In this wish and this language, my Lord, I do not merely express my own humble and valueless testimony, but record, feebly and inadequately, the public sentiment. Piety and virtue, in high station, cannot long remain unknown. There are yet truth and justice enough in the world, to acknowledge and record them; and, if there be any to impute what I have here said to the usual servility of dedication, a servility for which I know Your Grace would despise me, and for which, as certainly, I should despise myself, I appeal with confidence to that truth and that justice, and calmly and fearlessly shelter myself under the authority of their known and reiterated testimony.

Under these impressions, my Lord, I presume to tender the following Work to Your Grace; and to avail myself of the opportunity which is thus afforded me, of testifying the respectful deference with which

I have the honour to be,

MY LORD,

Your Grace's

Obliged and most obedient Servant,

JEROME ALLEY.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. I.

PREFATORY VIEW.

Sceptics-The plan of the Work-Systems, theories, and contro-
versy rejected-Conclusion

p. 1

·

CHAP. II.

THE BEING AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

Sect. 1. The prevailing ignorance of all the nations of antiquity,

except the Jews, on the subject-The mythology of the Greeks and

Romans-Occasional elegance-Frequent extravagance and absur-

dity-The vilest qualities and vices deified—Celestial example—

Ludicrous impiety of the stage-The schools-Zeno-Epicurus-

Plato-Equal ignorance of the philosophers and the people.

Sect. 11. The gods of the Hindu-Contradictory, whimsical, and

innumerable—Incarnations-Magic and necromancy-The golden

egg of Brama-The whole system pernicious or absurd.-

Sect. 111. The Koran-Magnificent and just descriptions of the

Divinity-Practical corruption of the abstract doctrine-Insta-

bility of the divine purpose-Contradictory and inconsistent mis-

sions of Gabriel -The appetites and passions of Mahomet the rule

and measure of his doctrines.-Sect. IV. The Deity of the Gos-

pel-Purity, ubiquity, omniscience, and sovereignty of God-His

moral and relative perfections-The condescension and mercy with

which they are exercised—Their perfect harmony-Comparative

estimate

p. 15

CHAP. III.

PROVIDENCE.

Sect. 1. The Providence of the religion of Grecce and Italy –Con-
tradictory powers of Fate and Fortune-Proportional impotence of
the gods-The worst passions and the most execrable vices mingled

and exercised in the divine government-Opinions of the philoso-

phers-Learned reveries-Sophistical contentions-The popular

and philosophical creed equally corrupt. Sect. 11. The divine

administration according to the faith of the Hindu - Levity,

licence, or malignity of the interposition of the gods-Effect on the

character and belief of men. -Sect. 111. Views of the divine

economy opened by the Koran-Perversions-The celestial mini-

sters Azrael, Israfil, and Gabriel-Wild and extravagant agency

-The wrath and favour of God subservient to the will of Maho-

met-Consequences. Sect. Iv. Miraculous and ordinary Pro-

vidence of the Gospel-The Jew, the Gentile, and the Christian,

equally recognised in the divine government—Probation salutary—

The hope of all good men encouraged-Perfect correspondence, as

far as we can judge, of the designs and operations with the attri-

butes of God-Inference

p. 67

CHAP. IV.

CONSOLATION.

Sect. 1. The consolation afforded by any religion a test of its truth-

Little consolation to be derived from the Greek and Roman mytho-

logy-No certain confidence-No authenticated hope-All life an

evil-Suicide the remedy- The sage of Epicurus and Zeno-Tus-

culan disputations—Hopeless sorrow the refutation of dogmatical

sophistry. Sect. 11. Consolations of the Hindu-His gods

capricious-His priests despotic-His futurity alarming and repul-

sive-Suicide, at last, substituted for patience and resignation.

Sect. 111. The Mussulman— Celestial favour the sure reward of

his prowess or his fanaticism-His paradise-His predestinated

security-Moral effects. Sect. IV. The Gospel a religion

throughout of sympathy and compassion-Nature and object of

trial-Consolations to be derived from the consideration of the

divine character-Even the guilty invited to partake of the favour

of God-Beautiful examples of forgiveness and acceptance-Hope

and trust animated by views of hereafter-General tendency of

the whole doctrine
p. 107

CHAP. V.

DEVOTION.

Sect. 1. Spirit of Greek and Roman devotion-Minute, impure, and

sanguinary observances-Magic-Fvocation-External forms

more` important than motive-The service prescribed political or

-Sect. 11. The worship of the Hindu-Little spi-

rituality—Innumerable forms—Human oblations-Penances and

abstractions-Holy libertinism-Dancing girls-The scandal of

the worship-The degradation of the worshipper.-Sect. 111.

Occasional spirituality of the worship required by the Koran-Fre-

quent fanaticism and presumption-The blood of the infidel the

most acceptable offering-Idle, contemptible, or pernicious forms-

Consequent degradation of the religious and social character of the

Mussulman.- -Sect. IV. The whole duty of man according to

the Gospel-The foundation of worship laid in the heart of the

worshipper-Sorrow and suffering especially invited to the altar-

Admirable directions for prayer-The piety promotive of the
morals, and the morals essential to the piety of the Christian-
Concluding views
p. 149

"

mischievous.-

CHAP. VI.

RELIGIOUS RITES AND INSTITUTIONS.

-

Sect. 1. Religious observances of the Greeks and Romans -The rites

of Bacchus―The Lupercalia — The Corinthian Venus-The priest-

hood-Political, not moral, utility of all.-Sect. 11. Institutions

of the Hindus-The funeral pile-The obscenity and barbarity of

the votaries at Juggernaut―The priestly order-The castes—

Consequent subjugation and ignorance of the people.Sect. III.

Rites of the Koran-Fusts-Pilgrimages-Priests-Influence of

all on the popular mind.- -Sect. iv. The four great ordinances

of the Gospel-Baptism-The Lord's supper-The Sabbath-The

priesthood--The design, tendency, and effects of these institutions—

Their admirable adaptation to the great purposes of Chris-

tianity

p. 189

CHAP. VII.

MORALS AND MOTIVES.

Sect. 1. The religion of Greece not favourable to piety and virtue—
The vices of the gods promotive of the vices of the people - Privi-
leged depravity-Opinion of Hume-Zeno-Epicurus-The Aca-
demy, its omens, oracles, divination, scepticism, and superstition-
General view of the moral science of Greece and Italy.—Sect. 11.
Beautiful precepts of Hindu morals-The precept contradicted by
the spirit and temper of the religion-The apathy of abstraction
preferred to the works of virtue-Morality lost in superstition—
Results.- -Sect. 111. The precepts of the Koran adapted to the

policy or the sensuality of their author-Cruelty, vengeance, und

persecution, sanctioned by divine authority. Sect. IV. The pre-

ceptive character of the Gospel-The moral influence of all its

institutions-The views which it opens of the divine nature, and

the faith and hope which it demands and excites, eminently favour-

able to all virtue-Precepts-The love of man a test of the love of

God-Charity-All violence and revenge interdicted-Internal

purity to be added to external obedience-The temper favoured by

the world to be resisted-The virtues rejected by the world to be

cherished―The motives encouraged by the world to be renounced—

Review
p. 251

CHAP. VIII.

INSTRUCTION OF THE POOR.

Sects. 1. 11. III. No provision made for the instruction of the poor

by the Greek, the Roman, the Hindu, and the Mahometan reli-

gions-Effects of the popular creed, and of the Eleusinian mysteries

of Greece, on the mass of the people-The unalterable incapacity

of the Hindu for moral instruction, according to the theory of the

Brahminical priesthood-The fatalism, fanaticism, and conse-

quent ignorance of the Mussulman.- -Sect. IV. The instructions

of Christ principally tendered to the poor-No compromise with

the mighty, no rejection of the humble-The precept communicated

to babes and sucklings, which had been hidden from the prudent

and the wise—The affection of the populace conciliated by the ear-

nest benevolence with which they were taught-No legislator de-

serving of the title of the friend, the guide, and the instructor

of the inferior orders of mankind, save the Legislator of the

Gospel -

p. 316

CHAP. IX.

DOMESTIC AND FEMALE MANNERS.

Sect. 1. The manners permitted or sanctioned by the mythology of
Greece and Rome-Homer's goddesses-The condition of the
female sex in Greece, at a subsequent period-Their education,
seclusion, and oppression-The suspicion and tyranny which they
endured before and after marriage-The reign of courtezans-
Women of Sparta-Auxiliary husbands for the good of the state-
The athletic exercises of the sex-The naked dance-The open

-