They never read or touch the object of their veneration, without the legal ablutions having been performed. The Olhman emperors, in imitation of the ancient caliphs, generally consider it a religious duty to adorn their exemplars of the Kor.an with gold and precious stones. It is the comfort of the Mussulman amidst the busy duties of the camp, and it forms the great solace of their domes- tic toils. Verses from it on their banners incite their marthil spirit ; and its principal sentences, w'ritten on the walls of their mosques, remind them of their social duties. The existence of angels, or beings of a pure and aerial na- ture, who neither eat nor drink, and whose species is continued by creation, who minister at the throne of God, and both watch the conduct of men and record their actions (or judgment, is an article of high import in the Mussulman’s creed. Four an- gels appear to be held in high respect. The angel Gabriel, called the holy spirit ; Michael, the angel of revelation and friend ef the Jews ; Azriel, the angel of death ; and Israfeel, the angel of the resurrection. A race of beings, termed jin, or genii, are fancied to exist ; but they are less pure than the angels : though aerial, they live like men, and will be judged at the last day. On the creation of mankind pride and envy seized the hearts of Eblis and of a numerous band of followers, who, in the regions of hell, have since mourned the loss of their high estate. “ There is not a man or woman,” say the tradi- tions, “ without an angel and a devil.” The devil enters into man as the blood into his body. All the children of Adam, ex- cept Mary and her son, are touched by the devil at the time of their birth, and the children make a loud noise from the touch.” The business of the devil is to suggest evil ; that of the angel, to inform men of the truth. Thus, the Koran says, the devil threatens you with poverty if you bestow in charity, and orders you to pursue avarice but God promises you grace and abun- dance from charity. The sleep of the soul is held by the Koran as a solemn truth. Munker and Nekir, two black angels with blue eyes, enter the tomb, and ask the deceased person the names of his Lord, his religion and his prophet. The faithful answ'cr, God is my Lord, Islam is my religion, and Mahomet is my prophet. Fright- ful torments will be the lot of the infidels, and the angels will announce to the Mussulmen, the nature and degree of the felicity th^ will hereafter enjoy. The unbelievers in Islamism will be condemned to the tor- ments of everlasting 6re : the abodes of misery for the Chris- tians, the Jews, the Sablans, the Magians, and the Idolaters, are each in the succession of their nauacs, more dreadful than the other ; while, with laudable justice, the extreme of punishment is reserved for the hypocrites and nominal professors of every religious system. ««• Mahometan Mlntion, {or Washings) preparatory to Prayer. p. 207. OF THE MAHOMETANS. 209 Retaliation of injuries will be made, and, in the absence of ail other modes of satisfaction, the injurer will forfeit a propor- tionable part of his good works to him whom he has injured : naoral deficiency, the aggressor’s weight of gui t will be burthened with a portion of the crimes of his wrong- ed brother in ihe laith. On the preponderance of virtue or vice, will hang the lot of happiness or woe of every individual. To the bridge A1 Sirat, finer than a hair, and sharper than the edge 01 a sword, both the guilty and the virtuous Moslems will then proceed ; the guilty will sink into hell that is gaping beneath them, where even those who are least culpable will have their leet shod with shoes of fire, the fervour of which will make their skulls boil like cauldrons : yet, as it is a great doctrine of Islam ism that no unbeliever will ever be released, nor any per- son who in his lite time has professed the unity of God be con- demned to eternal punishment, so those to whom the passage of le bridge has proved too difficult, will remain in misery for different periods of time, and until “ the crimes done in their days ot nature shall have been burnt and purged away.” The virtuous Mussulmen under the guidance of the prophet, will, with the swiltness of lightning, pass the abyss in safety, and reach the grovp and gardens of the seventh heaven, or Para- dise, where palaces of marble, and all the idle toys of worldly exquisite pleasure will ^ never-fading beauties, ? large black eyes is so sweetly tempered by modesty, that to use he expressive language of the Koran, “ they re- re"thL^orof th Seventy-two houris will' meanest believer. All his desires will be 9.1, formation, and the songs of the daughters of Paradise will add to his delights. Of thi realit? of these pleasures, the Koran speaks decisitelv • and we ran not w.thout a violation of sen^se, turn theZ been JxaTterfn Mussulmen, those whf have j j ®'"mence of virtue and learning and annetTm ^ than those of luxuo’ and appetite. Such mean pleasures will be lost in the mental Dehy^ eternal truth, and in the daily contemplation of the daffied SeTnS‘‘‘ on Friday, because the prophet dis- iifi ^ servile imitator of either the Jewish or systems. On that day, solemn prayers are to be ?d bv m the mosques, and ffie Koran h ?rbe expound- ed by some appointed preacher. The larger the congreSn the more efficacious will be the prayers. But ffie 2ne?a oh ’ rvoran says, mthe intervals of preaching and of prayer be- lievers may di^sperse themselves through the land as thev list and seek gam for ,he liberali.y of God5>4y p^ulng wjrlly’ •210 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES occupations and innocent amusements, as the context shews us is the meaning. The practice of frequent ablutions is deemed very meritoii- ous by the Mussulmen. The cleansing of the body is pronounc- ed by Mahomet to be the key of prayer, without which it cannot be acceptable to God ; and, in order to keep the mind attached to the practice, believers are enjoined to pour fine sand over the body, when pursuing their journies through the deserts of the east. Fasting is another of the Mahometan duties, although this may be voluntary and occasional. The month of Ramadan was distinguished for the purpose of abstinence ; in which the Koran was sent down from heaven. During this consecrated period, no gratification of the senses, or even support of the body, are allowed from the morning until night. At night, however, the corporeal frame may be renovated, the spirits recruited, and nature may resume her rights. In Ramadan retaliation of injuries is forbidden, nor must even “ the voice be raised on account of enmity.” A keeper of a fast (whether legal or voluntary) who does not abandon lymg and detrac- tion, God cares not for his leaving off eating and drinking. A tenth part of the property, whether consisting of land, | cattle, or goods, which has been for a twelvemonth in the pos- ' session of an individual, is the demand on his charity by the Mahometan law. Hassan, the son of Ali, and grandson of Mahomet, twice in his life divided his goods between himself I and the distressed ; and the Caliphs Omar and Abu-Beker ev- ery week distributed abroad in charity the difference between j their expenses and revenue. It is well known that the rite of circumcision is practised j amongst the Mahometans. In the Koran, however, there are no positive injunctions on the performance of circumcision, but as it had been invariably practised in Arabia by tbe Ishmael- itish Arabs, the descendants of Abraham, Mahomet speaks of it as a matter in universal use, and apparently as not wanting the sanction of a legislator to insure its continuance. On the performance of this rite, religious instruction is to be com- menced. ” Order your children to say their prayers when they are seven years of age, and beat them if they do not do so when they are ten years old.” The jurisprudence of the Mussulman is, in many respects, wise and salutary. , , r The Moslem law books recognize three general classes ot judicial officers — muftis, cadis, and mujtahids.* It is the duty ♦ The names and powers of the different ecclesiastical judges vary in Moslem countries. The principles upon which the matter rests, is alone the object of this work ; but it may be remarked, that in India the cadi is the supreme civil judge. In Turkey, the mufti is the nomi- nal chief magistrate ; but he has no tribunal, and never decides causes, except those of the greatest moment. The cadi is the ordinary judge. 211 OF THE MAHOMETANS. of the mufti to apply the law, whether religious, civil, or crim- inal, to particular cases ; to resolve all doubts which may be put ^ him on the written applications of individuals. But if the Koran and traditions are silent on the subject, the mufti must reply, that the sacred books afford him no information. I he cadi IS the officer who gives the law operation and effect His decisions are regulated by the Koran, or the traditions, or esteemed commentaries on those books. When a novel case occurs, he exercises his own judgment. The mujtahids are men who are skilled in a more than ordinaiy degree in legal matters, and are a court of appeal from the cadi, or ordinary judge, in solemn and important causes. '‘"iv prescribed by the law of the Koran are performed by the Mussulmen of every nation in Turkey with all possible strictness. No religious act is praiseworthy with Ood, un.ess the body is previously placed in a state of purity. 1 he professed object of the ceremonial is, the rendering of the body fit for the decorous discharge of religious duties ; and .«o scrupulous are the Turks, that if in the course of their daily prayers they chance to receive any pollution from dirt, they suspend their devotion, until the impurity is removed by water or other necessary means. The fountains which are placed round all the mosques, and the baths which crowd every city enable the Mussulmen to prepare themselves for the five daily prayers. At the appointed time the Maazeen, with their faces gener- ally turned towards Mecca, with closed eyes, and upraised hands, pace the little gal ery of the minarets, and proclaim in in Mussulmen’s language of prayer ) that the hour of devotion is arrived. Immediately attef^he clear and solemn voice of the crier is heard, the Mussulman whatever m.ay be his rank, or employment in life, gives himself up to praver. The ministers of state suspend the tranSion of pu die busine.ss, and prostrate themselves on the floor. The tradesman forgets his dcalin-s with his customers, and converts his shop into a mosque. He is a good Mussulman, be never fans m the perfoimance of his five namazs every day ” is the highest pra.se which a Turk can receive ; and so prejudicial iS its consequences is the suspicion of irreligion, that even liber- tines neglect not attention to the external ritual. Twice or thrice, in the course of the day, these devotions are performed n he mosque ; for the mosques are alwavs open, fn a vws- -trate or erect position, the prayers are offered up. Avorredly In Persia, the shaikh-ul-islam is the principal adminictrofA. i to him. The towns and villages have judicial officers, according m the inportanceof the place. The chief priests, or muitahids have a great though unr.efined power over the courts of law. The iudirei continually suhimt cases to them. In all Moslem courts of import- ance, the cadi is assisted by several mollahs, or learned men. ^ > 212 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES in opposition to the Jewish practice the Moslems keep on their boots and shoes in the mosque ; they seldom lay aside their turbans. The women, in the seclusion of their chambers, cover themselves with a veil in these moments of communion with heaven. Verses of the Koran, the names, and personal de- scriptions of Mahomet, of Ali and his sons, and other Moslem saints, are inscribed in letters of gold, round the walls of places of public worship ; but there are no altars, pictures, or statues. Persons of every rank and degree cast themselves indiscrimi- nately on the carpeted floor, exhibiting by this voluntary sacri- fice of worldly distinction their belief in the equality of all mankind in the sight of the Creator. Infidels are prohibited from entering the mosques, and the order of the grand Sultan, ©r chief magistrate, can alone suspend the operation of the law. Friday, the sabbath of the Mussulmen, is observed in a less rigourous manner than the sabbath is by Protestant Christians. This consecrated period commences on the Thursday evening, when the appearance of festivity is given to the cities by the illuminated minarets and colonades of the mosques. At noon on Frida}’, every species of employment is suspended, and the faithful repair to their temples. Prayers of particular impor- tance and solemnity are read, which the people, making various prostrations and genuflections, repeat after the imams. Ser- mons are preached by the sheik or vaiz. Points of morality, and not of controversial theology, are the general subjects of their discourses. In the warnith of their sincerity, they often declaim against political corruption and the depravity of the court. In times of public cximmotion, they irritate or appease the popular tumult, and the eloquence of a preacher in the mosque of Saint Sophia has made a weak and voluptuous sultan tear himself from the silken web of his haram, and lead his martial subjects to the plains of Hungary. 'I he prayers and preaching being concluded, ever)' body returns to his ordinary occupations or amusements. The day is, however, observed in the manner prescribed by the law by all ranks of persons, and the words of the prophet are never forgotten, that he, who without legitimate cause absents himself from public prayer for three successive Fridays, is considered, to have abjured his religion. The Namaz, the prayer in general use, is chiefly a confession of the divine attributes and of the nothingness of man, a solemn act of homage and gratitude to the Eternal Majesty. The faithful are forbidden to ask of God the tem- poral blessings of this frail and perishable life : the only legiti- mate object of the .supplicatory part of the Namaz is spiritual gifts and the ineffable advantages of eternal felicity. The Turks may pray, however, for the health of the sultan, the prosperity of the country, and division and v^ars among Chris- tians. In this religion of ceremonies and prayer, no sacred institu- tion is more strictly and generally observed by the Turks than the fast of Ramadan. A violation of it by any individual I OF THE MAHOMETANS. 213 subjects liiin to the character of an infidel and apostate ; and tii^e deposition of two witnesses to liis offence renders him worthy ot death. Perfect abstinence from ever>- kind of support to the body, and even from the refreshment of perfumes, is observed Irom the rising to the setting of the sun. I he pilgrimage to Mecca is made an affair of stale ; and although every individual furnishes his own viaticum, yet the grand sultan preserves the public ways, and the best soldiers of the empire are charged with the protection of the caravans. Lvery year from Damascus and Grand Cairo, the devout Moslems depart in «)lemn and magnificent procession ; and the native band of the Turks is swelled in the desert by the Moors ol every part of Atrica and Asia. i*>om the shores of the At.anlic on the one band, and the most remote parts of the East votaries of the prophet are seen in the roads to Mecca. The common horrors o( the desert are despised by fanaticism, but the harassing depredations of the roving Arabs^ ^^ ho respect not the religion nor tear the sword of the pikrims’ almost exhaust the fidelity of the Moslems. On arriviiig atThe precincts of the Holy Land, the devotees make a geSl aK jution with water and sand, repeat a prayer naked, and clothe tt lemselves with the fhram or sacred habit, which consists only f cloths, and sandals defending the .oles of the feet, but eaving the rest bare. They utter a oar- ncular invocation, and advance to Mecca. Spiritual meditation areTar^forbMdL^"'’^^^^^ occupations and pleas- “.S’jl'SicCsr fs Mahomet, finding he could not conquer the ancient suner stition of the Arabians for this stone canseH •?. thereon that Allah (God) was Achbar (that is Maximus {"'rhe custom of dancing: roimd this stone is still kept up by the Tu^k if ' ;'r i", “t alvnys saying ‘‘ Allah Achbar.’’ ^ u'Jwidii.g.y kis.s it ; Tn f I !' temple begin the prnre- iion i> i o fcn proaed to II, o l„„ whiciT rcaa,cf,,„ i'i li.L''2f i V 211 REU'JION' Ai\D CEREMONIES contre of the body ; then they ffo round seven times with sliorl quick steps, shaking: their shoulaers in the first three circuits, in manifestationem certaininis contrae associatores, (i. e. Christia- lios) ;* in tfie four last circuits they proceed with a slow pace, and as often as they pass the black stone always salute it, and linish the procession by kissing and embracing it. This de- scription could only be given by a Mussulman, or one, as in this case, who assumed the character of one ; for it is death for a Christian to be seen at their rites. The Caaba is open three days. On the first and second, the men and women alternately offer up their devotions ; and on the third, the sheriff of Mecca, the chiefs of the tribes, and the illustrious strangers in the city wash and sweep the temple, riie water, foul with the dirt of the Caaba, is eagerly caught -nd drank by the surrounding fanatics. The brooms of palm 'eaves are treasured as relics. The purification is completed by cutting off that part of the black cloth that sunounds the door and bottom of the building, and dividing it among the pil- frims. A visit to the neighbouring mountain of Arafat is the next part of the duty. This visit is called the feast of sacrifice, and can only be performed at a certain time (two months and ten days) after the fast of Ramadan. The best of supplications, say the traditions, is on this day, whether offered at Arafat or elsewhere. The afternoon prayer is repeated in the tents, and the pilgrims repair to the foot of the mountain to watch the setting of the sun. At the instant it disappears, the multitude leave the place, and with the utmost haste endeavour to reach a small chapel, called Mosdelifa, before the last moment of twilight, in order to repeat the prayer of the setting sun and the night prayer at the same time. On the morning after the journey to Mount Arafat, the pil- grims go to Mina, near whose fountain the devil built himself a house, A few small stones, (an uneven number), which each of the pilgrims had collected the preceding evening at Mosde- lifa, they cast at the house, not so much with a view to imure the building as to shew their detestation of its owner. Two pillars erected by or to the devil are likewise assailed. A sa- crifice of a goat, a camel, or a cow, is then made, in commem- oration of Abraham’s obedience to the divine command by the intended sacrifice of his son. In the intervals between this religious rite and other ceremonies the pious Moslem turns to Mecca, kisses the sacred stone, and circumambulates the Caa- ba. 7'he pilgrims stay three days in the ^alley of Mina, then return to Mecca, and speedily depart for their several coun- tries. Islamism, as well as Christianity, has ils fanatics. This op- i pro1)rious title was, in the early days of Moslem history, appli- ^ cable to all the followers of Mahomet ; but in these times, tanaticism supports not so much the religion itself, as various * Inicstfinonv of (heir er roity to Chriftianily. OF Til!:: MAIIOxMETANS. 21o deviations from it. Under the name of SoofTees, Fakirs, and Dervishes, the entlnisiasts of Mahometanism are spread from the Atlantic to the Ganges. The holy mendicants ot the Turk- ish empire are divided into thirty-two sects. Th.cy pass their days and nights in prayer, fasting, and in every species of bodily pain and mortification. Ceremonies similar to incanta- tions, violent dances, frightful gesticulations, repetitions oi the n.ime of Allah, for hours, nay days together, impress the vulgar with a sense of their spiritual superiority. Dr. Clarke gives the follortfing account of the Dancing Dcr vishes : As vve entered the mosque, we observed twelve or four- teen Dervishes, walking slowly round before the superior, in a small space surrounded with rails, beneath the dome of the building. Several spectators were standing on the outside ol the railing ; and being, as usual, ordered to take olf our shoes, we joined the party. Presently, the Dervishes, crossing the.ii- arms over their breasts, and with each of their hands grasping their shoulders, began obeisance to the superior, who stood with his back against the wall, facing the door of the mosque. Then each in succession, as he passed the superior, having fashioned his bow, began to turn round, first slowly, but after- ferwards with such velocity, that his long garments llying out in the rotatory motion, the whole party appeared spinning and turning like so many umbrellas upon their handles. As they began, their hands were disengaged from their shoul- ders, and raised gradually above their heads. At length, as the velocity of the whirl increased, they were all seen with their arms extended horizontally, and their eyes closed, turning with inconceivable rapidity. The music, accompanied by voices, served to animate them ; while a steady old fellow in a green pelisse, continued to walk among them wdth a fixed counte- nance, and expressing as much care and watchfulness, as if his life would expire with the slightest failure in the ceremony. This motion continued for the space of fifteen minutes. Sud- denly, on a signal given by the directors of the dance, unob- served by the spectators, the Dervishes all stopped at the same in.'tant, like the wheels of a machine ; and, what is more extra- ordinary, all in a circle, with their faces invariably turned to- wards the centre, crossing their arms on their breasts, and grasping their shoulders, as before, bowing together, with the utmost regularity, at the same instant, almost to the ground. Alter this they began to walk, as at first, each following the other within the railing, and passing the superior, as before. As soon as their obeisance bad been made, they began to turn again. This second exhibition lasted as long as the first, and Y?" similarly concluded. They then began to turn for the third time ; and, as the dance lengthened, the music grew loud-, er and more animating. Perspiration became evident on the faces of the Dervishes ; the extended garments of some of them began to droop ; and little accidents occurred, such as their strik^g against each other : they nevertheless persevered 216 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES, 50,000 in Society, besides oc- casional hearers. The Calvin- istic Methodists are probably equally numerous with the Ar- minian ; and the Indepen- dents, Baptists, and Presbyte- rians, with a few other sects, may be reckoned equal to both classes of Methodists. The Roman Catholics are estimated at nearly 100,000 ; and the Friends are very numerous ; so that the whole body of Dissen- ters must certainly exceed a million, and make about one tenth of the population. All who arc not Dissenters are gen- erally considered Members of the Establishment ; but if we farther deduct all who make no profession of Religion, and w ho attend to no forms of worship, the number of real Churchmen must be still considerably re- duced. For a man who neither believes the articles, nor at- tends the worship of the est.ib- lishment, has no more right to be called a Churchman than a Mahometan or a Chinese. Po- pulation 1 1 ,0U0,tKK). Govern- ment, limited monarchy. 'I'he two celebrated Univer- sities ofOxfcrd Cambridge give I Rresenl Stale of R^li^ion, iec. I EUROPE. ENGLAND and WALES. Among the circumstances favourable to vital Religion in this countiy may be reckoned the following ; 1. The Insti- tution of Bible Societies, and particularly that great en- gine of benevolence, ‘ The British and Foreign Bible So- ciety,’ which in ten years, has been the mean, in whole or in part, at home and abroad, of printing and distributing 1,- 148,850 bibles and testaments. With this parent society are connected more than 400 Aux- iliary and Branch Societies, in the British dominions only. 2. The general establish- ment of Free Schools for the Education of the poor: as 1. Sunday Schools for childrea employed in manufactories and manual labour. 2. Daily Schools either for children of the Church of England, as Dr. Bell’s ; or for all denomina- tions, as those of the British and Foreign School Society, whose influence promises to be as extensive as that of the Bi- ble Society. 3. Schools for Adults, whose education has been neglected till they came to years of maturity. 3. V'illage preaching, by which the gospel is spreading in all the obscure and distant parts of the Kingdom, where it had not usually been heard. 4. Societies for Foreign Mis- sions, which now exist in al- most every denomination of Christians, and extend to evciy quarter of the world. 5. Benevolent Institutions, adapted to meet and to relieve almost every species of human intsorv TABULAR APPENDIX. 219 Heligious Dtnominations^ kc. 1 Prtsent Stale oj Heligion, &c. ;^ive a spring to education through the kingdom. The number of members, teachers and students, about 3000 in each. These universities have, for several ages, produced ma- ny of the first scholars in Eu- rope. During the present cen- tury, by means of the Lancas- terian and other systems of in- struction, education has been much more extended to the children of all classes of the community, than at any former period. More than 200,000 children are now enjoying the benefits of instruction under the patronage of the National Ed- ucation Society. miseiy ; and these supported in times and circumstances, which bear very hard upon the class of persons by whom they are chiefly maintained. In Wales, it may be added, the children of the poor have derived great advantage from Circulating Schools, nmich re- main for a certain time to teach the children of a particular dis- 1 trict, and then remove to. in- struct another. SCOTLAND and the adjacent Isles. The Scotch Kirk, or Pres- Iwterians ; the Protestant Dissenters from which are call- ed Seceders, and are divided into Bui^hers, Anti-burghers, and the Relief Kirk, &c. It is remarkable that Episcopalians also, by crossing the Tweed become Dissenters. Popula- hon 2,000,000. Government, limited monarchy. ; SCOTLAND Partakes in all that has been said of England ; and has been particularly benefited by the institution of Sabbath Schools, which have been introduced into many parts of the country with great success. Four Universities testify the literary eminence of Scotland. That of Edinburg is very fa- mous. In no country of Europe is education so fully enjoyed by the poorer classes of com- munity as in Scotland. Par- ish Schools are established throughout the country. The religious system of the Presby- terians requires much attention to be paid to family instruc- tion, and has produced the most visible and salutary ef- fects. IRELAND. Church of England, with the like toleration as in Eng- land ; and the like disabilities as to the Catholics, who form (according | IRELAND Is certainly far behind England in mental culture, and has been kept back by priestcraft and superstition. Now, however, the TABULAR APPENDIX. no ILtliginw l)cnominalio7is, k-c. (according to .«ome writers,) “ two thirds of the population of Ireland.” The Wesleyan Methodists have in their Societies above 29,000 (besides occasional hearers ;) there is also a consid- erable number of Presbyteri- ans (especiallj' in the North) and other protestant dissenters ; so that the established Religion can hardly claim more than one fourth of the population. Pop- ulation 5,000,000. Govern- ment, limited monarchy. HOLLAND and the Netherlands. The Reformed Church, or Calvinism, is the Establish- ed Religion of Holland, with a general toleration to all other sects ; but though Calvinism must be considered as the Es- tablished Religion, a great part of the people are Armin- ians, under the forms and dis- cipline of Calvin, as is also the c.ase in Scotland. The Ne- therlanders are generally Cath- olics, with a limited toleration to all other sects ; but being now brought under the same government as Holland, will probably much increase the Protestant interest. Popula- 7,000,000. Govemment, lim- ited monarchy. DENMARK Present Slate of Religion, &c. the various denominations of Protestants are vying with each other in the propagation of evangelical doctrine through the country. The Sunday- School, Hibernian, and other societies are displaying great zeal in teaching the rising gen- eration to read the bible, not only in English, but in the Irish language, where the for- mer is not understood. The University of Dublin is ancient and respectable, containing, usually, about 400 students. The Dublin Society, for the improvement of agriculture and manufactures, founded in I 1731, is the oldest in Europe. 1 Learning among the great mass of the people is lamentably neg- lected. The Catholic Priests prohibit the reading of the Scriptures. HOLLAND. Before the French Invasiorr of Holland, there were reckon- ed 1579 Ministers in the Es- tablishment, 90 of the Walloon Church, (or Protestant Church of the United Netherlands) 800 Catholics, 53 Lutherans, 43 Arminians, and 312 Bap- tists. The French introduced their infidel philosophy, but it was not adapted to the people, who are generally grave and steady. There are also many pious Christians, who have not only contributed freely of their property to the cause of re- ligion ; but several of the most useful Missionaries in Africa have been from that country, as Vanderkemp, Kicherer, &c. There are seven Universities in the kingdom of the Nether- lands, of which, those of Ley- TABULAR APPENDIX. 221 Rciigiolis Dc7iominationsj &c» li t I DENMARK and its Islands. Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics ; the latter with Mennonites (or Baptists) exist under some restraints and disa- bilities. Population, 3 mil- lions. Government, absolute monarchy. The Lutherans of Denmark have departed less from the original principles of the Reformation, than any other part of the Lutheran Church. SWEDEN, Norway, and their dependencies. Lutherans, Calvinists, Catholics, and Sw'edenborgians (or New Jerusalem Church} which are in Sweden numerous and respectable. The Catho- lics are under some restraints as to the Publicity of the Re- ligious ceremonies. The re- cent union between Norway and Sweden null make no al- teration in the st.ite of Reli- gion,as they were both Protest- ant kingdoms. Population 4., 000, 000. Prese nt Slate of Rtligion, &c. den and Louvain are famous. Since the erection of the king- dom of the Netherlands, in 1811, this county has been fa.st improving. The national Bible Society is highly respec- table, and the means of educa- tion are diffused throughout the country. DEN.MARK. The Danes have formerly taken an active part in Mis- sions to the Heathen, particu- larly in India, and have par- ticularly countenanced the Uni- ted Brethren inGreenland, and in the West-India Islands. They had also the honour to patronize and foster the Bap- tist Mission at Serampore, when discountenanced by our Ea.st India Company. The King, it is said, has expressed a great desire for the instruc- tion of his subjects, and the British system of Education is intended to be introduced. The * Scriptures have been printed at Copenhagen in the Icelandic Dialect, for the use of Iceland. SWEDEN. A Bible Societj’ has been formed at Stockholm, which has co-operated with that in London, in printing the Scrip- tures in the Swedish language and that of Lapland. The Stockholm Society is also ac- tive in the circulation of Re- ligious Tracts in those lan- guages. A Bible Society has been also formed at Abo in Finland, by the aid of the Lon- don Society, for the printing of the Finnish Scriptures, to which 222 TABULAR APPENDIX. R*lieious Denomir>ntinn.i. &r. Present State of Religion, See. 4,000,000. The government of Sweden is a limited monar- chy— of Norway monarchical. The latter liingdom, which has long been in a state of par- tial civilization, is expected to derive much benefit from its ».nion with Sweden. which the present Emperor of Russia has contributed 5000 rix-dollars. There are many Scientific and Library socie- ties in this country, and in- I creasing attention is paid to the establishment of primary schools. Most of the children are taught to reail. The pres- ent monarch is anxious to make himself and his family popular with his native sub- jects by promoting their best interests and general happi- ness. PRUSSIA. Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics, with a free tol- eration to others ; which may partly be attributed to the infidel principles of Frederick the Great, and partly to the influence of Protestant princi- ples in the country. It is doubtful whether this general toleration has been favourable to the interests of religion. Population 8,000,000. Gov- ernment, hereditary monarchy. I'he military profession, from the time of Frederick the Great, has been very popular HI Prussia, and education has been too much neglected. At this time many of the Prussian States are well furnished with elementary schools. PRUSSIA. Berlin is famous for an ex- cellent Seminary for the Edu- cation of Protestant Ministers ; and several Missionaries to the heathen have been furnished from that quarter to different Societies in England. A Bible Society was formed at Berlin in 1806, to which the King himself was both a contributor and patron. SAXONY Is to be divided, which will give nearly a million of sub- jects to Prussia (included i above) and leave about 1,200,- j 000 subjects under the old gov- ernment. 'I’he inhabitants are chiefly Lutherans orCalvinists. Population 1,000,000. Gov- ernment, monarchical. POLAND SAXONY. Little is known of the reli- gious state of Saxony, which aas been wholly occupied with political events. Yet no one :an contemplate the religious listory of this country without he deepest interest. The na- ive country of Luther and the :radle of the Reformation, Sax- ony TABULAR APPENDIX. 223 U'trlif'ious De7iominalions,~iic. i ! i POLAND. Catholics, with toleration to Protestants under certain disabilities. The Lutherans are governed by a consistor}', and the Calvinists by a Prin- cipal and three Seniors. This state is about being again formed into a distinct govern- ment, under the protection of Russia. Transylvania in 1787 contained 20,700 Socinians, usually called the Polish Brethren. Population 6.000,- 000. Government of the pres- ent “ Kingdom of Poland,” a constitutional monarchy, vest- ed in a viceroy, who is ap- pointed by the Emperor of Russia ; with a Senate of thirty members ; and a diet of 77 deputies. Prfstnl State of Rdiginn, (ze. ony, like Judea, has now lost, to a great degree, its share in the privileges of the Church of Christ. 1 he greater part of the population are nominally Lutnerans, though far degener- ated from the principles and practices of the Reformers. The present reigning family, and a part of the subjects are Catholics. Some sciences are much cultivated, and the lower classes are generally taught to read and write. The annual Book-fair at Leipsic is the greatest in Europe. POL.VND. The plan of a Bible Society for this countrj' is just formed under the auspices of the Em- peror Ale.xander. The prin- cipal part of this fine country is in feudal lordships, the most of the people are very ignorant, and the state of religion, con- sequent!}’, low. Inhere are more Jews in Poland than in any other country in Europe. Their number has been esti- mated at 2,000,000. They possess a great part of the trading capital of the nation. And should it please the God of Jacob to dispose them to unite their exertions to “ as- semble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dis- persed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,” to the fold of Christ, it would seem they might be able to elfect it. There is no efficient system of Education for the poor in thr* . country.. 224 TABULAR APPENDIX. Religious Denovnnalions, &c. AUSTRIA, Hungary, and Bohe- mia. The Established Religion of this great Empire was the Catholics, but from the inter- rr'xture of Protestant states, contains a considerable number of Lutherans, Calvinists and other Protestants of all denom- inations ; and, by the new Constitution, there is to be a perfect equality of rights and privileges among the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Cal- vinistic churches. In Hungary it was calculated in 1787, that the Catholics and Protestants were nearly equal ; besides which, this kingdom was stated to contain 223,000 Jews, 50,- 000 Gypsies, and a great num- ber of Greek Chrstians. Popu- lation 20,0007000. Govern- ment, monarchical, nearly ab- solute. SWITZERLAND, PicdmOIlt, ^C. Switzerland is divided into 22 Cantons : those of Berne, Zurich, Lc. are Calvinists ; Uri, Schweitz, ^c. Catholic ; some aie composed of both Re- ligions, and the French intro- duced a considerable portion of infidelity. The Vallais, or in- habitants of the vallies of Pied- mont, were fonnerly called Waldenses, Present i>late of Religion, SicT' AUSTRIA. The establishment of Bible and Missionary Societies in va- rious parts of Germany must greatly subserve the cause of Christianity. On its being represented to the British and Foreign Bible Society, in Lon- don, that there were upwards of a million of Protestants in Hungary, who were in great want of Bibles, and too poor to purchase them, 6001. was given for the formation of a So- ciety in that country, for print- ing and circulating the Scrip- tures in the Hungarian and Sclavonian dialects, which has been effected. Bible Societies have also been lately formed at Dresden and Hanover. The United Brethren have spread a sweet savour of Evangelical Religion throughout Bohemia, Moravia, and various other parts of Germany, from whence also they have sent Missiona- ries to the remotest parts of the earth. Some of the Austrian Universities are richly endow- ed, but the great principles of education are but indifferently understood in that country, and, among the more numerous classes of the community, is much neglected. SWITZERLAND. The Canton of Basle has of late been remarkable for ac- tivity in promoting the circu- lation of the Scriptures, and the cause of Missions, so long as they had any means left them- The modern Waldenses, which are a simple and pious people, are divided into 13 parishes with each a minister ; they had formerly TABULAR APPENDIX. Religious Di'nomin alionf, &'■. WaJdenseSjOf which, there are .'till some remains ; but a great part of the people were driven by a long and cruel persecu- tion within the pale of the Ro- man Church, in which they still continue. Population 4.- 000,000. Government — each Canton is an independent re- piiblic, but the whole are uni- ted in a confederacy, governed by a general diet. In some of the Cantons the government is democratic, but in most of them It IS ddigarchic with few lim- i be government of Pied- mont is monarchical. fraftce. . Catholics, with free tolera- tion to Protestants, who are very numerous in the South of r ranee, but with a great num- ber of Infidels throughout the country. Jews, and all other denominations, are likewise tol- ^ateil Population, 24,000,- ^®^^^0''e™meHt,limited mon- a<25 rrjHul Stute_ o T^ igi^Sze. " formerly 15 great schools, OO smaller, and two Latin schools. Both the ministers and school.s s^ubsisted m a great measure lYiCbarifable assistance from Holland Switzerland, and even England ; but the events of the late war have reduced them to much WTetchedness and misery. Ever since the establishment of the free insti- tutions of Switzerland, this country has been much distin- guished for the general infor- mation ol its citizens. The Protestant Cantons, at least b®''C educated their children as well as any part of Europe. Geneva, the largest city in the countiy, where the Reforma- tion was matured by Calvin and his associates, and which became the nursery of the Presbyterian church, has al- ways taken the lead in educa- lion, and has now a very fiour- jshmg university. At present, Bwilzerland is recovering from the desolations of the late war'-. Education is provided for by tjie ^poj t of Primary Srhnnic FRANCE. In the South of France the gospel IS heard with eagerne.ss and evangelical ministers from other countries are received liberty ot conscience is alfow- [ed, and there is an university ; or the education of the pro^ : testant clergy. Mr. Alartin a young minister from Rour- dean.K, is now in England for the expre.ss purpose of learn- ing the new 'y,'feiii of educa- j It into his native country. Re- ligious 20 H2U TABULAR APPENDIX. Hehgio iis iJe iiuini7ialio)Ui, &c. SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. Catholics, without ToleratioH to any otlier Denomination. — The late Cortes shewed a dis- position to enliffhlen the peo- ple, and tolerate Protestants ; but Ferdinand V^Il. since his return has re-establislied the order of Jesuits, and the Inqui- sition ; and liberal men have been made the objects of per- secution. — The Catholic Cler- gy in Spain are estimated at 5^00,000, and in Portugal but little less. In Portugal the same bigotry and superstition prevails, but the assistance they have received from the English inclines them to some- what more liberality ; and English Protestants may live unmolested, though not belov- ed. Population, 13,000,000. ' The Government of Spain is a lihnifed hereditary monarchy, the power of making laws is tixed in the Cortes jointly with the King — The Government of Portugal is monarchical, with a Cortes like that of Spain. Freseut Stole of Religio n, ,Vc. ligious toleration and the gen- eral distribution of landed property, effected by the late changes in France, have given a spring to education among that wealthy and active peo- ple which is likely to produce the happiest effects. The pro- tesfants are making great ex- ertions to promote the interests of religion and education, with much encouragement and suc- cess. Here are 22,300 “ Pri- mary Schools.” Still the great majority o| children are with- out education. SPAIN. The introduction of an Eng- lish army into these countries had a tendency to weaken the prejudices of the people against Protestants as heretics, though there is little to recommend true religion in the general morals of the soldiers. Some of the late Cortes were also fa- vourable to a reformation of religion, and of the priests, which has been lately given as the true reason of their being so obnoxious to the present government, which is certainly under the influence of the church. The Spanish univer- sities, which have heretofore been numerous, and all their literary institutions, are in a low state. The pernicious ef- fects of monastic influence have excluded the modern improve- menl.s in education. The country appears to be getting into a settled slate under the ancient regimen ; and the late [' commotions, it would seem, < must produce an activity fa- vourable to true religion and education. The operations of the press are rapidly iucreas- ihgj and the effect is sure. TABULAR APPENDIX. 227 Helisious DennininatioHi, &c. IT^LY, including: Naples and Sicily, Sardinia, &c. Rome is the metropolis of the Cawo/jc Church, and the Pope- dom. No toleration to Protest- ants can be expected here, though the Pope shews some peculiar civilities to the Eng- lish nation, for which he has certainly abundant reason : but be ha.s complained of a protestant church being allow- '^^nice. There are 9 or 10,000 Jews resident in Rome and Its vicinity. ^^babitants of Naples and Sicily (about six millions) are also Catholics. In 1782 there were counted in Naples j above 45.525 priests, 24,694 ' monks, 20,793 nuns ; but the ! next year a decree passed to dissolve 4GG convents, which must have greatly lessened *em. Population 15,000,000. Oovernment. monarchical. turkey in Europe, with the I^es ot the Archipelago. The Empire is Mahometan, and 1 deration is purchased by the payment of a capitation lax. Of Christians, those of -the Greek Church are far the most numerous, and are in some parts (as in Moldavia and Wal- lachia) admitted to places of trust and honour. The Greeks m general, are subject to the’ ratnarch ot Constantinople in ecclesiastical matters ; but n Armenians, yopts, Ncstorians, kc. The Jews are very numerous, and subject to a chief of their own na tion. Government despotic ropulation, 8,000,000. Present Stat e of Religion. S,t. IT^U.Y. A protestant congregation has been lately formed at Na- ples ; the government has granted them one of the unoc- cupied churches for their wor- ship, and there seems a great disposition to listen to evangel- ical preaching. It is said al^, the Pope has complained ot the protestant worship being , tolerated at Venice. Catholic bigotry has long had le^s influ- ence in Italy than in some oth- er countries. Little of reli- gion remains in this fine couij- try but the forms of the cath- olic church. The state of education is very low. And, although monastic influence is declining, the indolence of the people prevents any great ef- lorts lor its rev>val. TURKEY. It is hoped among the Greek as well as Protestant Chris- tians, thinly scattered over this empire, may be found the seed ol a future Christian church, whenever it may please God to open a door tor the gospel to enter this country. Great ef- forts are made by the Greeks amid all the burdens of their oppressive war, to restore their ancient literature. Should they ©btain their independence, of which theiprospect is favoura- ble, there is reason to expect the establishment of Christian- ity ainong them, on gospel principles, which may open the way for the restoration of the church to the land of its nativ- ity. Frorn thg indolent and dissolute Turk little is to be expected. 228 TADLTLAR APPExNDIX. JieOgious Dineminations. Szc. RUSSIA in fiurdpe. The Greek Church is ihe es- tablishment in this country, with a free Toleration to Ras- koliiiks, or Dissenters, as well as to Catiiolics, Protestants and Jews. The Church is guverned, not by the patriarch of Constanti- nople, as formerly ; but hv a grand national council of fk- clesiastics, in which the Em- peror has a layman of high rank as his representative. The church service is perform- ed in the old Sdavonian lan- guage. — [Pinkerton.] Popu- lation, 33,000,000. Govern- ment, a Constitutional mon- archy. Prtntnl Stott of Reli^inn, kc. ' RUSSIA. The emperor’s patronage of bible societies in Petersburgh, Moscow, &c. cannot but have a favourable aspect to the cause of true religion. Mr. Pinker- ton gives a pleasing account of the orthodoxy of the Greek Church, as to the main points of the Christian religion, and mentions several denominations of Raskolniks (or Dissenters) who discover much of the life and power of religion. Under the munificent patronage ef the emperor and the benevolent exertions of many of the nobil- ity, the interests of education are much improving. But much is to be done, for the greater part of the peasantry are in a most ignorant and (k- pressed state. ASIA. nussiA in Asia, including Sibe- ria, Kamschatka, Uc. The Greek Church is the es- tablished religion in all the civ- ilized provinces ; but with a general toleration throughout this vast empire. A great part of the inhabitants of the Desert are Pagan Tartars of the Sam- man religion. Some attach great importance to the form of their whiskers •; and the Al- taians are so fond of military show, that they dress up their idol deity in the uniform of an officer of dragoons. The Kam- schatkans have been converted to the Greek religion by a ten years exemption fioin all tax- es ! Population, 3,000,000. OoverameHt, inonarcliical. ASIA. RUSSIA in Asia. The United Brethren have long had a missionary estab- ii.shment at Sarepta, and the Russian government encourag- ed Protestant settlements on the banks of the Wolga. Some 3 ’ears since the Edinburgh mis- sionary society also attempted a mission at Karass, near As- trachan : but all were broken up (at least for the present) by the calamitous effects of the late war. The missionaries of both settlements have, howev- er, in the mean time been use- fully and honorably employed in translating the New Testa- ment, the one (whose work is already in circulation,) into the Turkish language, and the other into that of the Kalmuck Tartars, many of whom have embraced TABULAR APPENDIX. i29 fittigtow PtnomiHalions, ilc. TURKEY in Asia. Mahometans occupy Pales- tine, or the holy land, Syria, Me- sopotamia, and other countries, the scene of Scripture history : but there are also many Jews «nd Christians, of various de- nominations, who are indulged, by paying for it, with living un- der the ecclesiastical govern- ment of the respective patri- archs, whether of Jerusalem or Antioch, Alexandria or Con- stantinople. The same may be said of the Nestorians, Armeni- ans, and other reputed sectaries. Population, 10,000,000. Gov- ernment, monarchical, and irreg- ular, void of liberty. ARABIA. Mahometans, Sabeans, and Wahabees. Population, 8 mil- lions. Government — Each in- land tribe is under the govern- ment of petty princes, (orSheiks.) They have no other laws than these found in the Koran. rresr/Ht Stnlt of litUgioH, &c. embraced Chistianity in the Greek Church. A mission is also in contemplation to the Mongol, and Manjur Tartars, who reside in that part of Sibe- ria which borders on the Chi- nese empire. Bible societies have been formed, not only at Petersburgh and Moscow under royal patron- age, but in the provinces of Esthonia and Livonia, for the express purpose of printing the New Testament and religious tracts in those dialects . TURKEY, Arabia, Persia, Tar- tary. No Mission has yet been at- tempted to these countries, but the way is preparing by printing the Scriptures in almost all the various languages of the East. A mission was attempted by the late Mr. Bloomfield at the Isle of Malta, with a view to introduce the gospel into the Greek Isles, and eventually into Turkey ; but the pestilence which raged there, and the death of that mis- sionary, have hitherto retarded the object. It is not, however, forgotten. Dr. Naudi has been attempting to excite attention to it among the Christians residing on the borders of the Mediterra- nean ; and mentions it as a pro- mising circumstance, that there have been of late rmiiiy conver- sions of Jews residing in those parts. A late decree in Persia has permitted the public reading of the scriptures. No part of the world affords a more invitintr !20* scene 23J TABULAR APLLMMX. ll'lil'i'ns IJtnominaiint)x, Szc. Present Stale, of Heliiritm, Sic. TERSIA. Mahometans of the sect of All (who difler from the Turks as to the true successor of Ma- homet ;) also Sulis and Gaurs, or Gucbres, the disciples of Zo- roaster. Population, 10 mil- lions. Government, absolute despotism ; frequently rigorous and tyrannical. — The King is re- garded as master of the lives and property of his subjects. TAUTARV. Mahometans, Pagans, and worshippers of the Grand La- ma . — [See Shamans.] Popula- tion G, 000, 000. Government — controlled by independent chiefs. CHINA. Pagans of various sects, but chiefly worshippers of Foe. — There are some Catholics, Greeks, and Jews among them, rather by connivance than legal toleration. The Russians have a chinch at Pekin, and the Jews a synagogue at Kai-song-fou. The catholics notwithstanding the peisecution they have met with, boast of 60,000 converts still in Pekin. Population 250 millions. Government, patri- archal and despotic. JAPAN. Pa'rans, particularly Sintoos, Dudsoes, and a kind of m«ral philosophers. [Sec Japanese.] I’he celebrated Francis Za- vier, and other Jesuits, com- menced a mission here in 1549, and scene for Christian enterprise than western Asia. The truths of God, so long taught in those extensive and populous coun- tiies, by the labours of prophets and apostles, cannot be wholly obliterated from the traditions of the people. Their present state, from all the facts which we obtain, clearly evinces a de- gree of preparation for the re- ception of the gospel. CHINA. The Jesuits undertook a mis- sion to this country in the I6th century, on the plan of blending the catholic religion with that of Foe and the philosophy of Con- fucius ; this however was dis- approved by Pope Innocent X. and he enjoined a renunciation of their idolatries. In 1788 it was reported that the catholics had, in the course of 30 years, made 27,000 converts in the province of Sushchuen, and 30,000 in Nankin ; but a storm of persecution gathered soon af- ter this, and the name of Chris- tianity became peculiarly obnox- ious in China. A Chinese Edict has lately been issued against the introduction of Mis. sionaries and their books into this country, yet the late Dr. Morrison Keiil'ious f)enomt7i'itiou3, kc. TABULAR APPENDIX. Present Statt of Jtelicion, Sle. and were followed by the Fran- ciscans. 'I’heir success at first was rapid and extraordinary ; but their imprudence (as is as- serted) brought on a persecution which lasted 40 years, and end- ed in their utter extermination. Population, 23,000,000. Gov- ernment, absolute monarchy. THIBET, or TIBET. The worship of the Grand Lama is the established religion (see Thibetians) mixed with va- rious shades of Paganism. Pop- ulation 2,000,000. Subject to China. INDIA beyond the Ganges, in- cluding the Birman Empire, Malaya, Siam, &c. The Birman and Siamese Hindoos^ are disciples, not of Brahma, but of Boodu ; but the Malays are chiefly Mahom- etans. Some Dutch and Por- tuguese settlements exist in dif- ferent parts of this extensive country. The Catholics boast of 300,000 converts in Ton- d of te.irs : from these tears a number of ti- tans, or giants arose, after ivhicb Brumha’s sighs gave birth A 2 6 HISTORY, d:c. to the god Roodru (another name for Shivu.) Roodru, at the request of his father continued the work of creation, but in his hands it proceeded so slowly that Brumha was obliged to resume it ; and he created water, fire, aether, the heavens, wind, the simple earth, rivers, seas, mountains, trees, climb- ing plants, divisions of time, day, night, months, years, &c. He then created several gods ; one was formed out of his breath ; another by his eyes ; another from his head ; an- other from his heart, &c. After this Brumlia assumed a body possessing the quality of darkness, and created the giants ; then assuming a body possessing the quality of truth, he cre- ated other certain gods, and in the evening the progenitors of mankind ; he next assumed a body possessed of the quality which stimulates to activity, and created man. To the crea- tion of man succeeded that of birds, cows, fruits, and all oth- er substances, both animate and inanimate. The form and size of the earth is described thus ; — The earth is circular and flat like the flower of the water-lily, in which the petals project beyond each other : its circumfer- ence is four thousand millions of miles. In its centre is mount Soomeroo, ascending six hundred thousand miles from the surface, and descending 128 thousand below it. This mountain is 128 thousand miles in circumference at its base, and 266 thousand wide at the top. On this mountain are the heavens of Vishnoo, Shivu, Indru, Aguee, Yumas, &c. The kings who first gave laws to mankind were of celestial origin, and were endowed with power, and length of days, in propor- tion to the grandeur and extent of such a world. Thus Sway- umbhoovu, from the Vedus or sacred books, found in a boat, compiled the institutes of Munoo, by which laws the world was governed. His son, who succeeded him reigned one bil- lion two hundred millions of years, and then abandoning the world, by the power of devotion, obtained celestial happiness. The fourth king reigned 36 thousand years, and then had a separate heaven assigned him, as a reward of his virtues. Then follows a genealogical list of kings, for an account of whom we must refer the curious reader to those who have written more largely on this subject. In what the Hindoo historians call the second age of the world, the first king, whose name was Suguru, h.ad by one of his wives ( ^ thousand children. They were all sons, born in a pumpkin, and nourished in pans of milk, but when grown up were all reduced to ashes by the sage Kupilu. Several ages after, one of the descendants of Suguru being king, b}' his religious austerities obtained the descent of the Ganges, OF THE HINDOOS. 7 Kolfght'SS ” ’"ere Such is the history of the creation as given by the Ilindno ph,losophers There is however amoni thema yVr!"^ opinions on this subject. Some of them affirm that the world is eternal, and that it is in vain to seek for the birth ofcrea- tion Others agree to pve the world a beginning, and add that It IS des royed at the end of a Kulpu which c;nsisfs of four hundred and thirty-two millions of years ; that it remains "e:.eT'Thir^"of r'"*? r"”' “ ‘ i ^ ‘he reign of a being called Munos, of whom there are thirty who reigned in sw- cession. These Munoos, as well as most of the^ods have ascended to their present state of eminence as a feward for their actions, '^hen they have enjoyed the whole amount of happiness their works have merited, they ascend or de- thaMhe'’ Po" ‘hem. Notwithstanding the fact that the Hindoos have never produced a wise and honest his- torian who recorded facts, or described what he saw’ they show the, were writleu ny learneil natives The Hindoo courts were tilled with men Then Too. „ ® ™ Law.-— The science ofjurisprudence, particularly annears to have, been studied with great attention, as will be seen bv he following extract from the table of conteiHs prefixed tJ ce.ehre,ed'’a.„“'',h': Of the duties ofkings.—^ A king is fire and air • he both sun and moon; he, the god of criminal justice - he the fi«rtT he'is apower7uT^^^^^^^ the lo;d ofthe menf [ a kingdom of neglecting punilh- chasti;e\irforrgn Tnemies'^lffirtZ-^hV mtf ’ -the proper situation for a capital • neces" hv of . near the capital ; if possible, a fortre’ss of mountaffis^^^S king’s marriage ; of his domestic priest anrdompsi: ( gmn ;-of collectors of the revenue^” -a kSs dT «f war, and when engaged in baiHe he must neve? ree'ede 8 HISTORY, Sic. from combat ; — of prizes in war of exercising the troops ; —of officers and troops for the protection of districts ; — of the king’s servants ; — of governors of towns ; — oflevying of tax- es ; — learned bramhuns to pay no taxes ; a learned bramhun must never be allowed so to want as to be afflicted with hun- ger, or the whole kingdom will perish ; — of secrecy in coun- cil ; — of a king’s consulting his ministers ; of the important subjects to be debated in council ; — the nature of making war ; — of invading the country of an enemy of forming allian- ces ; — of the conduct of a king in his house, respecting his food, his pleasures, the divisions of his time, his dress, his employments ; — of a king’s sitting in a court of Justice ; he must decide causes each day, one after another, under the eighteen principal titles of law, viz. on debt ; ownership ; concerns among partners ; subtracting of what has been giv- en ; non-payment of wages or hire ; non-performance of a- grecments ; succession of sale and purchase ; disputes be- tween master and servant ; contests on boundaries ; assault ; slander ; larceny ; robbery and other violence ; adultery ; altercation between man and wife ; their several duties ; the law of inheritance ; of gaming with dice, and with living creatures ; — when the king cannot preside, let him appoint a bramhun as chief judge with three assessors. ‘ In whatever country three bramhuns, particularly skilled in the three sev- eral vedus, sit together, with the very learned bramhun ap- pointed by tbe king, the wise call that assembly the court of Brumha with four faces.’ The importance of justice, and the evils of injustice ; — on the necessity of condign punishments ; — no shoodru may interpret the law or sit as judge : ‘ of that king who stupidly looks on, while a shoodru decides causes, the kingdom itself shall be embarrassed, like a cow in a deep mire.’ A king or a judge must not promote litigation, nor neglect a lawsuit ; — the evidence of three persons required ; — who may be witnesses. The judge is to call upon a bramhun for his simple declaration ; to a shoodru, address a sentence like the following, on the evils of perjury : ‘ the fniitof eve- ry viriuou.s act, which thou hast done, Ogood man, since thy birth, shall depart from thee to dogs, if thou deviate in speech from the truth ;’ — false evidence may be given from benevo- lent motives : ‘ such evidence, wise men call the speech of the gods ; it is only necessary for such a false witness to make an offering to the goddess of learning ; — oaths may be proper- ly taken : — a priest is to swear by his veracity ; a soldier by his horse, elephant, or weapon ; a merchant by his kine, grain, or gold ; a mechanic by imprecating on his owo head, OF THE HINDOOS. 9 if he speak falsely, all possible crimes ; — on great occasions, witness may hold fire, or dive under water, or severally touch the heads of his children and wife. Punishments for perju- ry ; a perjured Bramhunmustbe banished, a perjured Shood- ru fined and banished ; — evil of unjust punishments ; — of cop- per, silver, and gold weights ; rates of interest ; — of sure- ties ; — of deposits ; — of sales ; of shares in common con- cerns ; — of gifts ; — of non payment of wages ; — of breaking engagements ; — of disposing girls in marriage with blemishes ; — of disputes among owners and feeders of cattle ; — of bound- aries for land ; — of defamatory words ; — of criminal punish- ments ; — of injuries to man or beast ; — ‘ a wife, a son, a ser- vant, a pupil, and a younger whole brother, may be correct- ed, when they commit faults, with a rope, or the small shoot of a cane, only on the back of their bodies ; — ‘ men who have committed offences, and have received from kings the punish- ment due to them, go pure to heaven, and become as inno- oent as those who have done well — of fines ; — ‘ a twice born-man, who is travelling, and whose provisions are scanty, shall not be fined for taking only two sugar canes, or two es- culent roots, from the field of another man ; — of the law of adultery ; — of manslaughter ; — a man not to be punished for adultery if the female consent ; — a low man who makes love to a damsel of high birth, ought to be punished corporally ; — regulations for markets ; — of tolls and freight ; ‘ at sea there can be no settled freight — of the charges for crossing riv- ers ; — a woman two months pregnant, a religious beggar, a hermit in the third order, and Bramhuns who are students in theology, shall not be obliged to pay toll for their passage.” Ordeal. — Formerly trials by ordeal were common among the Hindoos, and although this mode has been abolished by the East India Company, so far as its influence extends, it is «aid still to be practised. There are nine kinds of ordeal mentioned. One kind is to weigh the person accused ; then let him bathe with his clothes on ; then he is weighed again, and if with his wet clothes, he be lighter than before, he is ac- quitted ; if heavier, he is considered guilty. Another kind of trial is by hot, clarified butter, and persons frequently choose this mode of establishing their innocence, when accu- sed of crimes. This was the case with a young married wo- man, who was charged with a criminal intrigue, while her husband was absent, but who denied the charge, and offered to undergo this ordeal. Accordingly, on the 13th of Novem- ber, 1807, the husband, having prepared the articles requir- ed, and having invited the bramhuns, she underwent the tri- 10 HISTORY, &c. al in the presence of seven thousand spectators. The trial consists in taking a golden ball from a vessel of boiling hot clarified butter with the hand. This she did, it is said, with- out the least injury to herself, though a drop of hot oil falling on the hand of the bramhun, to whom she was to give the gol- den ball, raised a blister on the part. The spectators seeing this proof of the woman’s innocence, burst forth into applau- ses of dhunga ! dhunga ! happy ! happy ! In the administration of the laws, corruption and bribery are common, on the one hand, while on the other, extreme cruelty in the infliction of punishments are frequent. It is said, that one of the present reigning Hindoo princes, actually employs bands of robbers to plunder his own sub- jects, and that when they apply to him for redress, he either evades investigation, or grants only a mock trial. Bribes are universally offered, as well to the judge on the bench, as to the petty constable of the village. On the contrary, it is common to see the lower oasts punished in the most cruel manner for the most trivial offence, or the slightest want of reverence towards a Bramhun. Thus Menao, the lawgiver, writes, ‘ that a once born man, who insults the troied born (bramhun) with gross invective, ought to have his tongue slit ; for he sprung from the lowest part of Brumha. If he mention the names and classes of the twice born with con- tempt, as “ Oh thou refuse of brumhuns,” an iron style ten fingers long shall be thrust into his mouth, red hot. Should he through pride, give instruction to a priest concerning his duty, let the king order some hot oil to be poured into his mouth and ear. These laws are often executed in the most rigid manner, upon that poor degraded race, for whom only they were intended. Casts . — The different casts, or orders of the Hindoos, are four : viz. the Bramhuns, the Kshutriyu, the Voishyu, and the Shoodru, which, however, include many other divi- sions and subdivisions. The samu vedu,* the tsmritees, and several tpooranus, affirm, that the bramhuns proceeded from the mouth of Brumha, the kshutriyus from his arms, the voishyus from his thighs, and the shoodrus from his feet ; agreeably to which allegory, the Hindoos, in forming their mingled system of civil and religious polity, have assigned the priesthood, and the work of legislation, to the bramhuns ; the executive department to the kshutriyus ; trade and com- merce to the voishyus, and all manner of servile work to the Sacred law. f Books of civil law. OF THE HINDOOS. n ahoodrus- Like all other attempts to cramp the human in- tellect, and forcibly to restrain men within bounds which na- ture scorns to keep, this system, however specious in theory, has operated like the Chinese national shoe, it has rendered the whole nation cripples.' Under the fatal influence of this abominable system, the branihuns have sunk into ignorance, without abating an atom of their claims to superiority ; the kshutriyus became almost extinct before their country fell into the hands of the Mussulmans ; the voishyus are no where to be found in Bengal ; almost all have fallen into the class of shoodrus, and the shoodrus have sunk to the level of their own cattle, except a few individuals whom these, bramhinical fetters could not confine, and who, under a beneficent govern- ment, have successfully aspired to riches, though denied the honours to which their ingenuity and efforts would have rais- ed them. Every person at all acquainted with the Hindoo system, must have been forcibly struck with the idea, that it is wholly the work of the bramhuns ; who have placed themselves above kings in honour, and laid the whole nation prostrate at their feet. By the Hindoo law, the magistrate was not to imagine evil in his heart against a bramhun ; nor could a person of that order be put to death for any crime whatsoever ; he might be imprisoned, banished, or have his head shaved, but his life was not to be touched. The tribute paid to them, arising from multiplied idolatrous ceremonies, was greater than the revenues of the monarch. If a shoodru assumed the bram- hinical thread, he was to be severely fined. If he gave fre- quent molestation to a bramhun, he w'as to be put to death. If a shoodru committed adultery with the wife of a bramhun, he was to be mutilated, and to be bound upon a hot iron plate, and burnt to death. If a* bramhun stole a shoodru, he was to be fined ; but if a shoodru stole a bramhun, he was to be burnt to death. If a shoodru sat upon the carpet of a bram- hun, the magistrate, having thrust a hot iron into his funda- ment, and, branded him, was to banish him the kingdom ; or to cut ofl^his postciors. If a shoodru, through pride, spat upon a bramhun, his lips were to be cut off. If a person of this cast, plucked a bramhun by the hair, or by the beard, or seized him by the neck, the magistrate was to cut off both his hands. If be listened to reproaches against a bramhun, he * The number of bramhuns in Bengal, compared with the shood- rus, is, perhaps, as one to eight, or one to ten. 12 HISTORY, &c. was to pour hot lead into his ears. If a shoodru beat a mag- istrate, he was to have an iron spit run through him, and to be roasted alive ; a bramhun, for such an offence, was to be hned. — And, as though all these horrible punishments on earth had not sufficiently degraded the shoodru, the wrath of the bramhuns pursued him into the next world, — for, the s >me shastrus teach, that if a shoodru do not rise to receive a bram- hun with due honour, he will become a tree after death ; if he look angrily at a bramhun, his eyes will be put out by Yumu, the Hindoo Pluto. The shastrus* teach, that a gift to a learned bramhun pos- sesses infinite merit ; feasts to bramhuns are considered as verj meritorious : a poor man entertains two or three at a lime ; a rich man invites hundreds. At all festivals, mar- riages, &.C. one of the most important things to be done is to entertain the bramhuns, and to make presents to them at their dismission. If a shoodru wish to succeed in any project, he feasts two or three bramhuns. If a man has been entertain- ing a number of bramhuns, a neighbour says to him, “Ah! you are a happy man ! you can honour so many bramhuns !” A covetous man is sometimes thus reproached : “ He is very rich, but he caifnot bring bis mind to part with a mite, no not to entertain bramhuns : he does not even invite a few bram- huns to his house, and wash their feet.” To present gifts to bramhuns at the hour of death, and bequeath to them lands, or cows, or houses, is extolled in the shastrus as a work of merit destroying all sin, and followed in the next world with imperishable happiness. To drink the water into w'hich a bramhun’s toe has been dipped, is considered a very great privilege. When inquiring into this circumstance, it was ascertained, that vast numbers of shoodi us, while fasting, thus purify themselves daily ; that others make a vow to attend to this duty for a length of time, to remove some disease. Indeed, shoodrus may be frequent- ly seen carrying water in a cup, and intreating the first bram- hun they meet, to put his toe into it ; after which they drink the water, and bow or prostrate themselves to the bramhun, who bestows his blessing on them ; others preserve some ot this holy water in their houses. Persons are found wh# endeavour to collect the dust from the feet of a lack of bram- huns ; one mode of doing which is, by spreading a cloth be- fore the door of a house where many are assembled at a feast ; as each bramhun comes out, he shakes the dust from his feet Law governing the casts. OF THE HINDOOS. O upon this cloth. Many miraculous cures are said to have been performed on persons swallowing this dust. But, not only is the body of the shoodru laid prostrate be- fore the bramhun, to lick the dust of his feet, but his soul also is to be sacrificed to his honour ; the Hindoo laws enact, that, to serve a bramhun, falsehood is allowable ! and that if a shoo- dru dare to listen to the salvation giving vedu, he is to be punished for his sacrilege. Even at present, if a bramhun hap[>en to be repeating any part of the vedu aloud, a shoodru, if near, shuts his ears, and runs away. From the preceding statements, it will be abundantly evident, that this whole fabric of superstition is the work of bramhuns. No person may teach the vedu but a bramhun ; — a spiritual guide must be a bramhun ; — every priest (poor- ohitu) must be a bramhun ; the offerings to the gods must be given to bramhuns ; — no ceremony is meritorious without a fee to the officiating bramhun ; — numberless ceremonies have been invented to increase the wealth of the bramhuns : as soon as a child is conceived in the womb, a bramhun must be called to repeat certain formulas, when he receives a fee and is feasted ; other levies are made before the birth ; at the birth ; when the child is a few days old ; again when it is six months old ; when two years old; again at eight or nine ; and again at marriage ; in sickness, the bramhun is paid for re- peating forms for the re.storation of the patient ; — after death, his son must perform the shraddhu, the offerings and fees at which are given to the bramhuns, twelve times during the first year, and then annually ; — if a shoodru meet with a mis- fortune, he must pay a bramhun to read incantations for its removal ; — if his cow die, he must call a bramhun to make an atonement ; if he lose a piece of gold, he must do the same ; — if a vulture have settled on his house, he must pay a bram- hun to purify his dwelling ; — if he go into a new house, he must pay a bramhun to purify it if a shoodru die on an unlucky day, his son must employ a bramhun to remove the evil effects of this circumstance ; — if he cut a pool or a well, he must pay a bramhun to consecrate it ; — if he dedicate to public uses a temple, or trees, he must do the same ; — at the time of an eclipse, the bramhun is employed and paid ; — on certain lunar days, the shoodru must present gifts to bram- huns. During the year, about forty ceremonies are perform- ed, called vrutus, when the bramhuns are feasted, and re- ceive fees ; — when a person supposes himself to be under the influence of an evil planet, he must call four bramhuns to offer a sacrifice ; a number of vows are made, on all which B 14 HISTORY, roper salaries, in making the necessary translations, in a few years not a vestige of important knowledge respecting the real na- ture and principal features of the Hindoo philosophy and my- thology would remain concealed. This is an object which every friend of true science must desire. The council of the College of Fort William and the Asiatic Society, in coming forward to patronize translations from the Sungskritu, deserve the thanks of the literary world ; but the operations of these two bodies alone, are too slow to accomplish what is desired in any reasonable time. A similar plan, on a more extensive scale, is wanted. Colleges . — The name given to Hindoo colleges or schools is Chutooshpat’hee, which signifies the place where the four shastrus are studied. This word is changed, in its popular use, to Chouparee. These places are generally built of clay. Sometimes three rooms are erected, and in others eight or ten, in two side rows, with a reading room, open on all sides, at the farther end ; this is also of clay. These college sleeping rooms, and the college hall, would greatly surprise an English academician ; but the Hindoos have yet to learn, that splendid edifices and large endowments are essential to learning. These miserable huts are frequently erected at the ex- pense of the teacher, who riot only solicits alms to raise the building, but also to feed his pupils. The buildings which OF THE HINDOOS. 46 contain seven or eight rooms cost seven or eight pounds ster- ling : the ground is commonly a gift, but in some cases rent is paid. In particular instances both the ground and the ex- penses of the buildings are a voluntary gift, and there are not wanting cases of lands being bestowed on schools, and of per- sons appropriating a monthly sum to their support. At Nu- deeya the last case is common. After a school- room and lodging rooms have been thus built, to secure the success of the school, the teacher invites a few bramhuns and respectable inhabitants to a short enter- tainment, at the close of which the bramhuns are dismissed with some trifling presents. If the teacher finds a difficulty in obtaining scholars, he be- gins the college with a few junior relatives ; but should he have obtained some reputation for learning in the common disputes at the funeral feasts, weddings, dedication of sacred things, &c. he soon collects a number af purooas, viz. pupils, or readers. The school opens every morning early, by the teacher and pupils assembling in the college hall, or hut, when the differ- ent classes come up in turns. At the close of these labours, about three hours are devoted to bathing, worship, eating, and sleep ; and at three they resume their studies, which continue till twilight. Nearly two hours are then devoted to evening worship, to eating, smoking, and relaxation ; and the studies are afterwards resumed, and continued till ten or eleven at night. There are three kinds of colleges in Bengal ; one in which the grammar, the poetical works, and the dissertations on the beauties and blemishes of poetry, are read ; and in a few of these schools, something of the pooranus and smritees is taught. In the second order of colleges, the law works are read, and in some cases the pooranus ; and in the third order, works on the nyayu durshunu. In all these colleges, select works are read, and their meaning explained ; but instruction is not conveyed in the form of lectures. In the colleges for grammar, learning. &c. the pupils repeat assigned lessons from the grammar used in each college, and the teacher communicates the meaning of the lessons after they have been committed to memory. - The evenings are occupied in repeating these lessons. Works on Ethics . — The Hindoo sages have written less on morals than on any other subject. Only one original work on ethics is to be found among the innumerable volumes of their literature. The author of this is Vishnoo-Shurma, and 46 HISTORY, iic. the work has been translated by Sir Wm. Jones. The book is called Puncheu Truntra. Maxims from the Puncheu Tuntru . — Riches are treasured up against the day of danger : but to save life, every thing is to be sacrificed. If life be preserved, all is safe ; if life be lost, all is lost. Death is inevitable : if so, still it is better to die in the pursuit of good than ofevil. For a dependant who serves another without reward, let life itself be hazarded. Life is af no value, if fame be gone : the body is destroy- ed in a moment, but honour will last forages. Death, dreaded through life, is not perceived when he ar- rives. Friendship never subsists between the eater and that which may become food. Contract not sudden friendship with a new comer. Danger should be feared when distant, and braved when present. Men are not to be honoured or slain according to their cast, but according to their actions. An excellent person presents to a guest, a clean seat, wa- ter, and sweet words. The sight of the eyes is not sight ; but he is blest with vi- sion who po.ssesses knowledge ; the ignorant are the blind. Of these afflictions, viz. the want of children, losing them as soon as born, or their remaining in a state of ignorance, the former is the least painful. Of all precious things, knowledge is the most valuable ; either riches may be stolen, or diminished by expenditure, but knowledge is immortal, and the greater the expenditure the greater the increase ; it can be shared with none, and it defies the power of the thief. He who is not placed on the list of fame, is dead while he lives. He who seeks neither learning, riches, power, religious austerities, nor charity, is the ordure of his mother. 'I'he following things produce pleasure : the increase of riches, health, an affectionate wife, an obedient son, and that learning by which wealth maybe acquired. The person who possesses neither religion, nor riches, the desire of happiness, nor of liberation, is a two-legged goat, with false teats on its ne^k. When a man enters upon the practice o religion, let him do it with all bis powers, realizing death as near at hand ; OF THE HINDOOS. 47 ivhea he seeks riches and knowledge, let him esteem himself immort.’d. He who is destitute of courage in commencing an under- taking, and of power and diligence in prosecuting it, always says. The secret will of fate must be accomplished ; there is no reversing it. But the man of business says. Fate al- ways works by instruments ; a carriage can never travel with one wheel ; the prey never falls into the mouth of the lion. He who seeks the company of the wise, shall himself be- come wise ; even glass inserted in gold, resembles a pearl ; an{insect, when concealed in a flower, is placed on the head (rather in the hair as an ornament.) The state of the understanding is seen in the attachments a person forms. It is impossible to accomplish an object by unfit instru- ments. In the power of speech, whatever pains may be tak- en with it, a crow will never equal a parrot. An excellent family gives birth to excellent children. A wise man surrounded with real friends, can accomplish the work of the rich and the powerful. The covetous and the dissatisfied have no home. Covet- ousness produces sin, and sin death. Good derived from evil is not good. No good is obtained without a risk. Truth, contentment, patience, and mercy, belong to great minds. The good exercise compassion by making the case of others their own. The house of that man is empty which contains neither an excellent son nor an excellent friend. A wise man will not proclaim his age, nor a deception practised upon hitoself, nor his riches, nor the loss of riches, nor family faults, nor incantations, nor conjugal love, nor me- dicinal prescriptions, nor religious duties, nor gifts, nor re- proach, nor the infidelity of his w'ife. A man of excellent qualities, is like a flower, which,, whether found amongst w eeds or worn on the head, still pre- serves its fragrance. It is better to make a vow of silence than to utter false- hoods ; to be an eunuch than to seduce the wife of another ; death is better than the love of slander ; mendicity than the enjoyment of property obtained by fraud ; and sitting alone m a forest, than in the comp inv of unreasonable men. The life of the diseased, of a wanderer, of a dependant, and of one living in the house of another, is death ; and the death of such a one is rest. 48 HISTORY, izc. The contented are always happy ; the discontented are ever miserable. Religion. — The number of the Hindoo gods and goddesses amount to 330,000,000 ; yet they have not names for all, but they say that God performs all his works by their instru- mentality, and that all human actions, as well as all the ele- ments, have their tutelar deities. Thus they consider, some- what after the ancient Platonic notion, that the Supreme God derives much of his greatness and magnificence, not from the consideration of his superiority over all created intelligences, but as being the God of gods. Yet, to this one God, they* have no temple, neither do they appear to pay him any wor- ship. The Hindoos, however, profess to believe in the doctrine of Divine Unity ; “ One Brumhu without a second,” is a phrase commonly used by them when conversing upon the nature of God. They believe also, that God is almighty, all wise, omnipo- tent, omniscient, Sic. and they frequently speak of him as embracing in hjfr.government the happiness of the good, and the subjection 'dr punishment of the bad. Yet they have no idea of God’s performing any act, either of creation or provi- dence, except through the gods : but these auxiliary deities bear not the least resemblance to the one true.God in any of the moral qualities attributed to them. The Hindoos, nevertheless, have some very enlarged views of the divine influence ; they believe that it diffuses its vivi- fying energies over t’ne entire universe ; instilling its life- giving powers into every portion of animated matter. It is related of a learned bramhun, that on hearing the following lines from Pope’s Essay on Man, be started trom his seat, .begged for a copy of them ; and declared that the author must have been a Hindoo. “ All are but parts of one stupendous whole ; Whose body nature is, and God the soul : Warms in (he sun, refreshes in the breeze. Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees : Lives through all life, extends through all extent. Spreads undivided, operates unspent.” This may serve to show the opinions which the Hindoos entertain of the oniversal energy and operation of the Deity. This energy is said to have created the universe ; and there- fore, this is the object of worship. Some of them assert that Brumhu, after he had entered the world, divided himself in- to unde and female. From the notion of God being the soul of the world ; and Hralimit. Vxaltnon. .')iva OF THE HINDOOS. .49 ihe world itself being God, under various forms, haS arisen the Hindoo practice of paying divine adorations to the heav- ens collectively ; — to the sun, moon, the stars, the sea, great rivers, and all extraordinary appearances in nature. Even the divine energy itself has been personified, as a sort of holy spirit, and worshipped under different names. Many Hindoos are denominated Shaktus, as devoted to the worship of this shuktee, or energy, and all their addresses are called the energies of their lords, as well as matres, or moth- ers. The universe being full of the Divine Majesty, a deity has been consecrated as the regent of every element ; and even the bramhu and the devout mendicant, as sharing more large- ly of the in-dwelling Deity than others, have received the ad- oration of the multitude. Thus it appears, that the Hindoo , system of theology, is a kind of polvtheistical Sabellianism, making all things to be gods in which the Supreme Godhead or energy is supposed eminently to dwell. The same principle is exhibited in the bodily powers of the different images worshipped by the Hindoos. Ununtu has a thousand heads ; Bnimha four faces ; Indru is full of eyes ; Doorso has ten ; and Shavunu, the giant, a hundred arms. The formidable weapons of the gods, too, have evidently the same allusion, as well as their symbols and vehicles ; among them are the eagle,* the serpent, the lion, the tiger, the ele- phant, the bull, the buffalo, &c. After this general description of the Hindoo theology, we may next enter into a more minute detail of some of their principal deities. 1. Bruinha, This god may be properly noticed first, as he is culled the creator and the grandfather of gods and men : in the latter designation, he resembles Jupiter, in the lascivi- ousness of his conduct, having betrayed a criminal passion towards his own d.aughter. Brumha’s image is never worship- ped, nor even made : but the Chundu describes it as that of a red man with four faces. He is red, as a mark of his being full of the ruju goonu : he has four faces, to remind the wor- shippers that the vedus proceeded from bis four mouths. lu one hand he has a string of beads, to show that his power as creator was derived from his devotion : the pan of water iu Vishnoo riding upon his Gurooni, or eagle,” says the ingeni- ous Mr. Maurice in his “ Indian Antiquities,” “ puts us in mind the thunder bearing eagle of the Grecian J upiter.” 50 HISTORY, &c. his left hand, denotes that all things sprang from water. This deity, thus pre-eminent, is yet entirely destitute ot a temple and worshippers. 2. Vishnoo. This is the image of a black man, with four arms, sitting on Gurooru, a creature half bird, half man, and holding in his hands the sacred shell, the chuckru, the lotus, and a club. His colour, (black) is that of the destroyer ; which is intended to show that Shivu and he are one ; he has four hands, as the representative of the male and female pow- ers : the shell (blown on days of rejoicing) implies that Vish- noo is a friendly deity : the chukru is to teach that he is wise to protect ; the lotus to remind the worshipper of the nature of final emancipation ; that, as the flower is raised from the muddy soil, and after rising by degrees from immersion in the waters, expands itself above the surface, to the admiration of all, so man is emancipated from the chains of human birth ; the club shews that he chastises the wicked. Gurooru is a portionof Shivu ; his bod}' represents the vedu. Vishnoo is distinguished, as being the source of most of the Hindoo in- carnations ; and he commands the worship of the greatest di- vision of the Hindoo population. There are no temples nor festivals in honour of Vishnoo. He is called the Preserver ; but the actions ascribed to him under this character, are re- ferred to other forms and names. The Shalgramu, a stone, is a form of Vishnoo. During four months oftheyear, all the forms of this god are laid to sleep. 3. Siva or Shivu, is seen with his Trisula, or Trident, in one hand ; and, in another, the Pasha, which is a rope for binding and strangling incorrigible offenders ; his two fore- most hands, right and left, are in a position very common to several deities ; they are said to indicate an invitation to ask, and a promise to grant or protect. His third eye, pointing up and down, is seen in his forehead — his three eyes, probably denoting his view of the three divisions of time, j>ast, present, and future. Serpents, emblems of immortality, form bis ear- rings. tlis pendant collar is composed of human heads, and marks the extinction and succession of generations of man- kind by Time. 4. Jndru. This is the king of heaven, and the infamous violator of the wife of his religious guide : he is painted as a yellow man, sitting on an elephant, with a thunderbolt in one hand and a club in the other ; and, like Argus, is full of eyes. All the attributes of his image are only the signs of his oflice as a king. He has one annual festival, and is very famous in the Pooranus for the number of wars and intrigues in which he OF THE HINDOOS. b\ has been engaged. His throne changes masters at the end of seventy-one yoogus of the gods. Jupiter was called the king of heaven, and the Fulniinaior : Indru’s names, Divus-Putee and Vujree, are significant of similar offices. 5. Yutmt . — The Indian Pluto, is a dark green man, clothed in red, with inflamed eyes ; he sits upon a buffalo ; has a crown on his head, and holds in his right hand a club with which he drives out the soul from the body, and punishes the wicked. This is the form of terror, as a king of the souls of the dead ; but he is also worshipped in a form less terrific, which he is said to assume when he passes a sentence of hap- piness on the meritorious. Beside* this annual festival, he is worshipped on other occasions, and receives the homage of the Hindoos in their daily ablutions. There are several remarkable coincidences between Yumu and Pluto. 6. Guneshu . — A fat short red man, with four arms and an elephant’s head, sitting on a rat ; his corpule.ncy is a type of Brumha, as the aggregate of all things. In one hand he holds a bell, which is the pattern of a temple, and also points out that this god banishes fear ; in another he holds a serpent- weapon, to show that he throws impediments in the way of the wicked ; another grasps the hook by which elephants, arc guided, which points out that he guides the mind ; and with the other he forbids fear, flis elephant’s head is a sign of the mystical sound Om ; and the trunk is the type of the instru- ment %vith which clarified butter is poured on the fire of a sacrifice. Every act of worship (pooja) is preceded by an invocation to Guneshu, and men in business paint his image over the doors of their stiops, or suspend it amongst their merchandize, to insure prosperity. Guneshu has been com- plimented as the god of wisdom ; but the Hindoo deity pre- siding over knowledge, or wisdom, is Suruswutee, a goddess. Guneshu receives many honours from the Hindoos, and is considered as bountiful in bestowing ivisdom and otherfavours ; though there are no temples erected to his honour in Bengal. Those who adopt him as their guardian deity are called Ga nuputyus. Of this god the images are not quite all alike. 7. Kartikeyu — is the Indian Mars, or commander in chiefto the gods. He has in some images one, and in others six fa- ces ; is of a yellow colour, and rides on the peacock, an in- carnation of Indru. In one hand he holds a bow, and in the other an arrow. He is worshipped as the giver of bodily Strength. 8. Sooryu, (the sun). — The Hindoos, in a most indelicate fable respecting this god, have described the twelve signs of >2 HISTORY, &c. the zodiac. 1 umu, the regent of death, is his son, and Cliaj y, ii shadow, the name of one ofhis wives. The image of Soo- ryn is that of a dark-red man ; from his body issues a thou- sand streams of light ; he has three eyes, and four arms ; in each of two ofhis hai^s he holds a water-lily, with another he is bestowing a blessing, and with the last forbidding fear. He sits on a red lotus, in a chariot drawn by seven horses. lie is paiutcd red, to show that his glory is like flame ; his three eyes represent the day, evening, and night ; and his four arms indicate that in him are united Prukretee and Poorooshu, or matter and spirit. One lotus explains the nature of emanci pation ; and the other, upon which the rays of Sooryu are re- flected, is a type of sound, and some Hindoo philosophers be- lieve it to be eternal. The red lotus represents the earth ; Jiis chariot the measure of time ; and the seven horses the seven poetical measures of the vedus. The image of this god is never made, but the sun itself is worshipped daily ; the Shalgramu is also his constant representative in the Brahmi- nical worship. The disciples of this god are called Sourus. 9. Ugnee, the regent offire, is represented as a corpulent man, riding on a goat, with copper-coloured eye-b.rows, beard, hair, and eyes ; his belly is the colour of the dawn ; he holds a spear in his right hand, and a bead-roll in his left ; from his body issues a thousand streams of glory, and he has seven flaming tongues. His corpulency points out that he grants the desires of his worshippers ; the colour of his eye-brows, &r . represents the flame of the burot-offering when it ascends of a copper-colour ; at which time he who desires secular bless- ings offers his clarified butter ; but he who desires emanci- jiation, pours his offering on the fire when its colour is like that of the dawn. The goat teaches, that Ugnee devours all things ; his spear, that he is almighty ; and his bead-roll, that he is propitious. The rays of glory are to encourage the. worshipper to expect that he shall obtain the greatest bless- ings from this god. Ugnee has neither temples nor images consecrated to him ; but he has a service in the daily cere- monies of the Branahuns ; and one class ofhis worshippers, called Sagniku Bramhuns, preserve a perpetual fire, like the vestal virgins. There seems to be no order of females among the Hindoos resembiing these virgins ; but many Hindoo wo- men, at the total wane of the moon, to fulfil a row, watch for twenty-four hours over a lamp made with clarified butter, and prevent its being extinguished till the time for the itppear- ance of the new moon. Ugnee presides over sacrifices, and IS called the mouth of the gods. (jranU Procession of the Car of .hii't'ernanf. ^ « OF THE HINDOOS. 53 10. the god of the winds, and the messenger of the gods, is represented as a white man, sitting on a deer, holding in his right hand the hook, used by the driver of an elephant. He is painted white, to shew that he preserves life ; the deer represents the swiftness of his flight ; the el- ephant driver’s hook explains his power over the body ; he is worshipped daily ; but has neither separate festival, image, nor temple. 11. Varoonu, the Indian Neptune, is u white man, sitting on a sea animal, having a serpent-weapon in his right hand. He is painted white, to shew thai he satisfies the living ; and he wields a tenifio w eapon, to point out, that he is approach- ed with fear by the worshipper. His name is repeated in the daily worship of the bramhuns ; but he has neither pub- lic festival nor temple. 12. Suaioodr, , the sea, worshipped by the Hindoos when they visit the sea ; as well as at the diti'ereut festivals ; and on the sixth day after the birth of a child. 13. Prit'hivee,\.\\e earth, is worshipped daily by the Hin- doos. She IS a form of Bhiigututee, and may be called the Indian Ceres. The Hindoos have divided the earth into ten parts, and assigned a deity to each. These are, Indru, Ug- nee, Ynmu, Noiritu, Vuroonu, Vayoo, Kooveru, Eeshu, Brumha, and Ununtu. 14. The Heavenly Bodies. — .‘\lmost all heathen nations ivor- shipthe heavenly bodies. Perhaps tnt evident influence which the s'ln and moon h:.ve over the seasons and the vegetable kingdom, might in the primeval ages lead men to make them objects of worship. After the introduction ofjndicial astrolo- gy, this species of idolatry becomes less surprising. What- ever may be the antiquity of the vedus, it i« very plain, that the worship of the sun, moon, and other planets, is there in- culcated : many of the forms of praise and petition in those books, are addressed to the heavenly bodies ; and to this day the worship of all the planets in one service, and of difi'erent planets on separate occasions, has place among the Hindoos. Ruvee, or Sooryu, the sun ; Somu, the moon. — The Hini^oo feasts are regulated by the revolutions of the moon ; but So- mu is not greatly honoured in the Hindoo mythology, being esteemed a malignant planet ; as is also called Mungulu, or Mars. Boodhu, or Mercury, is a fortunate planet ; and so is Vrihuspuiee, or Jupiter, who is the preceptor of the gods. Shookru, or Venus, preceptor to the giants, is also a fortunate planet : this god is represented as blind of one eye. Shunee, nr Satur7i, the son of Sooryu, an evil planet. Kahoo and Ke- 64 . HISTORY, &c. too, the ascending and descending nodes. Tbe planeta are not honoured with temples, images, or festivals, in Bengal. When hope or fear, respecting their benign or malignant in- fluence, is excited in the mind of a Hindoo, he is drawn or driven to worship them. 15. Doorga . — The image of this gooddess, and that of Mi- nerva, in one or two instances, exhibit a pretty strong resem- blance ; both are described as fond of arms ; and Doorga de- rives her name from the giant Doorgu, whom she slew ; as Pallas (Minerva) obtained hers from the giant Pallas, whom she destroyed ; she resembles Minerva also as a goddess dif- ficult of access, which is one signification of the name Doorga. Sir W. Jones says. As the mountain-born goddess, or Parvu- tee, she has many properties of the Olympian Juno : her ma- jestic deportment, high spirit, and general attributes are the same ; and we find her both on Mount Koilasu, and at the banquets of the deities, uniformly the companion of her hus- band. One circumstance in the parallel is extremely singu- lar ; she is usurilly attended by her son Karlikeyu, who rides on a peacock ; and in some drawings, his own robe seems to be spangled with eye^to which must be added, that in some of her temples, a peacock, without a rider, stands near her image ! The image of Doorga is that of a yellow female with ten arms, sitting on a bier : the weapons she wields, the tri- dent, the scimitar, the discus, the arrow, the spear, the club, the bow, the serpent weapon, the hook for guiding an ele- phant, and an axe^are to point out, that with these ten arms and weapons she protects the ten points. She has one foot on Muhesku, a giant, to shew that she subdues the enemies of her worshippers ; and she sits on a lion, a form of Vishnoo, as the giver of success to her worshippers, and as exciting fear in their enemies. The quarrels of this goddess with Shivu, her husband, strongly remind us of those betwixt Jupiter and Juno, arising from the jealousy of the latter. The festivals in honour of Doorga and of Krishnu, draw the whole Hindoo population to the temples ; while those in hononr of other gods are comparatively neglected. Before the temples of this goddess, thousands of victims are annually slaughtered, and offered to her image : she is not merely honoured as Doorga, but, under other names, distinct temples, images, festivals, and ceremonies have been instituted. Doorga is also the representative of matter in the creation of the uni- verse ; and in this character she is called Prukutee, literally, the chief, or mature. Her wars with the giants also add to her fame, and make her extremely popular among the Ilin- OF THE HINDOOS. 55 «Ioos ; she is adopted by many, who lake the name of Shaktus, as their guardian deity. In Bengal, the greater number of Bramhuns are Shaktus : in the western and southern provin- ces this sect is not so numerous. 16. Kalee, — the Indian Diana Tanrica. This is another form of Doorga. The dark image of this goddess is a truly horrid figure : her hair is dishevelled ; her tongue hangs out ; she holds in one hand a scimitar ; in another a giant’s skull ; with another, she forbids fear ; and with the last, is bestowing a blessing. Her colour is that by which time is designated ; and she stands upon her husband, the destroyer, to keep him in subjection till the time of the universal confla- gration ; when, with the eye in the centre of the forehead, he will burn the universe. Her four arms represent the four vedus ; the two inspiring terror, point out those por- tions of the vedu w hich relate to the destruction of enemies, and the government of the world ; and the other two allude to those parts of the vedu which belong to devotion ; her dis- hevelled hair represents the clouds, and intimates too, that time has neither beginning nor end ; her tongue is the repre- sentative of lightning ; she exhibits, altogether, the appear- ance of a drunken, frantic fury : yet this is the goddess whom thousands adore ; on whose altars thousands of victims annu- ally bleed ; and w’ho«e temple at Kalee-ghatu, near Calcutta, is the resort of Hindoos from all parts of |ndia. This temple, it is said, frequently receives presents from persons of the highest rank ; and not unfrequently from persons called Christians. There are two things respecting Kalee which remind us of Laverna ; she is the protectress of thieves ; and her image at Kaleeghi^u, is ahead without a body. Another form of this goddess, under the name of Siddheshw'u- ree, is to be seen in clay temples all'over Bengal. Human victims, it is said, have often been immolated on the altars of Kalee, and Siddheshwuree. 17. Lukshinee . — The goddess of fortune, is the wife of V'ishnoo : she is said to have been produced at the churning of the sea, as Venus was said to be born of the froth of the sea : at her birth, all the gods were enamoured with her. She is painted yellow, with a water-lily in her right hand ; in which form she is worshipped frequently by Hindoo women ; but no bloody sacrifices are ofiered to her. 18. Survswutee . — The goddess of learning, another wife of Vishnoo. She is painted white, and stands on the water lily. In some images, she is seen holding a lute ; and in others, possessed of three eyes, with a fan in one hand, and a book in o6 HISTORY, tc. I I the other. Her colour is to point out, that she is the source ' of wisdom ; the lute reminds the worshipper that she is the author of melody ; her three eyes represent the three vedus ; ; the book and pen obviously belong to her character as the goddess of learning. She has an annual festival, when clay images are set up, and worshipped all over Bengal. Some 4 of her worshippers, on the last day of the festival, dance na- j ked before the procession of the image through the streets ; even prostitutes, at this festival, make an image of this god- dess, and set it up near their houses, to draw the spectators to their brothels. On this day, students, merchants, and others, refuse to touch a pen ; for the Hindoos ascribe their ability to read, write, and even speak, to the favour ot Suruswutee. 19. Shetula. — The goddess who cools the body when af- flicted with the small-pox, receives the honours from the lower orders of the Hindoos, among whom the ravages of the small- pox are often dreadful. This goddess is also worship- ped to procure the removal of cutaneous diseases. 20. Munusa, — The queen of the snakes, or she who pro- tects men from their fatal bite. The lower orders crowd to the three annual festivals held in honour of this goddess. 21. Shuslit'hee, — The goddess of fecundity. She is hon- oured with six annual festivals, celebrated chiefly by females. Her image is that of a yellow woman, sitting on a cat, and nursing a child ; though, in general, a rough stone, painted on the top, and placed under a tree, is the object worshipped. These may be considered as the celestial deities worship- ped by the Hindoos. The terrestrial goddesses are, Seeta, the wife of Ramu ; Radha, the mistress of Krishnu ; Rook- minee and Sutyu-bhama, the i^ves of Krishnu ; andSoobhn- dra, the sister of Jugunnat’hu. The terrestrial gods are the following : — 1. Krishnu — resembles Apollo in his licentious intrigues : in his being a herdsman, and an archer ; in his destroying a dreadful serpent ; in his love of music ; and in the celebrity to which he attained. — Krishna’s image is that of a black man, with a flute in his hand. His colour points out, that he fills the mind with sensual desires. Apollo had in one hand a harp, and in the other a shield of arrows. Several festivals, in honour of this god, are held annually ; at which times the greatest licentiousnes.« prevails among all ranks. A great proportion of the Hindoo population in Bengal, are devoted to Krishnu ; his intrigues with the milk maids, and especially with Radha, his favourite mistress, are familiar to any Hin- doo, being incorporated into their popular songs, and the im- I 0 [ OF THE HINDOOS. 5 1 • age of Kadha being placed by that cf Krisbnu in many of the I temples. Under several other names Krishnu is worshipped, I to each form a separate temple Has been erected ; among the i rest to Gopalu, the herdsman ; to Valn-gopalu, the infant Go- ! palu ; to Gophe-nat-hu, the lord of the milk-maids. I 2. The Temple of Juggernaut — is esteemed the most sacred I of all the religious establishments of the Hindoos, and is an- [ nually visited, on the lowest calculation, by 1 ,200,000 people. The idol is a carved block of wood, with a frightful visage painted black, and a distended mouth of a bloody colour. His arms are of gold, he is dressed in a gorgeous apparel. On festival days, the throne of the idol is placed upon a stu- ‘ pendous moveable tower, about sixty feet high, resting on wheels, which indent the ground deeply as they turn slowly I under the ponderous machine. The horses which are fixed I to the car, with the driver and the little figures, are all made ■ of wood. Attached to the principal tower, are six ropes, of i the length and si/.e of a ship’s cable, by which the people draw it along. Upon the tower are the priests and satellites of the Idol, surrounding his throne, who occasionally address the worshippers in libidinous songs and gestures. Both toe I walls of the temple and the sides of the car are covered witb. the most indecent emblems, in large and durable sculpture. Obscenity and blood are the characteristics of the idol’s wor- ship. As the tower moves along, devotees throwing them- selves under the wheels, are crushed to death ; and such acts are hailed with the acclamations of the multitude as the most acceptable sacrifices.* A body of prostitutes are maintained in the temple for the use of the worshippers ; and various other systematic indecencies, which will not admit of de- scription, form a part of the service. A vast portion of the pilgrims to this tempTe die by the way from want, fatigue or disease. At a distance of50 miles, j the approach to this spot is known by the quantity of human bones which are strewed by the way. Many old people take the journey on purpose to die within the sacred precincts. The sand plains around the town are in some places whiten- ed with the bones of the pilgrims. There is a spot at a lit- tle distance, called by the Europeans, Golgotha, where the dead bodies are usually cast forth, and where dogs, vultures * One poor wretch has just been crushed by the wheels, and the infatuated people are throwing cowries on his body ; another victim is in the act of meeting his death. The idol is so placed as to be seen by those who draw the car. In the front are people selling refreshments, little images, &c. 58 HISTORY, &c. and jackalls are seen continually feeding upon them. Such is the mortality among the pilgrims, that a Hindoo of proper ty always makes his will before he sets out on the journey, and takes a most affecting farewell of his disconsolate rela- tions. Multitudes are crushed to death by the pressure of the crowd ; at one time 150 were thus killed around the temple gate. A considerable revenue arises from the taxes paid by the pilgrims ; which, after defraying the expenses of the temple, goes to the government. The receipts per annum have been stated at upwards of sixty thousand dollars, of which sum near thirty thousand dollars have been applied for the support of this temple worship. Imitations of this ponderous car abound in many of the large towns in Bengal. 3. Ramu, — a deihed monarch, and the hero of the Ray- mayunu, comes in for a considerable share of the wretched devotion of the Hindoos, especially in the western provinces. He is adored as the seventh Hindoo incarnation ; he has an annual festival ; and is daily worshipped in the temples dedi- cated to him, his brother, and his friend Hunoomanu. In —these temples, he appears as a green man. with a bow and ar- row in his hands, sitting on a throne, having Seeta on his left ; his brother Lukshmunu holds a white umbrella over his head, and Hunoomanu stands before him as a servant with joined hands. He is considered as a benificent deity. Some think that Ramu was deified on account of a successful attack on Ceylon, when he was king of Muthoora. 4. Choitvnyu, — i. e. The vvise, a form of Krishnu ; the god of a set of voivagee, whose leader was a religious men- dicant. His most famous temple in Bengal is at Ugru-dvveepu, where an annual festival is held, and to which crowds resort from all parts of Bengal. The Bramhuns despise this sect. 5. Fishwu-kurinu, — the son of Brumha, as architect of the gods, may be regarded as the Hindoo Vulcan. He is wor- shipped at an annual festival, the implements of each artificer being the representative of the god. He employs no Cyclops with one eye ; but has a workman named Mayu, a giant, who is capable of exhibiting all manner of illusive edifices. 6. Kamu-devu , — the Indian Cupid. This god is also said to be the son of Brumha : he is painted as a betuntiful youth, carrying a bow and arrow of flowers. He has an annual fes- tival, but his image is not made ; nor does this festival com- mand much celebrity. Petitions are addressed to him by the bride and bridegroom anxious for offspring. OF THE HINDOOS. 59 7. Sutyu Karayunu. This name implies that he is the true Vishnoo. He is worshipped frequently in the houses of the rich, from the desire of insuring prosperity. 8. Punchaunnu, — a form of Shivu, worshipped by the low- er orders, who consider him as the destroyer of children. — The image used as his representative is a misshapen stone, anointed, painted, and placed under the vatu and other trees. 8. Dhurmut'hakooru, — another form of Shivu, held in much the same estimation as Funchanunu. 10. Kaloo-rayu, — the god of forests, another form of Shi- vu. He is painted as sitting on a tiger, and carrying a bow and arrow : and is worshipped by the wood-cutter, in tlic forests, to insure protection from wild beasts. 11. Deified Beings in sLrange shapes. — Urdhu-nareeshwvru. This compound deity is Shivu and Doorga united in one body. Religious worship is paid to this idol. Krishnukalee. In this image of Krishu and Kalee united in one body, vice it- self is personified and worshipped. Huree-Huru. Another compound deity, Vishnoo and Shivu. The worship paid to these idols appears to owe its origin to stories in the Poora- nus ; but the original idea, meant to be conveyed by two of them, no doubt was, that the Great Spirit and matter are one, 14. The Worship of Human Beings. The Hindoos worship their spiritual guides ; also, Bramhuns, and their wives and daughters ; and, among the Oamacharees, women of the low- est cast, and even prostitutes, are worshipped, with rites too abominable to be recorded. 12. The Worship of Beasts. The cow, as a form of Bhu- guvutee, is an object of worship, and receives the homage of the Hindoos at an annual festival. The very dung of tjfie cow is eaten .as an atonement for sin ; and, with its urine, is used in worship. A Hindoo does not carry any thing out of his house in the morning, tilt he has rubbed his door-way with cow-dung. Notwithstanding this reverence, the bullocks employed in carrying burdens, and at the plough, are used more cruelly by the Hindoos than any other animals. Hu- noomanu, the Monkey, has also been placed among the gods, as a form of Shivu, The temples of this god are to be seen, and in some places his .image is worshipped daily ; he is even chosen by many as their guardian deity. Hunoomanu bears some resemblance to Pfin ; and, like him, owes his birth to the god of the winds. The dog, tha jackal, and a number of other animals, h. 68 OF THE HINDOOS. G1 and present offerings, and pay worship to the various inhab- itants of the waters. The dishes and baskets on the margin, contain fruits, flowers, &c. which are^designed as offerings to the goddess. The banks are steep, and flights of steps have been laid for the accommodation of the worshippers. — Mil- lions of people are annually drawn from their homes several times in a year to visit difl'erent holy places of this river, and frequently vast crowds of people rush down the steps with great eagerness and violence, in order to get into the water at a su^iposcd lucky moment ; and in consequence of this crowd- ing, greM numbers are often killed or shockingly bruised. This deluded people expect great good will result to them from this detestable idolatry. Their sacred books declare that the sight, the name or the touch of the Ganges takes away all sin ; that thinking of the Ganges when at a distance is sufficient to remove the taint of sin ; but that bathing in the Ganges has blessings in it which no imagination can conceive. At the hour of death if a person think on Ganga, he will obtain a place in the heaven of their god Siva. So much is this river reverenced, that many will not wash themselves or their clothes in its waters ; some persons undertake jour- nies of five or six months to bathe in the Ganges in behalf of deceased relations, and to carry back its waters for reli- gious and medicinal uses. The water of this river is used in the English courts of justice to swear upon. Morning and evening the Hindoos visit and look at this river, to remove the sins of the night or of the day ; when sick they besmear their bodies with its sediment, and remain perhaps for a month near the river ; they are extremely anxious to die in sight of the Ganges, that their sins may be washed away in their last moments. Dead bodies are often brought by relatives to be burnt near the river, under the hope that the soul of the deceased will thus receive benefit. Some persons even drown themselves in the Ganges, not doubting but they shall immediately ascend to heaven. Their sacred books teach that if a person bathe in the Ganges at an auspicious moment, his sins will be removed, he will be admitted into the heaven of Brama, and after having enjoyed great happiness in heav- en, will be re- born on the earth, posse.ssed of every good quality, enjoy all kinds of happiness, and be loaded with honours. There are upwards of three millions of holy pla- ces on the Ganges ; to these places natives continually resort, at a great expense of time and money, in making offerings and paying worship. 1 7. Worship of Fish. Even the finny tribes are honoured F 62 HISTORY, erson falls they almost constantly fall down instead of entering his body. There are instances, however, of per- sons being killed, and others wounded ; but they are very rare. A few years ago, a person at Kidurpooru, near Calcut- ta, cast himself on a knife used in cleaning fish, which enter- ed his side, and was the cause of nis death. He threw him- self from the stage twice on the same day ; the second time, (which was fatal.) to gratify a prostitute with whom he lived. In some villages, several of these stages are erected, and as many as two or three hundred people cast themselves on these spikes in one day, in the presence of great crowds of people. The worshippers ofShivu make a great boast of the power of their god in preserving his followers in circumstances of such danger. The next day is spent in idleness, the sunyasees lying about Shiva’s temple, and wandering about like persons half drunk, F e m HISTORY, kc. or jaded with revelling. On the following day, a large tire is kindled opposite Shivu’s temple ; and when the burnt wood has been formed into a great heap, one ofthe chief sun- yasees, with a bunch of canes in his hand, flattens the heap a little, and walks over it with his feet bare. After him, the other sunyasees spread the fire about, walk across it, dance upon it, and then cast the embers into the air, and at each other. The next morning early, the work of piercing the tongues and sides commences. In the year 1806, 1 went to Kaleeg- hatu, ill company with two or three friends, to witness these practices : at which place we arrived at about 5 o’clock in the morning. We overtook numerous companies who were proceeding thither, having with them drums and other in- struments of music ; also spits, canes, and different articles to pierce their tongues and sides. Some with tinkling rings on their ancles, were dancing and exhibiting indecent ges- tures as they passed along, while others rent the air with the sounds of their filthy songs. As we entered the village where the temple of this great goddess is situated, the crowds were so great that'we could with difficulty get our ve- hicles along, and at last were completely block up. We then alighted, and went amongst the crowd. Hut who can describe a scene like this ? — llere, men of all ages, who in- tended to have their tongue pierced, or their sides bored, were buying garlands of flowers to hang round their necks, or tie round their heads ; — there, others were carrying their offerings to the goddess ; above the heads ofthe crowd were seen nothing but the feathers belonging to the great drums, and the instruments of torture which each victim was carry- ing in his hand. These wretched slaves of superstition were distinguished from others, by the quantity of oil rubbed on their bodies, and by streaks and dots of mud all over them : some of the chief men belonging to each company were cov- ered with ashes, or dressed in a most fantastic manner, like the fool among mountebanks. For the sake of low spoit. some were dressed as English women : and others had on a hat, to excite the crowd to laugh at Europeans. As soon as we could force our way, we proceeded to the temple of Ka- lee, where the crowd, inflamed to madness, almost trampled upon one another, to obtain a sight of the idol. We went up to the door way, when a Bramhun, who was one ofthe own- ers of the idol, addressed one of my companions in broken English : — “Money — money — for black mother.” My friend, not much liking the looks of his black mother, declared he OF TilE HINDOOS. 67 should give her nothing. From this spot we went into the temple-yard, where two or three blacksmiths had begun the work of piercing the tongues and boring the sides of these in- fatuated disciples of Shivu. The first man seemed reluctant to hold out his tongue ; but the blacksmith, rubbing it with something like flour, and having a piece of cloth betwixt his fingers, laid firm hold, dragged it out, and, placing his lancet under it in the middle, pierced it through, and let the fellow go. The next person, whose tongue we saw cut, directed the blacksmith to cut it on a contrary side, as it had been already cut twice. This man seemed to go through the business of having his tongue slit with perfect sangfroid. The company of natives were entirely unmoved, and the blacksmith, pock- eting the trifling fee given by each for whom he did this fa- vour, laughed at the sport. I could not help asking, wheth- er they were not punishing these men for lying. After seeing the operation performed on one or tw o more, we went to an- other group, where they were boring the sides. The first we saw undergoing this operation was a hoy, who might be twelve or thirteen years old, and who had been brought thith- er by his elder brother to submit to this cruelty. A thread rubbed with clarified butter was drawn through the skin on each side, with a kind of lancet having an eye like a needle. He did not flinch, but hung by his hands over the shoulders of his brother. 1 asked a man who had just had his sides bored, why he did this ? He said, he had made a vow to Kalee at a time of dangerous illness, and was now performing this vow ; a bye -standee added, it was an act of holiness, or merit. — Passing from this group, we saw a man dancing backwards and forwards with two canes run through his sides as thick as a man’s little finger. In returning to Calcutta we saw many with things of different thicknesses thrust through their sides and tongues, and several with the pointed handles of iron sho- vels, containing fire, sticking in their sides. Into this fire c- verynowand then they threw Indian pitch, which for the moment blazed very high. 1 saw one man whose singular mode of self-torture struck me much : his breast, arms, and other parts of his body, were entirely covered with pins, as thick as nails or packing needles. This is called vanu-phora.* The person had made avow to Shivu thus to pierce his body', praying the god to remove^ome evil from him. Some sunyasees at this festival put swords through the holes in their tongues : others spears ; others thick pieces * Piercing with arrows. G8 HISTORY, &c. ofround iron, which they call arrows. Man}% as a bravado, put other things through their tongues, as living snakes, bam- boos, ramrods, &c. Others, to excite the attention of the crowd still more, procure images of houses, gods, temples, &c. and placing them on a single bamboo, hold them up in their hands, and put the bamboo through their tongues. In 1806, at Calcutta, a few base fellows made a bamboo stage, placed a prostitute upon it, and carried her through the streets, her paramour accompanying them, having one of her ancle ornaments in the slit of his tongue. Another year, a man put his finger through the tongue of another person, and they went along dancing and making indecent gestures together. — Others put bamboos, ropes, canes, the stalk of a climbing plant, the long tube of the hooka, &c. through their sides, and rubbing these things with oil, while two persons go before, and two behind to hold the ends of the things which have been passed through the sides, they dance backwards and forwards, making indecent gestures. These people pass through the streets with these marks of self-torture upon them, followed by crowds of idle people. They are paid by the towns or villages where these acts are perfomed, and a levy is made on the inhabitants to defray the expense. On the evening of this day, some sunyasees pierce the skin of their foreheads, and place a rod of iron in it as a socket, and on this rod fasten a lamp, which is kept burning all night. The persons bear- ing these lamps sit all night in or near Shivu’s temple, occa- sionally calling upon this god by different names. On the same evening, different parties of sunyasees hold conversations respecting Shivu in verse. On the following day, in the afternoon, the ceremony called Churuku, or the swinging by hooks fastened in the back, is performed. The posts are erected in some open place in the town or suburbs ; they are generally fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five cubits high. In some places a kind of worship is paid at the foot of the tree to Shivu, when two pi- geons are let loose, or slain. In other parts, i. e. in the neighborhood of Calcutta, the worship of Shivu is performed at his temple ; after which the crowd proceed to the swinging posts, and commence the horrid work of torture. — The man who is to swing prostrates himself before the tree, and a person, with his dusty finger^, makes a mark where the hooks are to be put. Another person immediately gives him a smart slap on the back, and pinches up the skin hard w ith his thumb and fingers ; while another thrusts the hook through, taking hold of about an inch of the skin ; the other OF THE HINDOOS. 69 hook is then in like manner put through the skin on the oth^r i side of the back, and the man gets up on his feet. As he is rising, some water is thrown in his face. He then mounts on I a man’s back, or is elevated in some other way ; and the . strings which are attached to the hooks in his back are tied to the rope at one end of the horizontal bamboo, and the rope at I the other end is held by several men, who, drawing it down, 1 raise up the end on which the man swings, and by their run- ning round with the rope the machine is turned. In swing- ing, the man describes a circle of about thirty feet diameter. I Some swing only a few minutes, others half an hour or more : 1 have heard of men who continued swinging for hours. In the southern parts of Bengal a piece of cloth is wrapt round the body underneath the hooks, lest the flesh should tear, and the wretch fall, and bedashed to pieces ; but the whole weight of the body rests on Ibe hooks. Some of these per- sons take the wooden pipe, and smoke while swinging, as though insensible of the least pain. Others take up fruit in their hands, and either eat it or throw it among the crowd. On one oceasion,in the north of Bengal, a man took a large piece of wood in his mouth, and swung for a considerable time without any cloth round his body to preserve him, should the flesh of his back tear. On some occasions, these sunya- sees have hooks run through their thighs as well as backs. About the year 1800, five women swung in this manner, with hooks through' their backs and thighs, at Kidurpooru, near Calcutta. It is not very uncommon for the flesh to tember of Hindoo i kings, whose names are given in the Muhabharutu. The i pleasures of this heaven are like those of Indru-pooru : the i senses are satiated with gratifications as gross as the writer of i this pooranu, the licentious Vyasu could make them. | We shall close these descriptions of Hindoo worship, by ' the following account of the ceremonies performed at the worship of the goddess Doorga, the most popular of all the i annual feasts held in Bengal. On the 9th day of the decrease of the moon, this festival i begins, when the ceremony called sunkulpu is performed, by ' the officiating Bramhun's taking into his joined hands a metal kosha, (which contains water, flowers, fruits, sesamum, rice, and a blade of koshu grass,) reading an incantation, and pro- mising that on the succeeding days such a person will perform the worship of Doorga. After this, Doorga is worshipped before a pan of water with the accustomed formularies. On the 10th, 1 1th, 12th, l3lh, 1-Uh. and 15th days of the moon, the same ceremonies are performed before the pan of water, and, with some trifling variations in *he ofiferings, con- tinued to the 16th, 17th, Ibth, 19th, and 20th. On the 21st day of the moon, at the close of the worship, what is called udhivasu is performed. This also is a prelimi- nary ceremony, and consists in taking rice, fruits, &c. and touching with them a pan of water, and afterwards the fore- head of the image, at intervals repeating incantations. On the 23d, early in the morning, the officiating Bramhun consecrates the image, placing it on the spot prepared for it in the temple, and repeating the proper formulas. After (his the principal ceremonies before the image begin. First, the OF TFIE HINDOOS. 75 business of giving eyes and life to the images is performed ; when they become objects of worship. In this curious cere- mony, the officiating Bramhun touches with the two lore fin- gers of his right hand the breast, the two cheeks, the eyes, and the forehead of the image. When he touches these pla- ces, he says, ‘ Let the soul of Doorga long continue in happi- ness in this image.’ After this, he takes a leaf of the vilwu tree, rubs it with clarified butter, and holds it over a burning lamp till it be covered with soet ; of which he takes a little on the stalk of another vilwu leaf, and touches the eyes, fill- ing up with the soot a small white place left in the pupil of the eye. The worship of Guncshu and other gods is now performed ; then that of the demi-goddesses, the companions of Do«rga in her wars, who are represented by the dots of paint on the canopy which covers the image of the goddess. The offerings presented to them consist of very small slices of plantains, on each of which are stuck two or three grains of rice, &c. Then follows the worship of other images set up with that of Door- ga ; to which succeeds the principal worship, that of Doorga. First, the officiating Bramhun performs dhyanu ; in which, sitting before the image, he closes his eyes, and repeats the proper formulas, meditating on the form of the goddess, and repeating to himself, ‘ I present to the goddess all these flow- ers, fruits, &c. (here he goes over all the offerings ;) I slay all these animals,’ &c. He then calls the goddess, saying, ‘ O goddess, come here, come here ; stay here,*stay here. Take up thine abode here, and receive my worship.’ The priest next places before the image a small square piece of gold or silver, for the goddess to sit upon, and asks if she has arrived happily : adding the answer himself, ‘ Very happily.’ After this, water for washing the feet is offered, by taking it with a spoon from one vessel, and pouring it out into another, while the incantation is repeated. Ten or fifteen blades of doorvu grass, a yuvu flower, sandal powder, rice, &c. are then offer- ed with an incantation, and laid at the feet of Doorga. Next follows water to wash the mouth ; curds, sugar, and a lighted lamp. Then water to wash the mouth, and to bathe ; then cloth or garments ; then jewels, or ornaments for the feet, arms, fingers, nose, ears, &c. with sandal wood, and red or white lead ; then flowers of different kinds, one at a time, with a separate incantation for each flower ; also a vilwu leaf, with some powder of sandal wood put upon it. Then are of- fered thrice successively two handfuls of flowers of different 76 HISTORY, A:c. 1 kinds j afterwards incense, a lighted lamp, and meat offerings, j At the close, the Bramhun walks round the image seven i times, repeating forms of petition and praise. ' Now the bloody sacrifices are offered. If the animal be a sheep or a goat, as is always the case on the first day, the offi- ciating Bramhun, after bathing it either in the river or in the house, puts his left hand on its forehead, marks its horns and foreheiid with red lead, and reads an incantation, in which he offers it up to the goddess thus : ‘ O goddess, 1 sacrifice this goat to thee, that 1 may live in thy heaven to the end of ten years.’ He then reads an incantation in its ear, and puts flow- ers, and sprinkles water, on its head. The instrument by / which the animal is killed, is consecrated by placing upon it i flowers, red lead, &c. and writing on it the incantation which is given to the disciples of Doorga. The officiating Bramhun i next puts the instrument of death on the neck of the animal, and, after presenting hith with a flower as a blessing, then into ' the hand of the person appointed to slay the animal, who is i generally the blacksmith, but sometimes a Biamhun. The assistants put the go.at’s neck into an upright post, excavated at the lop so as to admit the neck between its two sides ; the < body remaining on one side of the post, and the head on the 1 <^ther. An earthen vessel containing a plantain is placed up- on a plantain leaf ; after which the blacksmith cuts off the head at one blow, and another person holds up the body, and drains out the Hood upon the plantain in the basin. If the person who performs the sacrifice does not intend to offer the flesh to Doorga, the slayer cuts only a small morsel from the neck, and puts it on the plantain ; when some one carries it, and the head, and places them before the image, putting on the head a lighted lamp. After all the animals have been thus killed, and some of the flesh and the heads carried before t the image, the officiating bramhun repeats certain prayers o- ( ver these offerings, and presents them to the goddess, with the blood which fell on the plantains : then, taking the blood from the basin, he puts it on a plantain leaf, and cuts it into four parts, presenting it to the four goddesses who attend upon Doorga. Offerings of rice, plantains, sugar, sweetmeats, sour milk, curds, pulse of different sorts, lime, fruits, &c. are next pre- j sented with prayers. Now the sames of Doorga are repeated by the priest, who afterwards presents camphorated water to the goddess ; then betle-nut, limes, spices, &c. made into what is called panu. After repeating a number of forms of praise, this part of the service closes with the prostration of OF THE HINDOOS. 77 the officiating bramhun before the idol. Next, food is pre- sented witli many prayers tothegoddess ; which food consists of what is called khechurue, fried fruits, fried fish and flesh, &c. About four in the afternoon, large quantities of food are presented to the goddess : amongst which are, prepared greens of three or four kinds ; prepared peas of three or fbur kinds; fried fruits, sweet potatoes, 5ic. fried fish, with fruits of four or five different sorts ; the flesh of sheep and goats, stewed in two or three ways ; preparations of tamarinds, two or three sorts ; rice boiled in milk, two or three sorts ; fifteen or six- teen eorts of sweetmeats, &c. all which are offered with sep- arate prayers ; after which water, betle, &c. are presented. The bramhuns are entertained either with sweetmeats, or prepared food, by the person at whose house the worship is performed: some of them are expressly invited, and others attend to see the ceremonies. The food which has been pre- sented to the goddess, being considered almost as ambrosia, is given to the guests with a spariug hand ; some of whom (mothers) beg to take a morsel home to cure their children, or relatives, of diseases. Food is also sent to the neighbours, and persons of inferior cast carry away great quantities. In the evening, the officiating bramhun waves a brass can- dlestick, or lamp with five lights, before the goddess, repeat- ing incantations ; afterwards a shell with water in it, and then a piece of cloth. At night, the temple is lighted up, and, about eight o’clock, unleavened bread, butter, fruits, sweet- meats, curds, milk, &c. are presented to the goddess. At midnight some persons repeat the worship ; but in this case the offerings are few, and there are no bloody sacrifices. After the worship of the day, many rich men engage a num- ber of prostitutes, richly dressed and almost covered with or- naments, to dunce and sing before the idol. The songs are exceedingly obscene ; the dances highly indecent ; and the dress of the dancing women no less so ; their clothing being so fine as scarcely to deserve the name of a covering. The tresses of some are thrown loose, hanging down to the waist. During the dances, the doors are shut to keep out the crowd, as well as Europeans, who are carefully excluded. Six, sev- en, or eight women thus dance together, assisted by music, for about four hours. Rich spectators, when remarkably pleased with a part of the song, throw to the singer as much as four, eight, or sixteen roopees ; besides which, those who engage these women make them presents of garments, and of considerable sums of money. The sons of the rich natives are highly pleased with these dances. G 2 78 HISTORY, &c. On the second day, the worship and sacrifices are much the Slime as on the first, except that the bathing of the goddess, called the great suanu, is attended with more ceremonies. In this ceremony the priest first brings some earth said to have been thrown up by the teeth ofa wild hog, and, mixing it with water, presents it with prayers to the goddess, to be used as soap. Then, in succession, earth from before the door of the king, or lord of the soil ; from belore that of a courtezan ; from the side of the Ganges ; earth raised by ants ; and, last- ly, earth from any river side, not the Ganges is presented with the same ceremonies. After this, turmeric, fruits, and spices ; the water of the cocoa nut, and of the watermelon ; the juice of the sugar cane ; honey, clarified butter, sour milk, milk, cow’s urine, cow-dung, sugar, treacle, and different sorts of oil, are presented in succession, with the necessary formu- las. While the officiating Bramhun is going through these ceremonies, he resolves in his mind that he is making these gifts to assist the goddess in bathing. At the close, he presents some water of the Ganges, and after this, the water of four seas ; or, if unable to obtain this, the water of the Ganges again, and then the water of some other river. The bathing ceremonies are closed by a present of cloth for the loins. In the evenings, or else in the night, according to the conjunction of the stars, worship is again performed, in which only one bloody sacrifice is offered ; and in some cases none. Widows fast on this day, particularly a widow with children ; the lat- ter deriving great benefits from the meritorious actions of the mother. On the third day, the goddess is worshipped only once, but the offerings and sacrifices are many ; buffaloes are offered only on this day. A respectable native once told me that he had seen one hundred and eight buffaloes sacrificed by one Hindoo at this festival : the number slain in the whole country must therefore be very great. Formerly some of the Hindoo kings killed a thousand animals on these occasions. The males only are sacrificed ; and they are in general young and tame, costing from five to sixteen roopees each. None of the Hindoos eat the sacrificed buffaloes, except the shoe- makers. Each animal is bathed before it is slain ; after which the officiating bramhun puts red lead on its horns, and, with a red string, ties a piece of wool smeared with red lead on the fore part of the breast : he also puts a piece of cloth covered over with turmeric on his back, and a necklace of vilwu leaves on his neck, repeating pr,ayers daring these actions. The cer- emony of cutting off the heads of the buffalos, and presenting OF THE HINDOOS. 79 them to the goddess, is similar to those already described re- specting the sacrifice ot'goats and sheep. After the beasts are all slain, the multitude, rich and poor, daub their bodies all over with the mud formed with the blood which has collected where the animals are slain, and dance like furies on the spot ; after which they go into the street, dancing and singing indecent songs, and visit those houses where images of the goddess have been set up. At the close of the whole, the ofl&ciating bramhun presents a burnt ofl’cring, and gives to the goddess a sum of money, commonly aboiit four roopees : some indeed give one hun- dred, and others as many as a thousand roopees ; which they at length return into the hands of the officiating bramhun. [Such are the gods and the worship paid to them, of the Hin- doo Pantheon ; and such, to use the language of Dr. Ward, is the deplorable state into which the mind continues to sink, aAer it has once renounced the doctrine of the unity of God ! Neither is the worship paid to these wretched deities of a more pure or dignified character. The Bacchanals of the ancients were not so licentious as the rites ofthe Hindoo reli- gion. These pages must not, however, be polluted by a reci- tal ofthe shocking indecencies practised on those occasions. One or tw o instances more, from other writers, of the cruel- ties of these eastern modes of conciliating their deities may be noticed ; together with some account of the four chief sects, or tribes into which they are divided. Forbes, Mrs. Graham, and other writers, besides Dr. Ward, have described these at some length. From these authors we learn, that the Hindoos have, from all antiquity, been divided into four great tribes, each of which comprehends a variety of inferior casts, The first, and most noble tribe, are the Bramhuns,who are the priesthood. They are not excluded from government, trade, or agriculture, though they are strictly prohibited from all menial offices. They derive their name from Bramha, who they allegorically say, produced the Brahmins from his head, when he created the world. The second in order is the Sittri tribe, who, according to their original constitution, ought to be all military men ; be- cause Bramha is said to have produced them from his heart, as an emblem of that courage which warriors should possess. The name of Beise is given to the third tribe. These are for the most part merchants, bankers, and shop keepers, and are said to have sprung from the belly of Bramha, the word Beish signifying a provider or nourisher. The fourth tribe is that of Sudder, who are menial ser- 80 HISTORY, &c. vants, incapable of raising themselves to any superior rank ■, they are supposed to have sprung from the feet of Biamha. Ifany one of the four tribes be excoiTimiinicated, he and his posterity are for ever shut out from the society of every per- son in the nation, excepting that of the Haricasts, who are held in utter detestation by the other tribes, and are employ- ed only in the meanest and vilest offices. This circumstance renders excommunication so dreadful, that any Hindoo will suffer torture, and even death, rather than deviate from one article of his faith. The devotion of the Hindoos to the Supreme Being, and the inferior deities, consists in a regular attendance at the dowels, or temples, especially at the solemn festivals ; in per- forming particular religious ceremonies in their own houses : in prayers, ablutions, fastings, and penances ; but especially in oblations, which consist chiefly of spices, incense, rice, fruits, and flowers ; and, although they have been in former times accused of offering human sacrifices, they now, as some assert, very rarely shed even the blood of an animal in their religious services. Fukeers . — The fakeers,or yogees, ofthe Senasseetribe,are a set of mendicant philosophers, who travel all over Hindoos- tan, and live on the charity of the other casts of Hindoos. — They are generally entirely naked, most of them robust, handsome men : they admit proselytes from the other tribes, especially youth of bright parts, and take great pains to in- struct them in their mysteries. These Gymnosophists often unite in large armed bodies, and perform pilgrimages to the sacred rivers and celebrated temples ; but they are more like an army marching through a province, than an assembly of saints in procession to a temple ; and often lay the countries through which they pass under contribution. Many yogees. and similar professors, are devotees of the strictest order, carrying their superstition and enthusiasm far bey'ond any thing we are acquainted with in Europe : even the austerities of La Trappe are light in comparison with the voluntary penances of these philosophers ; they reside in holes and caves, or remain under the banian trees near the temple. They imagine the expiation of their own sins, and sometimes those of others, consists in the most rigorous pe- nances and mortifications. Some of them enter into a solemn vow to continue for life in one unvaried posture ; others un- dertake to carry a cumbrous load, or drag a heavy chain ; — some crawl on their hands and knees for years, around an ex- tensive empire ; and others roll their bodies on the earth, OF THE HINDOOS. 81 from the shores of the InJus to the banks of the Ganges, and in that humiliating posture, collect money to enable them either to build a temple, to dig a well, or to atone for some particular sin. Some swing during their whole life, in this torrid clime before a slow tire ; others suspend themselves, with their head downwards, for a certain lime over the fierc- est flames. The engraving exhibits the position of a Hindoo Fakeer who has lived near Calcutta. This man has held his arms upwards till all circulation has ceased ; his nails have groivn into long claws, and his arms have withered and become dead and stiff, so that they can not be removed from the positioa. He sits with his legs crossed and placed under him till they also have become almost useless. In this situation he is brought out daily and placed on his seat, which is covered with a leopard skin, his back being supported with a cushion, and thus is he exhibited by the side of a public road. The natives crowd round this Fakeer, (or Mendicant Devotee) and thinking him a most holy man and a wonderful favorite of their gods, they respect him with fear and reverence. Some of these Fakeers make vows to continue all their- life time in one posture, and keep it r.fl'ectually. Others never lie down ; but continue in a standing posture all their lives, supported only by a stick or rope under their arm pits : some mangle their bodies with scourges and knives. They look upon them-elves to have conquered every passion and triumphed over the world. It has been thought that they submitted to these sufferings to obtain the pardon of their sins, but their chief object undoubtedly is to obtain some favour from the gods, and to excite the wonder and veneration of the ignorant Heathen. They hope by these tortures eventually to become great men and Kings upon the earth. They conceive their own merit to he so great that they can compel their gods to grant them their wishes, and the common people are thor- oughly persuaded of their virtue and innocence. Still these Fakeers are accused of committing the most enormous crimes in private.^ These tortures are sometimes undergone as proxies on be- half of richer persons, the devotee thus lets out his sufferings to hire, in order thereby to procure, as is imagined, some be- nefit to a richer neighbour who would rather part with his money than his ease. Other Fanatics . — A set of very extraordinary Hindoo fan- atics are to be met with in various parts of the country : — particular villages are appropriated for the ceremony of 82 HISTORY, &c. swinging, where the swingers assemble at stated seasons. In the centre of an area, surrounded by numerous >peclators, is erected a pole, from twenty to thirty feet in height, on which is j)laced a lung horizontal beam, with a rope run over a pully at the extremity ; to this rope they fix an iron hook, which being drawn through the integuments of the devoted swinger, he is suspended alott in the air, amidst the acclam- ations of the multitude ; the longer he is capat)le of this painful exertion, and the more violently he swings himself round, the greater the merit ; from the flesh giving way, the performer sometimes falls from this towering height, and breaks a limb ; if he escapes that accident, from the usual tem- perance of the Hindoos, the wound soon heals : — this penance is generally voluntary, in performance of a religious vow, or inflicted for the expiation of sins committed, ei her by himself, or some of his family. It will be seen how exact- ly this account agrees with the instances before given from Dr. Ward. The Pvoleahs and Pariars . — The degraded Pooleahs are an abject and unfortunate race, who, by cruel laws and ty- rannical customs, are reduced to a wretched state ; while the monkeys are adored as sylvan deities, and in some parts of Malabar, hare temples and daily sacrifices. I have often, says Forbes, lamented the treatment of the poor Pooleahs, and the cruel difference made by human laws between them and the pampered Brahmins. Banished from society, they have neither houses nor lands, but retire to solitary places, hide themselves in ditches, and climb into umbrageous trees for shelter ; they are not permitted to breathe the same air with the other castes, nor to travel on a public road : if by accident they should be there, and perceive a Brahmin or Nair at a distance, they must instantly make a loud howling, to warn him from approaching until they have retired, or climbed up the nearesttree. If a Nair accidently meets a Pooleah on the highway, he cuts him down with as little cer- emony as others destroy a noxious animal ; even the lowest of other castes n-ill have no communication with a Pooleah. Hunger sometimes compels them to approach the villages to exchange baskets, fruit, or such commodities .as they may have for a little grain, having called aloud to the peasants, they tell their wants, leave their barter on the ground, and retiring to a distance, trust to the honesty ol the villagers, to place a measure of corn equal in value to the barter which the Pooleahs afterwards take away. Constant poverty and accumulated misery have entirely debased the human form. OF THE HINDOOS. 83 and given a squalid and savage appearance to these unhappy beings. Yet, debased and oppressed as the Pooleahs are, there ex- ists throughout India a caste called Pariars, still more abject and wretched. If a Pooleah, by any accident, touches a Panar, he must perform a variety of ceremonies, and go through many ablutions, befpre he can be cleansed from the impurity. With such ideas of defilement, no marriages are contracted between the Pooleahs and Pariars, nor do they eat together, though the only difference in their epicurean ban- quet is, that the Pooleahs eat of all animal food, except beef, and sometimes of that which dies of itself ; the Pariars not only feast upon the dead carcases, but eat beef and carrion of every kind. The Brahmins of Malabar have thought pro- per to place Christians in the same rank with the Pariars. Burning of a Widow . — The following account of the burn- ing of a Gentoo woman, on the funeral pile of her deceased husband, is taken from the Voyages of Stavorinus, who was an eye-witness to the ceremony. “ We found.” says M. Sta- vorinus, “ the body of the deceased lying upon a couch, cov- ered with a piece of white cotton, and strewed with betel- leaves. The woman, who was to be the victim, sat upon the couch, with her face turned to that of the deceased. She was richly adorned, and held a little green branch in her right hand, with which she drove away the fiies from the body. She seemed like one buried in the most profound meditation, yet betrayed no signs of fear. Many of her relations attend- ed upon her, who, at stated intervals, struck up various kinds of music. “ The pile was made by driving green bamboo stakes into the earth, between which was first laid fire wood, very dry and combustible ; upon this was put a quantity of dry straw, or reeds, besmeared with grease : this was done alternately, till the pile was five feet in height, and the whole was then streived with rosin finely powdered. — A white cotton sheet, which had been washed in the Ganges, was then spread over the pile, and the whole was ready for the reception of the victim. “ The widow was now admonished by a priest, that it was time to begin the rites. She was then surrounded by women, who offered her betel, and besought her to supplicate favours for them when she joined her husband in the presence of Ram, or their highest god ; and above all, that she would sa- lute their deceased friends, whom she might meet in the ce- lestial mansions. 34 HISTORY, &c. “ In the mean time, the body of the husband was taken and washed in the river. The woman was also led to the Ganges for ablution, where she divested herself of all her or- naments. Her head was covered with a piece of silk, and a cloth was tied round her body, in which the priests put some parched rice. “ She then took a farewell of her friends, and was conduc- ted by two of her female relations to the pile. When she came to it, she scattered flowers and parched rice upon the spectators, and put some into the mouth of the corpse. Two priests next led her three times round it, while she threw rice among the by-standers, who gathered it up with great eagerness. The last time she went round, she placed a little earthen burning lamp to each of the four corners of the pile, then l:iid herself down on the right side, next to the bod}', which she embraced with both her arms, a piece of white cotton was spread over them both, they were bound together with two easy bandages, and a quantity of fire-wood, straw, and rosin, was laid upon them. In the last plate, her nearest relation, to whom, on the banks of the river, she had given her nose-jewels, came with a burning torch, and set the straw on fire, and in a moment the whole was in a flame. The noise of the drums, and the shouts of the spectators, were such, that the shrieks of the unfortunate woman, if she uttered any, could not have been heard. F rom an oflicial document it appears, that in the year 1815, between 400 and 600 widows, of the province of Bengal, had voluntarily sacrificed themselves on the funeral piles of their husbands ; in 1816, upwards of 600 ; and in 1817, 706. Burying alive . — The cremation of Hindoo widows with the bodies of their deceased husbands is now no longer doubted ; but it is more difficult to befieve, that men in the prime of life, and surrounded by every blessing, should voluntarily de- sire to immolate themselves to their deities, and be buried alive ; it is no uncommon sacrifice among the tribe of Go- sannees, and other Hindoo devotees. “A short time before I took charge of Dhuboy,” says Forbes, “a young man in- sisted on being interred alive near the temple at the Gate of Diamonds ; and soon afterwards another performed the same sacrifice, about half a mile without the English districts, be- cause 1 refused him permission to do it in his native village ; for neither is this self immolation, the cremation of women, nor any other act of suicide allowed within the Company’s territories. These solemn sacrifices are ahvays performed in the presence of many witnesses, and during the celcbra- OF THE HINDOOS. G5 tion of various religious rites and ceremonies by the Brah- mins.” ^ On such a sacrifice being announced, a large crowd assem- ble ; a round pit is dug, of a depth sufficient for a man to stand upright, into which the self-devoted victim descends, and the earth is gradually thrown on, until it entirely covers him. A tomb of solid masomy is immediately erected over his head, and solemn rites and flowery offerings are perform- ed at stated periods, in memory of a saint, who is supposed to have rendered an acceptable sacrifice to the destructive power, or some other deity in the Hindoo mythology. The practice of destroying infants is very common in India, •“particularly amongst the inhabitants of Orissa, and of the eas- tern parts of Bengal, where they frequently offer their chil- dren to the goddess Gunga. Mr. Ward relates the following shocking custom as prevalent principally in the northern dis- trict of Bengal ; — If an infant refuse the mother’s breast, and decline in health, it is said to be under the influence of some malignant spirit. Such a child is sometimes put into a basket, and hung up in a tree where this evil spirit is supposed to reside. It is generally destroyed by ants, or birds of prey ; but some- times perishes by neglect, though fed and clothed daily. If it should not be dead at the expiration of three days, the mother receives it home again, -and nurses it ; but this seldom happens. The late Mr. Thomas, a missionary, once saved and restored to its mother, an iufiut which had fallen out of a basket, at Bholahatu. near Malda, at the moment a jackal was running away with it. As this gentleman and Mr. Carey were afterwards passing under the same tree,' they foural a basket hanging in the branches, containing the skeleton of another infant, which had been devoured by ants. The cus- tom is unknown in many places ; but it is to be feared, is too common in others. In the north western parts of Hindoost’hanu, tire horrid practice of sacrificing female children as soon as born, h.as been known from time immemorial. The Hindoos ascribe this custom to a prophecy delivered by a Bramhun to Dwee- pusinghu, a raju-pootu king, that his race would lose the sovereignty through one of his female posterity. Another opinion is, that this shocking pr.actice has arisen out of the law of marriage, which obliges the bride’s father to pay almost divine honours to the bridegroom ; hence persons of high cast, unwilling thus to humble themselves for the sake of a daughter, destroy the infant. In the Punjab, and neighbouring f!G HISTORY, <^c. districts, to a great extent, a castof Silkhs, and theraju-pootus, as well as many ofthe Bramhuns, and other casts, murder their female children as soon as born. Dr. Ward made particular inquiry into the extent of these murders ; but as the crime is perpetrated in secret, was not able to procure very exact in- formation. A gentleman, whose information on Indian cus- toms is very correct, informed him that this practice was, ifit is not at present, universal among all the raju-poots, who, he supposed, destroy all their daughters ; he expressed his fears, that, notwithstanding their promises to the Government of Bom- bay, made in consequence of the very benevolent exertions of Mr Duncan, the practice is almost generally continued. But perhaps the most destructive practice observed by these wretched f-natics, is that of dying under the wheels of Jiignunnat’hu’s* car. Dr. Ward observes, that amongst the immense multitudes assembled at the drawing of this car, are numbers afflicted with diseases, and others involved in worldly troubles, or worn out with age and neglect. It often happens that such persons, after offering up a prayer to the idol, that they may obtain happiness or riches in the next birth, cast themselves under the wheels of the car, and are instantly crushed to death. Great numbers of these cars are to be seen in Bengal ; and every year, in some place or other, per- sons thus destroy themselves. At Jugunnat’hu, in Orissa, several perish annually. Many are accidentally thrown down by the pressure of the crowd, and are crushed to death. The victims who devote themselves to death in these forms have an entire confidence that they shall, by this meritorious act of self murder, attain to happiness. We must pass over many other cruel and absurd ceremonies of the Hindoo mvthology, or barely mention them : — Human sacrifices ; sacrifices of bulls, horses, asses, burnt and bloody sacrifices of various kinds ; ridiculous vows, extreme fasting ; incessant repetition of the name of some god ; hanging lamps in the air ; sitting on dead bodies ; ceremonies for removing, subduing, and destroying enemies ; voluntary suicides, drown- ing in the Ganges ; persons casting themselves from precipi- ces, h inging by hooks fastened in their sides ; ascetics suffer- ing themselves to be devoured by wild beasts in the forests ; perishing in cold regions, &.c. all of which are related with great feeling and minuteness by Dr. Ward, who gives the fol- lowing calculation relative to the number of Hindoos who an- nually perish, the victims of a blind .and cruel superstition. * Tliis name is written differently by different writers. The one best known in this country is Juggernaut. OF THE HINDOOS. 87 Widows btirnt alive on the funeral pile, in Hindoost’- hanu, ..... 5000 Pilgrims perishing on the roads and at sacred places,* 4000 Persons drowning themselves in the Ganges, or buried or burnt alive .... 500 Children immolated, including the daughters of the ra- jn-pootus .... 500 Sick persons whose death is hastened on the banks ol the Ganges! .... 500 Total, 10,500 In addition to what has already been stated relative to the speculative theories of the Hindoo Mythology, we may add some account of their more practical and obvious doctrines.] * “ Buddrutky in Orissa, May 30tA, 1806. We know that we are approaching J uggernaut (and yet we are more than fifty miles from it) by the human bones whicli we have seen for some days strewed by the way. At this place we have been joined by several large bodies of pilgrims, perhaps 2000 in number, who have come from various parts of Northern India. Some old persons are among them, who wish to die at Juggernaut. Numbers of pilgrims die on the road; and their bodies generally remain unburied. On a plain^ by the river, near the pilgrims’ caravansera at this place, there are rnore than a hundred skulls. The dogs, jackalls, and vultures seem to live here on human prey. ' Jug'^etnaul, i4lh June. I have seen Juggernaut. The scene at Biiddruck is but the vestibule to Juggernaut. No record of an- cient or modern history can give, 1 think, an adequate idea of this valley of death ; it may be truly compared to the ‘ valley of Hin- nom.’ I have also visited the sand plains by the sea, in some pla- ces whitened with the bones of the pilgrims ; and another place, a little way out of the town, called by the English ‘ the Golgotha,’ where the dead bodies are usually cast forth, and where dogs and vultures are ever seen. '• Juugernaid ‘i\st June. I have beheld another distressing scene this morning at the place of skulls ; a poor woman lying dead or nearly dead, and her two children by her, looking at the dogs and vultures which were near. The people passed by 'without noticing the children. I asked them where was their home. They said they ‘ had no home but where their mother was.’ O, there is no pity at J uggernaut ! no tenderness of heart ir^Moloch’s kingdom.” — Buch- anan's Researches in India^ A person who has liveiTs.everal years near the temple of Jugun- nat’hu, in Orissa, in a letter to Dr. Ward, says, ‘I cannot pronounce on the numbers who actually perish at Jugunnat’hu, and on their way thither; in some years they do not amount to more than two hundred perhaps ; but in others they may exceed 2000.’ ! A gentleman, whose opinion is of great weight, says, ‘I believe this estimate is far below the truth.’ 88 HISTORY, The preceding summary from page 75, is taken from the ac- count of Dr. Ward and other writers. We now return to our abridgment. Of the Transmigration of Souls. — After death, the person is conveyed by the messengers of Yumu through the air to the place ofjudgtnent. x\fter receiving his sentence, he wanders about the earth for twelve months, as an aerial being or ghost: and then takes a body suited to his future condition, whether he ascend to the gods, or suffer in a new body, or be hurled into some hell : this is the doctrine of several Poorunus. — Others maintain that immediately after death and judgment, the person sufl’ers the pains of hell, and removes bis sin by suffering ; and then returns to the earth in some bodily form. The faith of the Hindoos in the doctrine of the transmi- gration of souls often appears in their conversation ; especial- ly when either prosp.erous or adverse circumstances have a- riseri in a family. ^Vhen a person in deep sorrow for the loss of a child, is addressed by another on the subject, the for- mer perhaps utters her grief in some such words as these : — ‘ What have I done, that 1 am thus grievously afflicted ? — When I examine my life from my childhood, I cannot see that I have done any harm. W'hy then does god thus afflict me ? Why did he give me a child ? Why did he take it away !’ — She next vents her grief in a torrent of abuse on Yumu : — ‘ Oh ! Yumu ! What did 1 do to thee ? I am sure I never injured thee. Thou knowest that 1 have none else : I am in this world like a blind creature : this child was my staff, — and thou hast taken him away. O thou wicked Yumu ! — 1 will put a wisp office in thy face. I will flog thee with the broom. — My breast is rent with grief.’ Another female now joins her, and says, ‘ Oh ! sister ! What ! is your child gone ? Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! — that vile Yumu — he is full of in- justice. If I could see him, I would cut him into a thousand pieces. He has taken all mine ; but he has left you one. — Ah ! if I were stone, I should split into pieces ; but I am earth — only flesh and blood, and therefore I am sunk into nothing. But why do I thus complain ? I am not singular ; every one’s house is plundered.’ Another person now comes in, and says, ‘ Why do you blame Yumu ? What fault has he done ? in former births you must have committed many crimes ; otherwise I cannot see why you should suffer in this dreadful manner ; you have done nothing but works of merit in this birth. Y’ou must have injured someone’s child in a former birth, and now yours is taken from you. Yumu has ione nothing wrong. He is justice itself. He never errs. OF THE HINDOOS. 89 Nor ought you to think it extraortiinary that a person dies. — It is more extraordinary that a person desires to live. If you confine a bird in a cage, though you cherish him with the greatest care, if the door be open he flies away. But though there are nine openings in the body by which the soul may make its escape, and though the person be suffering the deep- est distress, yet the soul is not willing to depart ; this desire of life is more wonderful than death itself. When the soul has taken its flight, then, why should you think it such an ex- traordinary thing ? You are sufl'ering for the sins of many former births ; which sins, like a shadow will pursue you, go where you will, and assume whatever shape you may, till they be expiated by suffering. If this were not so, why is it that a good man suffers, while a wicked man is raised to the pinnacle of prosperity ? If men suffered only for the sins of this life, the good would have nothing but happiness, and the wicked nothing but sorrow. When the Hindoos see any of the animals used cruelly, es- pecially cows, they exclaim ; — ‘ Ah ! how many sins must that creature have committed in a former birth ! They say the same if they see a dog eating ordure. When they see a dog riding with his master in his palanqueen, they say, ‘True thou art born a dog, but some good works have made thy fate tolerable.’ Judgment of Men after death. — .\tthe extremity of the earth southwards, floating on the waters, is Sungyumunee, the res- idence of Yumu, the judge of the dead, and of his recorder Chitru-gooptu ,and his messengers. Yumu has four arms, is of a dark colour, with his eyes like the petal of the water lily: in his hands he holds a shell, a discus, a club, and a lotus; D rides on Gurooru ; wears a golden poita, and pearl ear-r'-’S® ’ and has a crown on his head, and a garland of flowe^^* round his neck. Chitru-gooptu, the recorder, and Yt-’^i^u’s attend- aijts, appear. in the most pleasing forms. Those who perform works of merit are led Yumu’s pal- ace along the most excellent roads, f^-i^ume parts of which the heavenly courtezans are set-u dancing br singing ; and gods, gundhurvus, &uc. are heard chanting the praises of other gods; in others, showers of flowers are falling from he.aven ; in oth- er parts are houses containing cooling water, and excellent food ; pools of water covered with nymphoeas : and trees, affording fragrance by their blossoms and shade by their leaves. The gods are seen to pass on horses or elephants, with white umbrellas carried over them ; or in palanqueeus or chariots, fanned with the chamuras of the gods : while the devurshees H 2 are chanting their praises as they pass along. Some, by the glory issuing from their bodies, illume the ten quarters of the world. Yumu receives the good with much affection, and, feasting them with excellent food, thus addresses them: — -Ye are truly meritorious in your deeds ; ye are wise : by the power of your merits ascend to an excellent heaven. He who, born in the world, performs meritorious actions, he is my father, brother and friend.’ The wicked have 688,000 miles to travel to the palace of Yumu, to receive judgment. In some places they pass over a pavement of fire ; in others the earth in which their feet sink is burning hot ; or they pass over burning sands, or over stones with sharp edges, or burning hot ; sometimes showers of sharp instruments, and at others showers of burning cinders, or scalding water, or stones fall upon them ; burning winds scorch their bodies ; every now and then they fall into con- cealed wells full of darkness, or pass through narrow passages filled with stones, in which serpents lie concealed ; sometimes the road is filled with thick darkness ; at other times they pass through the branches of trees, the leaves of which are full of thorns ; again they walk over broken pots, or over hard clods of earth, bones, putrifying flesh, thorns, or sharp spikes ; they meet tygers. jackals, rhinoceroses, elephants, terrible giants, &c. ; and in some parts they are scorched in the sun without obtaining the least shade. They travel na- ked ; their hair is in disorder ; their thrbat, lips, &c. are parched ; they are covered with blood, or dirt ; some wail and shriek as they pass along ; others are weeping ; others baye horror depicted on their countenances : some are drag- ge,;others by cords passed through holes bored in theiF-npses^NQthers by the hair, the ears, the neck, or the heels ; an is to be punished by being continually cast down from lofty trees. Thehramhun who commits adultery with the wife ofa bramhun, is to be fed with blood. Highway robbers, those w’ho burn houses, or poison others, are to be bitten by dogs with enormous teeth. False witnesses are to be cast from rocks too miles high. The ntimber of Hindoo Mendicants is said to be very great. I'he regular sects are only three already noticed ; but there are some who are a kind of irregular tribes or casts, as the Bouddhus, the Joinus, the Shikhs, and the followers of Choit- unyu, &c. The religious notions of all these sects, are, in substance, the same — one great mass of idolatry and mysti- cism. The object of worship is the same throughout India, Tartary. China, Japan, the Burman Empire, Siam, and the Indian Isles, with only some unimportant variations in the forms. Some of the Hindoo sects, however, have a few doc- trines peculiar to themselves. The followintr is an Analysis of all the Hindoo sects extrac- ted from the Vidwunmodu-Turunginse, a work by Chirun- , jeevu : — This work begins with the following invocation to Doorga : — ‘ May she who removes the darkness of the mind, who is revealed from everlasting, who, though invisible, exists on the earth, who enlightens the ignorant, whose forehead is I adorned with the crescent, the fixed rays of whose body re- semble the lightning, whose body is like the clouds — descend into my mind.’ Then follows an account of the author’s family' ; after which the author introduces the reader to the court of Dukshu.king of Gouru, where the priest of the king, and a number of learn- ed men, are assembled in the presence of the monarch. In the first place, the master of the ceremonies announces to the monarch the approach ofa Voishnuvu, in the following words : ‘ May it please your majesty, the person now ap- proaching wears the mark of his sect, extending from the tip of his no.se to the centre of his head ; has the representations of the weapons ofVishnoo impressed on his body ; is clothed in yellow garnrents, and wears anitcklace oftoolusee beads : he has purified his hody by bathing. &c. and repeats the name Huree, Huree, ns he comes.’ The Voishnuvu now approach- es the king, and says, * May Vishnoo enter thy mind ; — he on whom Shivu and all the gods, sitting as yogees, medi- 94 HISTORY, .tc. tate ; he who dwells in Voikoont’hu ; he who fills the uni- verse, hut remains invisible ; and whose body resembles that of Brnmha.’ — Saying this he takes his seat in the assembly. The master of the ceremonies, seeing a Shoivii approaching mentions him to the king in these words : — ‘ The excellent person who is now coming, has his hair bound up as a tur- ban round his head : is girt rouad the waist with a tiger’s skin ; is covered with ashes ; and his head, neck, and arms, are surrounded with roodrakshu bead-rolls. The Shoivu, entering the presence of the king, pronounces the following blessing : — ' May Shunkuru, who instructs the world ; whose praises are celebrated in the vedus, tuntrus, and the poora- nus ; who is the object of meditation to the y ogee ; who directs the gods in the work of creation ; ^vho, though invisible, for the preservation of the world becomes visible; who medi- tates on his own qualities — may he preserve thee.’ After which, he takes his place in the assembly. The pundit next announces a Shaktn, thus : — ‘ He who now approaches, comes like the full moon, with a java flower in the air, a garland of mullika flowers encircling his neck ; a crescent, the mark of his sect, on his forehead; he comes meditating on Doorga.’ The shaktu then addresses the king : — ‘ May she, on whom Huree, Huru, and Brumha depend in the work of preservation, destruction, and creation ; she who destroys the fear of future birth ; who saves the three worlds ; who destroys the enemies,, and fulfils the desires of her .lisciples — may this goddess preserve thee.’ Afler this, he sits down. The same person next annonnees a Huree-Hura-dwoituva- dee : — He who now advances, is adorned with a toolusee necklace, is covered with ashes, meditates on Huree-Huru, and invites others, for the sake of their salvation, to become the disciples of this god.’ He thus blesses the king : — • May both Shunkuru and V'ishnoo dwell in their heart, the half of whom is engaged in the devotions of a yogee, and near the other half sits Lukshmee ; he who encircles himself with Ununtu, (the king of serpents,) who rides on Gurooru — may he, entering thy mind, preserve thee.’ Saying this he sits down. A Noiyayiku and a Voisheshiku, come hand in hand, and are thus annotinced — ‘ These come viewing the assembly with the utmost contempt, the goddess oflearning dancing on their tongues.’ They then salute the king : — ‘ May God pre- serve thee ; he who, taking the forms of Brumha, Vishnoo, andShivu, creates, preserves, and destroys the world : he OF THE HINDOOS. 95 who influences all to good and evil ; he whose will, whose work, and whose wisdom, are irresistilile ; he who exists as separate from animal life, and who is fulness itself.’ The next person introduced is a Aleeniangsuku, who is thus described : — ‘ This man approaches with tlie marks of vows and of a sacriheer upon him, teaching his disciples the forms of religion.’ He thus blesses the monarch ; — ‘ May your Ma- jesty always be engaged in religious services, which raised Jndru to his throne, Sooryu to he monarch over the hosts of heaven ; and the merit of which indeed, descending to thee from a former birth, has now raised thee to a kingly throne.’ Having pronounced this blessing, he sits down. The master of the ceremonies next introduces a V edantee thus ■ — ' This person comes as one wlio has renounced all pleasure ; his apparel is painted vvith earth from ilie moun- tains, and in his hand he holds a dundee’s staff ; having ascen- ded the vessel which is to carry him across the ocean of this world, he approaches as though he were coming to preserve from destruction this whole assembly.” Addressing fhc king, the Vedantee says, ‘ May the glorious Being, who is wisdom and joy, who is omnipresent, the only one, the everlasting, who is free from passion, in whom the universe exists as a shadow of the sun in the water, may he give thee the know- ledge, that thou art the same with him.’ Having said this, he sits down. The next persons announced, are followers of the SankhyUj and another of the Patuhjulu school. They are thus des- cribed ; — ‘ These come with bodies bulky towards the head^ and lean at the extremities ; professing similar sentiments, and meditating on realities. Being introduced, he of the Sankhyu sect thus addresses the monarch : — ‘ May nature, (unaffected by spirit, as the water-lily by the water,) by whom, beginning with greatness, the universe was made, prosper thee.’ The Patunjula thus blesses the king : — ‘ May the king pursue pleasure communicated by the vein through which the soul of the yogee, ascended to the bisilar suture^ from the bod3', and obtains final deliverance.' He then sits down. A Pouraniku next approaches, and is thus described : — ^ Here comes a person full- of words, with a mind fixed on God, instructing others in religion* duty.’ He thus addresses the king : — ‘ May Xarayiinu preserve thee ; he who in the form of a fi>h brought up the vedus : who in that of a boar, saved the earth ; in that of a tortoise supports the universe ; ib that of a lion destroyed a giant ; in that of a dwarf, carried HISTORY, &c. Sb Vamunu down to Patalu ; in that of Purushoo-Ramu, destFoy- ed the kshutrius ; in the form of Ramu, destroyed Ravunu ; in that of Bulu'iRamu, called Robinee mother ; in that of Booddhu, declared the slaughter of animals in sacrifice to be unlawful ; and who, in that '^f Kulkee, at the end of the iron age. will destroy the wicked, and restore the golden age.’ He then takes his place in the assembly. A Jyotishu next approaches the assembly, and is thus an- nounced : — ‘ Here comes a person acquainted with the fates of men ; who can declare things past, present, and to come ; and who meditates on the nine planets. ’ Addressing the king, he says, ‘ May Sooryu make thee glorious like himself ; may Chundru make thee a dispenser of joy like himself; may Mungulu bestow a blessing on thee ; may Booddhu give thee wisdom; may Vrihusputee endow thee with learning: may Sookru give thee a knowledge of verse ; May Shunee destroy thy incapacity ; may Rahoo remove the wickedness of thy heart ; may Ketoo erect for thee the standard of victory.’ He then takes his seat. Next a professor of the Ayoor-vedu draws near, who is thus described : — ‘ Behold a voidyu ; who by his medical knowledge removes the miseries of mankind ; who gives joy to a patient, as the full moon to the spectators ;. he comes as the afllictor of afiliction.’ He thus ble,«ses the king; — ‘ May the king possess faith in the virtue of medicine, which ren- ders the person emaciated by disease beautiful as a heavenly courtezan.’ He sits down. The next person introduced is a grammarian, who is men- tioned as repeating the Kalajtu, (a giammar ;) and is announ- ced as the very image oi Muha devu, an incarnation of U untu. He thus blesses the king : — ‘ May thy glory, O king, be pub- lished through the world ; be thou the hel[»er of all ; sitting on a firm seat, practice religion ; compose differences.’ He then retires to the circle, and sits amongst the learned men. An Unkularu professor now appears, and is thus introdu- ced ; Here comes a man forming pros" and verse with great ingenuity, causing his words to dance as he walks.’ He thus blesses the king : — ‘ Mayest thou spend thy days in the joy arlsinff fron' pleasant conversation ; conversation eaibracing amorous, heroic, tender, ludicrbus, disgusting, wonderful, terrific, and wrilliful subjects.’ He also takes his place. An atheist apiiroaches next, and is thus announced ; — ‘ Afraid of destroying life, here comes one who sweeps the ground on w hich he treads ; and who h; s plucked ofl’the hair from his head.’ He thus blesses the king : — ‘ ftlayest thou OF THE HINDOOS. 91 aft ver be drawn aside by the words of deceivers, who wsorship the gods, and excite to religious ceremonies by the hopes of future rewards ; who promise heaven to the sacrificers of animals ; who talk of objects invisible.’ Hearing these words of the atheist, all the assembly rise up, saying, ‘ Oh ! thou wicked one !— Who art thou ? VVhence comest thou V The unbeliever replies : — ‘ I am the sinner; ye are the [holy ; ye who fruitlessly destroy the lives of sentient beings!’ The Meemangsuku replies : — ‘ The animals which 1 des- troy in sacrifice obtain heaven ; the gods are pleased with sacrifices ; the sacrificer likewise obtains his desire : that destruction of life therefore which is commanded by the shas- trus, is not criminal.’ Unbeliever. Shocking ! What words are these ! Where is heaven ? Where are the gods ? Where are your pleasures and sorrows after death ? M. Dost thou vilify the doctrines of the vedus and poora- nus ? Unbeliever. Shall we believe the words of the deceitful vedus and pooranus, which tell us of things which no eye has ever seen ? M If there be neither works of merit nor demerit, how is the existence of happiness and misery to be accounted for ? Unbeliever. Where are thy works ? Who has seen them, or imitated them ? And if thou sayest, ‘ My sorrow or joy is the fruit of actions ^9 ‘H i- . • ' . ‘ T 6F THE CHINESE. iOS» not pxclude myself from the society of men, and consort with beasts. Bad as the times are, I shall do all 1 can to recall ! men to virtue ; for in virtue are all things, and, if mankind would but once embrace it, and submit themselves to its dis- cipline and laws, they would not want me or any body else to instruct them. It is the duty of a good man, first to perfect himself, and then to perfect ethers. Human nature,” he ad- ded, “ came to us from heaven pure and perfect ; but in pro- cess of time, ignorance, the passions, and evil examples cor- rupted it. All consists in restoring it to its primitive beauty ; and to be perfect, we must reascend to that point from which I have fallen. Obey heaven, and follow the orders of him who governs it. Love your neighbour as yourself. Let your reason, and not your senses, be the rule of your con- duct ; for reason will teach you to think wisely, to speak pru- dently, and to behave yourself worthily upon all occasions.” Confucius in the meantime, though he had withdrawn him- self from kings and palaces, did not cease to travel about, ^and do what good he could among the people, and among mankind in general. He is said to have had at least 3000 disciples ; 72 of whom were distinguished above the rest by their superior attain- ments, and 10 above them all by their comprehensive view and perfect knowledge of his whole philosophy and doctrines. He divided his disciples into four classes, who applied them- selves to cultivate and propagate his philosophy, each accor- ding to his particular distinction. The first class were to improve their minds by meditation, and to purify their hearts by virtue. The second were to cultivate the arts of reason- ing justly, and of composingelegant and persuasive discourses. The study of the third class was, to learn the rules of good government, to give an idea of it to the mandarins, and to en- able them to fill the public offices with honour. The last class was concerned in delivering the principles of morality in a concise and polished style to the people. These 1 0 chos- en disciples w'ere, as it were, the flower of Confucius’ school. .He sent 600 of his disciples into different parts of the em- pire, to reform the manners of the people ; and, not satisfied with benefiting his own country only, he made frequent reso- lutions to pass the seas, and propagate his doctrine to the far- thest parts of the world. Hardly any thing can be added t» the purity of his morality. He seems rather to speak like a doctor of a revealed law, than a man who had no light hut what the law of nature afforded him : and, as an evidence of h»s .sincerity, he taught as forcibly by example as by precept. la 116 RELIGION, &c, short, his gravity and sobriety, his rigorous abstinence, his contempt of riches, and what are commonly called the goods of this life, his continual attention and watchfulness over his actions, and, above all, that modesty and humility which arc not to be found among the Grecian sages. He is said to have lived secretly three years, and to have spent the latter part of his life in sorrow. A few days before his last illness, he told his disciples with tears in his eyes, that he was overcome with griel at the sight of the disorders which prevailed in the empire : “ The mountain,” said he, “ is fallen, the high ma- chine is demolished, and the sages are all fled.” His mean- ing was, that the edifice of perfection, which he had endeai^ cured to raise was entirely overthrown. He began to lan- guish from that time ; and the 7th day before his death, he said, “ The kings reject my maxims ; and since I am no lon- ger useful on the earth, I may as well leave it.” After these words he fell into a lethargy, and at the end of seven days expired in the arms of his disciples, in his 73d year. Upon le first hearing of his death, Ngai cong, who then reigned in the kingdom of Lou, could not refrain from tears : “ The Tien is not satisfied with me,” cried he, “ since it has taken away my Confucius.” Confucius was lamented by the whole empire, which from that very moment began to honour him as a saint ; and established such a veneration for his memory, as will probably last for ever in those parts of the world. Kings have built palaces for him in all the provinces, whither the learned go at certain times to pay him homage. There are to be seen upon several edifices, raised in honour of him, inscriptions in large characters, ‘‘ Tothe great master.” “To the head doctor.” To the saint.” “To the teacher of emperors and kings.” They built his sepulchre near the eity Kio fou, on the banks of the river Su, where he was wont to assemble his disciples ; and they have since inclosed it with walls, which look like a small city to this day. Confucius did not trust altogether to the memory of his dis- ciples for the preservation of his philosophy ; but composed several books ; and though these books were greatly admired for the doctrines they contained, and the fine principles of morality they taught, yet such was the unparalleled modesty •f this philosopher, that he never assumed the least honour about them. He ingenuously confessed, that the doctrine was not his own, but was much more ancient ; and that he had done nothing more than collect it from those wise translators Yao and Chun, who lived 1500 years before him. These books are held in the highest esteem and veneration, because they coDtaia all that he bad collected relating to the ancient in OF THE CHINESE. laws, which are looked upon as the most perfect rule of gov- ernment. The number of these classical and canonical books, for so it seems they are called, is four. The tirst is entitled, “ Ta Hio, the Grand Science, or the School of the Adults.’’ It is this that beginners ought to study first, because it is, as it were, the porch of the temple of wisdom and virtue. It treats of the care we ought to take in governing ourselves, that we may be able afterwards to govern others : and of persever- ance in the chief good, which, according to him, is nothing but a conformity of our actions to right reason. The author calls this book “ Ta Hio, or the Grand Science,” because it * was chiefly designed for princes and grandees, who ought to govern their people wisely. “ The whole science of prin- ces,” says Confucius, “ consists in cultivating and perfecting the reasonable nature they have received from Tien, and in restoring that light and primitive clearness of judgment, which has been weakened and obscured by various passions, that it may be afterwards in a capacity to labour for the per- fection of others. ” To succeed then,” says he, we should begin within ourselves : and to this end it is necessary to have an insight into the nature of things, and to gain the knowledge of good and evil ; to determine the will towards a love of this good, and haired of this evil ; to preserve integrity of heart, and to regulate the manners according to reason. When a man has thus renewed himself, there will be then less diffi- culty in renewing others ; by this means concord Shd union reign in families, kingdoms are governed according to the laws, and the whole empire enjoys peace and tranquillity.” The second classical or canonical book is called “ Tchong;^ Yong, or the Immutable Mean ;” and treats of the mean which ought to be observed in all things. Tchong signifies mraj?, and by Yong is understood that which is constant, eternal, immutable. He undertakes to prove, that every wise man, and chiefly those who have the care of governing the world, should follow this mean, which is the essence of virtue. He enters upon his subject by defining human nature, and its pas- sions ; then he brings several examples of virtue and piety, as fortitude, prudence, and filial duty, which are proposed as so many patterns to be imitated in keeping this mean. In the next place he shews, that this mean, and the practice of it, is the right and true path which a wise man should pursue, in order to attain the highest pitch of virtue. The third book “ Yun Lu, or the Book of Maxims,” is a collection of senten- tious and moral discourses, and is divided into 20 articles, containing only the questions, answers, and sayings of Con- 112 RELIGION, &c. fucius aud his disciples, ou virtue, good works, and the art of governing well ; the tenth article excepted, in which the dis- ciples of Confucius particularly describe the outward deport- ment of their master. There are some maxims and moral sentences in this collection, equal to those of the seven wise men of Greece, which have alws^ys been so much admired. The fourth book gives an idea of a perfect government ; it is called “ Meng Tsee or the Book of Montius because, though numbered among the classical and canonical books, it is more properly the work of his disciple Montius. To these four books they add two others, which have almost an equal reputation ; the first is called “ Hiao King,” that is, “ of Fili- al Keverence,” and contains the answers which Confucius made to his disciple Tseng, concerning the respect which is due to parents. The second is called “ Sias Hio,” that is, “ the Science, or the School of Children which is a collec- tion of sentences and examples taken from ancient and mod- ern authors. There is a tradition in China, that when Confucius was complimented upon the excellency of his philosophy, and his own conformity thereto, he modestly declined the honour that was done him, and said, that “ he greatly fell short of the most perfect degree of virtue, but that in the west the most hohjyvas to be found.” Most of the missionaries who relate this are firmly persuaded that Confucius foresaw the coming of the 3fessiah, and meant to predict it in this short sentence ; but whether he did or not, it is certain that it has always made a very strong impression upon the learned in China ; and the emperor Mimti,wbo reigned G5 years after the birth ofChrist, was so touched with this saying of Confucius, together with a dream, in which he saw the image of a holy person coming from the west, that he fitted out a fleet, with orders to sail till they had found him, and to bring back at least' his image and his writings. The persons sent upon this expedition, not daring to venture farther, went ashore upon a little island not far from the Red Sea, where they found the statue of Fo, who had in- fected the Indies with his doctrines SOO years before the birth of Confucius. This they carried back to China, together with the inetemsychosis, and the reveries of this Indian phi- losopher. The disciples of Confucius at first opposed these newly imported doctrines with all the vigour imaginable, in- veighing vehemently against Mimti, who introduced them, and denouncing the judgment of heaven on such emperors as should support them. But all their endeavours were vain ; the torrent bore hard against them ; and the pure religion and OF THE CHINESE. 113 sound morality of Confucius were soon corrupted, and in a manner overwhelmed, by the prevailing idolatries and super- stitions which were introduced with the idol Fo. From the pure system of morals laid down by Confucius, the common people of China, however, at length wholly de- parted. Yet we have the authority of Mr. Bell for the asser- tion that, in that fine country there is still a most respectable sect of riieists, who worship the one God, whom they call Zin, the Heaven, or Highest Lord, and pay no religious hom- age to the images of their countrymen. This sect has exist- ed, s£iys he, longer than Christianity, and is still most in vogue ; being embraced by the Emperor himself, and most of the grandees and men of learning. But the common people are generally idolaters. There is a very inconsiderable sect, called Cross-Wor- shippers, who pay divine adoration to the holy cross, though they have lost all other marks of Christianity. When Mr. Bell published his Travels in 1762, the Christians in China were supposed to amount to one hundred thousand of both sexes. He was told the Chinese had some atheists among them. The Chinese have, however, fallen in with many of the common errors and practices of idolatry. Captain Hamilton, in his quaint style and manner, thus describes the gods, cler- gy, and devotion of the Chinese : — Their temples are built all after one form : but as in other countries, very different in beauty and magnitude. Their josses, or demi-gods, are some of human shape, some of mon- strous figures ; but in the province of Fokein they are more devoted to the worship of goddesses than gods. Quanheim has the most votaries. She is placed in state, sitting on a cushion with rich robes, and her little son standing before her, with a charged trident in his right hand, ready to throw at the offenders of the laws of humanity and nature, and also at those who make no free-will offerings to his mother. The Chi- nese who have seen the Roman Catholic churches and wor- ship, say that she is the Chinese Virgin Mary. There is another goddess, called Matson, who swam from a far country, through many seas, and came in one night to China, and took up her residence there. She sits on a plat- form, with a cushion laid on it, and her head is covered with blue wool instead of hair. She is the protectress of naviga- tion ; for which reason none go a voyage, but they first make a sacrifice of boiled hogs’ heads, and bread baked in the steam ef boiling w’ater. It is set before the image when reeking hot, K 2 114 RELIGION, &c. and kept before her till it is cold. On their return from a voyage, they compliment her with a play, either acted on board of the ship, or before one of her temples. They have another goddess, in the form of a virgin, cal- led Quonin, who has many votaries, but is mostly worshipped in the province of Pekin and Manking, but being a virgin, she has many lovers all over China. They have one temple, called the Temple of Apes, in which are numerous ill-shaped images of that animal. The godFo, has a human shape, except his head, which has the figure of an eagle. Gan has a broad face and a pro- digious great belly. Fo is a very majestic god and is always placed with a great number of little gods to attend him. Mi- Tiifo, in Fokin, Mr. Hamilton takes to be the god Miglect at Canton, being alike in shape and countenance : he is called the god of pleasure. Passa is set cross-legged on a cushion, bespangled with flowers and stars, and she has eight or nine arms and hands on each side, and two before, that she holds in a praying posture. In every one of her hands (except the two that are dedicated to prayer) she bears something em- blematical, as an axe, a sword, a flower, &c. On the great God, that made heaven and earth, they bestow a human shape like a young man in strength and vigour, quite opposite to the church of Rome, who make his picture like Salvadore, with- ered, old, cold and heavy. Mr. Hamilton saw many more, whose names he forgot ; some with human bodies, and drag- ons ; lions, tigers, and dogs’ heads ; and one he saw, like Stour Yonker, in Finland, with a man’s body and clothes, and with eagles’ feet, and talons instead of hands. The Priesthood are in no great esteem among the people, being generally oflow extraction. They have many different orders among them, which are distinguished by badges, col- our of habit, or the fashions of their capes. They are all obliged to celibacy while they continue in orders, and that is no longer than they please. But while.they continue in or- ders, and should chance to be convicted of fornication, they must expiate their crimes with their lives ; except their high priest, who is called Chiam, and he always keeps near the fTmperor’s person, and is in very great repute, and he has liberty to marry because the high priesthood must always continue in one family, as Aaron’s did for a long while, but not half so long as it has in this family, who has kept up the custom above a thousand years successively, without the in- trusion of interlopers. There are no persons of figure that care to have their cVil- r OF THE CHINESE. 1 15 dren consecrated to serve at the altar, so that the priests, wh# can have no issue of their own, are obliged to buy novices of such mean persons as necessity forces to sell their children ; and their study being in the large legends of their divinity, and not having the benefit of conversation with men of letters or polity, they are generally ignorant of the affairs of the world, which makes them contemptible among so polite a people as the ingenious and conversible Chinese laity are. Confucius, or as the Chinese call him, Confuce, was the prince of the philosophers. He was near contemporary with Artaxerxes, Nehemiah, and Malachi, about 450 years before our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He both taught and practised moral philosophy to perfection, and acquired so great a ven- eration among his countrymen, that his sentences are taken for postulata to this day, no one since having offered to con- tradict any thing that he has left behind in writing. They have another doctor of philosophy, called Tansine, who was , almost as ancient as Confucius, and wrote many excellent ^ tracts of a virtuous life ; and the methods to attain it, but his . character is inferior to Confucius. Their preachers take some apophthegms out of those great i men’s writings for texts to comment and expatiate on. They I live very abstemiously, and rise early before day to pray. Every temple has a cloister or convent annexed to it, and has a certain stipend allowed by the Emperor to support the ^ priests and novices, but they get much more by letting lodg- ings to travellers, who generally lodge in their cells, than the I Emperor’s allowance ; besides, they have a genteel way of begging from strangers, by bringing tea and sweatmeats to re.- gale them. The Chinese do not bury in or near their temples ; but in the fields, and when a bouzi, or priest, tells a rich dying per- son, that such apiece of ground is holy, and that the infernal spirits have no power to haunt such ground, they will per- suade the poor man, thus distempered both in body and mind, to buy it at any rate to be buried in, and sometimes they will pay a thousand tayels for ten yards square of such holy ground. Such is the account which Captain Hamilton has given it? of the Chinese religion. It is only from the meagre glean- ings of travellers, who, in China, have such little access to the interior that scarcely any glimpse can be had of the opinions and habits of this singular people, that we can get any informa- tion on this subject. The near relation, however, which the religion of China has to that of some parts of Hindoostan, and still more to th$ 116 RELIGION, &c. religion of the Grand Lama, and the Japanese, enables us to ascertain with tolerable accuracy, what are the general views on this most important of all subjects. In strict propriety, the Chinese religion cannot be fairly ranked with that of gross idolatry. The primitive worship of the Chinese, that is, of the most enlightened amongst them, has continued, like their dress, invariably the same through a long succession of ages down to the present time. We are informed by one of the most learned and respectable French Jesuits, who took great pains in investigating the Chinese religion, “ that the Chinese are a distinct people, who have preserved the characteristic marks of their first origin, whose primitive doctrine will be found to agree, in the essential parts, with that of the chosen people the Jews, before Moses had consigned the explana- tion of it to the sacred records, and whose traditional knowl- edge may be traced back even to the renewal of the human race by the sons of Noah.” The canonical books of the Chinese set forth the idea, and enforce the belief ot the Supreme Being, the creator and pre- server of all things. They mention him un/ler distintt names, corresponding to those which we use when we speak of God, the Lord, the Almighty, and the Alost High. These books as- sert that the Supreme Being is the principle of every thing ihat exists ; that he is eternal, unchangeable, and independ- ent, that his power knows no bound ; that his knowledge com- prehends the past, present, and future ; and that he is the witness of whatever passes in the recesses of men’s hearts. They acknowledge his universal providence, his approbation of virtue and goodness, and his abhorrence of vice, which he punishes with parental compassion to induce his creatures to reform and amend their lives. Upon these general principles the Chinese refer every re- markable event to the appointment and dispensation of the Deity. If destruction threatens their crops, or alarming sickness endangers the life of a virtuous emperor, sacrifices and prayers are offered up to God. If a wicked prince has been suddenly taken away by accident, they attribute it to his just and avenging arm. Upon these same principles one of the ancient emperors gave his orders to the priest; “the Su- preme Being,” says he, “ is entitled to our homage and ado- ration. Compose, therefore, a calender, and let religion re- ceive from man those times and seasons which are its* just due.” Another emperor, when he was invested with his office, OF THE CHINESE. m and had distributed the various employments to the person* under him, exhorted them to a faithful discharge of the du- ties incumbent upon them, and concluded with these words ; “ Never shut your ears against the voice of religion : let every moment redouble your diligence in serving God.” And a priest, addressing himself to an emperor, said, “ Think on eternity, if you are desirous of improving your mind, and of adding new virtue to it.” In another period of Chinese history we arc told, that the fear of the Supreme Being was alone sufficient to restrain all the subjects of the empire, and to confine them within the bounds of duty. Honesty was so prevalent at that time, that it was not necessary to intimidate the people by exercising the severity of penal laws. Imprisonment was the only pun- ishment inflicted on the guilty. The doors of the gaols were thrown open in the morning : the prisoners went out to la- bour, and they returned again thither in the evening without compulsion. These facts, and they might be multiplied, almost without end, will go to prove that the religion of China is founded on the belief of the existence and attributes of the Supreme Be- iiig ; and it is asserted, upon good authority, that there is not to be found a single vestige of idolatry upon their most an- cient monuments. The first sacrifices of this people were instituted in hon- our of the Supreme God, and were offered on the tan, or heap of stones, in the open fields, or upon some mountain. Around the tan was raised a double fence, composed of turf and branches of trees ; and between the fences were erected two smaller altars, upon which, after the greater sacrifice, they offered others in honour of superior spirits of every rank, and of their virtuous ancestors, among whom was Con- fucius. To the sovereign alone it was permitted to sacrifice on the tan ; to the Supreme Deity they offer their prayers, but from their ancestors and superior spirits they only seek for protection and mediation. In the early ages of the empire a single mountain was set apart for sacrifices ; afterwards there were four consecrated to those purposes, to which the prince went successively every year. To the first he repaired at tire vernal equinox, to entreat heaven to watch over the seed committed to the earth. At the summer solstice he went to the second, to ask for the warmth and heat necessary to bring forward the ^ crops. He sacrificed on the third at the autumnal equinox, in the hope of averting blights, excessive moisture, winds, 11$ RELIGION, &c. and injuries from the air, which might destroy the rising hopes of the labourer. And on the fourth mountain he sac- rificed at the winter solstice, in gratitude for all the mercies of the past year, and to solicit a continuance of them through that which was about to commence. This institution, which subjected the emperor to regular journies, was attended with many inconveniences. Some- times important deliberations required his attendance in the city when he was performing sacrifice at a distance from it. At other times old age, severe weather, and bad roads, were great obstacles to the business. Means were therefore de- vised to obviate these diffiiculties, by erecting a temple in the city, where these sacrifices might be offered up. The principal Chinese temple contained within its circum- ference five separate halls, appropriated for different purpo- ses. They had neither paintings nor ornaments of any kind ; one of them was the place of sacrifice : the other four con- tained all those things which were necessery for the ceremo- ny. The edifice had four gates covered with fine moss, rep- resenting the branches of which the double fence about the tan was made. This fine moss covered also the ridge of the roof, and the whole building was encompassed by a canal, which was filled with water at the time sacrifices were offer- ed. Pekin contains two principal temples, in the construction of which the Chinese have displayed all the elegance of their architecture. These are dedicated to the Deity under dif- ferent titles ; in the one he is adored as the Eternal Spirit ; in the other, as the Spirit that created and preserves the world. The ceremonies with which modern sacrifices are accompanied are greatly multiplied, and nothing can exceed the splendour and magnificence with which the emperor is surrounded when he performs the solemn part of his duty, which he does in the name of all his people. Some time before the day fixed for this important business, the monarch, and all persons qualified to assist him, prepare themselves by retirement, fasting, and continence. During this period the emperor gives no audience, the tribunals are all shut ; mar- riages, funerals, and festivals of all kinds are then prohibited. On the day appointed for sacrifice ; the emperor appears with all the pomp and magnificence of power, to which eve- ry thing in the temple corresponds. All the vessels arc of gold, and never used in any other place. Notwithstanding this grandeur the monarch appears to the last degree humble and dejected. lie rolls in the dust, and applies to himself OF THE CHINESE. 119 terms of the most abject submission, thereby exhibiting, in the most striking manner, the infinite distance there is be- tween the Supreme Being and man. Another religious ceremony performed by the emperor, is that of ploughing the earth with his own hands. By some writers this act has been thought merely political for the sake of encouraging agriculture. But in one of the canoni- cal books it is asserted, that he tills the earth to the Deity, that he may have it in his power to present a part of the grain to him in sacrifice. The empress and princesses manage silk worms, in order to make vestments for sacrificing in. Therefore, if the emperor and princes till the gronnd, or the empress breeds silk worms, it is to shew that respect and veneration which they entertain for the spirit who rules the universe. Staunton, in his narrative of Lord Macartney’s embassy to China, asserts that there is no state religion acknowledged or encouraged in China. Tlie faith of most of the common peo- ple is that of Fo ; many of the Mandarins have another, and that of the emperor different from theirs. But the temples, consecrated to religious worship, are scarcely distinguishable from common dwelling-houses. The circular lofty structures, called by Europeans Pagodas, are of various kinds, appropri- ated to various uses, but none for religious worship. In ma- ny instances there is a similarity in the exterior forms of the religion of Fo, and that of the Roman church. Upon the altars of the Chinese temples were placed behind a screen, an image of Shin-moo, or the holy mother, sitting with a child in her arms, in an alcove, with rays of glory round her head, and tapers constantly burning before her. The temples of Fo contain more images than are met with in most Christian churches. There was one female figure particularly prayed to by unmarried women who desire a husband, and by married women who wish for children. But as the doctrine of Fo admits of a subordinate deity, propi- tious to every wish that can be formed in the human mind ; as the government of the country never interferes with mere opinions, nor prohibits any belief which may not affect the peace of society ; it is no wonder it should spread among those classes of the people who are dissatisfied with the or- dinary events of nature. Thus from extreme superstition., the temples are particularly frequented, and the superintend- ant deity first consulted, previous to the undertaking of any thing of importance ; whether it be to enter into the matri- monial state, to set out on a journey, to make or conclude a 120 THE RELIGION bargain, or any other momentous event. There are various methods of doing this, one of which is a piece of wood, of six or eight equal sides or surfaces, each having its particu- lar mark, is thrown into the air ; the side which is upper- most, after reaching the ground, is examined and referred by the priest to its correspondent mark on the book of fate. If the first throw accord with the wishes of him who made it, he prostrates himself in gratitude, and cheerfully undertakes the business. If the throw be unpropitious he makes a sec- ond trial ; but the third throw must decide the question. The temples are always accessible to consult the will of hea- ven ; and their adoration consists more in giving thanks than offering prayers. SECTION II. THE RELIGFON OF THIBET, Or the Grand Lama ; And also of the Heathen Tartars in general. The name of the Grand Lama is given to the sovereign pon- tiff, or high priest, of the Thibetian Tartars, who resides at Patoli, a vast palace on a mountain near the banks of Baram- pooter, about seven miles from Lahassa. The foot of this mountain is inhabited by twenty thousand lamas, or priests, who have their separate apartments around the mountain ; and according to their respective qualities, are placed nearer, or at a greater distance from, the sovereign pontiff. He is not only worshipped by the Thibetians, but also is the great object of adoration for the various tribes of heathen Tartars who roam through the vast tract of continent which stretches from the banks of the IVolga to Correa, on the sea of Japan. He is not only the sovereign pontiff, the vicegerent of the Deity on earth, but the more remote Tartars are said to absolutely regard him as the Deity himself, and call him God, the ever- lasting Father of heaven. They believe him to be immortal, and endowed with all knowledge and virtue. Every year they come up from different parts to worship, and make rich offer- iriffs at his shrine. Even the emperor of China, who is a Mauchou Tartar, does not fail in acknowledgements to him in The African Kollah. p. J46, Sibenan Priest invoking his Deities. p. 160 OF THE GRAND LAiAM. i:i his religious capacity ; and he actually entertains, at a great expense in the palace of Pekin, an inferior Lama, deputed as his nuncio from Thibet. The Grand Lama, it has been said, 13 never to be seen but in a secret place of his palace, amidst a great number of lamps, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, and decked in every part with gold and precious stones ; where at a distance the people prostrate themselves before him, it not being lawful for any so piuch as to kiss his feet. He re- t. turns not the least sign of r|>spect, nor ever speaks, even to f the greatest princes ; but only lays his hand upon their heads, and they are fully persuaded they receive from thence a full ^ forgiveness of all their sins. ; The Sunniasses, or Indian pilgrims, often visit Thibet as a holy place ; and the Lama always entertains a body of two or three hundred in his pay. Besides his religious influence and authority, the Grand Lama Is possessed of unlimited pow- er throughout his dominions, which are very extensive. The inferior Lamas, who form the most numerous, as well as the most powerful body in the state, have the priesthood entirely I in their hands ; and, besides, fill many monastic orders, which ' are held in great veneration among them. The whole coun- try, like Italy, abounds with priests ; and they entirely sub- sist on the great number of rich presents which are sent them from the utmost extent of Tartary, from the empire of th^ Great Mogul, and from almost all parts of the Indies. ' ^ The opinion of those who are reputed the most orthodox among the Thibetians is, that when the Grand Lama seems to die, either of age or infirmity, his soul, in fact, only quits'a ^razy habitation, to look for another, younger or better ; and it is discovered in the body ot some child by certain tokens, known only to the Lamas or Priests, in which order he always appears. According to the doctrine of this metemsychosis, the soul is always in action, and never at rest : for no sooner docs she leave her old habitation, than she enters a ne w one. The Dalay being a divine person, can fin<' no better lodging than the body of his successor : or the io, residing in the Dalay Lama, w hich passes to his successor ; and thi< being a god, to whom all things are known, the Dalay Lama is therefore ac- quainted with every thing which happened during his resi- dence in his former body. This religion is said to have been of three thiousand years standing; and neither time, nor the influence of men, has had the power of shaking the authority of tbe Grand Lr.rna 122 THE RELIGION This theocracy extends as fully to temporal as to spiritual concerns. Though in the grand sovereignty of the Lamas, the tempo- ral power has been occasionally separated from the spiritual by slight revolutions, they have always been united again after a time ; so that in Thibet the whole constitution rests on the imperial pontificate in a manner elsewhere unknown. For as the Thibetians suppose the Grand Lama is animated by the god Shaka, or Fo, who at the decease of one Lama transmi grates into the next, and consecrates him an image of the di- vinity, the descending chain of Lamas is continued down from him in fixed degrees of sanctity : so that a more firmly estab lished sacerdotal government, in doctrine, customs, and insti- tutions, than actually reigns over this country, cannot be con- ceived. The supreme manager of temporal affairs is no more than the viceroy of the sovereign priest, who, conformable to the dictates of his religion, dwells in divine tranquillity in a building that is both temple and palace. If some of his vota- ries in modern times have dispensed with the adoration of his person, still certain real modifications of the Shaka religion is the only faith they profess, the only religion they follow. The state of sanctity which that religion inculcates, consists in monastic confidence, absence of thought, and the perfect f pose of nonentity. To give as clear an account as possible of this religion, lit- tle more is required than to extract the ample account given of it in a description of Thibet, published in Green’s Collec- tion of V^oyages, and re-pnblished in Pinkerton. Friar Horace says, that in the main the religion of Thibet^ is the counterpart of the Romish. They believe in one God, and a trinity, but full of errors ; a paradise, hell, and purga- tory, but full of errors also. They make suffrages, alms, prayers, and sacrifices for the dead ; have a va^ number of convents filled with monks and friars, amounting to thirty thousand ; who, besides the three vows of poverty, obedi- ence, and chastity, make several others. They have their confessors, who are chosen by their superiors, and receive their license from their Lama, as a bishop, without which they cannot hear confessions, or im.pose penances. They have the same form of hierarchy as in the Romish Church ; for they have their inferior Lamas, chosen by the Grand La- ipa, who act as bishops in their respective dioceses, having under them simple Lamas, who are the religious. To these may be added, the use of holy water, crosses, beads, and oth- er matters. OF THE GRAND l.AMA. 123 The chief object of worship in this countr}f, is the same j which in China is called Fo, but by the Lamas in Thibet, La. , This prince, who was born 6ne thousand and twenty -six years before Christ, and reigned in part of India, called Chantyen- '' oho, or, as others say, Si-tyen, gave himself out to be God, assuming human flesh ; and when he died, it was pretended, that he only withdrew for a while, and would appear again in a determinate time ; as he actually did, if tlie testimony of his devout disciples, the writings of the primitive fatliers amongst them, and, in short, the tradition and authority of the whole church, from age to age, down to the present, are at all to be regarded in proof. And this imposture has been practised since as often as there has been occasion for it ; so that the god La still lives, and is corporally present in the person of the Dalay Lama. In which respect, the church of Thibet has in finitely the advantage of the Romish, in as much as the visible j head of it is considered to be God himself, not his vicar, or ! deputy ; and the incarnate deity, who is the object of divine worship, appears alive in human shape to receive the people’s ' adorations : not in the form of a senseless bit of bread, or playing at bo-peep in a diminutive wafer, which would be too 1 gross a cheat to impose on the understandings of the Thibe- ' tians, however ignorant and superstitious the missionaries ti^ their own shame represent them. The Great Lama, who as we said before, is La, or Fo in- carnate, is, according to Grueber, called in the country. Lama, ft Konju, or the Eternal Father. He is also styled Dalay Lama, I The same author says, in another letter, that Great Lama f>signifies the Great High Priest, and Lama of Lamas ; as he is ^ r^iso styled the High Priest of High Priests. These last titles ; regard only his oflice, or degree, in his ecclesiastical or reli- gious capacity ; but with respect to his divine nature, or quality, which entitles him to be adored a.s God, they term him likewise the heavenly Father, ascribing to him all the attri- butes of the true deity ; as, that he is omniscient, and that ail things are open to his view, even the secrets of the heart. If, at any time, he asks questions, it is not, say they, for sake of information, but to remove the scruples of the incredulous and disaftected. They believe that Fo (or La) lives in him : hence those of his religion in China call him Ho fo, or the living Fo. In consequence of this persuasion, he is held to be immortal, and that when in appearance he dies, he only .changes his abode ; that he is born again in an entire bodj", and the happy place of his residence is revealed by certain pretended tokens, which the Tartarian princes themselves are 124 THE RELIGION ! obliged to learn of the other Lamas ; who only know the child appointed by the preceding Grand Lima to succeed him. To keep up this opinion of his immortality, the Lamas after his death, seek, throughout the whole kingdom, for another person, as like unto him, in all respects, as may be, to supply his place ; and thus he has undergone a new resurrection, or incarnation, seven times since bis first appearance. Ber- nier relates the matter thus, as he had it from a Lama physi- cian. When the Great Lama is old, and ready to die, he as- sembles his council, and declares to them, that now be was passing into the body of a little child, lately born ; that when this child, who was bred up with great care, was six or seven years of age, they (by way of trial) laid before him a parcel of household goods mixed with his own, which yet he could dis- tinguish from the rest ; and this he said, w’as a manifest proof of the transmigration. Grueber says, that this belief is propagated by the policy of their kings, and those who are in the secret of this cheat, in conjunction with the Lama Konju. The Romish missionaries rail heavily at this imposture calling if wicked and diabolical, as if, besides transubstantiation, which is worse, they had no other impostures in their own religion. But it is done, doubt- less, out of envy ; because they have none which redounds so much to the honour and wealth of themselves. ^Grueber says, the Great Lama sitteth in a remote apart- ment of his palace, adorned with gold and silver and illumi- nated with lamps, in a lofty place like a couch, covered with costly tapestry. In approaching him, his votaries fall pros- trate with their heads to the ground, and kiss him with incre- dible veneration. Thus, adds the Jesuit, hath the devil, through his innate malignity, transferred to the worship of this people that veneration which is due only to the pope of Rome, Christ’s vicar, in the same manner as he hath done all the other mysteries of the Christian religion. The same author farther observes, that he always appears with his face covered ; letting none see it but those who are in the secret : that he acts his part extremely w ell, while the Lamas, or priests, who are perpetually about him, attend him with great assiduity, and expound the oracles that are taken from his mouth. Here it must be noted, that Grueber learns all he writes concerning the Great Lama from the citizens of Barantola ; for the missionaries could not see him, no Chris- tian being admitted into his presence, nor, indeed, any body of a different religion, without adoring the pretended deity ; however, they took an exact •copy of his picture, as it wat^ OF THE GRAND LAMA. Uo ; exposed to view in the entrance of the palace ; to which they paid the same veneration as to himself in person. Bentinck tells us, that at the foot of the high mountain near I Putala, whereon the Dalay Lama resides, about twenty thou- sand Lamas dwell in several circles round it, according as the rank and dignities which they possess, render them more worthy to approach the person of their sovereign pontiff, i According to the account transmitted by Regis, the Grand I Lama sits cross-legged on a kind of altar, with a large and magniheent cushion under him ; where he receives the com- pliments, or rather adorations, not only of his own subjects, but of prodigious multitudes of strangers ; who make long journies to offer him their homage, and obtain his blessing. Some even travel there from India, who never fail to enlarge before him upon their own merit, and magnify the sufferings they have undergone in their painful pilgrimage. But next to the people of Thibet, the Tartars ai e most devoted to the Grand Lama, some of whom resort to Lasa from the most dis- tant corners. When the Eluths-Dsongari invaded Thibet, the sister of Ayuki, Khan of the Eluths-Torgauti, with her son, was at Lassa upon the like errand. Princes are no more excused from this servile adoration than the meanest of their subjects ; nor do they meet 'vitli more respect from the Grand Lama, -who never moves fromr his cushion, nor any other way returns, the salute, ' He only lays his hand upon the head of the worshippers, who then think all their sins pardoned. The Lamas u ho drew the map observed, that in receiving the Emperor’slttnbassador, he did not kneel like the Tartar princes ; but when he inquired af- ter Kang-ki’s health, resting upon one hand, he only made a small motion, as if he intended to rise from his seat. He was at that same time dressed in a red habit of woollen frize, such as the common Lamas wear, with a yellow hat, gilt. Grueber assures us that the grandees of the kingdom are very eager to procure the excrements of this divinity, which they usually wear about their necks as relics. In another place, he says that the Lamas make a great advantage by the large presents they receive tor helping the grandees to some ' of his excrements, or urine ; for by wearing the first about their necks, and mixing the latter with their victuals, they imagine themselves to be secure against all bodily infirmities. In confirmation of this, Gerbillon informs us, that the Mongols wear his excrements pulverized in little bags about their necks, as precious reliques, capable of preserving them from all misfortunes, and curing them of all sorts of distempers. L 2 12G THE RELIGION When this Jesuit was on his second journey into Western Tartary, a deputy from one of the principal Lamas, offered the Emperor’s uncVe a certain powder, contained in a little packet of very white paper, neatly wrapped up in a scarf of very white taflfety ; but that prince told him, that .as it was not the custom of the Manchews to make use of such things, he durst not receive it. The author took this powder to be either some of the Great Lama’s excrements, or the ashes of something that had been used by him. Trophies are erected on the tops of the mountains in hon- our of the Great Lama, for the preservation of men and cat- tle. All the Kings, who profess the religion of the Great Lama, before they are inaugurated, send ambassadors with very rich presents, to crave his benediction, as a means to render their reigns happy. Formerly, the Dalay Lama, was merely a spiritual prince ; but he is now become a temporal one also, with a large patri- mony ; the Chian of the Elutbs, who conquered it in the 17th century, having made him a present of it, which is a much larger patrimony than that called St. Peter’s, usurped by the Popes. Yet for all this, Bentink informs us, that tie does not meddle, in any sort, with the temporality of his dominions, or suffer any of his Lamas to meddle with it ; but puts all secu- lar matters under the government of two Khans of the Kal- mucks, who are to furnish him with all things necessary for the maintenance of his family. When he has any political af- fairs to transact, it is the Deva (or Tipa, a sort of plenipoten- tiary,) who acts under his orders. The religion of the Great Lama seems to be more extend- ed than any other in the world ; for besides Thibet, which is its native seat, it has spread itself over all the Indies, China, and Western Tartary, from one end to the other. It is true, the provinces of the Indies and China, have many ages ago thrown off his jurisdiction, and set up chief priests of their own, who have modelled the religion of their respective countries, according to I heir different fancies, or interest. But Thibet, and the greater part of Tartary, are still subject to him in spirituals. The better to govern this vast dominion he constitutes deputies, or vicars, to officiate in his stead. These are called Hutuktus, or Khutuktus; which, according to Regis, are chosen from among the disciples of the Great Lama. It is esteemed a real happiness to be admitted into the number of these last, which never exceeds two hundred ; and, they on whom the honour of Hutuktu is conferred, are considered as so many lesser Fos ; they are neither confineff OF THE GRAND LAMA. 127 to the pagods, nor limited to Thibet, but settle where they please ; and soon acquire great riches, by the offerings of their numerous worshippers. One of them who resided among the Kalka Mongols, about the beginning of the last century^ set up for himself, in opposition to his master, as- suming all the privileges and powers which the Grand Lama pretends to : and, in all likelihood, others from time to time will follow bis example. For keeping up discipline and order in ecclesiastical mat- ters there is a kind of hierarchy in Thibet, consisting of church officers, answering to the archbishops, bishops, and priests. They have also their priors, abbots, and abbesses, superiors, provincials, or such like degrees, for ordering what concerns the regular clergy. The Lamas, or priests, who preside over the temples throughout the country, are sent from the college of the Lama’s disciples before mentioned. The other Lamas officiate as assistants at divine service in the churches and monasteries ; or go abroad on the mission into foreign countries. Regis says, the Lamas generally w'ear a woollen frize like ours, but narrower, and not so close ; yet it is lasting, and re- tains its colour. They use, besides the hat, different kinds of bonnets, according to their several dignities ; one of which is somewhat remarkable, as it resembles our bishops’ mitres, but they wear the slit before. The Great Lama’s colour is red ; but as the Emperor of China has gained some footing in Thibet, those of his party, as well as all the Mongol and Kalka Lamas, wear yellow. Bentink, speaking of these latter, observes, that they go ha- bited in long yellow robes, with great sleeves, which they bind about their waist with a girdle of the same colour, two fingers broad. They have the head and beard shaved very close, and wear yellow hats. They always carry a great pair of beads of coral, or yellow amber, in their hands, which they turn incessantly between their fingers, saying prayers to themselves after their manner. The nuns wear very nearly the same dress, excepting that they wear bonnets edged with fur, instead of hats, which the Lamas wear. The multitude of Lamas in Thibet is incredible, hardly a family being without one, either out of their devotion, or ex- pectations of preferment in the Grand Lama’s service. As to their character, if you will take it from their greatest adversaries, the missionaries, most of them are debauched ; yet they govern Princes, who give them the chief place in as- semblies, and are blindly followed by thefr votaries, who give 12C THE RELIGION the best of what they have. Some of them are tolerably skllU ed in medicine ; others have some notion of astronomy, and can calculate eclipses. Bernier met with one of these Lama phy- sicians at Kasmir, who came in the train of an ambassador from Great Thibet. He had with him a book of recipes, which he would by no means part with. • Regis represents them as very ignorant, affirming that few of them can read or understand their ancient books, or even say their prayers, which are in an ancient tongue, and charac- ter, no longer spoken or known. But this charge must be unjust, if other writers may be credited. Besides, F riar Hor- ace declares, that there are in Thibet universities and colle- ges for teaching the things relating to their law or religion. SECTION III. RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OF THE JAPANESE. Liberty of conscience, so far as it does not interfere with the secular government, or affect the peace and tranquillity of the empire, has been at all times allowed in Japan, as it is in most other countries of Asia. Hence it is that foreign reli- gions were introduced with ease, and propagated with success, to the great prejudice of that which was established in the country from remotest antiquity. There were formerly four religions, considerable for the number of their adherents : 1. Sinto, the old religion, or idol worship, of the Japanese. 2. Budsdo, the worship of foreign idols, brought over info Japan, from the kingdom of Siam, and the empire of China. 3. Siuto, the doctrine of their moralists and philosophers. 4. Devius, or Kiristando, that is the way ofGod and Christ, or Christian religion. Of the two chief religions, the Sinto and the Budso, which now flourish and are tolerated in Japan, the Sintos must be considered in the first place, more for its antiquity and tong standing, than for the number of its adherents. Sinto, which is also called Sinsju, and Kamimitsi, is the idol-worship, as of old established in the country. Sin and Kami denote the idols which are the object of this worship. Jo and Mitsi, signify the way or method of worshipping these idols. Sin signifies faith or religion. Sinsja, in the plural Sinsju, the persons who adhere to this religion. OF THE JAPANESE. 12 <) The more immediate end which the followers of this relig- ion propose to themselves, is a state of happiness in this world. They have indeed some, though but obscure and imperfect, notions of the immortality of the soul, and a future state of bliss or misery. And yet, tittle mindful as they are of what will become of them in that future state, so great is their care and attention to worship those gods whom they believe to have a peculiar share in the government and management of this world, with a more immediate influence, each according to his functions, over the occurrences and necessities of hu- man life. And, although they acknowledge a Supreme Being, who, as they believe, dwells in the highest heaven, and though they likewise admit of some inferior gods, whom they place among the stars, they do not worship and adore them, nor have they any festivals sacred to them, thinking, that be- ings, which are so much above us, will little concern them- selves about our affairs. However, they swear by these superior gods, whose names .are constantly inserted in the form of their oath : but they worship and invoke those gods, whom they believe to have the sovereign qommand of their country, and the supreme direction of its produce, its elemeftts, water, animals, and other things, and who, by virtue of his power, can more im- mediately aflfect their present condition, and make them either happy or miserable in this life. They are the more attentive in p,aying a due worship to these divinities, as they seem to be persuaded, that this alone is sufficient to cleanse and to purify their hearts, and that doubtless by their assistance and intercession, they will obtain in the future life rewards pro- portionable to their behaviour in this. This religion seems to be nearly as ancient as the nation itself. The priests teach their system of divinity to others for a proper consideration, and under an obligation of secrecy ; particularly when they come to the last article, which re- lates to the beginning of all things, they take special care not to reveal the same to the disciple, till he has obliged himself with an oatli signed with his hand and seal, not to profane such sacred and sublime mysteries, by discovering them to the ig- norant and incredulous laity. The original text of this mys- terious doctrine is contained in the following words taken out of a book, which they called Odaiki ; “ Kai fakuno fasime Dsjusio Fuso Tatojaba Juj«io sui soni ukungaGotosiTentsijno utsijni Itsi butsu vvo seosu Katats Igeno gotosi fenquas ste sin to nar kuni toko datsno Mikotto to goos that is, “ In the be- ginning of the opening of all things, a chaos floated, as fishes 130 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES swim in the water for pleasure. Out of this chaos arose a thing like a prickle, moveable and transformable ; this thing became a soul or spirit, and this spirit is called Kunitokodats- 00 Mikotto.” The Sinsju, that is, the adherents of the Sintos religion, call their temples, or churches, mia, which word signifies dwelling places of immortal souls. They come nearest to the fana of the ancient Romans, as they are, generally speak- ing, so many lasting monuments erected to the memory of great men. They call them also jasijro, and -ia, or sinsja, which last takes in the whole court of the mia, with all other build- ings and dependencies belonging to it. The gods, who are the subject of their worship, they call Sin and Caroi, souls or spirits. Sometimes also they honour them with the epithet ofMiosin, sublime, illustrious, holy ; and Gongen, just, se- vere, jealous. The mias, as indeed all convents and religious houses in •general, as well of this as of their other sects, are seated in the pleasantest parts of the country, on the best spots of ground, and commonly within or near gre.at cities, towns, villages, and other inhabited places. A broad and spacious walk, planted with rows of fine cypress trees, leads strait to the mia, or else to the temple-court, on which there are sometimes several mias standing together, and in this case the walk leads directly to that, which is reckoned the chief. The mias ai’e, generally speaking, seated in a pleasant wood, or on the ascent of a fine green hill, and have neat stone stair-cases leading up to them. The adherents of the Sintos religion do not believe thePy- thagorean doctrine of the transmigration of souls, although almost universally received by the eastern nations. Howev- er they abstain from killing and eating those beasts which are serviceable to mankind, thinking it an act of cruelty and un- gratefulness. They believe that their souls, after their de- parture from the bodies, migrate to a place of happiness, seat- ed just beneath the thirty-three heavens and dwelling places of their gods, which, on this account, they call Tkamanofarra, which signifies, “ high and sub-celestial fields that the souls of those who have led a good life in this world are ad- mitted without delay ; but that the souls of the bad and impi- ous are denied entrance and condemned to err, without a time sufficient to expiate their crimes. This is all they know of a future state of bliss. They admit no hell, no places of torment, no Cimmerian darkness, no unfortunate state attending our souls in a world to OF THE JAPANESE. 131 come. Nor do they know of any other devil, but that which they suppose to animate the lox ; a very mischievous animal in this country, and so much dreaded, that some are of opin- ion, that the impious after their death are transformed into foxes ; which their priests call Ma, that is, evil spirits. The chief points of the Sintos religion are, 1. Inward purity of heart. 2. A religious abstinence from whatever makes a man im- pure. 3. A diligent observance of the solemn festivals and holy days. 4. Pilgrimages to the holy places at Isie. To these some very religious people add, 5. Chastising and mortifying their bodies. Let us speak of these severally : — To begin, therefore, with inward purity of heart, which consists in doing, or omit- ting those things which they are ordered to do, or to avoid either by the law of nature, the dictates of reason, or the more immediate and special command of civil magistrates. As to external purity, the observance whereof, though less material in itself, has yet been more strictly commanded. It consists in abstaining from blood ; from eating flesh, and I from dead bodies. Those who have rendered themselves impure by any of these things are thereby disabled from going to the temples ; from visiting holy places, and in general from I appearing in the presence of the gods. Whoever is stained I with his own or other blood, isfusio for seven days, that is, ■ impure and unfit to approach holy places. No woman must come to the temple during monthly terms. It is common- ly believed, that in the holy pilgrimage to Isje, the monthly terms do for that time entirely cease : which, if true, must be owing either to the fatigues of a long and tedious journey, or to their taking great pains to conceal it, foi fear their la- bour and expenses should thereby become useless. Whoev- er eats the flesh of any four footed beast, deer only excepted, is fusio for thirty days. On the contrary, whoever eats a fowl wild or tame, water fowls, pheasants, and cranes ex- cepted, is fusio but a Japanese hour, which is equal to two ©fours. Whoever kills a beast, or is present at an execution, or attends a dying person, or comes into a house where a dead body lies, is fusio that day. But of all the things which make us impure, none is reck- oned so very contagious as the death of parents and near re- lations. The nearer you are related to the dead person, so much the greater the impurity. All ceremonies to be obv 132 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES served on this occasion, the time of mourning, and the like, are determined by this rule. By not observing these precepts, people make themselves guilty of external impurity, which is detested by the gods, and become unfit to approach their temples. The celebration of solemn festivals and holidays, which is the third essential point of the Sintos religion, consists in what they call Majiru ; that i-, in going to the inias and temples of the gods, and deceased great men. This may be done at any time, but ought not to be neglected on those days particular- ly consecrated to their worship, unless the faithful be in a state of impurity, and not duly qualified to appear in the pre- sence of the immortal gods, who detest all uncleanness. They perform their devotions at the temple in the follow- ing manner : the worshippers having first washed and cleaned themselves, put on the very best clothes they have, with a kamisijno, as they call it, or a garment of ceremony, every one according to his ability. Thus clad, they walk with a composed and grave counte- nance to the temple-court, and, in the first place, to the ba- sin of water, there to wash their hands, if needful, for which purpose a pail is hung by the side of it ; then casting down their eyes, they move on, with great reverence and submis- sion towards the mia itself ; and having got up the few steps which lead to the walk round the temple, and are placed op- posite to the grated windows of the mia, and the looking glass within, they fall down upon (heir knees, bow the head quite to the ground, slowly, and with great humility ; then lift it up again, still kneeling, and turning their eyes towards the look- ing-glass, make a .short prayer, wherein they expose to the gods their desires and necessities, or say a takamano farokami jodomari, and then throw some putjes, or small pieces of money, by way of an oflFering to the gods, and charity to the priests, either through the grates upon the floor of the mia, or into the alms box, which stands close by ; all this being done, they strike the bell thrke, which is bung up over the door of the mai, for the diversion of the gods, whom they believe to be highly delighted with the sound of musical instruments ; and so retire to divert themselves the remaining part of the day, with walking, exercises, eatfng or drinking, and treating one another in the very best manner they are able. » Their feasts, wedding.s, audiences, great entertainments, and in general all manner of public and private rejoicings, are made on these days in preference toothers ; not only because they are then more at leisure, but chiefly because th^l fancy OF THE JAPANESE. 133 that their gods themselves are ve^'y much delighted, when men allow themselves reasonable pleasures and diversions. All their rebis, or holidays in general, are unmoveable, being fixed to certain days. Some are monthly, others yearly. The merchants worship and devote themselves in a more peculiar manner to the four following gods, as gods of fortune and prosperity. 1. Jebisu was Tensio Dai Sin’s brother, but by him disgra- ced and banished into an uninhabited island. It is said of him that he could live two or three days under water. He is, as it were, the Neptune of the country, and the protector of fishermen, and seafaring people. They represent him sitting on a rock, with an angling rod in one band, or the cel- ebrated fish tai, in the other. 2. Daikoku, is said to have the power, that wherever he knocks with his hammer he can fetch out from thence any thing he wants, as for instance, rice, victuals, cloth, money, &c. He is commonly represented sitting on a bale of rice, with his fortunate hammer in his right h m^t^and a bag laid by him, in which he puts whatever he knoca^B^ 3. Tossitoku ; and by some called Kur^HHff' The Jlap- anese worship him at the beginning of the neW year, in'orSer to obtain from him subsistence, success and prosperity in their undertakings. He is represented standing clad in a large gown with long sleeves, a long beard, a huge monstrous fore- head, and large ears, and a fan in his right hand. 4. Futtei, by some called Miroku, is represented with a great huge belly. His worshippers expect from his benevo- k*.t assistance, among other good things, health, riches, and children. These are the greatest of the Japanese gods, and the fes- tival days sacred to them. There are many more saints and great men, whose memory is celebrated on particular days, because of their noble actions, and great services done to their country. Of the Jammabos, or Mountain Priests . — Jammabos signifies, properly speaking, a mountain soldier. They are a sort of hermits, who pretend to abandon the temporal for the sake of the spiritual and eternal; to exchange an easy and com- modious way of life for an austere and rigorous one ; pleas- ures for mortifications ; spending most of their time in going up and dow’n holy mountains, and frequently washing them- selves with water, even in the midst of the winter. The richer among them, who are more at their ease, live in their own houses. I'lie poorer go strolling and begging about the M 134 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES country, particularly in the province of Syriga, in the neigh- bourhood of ihe high mountain Fusi Jamma ; to the top whereof they are by the rules ol their order obliged to climb every year, in the sixth month. Some few have mias, or temples, but, generally speaking, so ill provided for, that they can scarce get a livelihood by them. The founder of this order was one Gienno Giossa, who lived about 1 100 years ago. They can give no manner of account of his birth, parents and relations. Nor had he any issue. He was the first that chose this solitary way of life for the mortification of his body. He spent all his time wan- dering through desert, wild, and uninhabited places, which in the end proved no inconsiderable service to his country, in- somuch, as thereby he discovered the situation and nature of such places, which nobody before him ventured to view, or to pass through, because of their roughness and wild aspect. By these means he found out new, easier, and shorter roads, from places to places, to the great advantage of travellers. His followers, in process of time, split into two different or- ders. One is called Tosanfa. Those who embrace this, must once a year climb up to the top of Fikoosan, a very high mountain in the province Cusen, upon the confines of Tsiku- sen, a journey of no small difficulty and danger, by reason of the height anil steepness of this mountain, and the many pre- cipices all around it, but much more, because, as they pre- tend, it hath this singular quality, that all those who presume to ascend it, when fusios, that is, labouring under any degree of impurity, are by way of punishment for their impious rash- ness possessed with the fox (others would say, the devil,) and turn stark mad. The second order is called Fonsanfa. — Those who enter into this, must visit in pilgrimage, once a year, the grave of their founder at the top of a high mountain in the province Jostsijno, which by reason of its height is called Omine, that is. the lop of the high mountain. Should any one presume to undertake this journey, with- out having first duly purified and prepared himself for it, he would run the hazard of being thrown down the horrid pre- cipices, and dashed to pieces, or, at least, by a lingering sick- ness, or some other considerable misfortune, pay for his folly, and the contempt of the just aqger of the gods. And yet notwithstanding all these dangers and difficulties, all persons, who enter into any of these two orders, must undertake this journey once a year. In order to this they qualify them- selves by a previous mortification, by virtue whereof they must for sometime abstain from their wives, from impure OF THE JAPANESE. 135 food, and other things, by the use of which they might con- tract any degree of impurity, though never so small, not for- getting frequently to bathe and to wash themselves in cold water. As long as they are upon the journey, they must live only upon what roots and plants they find on the mountain. If they return safe home from this hazardous pilgrimage, they repair forthwith, each to the general of his order, who resides at Miaco, make him a small present in money, which if poor, they must get by begging, and receive from him a more honourable title and higher dignity, which occasions some alteration in their dress, and increases the respect that must be shown them by their brethren of the same order. So far is ambition from being banished out of these religious societies. Of the Budsdo, or Foreign Pagan Worship, audits Founder. — Budsdo. in the literal sense, signifies the way of foreign idols, that is, the way of worshipping foreign idols. The or- igin of this religion, .which quickly spread through most Asia- tic countries to the very extremities of the East, must be looked for among the Brahmins. There are strong reasons to believe, both from the affinity of the name, and the very na- ture of this religion, that its author and founder is the very same person, whom the Brahmins call Budha, and believe to be an essential part of Vishnoo, or their Deity, who made its ninth appearance in the world under this name, and in the shape of man. The Chinese and Japanese call him Siaka. He lived seventy-nine years, and died on the fifleenth day of the second month in the year before Christ 9o0. The most essential points of his doctrine are as follows : — The souls of men and animals are immortal : both are of the same substance and differ only according to the different objects they are placed in. The souls of men, after their departure from their bodies, are rewarded in a place of happiness or misery, according to their behaviour in this life. The place of happiness is called Gokurakf, that is, a place of eternal pleasures. As the gods differ in their nature, and the souls of men in the merit of their past actions, so do like- wise the degrees of pleasure and happiness in their Elysian fields, that every one may be rewarded as he deserves. How- ever the whole place is so thoroughly filled with bliss and pleasure, that each happy inhabitant thinks his portion the best, and fiir from envying the happier state of others, wishes only for ever to enjoy his own. Amida is the sovereign commander of these heavenly sta- 136 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES tions. He is looked upon as the general patron and protect- or of human souls, but more particularly as the god and fa- ther of those who happily transmigrate into these places of bliss. Through his sole mediation, men are to obtain abso- lution from their sins, and a portion of happiness in a future life. Leading a virtuous life, and doing nothing that is contrary to the commandments of the law of Siaka, is the only way to become agreeable to Amida, and worthy of eternal happinessi The five commandments of the doctrine of Siaka, the stand- ing rule of the life and behaviour of all his faithful adhereots, are called Gokai, which implies as much as the five cautions I or warnings : they are, Se Seo, the law not to kill any thing that hath life in it. Tsu To, the law not to steal. ' Sijain, the law not to whore. i Mago, the law not to lie. | Onsiu, the law not to drink strong liquors ; a law which Siaka most earnestly recommended to his disciples, to be by « them strictly observed. All persons, secular or ecclesiastical, who, by their sinful life and vicious actions, have rendered themselves unworthy of the pleasures prepared for the virtuous, are sent after their death to a place of misery, called Dsigokf, there to be confined and tormented, not indeed for ever, but only during a certain undetermined time. As the pleasures of the Elysian fields differ in degrees, so do likewise torments in these infernal places. Justice requires that every one should be punished according to the nature and number of his crimes, the number of years he lived in the world, the station he lived in, and the opportunities he had to be virtuous and good. Jemma, or with a more majestic character, Jemma O, (by which same name he is known also to the Brahmins, Siamites, and Chinese,) is the severe judge and sovereign commander of this place of darkness and misery. All the vicious actions of mankind appear to him in all their horror and heiuousness, by the means of a large looking-glass, placed before him, and called ssofarino kagami, or the looking-glass of knowledge. The miseries of the poor unhappy souls confined to these prisons of darkness are not so considerable and lasting, but that great relief may be expected from the virtuous life and good actions of their family, friends, and relations, whom they left behind. But nothing is so conducive to this desirable end, as the prayers and offerings of the priests to the great and good Amida, who by his powerful intercession, can pre- OP THE JAPANESE. 137 vaii so far upon the almost inexorable judge of this infernal place, as to oblige him to remit from the severity of his sen- tence, to treat the unhappy imprisoned souls with kindness, at least so fir as it is not inconsistent with his justice, and the punishment their crimes deserve, and last of all, to send them abroad into the world again as soon as possible. When the miserable souls have been confined in these prisons of darkness a time sufficient to expiate their crimes, they are, by virtue of the sentence of Jemma O, sent back into the world, to animate, not indeed the bodies of men, but of such vile creatures whose natures and properties are nearly related to their former sinful inclinations, such as, for instance, serpents, toads, insects, birds, fishes, quadrupeds, and the like. From the vilest of these, transmigrating by de- grees into others, and nobler, they at last are suffered again to enter human bodies, by which means it is put in their pow- er, either by a good and virtuous life to render themselves worthy ofa future uninterrupted state o| happiness, or by a new course of vices to expose themselves once more to un- dergo all the miseries of confinement in a place of torment, succeeded by a new unhappy iransmigration. These are the most essential points of the doctrine of Si- aka. Christianity was introduced into the empire of Japan, in the beginning of the seventeenth century, by missionaries of the church of Rome, and, for a number of years, made a very rapid progress. The>e Missionaries, who were mostl}' Jes- uits, required little more than a nominal profession of the Christian name, with an admission of the supremacy of the Pope ; and, while they presented Christian images to be adored, those idolaters saw nothing essentially opposed to their own religious usages, with which they had long been fa- miliar. As they were not required to submit to the self-de- nial and holy righteousness of the Gospel, and being promised eternal happiness on an acceptance of the new religion, it soon became popular and numbered its thousands of nominal converts. In this scene of prosperity, the Jesuits were de- tected in some intrigues in the afl'airs of the government, which produced an order from the jealous and arbitrary em- peror, in the year 1615, for the entire suppression of the new religion. The foreign missionaries were banished from the empire, and the acknowledgment or worship of Christ was made a capital offence. Although a great part of the nominal converts easily renounced their religion, there were a considerable number who would not, and the imperial order M 2 138 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES led to one of the most furious persecutions of modern times. It is highly probable that there are traits of Christianity, and perhaps some faithful worshippers of the true God and Sav- iour in Japan at this day. Since that period, a violent prejudice has existed among the Japanese, against every thing bearing the Christian name. To perpetuate this prejudice, and for a memorial of the sup- pression of Christianity, an annual festival is regularly cele- brated at the close of the year, at which all persons are oblig- ed to declare, upon oath, that they not Christians. After which, an image of the Saviour on a cross, and an image of the Virgin Mary are presented and laid on the ground, and ev- ery one is required to trample them in the dust> SECTION IV. THE RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHINESE AND RUSSIAN TARTAR TRIBES, It is a mixture of Lamaism, Islamism, and Gentooism, par- taking, in some cases, also of a resemblance of the corrup- tions of the Greek and Roman churches. The idolatrous tribes principally follow the worship of the Grand Lama ; but even a grosser species of idolatry is followed by some of the Tartars, particularly some of the Cossacks, who inhabit the borders of China. Some of them are the grossest idolaters, and worship little rude images, which generally consist of a small bit of wood a few inches in length ; the upper part is rounded off, and adorned with some rude marks to resemble the human fea- tures, and being thus prepared, the figure is dressed up in rags. In fine weather and prosperous seasons, they caress these ragged deities, but are apt to treat them very roughly when the contrary happens. Others of the Tartars profess a belief in the existence cf one Supreme God* the Creator of all things, who has divided the government of the world, and the destiny of men, among a great number of subaltern divinities, who are left to act ac OF THE TARTARS. 139 cording to their own pleasure, and consequently whose fa- vour It is necessary to obtain by special acts of homage and at- tention. It is the custom among some of the Tartar nations to burn their dead, and inter their ashes on an eminence, upon which they raise a heap of stones, and place on it little banners ; but a greater part of the Pagan Tartars bury their dead, and with each man his best horse and moveables, for his use in the other world. Others, however, throw their dead into open fields, to be devoured by the dogs, of which many run wild, and some are kept for this purpose. If the bodies are thus devoured by any number exceeding six, they think hon- ourably of the deceased ; otherwise he is a disgrace to his relations. On some of the skirts of the villages are seen tombs, which are larger and better built than the houses ; each of them en- closes three, four, or five biers of a neat workmanship, orna- mented with Chinese stuffs, some pieces of which are bro- cade. Bows, arrows, lines, and, in general, the most valua- ble articles belonging to these people, are suspended in the interior of the monumeuts, the wooden door of which is clos- ed with a bar, supported at its extremities by two props. The Mongols on the frontiers of China have built several temples in the countries which they inhabit ; one of these is near the river Tchikoi. It was formerly their principal temple, and the lama who officiated there had the superinten- dence of all the others. There is another spacious edifice of this kind, twenty-five wersts from the town of Selinginsk, to the south-west of the lake of KullingNoor, which possess- es the supremacy over four others. The Bouraits and Bourettes, of Mongol origin, were not known till the 17th century, the period of the conquest of the west part of Siberia by the Russians. They also reside on the frontiers of China, in the government of Irkutzk, along the .Angara and the Lena, to the south of Lake Baikal, and in Daouria. Their number is estimated at ninety-three thousand. Still attached to a roving life, they have no other habitations than huts made with poles, and covered with pie- ces of felt tied with hair ropes. The fire occupies the cen- tre. The huts of each family form a small village. Their furniture is very simple : broad benches serve for a bed ; they have a pillow of hair or feathers, under which they put the casket containing their most valuable effects. The religion of the Bouraits is a mixture of Lamaism and Shainaism. In their huts they have wooden idols, naked or 140 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES clothed : others are of felt, tin, or latnb’s skin ; and others again rude daubings with soot by the Shamans, who give them arbitrary names. ^ he women are not allowed to approach, or to pass before them. The Bourait, when he goes out, or returns to his hut, bows to his idols, and this is almost the only daily mark of respect that he pays them. He annually celebrates two festivals in honour of them, and at these men only have a right to he present. The priests preside at a sacrifice ; a sheep is commonly chosen for the victim, which they slaughter by ripping open the belly ; the heart is then taken out, and the Shaman places a small lock of wool, cut from the back, in the lungs, which ceremony is designed to preserve the other sheep from all kinds of diseases. The flesh is afterwards separated from the bones, dressed, and set before the idols, where it is left for the whole time the Shaman is singing. When he has fluished, he repeats fresh prayers, with abundance of ceremonies, throwing into the fire four spoonfuls of broth, and as many small pieces of meat ; the rest is distributed among the company. Before he dismisses the assembly, the priest sets up a flesh song, much more ob- streperous than the first, accompanied with shivering, leaping, and howling, pronouncing the names of different demons, which makes the Bouraits believe that he is cursing them, and will thereby prevent those spirits from injuring them or their herds. Particular sacrifices take place on occasion of a journey, sickness, or accident. Under this head may be briefly noticed the religion of the Kamtichadales. The Christian religion was introduced into this countrjy by theii conquerors, but the inhabitants know little more of it than the ceremony of baptism. They are ignorant of the very first principles of Christianity. As to their inclinations, they follow the impulse of their passions. Many of them, both men and women, are chamans, or believers in the witchcraft .«f those pretended sorcerers. They dread the Russian priests, and do all they can to avoid meeting them, which, if they are not able to effect, they act the hypocrite, till they can find a convenient opportunity to make an escape. They pay a secret homage to their god Koutka, and place in him so entire a confidence, that they aildress their prayers to him, when they are desirous of obtaining any boon, or of engaging in any enterprise. When they go to the chase, they abstain from washing themselves, and are careful not to make the sign of the cross ; they invoke their Koutka, and the first animal they catch is sacrificed to him. After this act ef devotion OF CEYLON. 14t they conceive that their chase -will be successful ; on the con- trary, if they were to cross themselves, they would despair of catchins; any thing. To the same deity they consecrate their new born children, who are destined to become chamans. The great veneration of these people for sorcerers can ■ scarcely be conceived, it approaches to insanity, and is really to be pitied ; for the extravagant and wild absurdities by ij which these magicians keep alive the credulity of their friends, excite the indignation rather than the laughter of eye-witncs- ses. This superstition is confined to but a small part ot the Kamtschadales, %vho do not now profess it openly, nor give the same splendour they once did to their necromany. SECTION V. RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OF CEYLON. The religion followed in the Island of Ceylon so much re- sembles either that of the Gentoos, or what is sometimes cal- led the religion of Boodh, that very little need be said con- cerning it. This religion is followed by the natives of Cey- lon, who inhabit the interior of the island. The images of Boodh appear with short and crisped hair, because it is be- lieved that he cut it with a golden sword, which produced that effect. Their priests manifest a much greater degree of intellect than the Brahmins of Hindoostan. Two of their priests, converted to the Christian religion, by the pious ex- ertions of the Wesleyan Methodist Missions, recently visited London, and are at present engaged in learning our language, qualifying themselves for missionaries and teachers in their own country, on their return. Indeed, there are already several converted Budhu priqgts employed as schoolmasters and catechists, and other natu e preachers, who are described as very useful in assisting the European missionaries, and in the translation ol the scriptures. Ofthe means employed by the unconverted priests to deter men from sin, or to induce them to perform some act, the reader has only to cast his eye over the adjoining cuts, repre- senting Ceylonese hells, in which flames and tortures of the most frightful descriptions are seen employed to punish the damned. On the other hand, the heavens of the Boodhists 142 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES are little inferior to the luxurious descriptions of the heavens of Vishnoo or Bramha. The marriage ceremony is extremely simple : — the priest joins the parties together by placing their thumbs together, uttering a few words, then sprinkling them with water, covers them with a sheet. They separate as soon and as often as they think proper. Christianity was taught in this large and populous island in the sixteenth century, according to the doctrines of the Cath- olics, by the Portuguese, and of the Protestants, by the Dutch. It does not appear that Christianity obtained a firm- er footing, in any of the European settlements in the east, than in the island of Ceylon Many thousands of nominal Chris- tians h ive been reckoned on the island, ever since their re- ligion was first established there, and continue to this time. The doctrines of the gospel have, however, been held by them With great imperfection and error, and with a very lax morality. At the present time there is a tv^ifhber of Mission- ary stations on the island, occupied by pious Missionaries from Great Britain and the United States, with favourable pros- pects of success. SECTION VI. OF THE LAPLANDERS. Although great pains have been taken by the Danes and Swedes, to inform the minds of the Laplanders on the subject of religion, yet the majority of them continue to practice su- perstitions and idolatries, as gross as any that are to be met with among Pagans. Augury and witchcraft are practised among them ; and they have been considered by many of our modern traders as very skilful in magic and divination. They are professedly Christians of the Lutheran persuasion, but sc^superstitious, that if they meet any thing in the morning esteemed ominous, they return home, and do not stir out the whole day ; they pray to their ancient idols for the increase and safety of their herds. Their magicians make use of what they call a drum, an in- strument not very dissimilar to the tambourine. On this they draw the figures of their own gods, as well as those of Jesus Christ, the apostles, the sun, the moon, stars, birds, and riv- ers. On different parts of this instrument and its ornaments OF THE LAPLANDERS. 143 are placed small brass rings, which, when the drum is beaten witli a lUlle hammer, dance over the figures, and, according to their progress, the sorcerer prognosticates. When be has gone through all his manoeuvres, he informs his audience what they desire to know. These operations are generally performed for gain ; and the northern ship masters are such dupes to the delusions of these impostors, that they often purchase of them a magic cord, which contains a number of knots ; by opening of which, according to the magician’s directions, they expect to gain any wind they want. The Laplanders frequently sacrifice to the trunk of a tree, which they cut into something like a human face. They be- lieve in the transmigration of the soul, and have festivals set apart for the worship of certain spirits, who, they imagine, inhabit the air, and have power over human actions ; but be- ing without form or substance, they assign to them neither images nor statues. They also follow the practice ol invok- ing the dead. A black cat in each house, is reckoned as one of the most valuable appendages ; they talk to it as a rational creature, and in hunting and fishing parties, it is their usual attendant. To this animal the Danish Laplanders communicate their se- crets ; they consult it on all important occasions ; such as whether thi- day should or should not be employed in hunt- ing or fishing, and are governed by its accidental conduct. Among the Swedish Laplanders, a drum is kept in every fam- ily, for the purpose of consulting with the devil ! • When a Laplander intends to marry, he or his friends court the father with presents of brandy : if he gains admittance to the fair one, he offers her some eatable, which she rejects before company, but readily accepts in private. Every visit to the lady is purchased from the father with a bottle of brandy, and this prolongs the courtship sometimes for two or three years The priest of the parish at last celebrates the nup- tials ; but the bridegroom is obliged to serve his father in- law for four years after marriage. He then carries home his wife and her fortune, which consists of a few sheep, a kettle, and some trifling articles. It is a part of the ceremony at a Lapland wedding, to adorn the bride with a crown, ornament- ed with a variety of gaudy trinkets ; and on these occasions the baubles are generally borrowed of their neighbours. When a Laplander is supposed to be approaching his disso- lution, his friends exhort him to die in the faith of Christ. They are, however, unwilling to attend him in his last mo- 144 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES ments ; and, as soon as he expires, quit the place with the ut' most precipitation, apprehending some injur}' from his ghost, which they believe, remains in the corpse, and delights in doing mischief to the living. A Laplander's funeral is thus described by an eye witness. — “ Coming to the house of the deceased, we saw the corpse taken from the bear-skins on which it lay, and removed into a wooden cofhn by six of his most intimate friends, after be- ing first wrapped in linen, the face and hands alone being bare. “ In one hand they put a purse with some money, to pay the fee of the porter at the gate of paradise ; in the other a certificate, signed by the priest, directed for St. Peter, to witness that the defunct was a good Christian, and deserved ad- mi.ssion into heaven. At the head of the coffin was placed a picture of St. Nicholas, a saint greatly reverenced in all parts of Russia, on account of bis supposed friendship for the dead. They also put into the coffin some brandy, dried fish, and venison, that he might not starve on the road. “ This being done, they lighten some fir-tree roots, piled up at a convenient distance from the coffin, and then wept, howled, and exhibited a variety of strange gestures and con- tortions, expressive of the violence of their grief. When they were fatigued with noise and gesticulations, they made several processions round the corpse, asking the deceased why he died ? whether he ivas angry with his wife ? wheth- er he was in want of food or raiment ? if he had been unsuc- cessful in hunting and fishing? After these interrogatories, they renewed their howling. One of the priests frequently sprinkled holy water on the corpse, as well as the mourn- ers.” * The sepulchre is no other than an old sledge, which is turned bottom upwards over the spot where the body lies buried. Before their conversion Jo Christianity, they used to place an axe, with a tinder box, by the side of the corpse, if it was that of a man ; and if a woman’s, her scissors and needles, supposing that these implements might be of use to them in the other world. With the axe the deceased is sup- posed to bew down the bushes or boughs that may obstruct his passage to the other world : the tinder-box is for the pur- pose of striking a light, should he find himself in the dark at the day ofjudgment. For the first three years after the de- cease of a friend or relation, they were accustomed, from time to time, to dig holes by the side of the grave, and to de- posit in them either a small quantity of tobacco, or something that the deceased was fondest of when living. They suppo- OF THE AFRICAN TRIBES. 146 sed that the felicity of a future state would consist in smoking, drinking brandy, &c. and that the reindeer, and other animals, would be equal partakers of their joys. SECTION VII. OF THE IDOLATROUS AFRICAN TRIBES. The Idolatry of all uncivilized nations or tribes is so much the same, that little need be said under this head. The Shangala, neai Abyssinia, worship trees and serpents, and the moon and stars in certain positions. They have di- viners who foretel unlucky events, and pretend to afflict their enemies with sickness at a distance. It has been said that the Galla have no religion ; but the Wansey tree under which their kings are crowned, is avow- edly worshipped as a god in every tribe. The moon, partic- ularly the new moon, some of the stars, and even certain stones, are also objects of their devolion. .411 of them believe that after death they shall live again, in the same body and with the same friends as in the present life ; but they are to be infinitely more perfect, to suffer neither sorrow, pain, nor trouble, and to die no more. The Kaussa Caffres of Southern Africa, believe there is an invisible being that sometimes brings good and sometimes evil; that causes men to die suddenly, or before they come to maturity ; that raises the wind and makes the thunder and lightning ; that leads the sun across the world in a day, and the moon in a night ; and that made every thing they cannot understand or imitate. This, though expressed in other words, is not far distant from our “ Almighty Maker of heav- en and earth, sea, and all that in them is.*’ Male children are circumcised, but the Thoussas give no other reason for this practice than, that “ it was the custom of our fathers.” The Hottentots believe that God made all things, and never did harm to any, and that he lived far above the moon. They also believe that there is an evil being, the author of al Imis- chief, and they wheedle and coax him that he may do them no injury. They have a great veneration for a particular in- sect, which they imagine brought a blessing on the village it 146 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES first appeared in ; and they believe that the destruction of their cattle would ensue if they were to kill it. The Negroes of Congo believe in a good and an evil princi- ple, which are both supposed to reside in the sky. The for- mer sends rain, the latter withholds it ; but they do not seem » to consider either of them as possessing any influence over j human affairs. After death they all take their place in the | sky, and enjoy a happy existence, without any regard being » paid to their good or bad actions while here below. Each town has a grand kissey, or presiding divinity. It is I the figure of a roan, the body stuck with feathers, rags, and ^ bits of iron, and resembles nothing so much as one of our 1 scarecrows. The chenoo of Cooloo had a kissey so redoubt- i able that if any person attempted to shoot at it he would fall down dead, and the flint would drop out of the musket This powerful divinity was the figure of a man, about two feet high, rudely carved in wood, and covered with rags. Kolloh is the name of a great spirit who is supposed to re- side in the vicinity of Yangroo, in Western Africa. He makes ) his abode in the woods, and is rarely seen except on mourn- t ful occasions, such as the death of the king or of some of their | headmen, or when a person has been buried without having | observed the usual ceremonies of dancing, drinking palm 1 wine, &c. in remembrance of their departed friends. The Kolloh is made of bamboo sticks in the form of an oval t basket, about three feet long, and so deep that it goes on to the man’s shoulders. It is covered with a piece of net, and stuck all around with porcupine quills on the nose. It has a frightful appearance, and has a great effect in exciting the terror of the inhabitants. A certain man pretends to have some very intimate inter- course with this Beelzebub, and therefore he is called by the spirit to take the Kolloh on his head and to go about with it on certain occasions to see that the various ceremonies of the country are strictly observed, and if any are absent be | seeks them out and drives them to the place of assembly. — < He is a faithful servant of the Devil. J The Kolloh-man carries a stick in his hand to show his au- j thority, and to give notice of his coming he rings a bell which j is fixed inside of the Kolloh or basket. These Kolloh men j are a set of plunderers who disturb the peace and greatly de- j ceive the ignorant natives. ] Each house has also its particular divinities, which are in- voked on all occasions, and are included in the term fetish. ■ When a man applies to a gangam, or priest, for a domestic fe- OF THE AFRICAN TRIBES. 147 tish, he IS told from what sorts offood he must abstain. Chil- dren are forbidden to eat the food that is fetished to their fa- thers. Women are not to eat meat the day that it is killed. Once a year the different tribes of the Agows meet at the source of the Nile, and sacrifice a black heifer that has never borne a calf. The head of the animal is wrapped in its skin, and what becomes of it is not known. The carcass, after having been washed at the fountain is divided among the tribes and eaten raw ; the only beverage allowed is from the spring; the bones are piled up and burnt. The church ofSt. Micha- el Gean is never opened and the people are privately hasten- ing its decay, while they pray to the spirit residing in the river, and call it •* Father of the universe,” “ Light of the world,” “ Saviour of the world,” “Everlasting God,” and “ God of peace The richer sort of the Agows keep serpents of a particular kind in their houses, which they consult, before they under- take a journey. or an affair of any consequence. They hunt this animal from his retreat, and place butter and milk, of which he is extravagantly fond, before him ; ifhe do not eat, misfortune is at hand. Before an invasion of the Galla, or the inroad of any other enemv, they say that these serpents disappear, and are not to he feared. The Nubu pay adoration to the moon, and testify great joy at its first appearance. ' hey also worship a tree and a stone, but :t isa tree and a stone of their own country, not of Sonnaar. The inhabitants of Cacon/o believe in a Supreme Being, the Creator of all that is good and beautiful, just, and a lover of justice, and severely punishing fraud and perjury. They call him Zamhi. They also believe in another being whom they call Zumbi a-n’bi, the god of wicKedness, the author of crimes and misfortunes, and the destroyer of the good things created by the other. They think the good being reqi-ires no propitiation, and they endeavour to appease the wrath of the evil by offering him some banana trees, which they leave to perish, with the fruit untouched. These secondary divinities are imitations of the human fig- ure, rudely carved in wood, and placed in houses like their own, or in woods or unfrequented places. If any thing con- siderable be stolen, one of these is brought into the market- place, with much ceremony, to discover the thief ; and so much are thieves afraid of the penetration of these wooilen deities, that they frequently restore in private the thing tak- en, rather than to expose themselves to the risk of being de- tected in public. 148 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES The third rank of divinities are bones of monkies, teeth of fishes, and feathers of birds, which are worn to preserve their owners from particular accidents anjd misfortunes. To keep sterility from their fields, they stick into the ground broken pots, and the branches of trees. If they are to be long absent from home, they place the sentinels before the door of their house, and the most determined thief would not dare to pass the threshold, if it were guarded by these mys- terious agents. The people of Benin believe in an invisible deity, who created heaven and earth, and governs them with absolute power ; but they conceive it needless to worship him, be- cause he is always doing good without their services. They also believe in a malignant deity, to whom they sacrifice men and animals, to satiate his thirst of blood, and prevent him Irom doing them mischief. But they have innumerable ob- jects of worship ; as elephants’ teeth, claws, bones, dead men’s heads, or any trifle that chance throws in their way, to which they make a daily offering of a tew boiled yams, mixed with palm oil. The people of Whydah believe in an Almighty and Omni- present Creator of the universe ; but he is not an object of their worship, as they think him too highly exalted above them to trouble himself about the affairs of mankind. When they undertake any matter of importance, they com- mit its success to the first object that appears on their going out of the house ; a dog, a cat, or any other animal ; and in default of these, a tree, a stone, or a piece of wood. The newly constituted deity is presented with an offering, accom- panied with a solemn vow, that if he will prosper the under- taking, he shall be reverenced as a god. If the affair prove successful, the vow is fulfilled, and the divinity is presented with daily offerings ; if otherwise, he is rejected and return- ed to his primitive estate. The people of Whydah have three public objects of devo- tion ; some lofty trees, the sea, and a certain sort of snake. The chief of these is the snake ; the trees and the sea not interfering with his government, but being subject to his su- perintendance and reproof The snake is invoked in all ex- cesses of the seasons, in all difliculties of the state, in all dis- eases of the cattle, in all circumstances not committed to the above mentioned deities of chance. The priests of the snake have sometimes exacted so many offerings from the king, in order to attain a good crop of grain, that his majesty’s patience has been exhausted. Finding OF THE AFRICAN TRIBES. 14D him, says Bosman, on one of these occasions in a passion, the traders ventured to ask him what had discomposed him, he replied, “ i have sent much larger offerings to the snake- house this year than usual ; and now the priests threaten me with a barren season if I do not send more ! I will send no more ; and if the snake will not bestow a plentiful harvest, he may let alone. 1 cannot be more injured than I am ; for the greatest part of my corn is rotten in the field already.” The snake-house is situated about two miles di-tant from the king’s village, under the shade of a beautiful tree. The deity that resides in it is the chief and longest of all snakes, he is said to be as thick as a man, and of an immeasurable length ; he is also one of the oldest of snakes ; for the priests report that a great number of years before, being disgusted with the wickedness of man, he left his own country and came to them. He was welcomed by every expressible sign of reverence, and carried on a silken carpet to the snake-house, where he has resided to the present time. It is affirmed that the great snake went out to take the air at different times, and that at these times every young woman he touched became distracted. It is certain that in every large village there is a house appropriated to the reception of these young maniacs, where they are boarded, lodged, and re- stored to reason by the priests, at a considerable expense to their fathers and husbands : and it is observable that no wo- men are touched by the snake whose friends cannot afford this expense. An intelligent negro, the interpreter of a slave-merchant, mentioned by Bosman, whose wife had been touched by the snake, gave the following account of this mir- acle : — He says, “ the priests kept their eye upon those young la- dies who had not yet seen the snake ; and having fixed upon one for the present occasion, they gave her the necessary in- structions, and tempted her by threats to follow them. I he woman then went into the street, and watching an opportunity when no person was in sight, cried, “ The snake ! the snake ! ’ Before any one could come to her assisstance, she had been touched, and the snake had vanished. The lady was raving mad, and was conducted to the asylum for religious lunatics. When the cure was effected, she was set at liberty ; and pres- ent and everlasting vengeance denounced against her, if she betrayed the secret.” The wife of a merchant’s interpreter having been touched by the snake, began by breaking to pieces every utensil the house. The husband, who, from having lived ^ ^ood N 2 150 kELlGION AND CEREMONIES eleal with Europeans, suspected from whence the hialady pro- ceeded, led her gently by the hand, as if he were going to lake her to the snake- house ; instead of which, he took her to the residence of sonae European stort'-merchants, who were then at Whydah, purchasing slaves; intending to sell her. The lady, finding him in earnest, was instantly cured cf her madness, fell on her knees, confessed the trick, and implored his forgiveness. This was a bold attempt : and had the priests discovered it, the death of the husband would have been the consequence. The negroes would, at the request of the Europeans, gently carry their divinities out of the house ; but when they sta- tioned themselves among the timbers of the roof, they were obliged to let them remain till they chose to descend. They were, however, perfectly inoffensive. They were streaked with white, yellow, and brown ; and the longest seen by the merchant was two yards long, and as thick as a man’s arm. Th.ey are fond of rats. If a snake was in the roof, and a rat passed along the floor, the snake impatiently hissed, and used, all possible diligence to disengage ilself ; while the rat, con- scious that the time this would take was his security, looked undaunted on his direadful adversary, and escaped at his leis- ure. When caught, the snake is more than an hour in swal- lowing its prey ; his throat being at first too narrow, and dis- tending by degrees. From this circumstance it appears that the people of Why- dah do not worship the snake, and protect him in their houses, without a motive ; for if snakes had not eaten rats, rats might have devoured the harvest. In Popo, an adjoining territory, the rats were in such incredible numbers that the traders counselled the inhabitants to attack them in time, lest they should drive them out of the country , and take possession of it themselves. The Ashantees are perhaps the most polished nation of ne- groes to be met with in Western Africa. They are, howev- ever, gross idolaters, and most lavish of human blood in sacri- fices at their funerals and festivals. Bowdich relates several instances of this ferocious custom. The decease of a person of consequence, says he, is an- nounced by a discharge of musketry ; anffin an instant slaves are seen bursting out of the house, and running towards the * bush, in order to escape, if possible, the being sacrificed. The body is handsomely dressed in silk and gold, and laid on the bed, with the richest clothes beside it. One or two ^^ves are then sacrificed at the door of the house. I OF THE AFRICAN TRIBES. 131 At the death of the mother of Quatchie Quofie, he adds, one of the four great men, the king, Quatchi Quofie, and Odumata, another of the great men, each saci ificed a young girl the moment the lady breathed her last, that she might not be Without attendants in the other world, till a proper num- ber could be despatched to her. The king, and the adherents and retainers of the family, sent contributions of gold, gun- powder, rum, and cloth for the custom. This custom was an economical one ,* yet the quantity of powder amounted to nearly twelve barrels. “ 1 followed to the market-place of Assafoo, one of the sub- urbs of Coomassie, where the king and the chiefs, in their usual splendour, and attended by their various retinues, were seated : a semicircular area of half a mile was left open. Thirteen victims, surrounded by their executioners, stood near the king ; rum and palm wine were flowing copiously ; horns and drums were sounding their loudest notes ; when in an instant there was a burst of musketry near the king, which spread round the circle, and continued, without ceasing, for an hour. The greater the chief, the greater the charge of powder he is allowed to fire. On the death of his sister, the king fired an ounce. “ The firing over, the libations of palm wine followed, and the ladies of Quatchie’s family came forward to dance. Many of them were elegant figures, and very handsome ; most of them were clad in yellow silk, and had a silver knife hanging from a chain round the neck. A few were dressed fantasti- cally as fetish rvomen. The Ashantees dance elegantly, a man and woman together, and the figure and movement ap- proximate closely to the waltz. “ 1 saw the first victim sacrificed. His right hand was lop- ped ofiT, and bis head was severed from his body. The twelve other victims were dragged forward ; but the funeral customs •f the Ashantees were not to my taste, and I made my way through the crowd, and retired to my quarters. Other sacri- fices, principally females, w ere made in the bush, where the body was buried. “ It is usual to ‘ wet the grave’ w'ith the blood of a free man. The heads of the victims being placed at the bottom of the grave, several of the unsuspecting lookers on are called upon, in haste, by the retainers of the family to assist in placing the coffin or basket; and just as it rests upon the heads, a stone from behind stuns one of these assistants with a violent blow, which is followed by a deep cut in the back of the neck. The unfortunate man is then rolled into the grave, and it is immedi- ately filled up. 152 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES “ I was assured that the custom for Sai Quamina, the late king, was celebrated weekly for three months, and that two hundred slaves were sacrificed, and twenty- five barrels of powder fired, each time. But the custom for the present king’s mother, who was regent during his absence while in the Fantee war, was the most celebrated. The king himself devoted .‘)000 v ictims, upwards of 2000 of whom were Fan- tee prisoners ; five ot the principal towns contributed one hundred slaves, and twenty barrels of powder each, and most of the smaller tow ns ten, and two barrels of powder.”* The Ashantees say that, at the beginning of the world, God created three black men and three w’hite, with the same num- ber of women, and placed before them a large box or cala- bash, and a sealed paper. The black men had the privilege of choosing, and they took the box, expecting it contained every thing ; but when they opened it, they found only gold, iron, and other metals, of which they did not know the use. The white men opened the paper, and told them every thing. This happened in Africa, w here God left the black men in the bush. The white men he conducted to the water side, where he taught them to build a ship, which carried them to another country. From hence they returned, after a long period, with various merchandize to trade with the black men, who might have been the superior people if they had chosen right. The kings and governors are believed to dwell with God after death, enjoying to eternity the luxuries and state they possessed on earth ; the paradise of the poor affords only a cessation from labour. When the Ashantees drink, they spill a little of the liquor on the ground as an offering to the fetish ; and when they rise from their chairs, or stools, their attendants hastily lay the seat on its side, to prevent the devil, or evil spirits, from slip- ping into their master’s place. This evil spirit is supposed to be white ; doubtless from the same motive or feeling which induces Europeans to say that he is black : for, indeed, who w'ould wish to resemble the devil, either in colour or shape, however some of us may not object to a resemblance to him in character. The religion of the Timmanees and Bulloms at Sierra Leone consists in a belief in the Supreme Author of all things, too good to do harm, Aerefore not needing to be supplicated ; in a number of inferior mischievous beings, inhabiting rocks, Bowditcln OF THE AFRICAN TRIBES. 153 woods, and waters, whose fevil intentions they avert by sacri- fices, the best part however, of which they eat thenaselves ; and, inferior to these, is a kind of tutelary spirits, that re- side in or near their towns. They imagine that witches when they die, appear again in the form of a pigmy race, like our fairies, and that, divested of their former malignity, they quit their retreats at night and join in the revels of the people. In the mountains of Sierra Leone, I have seen, says Win- terbottom, many temples erected to the devil, consisting of trunks of trees planted in a circular form, with a roof of branches covered with leaves. In the middle of the circle was a square table, or altar, fitted with offerings ; and the pillars of these rude edifices were ornamented with sacrifices and oblations. SECTION VIII. THE RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 1. Of the Supreme Being . — They acknowledge One Su- preme Being, whom they denominate the Great Spirit, or the Master of Life, the Creator and the Governor of the World. He is with them the God of War : his name they invoke as they march. It is the signal to engage, and it is the war-cry in the hottest of the battle. But, besides the SufHreme Being, they believe in an infinite number of subaltern spirits, who are the objects of worship, and whom they divide into good and bad. It is remarkable, however, that these tutelary deities are not supposed to take men under their protection till some- thing has been done to merit the favour. A parent, who wishes to obtain a guardian spirit for bis child, first blackens his face, and then causes him to fast for several days. During this time it is expected that the spirit will reveal himselt in a dream ; and on this account, the child is anxiously examined every morning with regard to the visions of the preceding night. Whatever the child happens to dream of the most frequently, even if it happen to be the head of a bird, the foot of an animal, or any thing cf the most worthless nature, be- 154 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES comes the symbol or figure under which the Okki reveals ' himself. With this figure, in the conceptions of his votary, the spirit becomes identified ; the image is preserved with the greatest care — is the constant companion on all great and important occasions, and the constant object of consultation ! and worship. The practice of blackening the face and fasting, together 1 with the use of emetics, as a system of religious purification, for the purpose of obtaining a guardian spirit, appears to have ; existed formerly among the natives of Virginia and New-Eng- 4 land ; though the first settlers were not always able to ascer- I tain the real object of the ceremonies which they beheld. As soon as a child is informed what is the nature or form r ®f his protecting deity, he is carefully instructed in the obli- gations he is under to do him homage — to follow his advice |j communicated in dreams — to deserve his favours — to confide jl implicitly in his care — and to dread the consequences of his | displeasure. For this reason, when the Huron or the Iro- quois goes to the battle or to the chase, the image ofhis okki ^ is as carefully carried with him as his arms. At night, each one places his guardian idol on the palisades surrounding the * camp, with the face turned from the quarter to which the ^ warriors, or hunters, are about to march. He then prays to it for an hour, as he does also in the morning before he con- tinues his course. The homage performed, he lies down to | rest, and sleeps in tranquillity, fully persuaded that his spirit 1 will assume the whole duty of keeping guard, and that he has f nothing to fear. The following account is given by the Missionaries. — “ It | happened at onetime, when they were engaged in a war with a distant and powerful nation, that a body of their warriors 1 w’as in the camp, fast asleep, no kind of danger at that moment, being apprehended. Suddenly, the great ‘ Sentinel over mankind,’ the owl, sounded the alarm ; all the birds of the species were alert at their posts, all at once calling out, as if | saying: ‘Up! up! Danger! Danger!’ Obedient to their ' call, every man jumped up in an instant ; when, to their sur- prise, they found that their enemy was in the very act of sur- rounding them, and they would all have been killed in their i sleep, ifthe owl had not given them this timely warning.” “ It is impossible not to remark, that there is a smaller de- parture from the original religion among the Indians of Amer- ica than among the more civilized nations of Egypt, Greece, I and Rome. The idea of the Divine Unity is much more perfectly preserved j the subordinate divinities are kept at 15b OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS, j a much more immeasurable distance from the Great Spirit ; and, above all, there has been no attempt among them to de- grade to the likeness of men, the invisible and incomprehen- sible Creator of the universe. In fact, theirs is exaulji that milder form of idolatry which ' prevailed every where from the days of Abraham, his single family excepted,’ and which, after the death of that patriarch and of his son Isaac, infected, from time to time, even the chosen family itself. a. The belief of a future state of rewards and punishments, has been kept alive among all heathen nations, by its connex- ion with the sensible enjoyments and sufferings, and the con- > sequent hopes and terrors of men. Its origin must have been in Divine Revelation ; for ii is impossible to conceive that the mind could attain to it by its own unaltered powers. The thought, when once communicated, would, in the shipwreck I of dissolving nature, he clung to with the grasp of expiring hope Hence no nations have yet been found, however rude and barbarous, who have not agreed in the great and general principle of retributive immortality ; but, when we descend to detail, and inquire into their peculiar notions, we find that their traditions are coloured by the nature of tiieir earthly occupations, and by the opinions which they thence entertain on the subject of good and evil. This remark is fully verified by the history of the American Indians, among whom the be- lief of the immortality of the soul is mosi firmly established. They suppose, that when separated from the body, it pre- serves the same inclinations which it had when both were uni- ted. For this reason they bury with the dead all that they had in use when alive. Some imagirtfe that all men have two souls, one of which never leaves the body unless it be to in- habit another. This transmigration, however, is peculiar to ' the souls of those who die in infancy, and who therefore have I the privilege of commencing a second life, because they en- j joyed so little of the first. Hence children are buried along the highways, that the women as they pass, may receive their souls. From this idea of their remaining with the body, arises 1 the duty of placing food upon their graves ; and mothers have been seen to draw from their bosoms that nourishment which these little creatures loved when alive, and shed it upon the earth w’hirh covered their remains. When the time has arrived for the departure of those spir j its which leave the body, they pass into a region which is des- ' lined to be their eternal abode, and which is therefore called the Country of Souls. This country is at a great distance to- ward the west, and to go thither costs them a journey of many 156 RELIGION AND CEREMONIES months. They have many difficulties to surmount, and many perils to encounter. They speak of a stream in which many suffer shipwreck ; — of a dog from which they with difficulty defend themselves ; — of a place of suffering where they ex- piate their faults. To be put to death as a captive, is therefore, an exclusion from the Indian Paradise : while, on the contrary, to have been a good hunter, brave in war, fortunate in enterprize, and victorious over many enemies, are the only titles to enter their abodes of bliss, the happiness of which depends on the situa- tion and circumstances of their respective tribes or nations. Thus, eternal spring, a never-failing supply of game and fish, and an abundance-of every thing that can delight the sen-=es without the labour-of procuring it, constitute the paradise of those, who often return weary and hungry from the chase, who are trequently exposed to the inclemencies of a wintry sky, and wh© look upon all labour as unmanly and degrading em- ployment. On the other hand, the Arrowauks, or natives of Cuba, Hisi ..niola, Porto Rico, Jamaica, and Trinidad, place their enjoyments in every thing that is opposite to the vio- lence of a tropical climate ; while their fierce enemies, the Charaibes, look forward to a paradise, in which the brave will be attended by their wives and captives. 3. All who have been conversant vvith the worship of the American tribes, unite in the assertion that they offer sacri- fices and oblations both to the Great Spirit, and also to the subordinate or inferior divinities, to propitiate their protec- tion, or to avert calamity, and also eucharistic sacrifices for success in war. In like manner, sacrifices were offered by all the inhabitants of the West Indies ; and, among these, the Charaibes were accustomed to immolate some of the captives who had been taken in battle. The Mexicans, it is also known, offered human sacrifices : but of this practice there are no traces among the present Indian tribes, unless the tor- menting of their captives may be considered as a sacrifice to the god of war. In some parts of Mexico, not yet brought immediately un- der the Spanish yoke, it is said, remains of the primitive forms and objects of worship are still preserved. The wor- ship of the Sun, and of figures representing that glorious ob- ject, is still here and there to be met with. Picari mentions the Mercury and the Mars of the Mexican as in existence, when his great work was published. The annexed cuts may serve to convey some idea of these objects and forms of wor- OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 157 tbip ; but modern travellers have not furnished us with much information respecting them at this time. The Indians consider the earth as their universal mother. They believe that they were created within its bosom, where lor a long time they had their abode, before they came to live on its surface. They say, the great, good, and all powerful Spirit, when he created them, undoubtedly meant at a proper time, to put them in the enjoyment of all the good things which he had prepared for them upon the earth, but he wisely ordain- ed that their first stage of existence should be within it, as tlie infant is formed and takes its growth in the womb ot its natural^ mother. This fabulous account of the creation of man need’s only to be ascribed to the ancient Egyptians, or to tlie Brah- mins of India, to be admired and extolled for the curious analo- sy which it observes between the general and individual crea* tion. The Indian Mythologists are not agreed as to the form under which they existed while in the bowels of the earth. Some as- sert that they lived there in the human shape, while others, with greater consistency, contend that their existence was in the form of certain terrestrial animals, such as the grouud-hog, the rabbit, and the tortoise. This was their state of prepara- tion, until they were permitted to come out and take their st^^ tion on this island,* as the lords of the rest of the creation. Among the Delawares, those of the Minsi, or Wolf tribe, say that in the beginning, they dwelt in the earth under a lake, and were fortunately extricated from this unpleasant abode by the discovery which one of their men made of a hole, through which he ascended to the surface ; on which, as he was walk- ing, he found a deer, which he carried back with him into his subterraneous habitation ; that there the deer was killed, and he and his companions found the meat so good, that they unani- mously determined to leave their dark abode, and remove to a place where they could enjoy the light of heaven, andJiave such excellent game in abundance. ■ The Indians call the American continent an island ; believing it to be (as in fact, probably, it is) entirely surrounded with water. * Mi^ Pyrlmus lived long among the Iroquois, and was well ac quainted with their language. He was instructed in the Mohawk dialect by the celebrated interpreter Conrad W'eiser. He has lefi behind him some manuscript grammatical works on that idiom, one of them is entitled : ^ffixanominim. etverborum Linguae Mac(^uakae , and the other, Adjectiva, nomina et pronomina Linguae Macvas slow, and the undertaking discouraging. — Lately however the accounts are favourable, and the labourers are encouraged to increased exertions. Nain, 1771, 6 mis. 11‘2 b. 130 con. Okkah, 1776, 6 mis. 146 b. 179 con. Hopedale, I 702, 5 mis. 104 b. 136 con. Greenland Mission. Undertaken in 1733. The history of this mission presents one of the most extraordinary accounts of suffering and perseverance in the cause of the gospel, perhaps on record. Success, however, fi- Hally crowned their efforts, and at the present tune prosperity and success follow the labours of the missionaries. Churches have been built, schools established, and the inhabitants civilized and christian- ized. The population of the whole of Greenland does not exceed 7000, and according to the best calculations the missionaries since their settlement in that country have baptized 5,000. The number of missionaries at the three stations is eleven. New Herrnhut, 1733. Lichteafels, 1758. Lichtenaii, 1774. Total of 1278 con. at the three stations. (^English) Wesleyan Missionary Society. This society was founded chiefly by the exertions of Mr. Wesley in 1786. The exertions of this society were first directed to the West Todies, where the gospel was preached with great effect. — The success of this mission so encouraged the e.xpectations of the society, and the Iriends of Christianity among the Methodists, that great exertions were made to extend the knowledge of the gospel to other parts, and new missions were undertaken into various parts of the world. In the report for 1821, it is staled, that the society had missiona- ries in Ireland, in France, at Gibraltar, in British North America, and in New South Wales, as labourers among civilized people. The missions for the conversion of ihe heathen, supported by the society are, to West Africa, South Africa, India and Ceylon, Aus- tralasia, and West Indies. The whole number of missionaries employed by the society are 148: of which, there are in Ireland 11, in France and Gibraltar 5, in West and South Africa 13, in Ceylon and Continental India 23, in New South Wales, Van Dieman’s Land and New Zealand 8, in the West-Indies 47, and in British North America 41. The number of members in foreign societies on missieoary sta- tions, are as follows : In Gibraltar and France 104, Western Africa 470, Southern Africa 207, Ceylon and Madras 387, New South Wales 90, West -Indies 23,857, British North America 3583. The expenditure of the society in 1821 was 137,444 dollars. The receipts for the last year were 119,481 dollars. The exertions of this society have been attended with uncommon success. At Ceylon alone, they have 86 schools, and nearly 5000 scholars ; of whom about 500 are females. The success of the West India mis- sion had also been great. During the year previous to the last re- port, nearly 2000 had been added to the Wesleyan connection, at that mission. appendix. ItG The following statement will give a more particular view of the stations and success of this society : Western Africa Mission. This mission being just occupied, no returns are received. Mandanaree, 1821, 2 mis. South Africa Mission. The principal missionary station is at Cape Town, the capital of the Colony — inhabitants in 1818, 18,178. At this place the society have a chapel and schools. Cape Town, 1821, 1 mis. Salem, 1820, 1 mis. Garamap, 1821, 1 mis. 1 na. as’t. Lele Fontein, 1817, 1 mis. Rede Fontein, 1817, 1 rnis. India Mission. This mission is of comparatively recent date, and little is known of the number of scholars under instruction, or of the particular success of the missionaries. The society have a chapel at Madras, and have established schools there, and at the other stations. Bombay, 1816, 2 mis. Madras, 1817, 2 mis. Negapatum, 1821, 1 mis. Bangalore, 1821, 1 mis. Ceylon Mission. The success of this mission has been greater than could have been expected, considering the difficulties under which the missionaries laboured when they first landed in this country of ignorance and barbarity. The members of the church exceed 300. There are 8 stations, 84 schools, 4878 scholars, and 160 teachers. Some of the missiona- ries have assisted in the translation of the Scripures, and a diction- ary in the language of the country, and in English, has been pub- lished. At Colombo, the capital of the island, the society have a printing press and mission church. They have a church also at Caltura, and a chapel at Jaffna. Colombo, 1814, 3 mis. 28 tea. 915 sc. Negombo, 1814,2 mis. 14lea. Caltura, 1818, 1 mis. 28 tea. Galle, 1819,2mis. 20 tea. ■Matura, 1819, I mis. 1 na. as’t. 21 tea. Batticaloc, — , 1 mis. Trincomalce, — , 1 mis. 4 tea. Jaffna, — , 3 mis. 15 tea. Australasia Mission. The Wesleyan mission in this region was first undertaken for the European Settlers at New South Wales. Afterwards another sta- tion was taken on the Island of New Zealand, for the benefit of the natives. Little is known of the particulars of this mission. Parmratta, — , 1 mis. Kiddeekiddee, — , 1 mis. ' West India Mission. This mission was projected for the benefit of the coloured popu- ation of these Islands, and has been attended with constant suc- cess. In the last report, the committee state, that the progress of the mission continues among the negro slaves of the West India colonies, with scarcely an exception. In the last year there had been added to the Wesleyan connection near 2000 persons, almost exclusively people of colour, making the total numbers in the colo- nies 23,090. The negroes under the Society’s instruction at the last return were 22,936. The children in the schools were 4227. The number of missionaries employed on this mission are 47. The society have places of public worship erected at their own APPENDIX 177 expense, at many, or most of the stations. On the island of St. Vin- cents they have six chapels, at Antigua live, and at St. Christophers eight. Trinidad, 1788, 1 mis. 109 mem. 100 sc. Tobago, — , 2 mis. 44 mem. Grenada, 1788, 3 mis. 295 mem. 330 sc. St. Vincent, 1817, 4 mis. 3068 mem. 300 sc. Barbadoes, — , 1 mis. 47 mem. 400 sc. Dominica, 1788, 2 mis. 415 mem. 193 sc. Montserat, 1 mis. 20 mem. 160 Bc. Antigua, 1786, 4 mis. 3912 mem. lObOcon. Nevis, 1788, 2 mis. 1010 mem. 135 sc. St. Christophers, 1744, 3 mis. 2368 mem. 170 sc. St. Eustis, — , I mis. 323 mem. 200 sc. St. Bartholomew, 1788, 1 mis. 324 mem. 200 sc. St. Martin, — , 1 mis. 100 mem. 50 sc. Anguilla, — , 1 mis. 320 mem. Torto- la, 1789, 3 mis. 1993 mem. 500 sc. Jamaica. 1789, 8 mis. 7060 mem. Bahamas, 1788, 5 mis. 1166, mem. 573 sc. Bermuda, 1788, 1 mis. 97 mem. 50 sc. English Baptist Missionary Society, formed in 1792. Object, to convert the heathen to Christianity. At the time of the formation, the conductors knew of no part of the heathen world more accessible, or eligible than another ; but a concurrence of cir- cumstances shortly after directed their attention to the East Indies, and in the autumn of 1793 the first Missionaries landed in India. The Mission was established at Serampore, a Danish settlement near Caloutta. At this place the society have founded a College for the education of Native students. Besides the languages, they learn Astronomy, Medicine, Law, and Theology. A limited number of European youth are also admitted. A College Library has been founded, and is fast increasing. The number of Students at the College in 1822 was 45. The society at Serampore have translated the Scriptures, or parts of them, into about forty eastern languages or dialects. The expenditure in 1822, was 55,377 dollars. The Missions estab- lished by this society are those of India, West India, Ceylon, and Indian Archipelago. The Native School Institution in India has under its care about ten thousand scholars. The receipts of this society for the last year were 58,666 dollars. India Mission. The centre of the society’s labours on the India Mission is at Se- rampore, about 15 miles from Calcutta. The following statement will show the success of their exertions at the several stations in this region. Serampore, 1799, 3 mis, 3 tea. Calcutta, 1801, (printing press) 6 mis. 2 tea. Dacca, 1816, 1 mis. 1 na. as’t. Sahebguni, 1807, 1 mis. I na. as’t. Chittagong, 1812, 1 tea. 100 con. 74 sc. Dumdum, — , 1 na. as’t. Cutwa, 1804, 1 mis. 4 na. as’t. Moor- shedabad, 1816, 1 mis. 4 na. as’t. 160 con. 220sc. Malada, 1818, 1 na. as’t. Dinagepore, 1804, 1 mis. 100 con. Monghyr, 1816, 1 mis. 2 na. as’t. 60 sc. Guyah, 1802, 1 na. as’t. Dijah, 1809, 2 mis. 307 sc. Benares, 1816, 1 na. as’t. 1 tea Allah- abad, 1814, 1 mis. r na. as’t. Cawnpore, 1817, 1 na. as’t. Agimeer, 1819, 1 na. as’t. 30 sc. Delhi, 1817, 1 na. as’t. Ceylon Mission, The prospects of this mission have been discouraging. The poverty of many parents renders the work of their children neces- sary : the indifference of others to education, and the superstition of 176 APPENDIX. all, has rendered the exertions of the missionaries slow of success. They however have reason to expect that perseverance will grad- ually overcome all difficulties. Two missionaries resided at Colom- bo in 1812, the capital of the island, a city of 50,000 inhabitants. Indian Archipelago Mession. One of the missionary stations is on the island of Sumatra, which contains 3,000,000 people. The others are on the island of Java. At Bencoolen, Sumatra, a mission press is established. Eight or ten schools have also been set up in and about the place. Bencoolen, 1819, 2 mis. Batavia, 1813, 1 mis. Samarang, 1816, 1 mis. Wesl-India Mission, The missionary stations are on the island of Jamaica. At one of the stations 200 persons had been baptized, and a chapel had been built capable of bolding 2000 persons. The missionaries labour cheerfully among the. coloured people. Kingston, 1814, 1 mis. Spanish Town, 1814, (church) 1 mis. 400 sc. Edinburgh Missionary Society. Formed in 1796. The first operations of this society commenced in connexion with the London and Glasgow .societies, but this con- nexion being dissolved, the first mission sent out by the society was to the Sussoo country in Africa. This mission was finally relin- quished, the missionaiies finding the climate such as to destroy the health or lives of Europeans ; though since that time another mis- sion has been sent to that country. In 1802, the society sent a mission to Tartary. This mission now occupies three stations, viz. one at Karass, one at Astrachan, and one at Orenburg, all in Asiatic Russia. At Orenburg the society has a printing press, where, in 1820, above 8000 books and tracts in the Tartar language were printed. The number of missionaries on this mission in 1821, were 14. By the last report it appears that the mission is in a prosperous state. The expenditure in 1821, was 28,058 dollars. Connecticut Missionary Society. Formed in 1798. Object . — To send missionaries to the new set- tlements in the United States. During the year 1822, this society sent missionaries to, or employ- ed them to preach in, eight of the states. Most of them laboured from 4 to six months — some only 2 or 3 months. The places and number of missionaries are as follow : New- York and Pennsylvania, 8; New Connecticut, 16 ; Ohio, 5; Indiana, I ; Illinois, 2 ; Missou- ri, 3. In general, the missionaries are employed by the week. The total number of weeks which all the missionaries employed during the year spent in the service of the society, was 800. This number of weeks is equal to 15 and a half years. The whole number of ser- mons preached was from 3 to 4 thousand during the year. The expenditure of the society for the year, was ^6703 79 cts. Church {(>f England) Missionary Society. This society was formed in 1801. Object — to propagate Christian- ity among heathen nations. APPENDIX. 179 This society has sent out nine principal missions, viz. — to West •Africa, Mediterranean, Calcutta and North India, Madras and South India, Bombay and Western India, Ceylon, Australasia, West In- dies and North West America. Each of these Missions occupy such a number of distinct stations, in the vicinity of each other, as in connexion with the circumstan- ces of the case, and the funds of the society is thought most expedi- The number of auxiliary, or associate societies recognized by this is upwards of a hundred. The number of children actually under instruction in reading, writing, &c. is about 10,000 The income and expenditure in 1822 was about 130,000 dollars. The number of labourers employed by the society including mission- aries, and' school masters, catechists, &c. is 200. West Africa Mission. The sphere of the society’s labours on the western coast, are chiefly at Sierra Leone and its vicinity. The colony of Sierra Leone has made considerable advances in population and strength. Its cultivation and commerce are rapidly increasing. The town is regularly laid out, and contains near 13,(X30 inhabitants, who are generally orderly and industrious. The population are chiefly free negroes, or those who have been liber- ated from slave ships in the execution of the laws. The colony is divided into parishes, each of which has its missionary and schools, or an occasional missionary where the inhabitants are few. The following statement will shew the number of Missionaries, Schoolmasters, Scholars, &c under the auspices of the West Africa Mission, and the time when each station was established*. Free Town, , 1 na. as’t. 2 tea. 426 sc. Kissey, 1816, 1 mis. 1 tea. 400 con. 95 sc. Wellington, 1821. Waterloo, 1820, 1 mis. I tea. 138 sc Hastings, 1820, 1 na. as’t. Kent, 1819, 2 tea 93sc. Charlotte, 1819, 2 tea. 2.50 con. 233 sc. Leo- pold, 1818, 2 tea. 100 con. 115 sc. Bathurst, — , 1 na. as’t. 142 sc. Regents Town, 1816, 1 mis. 1 na. as’t. 2 tea. 1000 con. 668 sc. Leicester, 1814. Gloucester, 1816, I mis. I tea. 448 sc. Wil- berforee, 1817, 1 mis. 90 sc. Plantains, — , 1 tea. Mediterranean Mission. The sphere of the society’s labors on this mission, are chiefly con- fined to the Island of Malta. This island contains near 100,000 in- habitants. The religion is Roman Catholic, but in so low a state that many of the inhabitants, are little better than idolaters. Ignor- ance and superstition prevails to a great degree; few of the inhabi- tants can read or write. The primary object of this mission is the revival of the Christian churches bordering on the Mediterranean, with a view to the ex- tension of Christianity throughout the continents of Africa and Asia. With this view the society stationed at iUalia, a representative, Mr. Wm. Jowett, for the acquisition of information relative to the state *In the following pages, mis. stands for Missionaries — na. as’t. Natives Assistants — tea. Teachers — con. Congregation — sc. Schol- ars— b. Baptized — mem. Members of the Church — the date of the year, the time when such Mission was established. 180 APPENDIX, of religion and society with the best means of melioration. Mr. J. has occasionally published the result of his investigation. Dr. Nau- di in the service of the society, has translated and published the Scriptures, and a great variety of Tracts in the Maltese language. Calcutta and North India Alission, The centre of the society’s labours on this mission have been at Calcutta. At this place they have established schoob, a mission house, printing press, &c. The scriptures have been translated into the language of the country and circulated at the expense of the society. The stations occupied by this mission are as follows. Calcutta, 1816, I mis. 2 tea. Buxar, 1819, 1 na. as’t. 40 sc. Benares, 1817, I mis. 8 na. as’t. 4 tea. Burdwan, 1815, 2 mis. 1 tea. 1050 sc. Chanar, (1 church) 1814, 1 mis. 1 na. as’t. I tea. 100 con. 98 sc. Lucknow, 1817, 1 tea. 25 sc. Bareilly, 1818, 1 na. as’t. Meerut, 1813, 1 na. as’t. Kowabee, — , 2na. as’t. Agra, 1813, 1 mis. 2 tea. 88 sc. Bombay and West India J\Iission. Bombay is the third of the British Presidencies in India, 1300 miles from Calcutta — inhabitants 200,000. The native population in this region are in an awful state of ignorance and debasement. Super- stition, idolatry and cruelty, are the common characteristics. Bombay, 1820, 1 mis. Cannanore, 1818, 1 na. as’t. 2 tea. Tillicherry, 1817, 2 tea. Cotym, 1817, 3 mis. 22 na. as’t. 551 sc. Cochin, 1817, 96 sc. Allepie, 1817, 1 mis. 1 na. as’t. 107 sc. Palaracottah, — , 2 mis. 497. sc. Madras and South India Mission. Madras is the second of the British Presidencies in India on the east coast of the Peninsula — inhabitants 300,000. Religion, gross idolatry. At this place a church has been erected. Schools have been established ; a Bible Society formed, and tracts printed and circulated, &c. Madras, (1 church) 1815, 2 mis. 1 na. as’t. 14 tea. 297 sc. Tran- quebar, 1816,24 na. as’t. 19 tea. 1627 sc. Tinnevelly, — ,471 sc. Ceylon Mission. In the means which are now employed for evangelizing this im- mense Island, schools occupy a place more than usually prominent. The missionary stations are within 100 miles of Colombo, the capi- tal of the Island. Kandy, 1818, 2 mis. 12 sc. Baddagamme(l church) 1819, 2 mis. 160 sc. Nellore, 1818, 2 mis. 409 sc. Austrialasia, or Nere South Wales Mission. This missionary establishment is fixed at two stations in New Zealand The urgent cares of the settlers have prevented that at- tention to schools which is the main hope of the mission. Raiigheehoo, 1815, and Kiddeekiddee, 1819, 2 mis. 6 tea. West India Mission. This mission has just commenced. Barbadoes, 1821, 1 tea. 160sc. Antigua, 1821, 4 tea. 1500 sc. North-West Jlmerican Mission. This mission has only one station, first occupied in 1821. It is within the British territories in the region ol Hudson’s Bay. Noth ing is known of the success of this mission. APPENDIX. 181 The Jert's Society. Tins society was formed at London in U;09. It lias for its object tlie propag;ation of Christianity among the Jews. By one of the rules of the society, they limit themselves to the simple object of convincing their Jewish brethren, that Jesus is the, Messiah, the Saviour of the world ; leaving them when thus in- •structed, to search the Scriptures and judge for themselves, respect- ing all inferior points. The means adopted by the society to ciTect their object, has been, 1st. To translate the Scriptures into Hebrew, or such portions of them as are not contained in the Jewish bible, and particularly those portions relating to the divinity of lur Saviour’s mission, and to pub- lish arguments in refutation of the Jewish doctrines. 2d. J'o estab- lish schools for the Christian education of Jewish youth, both at home and abroad. In 1815 there had been educated, or were then under instruction in the schools of the institution at London, 83 boys and 59 girls — all born and educated in Jewish families. A seminary has been established in London for the education of missionaries to the Jews. In 1822, this seminary had received seven young converted Jews, who were preparing to carry the light of Christianity among their brethren. At the last report the society had distributed about 250,000 tracts hi the Hebrew, German-Hebrew, German, and English languages ; 3780 of the New-Testaraent, have been circulated in the Gcrinau- Hebrew, and 3180 copies in Biblical Hebrew languages. The reports from foreign countiies, where the society have sent missionaries, agents, or books, are greatly encouraging to the hopes of the members. In many places, large numbers of Jews are anx- ious to obtain books on Christianity. At .Amsterdam, in the course of a few days, 400 Jews, men, women, and children, called at the agents to obtain books. At the present time, the operations of the society are going oti, in several parts of Poland, in Prussia, in several parts of Germanv, at Dresden, at Frankfort, Holstein, in Denmark, in the south of Europe, and in Alrica. The society propose to disseminate the scriptures among the Jews, who inhabit almost all parts of Asia. A school has been already opened in Cochin, where there is now about seventy Jcw’i'h children in a course of Christian education. The amount of expenditures for the year 1822, for printing, edu- cation, salaries, &c. was about 44,500 dollars. It is estimated that there are 500 Missionaries in heathen countries at more than 200 different stations. Domestic missionary societies have been established in Massachusetts, New-Hampshire, IMaine, New-York, and in Charleston, S. C. all which arenow in operation. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Formed in I8l0~incorporated in 1812. Object-— To propagate the Gospel in heathen lands, by' supporting missionaries and diffusing a knowledge of the Holy' Scriptures. From the 13th report of the Board, compiled from documents laid before them, in May, 1822, the following summary has been extract- ed. The society have established the following Missions, viz. the Bombay, Ceylon, Palestine, and Sandwich Island Missions. Also Q 182 APPENDIX. f among- the Clierokees, among tlie Choctaws, and among the Chero- kees of ihc Arkansas. At Bombay, the number of missionaries are 3; schools in a llourisliing state. Ceylon, missionaries 7, native preachers “i, schools 23, children 1149, besides C7 educating in the families of the missionaries. Cherokee, missionaries 5, scholars 147, whole number of Cherokee children who have entered the school at Braincrd 213. Choctaw, missionaries 4, teachers 4, schol- ars 104. Among the Cherokees, on the Arkansaw, at Dwight, mis- sionaries 2, teachers 2, scholars 50. Sandwich Island, missionaries 6, teachers 2, native teachers 2. The wives of the missionaries al- so teach native children at their houses. Prospects of the mission by the last accounts, highly gratifying. Palestine, missionaries 3 ; these missionaries act as evangelists, and, says the report, much evangelical truth has been communicated to numerous individuals ilispersed in di tie rent regions, by means of conversation, tracts, and especially by copies of the Bible. Foreign ission School . — This school, established at Cornwall, f.'onn., ami supported by the American Board, contaiwSS pupils, 31 of which are youth of heathen parentage. The totalincome for the year, chiefly by donations, was 61,237 dolls. 87 cts. — the expen- diture, 60,473 dolls. 80 cts. American Baptist Missionary Society. Pormed at Philadelphia in 1814, by delegates from eleven of the Stales. Objects. To send tlic glad tidings of salvation to the heathen, and to nations destitute of pure Gospel light, and to educate pious young men called to the ministry. The following summary of the Society’s operations is extracted from their ninth report, April, J323. I’he society have instituted the following Missions, viz. the Bur- man, the Creek Indian, the Cherokee (at Valley Town,) the Ar- racan and the African Missions. The Burman and Arracan Missions commenced in 1815 — mission- aries 2. The African in 1021 — missionaries 2. At the other mis- sionary stations the society employs 5 or 6 mi.«sionaries, and clothe and educate about 120 children. At the last anniversary it was proposed to sgnd an additional num- ber of missionaries to Africa, atjd to establish a new mission to .South .America. This society have established a College in the District of Colum- bia, called the Columbian College. The design of this College is to educate pious young men called to the work of the ministry. Tlje number of professors and tutors are 10. The number of pupils in A pril 1823, were .59. The expense of the College edifice, including the ground, and out buildings, is 70,000 dollars. The expenditure for the last three years, independent of the College, was 66,596 dolls, and 15 cts. The receipts for the last year were 22,000 dollars. German, Evangelical, or Basle Missionary Society. In 1815 a Missionary Seminary was instituted at Basle, for the preparation of missionaries for the service of different societies. This institution has given birth to the German, or what is now call- ed the Evangelical Missionary Society. This society receives con- APPENDIX. 183 tribulions from Germanj’, Switzerland and France, and has sent out missionaries to various parts of Continental Asia. The course of study at this seminary continues four years, and is such as to fit the student in every respect for evangelical and mis- sionary labours. Besides Theology, they study llic L.atin, Greek, Hebrew, English, and Arabic languages, and are instructed in ge- ography, universal history, physic, drawing, and sacred music. ^American) United Foreign JMissionary Society. This society was instituted in ltU7, under the patronage of the General Assemblj' of the Presbj terian Church and the General f Synods of the Reformed Dutch and Associate Reformed Churches, with a proviso, that all others who may choose to join them may do so. The object of the society is to spread the Gospel among the In- dians oflNorth America, and inhabitants of Mexico and South Amer- ica, and in other portions of the heathen and anti-christian world. From t^ sixth report of the society made in May, 18‘23, at the annual m^Ringin New-York, the following summary is extracted : The society have instituted and now support five missions, viz; The Union Mission commenced in 1820, situated on the bank of Grand River — missionaries 2. Great Osage Mission. 1821 , siiunted on the north bank of the river Marias de Cein — missionaries 8. as- sistants 5. Tuscarora Mission, 1821, situated atTuscarora Vilhige — missionaries I. Seneca mission, 1821, nearButfalo — mifsioivirics 1, assistants 1. Cataraugus, 1822, near the shore of Lake Cric — assistants 1. The number of Labourers at these several stations are, 7 missionaries, 13 assistant missionaries, and 2 physicians. The number of schools are 5, and the number of scholars 87. 'I'he number of auxiliary societies recognized by this, are 165. The income for 1823, was 12,409 dolls. and93cts. The expeof diture 15,372 dolls, and 88 cts, J\Iethodist Episcopal Missionary Society. Formed in 1819. Object — To assist the several annual confcjr ences, to extend their missionary labours throughout the United States, and elsewhere. This society employs 13 missionaries — some of them are stationary for a set lime, at particular places ; others are appointed to travel, and others are fi.xed as teachers, perform- ing missionary duties at the same time. Fifty-two auxiliary soci- eties are attached to this institution. This society in May, 1823, supported missionaries in Alabama, Missouri, Arkansaw territory, among the Cherokees, among the Wayandott Indians, among the Creek Indians, Upper Canada, and on Grand River. The income for the last year, including the balance on hand at the previous an- niversary, was 8,851 dolls. 29 cts. — the expenditures 3,740 dolls. 22. United Domestic Missioiiary Society Formed at the City of New-York in 1822. Objects — To supply vacant churches in the United Stales, with temporary preachers, and to aid congregations in the sell Icment and support of permanent ministers. The society have employed during the last year, near 40 clergy- men, to labour in almost all parts of the Union where destitute churches were known to exist. A great proportion of them were employed for a year ; some for only a few months. The income fo; the year, 3,962 dolls. 51 o4s.- -the expenditure 3,004 dolls. 1 1 cto. 1S4 APPENDIX. education societies. English Christian Knowleilge Society, Formed in Ib9({. Tlic objects of this society are, 1st. The super- mteii dance and support of charity scholars in and about London. 2d. The dispersion of bibics, prayer boohs, and otlier religious publica- tions. ;Jd. The establishment and support of missions and schools in dilferent parts of the F.ast Indies. It will be observed that this societv has been in existence more than a century. From small beginnings, it has, by the unwearied exertions and patronage of many of the most distinguished, and wealthy men in England, extended its usefidness to almost every part of the globe. Some idea may be formed of the extent of its do- ings, and the pains its members have exerted to distribute knowledge in the world, when it is known, that about the year 1813, an abstract of the annual reports and correspondence of this society from 1709 to the present time, (MJI3) was published, and that it composed an oc- tavo of more than 700 pages. Our plan however, confines us only to a statement of tl>e success and result of these exertions. in the report of the society for 1821, the following is an abstract of the home proceedings. The members of the society were then 14,530. The committee at honae and abroad amounted to 225. The total number of children who appeared by the returns to receive as-^ sistance in their education from the society, was 181,946, of whom 16,3‘20 were in r.ondon. This niunlier, says the report, falls short of the whole number of chihlren to whom the aid of the society is ex- tended, the returns not being fully received. 3'he number of bool:s srtated by the secretary to have been distrib- uted bv the societv that year, were as follows : Bibles, 32, 199 ; New- Testai'nents and Psalters, 45,682 ; Common Prayer books, 85,601 ; other bound books. 75,550. Tlicsewcre distributed gratuitously, on the tcs'ms of the society. The committee had alsodistributed during ftie year, tl27,044 small tracts ; and other books and papers to the number of 176,315 — making the total number of books distributed 111 that year, one milliun two hundred and forty two thousand and ninety one. Of the society’s Family Bible four impressions have been printed, and about 20,600 copies sold. The society has a special committee, appointed for the purpose of counte'racting blasphemous and infidel publications. This commit- tee during the year, issued nine hundred thousand hooks and tracts calculated to counteract the influence of these works of darkness. The receipts of the society from April 1820, to April 1821, amount- eil to 245, >33 dollars, and the payments to 235,150 dollars. The Christian Knowledge Society have Diocesan committees, either sent out, or appointed to %vatch over, and facilitate its objects ill various parts of the world. These cominillees make annual re- ports to the society, on the progress of education, tlie number of children under care, the number of books distributed, the prospects of the society Sic. The committee at Bombay in India, report in I82|, That tliey have distributed during llie year, 170 bihics, 360 testaments anil Psalters, 1391 prayer books, and 5536 other booksand tracts. Also 22 copies of the Family Bible, and 22 copies of the Arabic Bible. Phe coinmittco at this place had been appointed only three years APPENDIX. 1 ^ i urliarnent for the Ahchia-ii of Slavery, and toediicate the native Africans in their own coiinirv. TnVough this society remonstrances have been made to uli suoii n'a- Q2 APPENDIX. ICC tioiis, as still tolerate this drcaJi'ul traffic ; and though much has been accomplished by the unwearied exertions of tlie institution, 'om-c remains to be done before this trade, so disgraceful toourspe- i iS, shall be universally abolished. Spain, Portugal and France, -•lill authorize or permit, their subjects to deal in human blood, and 'hough France and Spain have enacted laws of abolition, still the :":illic; i-i carried on by the subjects of both nations, to a vast extent. Portcgal legalizes tin's trade. This society then has still much to do. and in addition to reuion-strances and enforcement of the laws, the education and civilization of the native Africans, as the only means- of preventing their selling each other to Ecropeans, is the only sure method of .iccornplishing the great object. .liS an example of what may be done to meliorate the condition of this oppressed race of men, the present stale of .Sierra [.eone, a col- ony of natives on the ivestern coast of Africa, may be taken. The eslahllshment of a colony of natives at this place, was un- dertaken in IB06. At that time the few inhabitants who resided there were of course in the lowest state of African ignorance and barbarity. The population of the colony is now 13,000, a consider- able proportion of which, have been liberated from slavery, being taken from on board slave-ships, in execution of the abolition laws. The colony is divided into 14 parishes. Many of these parishes con- sist of handsome villages, regularly laid out into streets, and contain- ing good or com.h3rtable dwellings. Upwards of 2000 adults and children are under the instruction at the schools. Many of them read and write well, and some have considerable knowledge of arithmetic and grammar. The people regularly attend public wor- ship. Many of them are communicants, and are exemplary in their conduct. Some of the natives are school teachers. Agriculture and some of the arts have been introduced, and are cultivated, and m general, regularity and decorum prevail llirougbout the colony. The expenditures of the society for the year 1821 wereabout 5000 dollars. Hibernian Society. This society was formed in 1807. Its object is to diiTtise religious instruction among the poor in Ireland, and in order to rio this it is required, that instruction in the common branches of education, be premised. Tlie society have liierefore established schools where the poor Irish can bctaiight to read and write, and where they re- ' ceive moral instruction at the same lime. Elementary books for i children have been published in the Irish language, and have been generally diffused ainong the poor who attenfl the srhooh. j In the’ report of this society for 1821, it is staled, that the number j of schools founded by the society was 573 — that 41 new schools had j been formed that year, and that the nember of scliolars under in- 1 siruction. in all, were .'13,2.33. Ti.c schools, it is st.urd. arc iin ler the snpcrintendnnre of (lie following yisiton. : t76 ministers ofthe establisKcd chiireli : I2;{ no- blemen; 7 dissenting ministers ; 3,7 Roman catholic priests ; and 2.7 Ladies. The number of bibles distributed or the society since its eo;n- mcnccment, is 8O,0C00O. The society has now a permanent fund of ^21 ,800 and has afforded assistance to three hundred and fifty-four young men. Thirty-five Beneficiaries have already com- pleted their collegiate education. This Society has greatly increas* ediu its resources, and in its usefulness since its establishment. TRACT SOCIETIES. (^London) Religious Tract Society. Instituted in 1799. Its object is the diffusion of religious know- ledge and moral instruction, by the gratuitous dispersion or cheap sale of varied and appropriate tracts. These tracts are all compo- sed on the principles common to Christians ; and the society is con- ducted by persons of various denominations. For the first fourteen years after the establishment of the society, the number of tracts distributed, averaged about one million per year. The report of the committee at the 23d anniversary (1823) states, that the tracts issued during the year was 5,222,470 ; and that the whole number issued since the institution of the society, amounted to forty-five millions. The expenditure for the year, for printing and paper, rent, taxes, travelling expenses, salaries, and incident- als, amounted to 41,065 dollars. APPENDIX. 4 loa Church of England Tract Society. This society was formed in 1811, at Bristol. “Its object is to circulate, in a cheap form, amon j the poor members of the Church of England, her homilies, the lives of her reformers and martyrs — extracts from their writings, and from the publications of her bish- ops ; with short pieces illustrative of the primitive history, constitu- tion, and discipline of the Church.” The yearly reports of this society tend to show that much good has been effected by its exertions. The number of tracts distribu- ted by the society in 1822, was 123,504. The whole number of tracts printed, exceeds 1,600,000. The expenses of the society during the year 1822, were ^2,175. JN'’eto York Religious Tract Society. Instituted in 1812. The object of this societj' is to awaken the attention of the thoughtless and irreligious, to the subject of religion. “ To bring the reader to the house of public worship — to awaken his conscience, even in his bed chamber, to draw, him as with the cords of a man until he is placed within the sound of the Gospel.” Since the last report the society have published 20 new tracts. During the year, 162,057 English, 6,300 French, and 6,100 Spanish tracts have been sold and delivered. Of these, 15,305 have been drawn out by subscribers, and 30,871 have been delivered to the Female BrancI^ Society. The whole number of tracts printed by the society since its formation, is 1,307,244. The income of the society for the year, was 2,219 dolls. 84 cts. — the expenditure, 2,143 dolls. 66 cts. jVcto England (or American) Tract Society. Formed at Boston in 1014. Object — “ to promote the interest of vital godliness and good morals, by the distribution of such tracts, as shall be calculated to receive the approbation' of serious Christians of all denominations. The report of this society for 1822, stated, that from the general depository at Andover, there have been issued during the eight years since the society was formed, between two and three millions of tracts. The whole number printed was at that time 2,924,000. The number of pages sent the past year to the depositories, (of which the society have near 100 in dfferent parts of the country) is 3,527,000. Of the Christian Almanac, a source of revenue to the society, 40,000 were sold during the year. Religious Tract and Book Society for Ireland. This society was formed in Ireland in 18i4, and in 1820 an aux- iliary was formed in London, called the London Auxiliary Society, in aid of the Religious Tract and Book Society for Ireland. The object of this society is to furnish the poor Irish with books and t(f»cts of a moral, instructive and religious kind, either gratui- tously', or at a cheap rate, so as to make such books take the place of immoral books now in use, as well as to supply those who do not read at all. In the report for 1822, it is stated, that 8,244 books and 103,427 tracts have been sold during the year. The expenditure for the year had been 11,831 dollars. Hartford (Ct.) Evangelical Tract Society. Formed in 18 16. The number of tracts distributed by the soci- ety during the year 1823, were 8,203 ; the whole number distributed APPENDIX, 191 since the society was formed, is 294,333. The amount of receipts for the year, was 262 dolls. 20 cts. J^’ew-York Methodist Tract Society. Formed in 1817. During the 3'ear 1822 the society published ninety thousand tracts ; the expenditure was 319 dolls. 16 cts. Maryland Prayer Book and Homily Society. Formed in 1818. Since the society was organized 10,500 prayer books hare been purchased, of which number 772 have been gratu- itously distributed, and 359 copies have been sold at cost prices. The society have printed 2000 copies each of the first, second and fourth homilies of the church as tracts, of which number 75 have been distributed and 1400 sold. The Swedish Tract Society, established in 1808, has distributed one million fivehundred thousand tracts since its organization. The Baptist Evangelical Tract Society, established in 1811, has distri- buted four hundred thousand tracts. The Tract Society establish- ed in Liverpool in 1814, has already distributed upwards of two mil- lion five hundred thousand tracts. Besides the tract societies men- tioned, there are numerous others in various parts of the world ; some have commenced operations in Asia and Africa. Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. This society was formed in 1822 and held its first annual meeting at Philadelphia May 20th, 1823. For the first year it has been the leading object with the committee of the Society to prepare for future efforts, auxiliary Societies have been established, agents to make known the object and increase the funds of the Society have been sent into several of the eastern western and southern states. The disposable funds are 3,790 dolls, there is also a permanent fund of 1 ,206 dolls, arising from twenty per cent, of all money coming into the treasury. * P x~ «r. ji