ations of the clinrcli are said to be of twelve precioin stones, 

 which had " in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the 

 " Lamb." Let us here remember the gems of the pecloral and 

 of the Ephod, and their inscriptions ; and observe the double 

 connexion of type and antitype which exists, in the description 

 of the Christian church, thronghout this chapter of the Apoca- 

 lypse, " The names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" 

 are written upon its gates, and also upon the precious stones of 

 the ganuents; those of the Aposdes upon the analogous gems 

 which form its foundations. 



A text* in Ezekiel, where we have again an allusion to the 

 precious stones, combined also with another view of the Cherub, 

 calls the former " stones of fire," and leads us therefore to seek in 

 the Heavens some kindred emblems to the Cherubim. 



It will not be irrelevant to preface this part of the subject, by re- 

 calling to the recollection of my learned auditors, the traces which 

 are to be found, in every Heathen mythology, of a revelation of the 

 promise having been once universally understood. It was, indeed, 

 originally recorded by unnumbered typical memorials, which the 

 roughness of barbarous idolatry has never been able entirely to de- 

 face. But to dwell fully upon this important subject is far be- 

 yond my limits ;t I sliall therefore confine myself to a few circum- 



• Ezek. 2S. 13— and iS. 7. . r^ .. 



t See an Incomparable work, called " L'Antiqulte devoilee au moyen de la Genese. 

 Barrett's Origin of the Constellations, Faber's Origin of Pagan Idolatry, and Maurice's Hia. 

 tory of Indostan, p. 33+, &c. The first of these works shortly deduces idolatry from the pure 

 source of the " Culte Primitit" thus-" Afin d'en perpetuer le souvenir, ilsla peignirent sou8 

 " des emblemes differens, au defaut de Pecriture alphabetique : consacr^s par un respect re- 

 " ligieux, ces emblemes devinrent une source d'erreur. D'abord I'idee de la chose figuree 

 " s'altera peu-a-peu dans Pes^it des hommes charnels & grossiers, puis elle se confondit 



