CONFERENCE II. 465 observed these superstitious rites, and whoworshipped the nume- rous idols of their country ? Marcus Antonius; one of the very best of them, who was a philosopher and an emperor, so 'far prides himself in this respect to his idol-gods, that he thence ex- pected safety to attend him, and success against the rebellion of Cassius : We have not been such negligent worshippers of the gods, said he, as tofear that Cassius shouldget the victory: And in- deed he followed the superstitious of Rome, and of other countries with diligence. There were scarce any of them all but complied with the national worship of many gods, Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Diana, Venus, and the rest of that ridiculous rabble of gods and goddesses. The bulk of the nations worshipped them in their houses, and at their temples, thoughtless of the one true God ; for they knew little or nothing of him. Epictetus himself, who perhaps paid the greatest re- gard to virtue among all the philosophers before Antoninus, and whose life, in other respects, was more blameless than any of them, and who says` some very good things concerning our res- pect to the gods, chapter xxxviii. yet he advises men tó worship the gods as the country does where they dwell*. Let the heathens boast then of their Epictetus and Antonioe, the two brightest names among them : Their ignorance of the true God, and their abominable idolatries and superstitions, cast a dismal blemish on their virtues, and almost destroy all their pretences to true piety. Can you ever suppose, Sir, that the blessed and holy God, the supreme Maker and Governor of heaven and earth, can accept of such sort of devotions ; of drink-offerings and sacrifices, and various rites of ridiculous invention, and such as are paid to false gods, to idols, and not to himself ? Are these the people that he will bless with his own favour and love, in a better world, who lavish out their superstitions, according to the wild customs of every country, and adore things that are not God, and never take any care to learn his true nature, or to glorify the one true God amongst men ? The best of them, when they knew the true God, they did not glorify hint as God, as St. Paul assures us, nor were thanbfu t fer the dofmnon blessings they received from him; but they turned his glory into shame, and in his room worshipped sometimes birds, beasts,, and creeping things, images of wood or stone, or their own fancied heroes, some of whom, according to their own account, were murderers and adulterers, translated into heaven after their death. And no wonder if the lives and themanners of their common worshippers were scandalous and impure, while IxrvSFty Se xa: &;ov xalx 74 xnTfia rxaçv¡r or, , ream., Epictet. chap. exxvìi. It is proper for us to offer drink offerings and sacrifices, to the goda whom he had been speaking of, every where according to the custom of the country. Vol.. six. G G
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