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SECTION VI.

Advantages of a Civilized, over a Savage, State.-SPURZHEIM.

It has been asked', whether intelligence or ignorance is the more conducive to happiness. A few observations will prove', that education is highly calculated to promote civilization; and', also', where well conducted', to improve both the body and the mind'. What a difference do we perceive in the conduct of various nations', by observing them through the different periods of their improvement! The history of every nation in its barbarous state', is sullied with accounts of assassinations', parricides', incest', and violation of the most sacred oaths`. selfish passions appear then to wield an overwhelming power'; and all enjoyments spring from the gratification of the lower propensities'.

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In periods of ignorance', too', every nation confines moral virtue to itself', and considers the rest of mankind as destined to be its prey. Legislation', corresponding with the national character', is sanguinary, and capital punishment', frequent', Nay, it falls not on criminals alone', but', also', on their relatives', and on whole districts'. Their religion is founded in terrour; their gods are endowed with all the lower feelings and affections', such as selfishness', jealousy', anger', and fondness of extravagant actions and expiatory sacrifices'. If they hope for immortality', the scenes of happiness which they expect', are conformable to their actual feelings'; such as triumphing over their enemies', and the gratification of low passions and sensual pleasures. Their leading tendency of mind', is atrocity; and most of their actions`, are but a series of horrid crimes'.

I doubt whether they who consider the savage state so worthy of commendation', would be disposed to give up the comforts of civilization', and be satisfied with the food, clothing', habitations', and accommodations of barbarians`;—whether they would prefer nuts', acorns', roots`, insects', and other loathsome animals', to the preparations of a skilful cookery`;— whether they would be better pleased with clothes made of the skins of animals', of leaves, or of grass', than with woollen', cotton, linen', or silk habiliments';—whether they would like to exchange our comfortable rooms for a hollow tree', the cavity of a rock', a den under ground', or a hut of reeds', or of turf and branches of trees';-whether', in short', they would seriously think the rough attempts of savages at painting and sculpture', equal to the statues of Phidias', and the paintings of Raphael'.

In tracing the history of mankind', it may be observed', that', in proportion as nations cultivate their moral and intellectual powers', brutal actions and atrocious crimes are diminished both in number and quality', the manners and pleasures become refined`, legislation', milder', religion', purified and freed from superstition', and that science and the arts address themselves to the finer emotions and affections of the mind'.

SECTION VII.

Superiority of Christianity over Paganism.—IB. Savages'.. commonly believe in polytheism, and consider all superiour beings'..as malevolent', and worship them through fear. People in a more cultivated state', admit of superiour beings of a mixed nature, like men'. The gods of the Greeks, for example', were supposed to be endowed with human passions and feelings'. They required food', drink', and sleep. Even Jupiter, the greatest of all, was subject to the frailties of human nature': he was often jealous', artful', cruel', and implacable'. He had overturned every thing in heaven', and compelled the other gods to be his slaves'.

The gods of the Romans, were no less ignoble'. They were selfish and mercenary`:-could be bribed with fine temples', games', and sacrifices.

Nations a little advanced in learning', have divided invisible beings into benevolent and malevolent`. Others have admitted two general principles', the one', benevolent', the other', malevolent; and have also acknowledged many inferiour deities', as emanations from the primitive ones`.

Those', again', of more cultivated minds', believe in one su preme', benevolent Deity`; and', likewise', in inferiour spirits, some benevolent', others malevolent'. But the most enlightened'.. acknowledge only one Supreme Being', infinite in wisdom and perfection', and the Creator of all things'.

Modes of worship.. deserve', also', particular consideration. in the history of man'. These'.. are always conformable to the notions entertained of the nature and character of the deity adored'. In order to avert the wrath of the malevolent powers', and to please them', men have made themselves as miserable as possible-by mortifications', by flagellations', by painful exertions and severe labours', by the offering up of sacred victims and human sacrifices', and even by suicides. To gain the favour of manlike gods', sweet-smelling herbs, burning incense',

oblations', and gifts, agreeable impressions on the senses, cer emonies which illustrate a prince at court', and various other formalities', have been employed'.

If we compare the absurdities of paganism', or even the better doctrines of Judaism`, with the pure and sublime principles of Christianity', we cannot but perceive,' that the last-mentioned'.. are vastly superiour. The Jewish dispensation', indeed', may be viewed as accommodated', in some good degree', to the peculiar condition of the Jews', who were a hard-hearted`, stiffnecked', stubborn race'; but', when contrasted with paganism', how generous and noble do the principles of Christianity appear! They prohibit anger, hatred', and revenge'; and en join upon us not to return evil for evil. They command forgiveness of every offence'.. seven times in a day, and', if asked for', seventy times seven'. They require us to love our enemies', to bless them that curse us', and to do good to them that hate us'. They interdict all selfish passions', and declare every one to be our neighbour`.

whole of mankind'. Samaria', when the He associated with

The New Covenant was made for the Our Saviour asked drink of a woman of Jews had no dealings with her nation'. Jews and Gentiles'; ate with publicans and sinners; and declared him', only', who did the will of his heavenly Father', to be his mother', his sister', or brother'.

Before the Christian dispensation', empires were founded by the sword, and by the most cruel and frightful destruction of the vanquished'. Christ declared that he came', not to destroy men's lives', but to save them`;—that he who exalteth himself, shall be abased'. He was no respecter of persons, and considered love and peace'.. as the grand sum of all the commandments'. He proposed'.. the doctrines of his heavenly Father for the acceptance of mankind', but did not enforce it by the sword'. He directed his disciples only to shake off the dust of their feet in departing out of that house or that city in which they had been uncourteously received', or in which their words had not been attended to'.

The superiority of the Christian principles over the Jewish law', is well known'. St. Paul'.. said to the Hebrews', that "Christ'.. is more worthy than Moses';" and', "By so much is Christ made a surety of a better Testament':" and', again', "If the first Covenant'.. had been faultless', then would no place have been found for the second." True Christianity'.. improves the moral and religious character'.. of a Jew', and is capable of converting'. . a philosopher'.

Since the Christian rules have been established', the follow ers of Christianity.. have often fallen back into many of the pitiful doctrines of the heathen. Many important points.. have been neglected, and trifles', attended to'. But', notwithstanding all these abuses', it is certain that the precepts of moral and religious conduct', have been greatly improved'.. by Christianity'. Many selfish and absurd notions'.. have been rectified'; and', as human nature becomes better understood', the pure and exalted precepts of our Christian religion', will continue more and more to shed their benign influence over the human race. True Christianity'.. will gain ground'.. by every step which is made in the knowledge of man'.

SECTION VIII.

The Wisdom and Majesty of God, attested by the Works of Creation.-DR. CHALMERS.

It is truly a Christian exercise.. to extract a sentiment of piety from the works and the appearances of nature'. It has the authority of the Sacred Writers upon its side', and even our Saviour himself.. gives it the weight and the solemnity of his example. "Behold the lilies of the field: they toil not', neither do they spin`; yet your heavenly Father careth for them." He expatiates on the beauty of a single flower, and draws from it the delightful argument of confidence in God'. He gives us to see', that taste may be combined with piety', and that the same heart may be occupied with all that is serious in the contemplations of religion', and', at the same time', be alive to the charms and the loveliness of nature'.

The Psalmist takes a still loftier flight. He leaves the world', and lifts his imagination to that mighty expanse which spreads above it and around it. He wings his way through space', and wanders in thought over its immeasurable regions. Instead of a dark and unpeopled solitude', he sees it crowded with splendour', and filled with the energy of the Divine Presence'. Creation rises in its immensity before him', and the world', with all it inherits', shrinks into littleness at a contemplation so vast and so overpowering'. He wonders that he is not overlooked amid the grandeur and the variety which are on every side of him`; and', passing upward from the majesty of nature'.. to the majesty of nature's Architect', he exclaims', "What is man'.. that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man'.. that thou shouldst deign to visit him?" It is not for us to say', whether inspiration revealed to the Psalmist the wonders of the modern astronomy. But even admitting the mind to be a perfect stranger to the science of these enlightened times', the heavens present to it a great and an elevating spectacle', an immense concave', reposing upon the circular boundary of the world', and the innumerable lights which are suspended from on high', moving with solemn regularity along its surface.

It seems to have been at night', when the moon and the stars were visible', and not when the sun had risen in his strength', and thrown a splendour around him', which bore down and eclipsed all the minor glories of the firmament', that the piety of the Psalmist was awakened

by this contemplation. And there is much in the scenery of a nocturnal sky'.. to lift the soul to pious contemplation. That moon', and those stars', what are they? They are detached from the world', and they lift you above it. You feel withdrawn from the earth', and rise in lofty abstraction above this little theatre of human passions and human anxieties. The mind abandons itself to revery', and is transferred', in the ecstasy of its thoughts', to distant and unexplored regions. It sees nature in the simplicity of its great elements'; and it sees the God of nature invested with the high attributes of wisdom and majesty'.

SECTION IX.

Arguments showing the probability that the Planetary an Astral Worlds are Inhabited.—IB.

The heavenly bodies appear small to an inhabitant of this earth', only on account of the immensity of their distance from it. When we talk of hundreds of millions of miles', it is not to be listened to as incredible'; for we should remember'.. that we are talking of those bodies which are scattered over the immensity of space', and that space knows no limit. The conception is great and difficult, but the truth'.. is unquestionable. By a process of measurement', which it is unnecessary at present to explain', we have ascertained', first', the distance, and then', the magnitude', of some of those bodies which roll in the firmament: that the sun, which presents itself to the eye under so diminutive a form', is really a globe, exceeding', by many thousands of times', the dimensions of the earth which we inhabit'; that the moon itself has the magnitude of a world`; and that even a few of those stars', which appear like so many lucid points to the unassisted eye of the observer', expand into large circles upon the application of the telescope`, and are', some of them', much larger than the ball which we tread upon, and to which we proudly apply the demonstration of the universe'.

Now, what is the fair and obvious presumption? The world in which we live', is a round ball of a determined magnitude', and occupies its own place in the firmament'. But when we explore the unlimited tracts of that space which is everywhere around us', we meet with other balls of equal', or superiour', magnitude', and from which our earth would either be invisible', or appear as small as any of those twinkling stars which are seen on the canopy of heaven. Why', then', suppose.. that this little spot'-little', at least', in the immensity which surrounds it'-should be the exclusive abode of life and of intelligence'? What reason have we to think' . . that those mightier globes which roll in other parts of creation', and which we have discovered to be worlds in magnitude', are not also worlds in use and in dignity? Why should we think.. that the great Architect of nature', supreme in wisdom', as he is in power', would call these stately mansions into existence', and leave them unoccupied` ?

When we cast our eye over the broad sea', and look at the country on the other side', we see nothing but the blue land'. . stretching obscurely over the distant horizon. We are too far away to perceive the richness of its scenery', or to hear the sound of its population'. Why not extend this principle to the still more distant parts of the universe? What though', from this remote point of observation', we can see nothing but the naked roundness of yon planetary orbs? Are we', therefore, to say', that they are so many vast and unpeopled solitudes'? that desola

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