Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/39

 No traces of idolatry among them. 27

foon after the captivity, when the religion of the Hebrew nation, reflecting the worihip of Deity, was in its purity. And if any of the ancient hea thens came with them, they became profelytes of habitation, or juftice hereby, their heathenifh rites and ceremonies were, in procefs of time, intirely abforbed in the religions ceremonies of the Jews.

Had the nine tribes and half of Ifrael which were carried off by Shalma- nefer, King of AfTyria, and fettled in Media, continued there long, it is very probable, that by intermarrying with the natives, and from their natural ficklenefs and pronenefs to idolatry, and the force of example, they would have adopted, and bowed before the gods of the Medes and the Aflyrians, and carried them. along with them. But there. is not a trace of this idolatry among the Indians. The fevere afflictions they underwent in captivity, doubtlefs humbled their hearts, and reclaimed them from the fervice of the calves, and of Baalam, to the true divine worfhip a glimpfe of which they ftill retain. And that the firft fettlers came to America before the de- fir uct ion of the firft temple, may be inferred, as it is certain both from Philo and Jofephus, that the fecond temple had no cherubim. To reflect yet greater light on the fubject, I fhall here add a few obfervations on the Indians fuppofed religious cherubic emblems, the cherubimical names of their tribes, and from whence they, and the early heathens, may be fuppofed to have derived them.

When the goodnefs of Deity induced him to promife a faviour to fallen man, in paradise, he ftationed flaming cherubim in the garden. The type I fhall leave, but when mankind became intirely corrupt, God renewed his promife to the Ifraelites, and to convey to pofterity the true divine worfhip, ordered them to fix in the tabernacle, and in Solomon's temple, cherubim^ over the mercy-feat, the very curtains which lined the walls, and the veil of the temple, likewife, were to have thofe figures. The cherubim are faicl to reprefent the names and offices of Tohewab Elobim, in redeeming loft man kind. The word DV1"D, is drawn from 3, a note of refemblance, and :n> a great or mighty one ; /. e. the " fimilitude of the great and mighty One," whofe emblems were the bull, the lion, the man, and the eagle. The pro phet Ezekiel has given us two draughts of the cherubim (certainly not without an inftructive defign) in hjs two vifions, defcribed in the firft

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