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PROPOSITION XXVIII.

PROVING THE DOCTRINE FROM TRADITION, IN

CHALDEA.

FROM what has been already advanced concerning the knowledge which man had at his creation, and the revelation made to him by the Divine Being concerning itself, and those names or titles comprehending the Divine Essence, perfections, and persons, made known to our first parents, we may very naturally conclude, that the doctrine of the Trinity was taught by the true worshippers in every period of the antediluvian world; and was also brought into the new world by the family preserved in the ark, and by them disseminated among their offspring; and by their offspring, more or less perfectly, to their immediate posterity, according as the knowledge and sentiments of the teachers were inclined to truth or error. Therefore, we may look for the purity of this doctrine more immediately in the direct line of the true worshippers in Chaldea, after the migration or decease of the family of Noah. For Chaldea may be considered as the mother of religion and sciences in the postdiluvian world. For a certain time after the flood, we know that the plains of Shinar, and the region of Chaldea, were the residence of the aborigines

of the new world; and there we are to look for the knowledge of the doctrine we now trace, more or less perfectly, for a considerable time after the flood. To this region we turn our attention, more particularly to trace this most ancient of all religious tenets, and also the most ancient of sciences, that of astronomy. The apparent daily course of the sun; the aspects and motions of the moon; the revolutions of the visible planets; and the apparent motion of the fixed stars by the revolution of the earth; all contribute to draw the attention, and excite the enquiries of the curious beholder. Hence the first rudiments of human science found in Chaldea, are the first outlines of astronomy. To this we are led, both by the serenity of the atmosphere, which greatly contributes to such a pursuit; and in addition to this natural assistance, we are led to the foregoing conclusion, not only by history, but also by the Chaldean sphere, and the appearance of the Chaldean solar and lunar zodiacs.

In considering the zodiacs, we may attempt to account for the origin of the constellations depicted upon the celestial sphere by the ancients, and still retained, with some variations, by the moderns. Three things may have given rise to this: First, the doctrine of fire worship, which, considered astronomically, has its origin in the creation of all things, according to the cosmo

gony of the Cabbala, which seems to have been derived either from the old world, or the region of Chaldea; from the simple symbol of the divine presence, to the material element: and this creature substituted in stead of the Creator; the bright shining orbs of the lofty sky,-supplanted their Maker in the minds of erring mortals.

Secondly, the doctrine of the Metempsychosis, which is as old as the creation, according to the foregoing cosmogony, would naturally lead the mistaking fire-worshippers, having lost correct views of the future world, to transfer the abodes of their departed relatives to the rolling orbs of light.

Thirdly, the positions and aspects of the stars, fabricated by fanciful imagination into certain appearances, induced these fire-worshippers to aid these appearances with devotional fiction, and to form the different representations fancied into the constellations, as pourtrayed both upon the ancient and modern spheres. Hence we may account for the early worship of the heavenly bodies.

Let us apply this to the formation of the Chaldaic sphere. It has been sufficiently proved, beyond dispute, by Costard and Rutherford, that the Greeks borrowed their sphere from the Egyptians, and the Egyptians borrowed their sphere from the Chaldeans: the particulars of which, we need not relate, but only refer to these

authors, who have fully proved that there never was such a thing as the Argonautic expedition, but that the whole is a fiction, and a mere metamorphosis invented by the Greeks; the particulars taken from the Chaldean sphere, to enable the Grecian nation more readily to claim the invention of the sphere as their own.

Now, the first constellation of the Chaldaic sphere, is the Navis, the ship, not the Argo: the second is Ara, the altar, with columns of fire and smoke ascending near the Triangle, one of the Egyptian hieroglyphics of the Deity: the third is the sacrificer; after this, the victim about to be sacrificed; then follow Corvus, the raven, and Crater, the libation cup.

All these, when followed up, and carefully examined, evidently symbolize the ark, and Noah offering his first sacrifice in the new world. This will appear evident to those who understand the outlines of astronomy, and compare these facts with the Scriptures.

The second constellation is very striking on the Chaldaic sphere. In this we find Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Lepus; the greater and lesser Dog, and the Hare; all near a huntsman called Orion by the Greeks; but originally was intended by the Chaldeans for Nimrod, the mighty hunter after the flood. The whole of the remaining constellations of the southern hemisphere, are composed of aquatic objects or

animals, and may be considered as pointedly allusive to the general deluge.

Now, if from the sphere we turn to the astronomer, we shall find by this guide, that Chaldea is no less certainly the first residence of the true worshippers.

Zoroaster is the first philosopher and astronomer of Chaldea, whom history records; and much uncertainty hangs over the time in which he lived, some fixing it to one period, and some to another; and some supposing there were several of the same name; and others, with the greatest probability of truth on their side, say, that as Zoroaster was the name of the first astronomer, every one who studied that science successfully after the first, was called by the same name.This is certainly the most probable of all the conjectures on the subject, and seems to be strongly supported by the derivation of the name Zoroaster. It comes from, which signifies to meditate profoundly, to view with close attention, to behold; and, secret, hidden, mysterious, or a mystery, enigma, &c. Now, as the Hebrew and the Chaldee may be considered as cognate dialects, the latter being the offspring of the former, we have every reason to rest satisfied with this derivation, and to suppose that the head teacher of astronomy was always called by the general title Zoroaster, for many generations, among the Chaldeans. And as the sacerdotal,

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