Indian, c. 8, the fruits of paradise are divine and useful notions.

In the New Testament, the term is used to denote the mansion of good souls in their state of separation, or the state of the faithful between death and the resurrection. It is curious, that the Jews employ the terms paradise, and garden of Eden, to the intermediate state of holy departed souls. See Grotius and Wetstein on Luke xxiii. 43. Hence, when applied to a future state, it must denote a place wholly devoted to the worship and service of God, and abounding with every thing that can constitute the felicity of an immortal spirit.

To denote the same state, the Jews sometimes used the phrase " Abraham's bosom," a metaphor borrowed from the manner in which they reclined at meals. Luke xvi. 22.

There is a distinction, therefore, to be made between paradise and heaven, or the seat of the glorious hierarchy. The enjoyment of paradise is confined to the intermediate state; that of heaven is necessarily deferred till the creation of the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. See Campbell's Prel. Diss. 6, p. 2.

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Origen's note on 2 Cor. xii. 4, is good: "If Paul," says he, saw such unutterable things, even though afterwards to descend from the third heaven, how many more, and how much greater shall we know, when, having followed Jesus and taken up his cross, we shall be admitted into the blessed state above, never more to quit it." Exhort. ad Martyr. p. 175.

PEARLS. Rev. xxi. 21, " And the twelve gates were twelve pearls."

The reference seems to be to Isa. liv. 11, 12, and one would repeat here what Lowth has said there, as being equally applicable :-"These seem to be general images to express beauty, magnificence, purity, strength, and solidity, agreeably to the ideas of the Eastern nations; and to have never been intended to be strictly scrutinized, or minutely and particularly explained, as if they had each of them some precise, moral, or spiritual meaning.

Tobit, in his prophecy of the final restoration of Israel, describes the New Jerusalem in the same oriental manner: "For Jerusalem shall be built up with sapphires, and emeralds, and precious stones; thy walls, and towers, and battlements, with pure gold. And the streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with beryl, and carbuncle, and stones of Ophir." Tobit xiii. 16, 17.

PILLAR is the support and ornament of a building, and symbolically signifies the chief prop of a family, city, or state.

Paul uses the symbol, Gal. ii. 9, in speaking of the Apostles, James, Cephas, and John: "As pillars are the supports of a building, so the three Apostles here mentioned were esteemed as pillars in the church;" i. e. persons of the greatest authority and eminence. James, as the brother of our Lord, Peter or Cephas, on account of his confession, on which the church of Christ was to be built, and John, as the beloved disciple of our Lord. It is probable also, that the churches of Judea and Jerusalem were peculiarly under the inspection of these three Apostles.

In Euripides, the pillars of families are the male children. (Iphig. Taur).

In the Oneirocritics, pillars signify the princes or nobles in a kingdom.

Pillar of iron, the symbol of great firmness and duration; and as such used in the prophet Jeremiah, i. 18.

Pillars burning with a clear fire, without being destroyed, signify, according to Artemidorus, 1. 2, c. 10, That the children of the Dreamer shall grow better and more illustrious.

For fire implies persecution and torment; and as fire trieth gold, so does adversity the good and vali

ant.

This interpretation of pillars burning with fire without being consumed, greatly illustrates the symbol of the bush burning with fire, and remaining unconsumed in Exod. iii. 2. " For, this at once set forth the miraculous preservation of the Israelites in the Egyptian fiery furnace, or their state of oppression there, and their wonderful deliverance from thence.

Pillar of salt, Gen. xix. 26, an encrusted column, a perpetual monument of the divine anger; for salt means perpetuity.

POMEGRANATE, an exceedingly beautiful fruit, resembling an apple, the form of which was borrowed as an ornament to the high priest's ephod. Exod. xxxviii. 33, 34, on which Drexelius remarks, "that they were symbolical of the reward annexed to virtue; and were placed, not at the top, or in the middle, but at the bottom of the garment,-as it is not the beginning or the progress, but the persevering close of a virtuous life, that obtains the crown."

Cant. iv. 3, "Thy cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate about thy locks." The cheeks are compared

to a piece of this fruit, because the pomegranate, when whole, is of a dull colour; but, when cut up, of a lively beautiful vermilion. Modesty and ingenuousness are called by this name in Arabic. See Du

rell in loc.

Ezek. xix. 10,

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Thy mother was like a pomegranate
Planted by the waters."

Ray, in his Hist. Plant. p. 1462, fol. says of the pomegranate,

"Umbras amare aiunt et rigationes."

Cant. viii. 1," Wine of my pomegranates;" i. e. either wine acidulated with the juice of pomegranates, which the Turks use, or wine made of the juice, such as Sir John Chardin mentions.

Parkhurst, whose bias, though an amiable man, is always towards Hutchinsonian interpretations, thinks, the brazen pomegranates which Solomon placed in the network over the crowns which were on the top of the two brazen pillars, were meant to represent the fixed stars strongly reflecting light on the earth and planets.

The Syrian idol, Rimmon, has his name from the same Hebrew term. Achilles Tatius mentions an ancient temple at Pelusium in Egypt, in which was a statue of the deity styled Zeus (or Jupiter), Casius, holding this mysterious fruit, the pomegranate, in his hand.

PORTRAITS. It is impossible to read the description given by Ezekiel, ch. xxiii. 14, 15, of the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, &c. without being reminded of similar appearances found in the caverns of the Thebais, of Elephanta,

and Elora, as detailed by travellers. See Maurice's Indian Antiq. v. 2, passim.

POSTURE. The posture of persons acting, determines, in some measure, the nature or kind of their actions.

Standing signifies resisting, defending, struggling, and contending for victory,-giving assistance to friends and the like, as in Acts vii. 55, Christ is said to be standing when he appeared to Stephen, as ready to assist him in his agony.

To stand before another, is a posture of service, Deut. x. 8; 1 Kings x. 8; 1 Sam. xvi. 22; 2 Chron. xviii. 18; Luke i. 19.

Walking among, or in the midst, is a posture of dignity and authority,-of one that is busy, and watching and defending those whom he walks about or amongst.

Thus God, to represent himself as protecting and governing the Israelites, says, in Lev. xxvi. 12, "That he would walk amongst them." And the protecting angel, in Dan. iv. 13, 23, is called a watchman or patroller, one that goes about to defend from any surprise. And so Homer, in his Iliad, 1. 1, v. 37, has used the symbol in relation to Apollo, of whom he says, ός χρυσην κ. τ. λ. where the Scholiast explains ἀμφιβέβηκαι by ὑπερμαχες. For indeed ίφι ανάσσεις is but synonymous to it.

Sitting signifies ruling, reigning, judging, and enjoying peace.

Thus, in Judges v. 10, "Ye that sit in judgment," are the magistrates or judges. In 2 Sam. xix. 8, "The king sitteth in the gate," i. e. he is ready to execute any duty of a king.