For the divine Deliverer Will on his march in majefty appear, "There is yet one evil more, fays the Specta"tor, which I must take notice of, and that is "the running of Metaphors into tedious Allegories. This becomes abominable when the "luftre of one word leads a Writer out of his "road, and makes him wander from his fubject "for a page together +." Excellent is the direction of CICERO, "that in all things we should "consider how far we may go; for although there " is a measure to every thing, yet excess offends more than defect ||." The moment we begin to sport with a Metaphor, and needlessly extend 66 it, nature's grand and striking energy and beau " ties vanish, and art appears weak and enervate art, and rather produces difguft than entertain ment. ! How much better had it been for that Preacher to have kept himself to the idea of a fun of righteoufnefs, to which the Saviour of the world is compared, Mal. iv. 2. and fhewn in what respects the natural fun might afford a resemblance of him, than to have lanched out into that learned, trifling, and impertinent fuperfluity of Metaphor, which is afcribed to him when he is represented as faying," that CHRIST was a mercy truly zo diacal; *Vol. vi. p. 192, 193. + Spedator, Vol. viii. N° 595. In omnibus rebus videndum eft quatenus. Etfi enim faus cuique modus eft, tamen magis offendit nimium quam paruin. he divine Deliverer on his march in majefty appear, needs the aid of no confed'rate pow'r *. There is yet one evil more, fays the Specta', which I must take notice of, and that is e running of Metaphors into tedious Alléries. This becomes abominable when the ftre of one word leads a Writer out of his bad, and makes him wander from his subjec or a page together +." Excellent is the diion of CICERO, “that in all things we should consider how far we may go; for although there is a measure to every thing, yet excess offends more than defect." The moment we begin fport with a Metaphor, and needlessly extend nature's grand and striking energy and beaus vanish, and art appears weak and enervate t, and rather produces disgust than entertain ent. How much better had it been for that Preacher have kept himself to the idea of a fun of righufness, to which the Saviour of the world is mpared, Mal. iv. 2. and fhewn in what respects e natural fun might afford a resemblance of im, than to have lanched out into that learned, ifling, and impertinent fuperfluity of Metaphor, hich is afcribed to him when he is reprefented 3 faying, "that CHRIST was a mercy truly ze "diacal; Vol. vi. p. 192, 193. + Spedator, Vol. viii. N° 595 In omnibus rebus videndum eft quatenus. Etfi enim fuus que modus eft, tamen magis offendit nimium quam parum. "diacal; for CHRIST always keeps within the "tropics: He goes not out of the pale of the "Church, but yet he is not always at the fame "diftance from a true Christian; fometimes he "withdraws himself into the apogeum of doubt, "forrow and despair, but then he comes again "into the perigeum of joy, content, and assur"ance; but as for Heathens and Unbelievers, "they are all artic and antartic reprobates?" $15. It may be a very proper caution that we should not interpret Metaphors in fuch a manner, as if all the affections and properties of the things expressed by them might be afcribed to thofe things to which they are applied; or, in other words, we should not strain a Comparison, which has ufually but one particular view, in order to make it agree in other refpects, where it is evident there is not a similitude of ideas. CICERO calls MARK ANTONY the torch of the state*. The resemblance intended by CICERO between ANTONY and a torch lay in this; that as a torch burns and deftroys every thing within its reach, fo ANTONY fpread devaftation and ruin through the Roman commonwealth. Was any person from hence to infer, that because a torch enlightens as well as burns, that therefore CICERO designed this Metaphor as a compliment to ANTONY, he could not more grofsly abuse and wreft the Orator's meaning. It is faid, Ifaiah xl. Sed quæ provincia eft, ex qua illa fax excitare non poffet . incendium. Phil. 7. §. xl. 6. thats all flesh is grafs; that is, all mankind are liable to wither and decay, and will wither and decay like the grafs: but this Metaphor would be tortured to a meaning, which, as it is foolish and abfurd, we may be fure was never intended by the infpired Writer, if we were to say, that mankind were like the grafs, or were grafs in colour or shape. What wild, and indeed wicked abufe, would be made of the Scripture expressions concerning our LORD *, " that he will come as a thief," if we were not to confine the sense to the suddenness and surprisal of the thief, but should extend it to the temper and designs of the villain that breaks open houses in the night? A Minifter, fpeaking on the one side of the unfuitablenefs of sinners to the holy enjoyments of Heaven, could it be fuppofed that they were admitted there, and, on the other hand, of the fitness of the truly pious for the fruitions of the celestial state, compared the minds of sinners and the celeftial happiness to water and fire which t could not be united, while he resembled the temper of the pious to wood and fire which easily mingle together, and at length so intirely, that the first is totally penetrated and possessed by the laft. After the Minister had ended his discourse, one of his audience objected against the comparison as not just, because wood was confumed by fire; whereas the fole intention of the Minifter was to avail himself of the agreement in nature between wood and fire, and there was no design 91 E to * Rev. xvi. 15. |