It was remarked in the last lecture, that not only departed spirits, but living men have received divine worship. The emperors of Rome were worshipped as gods. In that extensive country called Thibel, lying west of China, we find a whole nation paying divine honors to a living mortal, under the title of the grand Lama. He is the great object of adoration, not only to the inhabitans of Thibet," but to the various tribes of heathen Tartars, who roam through the vast tract of continent, which stretches from the banks of the Wolga to Korea, or the Japan sea." He is considered by some, as the vicegerent of deity, and by others as Deity himself. He is never to be seen, but in a secret place of his palace, amidst a great number of lamps, sitting cross legged on a cushion, and adorned all over with gold and precious stones; where, at a distance, they prostrate themselves before him, it not being lawful for any to kiss, even his feet. The orthodox opinion is, that, when the grand Lama seems to die, either of old age or infirmity, his soul, in fact, only quits a crazy habitation to look for another, younger and better: and it is discovered again in the body of some child, by certain tokens known only to the lamas, or priests, in which order he always appears."

In the Mahratta country, not far from Bombay, divine honors are paid to a god denominated the Dea of Chimchose ; i. e. to a boy about twelve years old, in whom Ganesa, the god of prudence, is supposed to have become incarnate. The deity was visited in the year 1809 by Mr. Graham, whose testimony was confirmed to Mr. Nott, by an eye witness, who accompanied him in the visit, which he describes. Nott's Ser. 71.

It has long since been reported, that in the south of Africa there were whole nations, among whom were to be found no ideas of God or religion. This has been recently confirmed by Mr. Kicherer, who resided, as missionary, among the Boschemen. "They have," says he, "no idea of the Supreme Being; consequently they practise no kind of worship."* In

*The Rev. E. Evans, was told that the Hottentots worshipped a little insect. Has not Mr. Kircherer suggested the same. See Recorder, No. 40. vol. 3.

the same deplorable ignorance, we find the vast island, or rather continent of New Holland.* In Pelew, there is no ap pearance of religion of any kind; though they have an idea that the soul survives the body. In Otaheite, they have numerous gods, each family having a guardian spirit, whom they worship. "The religion of the ancient Mexicans seems to have been founded chiefly on fear; the temples being decorated with figures of destructive animals." Their wor

ship appears to have been directed, not to a benevolent, but to a malignant deity, who delighted in destruction. One of their idols was composed of certain seeds, pasted together with human blood. Their principal deities were thirteen in number; but they also acknowledged a variety of local divinities, who presided over the mountains and valleys.

Of the religion of the Sumatrans, Mr. Marsden, as quoted by Goldsmith, gives the following account. "If, by religion, is meant a public or private worship of any kind, if prayers, processions, meetings, or priests, be necessary to constitute it, these people are totally without religion.§ They neither worship God, devil, nor idol. They have no word in their language, to express the person of God, except the Allah of the Malays," which I suppose, was introduced by the Mahometans.

Having briefly considered the character of the gods, worshipped, by modern pagans, we are, in the second place, to inquire by what kind of services, it was attempted to render these deities propitious.T

It will not appear, upon examination, that, in the religion of modern pagans, there is less, either of the impure or ferocious, than was noticed, as belonging to the ancient hea

||The inhabitants of Paraguay appear, says Bigland, to have no idea of a Supreme Deity: but acknowledge an evil principle, whose malevolence they endeav our to avert. v. 501.

See a very interesting account of the Druses in Clarke's Trav. 251

then worship. Indeed, it must not be forgotten, that the religion of the Hindoos, which, in some form or other, has overspread the most populous countries of the east, is of very high antiquity, and bears no inconsiderable resemblance to the mythology of Greece and Italy. Dr. Priestly, speaking of this system; as contained in the sacred books, observes, that it enjoined human sacrifices. Sir William Jones informs us, that the ancient solemn sacrifice of the Hindoos, was a man, a bull, and a horse. Human sacrificThey were like

es were anciently offered by the Chinese. wise offered in the north of Europe.

In Scandinavia they held a festival every ninth month, which lasted nine days; and every day they offered nine living victims, men, or brute animals. But every ninth year, the most solemn sacrifices were offered at Upsal, when the king, the senate, and all the citizens of any distinction attended in person; and they chose among the captives in time of war, and among the slaves in time of peace, nine persons to be sacrificed. But, in times of great calamity, they sacrificed persons of more consequence. The first king of Vermland* was burned in honor of Odin, to put an end to a great dearth. Hacon, king of Norway, offered his son in sacrifice to obtain the victory over his enemy Harold. Aune, king of Sweden, devoted to Odin, the blood of his nine sons, to prevail on that god to prolong his life. The ancient history of the North, says Priestly, abounds with similar examples. In confirmation of which, he quotes from Mallet's Northern Antiquities, the following account. "In the capital of Denmark, they offered every ninth year, ninety nine men, with as many horses and dogs. In Iceland, there were two temples, in which they offered human victims, and a pit or well, into which they were thrown headlong.”

The missionaries, who were sent to Otaheite in the year 1797, inform us, "that the inhabitants of that island, though

*In Sweden.

apparently very devout, and strongly attached to their religious rites, are not less savage in their 'manner of worship, than those barbarians of the north, whom we last mentioned. Human victims are offered at the accession of every new sovereign, by the chiefs of the several districts, in acknowledgment of their subjection: and on many other occasions, which are distinguished for nothing so remarkably, as the repetition of this dreadful rite."†

The custom of offering human sacrifices is common to that group, called the Society Islands. It likewise prevails at the Friendly, and Sandwich Islands.

Nothing could be more extravagantly ferocious, than the religion of the Mexicans. Fasts, penances, voluntary wounds, and tortures, constituted the essence of their rites. Human sacrifices were deemed the most acceptable; and every captive, taken in war, was cruelly tortured and sacrified. The heart and head were the portion of the gods; while the body was resigned to the captor, who, with his friends, feasted upon it. The austerities and voluntary wounds of the priests, their poisonous ointments, and other abominable rites, evince, that the entire system was the most execrable, that ever appeared on the face of the earth, alike blasphemous to God, and pernicious to men." (Bigland, v. 501.) The number of human victims, annually offered at Mexico has been thought to be judiciously estimated at two thousand five hundred.*

Though it does not appear, so far as I know, that the Hindoos, at present, offer human sacrifices, by immolation at an altar, it is nevertheless true, that until within a few years such victims were offered to the river Ganges. The

† Among the Paunees, Indians south of the Missouri, they worship the great star, Venus. They offer human sacrifices. Children they transfix on a pole, and thus offer them. Record. v. iii. 50.

*There is good evidence that human sacrifices, within a few years past, and within a few miles of Bombay, have been repeatedly made, on various occasions. to local deities. Panop. Feb. 1818. p. 79.

natives of Hindostan, says Dr. Buchanan, particularly the inhabitants of Orissa,* and of, the eastern parts of Bengal, sometimes make offerings of their children to the goddess Gunga, i. e. to the river Ganges. This sacrifice is made in fulfilment of a vow, offered by parents, apprehensive of not having issue. If, after this vow, they have children, the first born is preserved, till they have a convenient opportunity of returning to the river, at the period of assembling at the holy places. They then take the child with them; and, at the time of bathing, it is encouraged to walk` into the deep water, until it is carried away by the stream. If unwilling to go forward, it is pushed off by the parents.

The following account is taken from the Asiatic Annual Register. "So lately as November 1801, some European seamen, belonging to the pilot service of Bengal, being on shore, on the island Sagor, witnessed a horrid ceremony. On going on shore, they saw the entrails of a human body, floating on the water, and, at the same time, a great number of the natives assembled on the beach, as near as they could conjecture, about three thousand. On asking why so many of the natives were put into the water, they were informed, that the head Fakeer had ordered them thither to be devoured by the sharks, for the prosperity of their respective families. They saw eleven men, women and boys thus destroyed; and it further appeared by other incontestable evidence, that the victims, destroyed in November, amounted to thirty nine."

"When a sick person is supposed not to be likely to recover, particularly if he be aged, he is conveyed to the river, in which the lower half of his body is immersed. Water is copiously poured into his mouth; and he seldom survives the operation many hours." There is a striking resemblance between this account, and that, which we receive

*I forbear to give you that particular account of the Moloch of Orissa, which has been published by Dr. Buchanan, an eye witness.