19 



8 A NATURAL HISTORY 



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

 lence *, 



That the old World was guilty of Idolatry, fome gather 



from Gen. iv. 26. which they fay will bear this Reading — 



Then Men prophaiied, calling on the Name of the Lord, that is, by 

 fetting up Idols, : Upon which fome of the Rabbins paraphrafe 

 thus, viz. T^hen they began to call Idols by the Name of the 

 Lord : With which agrees the Jerufalem Targian, that fays. That ^ 

 was the Age, in the days of which they began to err, and made- 

 themfehes Idols, and called their Idols by the Name of the Word of 

 the Lord-\-. 



So they underftand G^h. vi. 11. The Earth was corrupt, that 

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

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

 viz. The People had corrupted then f elves. 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 ; the Particle 

 then feems to refer to Lnos, which is the next Antecedent : there- 

 fore 'tis faid, They now applied themfelves to the Knowledge of 

 the Stars, which they apprehended were eredled 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- 

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

 for Atheifm which coming to the Knowledge of Noah's me- 

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

 to have many Gods than no God. 



ID O LATR 7 is of a more antient Date than Image-Wor- 

 fiip: 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 their natural Gods, and ador'd be- 

 fore deify'd Men, who were their animated Gods. 



This Deification of Creatures, feems to begin about the time 

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

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

 of Cujh^ Grandfon of Noah. May not we date the Original of 



. Faganifm 



* See Cluverlus, and Dr. Qumherland. f Schindl. 



