"How it came to pass that man, originally taught, as we doubt not he was, to know and to worship the true Jehovah, is found, at so early a period of his history, a worshiper of baser objects, it is foreign to our present purpose to inquire"

This quote by Simon Greenleaf is describing the fact that man was initially taught to worship the true God, Jehovah, but at an early point in history, male was found to be worshipping other, lesser gods. Greenleaf does not try to describe why this took place, as it is not the purpose of his current work. This quote suggests that man was initially taught to praise the one real God, but at some time, man strayed from this mentor and began worshipping other gods. This could be due to a range of reasons, such as an absence of understanding of the true God, or a desire to worship something more concrete. Whatever the factor, it is clear that male has strayed from the original teaching of worshipping the one real God.