344 
cach, before they arrived at a ftate of 
puberty (viz.) exaétly 5 years old. It 
may be anfwered, that in thofe early 
periods of time, all nature was more 
vigorous than in thefe degenerate times, 
and that thofe lufty boys might beget 
their own likeneffes at ten, feven, or 
five years old: but what fhall we anfwer 
to that which is written m the fame 
book, Gen, vi. 3, where it is faid, that 
the age of man fhould be limited to 120 
years, that is, in purfuance of the fame 
lan, a little more than nine years old— 
sa this is before the flood. And we find 
that, after the flood, when it is ad- 
mitted that the years were the fame 
as ours, the ages of feveral famous 
patriarchs arrived at that period. Ad- 
mitting that this was intended asa curfe 
inftead of a blefiimg—a fhortening of 
man’s life, and not lengthening of it— 
how fhall we reconcile it with the age 
of the Antediluvians according to your 
correfpondent’s hypothefis? For the ex- 
treme age of Methufelah, reckoned by 
his fcale, amounts only to 74 years 
and 4. fhall make no farther obferva- 
tions upon the fubjeét, but leave the con- 
fideration of it to your numerovs and 
xefpedtable readers and contributors. 
J. WooDHoOUSE. 
¢ Brook-ftreet, Dec. 15, 1796. 
SESE 
Jo ibe Eatior of the Monibly Magazine. 
SIR, i 
peer me to make a few obferva- 
» tions in reply to your correfpondent 
of jaft month, on the fubjeé& of hero- 
worfhip. I before objeéted, that the 
pafiages he had adduced did not apply : 
J think fo ftill—and the decifion of that 
part of the fubjcé& muft be left to the 
judgment of your readers. abe oats 
But whether your correfpondent be 
fupported, or not,- by the authority of 
thofe high names which he has cited, is 
now irrelevant to the fubjeét. The 
queftion refts upon the propriety, or ad- 
vantage, of the introduétion of hero- 
worfhip; and, in order to obviate our 
objeétions on this headghe contends, that 
it 1s compatible with the worthip of the 
Spiemies Being eT Vee a} ae es 
There will be no lefs diverfity of 
epinion on this part of the fubjeét, than 
on the other, if we admit the propricty 
of hero-worféip; but I am inclined to 
think, that the writer intended to convey 
@ more vague and indefinite meaning 
than I have been accuftomed to confider 
the term (worhhip) to imply. If he 
Hera Worfrips 
« fon Enoch, lived, it appears, only 65 years 
[May 
merely meant to convey an idea of that 
rational veneration which we feel our- 
felves inclined to pay to tranfcendent 
merit and diftinguifhed utility, and 
which are properly adduced as the pat- 
terns of emulation ; with fucha principle 
I have “fno war to wage.” It is the 
principle of my heart, and can never be 
overturned, as it is fupported by merit 
on one hand, and by gratitude on the 
other. Bad 
Without violence, this fentiment can- 
not be tortured to partake of thofe higher 
fenfations which reverent worfhip natu- 
rally infpires. Your correfpondent has 
ufed the fame term to exprefs the 
reverence due to the Supreme Being,” 
and the refpect attached to the contem- 
plation of celebrated charaéters. If I 
were to pay the fame homage to the lat- 
ter, as reafon and nature alike aflure me 
I ought to the former, I fhould degrade 
the dignity of my nature, and contraét 
the range of my conception. The re- 
{pect due to the moft exalted model of. 
human excellence, ought not, in my opi- 
nion, to be termed worfhip. Jam not 
inclined to dtfpute the propriety of- 
“* pofthumous veneration ;” and had not 
the writer appeared, in the firft paper, 
to have meant fomething beyond this, F 
fhould not have troubled you ‘with my 
remarks. cde | 
Your correfpondent acknowledges, 
that “rites, no doubt, CAN BE IMA- 
GINED, which would be fervile and 
adulatory ;” but does he not forefee, that. 
- without fuch rites hero-wor/bip could 
not exift?) What worfhip ever exifted 
without adulation ; and. what is adula- 
tion when offered to a man? Worthip 
(for I with to keep him to the term he 
has himfelf chofen) muft be compofed of 
love and reverence; reverence is com-_ 
bined with awe, and awe prefuppofes 
fear. Fhe mind which could entertain 
fuch fentiments for any thing human, 
may be pronounced to be degraded and 
Jervile, either ignorant of its powers, or 
carelefs of their exertion. 
Is fuch a principle confiftent with the 
adoration of the Supreme Being >? Can he 
be. faid to be worfhipped at all, whilft he 
is only worfhipped by halves, whilft thofe 
who defervedly partake of our efteem 
are placed on a level with Him who 
occupies {pace with his prefence, and 
creation with his power ? The contem- 
plation of his attributes tends to exalt 
and purify the mind, and difpofes it to. 
view rather with pity than with vene- 
ration, the confined attainments of pre- 
fumptuous humanity. Such meditations 
3. | are. 
