ELEMENTS OF MYTHOLOGY

THOSE young persons who live in the present age of the world, and who are educated as Christians, often hear of other gods besides that true and only God who is represented to them as the father of all intelligent beings, and the maker of every existing thing. They learn from this, that men have not all, and always, worshipped that pure and holy Spirit, who has been represented to them as the only proper object of trust and praise: and in reading the Scriptures they perceive, that God has forbidden the worship of images. They must naturally ask, what nations have worshipped idols, and why they have worshipped them.

This question is answered by the fact, that when men first spread themselves over the habitable earth, they forgot and altered the revelation which God had made to Adam, Noah, and other patriarchs, and invented new and false gods, whom they adored. It pleased God to select one nation, to whom, in order to preserve the knowledge of himself in the world, he revealed himself in a particular manner.

The fables connected with the false religions of antiquity are still carefully preserved. They constituted the religious faith of civilized nations; are often mentioned in ancient and modern history and poetry, and are often very amusing. Mythology,

or the history of fable, is necessary to be known, because it explains many books, statues, and pictures, and enables us to comprehend the value of our own simple and true faith-the doctrines taught by Moses, the prophets, and the Lord Jesus Christ. The fables of Greece and Rome are the most interesting and the best known, therefore they must take the first place in the following compend of mythology, which is designed to bring into one view, for the use of young persons, some of the most remarkable fables, and best known usages, of ancient and modern paganism.

MYTHOLOGY is the history of the gods and god desses who have been worshipped by heathen nations in different countries and ages of the world.

Heathens, or pagans, are people who are not acquainted with the true and only God, and who worship false divinities. Heathens sometimes worship images of the deities whom they reverence. The worshippers of images are Idolaters, the images are Idols, and the worship is Idolatry.

Men were first taught by God himself, that there is a God. Instruction directly from God is Revelation. We learn from the Bible that God manifested, or made himself known to some good men, and instructed them concerning the worship and conduct which he requires of human beings.

The most remarkable individuals whom God appointed to instruct mankind concerning himself, were the Patriarchs, the Prophets, and lastly our Lord Jesus Christ. The patriarchs to whom God more especially revealed himself were Adam, Noah and Abraham. Patriarch signifies a father.

As soon as Adam was created, God imparted to him the knowledge of himself and of the uses to

which his gifts were to be applied. The first and secondhapters of Genesis contain this fact. Adam was formed nearly six thousand years ago. Sixteen hundred years after Adam, God taught Noah his own character and will. Four hundred years after Noah, Abraham was also instructed how to serve God acceptably; and four hundred years after Abraham, and fifteen centuries before the birth of Christ, Moses, more fully than any of his predecessors, was instructed in the nature of a holy worship.

After Moses, prophets, at different times taught mankind their duty to God. The prophets were persons instructed by God concerning himself, and concerning events which were to happen after they were foretold. Moses was a prophet when he foretold, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thy brethren like unto me."

This prophet was our Saviour Jesus Christ, who came into the world as Moses had predicted.

Moses was succeeded by other prophets. Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, &c. were prophets. The patriarchs, the prophets, and Christ taught that God is one-a spirit infinitely wise, powerful, holy, just, and merciful; and that he requires all human creatures to serve him in truth, that is, to confess or worship him before men; to love him with the whole heart and to keep the commandments.

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Those persons to whom God revealed himself thus were all of one nation; they were the Hebrews, and dwelt on the eastern border of the Mediterranean, in Palestine, anciently Judea. The Hebrews are styled the chosen people, that ineans, they were chosen by God to be instructed in a true religion, and to teach it to the rest of mankind.

The other nations of the world were partially taught the character of the Supreme Being by the Hebrews. All other nations believed in a plurality