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The king of Ethiopia was termed a fly, and the king of Affyria a bee, probably because in picture writing they were reprefented by these symbols, Ifa. vii. 18.. "The Lord fhall hifs "for the fly that is in the uttermoft part of the rivers of Egypt, " and for the bee that is in the land of Affyria,” that is, the Lord fhall call the Ethiopian and Affyrian kings to avenge his quar

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3. In the picture writing, a fword and a bow being symbols war, the prophets use the names of these warlike instruments. to denote great warriors; and arms in general, to denote a powerful warlike nation, fuch as the Romans, Dan. xi. 31.And gigantic fiature, for a mighty leader of an army ;—and balances, weights, and measures, for a judge, or a magiftrate.-In like manner, because in picture writing a fceptre denoted the administration of government, the word is used in that fignification by Jacob in his prophecy, Gen. xlix. 10. "The Sceptré shall not depart," &c. and the annihilation of the power of Moab, by the breaking of his fceptre, Jerem. xlviii. 17. “All "ye that are about him, bemoan him, and all ye that know his name say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful " rod !"

4. The figure of a ftar being ufed in picture writing as a fymbol of the Deity, that word was used by Balaam to denote the Jewish Meffiah, of whofe divine nature and government he feems to have had fome obfcure conception, Numb. xxiv. 17. "There shall come a far out of Jacob, and a fceptre shall arise "out of Ifrael."-Alfo, aftar, in picture writing, denoted the image of a god. Thus, Amos v. 26. "The far of your god, "which ye made to yourselves," made to yourselves," means the material image of your God.-Laftly, the fun, moon, und ftars, were used in picture writing, as fymbols of the founders of nations, and of the fathers of tribes, and as the fymools alfo of mighty kings. Thus the king of Babylon is called, Ifa. xiv. 12. " Lucifer, fon "of the morning." Thus alfo in ordinary discourse, the fun, moon, and ftars were used to denote patriarchs and princes. Accordingly, when Jofeph, Gen. xxxviii. 9. "faid I have dreamed ❝a dream, and behold the fun and the moon, and the eleven "ftars made obeifance to me," his father understanding his

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words in their symbolical and true meaning, " rebuked him, and "faid to him,-Shall I and thy mother and brethren indeed "come to bow down ourselves to thee, to the earth?"-But as the heavenly bodies mentioned by Jofeph, could not appear, even in a dream, as making obeifance to him, we may believe that he faw in his dream, not the heavenly bodies, but a vifionary representation of his parents and brethren making obeisance to him; and that in relating this to his father, he chose from modesty to express it, in symbolical rather than in plain language. Befides, as there never was any collection of stars called the eleven ftars, the application which Jacob made of that appellation to Jofeph's eleven brethren, fhews clearly that the word ftar, in common fpeech, was used to fignify the father of a

tribe.

5. That the ufe of ensigns, for diftinguishing tribes and nations, was very ancient, we learn from Mofes's command, Numb. ii. 2. "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch "by his own ftandard with the enfign of their father's house." What the enfigns of the Ifraelitish tribes were, Mofes hath not told us. But, because our Lord who fprang from Judah is called, Rev. v. 5. "The lion of the tribe of Judah," it is conjectured that the tribe of Judah had for its enfign, a lion; that Judah affumed that device because Jacob in blessing his children before his death had termed Judah a lion's whelp; and that the other tribes affumed for their enfigns, the pictures of the animals and trees to which Jacob had likened them. But be this as it may, it is probable that in the enfigns, by which tribes and nations anciently diftinguished themselves, they painted the figures of fuch animals, trees, &c. as were emblematical of the qualities, circumftances, and events, by which they thought themselves most honoured.-Hence, it was natural in picture writing, to represent a nation or tribe by the thing which it carried as its enfign; and in speaking of a nation or tribe, to call it by the name of its enfign. Accordingly, Jeremiah likens Egypt to a very fair heifer, chap. xlvi. 20. either because the Egyptians carried in their enfigns the image of a heifer, which was the symbol of Ifis their tutelary divinity; or, because they were represented in fculpture by that device. And this per

haps

haps is the reason that in Pharaoh's dream, Egypt was fymbolically reprefented by kine.-In like manner, because the Roman armies had for their enfign the image of an eagle, they are. called in our Lord's prophecy of the deftruction of Jerusalem, Eagles, Matt. xxiv. 28. Wherefoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.-Since then it was customary to call a nation by the name of its enfign, "The burden of the beasts of "the fouth," Ifa. xxx. 6. means, the prophecy concerning the deftruction of the nations of the fouth, who had beasts for their enfigns. And fince the Affyrians are called by the prophet Isaiah, chap. viii. 7. The waters of the river, it is not improbable that their armies carried in their enfigns a picture of the Euphrates, not only on account of the advantages which their country derived from that river, but because it was a fit emblem of the irresistible force of their armies. Wherefore, the Affyrians being reprefented in picture-writing by the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris, the great whore, who is said, Rev. xvii. 1. "To fit upon many waters," fignifies an idolatrous power which ruled over many populous nations.

6. The fymbols, by which nations and cities were anciently represented in picture writing, were commonly formed on some remarkable quality belonging to them. Thus, because the laws, institutions, and discipline, peculiar to a city or nation, were intended to form the manners of their people, it was natural to confider that nation or city as a mother. This I fuppose was the reason that, on coins and in sculpture, nations and cities were symbolically reppresented by a young woman fitting on a throne, magnificently attired, and furrounded with emblems expreffive of the qualities, by which that nation was diftinguished. Hence the Jewish prophets, in the difcourfes which they addreffed to nations and cities, termed them daughters, and virgin daughters, in allufion to the above defcribed symbol, Ifai. xxii. 4. "I will weep bitterly, because of the spoiling "of the daughter of my people." Zechar. ii. 7. "Deliver thyself, "O Zion, that dwelleft with the daughter of Babylon."Jerem. xiv. 17. "Let mine eyes run down with tears night "and day, for the virgin daughter of my people is broken "with a great breach.”—Jerem. xlvi. 11, "Go up into Gi"lead

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"lead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt. In "vain fhalt thou ufe many medicines, for thou fhalt not be

"cured."

7. In the ancient picture writing, it would feem, that persons and things were reprefented by the figures of the things to which they were metaphorically likened. Hence, in speaking of them, they were called by the names of these things. For example, because anciently men were metaphorically likened to trees, (Cant. ii. 3. v. 15.) princes and great men, in the animated language of the eaftern nations, were called by the name of such trees as were remarkable for their magnitude and beauty; and had the properties of these trees afcribed to them. Thus, the great men of Judah were called by Sennacherib, the tall cedars of Lebanon, and the common people, the choice Ifa. xxxvii. 24. By the multitude of my come up to the fides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees there"of."-Zechar. xi. 1. Open thy doors O Lebanon, that the "fire may devour thy cedars. Howl fir trees, for the cedar is «fallen; because the mighty are spoiled! Howl O ye oaks of "Bafhan." See also Ifa. ii. 13.-16.—In like manner, Jeremiah calls the whole people of a country a forest, chap. xxi. 14. "I will kindle a fire in the foreft thereof, and it shall devour all "things round about it."-The fame prophet fpeaking to Judah, faith, chap. xi. 16. "The Lord called thy name a green

fir trees thereof. chariots am I

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olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit."-Hence Meffiah is foretold under the idea of a branch of a tree. Jerem. xxiii. 5. "Behold the days come, faith the Lord, that I will raise "unto David a righteous branch."-Zechar. vi. 12. "Behold "the man whose name is the branch, and he shall grow up out of "his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Suitably to the fame, idea, the place out of which this branch was to grow, is thus defcribed.-Ifa. xi. 1. "There fhall come forth a "rod out of the ftem of Jeffe, and a branch fhall grow out of his "root, and the Spirit of the Lord fhall rest upon him."

8. Anciently Princes were metaphorically called Shepherds, and their fubjects sheep, because the care which they took of their people refembled the care which fhepherds take of their flocks.

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2 Sam. xxiv. 17. "I have finned, I have done wickedly; but "these fheep, what have they done?"-Homer likewife often calls his princes, shepherds of the people.-Among the Jews, the priests alfo were called Shepherds, becaufe it was a part of their office to teach the people the law. Ezek. xxxiv. 2. " Wo to "the Shepherds of Ifrael that do feed themselves; should not "the shepherds feed the flock ?"—This phrafeology paffed from the Jewish into the Chriftian church. For Chrift is called the chief fhepherd, and the ministers of the gospel are confidered as fubordinate Shepherds employed by him to take care of the people. I Pet. v. 2. "Feed the flock of God," ver. 4. "And "when the chief Shepherd fhall appear, ye fhall receive the "crown of glory which fadeth not away."

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9. Because it is usual, in all languages, metaphorically to afcribe to men the qualities of beafts, and to call them by the name of fuch beafts as they refemble in their difpofitions, the Pfalmift in predicting Chrift's fufferings, termed his enemies, Strong bulls of Bafban, the country moft famous for its breed of kine. Pfal. xxii. 12. Many bulls have compaffed me: Strong "bulls of Baban have befet me round about. They gaped up"on me with their mouths, as a ravening and roaring lion." In like manner the prophet Amos, to mark the ftupidity and brutality of the great men of Samaria who oppreffed the people, reproved them under the name of Kine of Bafhan, chap. iv. 1. "Hear this word, ye kine of Bafhan, that are in the mountain "of Samaria, which oppress the poor," &c. Upon the fame foundation, the Ifraelitish nation is spoken of as a beaft of prey in Balaam's prophecy: and hath the actions of a beast of prey afcribed to it, Numb. xxiv. 3. "God brought him forth out of "Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. He "fhall eat up the nations his enemies, and fhall break their "bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9. He couch❝ed, he lay down as a lion, and who fhall ftir him up?”

SECT. III. Of the Allegorical Manner of writing.

When the custom, described in the preceding section, of fubftituting the symbol, the device, and the metaphor, for the thing fignified

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