But

guft Chriftian writers: xxxv xaxapoo per (ver. 39. in the tranflation) is a found dictate of good fenfe and natural reafon; agreeable to the meaning, but inferior to the compactnefs and frength of fcripture phrafe: μη θεομαχωμένα μηWOTE HAI DEQμAXO EUgEnte. Acts xxiii. 9, v. 39. The notion of the more refined writers and wife men of the Pagan world, that Apollo, the favourite fon of their Jupiter, father of gods and men, fat at the right hand of his father (and by that was implied that he was invefted with fovereign honour and power to reward his devout dependents and worshippers) is mighty agreeable to the Chriftian article of doctrine and belief, that Jefus, the eternal [and beloved] Son of the true God, fits at the right hand of his bleffed Father, enthroned in heavenly majefty, and invefted as God-man, the divine Mediator of the New Covenant, with full powers to diftribute his royal bounty, and moft precious favours to his difciples and fervants, whom he delights to honour. In what noble grandeur of eloquence and majestic plainnefs is this awful article expreffed by our Chriftian infpired writers! (See the author for proofs, he goes on-) This auguft myftery of the feffion of the Son of God's love and bofom, at his Father's right hand, as it is much more important, venerably and infinitely better fupported than any of the articles of Pagan belief, or myfteries of the Pagan religion; fo the doctrine itself with all its majeftic circumftances and happy confequences, is delivered in a language far exalted above all the flights of Pagan eloquence, and all reach and powers of human art. Alt deĝios nsai, is beautiful and pure; but nothing at all to thefe grand Infrances of fcripture eloquence and fublimity. Who is at the right hand of God, being gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers (all the heavenly hierarchy, all ranks and orders of rational beings) being fubjected to him, by the decree and command of the Eternal: Let all the ang Is of God worship him now as mediator, to whom they owed a natural allegiance as the Son of God and heir of all things: who being

the effulgence of his father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and supporting all things by the word of his might, after he had by himself purged our fins, fate down at the right hand of the majefty in high places: or, in the words of the fame author, is fet on the right hand of the throne of the infinite majesty in the heavens. Chrift being raised from the dead is at the right hand of God; ever lives to make interceffion for us; and his interceffion can never fail, but he is willing and able to fave to the uttermost all that come to the Father in his name: and honour and please the Father, by honouring and pleafing his beloved Son. I conclude with that lofty paifage above criticifm and praife in Ephef. i. 17, 18, 19, 20, ad fin. some of which have been formerly quoted without the prefumption of attempting a tranflation. That part which relates to our prefent fubject, the auguft feffion of our Saviour at the right hand of Power, the majefty of his all-powerful Father, I fhall tranfcribe and prefent to the reader in all the beauties of the divine original.

Εκαθισεν εν Δεξία αυτό εν τοις επερανίοις, υπεράνω πασης αρχής και εξεσίας, και δυναμεως καὶ κυριότητος, και παντος ονόματος ονομαζόμενος ο μονον εν τω αιώνι τέτω, αλλά και EV TW μEλhort. See Sacred Claffics, vol. 2. P. 59. edit. 8vo. 1737.

Ver. 47. For high, &c.] Mr. Prior in his tranflation makes Apollo's fitting at the right hand of Jupiter, one of the topics for praise, and with this begins the roll of his glories. But the author neither means nor expreffes any fuch thing: He tells the company and affembly gathered together on this feftival, but particularly the chorus, that fuch as fincerely worship him, paying him the due praises, these the God will honour; for he has power fo to do, and why? for this reafon, fays Callimachus, ettei Ai dižios nra, because he fetteth at the right hand of Jupiter." The reafon, rife and origin of this expreffion to imply all power, hath been largely difcourfed of by fome: The reader will find a long detail upon the fubject in the learned bishop Pearfon's explication of that article of our creed.

I fhall

50

I fhall fubjoin the obfervation of an ingenious friend.

"The cherubim were set up at the expulfion of Adam from paradife, to keep the way to the tree of lives, or living ones, Gen. iii. 24. not to keep man from it, but (viam munire) to enable him to come to it, and fo obtain happiness in another state, which by his difobedience he had forfeited in this. Many learned men are of opinion, that thefe figures fet up by God himfelf (Gen. iii. 24.) and by his exprefs order (Exod. xxv. 18.) and infpiration (Exod. xxxi. 3.) afterwards, were no other than a reprefentation of the facred three, with the man united to the fecond perfon, and that the mercy-feat, the ark, the table of fhew bread, &c. were parts of an hieroglyphical defcription of the Christian covenant. Indeed, the facred writers feem fully to prove this to us; and the further we look back into Pagan antiquity, the clearer traces we find of fuch an exhibition. In the account given by our Univerfal Hißory (vol. 1. p. 32—34 oct. edit.) of the Orphic theology, there are fome very ftrong veftiges of the cherubim; Orpheus taught, that the great God, Creator, &c. was Phanes (a name taken, I fuppofe, from 13 Peni yeue, faces of Jehovah, frequently mentioned in fcripture, and which is only another name for the cherubim.) See Orpheus' hymn Heway. This God, according to his doctrine, was to be reprefented by a figure with three heads, that of an ox, a dog, and a lion. These are so very like the cherubic heads (vid. Ezek. i. and x. chap. and hymn to fupiter, note 107.) and at the fame time fo different from the idols, the Greeks afterwards wor

Gold

fhipped, that a man must have the faith of an infidel to believe either that he invented fuch an image of his God, out of his own head, or that he did not take it from the cherubim : with which he could not be unacquainted if he had been in Judæa or Jerufalem, as we are told, he was, and had feen there the tabernacle or temple. See 1 Kings vi. 29.-Perhaps you may be still at a lofs to know what I am driving at, and how any thing I have faid will tend to explain the At Agios of our author. To keep you therefore no longer in fufpence, we find Ezekiel i. 10. that the united faces of the lion and the man (the reprefentative of the fecond perfon, God and man) were on the right-fide of the cherubic figure. Hence the fecond perfon incarnate (or perhaps the humanity) is called the man of God's right hand, Pfalm lxxx. 17. Hence in the creed, who fitteth on the right hand of God, and Acts. vii. 55.--As heathenifm then was only a corruption of the true religion, I had almoft faid of Chriftianity, and it is plain from the above quotation, that fome of the heathen teachers, were not unacquainted with the cherubic figures, it does not fecin at all improbable, that from hence they fhould place the fecond perfon in their trinity in the fame fituation that the true believers did the fe.ond perfon of theirs."

Ver. 52. golden robe, &c.] The author informs us, that every thing which belonged to Apollo was of gold, wherein there can be no doubt that he alludes to the Sun. The epithet xfvooxopos, galden-haired, is frequently given to Apollo; and that, fays Macrobius, a fulgore radiorum quas vocant aureas comas folis F

from

the

55

His

the brightness of the rays, which they call the golden hair of the Sun." Unde & ausgoexoung continues he," because the rays can never be disjoined (avelli) from the fountain of light." P. 239; and therefore the whole body of the Sun, the fountain of the rays, may with equal propriety be called golden; and as these rays are every where difperfed, and the caufe of the encrease of all things, whatever belongs to Apollo may very aptly be faid to be of gold, wouxguros γας Απολλων-κή τε πολυκτεανός. If you confult 1 Kings vi. you will find that gold was made very great use of in the furniture of the temple: because of all material fubftances it is the best re

presentative of the light, and fo of its antitype. As gold was an emblem of the folar light, and that light of Chrift, the fecond perfon, the true light (See St. John i. 9.) hence gold was made an emblem of the divine nature of the Son of God: which divine nature is always fignified to us by the light; wherever Chrift is fpoken of as the light, the Sun, &c. he is always fpoken of as God the Son, or the second divine Perfon in the true Trinity, as the light is the fecond condition, the ruler in the material Trinity. It is obfervable, that gold hath been always an emblem of majefty; and from its purenefs, radiant brightnefs and value, efteemed the royal metal, the enfign of kingly power. "A crown of this metal (i. e. a circle with pointed rays ifluing from around it) was worn by the kings of Ifrael; and was an emblem of light irradiating in opening rays; and light was the fign by, and in which the fecond perfon ufed to exhibit himself, nay, he affumed for his diftinguishing title, that of he irradiator, the light, the king of glory." Hence

a bright circle of rays are painted always round our Saviour's head, to fhew his divinity, which is called the glory; and which confifts of straight and crooked rays when properly painted and defcribed, the one to fhew the efflux of the light irradiating from the fun, the other the influx of the fpirit rushing into it.

Ver. 56. His delphic, &c ] Concerning this temple and its immenfe wealth, See the Abbè Banier's Mythology, book 3. chap. 5. p. 229. Macrobius tells us, that the name Delphian given to Apollo come aroтy Snλr apar, “from his manifefting things before unfeen," because the Sun manifefts by the brightness of his light those things that are obfcure, quod quæ obfcura funt claritudine lucis oftendit." Satur. p. 242. and we may here too obferve, that oßes, Phoebus, fignifies, as an adjective, pure, unpolluted, fplendid, bright, and therefore the Sun is called Phoebus, from its pureness and brightness, a Specie & nitore Phoebum, i. e. xabagov x xaμπgov, dictum putant, fays Macrobius.

Ver. 59. A God, &c.] Callimachus characterifes Jupiter (Hymn 1. ver. 6.) as ever great, and ever king, Apollo as ever fair, and ever young; which is agreeable to the manner wherein he is defcribed to us by the antient artists: the reader may remember, I obferved this in a note foregoing, n. 1. ad fin. Frischlinus fays, "that the poets defcribe Apollo as beardless, and ever young, because the Sun always retains the fame vigour, nor ever grows old." An emblem of the perpetual vigour, and immortality of the true Sun; the light not only of this, but of the future world. See Rev. xxi. 23. and xxii. 5.

Tafso hath given a description, little inferior to this, of the angel Gabriel,

On Lebanon at firft his foot he fet,
And fhook his wings with roary May-dews wet.
FAIRFAX'S TASSO. B. i. St. 14.

But we obferve, that Callimachus afcribes thefe ambrofial unguents, thefe fructifying dews to the locks, the hair of Apollo; for which, perhaps, it may not be impoffible to affign a reafon; if we confider what was obferved in a preceding note, that the hair of Apollo, fignifies no thing more than the rays of the Sun, thofe golden and ambrofial locks, which are the true caufe of all health and gladnefs, and the inftrument of fruitfulness, and encrease throughout all nature; a paffage from the 65th Pfalm will both give and receive light from hence; we read in the 11 verfe, Thy paths drop fatness: they drop upon the paftures of the wildernefs; and the little hills rejoice on every fide: the paftures are clothed with flocks; the valleys alfo are covered over with corn, they fhout for joy, they

35

60

Where

alfo fing." Here the facred poet afcribes the fame effects of fruitfulness, health, and joy to the fatnefs dropped down from or by the paths (as we read) of Jehovah, which Callimachus doth to the Panacea or unguents which dropt from the hairs of Apollo. The queftion then is, what can be meant by this word, which we render paths in the Bible tranflation, and in the other clouds, fomething nearer the truth? The original word is 77 which comes from 7, round, circular, orbicular, a waggon-wheel, &c. and the word with the prefixed, fignifies those which are the inftruments of this circulation, the circulators, namely, the light and fpirit, which are the caufe of all fertility and fecundity, and which, by their motion and action, caufe that fatness to drop down, which enriches the wilderness, caufes the little hills to rejoice, &c. &c. I forbear applying the fpiritual meaning,and obferving that as this light and spirit by their fatnefs and dews enrich the wilderness, fo the true light and Spirit by their grace and divine nourishment cause the barren heart to abound in fruitfulness. to fhout and fing for joy. "The wilderness the defert fhall rejoice and bloffom as a rofe. and the folitary place, fhall be glad for them, and It shall bloffom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and finging; the glory of Lebanon fhall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they fhall fee the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God, Ifa. xxv. I, 2. It is obfervable, that the excellency of our God, even Christ Jefus, is called the rofe of Sharon. See Cant. ii. 1. and in this book we find ointment and odours conftantly given to the Spouse, the divine light; Because of the favour of thy good ointment, thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee, chap. i. 3. How much better is thy love than wine, and the smell of thine ointments than all fpices! chap. iv. 10. and it is faid by the Spoufe, my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night, chap. v. 2. See alfo ver, 5.