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emanation from him. There is Re, the physical sun ; Amun, 

 the intellectual sun ; Amun-Re, the sun as the generative in- 

 fluence of nature; and Phthah, the sun as the preservative 

 power, and I know not how many more. It is the same with 

 the different forms of Thoth, the moon. 



I believe that attention to the original Sabsean worship, with 

 some acquaintance with ancient astronomy, will be found to be 

 the key to nearly the whole of this metaphysical system. 



[He then entered into an exposition of the allegorical and 

 metaphysical system of the Egyptians, at a period considerably 

 posterior to the date of the monuments in question, illustrated 

 by the divinity Thoth, who had various characters assigned 

 him, according to the function he was supposed to fulfil. 



He then directed attention to the great antiquity of the, 

 study of astronomy, which is attested to by the book of Job, 

 where certain of the constellations and stars are familiarly 

 mentioned.] 



The fact that in those early days (two thousand years before 

 Christ) well known constellations existed, assures us, that long 

 before astronomy had been cultivated. The mapping out of the 

 heavens into constellations, could be for no other object than 

 that of observing the motions of the sun, moon, and planets, 

 answering thereby the purposes of our parallels of latitude and 

 longitude. Not only would considerable time be spent in 

 mapping out even the forty-six extremely ancient ones, with 

 which we are acquainted ; but to get these generally re- 

 ceived and acknowledged, required, 1st, That they must be of 

 great and extensive astronomical importance ; and, 2nd, That 

 they should have been made by persons of sufficient skill and 

 authority to procure their adoption by others — since no one 

 will imagine that there is any such similitude in the groups of 

 stars to the figures of the animals, or man, which they have 

 been taken to represent, as that persons in dift'erent countries 

 and different climates should have chosen the same figures for 

 signs, which could not be appropriate to all of them. 



