And thus Sophocles* calls the mischief done by the Sphinx to Thebes "a foreign flame of mischief." Coals of fire proceeding out of God's mouth, or from his countenance, are often used to express his anger; as in Psa. xviii. 8, 12, 13. In Hab. iii. 5, it is said, Burning coals went forth at his feet," i. e. the preaching of his word was accompanied with punishment against the disobedient-he trod upon them with destroying fire. And thus, in the vision of the Seraphim, Isa. vi. 6, the said Seraphim, or burning angels, (so called because designed to execute God's anger) take a live coal from the altar, and put it to the Prophet's mouth, telling him that his sins are purged, i. e. that he being now declared as righteous before God, and appointed to be his prophet, shall be enabled, by his words, to bring down God's fire of destruction upon those against whom he prophesies. For that coal signified the word of God in anger, which the prophet was mediately to spread upon the people. And thus in Jer. v. 14, "Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them." Torches of fire before a throne, are the symbols of the royal presence; it being a most ancient custom for kings to have fire carried before them as a mark of honour and empire. Thus the Persian monarchs had fire carried before them in procession; and the kings of Lacedæmon had fire borne before them, taken from Jupiter's altar.‡ The Roman emperors and empresses had also fire carried before them;§ and so had kings and generals at the head of their armies: it serving instead of trumpets as signs to begin the fight. And this custom of carrying fire before + Xenoph. Cyrop. Lib. viii. c. 33. *Soph. Ed. Tyran. p. 158. the Scholiast in Lycophr. ver. 1295. kings, as a mark of honour and grandeur, seems to be alluded to in Psa. cxix. 105; cxxxii. 17; and 1 Kings xv. 4, as in the Hebrew copy. Fire from heaven signifies the commination of persons in authority.* [The scattering of coals of fire, Ezek. x. 2, by the man in the priestly garb, is an enigmatical declaration that Jerusalem, after the execution of judgment, should be purified, and so restored to favour.] FISHES. See under WATER. FLESH signifies the riches, goods, and possessions of any person or subject conquered, oppressed, or slain, as the case is. Thus in Psa, lxxiv. 14, the meat, or flesh there mentioned, is the riches and spoils of Pharoah and the Egyptians. See also Isa. xvii. 4; Micah iii. 2, 3; Zech. xi. 9, 16; in all which places flesh is explained by the Targum, of riches and substance. Thus in Dan. vii. 5, "to devour much flesh," is to conquer and spoil many enemies of their lands and possessions. All the Oneirocritics concur in the same exposition of this symbol. In chap. cclxxxiii. they say, "That if any one dreams that he finds or eats the flesh of dragons, he shall obtain riches proportionable from a great king, which is like that of the Israelites eating the flesh of the Leviathan or dragon, the king of Egypt in the Wilderness, Psa. lxxiv. 13, 14. Again, in chap. cclxxxv., "To dream of eating the flesh of a scorpion, denotes the being possessed of the estate of such an enemy as answers to the signification of the symbol." The Indian, in chap. lxxxvii., says compendiously, and at once," Flesh is universally interpreted of riches." To the same purpose speaks also Artemidorus, who, in Lib. iii. c. 23, says "That it is not good for a rich man to dream that he eats his own flesh; for it signifies the utter wasting of his riches or substance." So also in Lib. i. * Artem. Lib. ii. c. 8. c. 72, “To dream of eating the flesh of any wild beast, denotes the being greatly enriched by the substance of enemies." FOREHEAD signifies the public profession or appearance before men. So the Indian Interpreter, chap. Ivi., says "the forehead and nose denote comeliness and riches before men ;” and Artemidorus, that the forehead signifies liberty of speech. Of old, servants were stigmatized in their forehead with their master's mark.* This was forbid the Jews, in Lev. xix. 28: only the high-priest on his forehead bore a plate or crown of gold, whereon the name of God was written, to shew that the priest was his servant, and that all his service was consecrated to God only. Hence, To receive a mark in one's forehead signifies to make an open profession of belonging to that person or party whose mark is said to be received. [FOREST is used symbolically to denote a city, nation, or kingdom. Devoted kingdoms are represented under the image of a forest, which God threatens to burn or cut down. See Isa. x. 17, 18, 19, 34, where the briers and thorns denote the common people; the glory of the forest are the nobles and those of highest rank and importance. In ch. xxxvii. 24, Sennacherib is represented as boasting thus of his invasion of Jerusalem : "Thou hast said, By the multitude of my chariots have I ascended The height of the mountains, the sides of Lebanon ; And I will cut down his tallest cedars, his choicest fir-trees, And I will penetrate into his extreme retreats, his richest forests.' -Lowth's Version. See also Jer. xxi. 14; xlvi. 23; Zech, xi. 2.] *Martial. Lib. i. Ep. 29. Lib. lii. Ep. 21. Lib. viii. Ep. 75' Senec. de Ira, Lib. iii. c. 3. FORNICATION. See under WOMAN. FROGS are represented, by Aristophanes* and Juvenal,† as the proper inhabitants of the Stygian Lake. Horace gives them, as being an hellish kind of animal,+ the epithet of nasty; and makes their blood an ingredient in sortilegious charms. The same epithet is also given them in Ovid § and Martial.|| The Oriental Oneirocritics are not so clear in this point as they usually are;¶ for they content themselves to rank the frogs among serpents and other creeping things, taking them to signify enemies in general. Philo says, they are the symbol of vain opinions and glory, having only noise and sound, void of reason.** Artemidorus, Lib. ii. c. 15, says, Bárpaxo de ävdpas γόητας και βωμολόχους προσημαίνουσι, τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ὄχλου ποριζομένοις εἰσὶν ἀγαθοὶ— (Frogs signify impostors and flatterers, and bode good to them that get their living out of the common people.) The frogtt by the Egyptians was made the symbol of an impudent, quick-sighted fellow; the frog, according to them, having blood no where else than in its eyes. [FRUITS of the EARTH are the symbols of that spiritual food by which the souls of men are sustained unto everlasting life, as in Ps. lxxii. 16, “There shall be an handful of corn in the earth, upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth." Jer. xxxi. 12, "They shall flow together to the goodness of * Aristoph. Ran. Horat. Epod. v. ver. 19. + Juvenal. Sat. ii. ver. 150. § Ovid. Met. lvi. ** Philo. Ind. de Sacr. Abel. p. 95. †† Hor. Æg. Hierogl. 96. Lib. ii. E the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil; and their soul shall be as a watered garden." Under these and similar symbols spiritual blessings are spoken of in the prophets. See Isa. xxv. 6, and lv. 1; Amos viii. 11; Rev. vi. 6.] FURNACE is used in Holy Scripture to denote, metaphorically, a place of great affliction. So Deut. iv. 20: "The Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt." Fire of a furnace for purifying of metals, is always taken to signify such afflictions as God sends for the amendment of men. So in Jer. ix. 7, "I will melt them, and try them." G. GARMENT, Habit, or Clothes, is the appearance before men. White is the colour of garments not spotted with any uncleanness : and therefore white garments were the attire of such as offered sacrifice; to shew the holiness of their lives, and the purity of their conscience; their being free from pollution, and their being in God's favour. See Ps. li. 7; Is. i. 18; Eccl. ix. 7, 8. Hence, white garments, as being worn upon solemn festivals, were the tokens of joy and pleasure: as in Eccl. ix. 8; Is. lii. 1, lxi. 10; Rev. iii. 4. The same custom of wearing white garments upon festival days, was also amongst the pagans.* Kings and nobles were also arrayed in white *Hor. Sat. Lib. ii. ver. 61; Plaut. Casin. Act. II. Sc. 8. v. 10; Act. IV. Sc. 1. ver. 9; Porphyr. de Abstin. Lib. ii. § 45. |