conducted their marcli ;— within it were the Cherubim, stretching 

 " forth their wmgs on high, covering the mercy-seat," from whence 

 the " Lord of Hosts" condescended to " comraune"f with Moses 

 the instrument of his commands. And these Cherubim, com- 

 pounded of the four devices which were borne upon the standards 

 of the leading tribes, formed as I conceive, the civil and military em- 

 blem of the combined state. 



I have shewn the importance which was attached in all antient 

 Qommunities to their national standards ; I shall here add an in- 

 stance, which bears a considerable analogy to, and illustrates, the 

 subject before us. Quintus Curtius § mentions it " to have been an 

 *' immemorial custom among the Persians, for the army never to 

 " march before the rising of the sun ; and, that a golden image of 

 " his orb was then displayed in the front of the King's pavilion." 

 Several texts from the sacred writings demonstrate, that the Jews, 

 as well as other nations, possessed an equal reverence for sucli en- 

 signs. Moses, upon the defeat of Amalek by Joshua,-]- " built aa 

 *' altar, and called it Jehovah-Nissi," that is, the Lord my banner ; 

 David says of the Deity,* " Thou hast given a banner to them that 

 feared thee," and again, || " In the name of God we set up our ban- 

 ners i in fine the prophet Isaiah employs the term in a manner yet more 

 striking ;* " and in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which 

 shall " stand for an ensign of the people :" to explain these texts 

 more fully here, would be to anticipate the latter part of this tract ; it 



n2 



f Exod. 25. 22. § See Maurice on the ruins of Babylon, &c. p. 71. 



t Exod. 17. 15. 



* Ps. 60. 4.— Seealsols. 13. 2—18. 3—30. 17—62. 10— and Jerem. 50. 2—51.12 & 17 &c. 



II Ps. 20. 5— See also Cantic. 6. *. 



* Isaiah U. lo. 



