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he reads—he is forced to read the evident characters of a Being, 
mighty, bountiful and wife; and this Being is his God. Whe- 
ther there be other beings equally wife, powerful or good, it 
concerns not him to enquire. Even if there be, they are no 
Gods to him. His Creator he naturally regards as his fole divi- 
nity; and clothes him with thofe attributes alone which awe, 
gratitude and admiration are calculated to fuggeft. But this 
fimplicity in the obje& of religious worfhip will naturally 
ceafe, as the number of worfhippers is augmented. When 
men are muitiplied on the earth, their corruptions will be 
multiplied ;—the variety of human_ difpofitions, circumftances 
and fortunes will be encreafed;—and the image of the Deity, 
viewed through all thefe mediums, will be tinged with a variety 
of colours. Different men will form different conceptions of 
the divine nature; and each different conception will conftitute 
a diflin@ divinity. And here the vices and evil propenfities of 
mankind will operate moft powerfully. The god of the volup- 
tuous, will be a god of fenfuality—the god of the difhoneft, 
will be a god of fraud—the god of the indolent, will be a god 
of felfith inativity—of the turbulent, a god of war and violence. 
Each earthly corruption will by degrees extend its influence to 
the heavens; and each corrupt deity in return will patronize, 
extend and perpetuate thofe vices from which he has derived 
his origin. 
_I wave thus as briefly as poffible endeavoured to prove that 
the general tendency of polytheifm is inimical to good morals. 
I fhould now proceed to examine the various particular evils 
which 
