ORIGIN OF T1lE



who never, perhaps, heard of Revelation, entertain
of one Supreme Deity, with many inferior agents, ,
to each other. Among those rude nations, the foti(



Supreme Bei
human reason



seems



to hay



imagination.
unity of the
however rude
peculiarities
modes of livei



'ideas
similar
)n of a



ng appears to have arisen from the force o0
t: the idea of his numerous inferior ministers
e originated in the imbecility of the human
Notwithstanding this general belief of the
Deity, which prevails almost every where,
the nation may be, every country has its own
in religion, as ivell as in their language and
in religion, as whell as in their language and



1g.



V



.1



  In no part of Asia has the
rior Spirits, than in Hindostai
the Deity are there innumerab
resented under different aspe
whole would be impossible ar



fancy multiplied more infe-
a. The spiritual agents of
Ile, and each of them is rep-,
cts: but to enumerate the



superfluous on



the pres-



ent occasion.
  From the researches of the mo
Asia, we are informed, that of
whose religious tenets they could
racy, the Tonmusi, Coriaks and
              0



st veracious travellers in
all the Asiatic nations
ascertain with any accu-
itamschadales resemble



most the North American Indians, in their ideas concern-
ing the Deity. "The Tongusi," says Abernethy, "be-
lieve in the existence of a Supreme Being, according to
whose will they shall either conquer or die. They calit
him the God of hosts, because on him, they imagine, the
fate of their warlike expeditious depends. They worship
likewise an infernal Demo,-&* whose attributes are wrath and
vengeance; wvhile they invoke him, they are influenced
solely by fear, lest he may afflict or torment them, for they
believe that from him all their calamities and misfortunes
proceed. As to a future state they are as charitable as the
Universalist, for they cannot bear to hear of a future state
of torments and damnation. On the other hand, they im-
agine that they are to enjoy all the pleasures after which
they aspired in this world. They have their priests, proph-
ets, and physicians: and their sacrifices consist general-
ly of those brute animals which they consider the greatest
favorites of the Evil Spirit, for they seldom supplicate the
(Great Spirit, except before battle, as they deem him a be-



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