MAL. IV. an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do

1.

MIC. IV.

1.

Nebu

dreams.

wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

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"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it." Where it is subsequently declared that, every man shall sit under his vine, and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid." Extensive regions, by the terrestrial conflagration being raised stupendously above the old land, the earth sends forth her great vegetation for the support of the animate population. Nature shows very plainly that it is in this way that her house will be established, in the last days, in the top of the mountains, that is, on those newly-raised regions of the earth.

In the second chapter of Daniel we find the degeneration and resurrection of the world represented, with little variation, under the same allegory as that made use of by Hesiod and Homer. I allude to this dream of Nebuchadnezzar: "Thou, O king, chadnez- sawest, and, behold, a great image. This great zar's image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then

was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Here are the golden, silver, brazen, and iron ages of Hesiod, and the stone which destroyed the image, is representative of the conflagrant destruction of the petrified old earth, annihilating the conditions represented by the gold, silver, brass, and iron, or that into which the higher conditions had degenerated; the stone becoming a great mountain, and filling the whole earth; that is, the earth so assuming its proper dimension in the place previously occupied by it sunk down, degenerate; as before described, according to Hesiod and Homer in the chaotic resurrection of the world. The feet of the image being formed partly of iron and partly of clay, is in allusion to the very extensive employment of iron and clay in the latter age of the world; when clay is used in the formation of houses and all kinds of utensils.

It is very remarkable that Josephus, whilst describing these dreams, makes this observation : "Daniel did also declare the meaning of the stone to the king. But I do not think it proper to relate it: since I have only undertaken to describe things past or things present. Yet if any one be so very desirous of knowing truth, as not to waive such points of curiosity, let him be diligent in reading the book of Daniel; which he will find among the sacred writings." It is evident that Josephus had the

wisest reason for not explaining the meaning of the

stone.

The great and general signification of this dream is further shown in the following vision, related in the fourth chapter of Daniel; in which is seen a fruit tree extending itself over the whole earth, and affording nourishment to all creatures. This tree is at length destroyed, the stump only remaining, bound with bands of brass and iron, the earth having become covered with grass. This is most clearly a representation of the former condition of the earth, completely covered with vegetation, when all the trees contributed to man's nourishment. The dead stump of the tree being bound with brass and iron, is to show that man, by interference with the mineral kingdom, has overthrown and annihilated this glorious condition of nature; and the surrounding grass signifies that nature, no longer able to put forth her great vegetation, has provided an inferior kind, in grass and herbs; which may still afford an existence to man. This is what is foretold in the third chapter of Genesis: "Thou shalt eat the herb of the field." The eating of grass, means that the tribes of earth shall eat grass, as they do at the present day, eat grass, by eating wheat, which is the fruit of a grass.

CHAPTER VII.

OF THE WAR OF TROY.

We observe that the earth is represented as perpetually undergoing changes of condition; first, a complete resurrection or restoration of its integrity is accomplished by a conflagrant destruction of the old world. The new world subsequently becomes degenerate, and undergoes a succession of partial restorations, by means of conflagrations of portions of the earth but at length another conflagration and complete resurrection takes place as at first; as here declared: "He rebuketh the sea, and NAH. I. maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers.

The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein."

When we see a great range of mountains many of which are burning, as is the case with the Andes and the mountains of Mexico, which abound with volcanoes, it must naturally be supposed that another great terrestrial conflagration is there to take place, by which a new fertile country is to be prepared.

We observe that the conditions and circumstances attendant on these stupendous revolutions of nature was the constant theme of the great poets of antiquity, and which by them was always represented behind the veil of allegory, the ultimate contests between the different existing forces being described as battles, in which nature is always at last triumph

4, 5.

ant. These are indeed the noblest subjects on which the mind can dwell.

The significations of the allegories of Hesiod and Homer have escaped detection greatly in conse‐ quence of their making use of the things, and circumstances, and conditions, of the degenerate world to express those of the new, or the Saturnian world.

Homer's Trojan War is an allegorical, or masked representation of a restorative terrestrial conflagration: apparently the Typhoean War, more circumstantially, and differently set forth. A large volume might be written to show that the War of Troy is an allegorical representation of such a terrestrial revolution; but we shall endeavour to do so by a shorter course.

It must be observed, as before described respecting Hesiod's battles, that Homer's gods are also personifications of the elements, or parts of the universe, and of physical conditions; and that the actions of the deities are the effects of the forces and powers of these, either in the original constitution of things, or in bringing about certain events.

Homer, like Hesiod, personifies the primeval conditions and circumstances of the world, and the forces of nature, as the good powers; these he denominates Trojans. He then personifies the conditions and circumstances of the fallen world, as the evil powers and influences; these constitute the Achaian or Grecian host. Thus, by a conflict between these opposite powers does Homer again represent a war of the elements. Accordingly Homer informs us that the Greeks, sometimes called Argives and Achaians, are the children of Juno.