Sketches of the History of Man

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1788 edition. Excerpt: ...a-mazing, that even Chriftians fell back to () See the loth and nth chapters of the A As of the, Apoftles. (h) Afts of the Apoftles, x. 34. (c) A3s of the Apoftles, chap. 13. i the the worfliip of tutelar deities? They-did not indeed adopt the abfurd opinion, that the fupreme Being was their tutelar deity: but they held, that there are divine per-fons fubordinate to the Almighty, who take under their care nations, families, and even individuals; an opinion that differs not eflentially from that of tutelar deities among the Heathens. That opinion; which flatters felf-love, took root in the fifth century, when the xleificatioiixjf faints was introduced, fimilar to the deification of heroes among the ancients. People are fond of friends to be their " interceilbrs; and with regard to the-Deity, deified faints were thought the propereft intercef-fors. Temples were built and dedicated to them; and folemn rites of worfhip in-flituted to render them propitious. It was imagined, that the fouls of deified faints are at liberty to roam where they lift, and that they love the places where their bodies are interred; which accordingly made the fepulchres of the faints a common rendezvous of fupplicants. What paved the way to notions fo abfurd, was the grofs ignorance that clouded the Chriftian world, after the northern barbarians became maflers fters of;£urope. In the ieventh century the bifhops were fo illiterate, as to be in-debted to others for the fhallow fermons they preached; and the very.few of that order. who had any learning, Satisfied themfelves with compofing infipid homiy lies, colleled from the writings qf Au-guftin and Gregory. In the, ninth ceoir tury, _matters grew wprfe and wprfe; fof thefe faints, held at firft to be...