The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-01-12
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No12.z

- S(g5s .ks.
lgetllefAsith great ttpea.
fsuer; ifseir~very reason, n'ay ssesaot asis,
1tite privilege too Of cpt,ltrlaris 50,
shssribIy pervarteil Ans there jalgnletHft. =
that lJiiTg iif ilieS hease rs Or
on earllr; nay. cten iushrll itself ittat they
1 did not compliment withsdisine hpnors;s
nothing. ii alare, whether good Or evil,
that they ysdeemed not WORTHY f.deifica-
llion. s 49, :; g.
The vnri5us species.of islolstry i'm gen.
eral may he elias Sedas folln3s:-E;F1Ist, the
worship Of angels and spirits or pure. and
abslracled intelligenses, who we're imaglr... :.
edlot preside OVER sprovipces and king
fdoms, g. these ii, holy scripture ARE ie rmeds
Elohim or G DDS IN ge Gods. The Gods
Eof,he beaibens. &c. srnins which see
FExod. xviii, il xii. 2 kiligs Z :
Secondly, the worship Of the, heavenly
bodies, lhe5sui,, moon, and stars. fhiss'
in scripture is sterned .wqrsbipPipg The host
ofheayen Thirdly The iedrshii, nf idols /
or statutes of varinus forms and shaPes;S
as of fsmpn, bessts, birds. fishes, and the
Lord knows what; and this kind of wors
ship was of all the most ,unigersalty estab.
lished, and what is mnst properly called
idoIalry. Fourlhly, the worship foftliylngg sg Z;
asimals intheirssown fgares;; for. instapce l
|oflions, tigers. horses, oxen. sheep, swine'
goats, dogs, and cats, mice.ands even spl-
|ders; ofihe eag ,1he ibis, phenix, hawks.
and other birds and fowls; iheswhale. and
various kinds OF fsh,W serpents "f ey-
cry species, and other repulesaas we read
in authentic history. FiftIly, sttez wor'
ship ofthiDgs inani.nate. aslfrr:wsfe air
the winds, the earth with alfso OF herbs
and plants, stones, ,ean1 shaPelrss blocks
of marble, &c. Sixthly, The heather
.world worshipprdynnt only what had sub !. Z
stance, but also the mere modes and :arc''
denlssof ibings, as life, death, the pas
sifi,s Of love, SINGER, fear, envy, ana me
like: diseases. as the fever; also health:
honrr, 6detity,trulh. peace money, ana
mirth, and what is still more shameful,
.impudence, caIunlny, found. fury and dis
cord, with train tof ,he NEST vicious
propensities of the human heart. we're all
esteemed di,inilie, and hadtemples erect
ed for their imprions worship. Seventhly,
another branch ofidoInlry was, The cay
ing ef divine honorsto kings and heroes
who had performed extraordinary feats
and exploits, as if the had something In
Them more than human; and therefore
they weresad0seG in the quality nf sDemis
gods. Thustbe empe,1rs Of China. In-3
dia. aud the Tartars. are Warshipde arthis p
day. Lastly. the must>inpious kind of
itlolatry Of all was, the war>hiPping Of
devils aud evil sniriis- called Cacn: Df mons.
y, greicLlell vntaries, by wav ofsapolo- :
gy, aIledGe that dorf gur'u;
hurt them; therefore they need not pray 2
10 him: but say they, the wicked spirits in s
the air,as they areinclined TO haveupow-
er to do mischief. so they most undoubt-
dely will do it. if uot appeased with sac.
rifces and supplicnlinns. Snch tliabnli.
cal aGnration is very frequent at this day
in the Indies, in America. and in other
parts ofthe yet heathen world.
II is a generally received opinion .
among the learned, that Minus the first
Assvrian monarch, was the original au-
thor and introducer Of idol-worship.-
With view to immurialize the name and Z
memory ofhis father Belus, the same with
the famous Nmrod mentioned in Holy
ccrpture, he impiously y caused statue re-
presenting him, 10 be adorrd by his in
fa,uated Subjects; and 'hc more easily 10
induce them to il, he declared the temple
in which it stood, sanctuary asylum fr
the guilty and the oppressed. Th" c"n-
lagion quickly spread from the Assyr ans
and Chaldeps 10 The neighboring nations,
to the Egyptians. the E'hi"pia"s, The Syr-
ians. the Phenicians. the Persiars. Gree
clans, and Indians. the latter of wh' m
have been ever since ohsiinal"y addict
ed to the worship oflaise Gods; and tie
secret of deification being thus early dis
covered, the heather world with inr"n.
eeivabIe stupidity, multiplied their d''ini-
ties without endO measure. according as
their silly fancies, or the evil spirit beguil-
ed them, happened to suggest.