at thy word, an 



,M, a,.e U— . Thou a. befo. aU o.he. gods, .He anc.nt Po..s. the ^^^^^ :l^:^riI^::Zl^ 

 things, and art worthy above all to be known! thou art the head ^We. -^ V «-> «; «" ^^^^^ ^ f,^, ^,„ ,„„m hear the hght of 



The true God, says the learned author of Indian Ant.qm.e J- -ealed ^ P ^^^ ^^^ ^^.^^ ;„ ,^^ „,i,„, g,„,y 



truth, without being confounded by the blaze; for them f °- *?y;~;„, J ,„„„„„ Hindoos were taught a threefold Godhead, and 

 *y. From the vulgar eye this doetnne was kept mv.olably s«:re^^, a ^^^ ^^^_^._^^ ^^^^^ _^^^^ particularly 



was one of the persons of the TrmUy, %;"^°^ ^^'^J''' ^Zl ,' j^^ther Account of Hindoo Theology in the last Note to 

 ride Maurices Indian Antiquities, Vol. li. p. 71- '^^e ut^u j 



of his uni 

 Brahma was one 

 addressed. 

 the Canna. 



PERSIAN THEOLOGY. 



■ ^ T ■ A n.\rW a fragment of the theology of the Magi. This historian mentions, " that the 



Plutarch has left us, in his Treat.se "^ I^'^/""! ^ .r ^' ^^^^^.^^^l ^od MvthLs 

 ancient Persians adored but one sole supreme Deity but they consme ^^ ^^^ Oromazes, because 



nations from his substance, and at other times as the «-' P™^-'-" ^ bseZ d only owarls the end of the spring, and that of Mvthb.s 

 he was never to be forgotten : but the ^-''f "^ f ^^t fe/t" da^ heTomen performed all the priestly functions, and the men did 

 about the beginning of autumn. During the first, which '^'^'^^ '«" ^^^ ' ^^i^b^^ti„'„ „f ,he last. This separation of the two sexes was 

 not assist at it; as, on the other hand, the women were not .^'>";'"^^ '° ^™7; '^^^ ■,, „,(„„ on these solemn festivals." 

 thought necessary, in order to preserve the sou. from aU ^^-^--^'^^.f/rntThe Supreme Deity. " God is the first of all incor- 



There is a fragment of Zoroaster preserved to us by E"S*ius wh P ^^ ^^^ ^.^^ ^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^,j 



but spirits become visible. In the midst of this -"^-'y ^ ti. 8^^' O^"' ^ .J^^^J ,,^ (j„, Myth.as, or the second • spirit, 

 where; but it is there that he is manifested ^ft-;™;- f^^T.^flk are the Jyngas, the most sublime intelhgences ; in the lower 

 and under him the Goddess Mtthba; around their throne in the ran y 6 



spheres are an endless number of Genii of all the different orders. 



EGYPTIAN THEOLOGY. 



P.t,.rA.c„, in his treatise of Isis and Osi.is, tells us + " that the ^^'f^^^'^;^- '^::::Z'^ li:^^^^. 

 the other vulgar and literal; -<! ^--^^^''^ *;' ^^ ^1:11:: ^uTsu^^^^ he sa;s, that Osi.is Signifies the active 



n"; ::" ::Vara%;;^t\"t1e^^^^^^ God. m the Temple of Keith there is found this inscription, - I am o„e. 



-Vlu—r " ?.r^^-s, indeed, gave the names of Gods ^ ^^'-XS^^TZ :!^^::^ ^l^ZT:: 

 form, dissolve, and scatter the divine Nature into rivers, winds, vegetab o ^^^y^°~\^^ ^„, ,,„,ae, are the weaver. Such 



imagine, that the sails, '>>-«., the ngg^^an^ f ^^ ^^^^ „^;^ „, ,„,^ ,„ ,,„g, , .sensible, 



senseless notions are an indignity to the heavenly powers, w y f ^^.^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ perceived by our senses, 



doctrine of the first Egyptians with regard to the divine Natuie. . ^^^^^^ „ ^^ ^ ;^„ philosophers 



Oh.obk, who was cotemporary with P..xahc„, '-^^^''^ "'^2rTLr^2 Icover to the people but under a veil of fables 

 have sublime notions with regard to the divine Nature which they keep ^^^^f^^^"'^^' ^^^^^^^^ ^i,^ „<,„e but the ignorant vulgar, 

 and allegories. C.s.s is like a man who has travel ed ^TX:^^ ""llUhe'Eas e': nlLns, the Persians, the Indians, the Syrians, 

 -L^Lt^y'm^;::^!:: r; ^ X^^^. '"he rrt^l those reUgl^s s. into the sense and true meaning of them, whilst 

 the vutlr go no'farther than the exterior symbol, and see only the bark that covers them. 



GRECIAN THEOLOGY. 



The learned among the Greeks had also true notions of God. First, of the Poets. 



Orpheus rises to this sublime description of the unknown ^od. ^^^ ^,^^^^ ^^^ ^f ^^^.y thing that is 



. ^here is one un.no.n exalted ^^-e »d pnor to alU,*er b.^^^^^^^^^^^^ J ,^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^_^ ^^^ ^„^^^, 



below the «ther. This exalted Being is Lite, Liglit, and W isaon , 



'' 'z^:':^^^^^^^^'^^ ^-^-«- -' '^^ -'--' ""^^"'-"^ ^'' ^'"' "' °"^" '''°"°"'^ *' ''"'"' """" 



has several sublime conceptions of the supreme God. 



First, of the Place of God. • i j » 



" O Father of mankind, superior lord! 



On lofty Ida's holy hill ador'd ; 



Who in the highest heavn has fix'd thy throne, 



Supreme of Gods! unbounded and alone." ^ 



^ II. VU. 241. 



1 VI. .„„nrlerZoROASTEE's name. Doubtless they are not genuine; but they contain the most ancient 

 * N«-. ..... it is thus that M.THKAS is called in the oraches .vh.ch Pf ^^^^/^^ ^ ^^^^ ^, ,,, pi,,,„,, ,f ,L thi.d century. 



traditions, and the style of the Eastei. theology, according to PsE...s, P.K ho P ^^^ ^ ^ .^_ ^^^^^^ ^^^^_ ^^^ ^^^^^ 



f Pkit. de Isid. 8c Osir. p. 3o4. + ^" y > > Secondly, 



