"Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own "standard with the ensign of their father's house." What the ensigns of the Israelitish tribes were, Moses hath not told us, But, because our Lord who sprang 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 ensign, a lion; that Judah assumed that device because Jacob in blessing his children before his death had termed Judah a lion's whelp; and that the other tribes assumed for their ensigns, 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 ensigns, by which tribes and nations anciently distinguished themselves, they painted the figures of such animals, trees, &c. as were emblematical of the qualities, circumstances, 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 ensign; and in speaking of a nation or tribe, to call it by the name of its ensign. Accordingly, Jeremiah likens Egypt to a very fair heifer, chap. xlvi. 20. either because the Egyptians carried in their ensigns the image of a heifer, which was the symbol of Isis their tutelary divinity; or, because they were represented in sculpture by that device. And this perhaps is the reason that in Pharaoh's dream, Egypt was symbolically represented by kine. -In like manner, because the Roman armies had for their ensign the image of an eagle, they are called in our Lord's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, Eagles, Matt. xxiv. 28. Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the Eagles be gathered together.Since then it was customary to call a nation by the name of its ensign, "The burden of the beasts of the south," Isa. xxx. 6. means, the prophecy concerning the destruction of the nations of the south, who had beasts for their ensigns.—And since the Assyrians are called by the prophet Isaiah, chap. viii. 7. The waters of the river, it is not improbable that their armies carried in their ensigns 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 Assyrians being represented in picturewriting by the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris, the great whore, who is said, Rev. xvii. 1. "To sit upon many waters," signifies an idolatrous power which ruled over many populous nations.

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6. The symbols, 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 consider that nation or city as a mother. This I suppose was the reason that, on coins and in sculpture, nations and cities were symbolically represented by a young woman sitting on a throne, magnificently attired, and surrounded with emblems expressive of the qualities, by which that nation was distinguished. Hence the Jewish prophets, in the discourses which they addressed to nations and cities, termed them daughters, and virgin daughters, in allusion to the above described symbol. Isai. xxii. 4. “I "will weep bitterly, because of the spoiling of the daughter "of my people." Zechar. ii. 7. "Deliver thyself, O Zion, "that dwellest 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 Gilead and take balm, O virgin, "the daughter of Egypt. In vain shalt thou use many medicines, "for thou shalt not be cured."

7. In the ancient picture writing, it would seem, that persons and things were represented 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 eastern nations, were called by the name of such trees as were remarkable for their magnitude and beauty; and had the properties of these trees ascribed to them. Thus, the great men of Judah were called by Sennacherib, the tall cedars of Lebanon, and the common people, the choice fir trees thereof. Isa. xxxvii. 24. "By the multitude of my chariots am I come 66 up to the sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars "thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof."-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 Bashan.” See also Isa. 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 forest "thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it."-The

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same prophet speaking to Judah, saith, chap. xi. 16. "Lord called thy name a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit."-Hence Messiah is foretold under the idea of a branch of a tree. Jerem. xxiii. 5. "Behold the days come, saith 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 same idea, the place out of which this branch was to grow, is thus described.-Isa. xi. 1. "There "shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch "shall grow out of his root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall "rest upon him.”

8. Anciently Princes were metaphorically called shepherds, and their subjects sheep, because the care which they took of their people resembled the care which shepherds take of their flocks. 2 Sam. xxiv. 17. "I have sinned, I have done wickedly; "but these sheep, what have they done?"-Homer likewise often calls his princes, shepherds of the people. Among the Jews, the priests also were called shepherds, because it was a part of their office to teach the people the law. Ezek. xxxiv. 2. "Wo to "the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves; should not the "shepherds feed the flock?"-This phraseology passed from the Jewish into the Christian church. For Christ is called the chief shepherd, and the ministers of the gospel are considered as subordinate shepherds employed by him to take care of the people. 1 Pet. v. 2. "Feed the flock of God," ver. 4. "And when the "chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive the crown of glory "which fadeth not away."

9. Because it is usual, in all languages, metaphorically to ascribe to men the qualities of beasts, and to call them by the name of such beasts as they resemble in their dispositions, the Psalmist in predicting Christ's sufferings, termed his enemies, strong bulls of Bashan, the country most famous for its breed of kine. Psal. xxii. 12. "Many bulls have compassed me: strong "bulls of Bashan have beset me round about. They gaped upon

me with their mouths, as a ravening and roaring lion." In like manner the prophet Amos, to mark the stupidity and brutality of the great men of Samaria who oppressed the people, reproved them under the name of Kine of Bashan, chap. iv. 1. "Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of "Samaria, which oppress the poor," &c. Upon the same foundation, the Israelitish nation is spoken of as a beast of prey in

Balaam's prophecy and hath the actions of a beast of prey ascribed to it, Numb. xxiv. 8. "God brought him forth out of "Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. He "shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their "bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9. He couch"ed, he lay down as a lion, and who shall stir him up ?"

SECTION III.

Of the Allegorical Manner of writing.

When the custom, described in the preceding section, of substituting the symbol, the device, and the metaphor, for the thing signified thereby, took place, and the thing signified obtained the name of the thing by which it was signified, it was natural to describe the condition, the qualities, and the actions of the thing signified, by the condition, the qualities, and the actions of its symbol. Hence arose that species of composition which is called Allegory, because therein one thing was expressed, and another, entirely different from it, was meant; and which, for reasons to be mentioned immediately, was of great fame and use anciently among the eastern nations. In mentioning metaphors as the foundation of allegories, I am authorized by Quintillian, who thus writes, lib. viii. c. 6. Ut modicus atque opportunus translationis usus illustrat orationem, ita frequens et obscurat et tædio complet: Continuus vero in allegoriam et ænigmata transit.

The Egyptians, who are supposed to have invented picture writing, are thought also to have invented the allegorical method of communicating their sentiments. But, by whomsoever invented, it came early into general use, and was greatly delighted in by the orientals, for the following reasons: 1. A well formed allegory, by its striking images and vivid colouring, never failed, when understood, to make a strong impression on those to whom it was addressed.-2. Being a narration of things which are objects of sense, and between which there is a natural or supposed connexion, it was easily remembered, and could be translated from one language into another with the greatest precision.-3. Professing to contain an important hidden meaning, those to whom it was proposed, were led by curiosity to search out that meaning.— 4. The discovery of the meaning of an allegory, as an exercise of one's mental powers, afforded great pleasure to the discoverer, especially if it contained a moral lesson useful for regulating life and manners: For a person, by the discovery, being led to

instruct himself, he was spared the pain of having instruction forced upon him.-5. Allegory being a kind of speech which none but the learned understood, it was an excellent vehicle for conveying to them the knowledge of such matters, as were thought improper for the common people to know.-These reasons led the priests, with whom the whole learning of Egypt was lodged, to teach their religion, their laws, and their politics, under the veil of allegory, both to their own countrymen, and to those strangers who came to be instructed in the wisdom of Egypt. And, such well informed strangers, on their return to their own country, in imitation of their teachers, communicated the knowledge which they had acquired in Egypt, to their disciples in allegories by which means allegory came in a little time to be the most approved method of instruction, all over the east.

Allegories being in great repute, when the Jewish prophets were commissioned to instruct the people, and to foretel future events, it need not surprize us to find them delivering most of their prophecies in allegories; especially when we consider, that at the time these were delivered, it was proper to conceal the .events foretold, under the veil of allegory, that they might not be understood till they were explained by their accomplishment.But, notwithstanding the ancient Egyptian allegory was attended with the advantages above mentioned, its extreme darkness occasioned it to be laid aside, after the gift of prophecy ceased. A new species, however, hath been substituted in its room, better fitted to convey instruction, because it is formed on symbols more obvious than those used in the ancient allegory. Of this new species, the writings of the moderns furnish many beautiful examples, none of which need be mentioned here, in regard they are generally known.

Of the ancient allegory there were four kinds. 1. The proper allegory.-2. The apologue or fable.-3. The parable.-4. The enigma.

The proper Allegory was a discourse, in which the condition, the qualities, and the actions of a person or thing, were represented by the condition, the qualities, and the actions of the symbol, device, or metaphor, by which it was represented in picture writing. It was therefore a representation of real matters of fact, under feigned names and feigned characters.

The Apologue or Fable, was a narration of speeches and actions attributed, sometimes to men, sometimes to brute animals, and sometimes to things inanimate, according to their natural or