Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

24 THE GODS OF THE NATIONSauthority. True, indeed, there were here and therewhispers of secret rites in which a pure and chastelife was recommended, but where were the buildingsdedicated to the public preaching of suchtruths? Places there were in abundance consecratedto the celebration of infamous games, rightlytermed "Fugalia," since they put modesty and decencyto flight, but none where the people mightlisten to divine commands repressing avarice, ambition,or unchaste desire. Thus with the positiveinculcation of all evil, under cover of theirown example, was united the negative absence of22all moral teaching.For even the prayers which accompanied thesesacrifices and this ceremonial, and this lavish ex-hibition of every human wickedness under divinenames, were not addressed for moral goods, butfor wealth, bodily strength, temporal prosperity.Horace but expresses the general mind when hesays :" Sed satis est orare Jovem quas donat et aufert;Det vitam, det opes, asquum mi aninmni ipse parabo."(JEpist. i. 18, 111.)They were moreover viewed as carrying with thema sort of physical force, not as prevailing throughpurity of intention in those who offered them. Infact, the gods to whom they were addressed werepowers of nature, or malignant and impure powers,22 De Civ. Dei, ii. 6. " Demonstrentur vel commemorentur loca-ubipopuli audirent quid dii prseciperent de cohibenda avaritia, ambitionefrangenda. luxuria refrasnanda." See also sec. 28.