PRAISE

POSSESSION OF THE DEVIL. See DEMONIACS.

POVERTY is that state or situation opposed to riches, in which we are deprived of the conveniences of life. Indigence is a degree lower, where we want the necessaries, and is opposed to superfluity. Want seems rather to arrive by accident, implies a scarcity of provision, rather than a lack of money, and is opposed to abundance. Need and necessity relate less to the situation of life than the other three words, but more to the relief we expect, or the remedy we seek; with this difference between the two, that need seems less pressing than necessity.-2. Porerty of mind is a state of ignorance, or a mind void of religious principle, Rev. iii. 17.-3. Porerty of spirit, consists in an inward sense and feeling of our wants and defects; a conviction of our wretched and forlorn condition by nature: with a dependence on Jivine grace and mercy for pardon and acceptance, Matt. v. 3. It must be distinguished from a poor-spiritedness, a sneaking fearfulness, which bringeth a snare. It is the effect of the operation of the Divine Spirit on the heart, John xvi. 8; is attended with submission to the divine will; contentment in our situation; meekness and forbearance as to others, and genuine humility as to ourselves. It is a spirit approved of by God, Isa. Ixvi. 2, evidential of true religion, Luke xviii. 13; and terminates in endless felicity, Matt. v. 3. Isa. lvii. 15; Psal. xxxiv. 18. Dunlop's Ser. lec. 1, vol. ii.; Barclay's Dict.; South's Serm. vol. x. ser. 1; No. 464, Spec. vol. vi.; Robert Harris's Sermons, ser. 3, part 3.

POWER, ability, force, strength. Power includes a particular relation to the subordinate execution of superior orders. In the word authority we find a sufficient energy to make us perceive a right, Dominion carries with it an idea of empire.

PRAYER

effect. To be entirely destitute of this passion betokens an ignoble mind, on which no moral impression is easily made; for where there is no desire of praise, there will also be no sense of reproach: but while it is admitted to be a natural and in many respects an useful principle of action, we are to observe that it is entitled to no more than our secondary regard. It has its boundary set, by transgressing which, it is at once transformed from an innocent into a most dangerous passion. When passing its natural line, becomes the ruling spring of conduct; when the regard which we pay to the opinions of men encroaches on that reverence which we owe to the voice of conscience and the sense of duty; the love of praise, having then gone out of its proper place, instead of improving, corrupts ; and instead of elevating, debases our nature." Young's Love of Fame; Blair's Sermons, ser. 6, vol. ii.; Jortin's Diss. diss. 4, passim; Wilberforce's Pract. View, ch. iv. sec. 3; Smith's Theory of Moral Sent. vol. i. p. 233; Fitzosborne's Letters, let. 18.

PRAISE OF GOD, the acknowledging his perfections, works, and benefits. Praise and thanksgiving are generally considered as synonymous, yet some distinguish them thus. Praise properly terminates in God, on account of his natural excellencies and perfections, and is that act of devotion by which we confess and admire his several attributes; but thanksgiving is a more contracted duty, and imports only a grateful sense and acknowledgment of past mercies. We praise God for all his glorious acts of every kind, that regard either us or other men; for his very vengeance, and those judgments which he sometimes sends abroad in the earth; but we thank him, properly speaking, for the instances of his goodness alone, and for such only of these as we ourselves are some way concerned in. See THANKSGIVING; Bishop Atterbury's Sermon on Psalm 1. 14; Saurin's Sermons, vol. i. ser. 14; Tillotson's Sermons, ser. 146, concl.

POWER OF GOD. See OMNIPOTENCE. POWERS OF THE MIND are those faculties by which we think, reason, judge, &c. PRAYER, a request or petition for mercies; They are so various," says Dr. Reid, "so or it is "an offering up our desires to God, for many, so connected, and complicated in most of things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, their operations, that there never has been any by the help of his Spirit, with confession of our division of them proposed which is not liable to sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his merconsiderable objections. The most common divi- cies." Nothing can be more rational or consion is that of understanding and will. Under sistent than the exercise of this duty. It is a the will we comprehend our active powers, and divine injunction that men should always pray, all that lead to action, or influence the mind to and not faint, Luke xviii. 1. It is highly proper act; such as appetites, passions, affections. The we should acknowledge the obligations we are understanding comprehends our contemplatire under to the Divine Being, and supplicate his powers, by which we perceive objects; by which throne for the blessings we stand in need of. It we conceive or remember them; by which we is essential to our peace and felicity, and is the analyze or compound them; and by which we happy mean of our carrying on and enjoying feljudge and reason concerning them. Or the in- lowship with God. It has an influence on our tellectual powers are commonly divided into sim-tempers and conduct, and evidences our subjection ple apprehension, judgment, and reasoning." See Reid on the Active Powers, also on the Human Mind, and the Intellectual Powers; Locke on The Understanding. For the influence Christianity has had on the moral and intellectual powers, see White's admirable Sermons, ser. 9. PRAISE, an acknowledgment made of the excellency or perfection of any person or action, with a commendation of the same. "The desire of praise," says an elegant writer, "is generally connected with all the finer sensibilities of human nature. It affords a ground on which exhortation, counsel, and reproof, can work a proper

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and obedience to God. We shall here consider the object, nature, kinds, matter, manner, and forms of prayer, together with its efficacy, and the objections made against it.

I. The object of prayer is God alone, through Jesus Christ, as the Mediator. All supplications, therefore, to saints or angels, are not only useless, but blasphemous. All worship of the creature, however exalted that creature is, is idolatry, and strictly prohibited in the sacred law of God. Nor are we to pray to the Trinity, as three distinct Gods: for though the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be addressed in various parts of the

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Scripture, 2 Cor. xiii. 14; 2 Thess. ii. 16, 17, yet never as three Gods, for that would lead us directly to the doctrine of polytheism: the more ordinary mode the Scripture points out, is, to address the Father through the Son, depending on the Spirit to help our infirmities, Eph. ii. 18; Rom. viii. 26.

II. As to the nature of this duty; it must be observed, that it does not consist in the elevation of the voice, the posture of the body, the use of a form, or the mere extemporary use of words, nor, properly speaking, in any thing of an exterior nature; but simply the offering up of our desires to God, Matt. xv. 8. (See the definition above.) It has been generally divided into adoration, by which we express our sense of the goodness and greatness of God, Dan, iv. 34, 35; confession, by which we acknowledge our unworthiness, 1 John i. 9; supplication, by which we pray for pardon, grace, or any blessing we want, Matt. vii. 7; intercession, by which we pray for others, James v. 16; and thanksgiving, by which we express our gratitude to God, Phil. iv. 6. To which some add invocation, a making mention of one or more of the names of God; pleading, arguing our case with God in an humble and fervent manner; dedication, or surrendering ourselves to God: deprecation, by which we desire that evils may be averted; blessing, in which we express our joy in God, and gratitude for his mercies: but as all these appear to me to be included in the first five parts of prayer, I think they need not be insisted on.

PRAYER

when calamities surround us, Isa. xxvi. 20: when ease and prosperity attend us. As clos prayer is calculated to inspire us with peace, de» fend us from our spiritual enemies, excite us to obedience, and promote our real happiness, we should be watchful lest the stupidity of our frame the intrusion of company, the cares of the work the insinuations of Satan, or the indulgence di sensual objects, prevent us from the constant exercise of this necessary and important duty3. Family Prayer is also another part not to be neglected. It is true there is no absolute co mand for this in God's word; yet from hints, a lusions, and examples, we may learn that it was the practice of our forefathers: Abraham, Gen xviii. 19; David, 2 Sam. vi. 20; Solomon, Prox xxii. 6; Job i. 4, 5; Joshua xxiv. 15. See so Eph. vi. 4; Prov. vi. 20; Jer. x. 25; Acts 1 2, 30; xvi. 15. Family prayer, indeed, may not be essential to the character of a true Chris tian, but it is surely no honour to heads of fr milies to have it said that they have no religion in their houses. If we consider what a hissing it is likely to prove to our children and our dome tics; what comfort it must afford to ourselves, what utility it may prove to the community at large; how it sanctifies domestic comforts and crosses; and what a tendency it has to promote order, decency, sobriety, and religion in general, we must at once see the propriety of attending to it. The objection often made to fanaly prayer is want of time; but this is a very frivolous excuse, since the time allotted for this purpose need he bat III. The different kinds of prayer are, 1. Eja- short, and inay easily be redeemed from sleep or culatory, by which the mind is directed to God on business. Others say, they have no gifts: where any emergency. It is derived from the word eja- this is the case, a form may soon be procured and culor, to dart or shoot out suddenly, and is there- used, but it should be remembered that gifts infore appropriate to describe this kind of prayer crease by exercise, and no man can properly de which is made up of short sentences, spontane- cide, unless he make repeated trials. Others are ously springing from the mind. The Scriptures deterred through shame, or the fear of man: afford us many instances of ejaculatory prayer, answer to such we shall refer them to the decla Exod. xiv. 15; 1 Sam. i. 13; Rom. vii. 24, 25; rations of our Lord, Matt. x. 37, 38; Mark v Gen. xliii. 29; Judg. xvi. 28; Luke xxiii. 42, 43. 38. As to the season for family prayer, every It is one of the principal excellencies of this kind mily must determine for itself; but before breakof prayer, that it can be practised at all times, and fast every morning, and before supper at nigh in all places; in the public ordinances of religion; seems most proper: perhaps a quarter of an hour in all our ordinary and extraordinary undertak- or twenty minutes may be sufficient as to the ings; in times of affliction, temptation, and dan- time.-4. Social prayer is another kind Chr ger; in seasons of social intercourse, in worldly tians are called upon to attend to. It is depute Business, in travelling, in sickness, and pain. In nated social, because it offered by a society of fact, every thing around us, and every event that Christians in their collective capacity, convened transpires, may afford us matter for ejaculation. for that particular purpose, either on some pect It is worthy, therefore, of our practice, especially liar and extraordinary occasions, or at stated and when we consider that it is a species of devotion regular seasons. Special prayer-meetings that can receive no impediment from any exter- such as are held at the meeting and parting f nal circumstances; that it has a tendency to sup- intimate friends, especially churches and m port the mind, and keep it in a happy frame; for-ters; when the church is in a state of unusta tifies us against the temptations of the world: deadness and barrenness; when ministers elevates our affections to God; directs the mind sick, or taken away by death; in times of pe into a spiritual channel; and has a tendency to calamity and distress, &c. Stated meetings excite trust and dependence on Divine Provi- social prayer are such as are held weekly in dence.-2. Secret or closet prayer is another kind places which have a special regard to the state of prayer to which we should attend. It has its of the nation and churches: missionary pra name from the manner in which Christ recom- meetings for the spread of the Gospel: week mended it. Matt. vi. 6. He himself set us an meetings held in most of the congregations wha example of it, Luke vi. 12; and it has been the have a more particular reference to their practice of the saints in every age, Gen. xxviii. churches, ministers, the sick, feeble, and weak of xxxii.; Dan. vi, 10; Acts x. 9. There are some the flock. Christians are greatly encouraged to particular occasions when this duty may be prac- this kind of prayer from the consideration of the tised to advantage, as when we are entering into promise, Matt. xviii. 20; the benefit of mutua any important situation; undertaking any thing supplications; from the example of the most e of consequence; before we go into the world; nent primitive saints, Mal. iii. 16; Acts x

the answers given to prayer, Acts xii. 1-12; | against knowledge, against the warnings of conJosh. x.; Isa. xxxvii. &c. and the signal blessing science, &c. It will furnish us with large matthey are to the churches, Phil. i. 19; 2 Cor. i. 11. ter, if we run over the exalting and heightening These meetings should be attended with regu- circumstances of our mercies and comforts, viz., larity; those who engage should study simplicity, that they are great, and spiritual, and eternal, as brevity, Scripture language, seriousness of spirit, well as temporal. Our petitions and thanksgivand every thing that has a tendency to edifica-ings, in a special manner, should be suited to the tion. We now come, lastly, to take notice of place and circumstances of ourselves, and those public prayer, or that in which the whole congre- that we pray with, and those that we pray for.gation is engaged, either in repeating a set form, 3. It is very proper, at solemn seasons of worship, or acquiescing with the prayer of the minister to read some part of the word of God, or some who leads their devotions. This is both an an- spiritual treatise written by holy men; or to concient and important part of religious exercise; it verse with fellow Christians about divine things, was a part of the patriarchal worship, Gen. iv. or to spend some time in recollection or medita56; it was also carried on by the Jews, Exod. tion of things that belong to religion: this will xxix. 43; Luke i. 10. It was a part of the tem- not only supply us with divine matter, but will ple service, Isa. lvi. 7; 1 Kings viii. 59. Jesus compose our thoughts to a solemnity. Just before Christ recommended it both by his example and we engage in that work, we should be absent a instruction, Matt. xviii, 20; Luke iv. 16. The little from the world, that our spirits may be freer disciples also attended to it, Acts ii. 41, 42; and for converse with God.-4. If we find our hearts, the Scriptures in many places countenance it, after all, very barren, and hardly know how to Exod. xx. 24; Psal. Ixiii. Î, 2; lxxxiv. 11; xxvii. frame a prayer before God of ourselves, it has 4. For the nature, necessity, place, time, and been often times useful to take a book in our hand, attendance on public worship, see WORSHIP. wherein are contained some spiritual meditations IV. Of the matter of prayer.-"It is neces- in a petitionary form, some devout reflections, or sary," says Dr. Watts, "to furnish ourselves with excellent patterns of prayer; and, above all, the proper matter, that we may be able to hold much Psalms of David, some of the prophecies of Isaiah, converse with God; to entertain ourselves and some chapters in the Gospels, or any of the Episothers agreeably and devoutly in worship; to as- tles. Thus we may lift up our hearts to God in sesist the exercise of our own grace and others, by cret, according as the verses or paragraphs we read a rich supply of divine thoughts and desires in are suited to the case of our own souls. This many prayer, that we may not be forced to make too Christians have experienced as a very agreeable long and indecent pauses whilst we are per- help, and of great advantage in their secret reforming that duty; nor break off abruptly as tirement.-5. We must not think it absolutely soon as we have begun for want of matter; necessary to insist upon all the parts of prayer in nor pour out abundance of words to dress up every address to God; though in our stated and narrow and scanty sense, for want of variety solemn prayers there are but few of them that of devout thoughts.-1. We should labour after can be well left out. What we omit at one time, a large acquaintance with all things that be- we may, perhaps, pursue at another with more long to religion; for there is nothing that relates lively affection. But let us be sure to insist most to religion but may properly make some part of upon those things which are warmest in our the matter of our prayer. A great acquaintance hearts, especially in secret. We should let those with God in his nature, perfections, works, and parts of prayer have the largest share in the perword; an intimate acquaintance with ourselves,formance for which our spirit is best prepared, and a lively sense of our own frames, wants, sorrows, and joys, will supply us with abundant furniture. We should also be watchful observers of the dealings of God with us in every ordinance, and in every providence. We should observe the working of our heart towards God, or towards the creature, and often examine our temper and our life, both in our natural, our civil, and religious actions. For this purpose, as well as upon many other accounts, it will be of great advantage to keep by us in writing some of the most remarkable providences of God, and instances of his mercy or anger towards us, and some of our most remarkable carriages towards him, whether sins, or duties, or the exercises of grace.-2. We should not content ourselves merely with generals; but if we wish to be furnished with larger supplies of matter, we must descend to particulars in our confessions, petitions, and thanksgivings. We should enter into a particular consideration of the attributes, the glories, the graces, and the relations of God. We should express our sins, our wants, and our sorrows, with a particular sense of the mournful circumstances that attend them: it will enlarge our hearts with prayer and humiliation, if we confess the aggravations that increase the guilt of our sins, víz., whether they have been committed

whether it be adoration, petition, confession, or thanksgiving.-6. We should suit the matter of our prayers to the special occasion of each parti. cular duty, to the circumstances of the time, place, and persons with and for whom we pray. This will direct us to the choice of proper thoughts and language for every part of prayer.-7. We should not affect to pray long for the sake of length, or to stretch out our matter by labour and toil of thought, beyond the furniture of our own spirit, Sometimes a person is betrayed by an affectation of long, prayers into crude, rash, and unseemly expressions: we are tempted hereby to tautolo, gies, to say the same thing over and over again. We are in danger of tiring those that join with us. We exceed the season that is alloted for us in prayer, especially when others are to succeed in the same work."

V. Of the method of prayer." Method," continues Dr. Watts, "is necessary to guide our thoughts, to regulate our expressions, and dispose of the several parts of prayer in such an order, as is most easy to be understood by those that join with us, and most proper to excite and main. tain our own devotion and theirs. This will be of use to secure us from confusion, prevent repe. titions, and guard us against roving digressions, The general rules of method in prayer are theso

POLYGAMY POLYGAMY which some have thus described:-"It is an in- I have begun with it; especially as by giving to corporeal created substance endued with a vege- Adam more wives than one, the multiplication tative life, but not with sensation or thought; of the human race would lave proceeded with a penetrating the whole created universe, being quicker progress. Polygamy not only violates co-extended with it; and, under God, moving mat-the constitution of nature, and the apparent de ter, so as to produce the phænomena which can-sign of the Deity, but produces to the partie not be solved by mechanical laws: active for ends themselves, and to the public, the following bad unknown to itself, not being expressly conscious effects: contests and jealousies amongst the wives of its actions, and yet having an obscure idea of of the same husband; distracted affections, or the the action to be entered upon." To this it has loss of all affection in the husband himself; a been answered, that, as the idea itself is most ob- voluptuousness in the rich which dissolves the scure, and indeed, inconsistent, so the foundation vigour of their intellectual as well as active f of it is evidently weak. It is intended by this te culties, producing that indolence and imbeciaty, avoid the inconveniency of subjecting God to the both of mind and body, which have long charac trouble of some changes in the created world, and terized the nations of the East; the abatement d the meanness of others. But it appears, that, one-half of the human species, who, in countries even upon this hypothesis, he would still be the where polygamy obtains, are degraded into in author of them; besides, that to Omnipotence struments of physical pleasure to the other haf; nothing is troublesome, nor those things mean, neglect of children; and the manifold and some when considered as part of a system, which alone times unnatural mischiefs which arise from a might appear to be so. Doddridge's Lect. lect. scarcity of women. To compensate for these 37; Cudworth's Intellectual System, p. 149, 172; evils, polygamy does not offer a single advantage. More's Immor. of the Soul, 1. iii. c. 12; Ray's In the article of population, which it has been Wisdom of God, p. 51, 52; Lord Monboddo's thought to promote, the community gain nating Ancient Metaphysics; Young's Essay on the (nothing, I mean, compared with a state in which Powers and Mechanism of Nature. marriage is nearly universal;) for the question is not, whether one man will have more children by five or more wives than by one; but whether these five wives would not bear the same or a greater number of children to five separate bostads And as to the care of children when produce and the sending of them into the world in situations in which they may be likely to form and bring up families of their own, upon which the increase and succession of the human species in a great degree depend, this is less provided for and less practicable, where twenty or thirty ch dren are to be supported by the attention and fortunes of one father, than if they were divided into five or six families, to each of which were assigned the industry and inheritance of two parents. Whether simultaneous polygamy permitted by the law of Moses, seems dri Deut. xvii. 16; xxi. 15; but whether pernital or not, it was certainly practised by the Jewish patriarchs both before that law and unter The permission, if there were any, might be ake that of divorce, "for the hardness of their bear," in condescension to their established indulgences rather than from the general rectitude of je priety of the thing itself.

PLATONICS, NEW. See NEW PLATONICS. PLEASURE, the delight which arises in the mind from contemplation or enjoyment of something agreeable. See HAPPINESS.

PLENARY INSPIRATION. See INSPI

RATION,

PLURALIST, one that holds more than one ecclesiastical benefice with cure of souls. Episcopalians contend there is no impropriety in a presbyter holding more than one ecclesiastical benefice. Others, on the contrary, affirm that this practice is exactly the reverse of the primitive churches, as well as the instructions of the apostle, Tit. i. 5. Instead of a plurality of churches to one pastor, they say we ought to have a plurality of pastors to one church, Acts xiv. 23.

PNEUMATOLOGY, the doctrine of spiritual existence. See SoUL.

POLONES FRATRES. See SOCINIANS. POLYGAMY, the state of having more wives than one at once. Though this article (like some others we have inserted) cannot be considered as strictly theological, yet, as it is a subject of importance to society, we shall here introduce it. The circumstances of the patriarchs living in polygamy, and their not being reproved for it, has given occasion for some modern writers to suppose that it is not unlawful; but it is answered that the equality in the number of males and females born into the world intimates the intention of God that one woman should be assigned to one man: "for" (says Dr. Paley,) "if to one man be allowed an exclusive right to five or more women, four or more men must be deprived of the exclusive possession of any; which would never be the order intended. This equality, indeed, is not quite exact. The number of male infants exceeds that of females in the proportion of 19 to 18, or thereabouts; but this excess provides for the greater consumption of males by war, seafaring, and other dangerous or unhealthy Occupations. It seems also a significant indication of the divine will, that he at first created only one woman to one man. Had God intended polygamy for the species it is probable he would

"The state of manners in Judea had probably undergone a reformation in this respect t the time of Christ; for in the New Testamens we meet with no trace or mention of any ach practice being tolerated. For which reason, and because it was likewise forbidden amongst Greeks and Romans, we cannot expect to find any express law upon the subject in the Chin tian code. The words of Christ, Matt, sis. may be construed by an easy application to p hibit polygamy: for, if "whoever putteth his wife, and marrieth another, committeth ada tery," he who marrieth another without putting away the first is no less guilty of adultery; cause the adultery does not consist in the re diation of the first wife (for however unjust of cruel that may be, it is not adultery,) but en ing into a second marriage during the legal et ence and obligation of the first. The several passages in St. Paul's writings which speak marriage, always suppose it to signify the una

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POLYTHEISM

of one man with one woman, Rom. vii. 2, 3; POLYGLOT (#okuyλwTros,) having many 1 Cor. vii. 12, 14, 16. The manners of different languages. For the more commodious comparicountries have varied in nothing more than in son of different versions of the Scriptures, they their domestic constitutions. Less polished and have been sometimes joined together, and called more luxurious nations have either not perceived Polyglot Bibles. Origen arranged in different the bad effects of polygamy, or, if they did per- columns a Hebrew copy, both in Hebrew and ceive them, they who in such countries possessed Greek characters, with six different Greek verthe power of reforming the laws, have been un- sions. Elias Hutter, a German, about the end of willing to resign their own gratifications. Poly- the sixteenth century, published the New Testagamy is retained at this day among the Turks, ment in twelve languages, viz. Greek, Hebrew, and throughout every part of Asia in which Syriac, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Christianity is not professed. In Christian coun- Bohemian, English, Danish, Polish; and the tries it is universally prohibited. In Sweden it whole Bible in Hebrew, Chaldaic, Creek, Latin is punished with death. In England, besides the German, and a varied version. But the most nullity of the second marriage, it subjects the of esteemed collections are those in which the ori fender to transportation or imprisonment and ginals and ancient translations are conjoined branding for the first offence, and to capital such as the Complutensian Bible, by cardinal punishment for the second. And whatever may Ximenes, a Spaniard; the king of Spain's Bible, be said in behalf of polygamy, when it is autho-directed by Montanus, &c.; the Paris Bible of rized by the law of the land, the marriage of a Michael Jay, a French gentleman, in ten huge second wife, during the lifetime of the first, in coun- volumes, folio, copies of which were published in tries where such a second marriage is void, must Holland under the name of pope Alexander the be ranked with the most dangerous and cruel of Seventh; and that of Brian Walton, afterwards those frauds, by which a woman is cheated out bishop of Chester. The last is the most regular of her fortune, her person, and her happiness." and valuable. It contains the Hebrew and Greek Thus far Dr. Paley. We shall close this article originals, with Montanus's interlineary version; with the words of an excellent writer on the same the Chaldee paraphrases, the Septuagint, the side of the subject :Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syrian and Arabic Bibles, the Persian Pentateuch, and Gospels, the Ethiopian Psalms, Song of Solomon, and New Testament, with their respective Latin translations; together with the Latin Vulgate, and a large volume of various readings, to which is ordinarily joined Castel's Heptaglot Lexicon. See BIBLE, No. 29, 30.

POLYTHEISM, the doctrine of a plurality of gods, or invisible powers superior to man.

"When we reflect," says he, "that the primitive institution of marriage limited it to one man and one woman; that this institution was adhered to by Noah and his sons, amidst the degeneracy of the age in which they lived, and in spite of the examples of polygamy which the accursed race of Cain had introduced: when we consider how very few (comparatively speaking) the examples of this practice were among the faithful; how much it brought its own punish- That there exist beings, one or many, powerment with it; and how dubious and equivocal ful above the human race, is a proposition," says those passages are in which it appears to have the lord Kaimes, "universally admitted as true in all sanction of the divine approbation: when to these ages and among all nations, boldly call it reflections we add another, respecting the limited universal, notwithstanding what is reported of views and temporary nature of the more ancient soine gross savages; for reports that contradict dispensations and institutions of religion-how what is acknowledged to be general among men, often the imperfections and even vices of the pa- require more able vouchers than a few illiterate triarchs and people of God in old time are re-voyagers. Among many savage tribes there are corded, without any express notification of their criminality-how much is said to be commanded, which our reverence for the holiness of God and his law will only suffer us to suppose were for wise ends permitted; how frequently the messengers of God adapted themselves to the genius of the people to whom they were sent, and the circumstances of the times in which they lived; above all, when we consider the purity, equity, and benevolence of the Christian law, the explicit declarations of our Lord and his apostle Paul respecting the institution of marriage, its design and limitation; when we reflect, too, on the testimony of the most ancient fathers, who could not possibly be ignorant of the general and common practice of the apostolic church; and, finally, when to these considerations we add those which are founded on justice to the female sex, and all the regulations of domestic economy and national policy, we must wholly condemn the revival of polygamy." Paley's Mor. Phil. vol. i. p. 319 to 325; Madan's Thelyphthora; Towtrs's, Wills's, Penn's, R. Hill's, Palmer's, and Haweis's Answers to Madan; Mon. Rev. vol. xiii p. 338, and also vol. lxix. Beattie's El. of Mor. Science, vol. ii. p. 127—129.

no words but for objects of external sense: is it surprising that such people are incapable of expressing their religious perceptions, or any per ception of internal sense? The conviction that men have of superior powers, in every country where there are words to express it, is so well vouched, that, in fair reasoning, it ought to be taken for granted, among the few tribes where language is deficient." The same ingenious author shows, with great strength of reasoning, that the operations of nature, and the government of this world, which to us loudly proclaim the existence of a Deity, are not sufficient to account for the universal belief of superior beings among savage tribes. He is therefore of opinion that this universality of conviction can spring only from the image of Deity stamped upon the mind of every human being, the ignorant equal with the learned. This, he thinks, may be termed the sense of Deity.

This sense of Deity, however, is objected to by others, who thus reason: all nations, except the Jews, were once polytheists and idolaters. I6 therefore, his lordship's hypothesis be admitted, either the doctrine of polytheism must be true theology, or this instinct or sense is of such a