Polytheism, what.

Worship of God into lying and diabolical Delufions, they worshipped and served the Creature more than the Creator, who is over all, God, bleffed for ever, Amen. And this is the true Original of all that grofs Darkness and idolatrous Superftition which had overwhelm'd the World, and introduced fuch a numberless Variety of falfe and fabulous Deities in the Beginning.

THE Religion (or rather the Impiety) of the Pagans or Heathen Nations, is properly call'd Polytheifm, or the acknowledging a Plurality of Gods; for their Number was almoft infinite. It Idolatry, what is alfo call'd Idolatry, because they worship'd their Divinities by various Representations, call'd Idols or Images.

Ninus, the

'Tis generally agreed that Ninus, the first first Author of Affyrian Monarch, was the firft Contriver and Idolatry. Afferter of falfe Gods; who, to render the Name and Memory of his Father Belus or Nimrod immortal, procured a Statue of him to be curiously made, and paid divine Honour and Reverence thereto, and commanded the Babylonians his Subjects to do the fame; and to induce them the eafier, he made it a Sanctuary for the Guilty and Miferable to fly to, and be fafe.

The first falje

Baal, or

Jupiter.

THIS Statue, or Idol of Ninus, which repreDeity, Bel, or fented his Father Belus, was in time call'd Bel, and afterwards Baal: And this being a general Name for Lords and Rulers, it imports among the Heathen the fame as the facred Names of Jehovah and Adonai in the Scriptures, i. e. Sovereign Lord; at length this Appellation was chang'd among the Greeks for that of Jupiter or Jove. So that Jehovah, Baal, and Jupiter, all fignify the fame Thing, only the firft is facred and truly applied; the other prophane, and wrongly applied to Idols.

the firft Idola

ters.

IF then Ninus was the firft Idolater, and Bel or Babylonians Baal the firft Idol, 'tis evident the Babylonians and Affyrians and Affyrians were the first People and Nation who fell off from the Worship of the true God to Idolatry and Polytheism; from whence the dire Contagion foon spread over the neighbouring Nations, and totally infected the Phenicians, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Syrians, Perfians, Grecians, Indians, &c. far and near, who have ever fince been prone and strenuously addicted to these kinds of Superftitions.

THE Nations of the World having thus loft Every thing the Knowledge of the true God, and abandon'd in time became themselves to follow the uncertain Conduct of deified. their confounded Reafon, and the wild Vagaries of Minds and Judgments judicially blinded, they quickly fhew'd their deprav'd Natures in the ridiculous and fenflefs Choice they made of their Gods and Divinities; and the strange Deficiency of their Reafon in the confus'd and endless Variety of them: There being nothing in the Heavens or the Earth, whether Good or Bad, that Men could fee or be fenfible of, but that fome People or another had furely deified it.

BUT to be more particular, the Species of Ido- The feveral latry may be reckon'd as follows, (1.) The Species of IdaWorship of Angels, and Spirits, or pure and ab- latry. ftrated Intelligences, whom they made to prefide First Species. over Kingdoms and People, and in Scripture they are call'd Elobim or Gods, ftrange Gods, other Gods, the Gods of the Heatben, &c. of which fee Exod. xviii. 11. xxii. 19. 2 Kings xvii. 7. (2.) The Worship of the Heavenly Bodies, the Sun, Second Species. Moon and Stars; this in Scripture is called worshipping the Hoft of Heaven; they imagining great Virtue and benign Influences to be derived from them to the Earth and all things on it. (3.) The Worship of Idols or Images of various Third Species. Forms

Forms and Shapes, as of Men, Beafts, Birds, Fishes, &c. and this of all others is moft univerfal, and what is moft properly call'd Idolatry. Fourth Species. (4.) The Worship of Animals themselves: Ás Lions, Horfes, Oxen, Sheep, Swine, Goats, Dogs, Cats, Mice, Spiders, &c. amongst Beasts: The Eagle, Ibis, Phanix, Hawks, &c. among Birds; and the Whale and other Fishes; with the Serpentes of all kinds; and Shell-Animals; as may Fifth Species. be feen in History. (5.) The Worship of inanimate Things; as Fire, Water, Air, the Winds, the Earth; alfo all kinds of Plants and Herbs, Sixth Species. Stones, &c. (6.) They alfo worshipped things which were not Subftances, but mere Modes and Accidents of Things; as Life, Death, Paffions of Love, Fear, Envy, Anger, &c. Difeafes, as the Fever; alfo Health, Honour, &c. the Virtues, as Virtue, Faith, Hope, Justice, Piety, Mercy, Chastity, &c. Alfo Truth, the Mind, Peace, Money, Mirth; yea Impudence, Calumny, Fraud, Fury, Difcord, Fame, Fortune, Silence, &c. were all efteem'd Deities, and had Temples built for their Worship. (7.) Another Kind of Idolatry is the paying divine Honours to Kings, Heroes, &c. who have fought Battles fuccessfully, and done many great Exploits; fuppofing fuch great Perfons have fomewhat in them more than Human; therefore make their Images and bow down to them as Demigods. Thus the Emperors of Perfia, India, and China, are worEighth Species. fhip'd at this Day. (8.) The laft, and most ftrange kind of Idolatry, is the worshipping of Devils, and evil Spirits, which are call'd Cacodemons; for they fay God is good and will not hurt them, therefore they need not pray to him on that Account; but, fay they, the Devil and wicked Spirits in the Air, as they are inclin'd, and have a Power to do Mischief, fo they undoubtedly

Seventh Species.

doubtedly will, if they do not bonour them with their Prayers and Sacrifices, not to do it. And fuch diabolical Adorations are very frequent at this Day in the Indies and other Parts of the Heathen World.

THE moft convenient Divifion of the Gods The Heathen and Goddeffes of the Heathen is according to their Deities rang'd into proper feveral Degrees of Dignity and Superiority allow'd Claffes. them; of which we have the following Claffes. (1.) The Celestial Gods and Goddeffes. (2.) The Terreftrial Deities. (3.) The Marine and River Gods. (4.) The Infernal Gods. (5.) The subordinate and miscellaneous Deities. (6.) The adfcriptitious Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes. (7.) Modal Deities; of which a few things in Order.

THE celestial or fuperior Gods are thefe Five, The celestial viz. Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Mercury and Bac- Gods and Godcbus. The celestial Goddeffes are thefe Five, viz. deffes. Juno, Minerva or Pallas, Venus, Latona, and

Aurora.

JUPITER is the most high of all the Hea- Jupiter. then Divinities; is faid to be the Son of Saturn and Ops; was born at the fame Birth with his Wife Juno, and educated in Mount Ida in Crete, because his Father Saturn fought to devour him: But being grown, he depos'd and banish'd his Father, and divided the Kingdom of the World between himself and his Brethren Pluto and Neptune. The Jurifdiction of the Sea he gave to Neptune; Pluto was fent to rule in Hell; but referv'd to himself the Sovereignty of Heaven and Earth. He was efteem'd the most beneficent Deity, and was therefore call'd the Father of the Gods and Men. He overcame the Giants and the Titans in Battle; with other great Exploits recorded of him. He committed abundance of Incest, Adultery, and Lewdness of all kinds, in various Shapes. (A fine Character of a God!)

Almoft

Apollo.

Mars.

Almost every Nation had its Jupiter: Varro reckon'd 300 Jupiters, as a Part of the 30000 Gods own'd by the Heathen. In the Pantheon he fits upon a Throne of Ivory and Gold, under a rich Canopy, with a Beard, holding Thunder-bolts in his Right-hand, and a Scepter of Cypress in his Left, with an Eagle on the Top; is invested with an embroider'd Cloak, and Golden Shoes.

APOLLO was the next principal Deity of the first Rank: He was the Son of Jupiter and Latona; born in the Island Delus, and at the fame Birth with Diana. He was the God whom they made to prefide over Mufic, Phyfic, Poetry, and Prophecy or Divination, as alfo the Chace. He was always reprefented as a young and beardless Youth. He kill'd the Serpent Python, and afterwards the Cyclops; he flead Marfyas the Fiddler alive for challenging him at Mufic; with Neptune's Help he built the Walls of Troy for King Laomedon: Being degraded, he kept Admetus the King of Theffaly's Cattle. He turn'd Daphne, whom he loved, into a Laurel; and his Boy Hyacinth into a Violet. He had a famous Temple and Oracle at Delphos. He was alfo call'd Phabus, Sol, Horus, &c. His Image was a graceful and comely Youth, with long Hair, a Laurel-Crown, Garments embroider'd with Gold, holding a Bow and Arrow in one Hand, and an Harp in the other.

MARS is the next celeftial Divinity with the Heathen; Son of Jupiter and Juno, or as Ovid fays, of Juno alone; who conceiv'd him at the Smell of a Flower, fhew'd her by the Goddess Flora. He was reputed the God of War and Armies, as his Sifter Bellona was the Goddess thereof. He lay with Venus, the Wife of Vulcan, who at last contrived to catch them together in an Iron Net, as he accordingly did, and thus exposed them naked to the Laughter and

Diverfion