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enquire, why Moses was so careful to distinguish the God of Israel from the idols of Egypt, and of the nations; or what induced David to expect assistance in meeting Goliath, who despised the armies of Jehovah, "that all the earth might "know that there was a God in Israel;'" or on what account Elijah was so earnest to determine whether the Lord or Baal was the true God:2 but we must also demand, why Jehovah answered their expectations and prayers by miraculous interpositions, if the point to be decided were of little or no importance.-When the God of Hezekiah delivered him from the power of the Assyrians, by the sudden death of a hundred and eighty-five thousand men, whilst Sennacherib was slain by his own sons, as he was worshipping in the house" of Nisroch his god;" the distinction between Jehovah and every idol was strongly marked.

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These are a few out of the very numerous instances and proofs, which might be adduced from Scripture, to confirm this point; and, if duly regarded, would be abundantly sufficient for the purpose. When our Lord told the woman of Samaria, that her nation "knew not what they "worshipped, for salvation was of the Jews;3" when Paul proposed to declare to the polite and philosophical Athenians that "unknown God,. "whom they ignorantly worshipped," and to ' 1 Sam. xvii. 45-47. 2 * 1 Kings xviii. 3 John iv, 22-24.

distinguish the Creator and Judge of the world from all their idols;' and when he informed the Corinthians that their idol-sacrifices were offered "to devils, and not to God:" they plainly shewed, that such candour, as is now contended for, was absolutely incompatible with the religion which they intended to establish.

Indeed the apostle has informed us, that idolatry originated from men's aversion from God:

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they liked not to retain him in their know"ledge." His holy character and spiritual service did not suit their carnal minds: and therefore deities were invented of another sort, and a worship coincident with their corrupt inclinations was devised. When we consider how christian festivals are generally celebrated, we shall cease to wonder, that Israel preferred the golden calf to Jehovah; and joyously and joyously "sat down to eat and "drink, and rose up to play," instead of attending the sacred ordinances of the living God: and a competent knowledge of human nature will enable us, without difficulty, to account for the predilection, which that people ever manifested for the Gods of the nations, and their jovial and licentious rites. For, the religion of the gentiles, instead of producing any salutary effect on their conduct, led them to practise the grossest enormities; not only without remorse, but in order to appease or find acceptance with their deities; and "Acts xvii. 23-31. 2 1 Cor. x. 20. 3 Rom. i. 18-23, 28.

thus it tended to corrupt both their principles and morals. No doubt the great enemy of God and man, both from ambition of engrossing the worship of idolaters, and from the malignity of his nature, aided their invention, in forming the characters and imagining the exploits of their deities, partly in resemblance of his own abominable propensities, and partly according to the worst vices of mankind; that so the most destructive crimes might be sanctioned, and the vilest affections, as it were, consecrated, by conformity to the objects of their worship. No wonder that they were ferocious in war, and debauched in their general conduct; when their religious observances consisted in the most savage cruelties, the most shameless licentiousness, and the greatest excesses of intemperance; and when at last they could not equal, in these respects, the gods whom they had invented for themselves.

If religion be supposed to produce any effect on the conduct of mankind, every person of common sense must allow, that the character and actions ascribed to the object of worship must be of the greatest possible importance: for as these are, so will the sincere worshipper be. To please, to resemble, to imitate the object of adoration, must be the supreme aim and ambition of every devotee, whether of Jupiter, Mars, Bacchus, Venus, Moloch, or Mammon; as well as of every spiritual worshipper of Jehovah: and we might therefore

know what to expect from any man, if we were acquainted with his sentiments concerning the God whom he adores; provided we could ascertain the degree, in which he was sincere and earnest in his religion. It would have been absurd to expect much honesty from him, who devotedly worshipped Mercury as the god of thieving; much mercy from a devotee of Moloch; love of peace from the worshipper of Mars; or chastity from the priestess of Venus: and, whatever philosophical speculators may imagine, both the Scriptures and profane history, ancient and modern, show, that the bulk of mankind in heathen nations were far more sincere in their absurd idolatries, and more influenced by them, than professed christians are by the Bible; because they were more congenial to corrupt nature. It is likewise a fact, that immense multitudes of human sacrifices are, at this day, annually offered according to the rules of a dark superstition; and various other flagrant immoralities sanctioned by religion, among those idolaters, who have been erroneously considered as the most inoffensive of the human

race.

But these effects on the moral character of mankind are not peculiar to gross idolatry; if men fancy that they worship the true God alone, and yet form a wrong notion of his character and perfections; they only substitute a more refined idolatry in the place of paganism, and worship the

creature of their own imagination, though not the work of their own hands: for in what does such an ideal Being, though called Jehovah, differ from that called Jupiter or Baal? The character ascribed to him may indeed come nearer the truth than the other, and the delusion may be more refined: but if it essentially differ from the scriptural character of God, the effect must be the same, in a measure, on those who earnestly desire to imitate, resemble, and please the object of their ado

ration.

When sinful men presume to delineate the character of God for themselves, however learned or sagacious they may be, their reasonings will inevitably be warped by the general depravity of fallen nature, and by their own peculiar prejudices and vices. Partial to their own character, and indulgent to their master-passion, (which perhaps they mistake for an excellency,) they will naturally ascribe to the Deity what they vulue in themselves, and suppose him lenient to such things as they indulge and excuse: they will be sure to arrange their plan in such a manner, as to conclude themselves the object of his complacency, and entitled to his favour; or at least not deserving his abhorrence, and exposed to his avenging justice; they will consider their own judgment of what is fit and right, as the measure and rule of his government their religious worship will accord to such mistaken conclusions; and the effect of their

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