^9 



8 A NATURAL HISTORY 



He grew more wicked, and gave hlmfelf up to all forts of Vio- 

 lence *". 



That the old World was guilty of Idolatry, fome gather 



fiom Gef2. iv. 26. which they fay will bear this Reading • 



Tlhen Men prophanedy calling on the Name of the Lord, that is^ by 

 Jetting up Idols : Upon which fome of the Rabbins paraphrafe 

 thus, viz. Then they began to call Idols by the Name of the 

 Lord : With which agrees the ferujalem Targum^ that fays, That 

 ix^as the Age^ in the days of which they began to err, and made 

 themfelves Idols, a?id called their Idols by the Name of the PVord of 

 the Lord-f. 



So they underftand Gen.m. 11. The Earth ivas corrupt, that 

 is idolatrous. In defence of this Glofs, they quote the Idolatry of 

 the golden Calf which is exprefled by this very Form of Speech, 

 viz. The People had corrupted themfelves. We read Gen. iv. 26. 

 Then Men began to call upon the Name of the Lord. There is no 

 room to doubt, but they called upon God before j the Particle 

 then feems to refer to E?ios, which is the next Antecedent : there- 

 fore 'tis laid. They now applied themfelves to the Knowledge of 

 the Stars, which they apprehended were eredted for the Govern- 

 ment of the World, and confequently might be their Duty to a- 

 dore them as God's Reprefentatives. 



But the general Opinion is, that Idolatry did not begin till 

 after the Deluge, and that perhaps the Deluge might be one Oc- 

 cafion of it ; for the old World, as fome fuppofe, was drown'd 

 for Atheifm which coming to the Knowledge of Noah\ me- 

 diate Succellbrs, they run into the other Extreme, chufing rather 

 to have many Gods than 770 God. 



IDO LATR 7 is of a more antient Date than Image'lVor- 

 fip: To fee Men kneeling before a piece of Wood or Stone, has 

 fomething fo low and mean in it, that Men were not immediately 

 brought to that abjed: and fcandalous piece of Worfhip. The 

 Sun, Moon, and Stars, were ihc'ir /latural Gods, and ador'd be- 

 fore deify 'd Men, who were their ani?nated Gods. 



This Deification of Creatures, feems to begin about the time 

 of the Confufion at Babel, or the Difperfion immediately confc- 

 quent thereupon, particularly in the Family of Nimrod^ the Son 

 of Cujh, Grandfon of Noah, May not we date the Original of 



Pagan if n 



* See CluveriuSj and Dr. Cti7Nberland. f Sckindl. 



4 



