From the observations of this chapter, we draw the conclusion that all the various kinds of idolatry which have existed in the world, can be traced to a common source, namely, the Satanic substitution of the worship of the _Sun_, _Fire_, or _Light_, which was the emblem of the glory of God, for the worship of the Great Insessor of the Cherubim, who _dwelleth in the Light_ which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; and who only hath immortality. We further conclude, that the tradition respecting the _Shechinah_, or glorious emblem of his Divine presence, passed through the family of Noah, and on it was grafted the idolatrous scheme which raised a temple to the _Sun_ at Babel; that traces of the existence of this worship among Europeans and Asiatics, and Indians of both hemispheres, from the remotest times, are to be found in their traditions respecting the heavenly bodies, and in the names and attributes ascribed to their false divinities; and that the antiquity of the Hindoos and Chinese, as nations, within the limits of the true system of Chronology, is no more to be doubted than that of the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians. In fine, the astronomical observations and religious worship of the former appear to have been so intimately connected, that, as we shall see in a subsequent chapter, a higher degree of credence must be yielded to the ancient records or traditions of both, than they have hitherto received among the learned world.[52] CHAPTER III. TRADITIONARY AND POETICAL AGES OF THE WORLD. 1. Tradition concerning the Seventh Age—Prophecy of the Universal Saviour—Traditions of the Jews—Opinion of Irenæus and the Christian Church in his time—Dr. Russell’s opinion confuted—Testimony of the Heathen to the Tradition of the _Seven Ages_—Digression on the Corruptions of the Septuagint and the Hebrew text—Arguments against the numerical accuracy of the latter—Remarkable prophecy contained in the names of the _Antediluvian_ Patriarchs—Opinions of Augustine and Abulfarajius—Notion of Dr. Isaac Barrow—Important admission of Eusebius—Opinion of Ephrem Syrus. The idea that the improvement and the happiness of the human race is progressive, and that the succeeding age is always to be superior to the present, appears to have prevailed in every clime and in every age of the world. Such a sentiment seems indeed to be interwoven with our very nature and constitution; and the words of the Poet are true, not only of each individual of the species, but also of every successive generation:— “Hope springs eternal in the human breast, Man _never is_, but _always to be_ blest.”