ed in that country, has occafion'd the miftake. They believe, that the holy fpirit, which animates a Dalai Lama, paffes upon his death into the body of his fucceffor. The fpirit therefore is believed to be immortal, not the body. The Dalai Lama, however, is the object of profound veneration. The Tartar princes are daily fending presents to him, and confulting him as an oracle: they even undertake a pilgrimage in order to n him in per fon. In a retired part of the temple, he is fhown covered with precious stones, and fitting cross-legged. They prostrate themfelves before him at a distance, for they are not permitted to kifs his toe. The priests make traffic even of his excrements, which are greedily purchased at a high price, and are kept in a golden box hanging from the neck, as a charm a gainst every misfortune. Like the cross of Jefus, or the Virgin's milk, we may believe, there never will be wanting plenty of that precious ftuff to anfwer all demands: the priests out of charity will furnifh a quota, rather than fuffer votaries to depart with their money for want of goods to purchase. The perfon of the Japan Pope, Pope, or Ecclefiaftical Emperor, is held fo facred, as to make the cutting his beard, or his nails, a deadly fin. But abfurd laws are never fteadily executed. The beard and the nails are cut in the nighttime, when the Pope is fuppofed to be afleep; and what is taken away by that operation, is understood to be stolen from him, which is no impeachment upon his Holiness. That the Jews were idolaters when they fojourned in the land of Gofhen, were it not prefumable from their commerce with the Egyptians, would however be evident from the hiftory of Mofes. Notwithstanding their miraculous deliverance from the Egyptian king, notwithstanding the daily miracles wrought among them in the wildernefs; fo addicted were they to a vifible deity, that, during even the momentary abfence of Mofes converfing with God on the mount, they fabricated a golden calf, and worshipped it as their god. "And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Go, get "thee down: for thy people which thou broughteft out of the land of Egypt, "have corrupted themfelves: they have "turned afide quickly out of the way S f 2 "which "which I commanded them: they have "made them a molten calf, have wor fhipped it, have facrificed thereunto, "and faid, "Thefe be thy gods, O Ifra ແ el, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (a).”. The history of the Jews, fhows how difficult it is to reclaim from idolatry a brutish nation, addicted to fuperftition, and fettered by inveterate habit. What profufion of blood, to bring that obftinate and perverfe people to the true religion! all in vain. The book of Judges, in particular, is full of reiterated relapfes, from their own invifible God, to the visible gods of other nations. And in all probability, their anxious defire for a vifible king, related in the firft book of Samuel, arofe from their being deprived of a vifible god. There was a neceffity for prohibiting images (b); which would have foon been converted into deities vifible: and it was extremely prudent, to fupply the want of a visible god, with endless fhews and ceremonies; which accordingly became the capital branch of the Jewith worship. (a) Exod. xxxii: 7. (6) Deuteronomy, xvi22. It appears to me from the whole hiftory of the Jews, that a grofs people are not fufceptible but of a grofs religion; and without an enlightened understanding, that it is vain to think of eradicating fuperftition and idolatry. And after all the covenants made with the Jews, after all the chastisements and all the miracles lavifh'd on them, that they were not however reclaimed from the moft groveling idolatry, is evident from the two golden calves fabricated by Jeroboam, faying, "Behold thy gods, O lfrael, which "brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (a)." The people alfo of Judah t fell back to idol-worship under Rehoboam, fon of Solomon (b). Jehu, king of the ten tribes, did not tolerate the worship of other gods (c); but he continued to worship the two golden calves fabricated by Jeroboam (d). Down to the days of King Hezekiah, the Jews worshipped the brazen ferpent erected by Mofes in the wilderness. The Jews feem in (a) i Kings, xii, 28. (b) 1 Kings, xiv. 23. deed deed to have been a very perverse people : the many promises and threatenings announced by their prophets, and the many miracles wrought among them, had no permanent effect to restrain them from idolatry; and yet, during their captivity in Babylon, feveral of them fubmitted to be burnt alive, rather than to join in idol-worship (a). Captivity cured them ́radically of idolatry; and from that period to this day, they have not been guilty of a fingle relapfe. Xiphilin, in his abridgement of Dion Caffius, relating their war with Pompey many centuries after the Babylonifh captivity, gives the following account of them. "Their 66 customs are quite different from those "of other nations. Befide a peculiar manner of living, they acknowledge none of the common deities: they acknowledge but one, whom they worship "with great veneration. There never 66 was an image in Jerufalem; because they believe their God to be invisible "and ineffable. They have built him a temple of great fize and beauty, re"markable in the following particular, (a) Daniel, chap. 3. " that |