covered the barren earth with fruits, herbs, and flowers, and peopled it with rational men. They suppose that an evil spirit, who was displeased with the happiness of mankind, brought about death, against which there is no remedy. These islanders have neither temples, nor carved, or any other images; and they never think it necessary to make any offerings, or sacrifices, except a few of those who seem to worship their deceased friends.* PELEW ISLANDS. Those who visited these islands did not find any place appropriated to religious rites: yet there was strong evidence that the natives of Pelew believed that the spirit existed when the body was no more. They have also an idea of an evil spirit, who often counteracted human affairs.† NEW ZEALAND. The inhabitants of this island believe that the soul of a man who is killed, and whose flesh is devoured, is doomed to a perpetual fire, while the souls of all who die a natural death ascend to the habitations of the gods. NEW HOLLAND. The people inhabiting this vast island appear to be all of one race:§ but no account can yet be produced which indicates their entertaining any ideas of religion. The New Hollander is a mere savage; nay, more, he possesses the lowest rank in that class of beings.|| A number of missionaries, who removed from Otaheite, arrived at Fort Jackson, in New Holland; and from the accounts received in 1798, it appears that a door is opened for their more extensive usefulness among their countrymen in that place. Their congregations were numerous, and a considerable subscription made already by their hearers for the erection of one or more places of worship; and a competent appointment offered them by the colonists and military, if they would open schools, and undertake the tuition of their children. The missionaries were received by the convicts at Botany Bay with every mark of kindness and regard; they preached among them, and were heard with great attention.¶ * Foster's Geographical Observations, pp. 604, 605. ¶ Loudon Evangelical Magazine for 1799, SUMMARY. FROM the foregoing view of the various religions of the 'different countries of the world, it appears that the christian religion is of very small extent, compared with those many and vast countries overspread with paganism or mohammedism. This great and painful truth may be further evinced by the following calculation, ingeniously made by some, who, dividing the inhabited world into THIRTY PARTS, find that nineteen of them are possessed by pagans, six by jews and mohammedans, two by christians of the Greek church, three by those of the church of Rome and protestant communion.-If this calculation be accurate, christianity, taken in its largest latitude, bears no greater proportion to the other religions than five to twentyfive: Agreeable to a calculation made in a pamphlet, entitled "An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen,"+the inhabitants of the world amount to about seven hundren and thirty-one millions; four hundred and twenty millions of whom are still in pagan darkness, an hundred and thirty millions the followers of Mahomet, an hundred millions catholics, forty-four millions protestants, thirty millions of the Greek and Armenian churches, and perhaps one million of jews. It is worthy of observation that the above calculation was made before the late discoveries of the north-west part of America, the north-east part of Asia, the vast tract of New Holland, New Guinea, and the numerous other islands in the Pacific Ocean. How much greater then must the numerical difference appear at the present day between that part of mankind who enjoy the light of christianity, and that part who are now groping in pagan darkness! [t By Mr. William Carey, one of the Baptist missionaries THE Perhaps it may be pleasing to those of a speculative turn to trace the central points in which the varions denominations of christians agree.* The following articles † are generally acceded to by all who profess to believe in divine revelation. HE diversity of senti- timent, which will appear less ment among christians surprising, if we consider the has been exhibited in the additional force of education, preceding pages. The candid and the prejudices to which mind will not consider those we are all, in some degree, various opinions as an argu- exposed. ment against divine revelation. The truth of the sacred writings is attested by the strongest evidence: such as the miracles recorded in the new testament; the exact accomplishment of the prophecies; the rapid spread of the gospel, notwithstanding the most violent opposition; the consistency of the several parts of the inspired pages with each other; the purity and perfection of may seem an exception to the precepts of christianity; this article, because they their agreement with the moral maintained the doctrine of attributes and perfections of two principles. But as they the Deity; and their benevo- supposed the good principle lent tendency to promote the would finally be victorious, good of society, and advance and reign supreme, their evil our present and future hap- principle may only be consi piness. dered as a powerful demon. There may be as great a variety in the moral as in the material world, Hence naturally results a diversity of sen 1. That there is one supreme Being of infinite perfection. The Manicheans 2. That the supreme Being is the object of religious worship.-This appears naturally to result from the preceding *The compiler of the View of Religions means strictly to adhere to the plan of the Compendium. She does not say what doctrines are or are not essential. The articles generally agreed upon are collected as a matter of fact only, from which the various denominations of christians may make what inferences they please. The seeming exceptions to the articles are mentioned. If what is said to make the coincidence nearer should appear forced, and that is given up, still the central points which are collected, are generally maintained, which is all that is asserted. Admitting what is said to be just, christians now universally agree in five articles, article: if we admit the being Christ's person and the ends of a God, the propriety of of his mission are different.* worshipping him is obvious.-- 4. That there will be a reTrinitarians pray to one God surrection.-The doctrine of in three persons. Unitarians a literal resurrection was inaddress God in the person of deed denied by the Manithe Father only. Moravians cheans, by most of the Gnospray only to Christ; but as tics, and by some modern dethey consider him a divine nominations: yet all who adperson, and the agent between vocate divine revelation supGod and man, their devotions pose there will be a resurrecare directed to one God. Ro- tion of some kind, though man Catholics pray to the they differ in explaining the Virgin Mary, and other saints; term. but they profess to address 5. That piety and virtue them only as intercessors and will be rewarded, and impiety mediators, and that one God and vice punished. This aris the ultimate object of their ticle seems to include the idea religious worship. Sweden- that piety and virtue are inborgeans address all their dispensably necessary to happrayers to Jesus Christ, be- piness. This point was unicause they believe he is the versally acceded to, except supreme and only God of by a few of the Gnostics; and heaven and earth; being the it is to be considered that our invisible and unapproachable knowledge of their sentiments Deity, made visible and ap- is derived from the representaproachable in a divine human tions of their adversaries, who form; and therefore alone to probably may, as Dr. Lardner be worshipped. supposes in his Histoy of Heretics, have misrepresented their sentiments. However that may be, upon every religious system now embraced, it is our duty and interest to be virtuous and pious. The wretched state of the world at the time of our Saviour's appearance, which is exhibited in the introduction to this 3. That Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. That is, the anointed of God, to whom all the prophecies in the old testament refer; who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light. All who profess to believe in divine revelation agree in this article, though their ideas respecting The three capital differences respecting Christ's person are, the belief of his simple humanity; his superiority to man, and pre-existence; and his upreme divinity. work, evinces the necessity of the christian dispensation. The gross superstition of the pagans, the degeneracy of the jewish nation, the inconsistency of the ancient philosophers, and their uncertainty respecting a future state, elucidate the apostle's declaration, that life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel.* It also appears from the introduction, that it is highly unreasonable to consider the various opinions among christians as an objection to the truth of divine revelation. At the time of Christ's appearance there were a variety of modes in the pagan worship, and a great diversity of philosophical opinions.† The jews were divided at the time of our Saviour, and there are still some remains of the ancient sects. The second part of the View of Religions evinces that the pagan world still practise a variety of religious rites, and that the mahometans are as much divided as the christians. Neither are the rejecters of revelation better agreed in their disquisitions; for it appears that the greatest infidels which any age ever produced were divided and unsettled in their philosophical opinions. Voltaire leaned to deism, and seemed for some time to have adopted it; but insensibly falling into Spinosa'st system, he knew not what to believe. De *Cicero, famous throughout the learned world for his enquiries after truth and investigations into his own nature, moral faculties, and future expectations, gives us the sum of all the knowledge that could be acquired without revelation. In his Tusculan Questions, Lib. i., he assures us, when speaking of the soul, that whether it was mortal or immortal God only knew. He devoutly wished that the immortality of the soul could be proved to him, So that with all his knowledge, and after all his researches, he was not able to determine a fact, on which the whole happiness of the rational creature for time and eternity must depend. See Boudinot's Age of Revelation. + According to Themistins, there were more than three hundred sects of the western philosophers, differing greatly on subjects of high importance. According to Varro, there were two hundred and eighty-eight different opinions entertained by them concerning the summum bonum, or chief good; and three hundred opinions concerning God; or, as Varro himself declares, three hundred Jupiters or supreme deities. See President Dwight's Sermon on the Nature of the Infidel Philosophy. So called from Benedict De Spinosa, a jew, who was born in Amsterdam in 1632. He is said to be the first who reduced atheism into a system. He taught that the whole universe is but one substance, which is extended, infinite and indivisible. That substance he calls God; but he labours to prove that it is corporeal; and that there is no difference between mind and matter; that both are attributes of the Deity variously considered; that the human soul is part of the intellect of God; that the same soul is nothing but the idea of a human body; that this idea of the body, and the body itself, are one and the same thing; that God could not exist, or be conceived, were the visible universe annihilated; and, therefore, that the visible universe is either the same substance, or at least an essential attribute and modification of that substance, See Bayle's Dictionary, and Encyclopædia. |