Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/264

Rh series of images employed in the symbolic prophecies of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah and John. Thus when the Lord Jesus is represented by a Lamb (John i. 29, &c.) the figure alludes to the meekness, purity, submission, and fitness for sacrifice of that animal; and when He stands as the lion (Rev. v. 5), the qualities of power, prevalence, majesty, and terribleness, are comprehended in the symbol. The mystic cherubim,—whether they represent the church or the heavenly angels, or both,—are pictured by various animals (Ezek i.; Rev. iv.); and the change of character which the kingdom of Christ will introduce upon earth, is figured by the harmonious companionship of ferocious ereatures with those of gentle dispositions (Isaiah xi).

But not infrequently the parallelism is drawn out and expanded into so many particulars as to constitute an allegory or parable. Thus Jotham instructs his people by the story of the trees selecting a king (Judges ix.); the prophet Ezekiel sketches the history of Assyria under the emblem of a cedar (Ezek. xxxi.), and Nahum depicts the same ferocious monarchy under that of a lion (Nah. ii. 11-13); the former prophet again represents the Egyptian king as a crocodile, and graphically describes him as caught in the net of the nations (Ezek. xxxii); and gives a most vivid picture of Israel, under the imagery of a lion's whelp trained by the old lioness to the love of blood, and at last taken in the toils (Ezek. xix.). The frequency with which the vine is chosen as the subject of allegorical representation is remarkable; as are also the variety and copiousness of the details which are