552 
mind to merit reception into a fecret band, 
where the pure do€trine might be pre- 
ferved in myfterious withdrawment, from 
the eyes of the profane, and only dealt 
Gut to thofe who were obferved to be ca- 
pable of bearing its luftre. 
For this purpofe, hieroglyphs were re- 
forted to, which concealed, under fenfible 
fymbols, the avftract doctrine, and were 
interpreted by agreedrules. As thefe en- 
lightened men were aware, from their ex- 
perience of the ancient worthip, of the 
influence of the fenfes and of the imagi- 
nation on young duétile minds, they 
made no fcruple of calling in the afiift- 
ance of artifice and ceremonial to the ad- 
vantage of truth. They produced the 
new-ideas to the mind with an impreffive 
folemnity of parade, and, by rites adapted 
to their purpofe, excited in the minds of 
their pupils an impaffioned ftate of foul 
favourable to the affociation of the new 
creed, with impreffions ftriking to the 
fenfes. Of this nature were the purifica . 
tions which the afiifiant underwent pre- 
Vious to initiation, the wafhing, the 
fprinkling, the inwrapment in {urplices 
of linen, the preparatory abftinence from 
fenfual indulgence, the fignificant filenice 
calculated to ftimulate curiofity, the ex- 
altation of the fpirits by fong, the inter- 
change of dark and light, and the other 
yitual folemnities. 
T hefe ceremonies, conne&ted with fecret 
fymbols and hieroglyphs, which deferibed 
the concealed dogtrines, were collectively 
defignated by the appellation of the Myt{- 
teries...Their chicf feat was the temple 
of His and Serapis. They were the mo- 
del whence afterwards the myftteries of 
Samothrace and Eleufis, and in later 
times, the orders of free-maforry have 
been fhapen. Jt feems indubitable, that 
the fubftance of the oldeft mytteries in 
Heliopolis and Memphis, during their 
incorrupt period, confifted in announcing 
the unity of God, in umafking the popu- 
lar heathenifm, and in revealing the im- 
mortality of the foul. Thofe-who became 
partakers of thefe tmportant difceveries, 
who obtained the infight of thefe revela- 
tions, called themfelves Epopts, Szers, 
cv.the Initiated. But this initiation was 
never beftowed fully at once, becaufe it 
was proper gradually to purge the mind 
of many errors by preparatory fteps, be- 
fore it could bear the full blaze of truth, 
For this reafon, grades ot initiation were - 
contrived; and a complete apocalypfe 
was only made to thofe who had attained 
the intuition of the inner fanétuary. 
oy 
ow 42 
Epopts acknowledged a fing!e fy- 
On the Legation of Adofes. 
fSup. 
preme caufe of all things, an original 
energy, the fame with the demiurgos of 
the Greek fages. Nothing can be more 
fubliime than the fimple greatnefs with 
which they fpake of the maker of the. 
world. In order moft expreifively to in- 
dicate him they called him by no name, 
A name, faid they, is merely wanted to 
diftihguifa: he who is ONLY needeth 
no name; for there is no one with whom 
he can be confounded. Under an ancient 
ftatue of Ifis were written the words Iam 
what is: and on a pyramid at Sais I am 
what is, and was, and willbe: no mortal 
has uplified my veil. Noone might enter 
the temple cf Serapis who did not wear 
on his breaft or forehead the name Jao or 
Je-ha-ho, a name nearly the fame with 
the Hebrew Jehovah, and probably of 
like fignification and origin. No name 
was pronounced in Egypt with more ve- 
neration than this name Jao. In the 
hymn, which the hierophant fang to the 
aipirents, this was the firlt clue given of 
the nature of the deity, He is only, of 
himielf, and from him are all things. 
An effential preliminary ceremony te 
every initiation was circumcifion, to 
which even Pythagoras had to fubmit, 
before his admiffion to the Egyptian 
myfteries. ‘This circumcifion was to de- 
fignate a more intimate fraternity be- 
tween the partakers of it, and a nearer 
relation to the Godhead than was fup- 
pofed to belong to the uncircumeifed. 
With thefe views Mofes afterwards em- 
ployed it arhong the Hebrews. 
In the inmoft of the temple varicus 
holy utenils were exhibited to the afpi- 
rant which exprefied a bidden meaning. 
Among thefe was a facred box called the 
ark of Serapis, originally perhaps an em- 
blem of hidden wifdom ; but which, af- 
ter the inftitution had degenerated, only 
ferved as a myftery-fhow-box for juggling 
prieftcraft. To carry this ark was a pri- 
vilege of priefthood, who were therefore 
called ciffophoroi. ‘To none but the hiero- 
phant was it allowed to open the lid of 
this box, or even totouch it. Had any 
one the rafhnefs to peep in, he would im- 
mediately become, it was reported, infane. 
In the Egvptian myfteries certain hie- 
roglyphic figures of divinities occurred 
which were compounded of various ani- 
mal forms, The fphinx is a figure cf 
this kind, and is prebably emblematic of 
omnipotence, being compounded of por- 
tions of the moft powerful of animals, 
of the eagle, of the lion, of the bull, of 
the man. The bull efpeciaily, or! Apisy 
was moit frequently employed as the fym- 
ba: 
“= 
