ouring fire, with only a general
intimation that they denote heavy calamities, which the Lord in his pity
will avert in answer to prayer. Amos 7:1-6. Here the nature of the
symbols, in connection with the known situation of the Israelitish
people, shows that they represent the general desolation of the land by
foreign enemies. The prophet Ezekiel adds no interpretation to his
vision of the Lord enthroned in glory upon the firmament above the
chariot with four cherubim and four living wheels full of eyes, in the
midst of which a bright fire glows and lightnings blaze. Chaps. 1, 10.
From a careful study of the nature of this magnificent imagery we may
infer with probability that the cherubim with their wheels, moving every
way with the rapidity of a flash of lightning, denote all the agencies
and instrumentalities by which God administers his government over the
world, which are absolutely at his command, and execute with unerring
certainty all his high purposes. The four faces of the cherubim,
moreover, which answer to the four principal divisions of living beings
among the Hebrews, seem to represent the fulness of their endowments.
The meaning of Ezekiel's vision of a New Jerusalem, with its temple and
altar, comes more properly under the head of prophecy. Some of the
symbols in the book of Zechariah are expounded with beautiful clearness,
as that of the two olive-trees. Chap. 4:1-10. Of others the meaning is
only hinted at in an enigmatical way; so that their interpretation is a
matter of great difficulty and uncertainty. As examples we may refer to
the symbol of the ephah (chap. 5:5-11); of the four chariots coming out
from between two mountains of brass with horses of different colors
(chap. 6:1-9); of the two staves, Beauty and Bands, with which the
prophet in vision is commanded to feed "the flock of the slaughter," and
which he is afterwards to break (chap. 11:4-14). For the details in the
interpretation of these and other difficult symbols the reader must be
referred to the commentaries. Our limits will only allow us to indicate
the general principles upon which the expositor must proceed.

9. There is a class of scriptural symbols which may be called
_numerical_. Thus _seven_ is the well-known symbol of completeness,
_four_ of universality, _twelve_ of God's people. See Chap. 32, No. 5.
Under this head fall also those passages in which a day is put for a
year, or for an indefinitely long period of time. One of th