New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-01-18
Dr. Haxks,s Lecture.

loon in Nibo's Garden, Before one OF the largest
and NEST intelligent audiences we have seen IN at
tendance upon any course this season. He Gem
renced ii by briei and graphic sketch OF The h's-
tory and Objects Of Ancient ldolatry. Strange and
incredible as it might appear that the wild and tan
tastic fictens OF Paganisrn should throw light upon
the events Of true History, such be sad was the
fact for we must not forget that all actions that
live must have in them some mixture OF truth.
The earlies, worship was that OF the true God !;
| nd all Pagansm must therefore, have been de-
parture from ,ha. great starting point The objects
of heather worship are found to be OF two classes
l. The Hos, Of Heaven, and Cd. Men who have
been deifed Which Of these two classes was the
object of the earliest worship it is extremely diff
cult to tell though History renders 1t probable that
the worship OF both was cotemporaneous; and if
there wa. priority Of time, ii seems extremely
likely, from the names given to some OF the Cen
stelatiorls tina, deised mo.tals were first adered,
and that after their DEATH 10 the stars, being made
their dwelling places, was transferred the worship
that had been paid 10 them.
The Scriptures give US information of worship
paid to ieifed mortals-styled Demons in the Old
Testament and Devils in the New and the same
fact is farther corrobora,ed by the testimony OF
Tertuan, Clemen. of Alexandria and other an
cient writer's The researches of the learned and
venerable Bede establish this point-that IN the
early ages men made gods of their fellow men,
The more philosophc among them probably looked
upon these deities as mediators between man and
the Most High but the common people paid TO
them direct alteration.
This fact being certain, who were these wer-
SHIPPED demons The ancieats tell US that they
were the spirits of the heroes of the golden age
towering over the Earth and bringing blessings
unto mortals.
Blu, when was this golden age7 The epoch
thus designated is supposed to embrace mere than
one period The Gentle mythology makes men,
ton OF two golden ages-one Immediately follow
ing the creation of the world and the other after
the de!uge. These demons then were first deihed
mor,als OF the Adami,c age and then those OF
other Noahitic Hence in their legends the crea-
ton and the deuge became great events.
The earliest nations, moreover, believed in the
constant succession of worlds; that each world
was DESTROYED, and out of it was TO grow another,
which in its turn persisted and gave place to
third. The next step was to make this RETROSPECT
tive, and 10 suppose that as the present world
sprung from the ruins of that before the Deluge so
that had likewise its predecessor; and this went
on ed infaitum until finally they came 10 doubt
the fact OF any first creation, and TO believe mat
ter eternal 1t was to meet all this that Moses
wrote his history, in which be explicitly declared,
in the outset that in the beginning God d1d Gre
ale the Heavens and the Earth.
Now there was a striking coincidence between
the events of the Atlantic ard Noahitc ages. Both
Adam and Noah had each three sons and of these
in each case, one YVES remarkable for more daring
wickedness than the others. Adam and Noah
were both busbandmen, and both offered sacrifices
Hence sprung the belief that not only wouldthere
continue to be successive creations, las these new
periods were esteemed, but succession also, OF
| similar personages-haying the same Qualities
| and exhibiting The same character from this be-
lief sprung leeitimaley the doctrine of the trans
migration of ssus, Of which DR.. Fl. conceived this
| 20 b the true origin. Among their demons, Noah
,hus came 10 represent Adam; and wherever an
| eminent personsee arose, he was supposed 10 b.
some one VINO had lived in the previous world, re-
vived. Thus in India, in addition to the two pIln
cipal deties, they have fabricated many Legend
which 90 farther back than even modern Geology
has ventsred.
Another point is here 10 be noted. The an
| clients having made Adam and Noah identical, and
finding that each had three sons. established tor
each threetold dirision; and in the Language OF
the Herophants Adam said 10 have t'tpi.ca-
| ted himself, and Vet 10 continue TO be but ohe.
! When dched, he was then one god, trtPilcated
So also was Noah; and he is described as some
4
another. Noah, when doiied, thus became three
gods: the Creator, the Prcserver, aad the De-
srroyer; and under this form be is to this day
wor,hipea by the heather of many lands This
| is the true origin Of all the heather triads.
Tnus came the ancients to defy Adam and
| Noah as The Great Father. |, soon became he
ces.ary TO have in their scheme Great Mother
| also an! this was ut the creation, the Earth
at the Deluge the Ark. As Adam and Noah were
identical beings oHly separate appearances OF TIE
same Great Father, the Earth and Ark became
idcn,cai,-separate appearances OF the Great Mo
Their; and even 10 This day the same symbol is
EMPLOYED for BOTH rs the aquatic lotus in India
the egg. &c, and this sometimes creates dis-
Guilty in interpreting symbols. This Is soon still
further INCREASED by the relation of husband
and wife between the Great Father and Great
| Neither which next introcuced. Noah thus
| became the husband of The Ark; bur he wen; ont
of the Ark therefore she became MS mother and
he her son. Buf Noah also built the ark and
thus he becase Der father. Thus at different
times the relations were extremely various, ard
this renders the rpretation OF hieroslyphics
treuey difficult until this key is understood
From this have sprung ali the mysteries OF an
tiquiiy; and they ai carry the initiated through
scenes tr,, OF wild terror and pain and of threat
eniag ruin. symbolical of the delsgr. into state
OF quiet and OF Peace-representing the sge OF the