A number of miffionaries, who removed from Otaheite, arrived at Fort Jackfon, in New-Holland, and, from the accounts received in 1798, it appears, that a door is opened for their more extenfive usefulness among their countrymen in that place. Their congregations were numerous, and a confiderable fubfcription made already by their hearers, for the erection of one or more places of worship; and a competent appointment offered them by the colonifts and military, if they would open fchools, and undertake the tuition of their children, The miffionaries were received by the convicts at Botany-Bay, with every mark of kindness and regard; they preached among them, and were heard with great at. tention.* FROM the foregoing view of the various religions of the different countries of the world, it appears, that the Chrif tian Religion is of very small extent, compared with those many and cast countries overspread with Paganism or Mobammedifm. This great and fad truth may be further evinced by the following calculation, ingeniously made by fome, who, dividing the inhabited world into thirty parts, find, that XIX.) VI. Of them II. are pof III. feffed by Pagans, Jews and Mohammedans, If this calculation is true, Chriftianity, taken in its largest latitute, bears no greater proportion to the other religions, than five to twenty-five.t * London Evangelical Magazine, for 1799. Agreeable It is worthy sur cbfervation, that the above calculation was made before the late difcoveries of the north-weft part of America, the north-east part of Afia, the vast tract of New Holland, New-Guir ea, and the numerous other ifands in the Pacific Ocean: how nuch greater then must the numerical difference appear at the prefent day, between that part of mankind, who enjoy the light of Chriflianity, and that part, who are new groping in Pagen derkreis! NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 497 Agreeable to a calculation made in a pamphlet, en-, titled, "An Inquiry into the Obligations of Chriftians to ufe means for the Converfion of the Heathen," the inhabitants of the world amount to about feven hundred and thirty-one millions; four hundred and twenty millions of whom are fill in Pagan darkneís; an hundred and thirty millions the followers of Mahomet; an hundred millions Catholics; forty-four millions Protef tants; thirty millions of the Greek and Armenian churches, and perhaps one million of Jews. Notes and Illuftrations to Part II. R. Hurd obferves, NOTE I. Page 311, Dio dark and myfterious, that it is impoflible to draw any conclufions from That the principles of the religion of the Lamas are them. All that we can find is, that they lay down the three following maxims, as rules for their general conduct; viz. to ferve and reverence the Deity, to injure no man, and to give tribute to whom tribute is due, They affert, that they wor fhip but one God, who is intimate with, and difclofes his fecrets to the Dalai Lafor the edification of the people. Their images are reprefentations of their deity, and fome favourite faints, which are expofed to public view, in order to remind the people of their duty towards God, and of thofe virtues, which they ought constantly to practife.* ma, The religion of the Lama is divided into two great fecs; the first of which is cftablished in Thibet, the priefts of which are habited in yellow robes, with a canonical cap of the fame colour. The fecond is diftinguifhed by red dreffes, and is fixed in Budtan. Each of them has three Lamas at the head of their hierarchy. The principal difference between thefe two fects is, that the latter admit the mar riage of the priests. [See Captain Turner's Embatly to Thibet.] NOTE II. Page 334. A LARGE number of Jews at Berlin, heads of families of refpectable character, have fubfcribed and publifhed a letter to Mr. Teller, provoft of the upper confiflory, (the department of government, which has the fuperintendence of ecclefiaftical affairs) in which they declare, that being convinced, the laws of Mofes are no longer binding upon them, as not being adapted to their circumflances at this day, they are willing and ready to become Chriftians, as far as relates to the moral doctrines of Chriftianity, provided they fhall not be required to believe the miraculous part of the Chriftian creed, and above all, the divinity of Jefus Chrift; and provided they may be admitted to enjoy all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the members of the established religion. Their confeffion of faith would be fomething less than Socinianifm, but approaching nearly to it. They afk Mr. Teller's advice on this plan, and whether he thinks it practicable. Mr. Teller has published an aufwer, in which he informs them, that they do well to believe as much of Chriftianity as they can; and that, if they cannot in confcience believe more, they do well to profefs it; but as to the question whether Hiftory of Rites and Ceremonies. their their fragment of faith ought to entitle them to fhare the civil and political priv ileges, enjoyed exclufively by entire Chriftians, it is not in his province, but belongs to me civil authority of the country, to decide. Mr. De Lue, celebrated chemist and theologian, has published a letter to thefe Jews, in which he boldly advances to meet them on the ground which Mr. Teller eludes: He tells them, "that, far from fcrupling points of Chriftian doctrine, they ought not even to abandon the ftandard of Moles; that the hiftory of the earth and its prefent appearance, are the ftrongeft of all poffible teftimonies to the truth of the Mofaic hiftory, and that if they will only take the pains to be better natural philofophers, they will not be fo ready to renounce their faith as Jews." There have been numerous pamphlets more, written and published upon this fubject, which make, as the French term it, a great fenfation in the North of Germany. [See Letters from an American refident abroad, on various topics of foreign literature, published in the Port Folio, 1801.] NOTE III. Page 242. THE whole number of Moraviars in Europe is faid not to exceed twelve thoufand brethren; of which about three thoufand are in Great-Britain and Ireland. NOTE IV. Page 355. THE body of Arminian Methodifts, who derive their name and order from Mr. Wesley, pursue the plan laid down by him. During his life, fuch was his rendered his recommendations the general rule perfonal influence, that of their fociety; so that his people, throughout the British dominions, to which alfo America might be added, looked up to him as their prefident and director. He accustomed all his congregations to his plan of itinerancy, and a frequent change of minifters. A general conference annually fixed the flation of the preachers. The fame fteps have been purfued fince Mr. Wefley's death; they admit no prefident, but a few of the moft able preachers fway their deliberations. Their activity and zeal continues undiminifhed, and the impulfe given to this great machine is continued in the fame line of direction by thofe, who fit in the annual conference. For fome time paft they have had an ordination among themselves, and now the people generally communicate with their own teachers: their connexjon with the established church is hereby greatly weakened; and it will probably flue in a complete feparation, not from any averfion to Epifcopal government, but from defpair of procuring Epifcopal ordination for the paflors, whom they have chofen. The followers of Mr. Whitefield are, in the aggregate, a body nearly as numerous as the former, but not fo compact and united. Their principies being Calvinilic, recommended them efpecially to the various denominations of diffenters, A great number and to thofe of the reformed religion in Scotland, and abroad. of thefe joined Mr. Whitefield, as well as multitudes, who left the established church. Thefe were formed into congregations in divers places, who, though confidering themselves as one body, have not the fame union and interchange as the followers of Mr. Wefley. The firft and principal of the churches at Tottenham court, obferves the church ceremonials and liturgy; the others use, in general, free prayer. Yet thefe confider themfelves not as diftinct independent churches, but formed under a federal connexion; and fome of these have no fixed paftor, but are fupplied by rotation of minifters. They have an ordination among themfelves; and the Methodifls are every day growing more into bodies of real diffenand lofing the attachment to the church, which was at first strongly preserved. Yet they continue very different from the Independents, whom they moft refemble, in a variety of particulars refpecting itinerancy, church government, charge of minifters, and mutual and more open communion. This denomination bave increafed fince the death of Mr. Whitefield, their founder.* ters, Haweis' Church Hißory, p. 260. NOTE NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. NOTE V. Page 364. 499 SUCH is the liberal toleration allowed by the government of Holland, that arcely a religious community is to be named, which has not fome place of pubic worship in Amfterdam. The Portuguese fynagogue is perhaps the nobleft iempie, in which the Jewish worship has been celebrared fince the difperfion of that people. It is a lofty fpacious building, fitted for the purposes of religion, accord. ing to the ordinances of the Molaic law, and containing allo apartments for the ufe of the Rabbins, who daily attend to expound the Hebrew law, and the Talmud. The Jews of Germany and Holland, whofe creed varies from that of their Portuquefe brethren, have alfo a noble fynagogue; and in different quarters of the city There are other temples where the rites of the Hebrew worship are celebrated. The number of Jews in Amfterdam is fuppofed to amount to eighty thousand fouis. The late revolution in government has not produced any changes in the ecclefiaf tical policy of the United Provinces. The minifters of the eltablished church, that of the reformer of Geneva, though they are, aimoft without exception, attached to the old government, and confequently hoftile to the new, continue to receive their regular falaries from the flate, and perform unmolefted the duties of their facred functions. The churches, and other places dedicated to pious uses, ar all attended on days of public worship. The fabbaths are kept in Amfterdam with becoming folennity; and there is, in general, lefs indifference on religious fubjects in Holland, than in any part of Aiflerdam. [See Fell's Tour to the Batavian Republic, published 1801.] NOTE VI. Page 376. IT is faid that the convulfions in Switzerland, during the late change of government, have tended to increase infidelity in that country. However, many of its inhabitants have affociated for the revival of religion, and a number of serious Chriftians at Bafil and Zurich are zealously disposed to favour the miffion among the heathen.* NOTE VII. Page 392. THE founders of all the Mahometan temples never fail to endow them, and to eftablifh neceffary and perpetual revenues for the fupport not only of the mofques, but of the minifters, who perform fervice in them. Among the minifters there is commonly a preacher, who bears the name of Scheykh; he is obliged to preach every Friday, always after the folemn fervice at noon, that every one may be unretrained, and at liberty to follow the dictates of his zeal. Few of the miniffers deliver their difcourfes from memory; they generally preach upon the dogmas, the ceremonies of worship, and morality; they feldom touch upon points of controverfy. The moft zealous and bold Scheykhs explain, in their fermons, the duties of minifters, of magiftrates, of national leaders, and even of the Sultan. They declain againft vice, luxury, and corruption of manhers; they inveigh with vehemence, and generally with impunity, againft the unjuft, venal, and oppreffive conduct of tyrants, who violate the laws, and religion of their country. The Sultans fometimes attend at these fermons; they generally on thefe occafions prefent the preacher with twenty, thirty, or forty ducats, which are given in a ceremonious manner, in the name of the fovereign, when he defcends from the pulpit. [See D' Ohoffon's Hiftory of the Othoman Empire, vol.i. p. 485.j Notes on the Afiatic Religions. NOTE VIII. Page 406. A DESCRIPTION of the Supreme Being is given in one of the facred books of the Hindoos, from which it is evident what were the general fentiments of the learned Bramins concerning the divine nature and perfections. "As God is immaterial, he is above all conception; as he is invifible, he can have no form; but from what we behold of his works, we may conclude, that he is eterpal, omnipotent, knowing all things, and prefent every where." [Robertson's Difquifition on India.] * Hawers' Church Hiftory. NOTE NOTE IX. Page 407. THE Shanferit narrative of the incarnation of Veefhnu, and his extraordinary explors, in fome points approaches fo near to the fcriptural account of our Saviour, that Sir William Jones was led to fuppofe, that the Bramins had, in the early ages of Chriftianity, feen or heard recited to them, fome of the fpurious gofpels, which in thofe ages fo numeroufly abounded, and had engrafted the wildet parts of them, upon the old fable of the Indian Apollo. The birth of the divine infant was predicted, and a reigning tyrant learning from the prediction, that he should be deftroyed by this wonderful child, ordered all the male children, born at that period, to be flain, but Creefhna was preferved. From the fear of this tyrant he was foftered in Mattra, by an honeft herdfman, and paffed his innocent hours in rural diverfions at his foffer-father's farm. Repeated miracles, however, foon difcovered his celeftial origin. He preached to the Bramins the doctrines of meeknefs and benevolence. He even condefcended to wash their feet, as a proot of his meeknefs; and he raised the dead by defcending for that purpofe to the lowest regions. He acted not always indeed, in the capacity of a prince, or herald of peace, for he was a mighty warrior; but his amazing powers were principally exerted to fave and to defend. [See Boudinot's Age of Revelation, p. 136.] NOTE X. Page 408. THE doctrine fo univerfally prevalent in Afia, that man is a fallen creature, gave birth to the perfuafion, that by fevere fufferings, and a long series of probationary difcipline, the foul might be reflored to its primitive purity. Hence ob lations the most costly, and facrifices the most fanguinary, in the hope of propitiating the angry powers, forever loaded the altars of the Pagan deities. They had even facrifices denominated thofe of regeneration, and thofe facrifices were always profufely ftained with blood. NOTE XI. Page 423.. ZOROASTER compiled a book for the ufe of the priests, who were to explain it to the public at large, who attended the facrifices. This book was called the Zend, a word which fignifies a kindler of fire, because it was for the ufe of thofe, who worshipped the fire; but the allegorical meaning was, to kindle the fre of religion in their hearts. In this book there are fo many paffages taken out of the Old Teftament, that fome learned men have fuppofed the author was a Jew. He gave almoft the fame account of the creation of the world as we find written in the book of Genelis; and of the ancient patriarchs, as recorded in feripture. He enjoins relating to clean and unclean beafts, the fame as was done by Mofes, and in the fame manner orders the people to pay tithes to the priefs. The rell of the book contaies the life of the author; his pretended vifions; the methods he uted in order to eftablifh his religion; and concludes with cxhortations to obedience. Yet notwithlanding the friking fimilarities between the Zend, and the law of Mofes, it will not follow from hence that Zoroafter was a Jew. The Chaldeans and Perfians were an inquifitive people; they even fent udents to India and Egypt; and finding the Jews in a flate of captivity among them, they would naturally inquite into the myflerics of their religion. NOTE XII. Page 452: BY the perfevering zeal of the Moravian miffionaries, upwards of twenty-three thoufond of the mofi deftiture of mankind, in the different regions of the earth, have been converted to Chriflianity. The miffionaries generally fupport themfelves by the affiduous labour of their hands, in their feveral arts and occupations. Such is the characteristic Moravian miffionary zeal, that they have attempted to fpread the gofpel in the diftant Eaft, the coaft of Coromandel, and the Nicobar lands; they have alfo attempted to penetrate into Abyffinia, to carry the gospel to Perfi and Egypt, and to afcend the mountains of Caucafus; and often have thefe indefatigable miffionaries earned the meed of higheft approbation, where their labours have been leaft fuccessful.* *Haweis' Church Hiftory, vol. iii. p. 193. |