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sion in the heathen world ; and heroes afterwards raised to the rank of . Gods , were generally supposed to be the fruits of such an intercourse . When Jesus was preached to these heathens , and his wonderful works had been
made known to them , and his disciples had used in speaking of him the appropriate term son of God , some of them might innocently and by association have carried their minds from a spiritual to a material connexion .
To be born of a mortal mother had been no disparagement to some of their gods ; and , as by an unfortunate association , depending upon heathenish
principles , they had raised the humble Jesus to an equality with the stu preme God , his mother would naturally participate in these false and degrading honours . She would be entitled the Mother of
God , and altars would be consecrated to her images ; the priests would get great gains by the imposture , and to speak against their frauds would excite their
malice and revenge . As the foolish people once cried out , Great is Diana of the Ephesians ; so now they would be us voiciferous in their shouts , Holy , blessed and glorious is the virgin , the mother of God .
The history of former times proves to us , that nothing is too absurd to be propagated and received : but , as wicked and bad mtTi are anxious to continue
delusion and imposture , so ought it to be the aim of every benevolent mind , and particularly one , who devotes himself to the teaching of holy truths , to take the utmost pains to undeceive the prejudiced unol the ignorant . An instance
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has occurred , which could hardly in these times have been expected ; and the author of this discpurse has been palled forth by it to examine an opinion , maintained by too many persons in this country .
It was very current in ancient times , and the rise of it is to be carried back to very remote antiquity . A belief , that extraordinary powers were possessed by certain persons , by which they could
ioretel events by the inspiration of their gods or spirit ^; that they could raise the dead , and do many wonderful works , was current in the east , even before the time ; of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt ; and the punishment
of death was inflicted by the Mosaical law on tihese impostors . Notwithstanding this punishmvnt the Israelites were not entirel y freed from the delusion , and even their kings , who at one time had
strenuously enforced the law , gave way in the hciur of danger to idle fancies , and had recourse to a mistress of the art . The history of Saul and the Witch of Endor , forms the basis of this discourse ,, from which the author is led to
the explanation of the terms in king James ' s bible of witch and wizard , familiar spirit , and of the nature of witchcraft . He reprobates with great justice the words " familiar spirit , ' / of which lie truly says , that there is nothing in the original to justify this translation : and he accounts ¦¦
— — — " - — ***** ^ ^ *»» *» ^* r » « m ft « i «\| m , m ^ v ^* ^* o ^^ ~ *¦ »• - — - -r for its introduction in the English bible in a very natural an 4 easy manner , " How did this happen , ? " he says . " Was it by accident or design—through real or affected ignorance ? Ye all kuow how agreeable it is to your employers , to sec the work they put into your
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608 Re&ieta * —^ Nicftohon ' s Sermon against 'Witchcraft .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1808, page 608, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2398/page/32/
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