implication whereof seems to be, that heresy, the subtleties and vices of infidels, and the devotees of satan, were subdued by the knowledge of the true God; the inscription I own myself at a loss to decypher; the characters are imperfect, or ill copied.†

THE Moon, with divines, is an hieroglyphic of the christian church, who compared I. C. to the Sun, and the church to the Moon, as receiving all its beauty and splendour from him.

IN church history, Abrax is noted as a mystical term, expressing the Supreme God; under whom the Basilidians supposed three hundred and sixty-five de

"fer, the Eon Jesus carried along with him the soul of Christ, and left "behind upon the cross, only his body and animal spirit: that the serpent who deceived Eve, ought to be honoured, for endeavouring to rescue men from their slavery to the Demiurgus."

Key to the New Testament.

+ I have obtained two constructions of the inscriptions on the Abrax. The one is, “The earth shall praise thee, 1305," purporting the date of the sculpture.—This date can have no relation to the christian æra; Basilides existed in the earliest age of christianity, and the ensigne with which the gem is engraven, have relation, most evidently, to the Egyptian philosophy; which renders it probable this antique owes its creation to very remote ages. The other construction, without noticing the numerals, is "Terra declarat laudem magnificientiamque "tuam." Both these gentlemen say the characters are very rude and imperfect.

As to the numerals, computing the date from the deluge, it will relate to that remarkable æra of David's conquest of Jerusalem, and settling the empire and royal seat there. The descendants of Ham would probably take their date from the departure of Noah's song from the ark;

pendent deities:-it was the principle of the gnostic hierarchy; whence sprang their multitudes of Thæons. From Abraxas proceeded their primoganial mind;— from the primogenial mind, the logos or word;-from the logos, the Phronesis or prudence;-from phronesis, Sophia and Dynamis, or wisdom and strength;-from these two proceeded principalites, powers, and angels; and from these other angels, of the number of three hundred and sixty-five, who were supposed to have the government of so many celestial orbs committed to their care. The Gnostics* were a sect of Christians

"Of the Gentiles who were converted to christianity, the most "dangerous and pernicious kind, were those who were infected with "the Egyptian philosophy; a system, as it was then taught, entirely "chimerical and absurd. The Christians of this sort assumed to them"selves the name of Gnostics; a word of Greek extraction, implying in "it a knowledge of things much superior to that of other men. This "word doth not occur in the New Testament; but the Nicolaitans "made mention of in the apocalypse of St. John, seem to have been of "the gnostic sect; and most of the errors maintained by Cerinthus, and opposed in the gospel of St. John, may be derived from the same When we say the gentile converts were chiefly liable to the gnostic infection, we must not be understood to exclude those of the "Jewish race, many of whom were tainted with it, but they seem to "have derived it from the Essenes. The maintainers of the Egyptain "philosophy held, that the Supreme Being, the infinitely perfect and "happy, was not the creator of the universe, nor the alone independent

source.

Being: for, according to them, matter too was eternal. The Supreme Being, who resides in the immensity of space, which they call "Peteroma, or fullness, produced from himself, say they, other immortal " and spiritual natures, stiled by them ons, who filled the residence

of the Deity with beings similar to themselves. Of these beings "some were placed in the higher regions, others in the lower. Those "in the lower regions, were nighest to the place of matter, which originally was an inert and formless mass, till one of them, without "any commission from the Deity, and merely to shew his own dex

having particular tenets of faith ;-they assumed their name to express that new knowledge and extraordinary light to which they made pretensions; the word gnostic implying an enlightened person.

THE gnostic hierarchy here pointed out, represents to us the degrees of etherial persons or emanations of the Deity. This leads me to consider the hierarchy of the christian church in its greatest antiquity, which, in the most remote times, as a society, consisted of several orders of men, viz. rulers, believers, and catechumens: the rulers were bishops, priests, and deacons; the believers were perfect Christians, and the catechumens imperfect.

CATECHUMENS were candidates for baptism.They were admitted to the state of catechumen by the imposition of hands, and the sign of the cross. Their introduction to baptism was thus singular;-some days before their admission, they went veiled; and it

"terity, reduced it into form and order, and enlivened some parts of "it with animal spirit. The being who atchieved all this they called "the Demiurgus, the operator, artificer, or workman; but such was the

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perverseness of matter, that when brought into form, it was the source of all evil. The Supreme Being, therefore never intended to "have given it a form, but as that had been now done, he, in order "to prevent mischief as much as possible, added to the animal spirit "of many of the enlivened parts rational powers. The parts to whom "rational powers were thus given, were the original parents of the “buman race; the other animated parts were the brute creation Unluckily, however, the interposition of the Supreme Being was in " vain; for the Demiurgus grew so aspiring, that he seduced men from "their allegiance to the Supreme Being, and diverted all their devotion " to himself.”----Key to the New Testament.

was customary to touch their ears, saying, Be opened; and also to anoint their eyes with clay: both ceremonies being in imitation of our Saviour's practice, and intended to shadow out to the candidates their ignorance and blindness before their initiation. They continued in the state of catechumen, until they proved their proficiency in the catechistic exercises, when they were advanced to the second state, as

believers.

As the Druids were a set of religious peculiar to Gaul and Britain, it may not be improper to cast our

*Tacitus saith, " among the Britons, there is to be seen in their "ceremonies and superstitious persuasions, an apparent conformity "with the Gauls." Both nations had their Druide, as both Cæsar and Tacitus evidence; of whom Cæsar thus recordeth: "The Druide "are present at all divine service; they are the overseers of public "and private sacrifices, and the interpreters of religious rites and "ceremonies. They are the preceptors of youth, who pay them the highest honour and esteem. They determine all controversies, both "public and private. In the cases of heinous offences, murder, or manslaughter, they judge of the matter, and give rewards, or decree penalties and punishments. They determine disputes touching in"heritance and boundaries of lands. If either private person or body "politic obey not their decree, they debar them from religious cere"monies, as excommunicate; which is esteemed by this people as a "grievous punishment. Whoever are under this interdict, are esteem"ed wicked and impious persons, and are avoided by all men, as "fearing contagion from them: they have no benefit of the law, and "are incapacitated from holding any public office. Of the Druide "there is a chief, who hath the greatest authority amongst them: at "his death, the most excellent person amongst them is elected as his "successor; but, upon any contest, the voice of the Druida is required; ❝sometimes the contest is determined by arms. They, at a certain "season of the year, hold a solemn session within a consecrated place "in the Marches of the Carmites (near Charhes, in France): hither

eyes on the ceremonies they used: their antiquity and peculiar station, render it probable some of their rites and institutions might be retained, in forming the ceremonies of our society. In so modern an æra as

'resort, as unto the term, from all parts, all persons having contro" versies or suits at law; and the decree and judgment there delivered " is religiously obeyed. Their learning and profession is thought to "have been first devised in Britain, and so from thence translated into "France: and in these days they that desire more competent learning "therein, go thither for instruction. The Druids are free from tributes "and service in war; and like these immunities, are they also exempt "from all state impositions. Many, excited by such rewards, resort "to them to be instructed. It is reported, they learn by heart many "verses. They continue under this discipline for certain years, it "being unlawful to commit any of their doctrines to writing. Other "matters which they trust to writing, is written in the Greek alphabet. "This order they have established, I presume, for two reasons; be"cause they would not have their doctrines divulged, nor their pupils, «by trusting to their books, neglect the exercise of the memory. This

one point they are principally anxious to inculcate to their scholars, " that man's soul is immortal, and, after death, that it passeth from "one man to another. They presume by this doctrine men will con"temn the fear of death, and be steadfast in the exercise of virtue."Moreover, concerning the stars and their motions, the greatness of "heaven and earth, the nature of things, the power and might of the “Eternal Divinity, they give many precepts to their pupils.”

From Pliny we learn, "The Druide (for so they call their diviners, "wisemen, and priests) esteem nothing in the world more sacred than “misleto, and the tree which produces it, if it be an oak. The priests "choose groves of oak for their divine service: they solemnize no sa"crifice, nor celebrate any sacred ceremonies without the branches and << leaves of oak; from whence they may seem to claim the name of Dryide in Greek. Whatsoever they find growing to that tree, be"sides its own proper produce, they esteem it as a gift sent from "heaven, and a sure sign that the Deity whom they serve hath chosen "that peculiar tree. No wonder that misleto is so revered, for it is scarce and difficult to be found; but when they do discover it, they