the heathen. God favoured holy men with many dreams, and visions, and discoveries of himself, by which he strengthened their hope of a Saviour, and faith in him; he gave to Abraham the seal of circumcision, and was honoured in stated places with public worship by sacrifices and the preaching of

his name.

3. But holy men were engaged in various contests, foreign and domestic. To the foreign contests belong the war of Chedorlaomer carried on with the king of the Sodomites, in which Lot was taken prisoner, but afterwards released by Abraham. After this victory Melchisedec met him. It was followed by Lot's distress in Sodom, which concludes with its awful destruction, and with the transformation of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. The quarrels of Abraham's servants and Lot's herdsmen, as well as the war which Jacob seems to have carried on with the Amorites, I shall refer to in their own place.

4. The domestic schisms of Lot, Ishmael, and Esau, were more especially hurtful to the Church; whence sprung those hostile nations, with whom the seed of the woman often contended-the Moabites, Ammorites, Ishmaelites, and Edomites.

5. Idolatry gained strength by degrees, so that the very houses of the Patriarchs did not remain free from its pollution; as the Teraphim of Rachel shew

us.

6. During the last part of this period the Church changed its dwelling place, and removed into Egypt with the children of Israel, making in all about seventy souls; where they fixed their residence, in the country of Goshen, and exercised the calling of shepherds. In

this interval happened the slaughter of the sons of Ephraim by the irruption of the men Gath, the record of which is preserved in the book of Chronicles ; until under the guidance of God and the leading of Moses, (the sacrament of the Passover having been just instituted,) in the same night in which it was eaten, the Church was brought out.

7. But although the Church was restrained by degrees within the limits of the people of Israel alone up to this time, yet some remains of it were scattered through other nations, of which we have an instance in the history of Job.

8. Meanwhile, the Church in Egypt suffered a great eclipse. For the polytheism of Egypt, notwithstanding their then celebrated wisdom, evidently increased in a fearful manner; with the addition of the deification of men, and the most degraded worship of animals, which was not a little promoted by hieroglyphic letters. By this decay the very nation of the Israelites was defiled; after which, being employed by the tyranny of the Pharaohs in servile works, (the memorials of which in the form of vast ruins remain to this day,) and all but brought to ruin by the slaughter of the male children; God nevertheless avenged them by sending those severe plagues upon the Egyptians, which the heathen themselves ascribed to one Musœus.

(To be Continued.)

IDOLS OF THE SAXONS.

WE now come to the seventh and last of these Idols, Seater, whose day of worship was Saturday, so called from his name, as were all the other days of the week, from their respective deities, as we have before shewn. He was represented with long hair

and with a long beard, and was bare-headed and barefooted; he stood upon the prickly back of a perch, holding in one hand a wheel, and in the other a pail of water containing flowers and fruits. His coat was bound round him with a girdle of white linen. By his standing with naked feet on the fish's back they intended to shew that the Saxons for serving him should pass without harm in dangerous places. By the wheel was betokened the unity of the Saxons; by the girdle, which the wind streamed from him, their freedom; and by the pail with flowers and fruits was declared, that he would nourish the earth and cause it to produce fruit and flowers. Besides these idols, the Saxons had several other inferior deities which are not worth mentioning: and we have only noticed these with the hope of creating in our minds a sense of thankfulness to God for the many and undeserved mercies which he has bestowed upon us, in bringing us out of our former state of darkness into his marvellous light. And while we feel this thankfulness, let it be our anxious desire that our graces may keep pace with our privileges, knowing that where much is given much will be required. The Scripture teaches us that it is not enough to be turned from idols, but that being "turned from idols," we must "worship the living and true God." Many, alas! in this our day, although morally enlightened by the Gospel to see the folly of idol worship, yet live in a more wretched state even than our heathen forefathers. For they, according to their confused notions, prepared for futurity, endeavoured to appease the supposed wrath of their gods, and to gain their favour: they offered, whenever they

were the recipients of mercies, some of the firstfruits as a thank-offering-acknowledging thereby that they thought blessings and curses were at the disposal of their deities. But many now, calling themselves Christians, live regardless of their future state; and instead of endeavouring to appease the wrath of the Almighty, (by accepting the one only and all-sufficient sacrifice which he himself has appointed,) fight against him with an high-hand, and set him at open defiance. Instead of feeling thankful to him for good harvests, &c. commemorate it with the songs of the drunkard, and only so much the more blaspheme his holy name! Instead of believing that God alone can bless "the basket and the store," they impute it to their own skill and good management. And on the other hand, instead of feeling that he alone can put a curse upon it, would rather attribute all losses to chance, magic, or witchcraft; thus robbing God of his supreme power, (without whose knowledge not a sparrow falls,) and placing it in the hands of weak and sinful man. Instead of believing God's word, which promises a continuance of “ summer and winter, seed time and harvest" so long as the earth remains, they pin their faith to the predictions of a prophetic almanack; and believe the seasons to be governed by planets rather than by the First Great Cause.'

We must remember likewise, that many who mock at the idea of falling down to worship a stock or a stone, yet nurse some secret idol in their hearts; but God will have no rival there; for the command is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" and it is expressly declared, that "Ye cannot serve