Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

tive, man; and therefore much more under his own feet. And the bruising of the serpent's head, in the first promise, did not mean the torture of the beast, nor the destruction of the animal; but by the name of the serpent were signified, not only the spiritual first cause and architect of evil himself, but also those impious and idolatrous kingdoms or monarchies of the earth, expressly and repeatedly symbolized and designated dragons and serpents by the prophets: as being in some sense like the animal serpent, his agents and his instruments in error and in crime; and therefore in league with him, and subject to him, in his war against truth and righteousness. And he that will carefully investigate and explain the device of Solomon's throne being erected on twelve lions; and of the brazen sea in his temple being supported by twelve oxen; will find some better reason, and discover more profound truth and wisdom, in the device and emblem of the cherubim ; than that which Schleusner has so confidently suggested. The Hebrew word л, chavath, signifies indifferently Ongiov or wov, a wild, or a tame animal; and its application to denote a multitude, congregation, or family, is frequent in the Old Testament; as may be seen by consulting Taylor's Hebrew Concordance on the word. In Psalm lxviii. 30. the words literally signify "rebuke the animal of the reed," the Egyptian dragon or crocodile; that is, as has

been shewn already in this volume, the kingdom or monarchy of Egypt. And the "multitude of bulls and calves of the people," in the same verse, must be understood in the same or a similar sense. In the 10th verse of that Psalm the same word occurs," Thy animals," as it is translated in all the versions of Walton's Polyglott. In Psalm lxxiv. 19. the Hebrew word is repeated twice, and its twofold meaning of Onpiov and of Loov, may be remarked and distinguished. "O deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove, that is thy church, to the wild beast, Onpiov, forget not for ever the animal, wov, the congregation, or family of thy afflicted ones:" where the wild beast, the congregation of the wicked or of the heathen, is obviously opposed to, and contrasted with, the tame animal, the congregation, or the people of God. Judah is called by his father a lion's whelp; and Jerusalem is denominated by Isaiah, "the lion of God, woe to Ariel to Ariel, (that is, the lion of God,) the city where David dwelt." To symbolize kingdoms or monarchies, indeed, by beasts and animals, is frequent and familiar with the prophets. The Babylonian monarchy had been repeatedly designated a lion by Jeremiah, and it is the lion of Daniel's four beasts. And both it and the Egyptian monarchy are denominated eagles in Ezekiel xvii. 3—7.; and the lion and eagle are two of the cherubic animals or living creatures. And some of these having been

[ocr errors]

wild, Onpia, whilst others were tame, wa, the symbols and devices of the Shekinah and of the cherubim taken together; exhibited, in the most lively and appropriate manner, the supreme rule and providence of God over all the kingdoms and peoples of the world. Which, whether wild or tame, that is, barbarous or civilized, whether they worshipped false gods or the true God; were subject to him and ruled by him, and entirely at his will and disposal. All their riches and authority, and all their pomp and power, and even their very existence, depending not merely on his indulgence and forbearance; but on his very aid and support, and on his immediate influence and protection. Onglov is applied in Daniel to the four great idolatrous monarchies, and is always used there and in the New Testament in a bad sense. As when St. Paul declares that he fought with wild beasts at Ephesus; that is, with idolatrous and malignant enemies of the truth, and professed persecutors of the faith and the church of God; and "that the Cretans were evil beasts." The true signification of Ongior, indeed, as distinguished from and contrasted with wov, seems to have been wholly unknown to our authorized translators. Both these words are indifferently rendered by them, beasts-though the one is the prophetic and professed enemy of religion and truth, and the other is their friend and protector; the one is the kingdom of this world, and the

other is the kingdom and the church of God. This important exposition and necessary distinction, is illustrated and confirmed by Michaelis's interpretation, in his Supplementa, of Isaiah," All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest *." Where the beast of the field, that is (wov, the tame animal, the people of Israel and of God, and the beast of the forest, that is Onpiov, the wild animal, the heathen, are distinguished from, and opposed to, each other, and are both invited to come and to feed: as seems indeed to be intimated by the preceding verse of that chapter. "The beasts of the nations," Zephaniah ii. 14. in like manner denote the heathen and idolatrous nations of the world. And "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den†:" which foreshews, in language symbolical indeed, but still distinct and intelligible enough; that the kingdoms and peoples of the earth, whether civilized or barbarous, whether Jews or Gentiles;

* Isaiah lvi. 9.

+ Isaiah xi. 6-8.

would be ultimately united by the preaching of the Gospel, and compose but one kingdom and one church—the kingdom of Messiah and the Catholic church. And if prophetic writers had duly weighed and sufficiently digested this one text, and this one subject; or had even rightly understood this one word, Onpiov, they could not possibly have imagined that Christian kings, princes, and governors, were so designated and stigmatized; nor have infused such bitterness and animosity into the intent and exposition of prophecy. The king, that is the kingdom of Tyre, is called a cherub by Ezekiel, and it is not improbable from the league of king Hiram with David and Solomon, that the true God had been acknowledged and worshipped in his kingdom, and was indeed the God of the Tyrians. As is moreover farther confirmed by his letter to king Solomon: 2 Chron. ii. 11, 12. "Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. Hiram said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom."

The Jews considered their nation one of the cherubim, as appears from the saying or allusion so frequent among them; of their being under the wings of the Shekinah, as the cherubim were.

« AnteriorContinuar »