778 2 
fo confecrate a cenotaph, a ftatue, or 
even a holiday, to any eminently ufeful 
man, cn his death or ‘birth- day to firew 
garlands over his tomb, to perform a 
hymn in his praife, or recite an oration 
defining his iervices, although it would 
be the worfhip of -a creature, could in 
nothing encroach upon the effential Su- 
ty of the univerfal God ? 
<< If there be any real difference ee 
the antient and new demi-gods (fay 
MropLeToN, inthe Letter aes 
moit people, I-dare fay, will be apt to de- 
termine in favour of the old poffeffors : : 
for thofe heroes of antiquity were raifed 
up into gods, and received divine honours, 
for fome fignal benefits of which they had 
been the authors to mankind, as the in= 
vention of arts and {ciences, or fomething 
hig hly ufeful and neceffary to life ; ; 
whereas, of the Romith faints, it is ae 
tain that many of them were never heard 
of but in their own legends or fabulous 
hiftories, and many more, inftead of any 
fervices done to Akin owe all the 
honours now paid to them to their vices 
or their errors.’ 
Hume (Natural Hiftory of Religion, 
toth rection) has this analogous obferva- 
-tion:’“* Where the deity is reprefented 
as infinitely fuperior to mankind, this 
belief, though altogether juft, is apt, 
when joined with fuperttitio us terEors, 
to fink the human mind into the loweft 
fubmiffion and abafement, and to repre- 
fent the monkith virtues of mortification, 
enance, humility, and paffive fuffering, 
as the only qualities which are acceptabu 3 
tohim. But where the gods are con- 
ceived to be only a little fuperior to man- 
kind, and to heve been many of them 
Be aeeed from that inferior xank, we are 
nore at our eafe in our addreffes to them, 
and may, «ven without profanefs, afpire 
fometimes to a rivalthip and emulation of 
them. Hence activity, fpirit, courage, 
magnanimicy, love of liberty, and all the 
virtues which agerandize a people.” 
The heroes in Paganifm correfpond ex- 
to the faints in Popery, and holy 
dervifes in Mahometanifm. The places 
of Hercules, Thet ue Heétor, Remulus, 
are now fupplied by Dominic, Francis, 
Anthony, and Benediét. Inftead of the 
deftrugtion of monfters, the fubd uing of 
tyrants, the defence ae our Native coun- 
try; whippings and faftings, cowardice 
and humility, abject abet on and flavifh 
obedience, are become the means of 
obtaining celefiial hcnours among many 
Kind. 
On: 
Ds 
ei 
great incitement to. the piows 
On Flero Worfbipe 

Alexander in his warlike expeditions 
was his rivalfhip of Hercules and Bae- 
chus, whom he juftly pretended to have 
excelled. Brafidas, that generous and 
noble Spartan, after falling in karttle, 
had heroic honors paid him by the inha~ 
bitants of Amphipolis, whofe defence he 
hadembraced. And in general, all foun- 
ders of ftates and colonies among the 
Greeks were raifed to this inferior yank 
of divinity by thofe who reaped the be- 
nefit of their labours. 
Gipson abounds with paflages of a 
refembling fpirit, though of a lefs point-— 
ed tendency, and, like the French phi- 
lofopher, Diderot, admires a ceremonious 
religion. Can it then be really true 
that hero-worfhip is a rational fort of 
idolatry, fufficiently entitled to the honor 
of an experiment, and which deferves no 
lefs than feveral other feéts to open its 
protected temples in the more populous 
feats of European civilization? A na- 
tional pantheen in every country would 
furnifh to artifts a fine arena. Its mo- 
numents or altars might aflift in the efti-. 
mate, and ftimulate to the patronage of 
domeftig excellence. Does not example 
inftrud as well as precept? May not 
the biographi¢al fermons to which the 
teachers ef fuch a religion would moft 
naturally incline, tend. as powerfully te 
call forth a noble emulation ; ; and excite 
even to greater variety of beneficence, 
than the perpetual contemplation of a 
fingle model, however perfect 1 in the hu- 
maner virtues? ‘Their moral motives 
would imprefs even the mortalift. No 
doubt, fome danger there is from fuch 
orators, of a faétious or imprudent appre- 
clation ae worth : yet, perhaps, at times it 
may be expedient to vary the focial crop 
of merit. If a feafon of anarchy were 
nigh; energy, fortitude, a love of liber- 
ty, would oe acterize the objects of pub- 
lic eulogy : we fhould hear of Thrafybu- 
lus, the Pesaies if thirty tyrants; of Timo- 
eon. the enfranchizer of Sicily ; ; or of the 
martyred Gracchi. If achange, propor- 
tioned to the altered ftate of the European 
mind, were accomplifhing 1 in our national 
conftitution with the gradual revolution 
of a wheel, without thofe jerks of the 
nation-modellers which crufh while they 
rejerm ; the pacific utilities would thew 
more fpeedily attain the conf{picueus gra- 
titude ae awaits them. ‘The votire 
buf, the foiemn pancgyricy would at 
once be confecrated to Raleigh, who has 
foothed the care and relieved the hunger 
f millions, by bringing to us the tobacco 
and the potatoe; to the imyentors of 
5 tas: 
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