INTRODUCTION. li 



obliged to veil his face, because the Israelites 

 could not bear its effulgence ; l so the Deity 

 was pleased to conceal many both spiritual 

 and physical truths under a veil of figures 

 and allegory, because the prejudices, igno- 

 rance, and grossness of the bulk of the people 

 could not bear them, but they were written 

 for the instruction and admonition of those 

 in every age whose minds are liberated from 

 the misrule of prejudice, and less darkened 

 by the clouds of ignorance : but still it 

 requires, and always will require, much study 

 and comparison of one part of Scripture with 

 another, to discover the meaning of many of 

 those passages of Scripture which relate to 

 physical objects. 



The Apostle to the Hebrews observes that 

 the manner in which God revealed himself 

 to the ancient world and the Jewish nation, 

 was by dividing his communications into 

 many parcels, delivered at different times;* 

 and by clothing them in a variety of figures, 

 and imparting them under different circum- 

 stances, 3 so that in order to get a correct 

 notion of them it is necessary to compare 



1 Exod. xxxiv. 29, &c. 



2 



