ROMANISM. 



seen, being understood by the things 

 that are made, even his eternal 

 power and Godhead ; so that they 

 are without excuse" (Rom. i. 20). 

 " Nevertheless he left not himself 

 without witness, in that he did good, 

 and gave us rain from heaven, and 

 fruitful seasons, filling our heart with 

 food and gladness " (Acts xiv. 17), 

 although " in times past he suffered 

 all nations to walk in their own ways" 

 (verse 16), "because that, when 

 they knew God, they glorified him 

 not as God, neither were thankful ; 

 but became vain in their imagina- 

 tions, and their foolish heart was 

 darkened. Professing themselves 

 to be wise, they became fools, and 

 changed the glory of the incorrupt- 

 ible God into an image made like 

 to corruptible man, and to birds, 

 and four-footed beasts, and creep- 

 ing things, wherefore God also gave 

 them up to uncleanness " (Rom. i. 

 21-24). " And even as they did not 

 like to retain God in their know- 

 ledge, God gave them over to a rep- 

 rojpate mind .... who, know- 

 ing the judgment of God, that they 

 which commit such things are 

 worthy of death, not only do the 

 same, but have pleasure in them 

 that do them" (verses 28 and 32), 

 yet holding them to accountability, 

 " for when the Gentiles, which have 

 not the law, do by nature the things 

 contained in the law, these, having 

 not the law, are a law unto them- 

 selves ; which show the work of the 

 law written in their hearts, their con- 

 science also bearing witness, and 

 their thoughts the meanwhile accus- 

 ing or else excusing one another. " 

 (Rom. ii. 14, 15). 



Here we have the human mind, 

 while possessing its wants and 

 natural instincts intact, presenting a 

 vacuum in regard to religious know- 

 ledge, into which an impostor or en- 

 thusiast could force his way, but 

 with much difficulty, and keep pos- 

 session through the religion he 

 introduced, till dispossessed by 

 some other; the devotions or whims, 



wants or vices of its members, the 

 growth of a priesthood, and the 

 nature of their organization, doc- 

 trines and ceremonies, and the man- 

 ner in which these were presented 

 to the worshippers, the lapse of 

 time, and the political or social con- 

 vulsions of society, as well as the 

 corruption or abuse of the religion 

 itself, such as it was, influencing the 

 question of a faith, taking or keep- 

 ing possession of a people where a 

 revelation was not given, or brought 

 to bear upon them. 



Many of the religions of human 

 nature doubtless had their origin in 

 " the spontaneous and gradual 

 growth of superstition and impos- 

 ture, modified, systematised, adorn- 

 ed or expanded by ambitious and 

 superior minds, or almost wholly in 

 the conception of these minds." * 

 How a religion or form of worship 

 might have had its origin is illus- 

 trated in the adventure of Paul and 

 Barnabas among the rude people at 

 Lystra, when they would have ren- 

 dered divine honours to them as 

 Jupiter and Mercury, but for the 

 objection that was made; when the 

 priest of Jupiter, apparently rush- 

 ing in on the top of the wave, to be 

 ahead of the people, and the 

 master of ceremonies, " brought 

 oxen and garlands unto the gates, 

 and would have done sacrifice with 

 the people " (Acts xiv. 13), although 

 he would doubtless have been just as 

 ready to head them in slaying the 

 Apostles, had the current run in that 

 direction.f How a religion has 



* Disquisition on the Gipsies, p. 



502. 



f The other instance when St. Paul 

 was taken for a god was on the island of 

 Melita or Malta, when a viper fastened 

 on his hand as he laid a bundle of sticks 

 on a fire. The barbarous people present 

 immediately concluded that, having just 

 escaped shipwreck, he must have been a 

 murderer, whom vengeance would not 

 suffer to live. " But after they had look- 

 ed a great while, and saw no harm come 

 to him [for 'he shook off the beast into 

 the fire and felt no harm'], they changed 



