from Abraham.

And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and "all that were born in his house, and all that were bought "with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's "house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self

same day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was "ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the "flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his fore"skin. In the self-same day was Abraham circumcised, and "Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the "house, and bought with money of the stranger, were cir"cumcised with him."

There are two circumstances worthy of notice, the first is, the change of names from Abram to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah. To imagine for a moment, that the supreme disposer of the universe, should trouble himself about the termination of the names of a man and his wife, is to contemplate him as an idle and frivolous being: But the Jewish priests have represented him as being fully employed in running after and chitchatting with the successive generations of their supposed ancestors. For my own part, I consider the change of names to be nothing further than the attempt of the compiler, to connect two different tales of the same persons, which existed, perhaps, in two different countries or provinces, and by way of giving weight to both tales, has made use of the name of his convenient God, for that purpose, as directing the change. Mr. Horne will say this is only a probability or conjecture. Such is all religion or notions of the deity. It may not be amiss to mention that the word we use as Sarah means in the Hebrew or Chaldee language a star or bright constellation, which when we contemplate, might induce us to believe, that the origin of the story of Abram and Sarai was an allegorical fiction originally.

The next eircumstance worthy of notice in the seventeenth chapter, is the act of circumcision, a practice very prevalent in Asia and in parts of Africa. The Jews are the only sect who practice circumcision on infants, and males only, on the eighth day. The Arabians and Abyssinians circumcise both male and female at the age of puberty: thus we read of Ishmael being circumcised at thirteen years of age, and Isaac, whom the Jews claim as their progenitor, at eight days old. What poor old Abraham must have thought of it at ninetyand-nine years old, I can scarcely guess, but I should imagine that it must have struck him as a ridiculous and useless opera

tion, and that he had passed through life very well without it. This also is the effect of prejudice and superstition, and how it originated is not known. This Bible account of its origin must be received as fictious, because if the part circumcised was an excrescence, or injurious to the human species, such a practice would have been general, or if it had been intended as a distinction for the Jews, how comes it to pass, that it prevails so much with other sects. More authentic history has shown, that the Jews borrowed the custom from the Egyptians; but in their usual style of arrogance, they have claimed the first practice of it on the instruction of their God. So deeply are the Abyssinians impressed with the necessity of it, that when the Christian Missionaries to that country, attempted to restrain the practice of it, by the order of the Pope, none of the girls uncircumcised could gain husbands, and the Pope found it necessary, after sending out a few Christian surgeons to examine the mode of operation, to acquiesce in it, or his refusal would have caused the expulsion of his missionaries, although the Abyssinians were found to be Christians on their first discovery. But when the Christian insists that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis by a divine inspiration, how is it he neglects the practice of circumcision according to the related covenant with Abraham? It is essential to their salvation. Their Son of God, or God the Son, was subject to the form according to their own accounts, and in no instance does the New Testament represent that he abrogated the custom. I am aware, that some of the early Christians contended that it was not necessary, but I can only account for this by saying that they were not born Jews, or of Jewish descent. I am inclined to think, that the European Jews would abolish the custom, if it did not take place during their infancy by the time they reached the years of puberty they would rather forsake their religion than submit to it, while the example of its non-importance was so prevalent around them.

"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: " and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he "lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by ❝ him ; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from "the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And "said, my Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass "not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, "I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest your selves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread,

from Abraham.

and

And Abraham took Ishmael his son, "all that were born in his house, and all that were bought "with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's "house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self "same day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was "ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the "flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen 66 years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his fore"skin. In the self-same day was Abraham circumcised, and "Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were cir"cumcised with him."

''

There are two circumstances worthy of notice, the first is, the change of names from Abram to Åbraham, and Sarai to Sarah. To imagine for a moment, that the supreme disposer of the universe, should trouble himself about the termination of the names of a man and his wife, is to contemplate him as an idle and frivolous being: But the Jewish priests have represented him as being fully employed in running after and chitchatting with the successive generations of their supposed ancestors. For my own part, I consider the change of names to be nothing further than the attempt of the compiler, to connect two different tales of the same persons, which existed, perhaps, in two different countries or provinces, and by way of giving weight to both tales, has made use of the name of his convenient God, for that purpose, as directing the change. Mr. Horne will say this is only a probability or conjecture. Such is all religion or notions of the deity. It may not be amiss to mention that the word we use as Sarah means in the Hebrew or Chaldee language a star or bright constellation, which when we contemplate, might induce us to believe, that the origin of the story of Abram and Sarai was an allegorical fiction originally.

The next circumstance worthy of notice in the seventeenth chapter, is the act of circumcision, a practice very prevalent in Asia and in parts of Africa. The Jews are the only sect who practice circumcision on infants, and males only, on the eighth day. The Arabians and Abyssinians circumcise both male and female at the age of puberty: thus we read of Ishmael being circumcised at thirteen years of age, and Isaac, whom the Jews claim as their progenitor, at eight days old. What poor old Abraham must have thought of it at ninetyand-nine years old, I can scarcely guess, but I should imagine that it must have struck him as a ridiculous and useless opera

"be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righte ous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as "the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the judge of all. "the earth do right? And the Lord said, if I find in Sodom "fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place "for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which 26 am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five "of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack "of five? And he said, if I find there forty and five, I will "not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, "I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh "let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure "there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not "do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, beheld now, I have "taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there "shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not de

66

stroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the "Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Perad"venture ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not "destroy it for ten's sake. And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abra"ham returned unto his place."

In the first place we are led o suppose, that Abraham was ignorant of the quality of his guests, as described in this chapter, and that he entertained them as travellers, agreeable to the rights of hospitality, as practised invariably in the Orienta countries. We are led to infer, that the angels appeared as travellers in the human form and attire, for Abraham hospitably imagines, that some water to wash their feet (as sandals were the common wear in those countries), and a little bread would comfort their hearts, and those ærial messengers, are actually described as eating and drinking of the calf, bread, butter, and milk, set before them by Abraham, and that after they had taken their fill, they were in a sufficient good humour to promise Abraham a son by his wife Sarah. There is a strange mixture of three in one, and one in three, in this chapter. Abraham is represented as seeing three men and entertaining a plurality of guests, but in the promises made to Abraham the three are involved in one, and described as the Lord. The table-talk about Sodom, between Abraham and his Lord, is beneath commentary. This deity of the Jews is represented as going down to the city of Sodom to see

whether the conduct of its inhabitants has been such as some of his spies and informers have represented to him. It would be well if modern sovereigns would take a lesson from this. Pardon is promised, by the intercession of Abraham, if ten righteous persons be found. This Jewish deity could not be omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He could be nothing more than some celebrated chieftain, who ruled the country around him. This chapter contains a strange jumble of words: in the twenty second verse we find, that the men whom Abraham had entertained, "turned their faces and went towards Sodom," while the Lord remained with Abraham. What would this book be called if it was not considered saered!!! I think I shall not find a more fit place to throw out a few general observations, or rather doubts, about the appearance of angels, or apparitions, or devils, alias evil spirits. The faculty of thought and comparison, or rather the reasoning faculty of man, has led him to imagine, and to invent, from the perception of good and evil in all the ways of life, that those two principles are governed by distinct and invisible beings. The authors or supposed promoters of good, he has called happy and blessed spirits and angels, and describes them as directed by some almighty God or Gods to superintend the welfare and happiness of the human race. The authors or supposed promoters of evil, are considered to be a class of spirits, who study to mar all the influence of the good and blessed spirits, and consequently, that they produce all the evil that is felt in societies of the human race, or by individuals. There are those again, who imagine, that the whole system of good and evil proceeds from but two spirits, one the author of good, the other the author of evil. From such opinions the worship of those different spirits has arisen. Some worship the good spirit or spirits, in the hope of enjoying a greater portion of happiness in this life, and also in another, which they as vainly fancy they are to enjoy in company with those blessed spirits to all eternity. Others again pray to or worship the evil spirit or spirits, under the hope, that he or they will abstain from inflicting evil on them. But if any individual will but for a moment look into himself, and abstract himself from all those superstitious notions, he would reason thus: I certainly have seen through all my proceedings in life since I have reached the years of discretion, or the power of distinguishing between right and wrong, good and evil, that both those principles have been incident to myself: but then to me it appears, that they have been the effect of which my own conduct has been the cause. Whenever I have followed the path of virtue and rec