remove the veil that anciently obfcured the genuine religion of Brahma, inculcated in the Vedas, the Geeta, and other Sanfcreet theological treatifes, An attempt of the Emperor Akber to penetrate that veil. The affecting ftory of FEIZI, and his Brahmin preceptor. An account of the Sanfcreet language, extracted from Sir William Jones and Mr. Halhed. The Author next enters upon the difcuffion of the PAGAN TRIADS OF DEITY, and particularly of the character and functions of BRAHMA, VEESHNU, and SEEVA, the grand Indian triad, of whom an accurate engraving forms the frontispiece of thefe volumes.

Any comparison of the Indian and Christian TRINITY an infult to the latter; from the immense disparity of the respective characters.. -An extenfive furvey is now taken of the doctrine of the CHRISTIAN TRINITY, That doctrine delivered down from the ancient Patriarchs, and diffused over the Eaft, during the migration and difperfion of their Hebrew pofterity demonftrated to be plainly revealed in the Old Teftament, and to have been believed and taught by the JEWISH RABBI, long previous to the birth of PLATO and the coming of CHRIST. The true origin of that rancour and contempt with which the Jews are inflamed against the MESSIAH unfolded. -Some objections, urged by fceptical opponents against the TRINITY, answered. -The Jews pay less deference to the WRITTEN than to the ORAL LAW, which they affert to have been delivered to Mofes on Sinai. An hiftorical account of the celebrated code of Jewish traditions collected by Rabbi JUDAH, THE

HOLY

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HOLY, and called THE MISNA.-Of the two TALMUDS OF JERUSALEM and BABYLON and of the two TARGUMS of ONKELOS and JONATHAN. The former TARGUM the most concife and pure paraphrafe -the latter more diffuse, and supposed to have been interpolated. A progreffive view taken of the pasfages in Scripture, establishing some a PLURALITY, and others fo exprefs upon the PERSONAL AGENCY and DIVINE ATTRIBUTES of the MIMRA, or LOGOS, and the RUACH HAKKODESH, or HOLY SPIRIT, as plainly to evince a TRINITY of divine HYPOSTASES fubfifting in the Godhead. The preceding quotations illuftrated, in regard to the OLD Teftament, by a variety of extracts from the TARGUMS, and corroborated, in regard to the NEw, by an exhibition of fimilar fentiments and paffages in the writings of PHILO-JUDEUS, JOSEPHUS, and others. The fymbols of the Jews illuftrative of this doctrine confidered; but particularly the CHERUBIM with an engraving of the CHERUBIM. The fentiments of the ancient Rabbies exhibited. The manner in which the High Prieft gave his folemn benediction to the people defcribed, and the form in which he difpofed his fingers represented by an engraving, copied from Athanafiuş Kircher. The mode in which they defignated the incommunicable name of JEHOVAH, viz. by THREE JODS and a CIRCLE, emblematical of a TRINITY in Unity that fymbol exhibited. In the ancient myftical character fuppofed, like the Davinagari character of India, to have been revealed BY ANGELS, the JOD, the first initial letter of that name, accompanied

with a TRIANGLE - very remarkable, because, according to Kircher, the EGYPTIAN fymbol of the Deity, or NUMEN TRIPLEX, was a TRIANGLE.- The three perfons in the DIVINE ESSENCE Compared, by thofe Rabbies, to the three collateral branches of the Hebrew letter SCHIN. The letter therefore confpicuously engraved on the ancient PHYLACTERY, which the Jews, according to the divine command, wore on the head. Engravings, difplaying thefe various fymbols, in the course of the inquiry, prefented to the reader. An account of the famous book of ZOHAR, and of the SEPHIR JETZIRAH, or book of Abraham, -A review of the Pagan TRINITIES, The ORACLES of ZOROASTER Confidered-contain internal evidence that they are not wholly spurious— that affertion proved in a fhort comparison of the thoretic fyftem of theology laid down in those oracles, and the practical worship of the Chaldæans, Perfians, and Indians. The THREE PRINCIPLES mentioned in the Zoroastrian or Chaldaic Oracles, the most early corruption of the doctrine of the Hebrew Trinity. The Perfian Triad of Deity, OROMASDES, MITHRAS, ARIMANIUS; or, rather, the three-fold power of the God MITHRA, thence called TRIPLASIOS, to be referred to the fame origin. The remains of this doctrine remarkably apparent in India, not only in the triad BRAHMA, VEESHNU, and SEEVA, but in various fymbolic characters of that myftic Triad recapitulated and exhibited. An account of a medal found in Siberia, on which is engraved the figure of the TRIUNE GOD, accompanied with a description in Tangutian charac

ters

ters, explained by Colonel Grant, and with an engraving of it from Parfons's Remains of Japhet. The Peruvians defcribed by Acofta as worshipping an idol denominated TANGA-TANGA, which they affert to mean ONE IN THREE and THREE IN ONE.-A short inquiry entered into, by what channel a doctrine, so improbable to have been the fabrication of mere human reason, as that of a Trinity in Unity, could be propagated among a nation fo remote from the Hebrews as the Peruvians. The great THREE-HEADED IDOL of Japan described from Kæmpfer an engraving of that idol from the fame author. The Trinity of Egypt confidered- represented by a GLOBE, a WING, and a SERPENT. Its meaning investigated, and an engraving of it exhibited which was copied from the front of the ruins of LUXOR, by Mr. Norden, in his Antiquities of Egypt. An account of the TRINITY of divine perfons, in the Hymns attributed to Orpheus. The doctrines relative to a Trinity taught by PYTHAGORAS, PARMENIDES, and PLATO. -A conclufive retrospect on the fubject, and a general recapitulation of the principal arguments adduced in proof of the original pofition, that this doctrine was originally revealed from heaven to the ancestors of the human race, known to the Hebrew patriarchs, and propagated, by themselves and their pofterity, during their various migrations and difperfions throughout the world. A fummary account of the opinions at present entertained by the Jews, relative to the expected advent of the MESSIAH.-Calculations formerly made concerning that event from the course

of

of the ftars.

Thofe calculations now forbidden by

a most tremendous imprecation, in the GEMARA, that the bowels of the calculator may burft afunder. The execration, how evaded by ABARBANEL, the great commentator on the Pentateuch. His own extravagant affertions, with refpect to the conftellations, and his particular computation of the times of the Meffiah proved to be falfe, by the event. →→ The monftrous conceptions of the modern Jews, relative to the great feaft at which the fecond Meffiah, after the overthrow of the enemies of the Jews, is to entertain the whole affembled race of Judah, from Abraham downwards, in the renovated city of Jerufalem, (according to the Rabbies cited by Bafnage,) with the flesh of the female LEVIATHAN, falted by God from the beginning of time, and preferved as an exquifite relifh for that banquet of his SON. They are alfo to be regaled with the female BEHEMOTH, which eats the grafs of 1000 mountains in one day, according to Pfalm 1. 10; and with the flesh of the ftupendous bird Zrz, or BARIUCHNE, whofe extended wings obfcured the fun. - Wine made of the grapes of Paradife, and treafured in the vault of Adam, alfo referved for that feast. — The Author apologizes, and gives his reasons for mentioning these rabbinical vagaries, viz. to fhew their perverfion of Scripture texts, and their fenfual and carnal notions of what is purely fpiritual'; among which may be numbered, that most baleful spring of all their calamities, the perfuafion that the MESSIAH IS YET TO COME, A MIGHTY TEMPORAL PRINCE.

The