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chal creed' and there is scarcely any thing good or commendable said of the Deity, but what he had from antient creeds, which prevailed before the general defection to idolatry. Plato confesses that the Greeks borrowed their knowledge of the one infinite God from an antient people, better and nearer to God than they. His account of man's state of innocence-that he was born of the earth-that he was naked-that he enjoyed a truly happy state-that he conversed with brutes that a personage was expected, who would give mankind a model for devotion, &c. in short, all parts of his philosophy bear evident marks of being derived from Revelation.

6. Academic Philosophy was originally derived from Socrates and Plato, who taught in a grove near Athens, consecrated to the memory of Academus, an Athenian here. Labour and caution in their researches in opposition to rash and hasty decisions, were the distinguishing characteristics of the disciples of the antient academy. The sceptical no tions of Arcesilaus, Carneades, and the other disciples of the succeeding academics, were of a very opposite nature to those which were inculcated by Socrates and Plato.

7. Cyrenaic Philosophy, so called from Aristippus of Cyrene, a disciple of Socrates. Their leading tenets were unfriendly to virtue and the welfare of society. This sect was afterwards divided into three branches, when it soon languished and sunk into deserved obscurity.

8. Epicurean Philosophy, so named from Epicurus the founder. The Epicureans have in all ages been decried for their morals and their attachment to the pleasures of sense; and in the common use of the word, Epicurean signifies an indolent, effeminate, and voluptuous person. But there were two kinds of Epicureans, the rigid and the remiss. The rigid were strictly attached to the sentiments of Epicurus, and placed all their happiness in the pure pleasures of the mind, resulting from the practice of virtue. The remiss placed all their happiness in pleasures of the body, in eating, drinking, &c. The former who were the genuine Epicureans, called the others the sophists of their sect. Epicurus flourished more than 300 years before Christ.

9. Stoic Philosophy includes the followers of Zeno; so called because Zeno used to teach under a portico or piazza. He is supposed to have borrowed many of his dog

mata from the Phenician philosophy, which was in fact taken from the Jewish. Many things also appear to be borrowed from the schools of Socrates and Plato. The morality of the Stoics was couched in paradoxes:-as, the wise man is void of all passion and perturbation of mindthat pain is no real evil-that a wise man is happy in the midst of the severest torture-that a wise man is always the same, and always joyful-that none but a wise man is free and rich, or ought to be esteemed or acknowledged as a king, magistrate, poet, or philosopher-that all wise men are great--that all things are a wise man's who is contented with himself—that wise men are the only true friends and lovers-that nothing ever happens to a wise man beyond expectation-that all good things are equal, and equally to be desired-and that goodness admits of no increase or diminution; with many others. They acknowledged one God, whom they called mind, fate, Jupiter, and believed that the human soul survived the body.

10. Cynic Philosophy. The disciples of this sect valued themselves upon a contempt of every thing, especially riches and estates, arts and sciences; all excepting morality. The founder of this sect was Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates, nearly 400 years before Christ. He was called an ingenuous and sincere dog, it being the distinguished character of the Cynics to attack and bark at the wicked, and to defend and fawn on the good; hence they were called Cynics. Antisthenes had an academy not far from the gates of Athens. There is an affinity between the Stoics and the Cynics; but the former were more modest and reserved than the latter, who are said to have banished all shame. Diogenes was of this sect; he lived 380 years before Christ.

11. Sceptic Philosophy. The doctrines and opinions of the Sceptics, called also Pyrrhonism, from its author Pyrrho, who lived about 500 years before Christ. The antient scepticism consisted in doubting of every thing, in affirming nothing, and in keeping the judgment in suspense on every thing. Socrates, as was before observed, used to say, 'I know nothing but this, that I know nothing:' which the Sceptics altered to this, I know nothing, not even this, that I know nothing.'

In concluding these observations on the antient philoso

phy and philosophers, it may be observed that Scripture was the basis, or rather the chief source whence the heathens of Greece and Rome drew their fables;—they founded their tenets on the first principles of religion. Their philosophy seemed but a prelude to that conversion of them which God had so frequently predicted by his prophets. The truths of the Christian religion they thus inculcated to their disciples, and what is more remarkable, taught almost 400 years before the light of the gospel had shed its blessings on the world. Plato began to write immediately after the three last prophets that were in Israel. When the prophets ceased among the Jews, God raised these philosophers to illuminate the Gentiles. Thus many of the principles of the gospel were publicly taught at Athens. The philosophers instructed their scholars in the belief of one God; that they ought to love and serve him, and to endeavour to resemble him in holiness and righteousness; and that this God rewards humility and punishes pride; with many other tenets nearly similar to those contained in the gospel.

Select Books on antient Philosophy and Philosophers.

Dr. Enfield's History of Philosophy, 2 vols. 4to. Stanley's Lives of the Philosophers, 4to. A good account of the opinions, &c. of antient Philosophy and Philosophers may also be found in Lempriere's Classical Dictionary, 8vo.

CHAP. IX.-MYTHOLOGY.

MYTHOLOGY, comprehends all those fabulous details concerning the objects of worship which were invented and propagated by men, who lived in the early ages of the world, and transmitted to succeeding generations, either, by oral traditions, or written records. Fable is a creature of the human imagination, and owes its birth to that love of the marvellous, by which man is so peculiarly distinguished. Many circumstances conspired to extend and establish the empire of fable. The legislator employed fiction as the most effectual means of civilizing a rude world; philosophers, theologians, poets, and musicians, made this a vehicle of instruction to the savage tribes. A fondness for fable, and her attendants allegory and personi

fication, early characterised the orientals. The boldness, and the extravagance of their mythology, are to be attributed, in a great measure, to the genial warmth of the climate, and to the fertility of the soil;-to the face of nature perpetually blooming around them; and to the opportu nity they had of contemplating the heavenly bodies, continually, under a cloudless sky. These were soon considered as the residence of Divine intelligence, and worshipped, together with the elements, as deities. The historians of antiquity, were all poets. To immortalize the heroes, whose deeds they described, they translated them to the skies, and bestowed on them the names of the celestial luminaries. The sculptor and the painter exercised all their skill to encourage this strange delusion. The use of hieroglyphics was another fertile source of error. The minutest animals and plants were worshipped as emblems of deity.

Mythology is divided into Egyptian, Chinese, Hindu, Persian, Phenician, Grecian, and Roman; Celtic or Druid, and that of the Northern nations.

1. Egyptian. The pagan priests in Egypt, were the first who reduced mythology to a system. The priests here, were the grand depositaries of learning and religion: and the exclusive monopolists of the arts and sciences. The Egyptians and Chinese, two of the most antient nations, were unacquainted with fabulous details, until some centuries after the general deluge; before which time they retained and practised the worship of the true God. That species of idolatry, called Zabiisin, or the worship of the heavenly bodies, overspread the world early, and almost universally. In Egypt, this mode of worship was adopted in its most absurd forms. The Egyptians confounded the revolutions of the heavenly bodies with the reigns of their earliest monarchs. They had eight superior gods who reigned as kings for an incredible number of years; and their imaginary exploits formed a fund of mythological romance. These were merely the revolutions of the heavenly bodies. To the demi-gods, succeeded the kings of the cynic, or royal cycle. Then came another race, denominated Nekyes, a title implying splendid, or glorious. The wars and adventures of Osiris, Orus, Typhon, and other allegorical personages; the wanderings of Isis; the

transformation of the gods into various animals, their birth, education, and exploits, compose this complicated, ridiculous, and absurd system of mythology. The worshlp of brutes, and of certain vegetables, was almost universal l among the Egyptians. When animals were consecrated as the visible symbols of their deities, they began to use their figures to represent these deities. Jupiter Ammoy was represented by a ram; Apis, by a cow; Osiris, by a bull; Pan, by a goat; Thoth, by an ibis, &c. Their Thoth, or Mercurius Trismegistus, was esteemed the in ventor of letters, geometry, astronomy, music, and architecture; all the elegant and useful arts; all the branches of science and philosophy, were attributed to the, same

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2. Chinese. The records of this people are said to recite the events which happened many myriads of years before the creation: consequently, their pretensions to antiquity are far higher than those of any other nation. An idea so childish and absurd, needs no refutation. The Chinese, however, certainly deserve the second niche in the gallery of antiques, Their fabulous history may be thus briefly detailed. Fo, Fohi, or Foe, is said to have laid the foun dation of the Chinese empire 4000 years ago. He was half a man, and half a serpent. In one day he discovered 50 different species of poisonous herbs. He taught his countrymen the art of agriculture, and invented boats and nets for fishing, The art of making porcelain, the management of silkworms, and the manufacture of silk, are also attributed to him. He composed that code of laws, which is still the wonder of the Chinese. Afterwards, appeared the famous philosopher Con-fu-tsé, or Confucius, who was not born according to the course of nature, but was able to speak and to reason, the moment after his birth. He wrought no miracles;-he performed no romantic exploits; he lived an austere life;-inculcated morality; and died, remarkable only for superior wisdom. The doctrine and worship of Fo, made a rapid progress all over China, Japan, and Siam. The name of Talapoins, is appropriated to the priests of Fo, by the Siamese; Lamas, by the Tartars; Ho-chang, by the Chinese; and Bonzes, by the inhabitants of Japan. They are known in Europe by this last designation.

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