Forlong - Rivers of Life

210
Rivers of Life, or Faiths of Man in all Lands.
myself better abused (this matters little if we speak the truth and expose error), than
if I waded through similar detnils of other tribes or nations, though greater mentally
and religiously beyond all comparison than the Jewish tribes ever were or could
become. Though Jews very early, often, and for many centuries lost their ark, it
does not appear they then lost their Serpent and Pole, or Standard, Rod, Banner. or
Nissi, nor possibly the Vase of Manna or Bread; at least their tradititions constantly speak
of the miraculous powers of the Manna and of Moses’ Rod, which I fancy took the place
of the Adam or Seth, before which Noh and his fanllIy prayed in their Argos, and
which is, no doubt, connected with all the “Matsoobas,” “Pillars,” and “Great
Stones” of Jacob, Joshua, Adonijah, and even the pious Josiah. None of these idols.
and no prophets or teacher supplanted Baal, Baalim, Molok, Kiun, or the Grove, nay,
nor the Ephod, for destroying which the valiant Gideon so nearly sacrificed his life;
and but for his father Joash, he would have undoubtedly suffered, with all his friends,
“the wrath of the whole people.” Let us look at this revolution and attempted reformation
somewhat successfully made by Gideon.
This was a clear attempt by the Yonites to upset the worship of Baal or the Sun-
Stone—an assault by the left-hand on the right-hand sects. Gideon was an Ephod
worshipper, and the later writer of the events—not liking Gideon’s Ephod which was
made of the ornaments of Israelites and Midianites (Jud. viii. 22, 27), and hung up
in his sacred town or place, Ophrah—says that it was “a snare unto Gideon,” for all
Israel went “a whoring after it;” which of course Gideonites would not agree to.
Gideon himself was a poor farmer threshing out wheat, who, the writer says, saw “the
Lord” (Jud. vi. 14) sitting “under an oak in Ophrah,” for whom he at once prepared
some soup, kid and cakes; but as it would not exactly do to tell all the world that
Jhavh ate these (the person is indifferently called “Lord” and “angel of the Lord,”
though clearly believed to be the same God who gave the tribes victory), the everlasting
“Rock,” Fire, and ubiquitous Rod is introduced, which demolishes the meat and soup,
when the charmed farmer builds an altar on the top of the rook and calls it Jahveh
Shalom or his “Lord God of Peace,” a name of Siva. This God then directs him to
forthwith demolish the antagonistic altar and Grove of Baal, which he clandestinely
accomplishes at night. He then likewise beats down the “Fire-Tower” (viii. 17)—
of Penuel or Peniel, which we shall see further on is the tower of Phan. After this,
Gideon’s faith is said to prevail for the time-honoured number of forty years; but “as
soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned again and went a whoring
after Ba-alim, and made Baal-Berith their God,” which the margin too delicately
describes (v. 33) as “Jupiter Fœderis, or Mercury,” who “presides over Covenants,”
that is “THE LORD OF THE TESTIMONY,” or Maha Deva. Now, what was this Ephod-
God of Gideon, but the highly feminine symbolism which Churches, but espeically the
Romish, still adopt. This Ephod had in great prominence two golden Shields,
or breasts with jewelled centres, and a breast-plate with twelve stones or ova of divers