ry he was confcious of obtaining! What an Olym"pic prize! So that, by heaven, one might juftly "falute him, Hail incredibly great, univerfal vic"tor!" What an implication does fuch language contain of the manners of thofe times!

The Romans were allowed by Romulus to destroy all their female children, except the eldeft: and even with regard to their male children if they were deformed, or monftrous, he permitted the parents to expose them, after having fhewn them to five of their nearest neighbours. Such things were in com-. mon ufe amongst them, and were celebrated upon their theatres.

Such was their cruelty to their flaves, that it was not unusual for the masters to put fuch of them as were old, fick, and infirm, into an island in the Tiber, where they left them to perish. So far did fome of them carry their luxury and wantonness as to drown them in the fifh-ponds, that they might be devoured by the fish, to make the flesh more delicate!

Gladiatory fhows were common amongst them; in which a number of flaves were engaged to fight for the diverfion of the multitude, till each one flew or was flain by his antagonist. Of these brutish exercifes the people were extremely fond; even the women ran eagerly after them, taking pleasure in feeing the combatants kill one another, defirous only that they should fall genteely, or in an agreeable attitude! They were exhibited at the funerals of great and rich men, and on many other occafions : So frequent did they become, that no war, it is faid, caufed fuch flaughter of mankind as did thefe fports of pleasure, throughout the feveral provinces of the Roman empire.

That odious and unnatural vice, which prevailed amongst the Greeks, was alfo common amongst the Romans. Cicero introduces, without any mark of difapprobation, Cotta, a man of the firft rank and genius, freely and familiarly owning to other Romans of the fame quality, that worfe than beaftly vice as practised by himself, and quoting the authorities of ancient philofophers in vindication of it. It appears alfo from Seneca, that in his time it was practifed at Rome openly and without fhame. He speaks of flocks and troops of boys, diftinguifhed by their colours and nations, and that great care was taken to train them up for that deteftable employ

ment.

The religious rites performed in honour of Venus in Cyprus, and at Aphac on Mount Libanus, confifted in lewdness of the groffeft kinds. The young people of both fexes crowded from all parts to those finks of pollution, and filling the groves and temples with their fhameless practices, committed whoredom by thoufands, out of pure devotion.

All the Babylonian women were obliged to proftitute themselves once in their lives, at the temple of Venus or Mylitta, to the first man that asked them; and the money earned by this means was always efteemed facred.

Human facrifices were offered up in almost all heathen countries. Children were burnt alive by their own parents to Baal, Moloch, and other deities. The Carthaginians, in times of public calamity, not only burnt alive the children of the best families to Saturn, and that by hundreds, but fometimes facrificed themselves in the fame manner in great numbers. Here in Britain, and in Gaul, it was a common practice to surround a man with a

kind of wicker-work, and burn him to death in honour of their gods.*

In addition to the above, Mr. Hume has written as follows: 66 What cruel tyrants were the Ro66 mans over the world during the time of their "Commonwealth! It is true they had laws, to pre"vent oppreffion in their provincial magistrates ; "but Cicero informs us that the Romans could not "better confult the intereft of the provinces than "by repealing these very laws. For in that cafe, " fays he, our Magistrates having entire impunity "would plunder no more than would fatisfy their

own rapacioufness; whereas at present they must "alfo fatisfy that of their judges, and of all the great men of Rome, of whofe protection they stand " in need."

The fame writer, who certainly was not preju diced against them, fpeaking of their Commonwealth, in its more early times, farther obferves, "The most illuftrious period of the Roman hifto(6 ry, confidered in a political view, is that between "the beginning of the firft, and end of the laft "PUNIC war; yet at this very time the horrid

practice of poisoning was fo common, that during part of a feafon a Prætor punithed capitally for this crime above three thousand perfons, in a part "of Italy; and found informations of this nature "still multiplying upon him! So depraved in pri

vate life," adds Mr. Hume," were that people, "whom in their history we fo much admire.Ӡ

*The authorities on which this brief ftatement of facts is founded may be feen in Dr. Leland's Advantages and Neceffity of the Chriftian Revelation, Vol. II. Part II. Chap. III, IV. where the fubject is more particularly handled. See also Deism Revealed, Vol. I. p. 77, 78Efay on Politics à fcience.

From the foregoing facts we may form fome judgment of the juftnefs of Mr. Paine's remarks. "We know nothing," fays he, "of what the an"cient gentile world was before the time of the "Jews, whofe practice has been to calumniate and "blacken the character of all other nations.-As "far as we know to the contrary, they were a just " and moral people, and not addicted like the Jews, "to cruelty and revenge, but of whofe profeffion "of faith we are unacquainted. It appears to have "been their cuftom to perfonify both virtue and "vice by ftatues and images, as is done now-a-days "by ftatuary and painting: but it does not follow "from this that they worshipped them any more "than we do."*

Unless heathens before the time of the Jews were totally different from what they were in all after ages, there can be no reasonable doubt of their worfhipping a plurality of deities, of which images were fuppofed to be the representations. Mr. Paine himfelf allows, and that in the fame performance, that prior to the Christian æra they were "Idolaters, and had twenty or thirty thousand gods."+ Yet by his manner of speaking in this place, he manifeftly wishes to infinuate, in behalf of all the heathen nations, that they might worship idols no more than we do. It might be worth while for this writer, methinks, to beftow a little more attention to the improvement of his memory.

With refpect to their being " just and moral people," unless they were extremely different before the time of the Jews from what they were in all after ages, there can be no reasonable doubt of their be

*

Age of Reafon, Part II. p. 39, 40.

† Page 5.

ing what the facred writers have represented them. If those writers have faid nothing worse of them than has been faid by the moft early and authentic hiftorians from amongst themselves, it will be eafy for an impartial reader to decide whether heathens have been" calumniated and blackened" by the Jewish writers, or the Jewish writers by Mr. Paine.

But it is not by the state of the ancient heathens only that we difcover the importance of Chriftianity. A large part of the world is ftill in the fame condition; and the fame immoralities abound amongst them which are reported to have abounded amongst the Greeks and Romans.

.. I am aware that deistical writers have laboured to hold up the modern as well as the ancient heathens in a very favourable light. In various anonymous publications much is faid of their fimplicity and virtue. One of them fuggefts, that the Chinese are fo "fuperior to Chriftians in relation to moral "virtues, that it may feem neceffary that they "fhould fend miffionaries to teach us the ufe and

practice of Natural Theology, as we send mif"fionaries to them to teach them Revealed Reli"gion."* Yea, and some who wish to rank as Chriftians, have on this ground objected to all miffionary undertakings among the heathen. Let us examine this matter a little closely.

Almost all the accounts which are favourable to heathen virtue are either written by the adverfaries of Christianity, and with a design to disparage it ; or by navigators, and travellers, who have touched at particular places, and made their reports according to the treatment they have met with, rather than

Chriftianity as old as the Creation, p. 366, 367.