On this page
-
Text (1)
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
ofri » eiiowiw ^ pii ^ Bn dfered ' ofe | ect 0 pub-M lfo ^ ai ^ sioi * in consequence of another of their superstitions , and that * thfei fa © trn # * de it * necessary for- ' Joseph i to tajte-several precautions , before he * d&ffet introduce hfe ^ theraddbretWrefit / into the presence of ^ Pharaoh ;*^
IretHe history of the Jews we read thatthe- children of Israel used various divinations and enchantments , and caused , their sons and daughters to pass * through the fire in- an ^ idola * treros- sacrifice to MolooIV the chief deityt ofi the Atiiotfites- f We learn ako / that on a certain occasion , wiien
'a ; partj ^ at ( sea' was = overtan by a storaMof iwiusual violence ^ the marii * ers cast lots for * the puTpose of ascertatoing which of the crew was obn » x 4 ow « t € > the displeasure of the gods , and had - occasioned that * evil to oome
upon them ; J' Atid in an earlier period ofn tbeif Mstory ( about HOCK years bseftlret Christ ) , we read vttoat Saul , although h ^ ' bad issued a »^ of banfehmen t against all wizards and those that had familiar spirits ; §? yetv when
h ^ was in * difficulty himself * he re * sstfted to a'Woman who wa ^ reputed tovhave ; a familiar spirit ^ to entreat her to > call up the spirit of the deceased S&inuel , || that he might inquire of him what it would be advisable for him
to do , in orders to defeat a < powerful array that was coming against him . % The * practice of consulting such persons , prevailed in Judea < through ? erety period of the Jewish history * Zechariah , who lived only about 500 yeaiffe before Ghrist > tells the people of Jerusalem , that ** Their idofe had
spoken vanit y > and = the diviners had told fetee dreams . " # ^ ** " y *"' ' — —¦¦—>¦ ¦ ' ¦ -.. ... — , | ¦— ...,.,..,, 1 . — - ¦ M . n —¦ 'ii i p » .. i mm ' ¦¦¦ ¦¦ miBf )| ii ^ gy»—' ¦ * - Gfenesid xlvi . 34 ; f ^ &ihgs / xvn ; 17 . f * Jonah ii 7 ' . SkI Samuel xxviii . 3 i ' -
• " [ JiiThfe raising- the ghost of i Samuel w « s jwifeatly consistent withttbe notfpnsiof the peftpflo of , those tHHes .. Flwtarch sp ^ ks of a ^ , i > mgje , of ghoatit . MaximumtTyriu * tQllej of . acertaui c ^ ye that was con ^ ta » fl * frer '
^ qu £#£ 4 by aprpphetic gfymf ? Thfigfiost of Iferi ^ was called | ip ou purpose to fp retel M 4 q ^ een her destiny ., Aikd iri theb ^ irini % of ;; t ' < ii& t 4 th by 6 k 6 t th ^ < % « % ,
HWiieird ^ 6 ri « bfes ^ Ulvkse ^ ai ^ iiVokiri ^ thfe HMjer ^ & 56 rtttes Uljrsse ^ as ^ iiVokiil ^ thfe dm ^ t * Squire * ' knowkdge ' of / hl « - ftitUr ^ foHmeto ^ Ogfiaiiiuefcx ^ tiiti 3 fyi rv ¦'• '?•• • ' ^> : * Zechariah x . 2 . I . . ^
Untitled Article
The ) supetstitione ^ of the Jewdt were probably fostered ; and their number mucA increased ^ du ring the Babylon nis 4 i ; captivity . ; for it is * well knofhi that the people of Ghaldea ^^ vere m « efe attached Jto what have been called the occult soienoee . So * much addicted ware they ^ to the varia » s arts of ^
divinationv and to the foretelling t ) f ^ fu ture events by * dreams and visions , that the practices ; of divining ^ of soothsaying of w 4 ichoraft and of astrology , were regular professions among that people And so honourable were these professions deemed , that ; those who belonged to them were called wise men <; - and those who stood at the head of
these classes of society < Vviere ,- by \^ ay of eminence , and to distinguish them from the ordinary citizens of Babylon , called Chaldeans ** Thtts , in the bookof DanieV w « j freqiaently-read ? " of- the magicians , astrologers , GJmldeansand soothsayers ; * According to the Pre < -
sident Goguet ^ ttoe Chaldeans were esteemed , by ; ait antiquity , to have been the * inventors of * judicial- a ; stro « - logy , f b believe it may be * very * safely ae ^ sertedy # ttoat whenever superstition * hastaken < firm hold upon the mind , it , * is < never ^ to be * eradicated . Ac . cor 4 i » g > lyv whe » ' the Jews returned : ftom * the *
Babylonish captivity ^ th < ey no- only * transferred the proftioe ^ rites ^ of' the » Chaldeans from Babylon ^ to Jerwsalen * , but thfey transmitted all ithose absurd practices from' generation to * genera * - tion r and ever afterwards continued to
be a superstitious- people Tliwsj i » the time of the apostles , we read » to # a Jewish' damsel pjosseesed ^ of the spirit of Pythonj or of ^ ApollO , who * brought her * masters tmi « fa > * gak »^ -by * soothsaying , t
The sijpei \ j ? titious n « kire ^ of th « tew * ish character may bfe * farther' illto *^ trated by a variety of * oth « i « nitot ^ noe « j such as the notion * ofcSBten * hfcvifig 0 entered' into Juda » ^ tHe * asOriptibnKof
power * over maiikwVGl * to » tttte fc d ^ vH'J the supposition ' of demon ^ iw 4 ) febit « ig ^ thte air j of * an ariget d ^ scettdhig ^ into 1 ' the- pool of > Botliesda , & »? 4 To « alK these may be ackted , the- practice of conquerors taking ^ orcerer ^ vvitli thflB ^
- . . ¦ „ "¦' > <;„ .. ¦ „ , _ ;_ » ' : :, ; . ' .. . . \ . ¦ . < ' i \ - ¦• f ' ' ¦ ¦•¦¦ - ¦* ? Daniel ii . 2 , iv / 7 , t . 7 , 1 J , &c » f Go ^ uet . Iw 22 V - ^^ .- ¦ i-. i' : «' < ¦»* ' t Actuxri . 16 . ; « i ^
Untitled Article
"v .. , . . ' ' ¦ t g fi ^ O ^^^ qm ^ WP ^^^
-
-
Citation
-
Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1818, page 262, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2475/page/38/
-