. What the world believes, the false and the true, embracing the people of all races and nations, their peculiar teachings, rites, ceremonies, from the earliest pagan times to the present, to which is added an account of what the world believes today, by countries. s exempted from the payment of taxes ; ofwhich we have a remarkable instance in Genesis, chap, lxvii.,verse 26, where we read that Joseph made it a law over theland of Egypt that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, exceptthe land of the priests only, which became not they had the sole management of the religious rites an
. What the world believes, the false and the true, embracing the people of all races and nations, their peculiar teachings, rites, ceremonies, from the earliest pagan times to the present, to which is added an account of what the world believes today, by countries. s exempted from the payment of taxes ; ofwhich we have a remarkable instance in Genesis, chap, lxvii.,verse 26, where we read that Joseph made it a law over theland of Egypt that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, exceptthe land of the priests only, which became not they had the sole management of the religious rites andceremonies, so they were at the head of all the public semi-naries of learning ; and to their care was committed the edu-cation of the youth, especially such as were designed for highemployments. That the progress of idolatry was very rapidafter the Deluge cannot be doubted ; and yet the Egyptianspretend that they were the first who instituted festivals, sac-rifices, and processions, in honor of the gods. These festivalswere held in the most celebrated cities, where all the inhab-itants of the kingdom were obliged to attend, unless pre-vented by sickness ; and when that happened, they were to illuminate their windows with torches. They sacrificed many (70). p-. H H H THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 71 different sorts of beasts; and at every sacrifice the peopledrew near, one by one, and laid their hands upon the headof the victim, praying that God would inflict upon thatcreature all the punishment due to him for his sins. Thenthe priest stabbed the victim, part of which was burned, andpart eaten; for no person was thought to gain any benefitfrom the sacrifice who did not taste less or more of it. The Egyptians believed that the souls of men, at death,went into other bodies; such as had been virtuous goinginto such persons as were to be happy in the world ; but thevicious, into the bodies of such as were to be miserable, andsometimes into those of serpents. In that state of punish-ment
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectreligions, bookyear18
