PAGANISM, the religion of the Hea then nations, in which the Deity is repre sented under various forms, and by all kinds of images or idols ; it is therefore called idolatry, or image worship. The theology of the Pagans was of three sorts, viz. fabulous, natural, and political or civil. The first treats of the genealogy, worship, and attributes of their deities ; who were, for the most part, the offspring of the imagination of poets, painters, and statuaries. To their gods were given different names, and opposite attributes, ascribing to them every species of vice, as well as to some of them every virtue. There is, however, in the delightful fic tions of Homer and Hesiod, much that is entertaining, curious, and even useful. The flowers of the garden and the field, whose beauties we so much admire, were once thought to be produced by the tears of Aurora, the goddess of the morning, whose rose-coloured fingers open the gates of the east, pour the dew upon the earth, and make the flowers grow, When the leaves were agitated, or the long grass of the meadows performed its grace ful undulations, all was put in motion by the breath of Zephyrus, the god of the west-wind. The murmurs of the waters were the sighs of the Naiades, little deities who presided over rivers, springs, wells, and fountains. A god impels the wind; a god pours out the rivers grapes are the gift of Bacchus ; Ceres presides over the harvest; orchards are the care of Pomona. Does a shepherd sound his reed on the summit of a mountain, it is Pan, who, with his pastoral pipe, returns the amorous lay. IVIien the sportsman's horn rouses the attentive ear, it is Diana, arm ed with her bow and quiver, and more nimble than the stag that she pursues, who takes the diversion of the chace. The sun is a god, riding on a car of fire, dif fusing his light through the world ; the stars are so many divinities, who mea sure with their beams the regular pro gress of fire ; the moon presides over thee silence of the night, and consoles the world for the absence of her brother. Neptune reigns in the sea, surrounded by the Ner6des, who dance to the joyous shells of the Tritons. In the highest heaven is seated Jupiter, the master and father of men and gods. Under his feet roll the thunders, forged by the Cyclops in the caverns of Etna ; his smile rejoices nature, and his nod shakes the foundation of Olympus. Surrounding the throne of their Sovereign, the other divinities quaff nectar from a cup, presented them by the young and beautifhl fiche. In the mid dle of the great circle shines, with distin guished lustre, the unrivalled beauty of Venus, alone adorned with a splendid gir dle, in whic4 the graces and sports for ever play ; and in her hand is a smiling boy, whose power is universally acknow ledged by heaven and earth. Music, poe
try, dancing, and the liberal arts, are all inspired by one or other of the nine muses ; while the votaries of martial glory derive their courage and success from Mars, the god of battles. Such is a gene ral outline of the pleasing and inoffensive part of the fabulous theology of the Pa gan world. On the other hand, as we have already intimated, many of the gods of the ancients possessed attributes at once disgraceful to, and unworthy of dei ty, and hurtful to the interests of morality and human happiness. Jupiter himself set an example of lust ; and Bacchus was worshipped with cruel and obscene re vellings.
Many, however, of the heathen writers condemned this part of their theology ; among which are Sanchoniatho, the Phoe nician ; and among the Greeks, Orpheus, Ilesiod, and Pherecyde.
The natural theology of the Pagans was studied and taught by the philosophers, who rejected the multiplicity of gods in troduced by the poets, and brought their theology to a more rational form. Some of them seem to have possessed consider able knowledge respecting the unity of the Supreme Deity : yet even Socrates, the best man and wisest of the philoso phers of the Pagan world, so far yielded to the prejudices and practices of the age in which he lived, as to order his friends, just before his death, to sacrifice a cock to Esculapius, the god of physic.
The political or civil theology of the Pagans was instituted by legislators, statesmen, and politicians. This chiefly respected their temples, altars, sacrifices, and rites of worship, and was properly their idolatry ; the care of which belong. ed to the priests, who were servants of the state. These ceremonies, &c. were enjoined the commonality, to keep them in subjection to the civil power. Such was the religion of the greater part of the world before the promulgation of Christi anity ; and such still, in some form or other, is the religion of those parts of the world, containing a population of about 420 millions of souls ; or above one half of the inhabitants of the whole earth, where the gospel is not preached, either in its purity, or as corrupted by the doc trines of Mahomet. The Missionaries employed for the conversion of the hea. then, though very zealous and very nu merous, have hitherto made comparative ly little progress. The Foreign and Brit ish Bible Society may possibly have some beneficial effects in enlightening the darkness of the pagan world ; but, we are persuaded, nothing but conquest and civilization, short of miracle itself, will ever prove effectual in the extirpation of heathenism, and the final establishment of Christianity.