turn." Divine Revelation teaches us that as Christ laid down his head in the grave, so the bodies of those who are his faithful followers, should be deposited in the earth, to rest till that awful period, when he shall come to judge the world in righte

ousness.

Let us pity heathens, who have none of those consolations, which our holy religion holds out to

us; let us daily pray for their conversion; let us not be afraid to lay down our heads in the silent grave; let us not reflect much on the indignities that may be offered to our bodies after death; for our Divine Redeemer has gone before us, he has made the grave sweet unto us, and by his almighty power, he will raise us up at the last day.

THE history of mankind would be one of the most pleasing studies in the universe, were it not often attended with the most humiliating, the most melancholy considerations. By studying human nature, we are led to consider in what manner we were formed by our all-wise Creator; what we have made ourselves in consequence of our disobedience to the divine law; what we may be through divine grace; and then what we shall be in glory. Principles of this nature, should strike deep into our mind, when we consider the state of the heathen world, and, at the same time, reflect on the many blessings we enjoy. In vain do we pride ourselves

in any of our endowments, in vain do we pretend to superior attainments; for if our affections are as much attached to earthly objects as those of the heathens, then we are much more inexcusable than they. We have all the truth of the gospel laid open to us, while they remain in a state of ignorance, worshipping the works of their own hands. Nay, worshipping even reptiles and insects, offering human sacrifices, shutting up their bowels of compassion, and trampling upon every moral obligation. This naturally applies to what we are now going to relate, for the dignity of our holy religion never shines so bright, as when contrasted with heathen superstition, Pagan idolatry, and every thing else that can dishonour our nature.

The provinces, or nations, we are now to give some account of, particularly with respect to religion, differ in some few things from those already described in this part of the world. Like the other Heathens around them, they have many gods or idols; but the sovereign and supreme one over all the others, is Quiay-Paragray. To his honour they have several temples erected, and on particular festivals they have grand processions, in which not only the priests, but likewise all the people in the neighbourhood attend. They carry him in a triumphal chariot through their cities, attended by ninety priests, all

dressed in yellow satin, and the devotees fall downon their knees as the procession marches along. Nay, some of the devotees prostrate themselves before the chariot, that the wheels may run over them, while others run against sharp spikes fastened to the wheels of the chariot, which tear their flesh in pieces, and is considered as the most meritorious action they can perform. It often happens that these devotees become martyrs to their enthusiasm, for their bodies being torn by the spikes in the wheels of the chariot, they often mortify, and death ensues. In such cases, the people esteem them so much, that it is considered as an honour to be permitted to touch them; even the spikes of the wheels are deemed sacred, and the priests lay them up as precious relics in their temples.

This idol sits on a pedestal, cross-legged, and every day the prince of the country sends him a most magnificent entertainment. The devotees prostrate themselves before this idol, in order to be cured of various diseases, it being their firm opinion, that it is in his power to perform every thing supernatural; but in this there is nothing at all surprising, because all those who acknowledge a supreme power, must honour the perfection of his attributes.

The grandest temple dedicated to this idol, stands in the island of Munay, and in the same island is another god, who is said to preside over the four winds. All their temples, like those in China, are built in the form of pyramids, but some of them are much higher than others. In the winter these Pagans cover their gods, lest they should catch cold, praying, at the same time, that they will, at some future period, reward them for their duty and piety.

They have a great number of priests, and over all these is one who acts as sovereign pontiff, and decides in all religious matters. He is universally respected by all the people, and the king gives him the right hand, nor does he ever speak to him but with the profoundest reverence and veneration. Their inferior priests, who are also considered as

the physicians of the country, are divided into three classes, or orders, and distinguished by as many names. They are all dressed in yellow satin, with their heads shaved, but their chiefs wear a cope, resembling a mitre, with a peak falling down behind. They are all obliged to take an oath of celibacy, and if they afterwards marry, then they are degraded and reduced to the same state with the laity. Some of them reside in monasteries, founded by illustrious persons, some live in deserts, and others act as school-masters to the youth, and when they find a young man of a more than ordinary capacity, they endeavour to persuade him to enter himself among them. Those who have nothing to subsist on, are supported at the royal expense, but most of them live by begging from the people.

With respect to the nuptial ceremonies in the kingdom of Aracan, they are rather different from some of the others. The king is to have the preference of all the young women in the country, and for

purpose every governor or chief magistrate of a district chuses twelve virgins, once in the year, who are educated at the king's expense, till they are twelve years of age, when they are sent to court, dressed in fustian gowns, and exposed to the heat of the sun, till the sweat runs through the garments. These gowns are next day carried to the king, who is so curious as to smell them all over, and such virgins as appear to have nothing disagreeable about them, are reserved for his own private amusement, and the rest are given to his servants.

In the kingdom of Asem, every man marries four wives, but lest any family disputes should take place, every woman is to bring up her own children. When they are first taken sick, they send for one of their priests, who breathes upon them, and repeats several prayers, and if their does not appear any hopes of their recovery, the priest directs the sick person to sacrifice to Chaor-boos, the god of the four winds, and the sacrifice consists of a certain number of fowls, according to the circumstances of the patient.

This sacrifice is offered four times, according to the number of the winds; but if no success attends it. and the patient becomes worse, then they have recourse to another expedient, which has been long in use among them, probably from the most early ages, as they have not among them the least traces of its original, nor by whom it was first taught.

The principal room in the house is adorned with tapestry, an altar is erected at the upper end, and the image of an idol is placed upon it, and the priest, with the relations of the sick person, meet together, where they are sumptuously entertained; but the most ridiculous part of the ceremony is, that the person who conducts the entertainment, is obliged to dance as long as he can stand upon his feet; when he can stand no longer, he lays hold of a linen cloth,

which is fastened to the ceiling for that purpose, and by that slender assistance, continues to dance till he has no strength left, and then he falls down in a swoon. Then the music begins to play, and every one present envies his happiness, being fully persuaded, that during the time he was in a trance, he was conversing with the idol. If the patient happens to recover, he is conducted to the next temple, and anointed with oil before the altar; but if it happens, that notwithstanding all their endeavours, he dies, the priest assures them, that what they have done has been highly acceptable to the gods, and although they thought proper to remove the patient from this lower world, yet that act was the result of infinite goodness and compassion to make him happy for ever.

When a person dies, he is laid out in the middle of the house, and some of the priests walk round the body, repeating several prayers, while others are employed in sprinkling the room with frankincense, and all sorts of aromatic flowers. The coffins have the figures of different beasts painted upon them, all serving to point out some of the actions of the deceased.

While the priests are performing these ceremonies, the servants keep tinkling on instruments of copper, in order to keep away the evil spirits, whom they imagine are surrounding the corpse. They believe, that if an evil spirit should happen to go over the body of the deceased, the soul would return, and then he would be deprived of all that happiness into which he was entered. Before the body is carried away, several persons in the neighbourhood are invited to attend, and if they neglect to come, the whole company present are much troubled; their refusal being considered as an indication, that the departed soul is gone to hell. The last part of the ceremony is to convey the body into the fields, where it is burnt to ashes, and all the relations are dressed in white, which is the common fashion of mourning in that country. The priests set fire to the funeral pile, and during the time they are doing it, several hymns are sung in honour of their gods.

These ceremonies, however, are confined to the lower classes of people, and particularly to the laity; but when an arch-priest or pontiff dies, something of a more exalted nature takes place, of which we shall give the following account from those who were witnesses of it. As priests in all nations are considered as at the head of religion, so we need not be surprised to find, that when they die, they are attended to the grave or the funeral pile, with the most pompous ceremonies; and this is done in order to keep alive that flame of superstition and enthusiasm, which, unless guided by reason, will always lead into captivity the human heart.

A few years ago, the supreme pontiff died, and

an account of his funeral will serve to shew what is common to others of the same rank and character.— The moment he expired, the fires were all extinguished, and every one of the inhabitants shut up their windows as a sign of mourning, the temples were crowded with penitents, and in the streets, not a single individual was to be seen. The body of this high priest was exposed three days to the public, with all the solemnity that can be imagined. It lay on an altar in the chief temple, and there were upwards of a thousand priests attending, with tapers in their hands, singing hymns around the coffin.Above five hundred young children went naked to the funeral, each girt round the middle with cords and chains of iron, and each carrying a bundle of sticks on his head, and a knife in his hand. During the whole of the procession, they sung the most dismal songs that can be imagined, sometimes in concert, and sometimes one after another.

They were divided into two classes, and the first sang, "O thou, who art going to partake of the joys of heaven, forsake us not in this our unhappy exile;" and the other class answered, "That we may be made partakers with thee of those heavenly blessings." After this all the people fell on their knees, while an aged priest made a funeral oration.

The oration being ended, there was a second procession of young men, who paid their honours to the deceased as they marched along, and drew their scimitars as they surrounded the coffin, in order to drive the devil away, and confine him home to his house of smoke, there to live for ever, and suffer for the many crimes he had committed, both against God his Creator, and likewise against those laws prescribed for regulating the conduct of the children of men.

These ceremonies being over, the body of the sovereign pontiff was laid on the funeral pile, and six young persons of considerable rank, submitted to be burnt along with it. Next day, a priest made an harangue before the king, expatiating largely on the virtues of the deceased; and when the oration was finished, the ashes of the pontiff, and those of the young men, who had been burnt along with him, were distributed as precious relics among the populace.

The people of Ava do not burn their dead, although in most other religious respects, they differ but little from their neighbours. They bury all the dead bodies of their relations, and are of opinion, that, after a life spent in doing good, they will enter into eternal happiness. But if they have injured their neighbours, or lived in a profligate manner, then they will be tormented hereafter with hunger and thirst. When they carry the body out to be buried, some of their idols are carried in procession, and some provisions are put into the grave.

In the funeral ceremonies of their kings, there is something shocking to human nature. When the body is carried out to the sepulchre, hymns are sung by several persons hired for that purpose; and, as soon as the corpse, is laid in the grave, or tomb, all his wives, concubines, ministers of state, and such others as had their dependence on him, drink a glass of poison each, and it is generally so strong, that they expire within an hour afterwards. These are all laid in the same grave with the king, in order to accompany him to the other world; and along with him, are likewise buried, six horses, twelve camels, an elephant, and twenty hunting hounds, with which he is to divert himself, when he comes into a state of bliss.

น

We have already taken notice, that the Heathens above described, make use of copper vessels, instead of bells, to frighten away such devils as may want to disturb the repose of the dead. This naturally leads us to inquire into the antiquity, and use of bells in churches. The Heathen Greeks and Romans, knew nothing of bells, and, with respect to the Christians, during the three first centuries, they' were obliged to meet in their assemblies, in the most private manner. Baronius is of opinion, that there was a certain person, belonging to every congregation, appointed to go round to every member, and give notice of the time of meeting, nor is this at all improbable.

During the fifth and sixth centuries, we find, that in Egypt and Palestine, trumpets were used to call the people together for divine service; but, in the monasteries, the monks took it in their turns, to go about to the doors of the cells, and knock at the windows with a hammer. In a nunnery erected at Jerusalem, in the fifth century, by Paula, a Roman lady, the usual signal was given by singing Hallelujah; but in other parts of the east it was by striking one piece of wood against another.

It is not certainly known at what time bells were first used in the western church, but it is generally supposed to have been about the beginning of the seventeenth century; although the Popish writers, particularly cardinal Bona, have attempted to make them as ancient as the time of Constantine the Great; because the Heathens in that age used small bells in their temples, to put the people in mind of devotion; but this author is not countenanced in his opinion by any writer of repute.

When the Turks became masters of Constantinople, they prohibited the Greeks from making use of bells, for which reason those poor afflicted people hung upon trees bent plates of iron, like those on our cart wheels, with holes in them lengthways, and upon these plates they chimed with little iron hammers, to call the monks together to prayer. In the Romish church there is much superstition prac

tised in the use of bells, and they are said to represent the duration of the gospel, the sound of which is gone out into all lands. They likewise represent the faithful praising God, and the ministers preaching the word. A bell cannot be used in a Roman Catholic Church till it has been consecrated in the following manner:

The bell is hung up, and disposed in such a manner as to leave room for certain persons to walk round it: having previously prepared a pot of holy water, another of oil, and one of salt, with incense, myrrh and cotton, with a piece of bread, the priest begins the procession, attended by the principal persons in the parish, particularly those who contributed towards furnishing the church with a bell.The procession begins at the vestry, and the priest who officiated, having seated himself near the bell, delivers a discourse to the people concerning the nature of their ceremony. He then mixes some salt with holy water, and repeats a prayer in Latin, begging that God would make the bell efficacious in the driving away evil spirits, in exciting people to devotion, to prevent tempests, earthquakes, and, in a word, all those natural afflictions which men are subject to in this life. He then dips a brush, or sprinkler, in the holy water, and sprinkles it three times over the bell, saying, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Then the vessel containing the oil is opened, and the officiating priest dips the thumb of his right hand into it, and applies it to the middle of the bell, signing it with the sign of the cross. Then the twenty-eighth psalm is sung, and the bell is crossed

seven times, and dedicated to a particular saint.— Last of all, the bell is perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and the whole is concluded by a prayer, which is called "the dew of the Holy Ghost.'

According to the Romish writers, these ceremonies point out some particular mysteries. Thus the consecration of the bells, points out the duty of pastors; the washing with holy water points out the sacrifices of baptism; the seven crosses, that pastors should exceed all other persons in the graces of the Holy Spirit; and that as the smoke of the perfume rises in the bell and fills it, so a pastor, adorned with the graces of the Spirit, receives the perfume of the vows and prayers of the faithful. But some of their writers have carried the mystical meaning of bells still farther. Thus they tell us, that the metal signifies the strength of the preacher's understanding, and the clapper his tongue; the stroke of the clapper, the tongue's censure of vice; and that which holds the clapper, the moderation of the tongue. The wood to which the bell is fastened, denotes the wood of the cross; and the parts to which the wood is fixed, the oracles of the prophets. iron by which the bell is fixed to the wood, points out the preacher's attachment to the cross of Christ. There are likewise several mysteries to the bell ropes; thus the three cords of which the rope is made, points out the three senses of the scriptures, viz. the historical, moral, and allegorical. In the same manner the heathers discover mysteries in their bells, but the Turks will not suffer a bell in their places of worship.

The

PEGU is one of the provinces situated beyond the Ganges, and the established religion is Paganism.In their sentiments, the people hold the same belief as was professed by some of the Christian heretics, particularly the Manicheans; for they affirm, that there are two supreme powers, the one good and the other evil. For this reason they sacrifice to the devil, as the author of all evil, and not to the good Being, because they believe he cannot or will not hurt them thus they adore the devil, to procure his favour and indulgence, and to him, though under different images, they offer up their vows and prayers. They believe in an eternal succession of worlds, and that as soon as one is burnt up, another springs out of its ashes. They have such an exalted notion of

the sanctity of crocodiles, that they believe such as are devoured by them are carried up to heaven.— The believe that apes have human souls, and that they formerly were men; but to punish them for some crimes they had been guilty of, the gods transformed them into their present shape. But the creature most adored by them is the white elephant; and one of the king of Pegu's titles is, lord of the white elephant. All these creatures are served in dishes of silver, curiously gilt, and when they are led out for an airing, musicians play before them on different

sorts of instruments.

As they walk along, six persons of distinction hold a canopy over them, and when they return, one of the king's gentlemen ushers waits with a silver

bason and washes their feet. The temples in Pegu are called Varellas, and are all built in the form of pyramids, having the basis very broad; and it is related, that in one of them are no less than one hundred and twenty thousand idols; but probably many of these are small, and perhaps some of them are

more than hieroglyphics, which is customary throughout most parts of the east. As there are many pilgrims who visit these temples, so most of them are endowed with great riches, and in the porch is a large font, where they wash their feet. Their first act of worship is to lay their hands on their heads, as a sign of reverence due to the object of their adoration. Besides these temples, which in some sense may be called their cathedrals, or capital churches, they have many smaller ones, which answer the same end as parish churches, and these are called Kiacks; but they are only the great ones that are visited by the pilgrims, for in them alone the grand sacrifices are offered, the chief idols have their altars, and the priests of the highest reputation reside.

As the devil is the grand object of their worship, so they have many altars erected in honour of him, and these are adorned with flowers, and sacrifices are daily offered on them, to appease his wrath, and obtain his favour. When they are seized with sickness, they make solemn vows, that if they recover, they will erect altars, and offer up sacrifices upon them; and some of their devotees run through the streets of their cities, in the morning before daylight, with torches in their hands, and carrying baskets full of rice, exclaiming, that they are going to supply the devil with all sorts of provisions. Their intention in this is, to prevent the devil, for that day, from roving about seeking whom he may destroy.

If a dog happens to follow at the heels of one of these devotees, then they sincerely believe that the devil has given him a commission to devour what they were carrying to the altar, and without farther ceremony, they throw it on the ground. Others never taste their victuals till they have thrown some part behind them, which is either eaten up by the dogs or by devils, as they imagine; for they bekeve that dogs are sent as ambassadors from the devil. Nay, it sometimes happens, that when a fit of devotion seizes the master of a family, he will retire from his house for a whole month, taking his wife and children along with him, and leave the possession of it to the devil; and in all cases of that nature, the house is left very clean, and genteelly furnished.

Throughout the whole of this kingdom, Monday is set apart for religious worship, and on that day their priests, whom they call talapoins, preach sermons to the people in their temples.

They have several solemn festivals one of which is called Sapan-Giache, and is a kind of pilgrimage,

which the king and queen, with all the royal family, and a great concourse of people make to a place above twelve miles from the capital. Ou the morning of this festival, the king and queen set out in a triumphal chariot, so elegantly adorned with jewels and precious stones, that it dazzles the eyes of the spectators, who behold it with silent admiration.-Another of their festivals is called Sapan-Catena, and consists partly in making small pyramidical figures to please the king and his wives. As the king is to be the judge of every artist's performance, so they all conceal themselves in different apartments, that none may see each other's work before they are presented to the sovereign. Such of the performances as are approved of, the king takes along with him, and this the artist considers as one of the highest honours that can be conferred upon bim..

Another feast is called Sapan-Daiche, and it is properly one of their water festivals. The king, with all the royal family, sprinkle themselves with water, in which roses have been steeped; and all the civil, as well as the military officers, follow their example. Some of this water is thrown out of the windows upon the heads of the populace as they pass along, but many of them are so regardless of it, that they keep themselves within doors. their solemn festivals are regulated by the change of the moon, and they have one called Sapan-Donon, on which day their watermen, or those who ply at their ferries, row for a prize, and whoever obtains it, receives a robe from the king, which he wears ever afterwards, when he attends sacrifice in the temple.

All

Their priests, or talapoins, are not admitted into orders till they are upwards of twenty, and till they arrive at that age, they are brought up in proper schools, according to their own systein of learning. Previous to their admission, they are strictly examined concerning the progress they have made in learning, and with respect to every article of their faith. They are obliged to swear that they will renounce all the gaieties of this world, and live in a state of celibacy, and this examination they go through several times.. When the novice has gone through his examination, and obtained the approbation of his superiors, he is mounted on a fine horse, and led along the streets in triumph, with drums beating and music playing. This is their last farewel to all the pomp and vanities of this world; and as soon as they have put on the habit, they are conducted to a place resembling a convent, situated at a small distance from the town. This convent consists of a long row of cells, built on the side of the road, and each of them is about seven or eight feet high, but some of them are built in the. woods.