❝ mind cafting about for fomething in the divine nature analo

gous to the image, lays hold on fome great, obscure, vague idea, which the endeavours in vain to comprehend, and is. " loft in immenfity and aftonishment. See De S. Poefi. Hebr. "Prel. xvi. Sub. fin. where this matter is treated and illuftrated "by examples."

From the above ingenious remarks it appears, that notwithstanding metaphors and other figures derive their origin from the poverty of language, they infufe both ftrength and beauty into any discourse where they are judiciously used. By exhibiting fenfible pictures of our conceptions accompanied with pleasant images, they maké a strong impreffion on the mind of the hearers: for which reason they have found a place, not in the ancient languages only, but in all the modern tongues also ; not excepting those which are the most copious and the most refined in fo much that it hath become the bufinefs of the poets and orators, to ranfack the whole compass of nature in fearch of refemblances between fenfible and intellectual objects, on which to graft metaphors. And, not fatisfied with natural and apparent likeneffes, the most remote and difparate resemblances, nay refemblances founded merely on popular opinion, local prejudices, and national customs, have been made the foundation of metaphors.-Hence that diverfity of figurative expreffions obfervable in the languages of nations living at a distance from each other. Hence alfo, the figures, which to one nation appear natural and expreffive, to others appear unnatural, tumid, and ridiculous.

SECT. II. Of Picture-writing

and of its Influence in the Formation of the Primitive Languages.

In the early ages, after men had acquired any branch of ufeful knowledge, either by research or by obfervation, they naturally wished to communicate that knowledge to their con temporaries, and even to transmit it to pofterity. But this they could not do effectually, till they contrived a method of making fpeech the object of fight. When this was accomplished, the

knowledge

knowledge which they conveyed to the ears of a few by pronounced speech, it was in their power to convey to multitudes, even in the most di tant countries, by the eye.

The first method of rendering speech visible, was that which history informs us was practifed by all the ancient nations we have any knowledge of, from the Chinese in the east to the Mexicans in the west, and from the Egyptians in the South to the Scythians in the north. All these, taught by nature, formed images or pictures on wood, or flone, or clay, of the fenfible objects for which they had invented names, and of which they had occafion to difcourfe. By these pictures they reprefented not only the things themselves, but the articulate founds or names also by which they were called. Thus to express, in that kind of writing, a man, or a horse, that is, to express both the name and the thing, they drew its picture on fome permanent fubftance, whereby, not only the thing itfelf, but its name was immediately fuggested to thofe who looked on its picture. But this method being tedious, the Egyptians, who it is fuppofed were the inventers of picture writing, fhortened it by converting the picture into a fymbol, which, as Warburton, to whom I am indebted for many particulars in this fection, obferves in his Divine Legation, they did in three ways. 1. By making the principal part of the symbol stand for the whole of it, and by agreeing that that part should exprefs the character of the thing reprefented by the fymbol. Thus, they expreffed a fuller by two feet standing in water; and a charioteer by an arm holding a whip. This is what is called the Curiologic Hieroglyphic.-From this, the Egyptians proceeded to a more artful method of rendering speech vifible and permanent; namely, by putting the inftruments, whether real or metaphorical, by which a thing was done, for the thing done. Thus, they expressed a battle by two hands, the one holding a field, the other a bow: a fiege by a fealing ladder : the divine omniscience, by an eye eminently placed: a monarch by an eye and a fceptre. Sometimes they reprefented the agent without the inftrument, to fhew the quality of the action. Thus a judge was expreffed by a man without hands looking downwards, to fhew that a judge ought not to be moved either by interest or pity. This method was called The Tropologic Hieroglyphic.-3. Their

third, and most artificial method of abridging picture writing, was to make one thing ftand for another, where any refemblance or analogy, however far fetched, could be observed between the thing represented and the thing by which it was reprefented, whether that resemblance was founded in nature, or in popular opinion only. Thus a ferpent, on account of its vigour and spirit, its longevity and revirefcence, was made the fymbol of the divine nature: a mouse was used to reprefent deAruction: a wildgoat, uncleannefs: a fly, impudence: an ant, knowledge: a ferpent in a circle, the universe: and the variegated Spots of the ferpent's skin, the fiars. This method of writing was called, The allegorical, analogical, or fymbolical Hieroglyphic. And being formed on their knowledge of phyfics, the marks of which it was compofed increafed in number, as the Egyptians, the inventers of picture writing, increased in science.

But, in regard there are many qualities and relations of things which are not objects of fenfe, and many complex moral modes and other mental conceptions, which cannot be likened to any object of fenfe, confequently, which cannot be expreffed by any picture natural or fymbolical, it became neceffary, in all kinds of picture writing, to introduce arbitrary marks for expreffing these qualities, relations, and modes. Yet even with this aid, picture writing was ftill very defective and obfcure. The Chinese, therefore, to improve the method of rendering speech visible and permanent by writing, threw away the images or pictures altogether, and substituted in their place new marks, formed, it is faid, from the images. However, as in this way of writing every word required a distinct character or mark, and as the greatest part of thefe characters were arbitrary, the difficulty of acquiring the knowledge of the meaning of fuch a multitude of characters, was fo great, that very few could attain to it. Meanwhile, the Chinese method of denoting the feparate words of which speech confifteth, by feparate marks, is fuppofed by some to have fuggested to the ingenious in other nations, the idea of expreffing, by feparate marks, the diftinct articulate founds of which words are compofed. Hence, the alphabetical or literal method of writing arose,

which, on account of its great facility and utility, hath come into general use among all civilized nations, except the Chinese themselves.

The literal method of writing, is generally faid to have been first practised by the Phenicians. But whether they, or whoever else first used that method of rendering speech visible, were the inventers of the art; or, whether, as Plato and Tully thought, De Leg. lib. iv. fect. 4. they were fupernaturally asfifted in the invention, is hard to determine. This however is certain, that the books of Mofes were written in the literal method. And fome learned men have thought, the first specimen of literal writing was that which God himself engraved on the two tables of stone, and gave to Mofes on the Mount; who being taught the meaning of the characters by inspiration, communicated the knowledge of the fame to the Ifraelites, from whom it paffed to the Phenicians. Perhaps it may be fome confirmation of this conjecture to observe, that the Chinese, though they have long poffeffed the art of writing by characters, have never been able to attain the method of writing by letters.

I have given the above account of the art of rendering speech visible and permanent by picture writing, not as a matter of curiofity, but to fhew the influence which the hieroglyphical manner of writing had on the ancient languages. For the fymbols used in that kind of writing, denoting the names of things, as well as the things themselves, in speaking, men would naturally give to the things represented, both the name and the qualities of the symbol by which it was represented. Hence arofe a new species of metaphor, altogether unknown in the speech of modern nations, and forming a kind of language which, though it may appear to us fanciful and dark, was well understood, and made a strong impreffion on those who were accustomed to it.-This higher kind of metaphorical language claims particular attention, because it is that in which the divine revelations, especially those concerning future events, were communicated to mankind, and in which they still remain recorded in fcripture. Wherefore, to fhew the influence which picture writing, particularly of the fymbolical kind, had to introduce into the ancient languages the boldeft, and in the VOL. VI. opinion

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opinion of modern nations, the most extravagant metaphors, the following examples are propofed to the reader's confidera

tion.

1. A fupreme ruler being represented in symbolical writing by a man with four wings, and his lieutenants or princes by one with two wings; and the stretching out of wings fignifying action or defign, (Divine Leg. b. iv. fect. 4.) the names of these symbols were naturally used in the ancient languages for the things fignified by them. Hence Ifaiah predicting the invafion of Judea by the king of Affyria, hath termed it the ftretching out of his wings so as to cover and defolate the whole land, Ifai. viii. 8. "The stretching out of his wings fhall fill the breadth of thy "land, O Immanuel."-By the like metaphor, Jeremiah predicted the defolation of Moab, chap. xlviii. 40. "He fhall

fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.”—In the fame highly figurative language, Ifaiah denounced destruction to a kingdom which oppreffed other countries by the greatness of its power, chap. xviii. 1. "Woe to the land fhadowing with wings.”—This use of the symbol fhews the propriety of giving the wings of a fowl to two of the four beafts, which in Daniel's vifion reprefented the four great monarchies. By that fymbol, the devaftation which these monarchies were to bring on other nations, and the speed and force with which they would act, were ftrongly and beautifully represented to those who understood symbolical picture writing. -It fhews us likewise how the power of God in protecting his people, came to be termed his feathers and his wings; and the confidence of his people in his power to protect them, by their trusting in the covert of his wings.

2. A crocodile was one of the symbols, by which in the ancient picture writing the kingdom of Egypt was represented, Div. Leg. b. iv. fect. 4. Hence the Egyptians are called, Pfal. lxxiv. 13. Dragons in the waters; and, ver. 14. their king is called leviathan. — And, “The great dragon that lieth in "the midst of his rivers, Ezek. xxix. 3.”—So also, Ifa. xxvii. 1. "In that day the Lord with his fore, and great, and strong "sword, fhall punish leviathan the piercing ferpent, even leviathan that crooked ferpent, and he fhall flay the dra« gon."

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