THE POLE.
In the time of Seth and Enoch the Pole was among the stars of Draco, the emblem of the enemy; the constellation of the lesser sheepfold had no relation to it, but by degrees the Pole drew nearer to the brightest star in that constellation; the sheep, represented by three of its other stars as quitting their earthly fold (the believing Church), seemed going forth to the cynosure faintly typifying Him who was and is the object of their faith. In the brilliant intensification of this emblem of the fold and sheep going forth, the greater fold (called the Great Bear), it is strikingly represented that their course is to the great Shepherd and guardian of the flocks, typified in Arcturus, He who cometh and returneth. The three stars, daughters of the flock, seem following, seeking Him; but two, representing the boundaries of the fold, point above to the star typifying Him in the earlier dispensation, the lesser and as it were further removed fold. There He, the great Shepherd of the sheep, is figured above, gone before; and below in Arcturus, as about to return in greater glory. The foot of the other figure, the suffering mighty One, is on the head of the Dragon below. There is no distinguishing mark of the position of the sphere. Those who first named the stars seemed to have been aware that this position was not permanent. In the time of Seth and Enoch it was near the bright star Alpha Draconis, belonging both to the head of the Dragon and to the foot of Hercules, placed as bruising it.
Sir J. Herschel - "The Pole is nothing more than the vanishing point of the earth's axis."
"The bright star of the Lesser Bear, which we call the Pole-star, has not always been, nor will it always continue to be, our cynosure. At the time of the construction of the earliest catalogues of the stars it was 12 from the Pole, it is now only 1 24', and will approach still nearer, to within half a degree, after which it will again recede." "After about 12,000 years, the star Alpha Lyra, the brightest in the northern hemisphere, will occupy the remarkable situation of a Pole-star, approaching within about 5 of the Pole." "At the date of the erection of the great pyramid of Gizeh, which preceded by 3970 years (some say 4000) the present epoch... the place of the pole of the heavens was near A Draconis, the Pole-star at that time." "It is a remarkable fact that of the nine pyramids, six, including all the largest, have the narrow passages by which alone they can be entered, inclined downwards." "At the bottom of every one of the passages, therefore, the then Pole-star must have been visible," "doubtless connected," "with the astronomical observation of that star." Thus therefore we find a mark of the date of the erection of those pyramids," that is, while A Draconis was the Pole-star" 4000 years ago.
Those who called the remarkable constellation, now miscalled the Great Bear, the fold and flock proceeding from it, and following their great Shepherd, emblematized in Arcturus, Him who should come, and come again, seem also to have seen a fainter emblem of their own Church, fold and sheep, in what is called the Lesser Bear, an irregular square, from which seem to proceed, as in the larger emblem, three faint stars towards the larger and brighter one now called the Pole-star, but with which then the Pole of the earth's axis had no connexion. They saw, as we see, that the Church on earth go forth towards Him their precursor, gone before, and but faintly seen by the most gifted sight of faith. Not such they found in the greater fold, whose sheep, or daughters, go forth and follow their Shepherd and their King, Arcturus of Bootes.
These emblems made part of the ancient astronomy, but the guiding star was not the Pole-star then, nor will it always be. Still while to us it seems to be so, it is well to connect it with Him to whom the hearts of His people turn "as the needle to the Pole."
These leading or guiding stars, Arcturus in Bootes, and Kochab or Cynosure in the lesser sheepfold, have both symbolized the Great Shepherd of the sheep, - Him whom they follow in life, and trust in, to attain to His side in departing to be with Him, "which is far better."
Sir J. Herschel - "The Pole is nothing more than the vanishing point of the earth's axis."
"The bright star of the Lesser Bear, which we call the Pole-star, has not always been, nor will it always continue to be, our cynosure. At the time of the construction of the earliest catalogues of the stars it was 12 from the Pole, it is now only 1 24', and will approach still nearer, to within half a degree, after which it will again recede." "After about 12,000 years, the star Alpha Lyra, the brightest in the northern hemisphere, will occupy the remarkable situation of a Pole-star, approaching within about 5 of the Pole." "At the date of the erection of the great pyramid of Gizeh, which preceded by 3970 years (some say 4000) the present epoch... the place of the pole of the heavens was near A Draconis, the Pole-star at that time." "It is a remarkable fact that of the nine pyramids, six, including all the largest, have the narrow passages by which alone they can be entered, inclined downwards." "At the bottom of every one of the passages, therefore, the then Pole-star must have been visible," "doubtless connected," "with the astronomical observation of that star." Thus therefore we find a mark of the date of the erection of those pyramids," that is, while A Draconis was the Pole-star" 4000 years ago.
Those who called the remarkable constellation, now miscalled the Great Bear, the fold and flock proceeding from it, and following their great Shepherd, emblematized in Arcturus, Him who should come, and come again, seem also to have seen a fainter emblem of their own Church, fold and sheep, in what is called the Lesser Bear, an irregular square, from which seem to proceed, as in the larger emblem, three faint stars towards the larger and brighter one now called the Pole-star, but with which then the Pole of the earth's axis had no connexion. They saw, as we see, that the Church on earth go forth towards Him their precursor, gone before, and but faintly seen by the most gifted sight of faith. Not such they found in the greater fold, whose sheep, or daughters, go forth and follow their Shepherd and their King, Arcturus of Bootes.
These emblems made part of the ancient astronomy, but the guiding star was not the Pole-star then, nor will it always be. Still while to us it seems to be so, it is well to connect it with Him to whom the hearts of His people turn "as the needle to the Pole."
These leading or guiding stars, Arcturus in Bootes, and Kochab or Cynosure in the lesser sheepfold, have both symbolized the Great Shepherd of the sheep, - Him whom they follow in life, and trust in, to attain to His side in departing to be with Him, "which is far better."
THE END.
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