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March from EGYPT, to do him wanton Rites, which coft them Abundance of Woe; yet from thence he extended his luftful Festivals, even to that fcandalous Hill, which was by the Grove of murderous MoLOCH; fo fixing Luft hard by Hate, 'till the good King JOSIAS (x) drove them both thence back again to Hell. Along with thefe came they who were worshipped from the great River EUPHRATES, (y) to the Brook that parts EGYPT from SYRIA, and had the general Names of BAALIM (2) and ASHTAROTH, (a)

24,000 of them. Here grew

that Wood whereof the Ark of the Covenant was made, Exod. 25. 10. 37. I.

(x) Jofiah; Heb. i. e. The Fire or Zeal of the Lord. The 18th King of Judah, the pious Son of a very wicked Father and Grandfather. He was a great Reformer of Religion. He deftroyed all those IdolTemples and Groves, as it was foretold of him by Name 360 Years before he was born, 1 Kings 13. 2. 2 Kings 23. 10. He began his Reign when he was eight Years of Age, A. M. 3363. Before Jesus Christ 637. and reigned thirty-one Years; being kill'd in a Battle at Megiddo against Necho King of Egypt. Jeremy lamented his Death in a Divine Poem, 2 Chron. 35. 25.

(y) Euphrates; Lat. Gr. from the Heb. Phrath or Parah, i. e. Fruitful; because it renders thofe Countries very fruitful, which it overfloweth at a certain Season yearly. The principal of the four Rivers of Paradife, Gen. 2. 14. It is the largest in Afia, and the most

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famous River upon Earth; rifing in the Mountains of Armenia, the Tygris and many more join it; it waters Mefopotamia, paffeth by and thro'Babylon, renders many Countries very fruitful; and after a Course of 2000 Miles discharges itself into the Perfian Ocean. In facred Scripture it is call'd the River, the Great River, by way of Eminence. It ftill retaineth the old Name by a Contraction, Aferat and Frat : The Water of it is very foul; if it ftands in a Veffel but two Hours, the Dirt and Mud will be two Inches

thick on the Bottom of it. The Poet calls it Old, because it is one of the firft Rivers mention'd by Mofes, the first and oldeft Hiftorian in the World. So, Old Kishon. Judges 5. 21.

(z) Baalim, and Baal; IV. Heb. i. e. Lords and Lord. This was the first Idol in the World, erected at Babylon in Memory of Belus or Nimrod, whom Ninus his Son and Succeffor deified after his Death; and was worshipp'd all the World over, tho' under different Names, viz.

Baal

(a) meaning Male and Female; for Spirits when they please can affume either Sex, or both, their pure Effence is fo foft and uncompounded, not confin'd to material Joints and Limbs, nor depending on the frail Strength of Bones, as Flesh is; but in what Shape they choofe, extended or contracted, obfcure or bright, can perform their spiritual Purposes, and do Works either of Love or Enmity. For those the JEWS often forfook the living Go D, and left his righteous Altar unfrequented, bowing down lowly before Idols, even in the Form of Beafts; for which their Heads were bow'd down as low in Battle, and they fell by the Spears of defpicable Enemies.

IN the fame Troop with these came ASTORETH, whom the PHOENICIANS (b) call ASTARTE, (c) the Queen

Baal-Berith, Baal-Gad, BaalMeon, Baal-Peor, Baal-Semen, Baal-zebub, Baal-zephon, &c. by the Greeks, Zeus; by the Romans, Jupiter; by the Gauls, he was call'd Belenus; by the Saxons, Thor: from whence comes our Thursday. He was the Sun, who is Lord of Heaven, and most useful to all the inferior World, worshipp'd with magnificent Temples, Altars, Invocations, Bowings, Kiffes, Sacrifices, &c.

(a) Afbtaroth, or Ahtoreth; V. Heb. Plur. i. e. Flocks and

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Lord of Heaven: Thefe were the first and principal Deities among all Nations. She is Juno and Venus of the Romans, Eafter of the Saxons, &c. Because her grand Festival was in April, the old Saxons called it EafterMonath: from whence we call our's, Eafter, which happens in March or April, as the Jewish Paffover did; according to the Course of the Moon. Baal prefides over Men and all Male Animals, as being stronger; and Afhtaroth over Women and the Female Sex, which are more weak and feeble.

(b) Phænicians; Heb. 9. Bene-Anak; i. e. The Sons of Anak, a gigantic Man, who with his Race inhabited that Country. The People of Phanicia, Paleftine, or Canaan, call'd the Philifines.

(c) Attarte, VI. Heb. i. e.

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Queen of Heaven, and figure her with a Crescent, to whofe bright Image the Virgins of SIDON (d) every Night fung by Moon-light, and paid their Vows; which alfo was often done in SION, where her Temple stood, on the offenfive Mountain of Olives, built by that uxorious King SOLOMON; whofe Heart, though it was large, beguil'd by fair Women from among the Heathen, fell to foul Idolatry.

NEXT Came THAMMUZ, (e) whofe annual Wound in LEBANON (f) allur'd the Damfels of SYRIA, to lament

A Flock; from Ahtoreth, according to the Phænician Dialect; and one of their Goddeffes. Aftarte is Sephora, the Wife of Mofes, and the Moon.

(d) Sidon; Heb. i. e. A Fish: because of the great Plenty and Riches, which the Inhabitants got by the Trade of Fish:

or

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of Sidon the firft Son of Cana an, who first built it. Gen. 10. 15. i. e. A Hunter. A Sea Port Town, the Metropolis of Phanicia, older than Tyre, Carthage or other Cities, which the old Phænicians built upon the Mediterranean Sea. It was taken by the King of Afcalon, a Year before the Deftruction of Troy, and 240 Years before the Building of Solomon's Temple; then they that efcap'd built Tyre, which is 16 Miles from it to the South, and 36 Miles from Jerufalem to the NorthWeft. By their great Trade and Wealth, the Sidonians became very proud, idolatrous and abominable to God: therefore he frequently punished them; now it is very much decayed; as the

Prophets had foretold. Sidon was famous for Purple and other fine Dyes, as well as Tyre.

(e) Thammuz; VI. Egypt, from the Heb. i. e. Hidden or Death; because of the fecret, infamous, and obfcene Rites perform'd to this Idol, which was Death to utter. Or from Thamuz, Heb. i. e. June; because thefe Feasts were kept in June. This Goddefs was Thammuz among the Egyptians, Carthaginians and Jews, but Adonis among the Romans, &c.

(f) Lebanon; Heb. from Laban, i. e. white; because the Top of it appears white with Snow: Or Frankincense; because it abounds upon it. A very long, large, and high Mountain in Syria, about 200 Miles in Length, from Damafcus to the Mediterranean Sea Weftward, and the Boundary of Canaan to the North, about 120 Miles from Jerufalem. It is famous for Cedar Trees, which grow only there and in fome Woods of Ame rica. Some of thefe Trees are 20 Yards round, very tall and spreading

lament his Fate in Love-Songs a whole Summer' Day, while the smooth River ADONIS (g) ran coloured with Purple to the Sea, fuppos'd to be with the Blood of THAMMUZ wounded every Year; the LoveTale corrupted the Daughters of JERUSALEM, and warm'd them with like Heat; whose wanton Paffions EZEKIEL (b) faw in the facred Porch, when being led by a Vifion, he faw the dark Idolatries of the alienated Children of JUDAH.

Spreading. Solomon built his Temple of them chiefly; but now they are much decay'd. Mr. Thevenot reckon'd no more than 23, great and small, and Mr. Maundrel only 7. On the Top of it flood a Temple of Venus, wherein lewd Men and Women debauch'd and proftituted themfelves moft infamoufly; for which Conftantine the Great demolish'd it. There is now Canobine, a Convent of the Maronites, about the fame Spot of Ground. The The Head of it calls himself the Patriarch of Antioch.

(g) Adonis; VII. Heb. i. e. Lord. An Affyrian Idol, the fame as Thammuz. The Tale is, this Adonis was a fine Youth, the Son of Cynra King of Cyprus by his Daughter Myrrha, belov'd of Venus and Proferpina, kill'd by a wild Boar upon Mount Lebanon while he was hunting, and much lamented by thete Goddeffes. Thefe Women kept a folemn Feaft at that Time, weeping, lamenting, and beating themselves for his Death; afterwards they rejoic'd at his Return to Life. The Festival of Adonia was celebrated through Greece, in Honour of Venus and Adonis,

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for two Days. See Potter's Antiq. of Greece, Vol. 1. P. 328. Adonis is the Sun, for 6 Months he is in the lower Hemifphere, as in Hell with Proferpina; and for the other 6 Months in the upper; at which they rejoic'd mightily, as they were forry for his declining from them. Here, the Name of a River which runs down Mount Lebanon, and at that Time of the Year his Waters are red, which the Heathens afcrib'd to a myfterious Sympathy in it, for the Death of Adonis; which is indeed and only caus'd by the Rains, that make it to fwell and run over the Banks, and to wash away fome red Earth; as Mr. Maundrel teftifies; and gave Occafion to this Fable and Idolatry.

(b) Ezekiel or Jechezekel; Heb. i. e. The Strength of God. The third of the four greater Prophets, carried a Captive to Babylon with Jechonia, when he was young: The Son of Bux, a very learned Priest. Some mistake him for Pythagoras, the antient Heathen Philofo pher; but he was contemporary with him, and learn'd much from him alfo. He faw in a Vi

NEXT him came one, who mourned in Earneft, when the captive Ark dismember'd his brutal Image; his Head and Hands being lopt off in his own Temple, where he fell flat by the Side of the Door, and fham'd his Worshippers; his Name was DAGON, (i) a Sea Monster, like a Man upward, and downward like a Fish; yet he had his Temple rais'd high in ASHDOD, (k) and was dreaded through the Coaft of PALESTINE, in GATH, (1) and ASCALON;

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fion the corrupted Women of Ifrael worshipping this Devil, in a Porch of the holy Temple of God at Jerufalem, when he was a Captive at Babylon. A lamentable Sight indeed to him. Ch.

8. 14. He wrote very myftically, that the Heathens might not understand his Meaning. But reproving the Jews fo boldly for their Idolatry, they put him to a moft cruel Death at Babylon, about A. M. 3380.

(i) Dagon. VIII. Heb. i. e. A Fish. A God of the Syrians and Philiftines, who got vaft Riches by Fish; which they afcrib'd to this Idol. It was half a Fish and half a Man. It was the Neptune and Saturn of the Greeks and Romans, whom they worshipp'd in this Form; because they got Riches from both Sea and Land.

(k) Azotus or Afbdod; Heb. i. e. Laying wafte; because it was a ftrong and victorious City; or of Eb, Heb. i. e. a Fire, and Dod, i. e. The Fire of Love. A Sea-Port Town in Palefiine between Joppa and Ascalon, 22 Miles from Jerufalem to the Weft, and one of the five chief Governments of the old Phili

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fines. This City was fo ftrong, that it held out a Siege against Pfamniticus King of Egypt, in the Time of Manafes, King of Judah, for 29 Years; and fo did alio the City of Messina in Sicily for 30 Years against the Lacedemonians: Thefe are the longeft Sieges mention'd in Hiftory. Judas Maccabeus was flain upon M. Azotus, by Bac chides the General of Demetrius, King of Syria, Mac. 9. 18. It was a fair and rich City, but is now a poor ruinous Place; the Turks call it Alzete, i. e. The Village.

(1) Gath; Heb. i. e. A Wine Prefs; because much Wine was made there, s. 63. 2. One of the chief Cities of the Philistines upon the Sea, very rich and powerful, diftant from Jerufalem a bout 34 Miles to the Weft, and famous for the Birth-Place of that Giant Goliah, and others of his huge, terrible Family, which were all cut off by the valiant King David, 1 Sam. 16. It was call'd alfo Metheg-Ammah, i. e. The Bridle of Bondage; because it kept the adjacent Coun~ try in Subjection, 2 Sam. 8. 1.

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