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and fubtilty, returns victorious over fo terrible an animal.

Philofophers, not fatisfied with reasons, which were too trifling to account for fuch strange abfurdities as difhonoured the heathen fyftem, and at which themfelves fecretly blushed, have, fince the establishment of Christianity, fuppofed a third reafon for the worthip which the Egyptians paid to animals; and declared, that it was not offered to the animals themselves, but to the gods, of whom they are symbols. Plutarch, in his treatife, where he examines profeffedly the pretensions of Ifis and Ofiris, the two most famous deities of the Egyptians, fays as follows: "Philofophers honour the image of god wherever they find it, even in inanimate beings, and confequently more in those which have life. We are therefore to approve, not the worshippers of thefe animals, but thofe who, by their means, afcend to the deity; they are to be confidered as fo many mirrors, which nature holds forth, and in which the Supreme Being difplays himfelf in a wonderful manner; or, as fo many inftruments, which he makes use of to manifeft outwardly, his incomprehenfible wisdom. Should men therefore, for the embellishing of ftatues, amafs together all the gold and precious ftones in the world; the worship must not be referred to the ftatues, for the deity does not exift in colours artfully difpofed, nor in frail matter deftitute of sense and motion." tarch fays in the fame treatife, "that as the fun and moon, heaven, earth, and the fea, are common to all men, but have different names according to the difference of nations and languages; in like manner, though there is but one deity, and one providence which governs the univerfe, and which has feveral fubaltern minifters under it; men give to this deity, which is the fame, different names; and pay it different honours, according to the laws and cuftoms of every country.".

JP. 382.

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But were these reflections, which offer the moft rational vindication poffible of idolatrous worship, fufficient to cover the ridicule of it? Could it be called a raifing of the divine attributes in a fuitable manner, to direct the worshipper to admire and feek for the image of them in beafts of the most vile and contemptible kinds, as crocodiles, ferpents, and cats? Was not this rather degrading and debafing the deity, of whom, even the moft ftupid, ufually entertain a much greater and more auguft idea?

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However, thefe philofophers were not always so just, as to afcend from fenfible beings to their invifible author. The fcriptures tell us, that thefe pretended fages deferved, on account of their pride and ingratitude, to be given over to a reprobate mind; and whilst they profeffed themfelves wife, to become fools, for having changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things. To fhow what man is when left to himself, God permitted that very nation, which had carried human wisdom to its greatest height, to be the theatre in which the most ridiculous and abfurd idolatry was afted. And, on the other fide, to difplay the almighty power of his grace, he converted the frightful defarts of Egypt into a ter reftrial paradife; by peopling them, in the time appointed by his providence, with numberlefs multitudes of illuftrious hermits, whofe fervent piety and rigor ous penance have done fo much honour to the Chriftian religion. I cannot forbear giving here a famous inftance of it; and I hope the reader will excufe this kind of digreffion.

The great wonder of Lower Egypt, fays Abbé Fleury, in his Ecclefiaftical History, was the city of Oxyrinchus, peopled with monks both within and without, fo that they were more numerous than its other inhabitants. The public edifices and idol temples had been converted into monafteries, and these likewife were more in number than the private houses. s Tom. v. p. 25, 26.

Rom. i ver. 23, 25.

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The monks lodged even over the gates, and in the towers. The people had twelve churches to affemble in, exclufive of the oratories belonging to the monafteries. There were twenty thoufand virgins and ten thousand monks in this city, every part of which echoed night and day with the praifes of God. By order of the magiftrates, centinels were pofted at the gates, to take notice of all ftrangers and poor who came into the city; and those who firft received them, were obliged to provide them with all hofpitable accommodations.

SECT. II. The Ceremonies of the Egyptian Funerals.

SHALL now give a concife account of the funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians.

The honours which have been paid in all ages and nations to the bodies of the dead; and the religious care taken to provide fepulchres for them, feem to infinuate an universal perfuafion, that bodies were lodged in fepulchres merely as a depofite or truft.

We have already obferved, in our mention of the pyramids, with what magnificence fepulchres were built in Egypt; for, befides that they were erected as fo many facred monuments, deftined to tranfmit to future times the memory of great princes; they were likewife confidered as the manfions where the body was to remain during a long fucceffion of ages. Whereas common houses were called inns, in which men were to abide only as travellers, and that during the course of a life which was too fhort to engage their affections.

When any perfon in a family died, all the kindred and friends quitted their ufual habits, and put on mourning; and abstained from baths, wine, and dainties of every kind. This mourning held forty or feventy days; probably according to the quality of the perfon.

Bodies were embalmed three different ways. The most magnificent was bestowed on persons of distinDiod. 1. i. p. 47. Herod. I. ii. c. 85, &c.

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An Egyptian Mummy in the Collection of Dr Mead. Published Feb.1.1754 by I.&P. hnapton

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