.Chap. VI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 155 



CHAP. vir. 



Impoffihle that the Egyptians, tvho had invented fj many arts and 

 Sciences^ Jl^onld not have been Religious. — They ivere the moji Re- 

 ligious of all Nations. Religion here confide red as a Political In- 

 fiitution^ ivhich produced no had effecis among the Egyptians, as it 

 has done in many other Nations. — if it produced no bad effefls^ 

 ivhere there ivas Jo much cf it as in Egypt, it mufl have produced 

 good efjeSis. — -Difference betivixt the Religion of Egypt and that of 

 other Countries. — In other countries the Gods only predicted events ; 

 in Egypt they ivere Kings, and Governed. — Of the nature of the 

 Egyptian Gods. — They ivere embodied, ivere born, and died ; and 

 ivere of different Characters. — They ivere of that clafs of Beings cal- 

 led Daemons. — This opinion fupported by the authority of Plutarch^ 

 Plato, and other .Authors quoted by him. — Proved from theory 

 thatfuch Beings as Demons mufi exifl, othenvife there ivould be a 

 void in the univerfe, ivhich cannot be fuppofed to be info perfect a 

 Syfleni. — Jgreeable to the ivifdom and goodnefs of God, that fiich 

 Beings fJooutd be fent among men, to afftfl them to recover from their 

 fallen State, by teaching them Arts and Sciences. — This ivas done 

 by the Dcemons in Egypt. — This happened in other countries as 

 ivell as in Egypt, particularly in China and in Peru. — hi Peru there 

 ivas an Ofiris and an Ifis, under the name of Manco Capuc and his 

 Sijler-ivife. — Authorities from Scripture to prove the exifence of 

 Dcemons. — They may be fuppofed to have been the Beings called, in 

 Scripture, Angels, ivho had the fuperintendency of hutfiatt affairs, 

 — Each Nation had its Angel. — A bad tranflation of a text on this 

 fubjcfl in our Bible. — The Sons of God, ivho, ive are told, copulat- 

 ed with the Daughters of Men,mujl have been Demons. — This in- 



U 2 terprctation 



