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ES. VIII. Of the right Interpretation of, &c. Sect, I. that purpose the b-ft method feems to be, to confider in whatmanner language was originally formed.

The first ideas which come into the human mind, being those which enter by the senses, it is reasonable to believe that names for expreffing fenfible objects would be invented before any others; and after them, terms for expreffing thofe operations of the fenfes, by which the ideas of fenfible objects are acquired, -And because the operation of the fenfes have some refemblance to the operations of intellect, to exprefs the operations of intellect, mankind would naturally have recourse to the words by which they expreffed the operation of the fenfes.-Thus, many words of the primitive language of mankind, must have had a twofold fignification. According to the one fignification, they denoted ideas of sense, and according to the other they denoted ideas of intellect. So that although these words were the fame in refpect of their found, they were really different words in respect of their fignification: And to mark that difference, after the nature of language came to be accurately investigated, the words which denoted the ideas of fenfe, when ufed to exprefs the ideas of intellect, were called by critics, metaphors, from a Greek verb which fignifies to transfer; because these words fo used, were carried away from their original meaning to a dif ferent one, which however had some resemblance to it.

Metaphorical meanings being affixed to words in the ancient languages to remedy the poverty of these languages, it is plain that he more ancient any language is, it will confift of the fewer words, confequently the more numerous and bold its metaphors will be Accordingly, we find that the primitive languages, and even the languages of favage tribes, which may be ranked with the primitive languages, are all of them highly figurative. On this subject it is proper to observe, that even after a language has become fufficiently copious, if the people who use it poffefs a vigorous and warm imagination, and are favourably fituated for enjoying fenfual gratifications, as is the cafe with most of the eastern nations, being by these circumstances peculiarly disposed to relish the fenfible pictures exhibited in metaphorical and other figurative expreffions, fuch a people, instead of retrenching, will rather multiply thefe expreffions. Hence the lan

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guage of that people will be more figurative than the languages of nations whose imagination is languid, and whose situation does not permit them to be occupied in fenfual gratifications, This is the reafon that the language of the Hebrews, and of the other eastern nations, by the multitude, the variety, the boldnefs, and even the extravagance of its metaphorical expreffions, is diftinguished from the more temperate speech of the nations in the western parts of the world, whofe imagination is not fo warm, and whofe climate and foil are not fo favourable to Juxury, as theirs.

Of the bold metaphors used by the ancient Hebrews, the following examples are all taken from their facred books,Gen. iv. 10. "The voice of thy brother's blood, crieth to me "from the ground."— Gen. xix, 26. "His wife looked back

« from behind him, and she became a pillar of falt.” —Gen. xlix. 11. "He washed his clothes in the blood of grapes," to fignify that Judah was to inhabit a country fruitful in vines. Pfal. v. 9. "Their throat is an open fepulchre.”—Pfal. Ix. 3. "Thou haft made us to drink the wine of astonishment.”—Pfal, Jxxviii. 25. "Man did eat angel's food: he fent them meat t› the full."-Pfal. cxxix. 3. "The plowers plowed upon my back, "they made long their furrows.”—Isa. xxxiv. 3. "The "mountains fhall be melted with their blood."-ver. 4. " And "all the host of heaven fhall be diffolved, and the heavens shall "be rolled together as a scroll."—ver. 6. "The fword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatnefs."—Ifa. xiv. 23. "I will fweep it with the befom of deftruction, faith "the Lord of hosts."-Jerem. xx. 7. "O Lord thou haft «deceived me, and I was deceived."―Ifa. v. Į. "My well "beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." In the ori ginal it is On a born, the fon of oil: The horn being the highest part of horned animals, it is used to denote the highest part of a country; an hill. This born or hill is called, the fon of oil, be cause the olive which produces oil is one of the valuable fruits of the earth. See Lowth on the paffage.-Ifa. xi. 15. The Lord fhall utterly deftroy the tongue of the Egyptian "fea."

Having in the fcriptures, these and many other examples of bold metaphors, the natural effect of the poverty of the ancient language of the Hebrews, why should we be either surprised or offended with the bold figurative language, in which the Hebrews expreffed their conceptions of the divine nature and government. Theirs, was not a philofophical language, but the primitive speech of an uncultivated race of men, who, by words and phrases taken from objects of fenfe, endeavoured to exprefs their notions of matters which cannot be distinctly conceived by the human mind, and far less expreffed in human language.Wherefore, they injure the Hebrews who affirm, that they believed the Deity to have a body, confifting of members of the like form and use with the members of the human body, because in their facred writings, the eyes, the ears, the hands, and the feet of God, are spoken of; and because he is represented as acting with these members after the manner of man.-Gen, iii. 8. "6 They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the "garden in the cool of the day."-Gen. ix. 16. "And the "bow fhall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it."-Exod. xv. 3. "The Lord is a man of war.”—ver. 6. "Thy right band O Lord hath dafbed in pieces the enerny."-ver. 8. "With the blaft of thy noftrils the waters were gathered to"gether."-Pfal. xviii. 8. "There went up a smoke out of "his noftrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it"-ver. 9. "He bowed his heavens also and came down, and darkness was under his feet."- -ver. IO. "And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly upon the wings of the "wind."-Pfal. ii. 7. "Thou art my Son, this day I have begotten thee."

In like manner they injure the Hebrews who affirm, that they thought God was moved by anger, jealousy, hatred, revenge, grief, and other human paffions, because in their scriptures it is faid, Gen. vi. 6. "It repented the Lord that he had made man on the "earth, and it grieved him at his heart."-Exod. xv. 7. "Thou "fenteft forth thy wrath which confumed them as ftubble.”— Exod. xx. 5. I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." "The wrath of the Lord was kindled againft

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the people."-Prov. viii. 13. "The evil way and froward "mouth do I hate." Ifa. xxxiv. 2. "The indignation of the "Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies."— Nah. i. 2. "God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, and is furious. "The Lord will take vengeance on his adverfaries, and he re"ferveth wrath for his enemies."

They also injure the Hebrews who affirm, that they believed the Deity fubject to human infirmity, because it is faid, Gen. ii. 2. "God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he "had made " -Gen. viii. 21." The Lord smelled a sweet fa"vour."-Gen. xviii. 20. "Because the cry of Sodom and "Gomorrha is great, and because their fin is very grievous, 20. "I will go down now and fee whether they have done altogether "according to the cry of it which is come up to me: And if not, "I will know."-Pfal. ii. 4. "He that fitteth in the heavens "fhall laugh, the Lord fha'l have them in derifion."-Pfal. " lxxviii. 65. « Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and "like a mighty man that shouteth by reafon of wine."

Thefe and the like expreffions are hignly metaphorical, and imply nothing more but that in the divine mind and conduct, there is fomewhat analogous to and refembling the fenfible objects and the human affections, on which thefe metaphorical expreffions are founded. For if any one contends that the Hebrews themselves understood thefe expreffions literally when applied to the Deity, and meant that they fhould be fo underftood by those who read their fcriptures, he muft likewife contend that the following expreffions were understood by them in their literal meaning -Pfal. xvii. 8. "Hide me under the

fhadow of thy wings."- Pfal. Ivii. 1. "In the fhadow of thy wings I will make my refuge until these calamities be "overpast."-Pfal. Ixi. 4. "I will trust in the covert of thy wings."-Pfal. xci. 1. "He that dwelleth in the fecret place "of the Moft High, thall abide under the fhadow of the Al"mighty." ver. 4 "He shall cover thee with his feathers, "and under his wings fhalt thou trust."--I fay, If from the pages of scripture in which the members of the human body are afcribed to the Deity, it is inferred that the ancient Hebrews believed the Deity hath a body of the fame form with the hu

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man body, we muft, from the last mentioned paffages of the fame fcriptures, conclude that they believed the Deity to be a tree with fpreading branches and leaves hich afforded an agreeable fhade; and a great fowl with feathers and wings; and even a rock, because he is fo called, Deut. xxxii. 15. Pfal xviii. 2. 31.

Such are the bold metaphors by which the ancient Hebrews expreffed their conceptions of the attributes and operations of God. To prevent however those who are acquainted only with modern languages from being fhocked with the boldness of these figures, modern critics have diftinguished them by the appellation of Anthropopathia; concerning which Lowth on Ifaii. 24. Aha, I will be eafed of mine adverfaries, I will be avenged of mine enemies, thus writeth: "This is a ftrong inftance of the "metaphor called Anthropopathia; by which, throughout the "fcriptures, as well the historical as the poetical parts, the fen❝timents, fenfations, and affections; 'the bodily faculties, qua"lities, and members of men, and even of brute animals, are "attributed to God; and that with the utmoft liberty and la❝titude of application. The foundation of this is obvious, it "arifes from neceffity: We have no idea of the natural attributes "of God, of his pure effence, of his manner of existence, of "his manner of acting: When therefore we would treat on "these subjects, we find ourselves forced to express them by "fenfible images. But neceffity leads to beauty: This is true ❝of metaphor in general, and in particular of this kind of me"taphor; which is ufed with great elegance and sublimity in "the facred poetry: and, what is very remarkable, in the grof"sest instances of the application of it, it is generally the most "ftriking and the moft fublime. The reafon feems to be this: "When the images are taken from the fuperior faculties of the "human nature, from the purer and more generous affections, "and applied to God, we are apt to acquiefce in the notion; "we overlook the metaphor, and take it as a proper attribute: "but when the idea is grofs and offenfive, as in this paffage of "Ifaiah, where the impatience of anger and the pleasure of "revenge is attributed to God; we are immediately fhocked at "the application, the impropriety ftrikes us at once; and the