the space between the throne, and the circle around it on which the four and twenty elders fat. They are placed as it were between God, as manifefted by the mediation of Chrift and the agency of the Holy Spirit, and the Christian worshippers. With their faces towards the throne, on the front of which are the feven lamps and the fea of glass, and with their backs to the elders; they conduct Chriftians to that glorious place in which they shall ever be with the Lord, and fhall be bleffed with feeing God; they fay unto them, "Be ye followers of us, even as we are alfo of Chrift." They lead and conduft the worship of the elders, that is, of the Chriftian church, verfes 8,-11. chap. v. 8,-10.

In chap. v. 11. angels, the living creatures and the elders are all mentioned diftinctly from one another. Sometimes these three diftinct bodies join in one fong of praise to God; and whenever they do fo, there is not one word of redemption in the fong, Y as appropriated to them; becaufe angels could not fing that Chrift hath redeemed them. "For verily "Chrift took not on him the nature of angels, but "he took on him the feed of Abraham." At other times, the four living creatures with the elders only, join in fongs of praife to God; and then in every one of thefe fongs they fing redeeming love, or fome peculiar bleffing of the gofpel of Jefus; because all the parties which join in thefe fongs are equally interested in the theme of redemption.

Thus

chap.

chap. v. 8, 10. The four living creatures and the elders fing unto Jefus a fong most fuitable for the minifters and Chriftians of the church of Christ, but a fong in which no angel could join them; for they fang to the Lamb that was flain: "For thou "wast flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy "blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and peo

ple, and nation, and haft made us unto our God kings and priests; and we fhall reign on the earth." In the two following verfes, angels join with the living creatures and elders; and though the Lamb that was flain is the object of their adoration and praife, yet redemption is no part of the subject of it. Chrift, because God the Creator of all things vifible and invifible, is the object of worship to the highest angels. God "when he bringeth in the first begotten into "the world, faith, and let all the angels of "God worship him". In their fong they never mention redeeming love; they fing "worthy is. "the Lamb that was flain to receive power, and "riches, and wisdom, and ftrength, and honour, "and glory and bleffing."

In chap. vii. 11, 12. The angels, the elders, and the four living creatures again join in one fong, and there is not one word of the peculiarities of the gofpel in it. And in chap. xix. 1,-4. the elders and the four living creatures, without the angels, join in a fong which is full of the peculiarities of

the

the gofpel.-The reader is defired to confult with attention the many paffages of this book referred to in the commentary on this verse.

Thefe living creatures are full of eyes before, to look to God, to receive inftruction, direction and fupport from him. They learn the whole counsel of God from the facred oracles of truth and the illuminations of the Holy Spirit. They fet the Lord ever before them, and therefore they fhall not be moved. They are full of eyes behind, to infpect their flocks, and to look well to the church of Chrift, over which they are overseers.

Verfe 7th. And the first beaft was like a lion, and the second beaft like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

In this beautiful hieroglyphic, the character of the gospel minifters during four fucceffive periods from the days of the apoftles to the final judgement is drawn in features the most just and ftriking.

The first living creature "was like a lion." A lion, the boldeft and moft courageous of animals, is the fymbol of boldnefs and courage. Hence this fymbol fignifies that boldness and courage were to be the most striking feature of the character of the gospel ministry during the first period. Accor

dingly,

dingly, the most undaunted courage, in fact, marked the character of the apostles and first teachers of Christianity, for the first century of the Chriflian church.

The fecond was like a calf, or young ox. The ox, who of all animals bears the yoke with the greatest patience and perfeverance, is the fymbol of patience under labour and fuffering. In this fymbol the ox is young, (a calf), to fhew that the character of patience under fuffering fhould mark the gofpel ministry at an early period; and that these sufferings, and that patience under them fhould continue long. For a young ox, in the ordinary course of things, will live longer than an old one. The period in which patience under labour and fuffering was the character of the gofpel miniftry, commenced about the beginning of the fecond century, and continued to the time of the Reformation in the fixteenth century. Every perfon acquainted with the hiftory of the church, muft fee how much the gofpel miniftry was marked by patience under fufferings, during the long space of fourteen hundred

years.

The third "had a face as a man." Man is an intelligent and rational creature; and, by the degree of his intellectual and rational powers honourably diftinguished from the other inhabitants of this earth. "God teacheth us more than the beafts of the earth, and maketh us wifer than the fowls of hea

ven. In these respects he far excells the lion, the calf, and the eagle; Hence the face of a man is the fymbol of knowledge and reafoning. This third period of the gospel miniftry was to be diftinguished for knowledge and reafoning. This period commenced at the time of the Reformation in the fixteenth century, and shall run down to the two thousandth year of Chrift; at which time a glorious period of purity, peace, prosperity and triumph to the church of Chrift fhall commence, as fhall be fhewn in the commentary on chap. xx. 1,-7. We live near the middle of this period.

Hath not the gospel ministry, in fact, been marked and distinguished in this period by knowledge and reafoning. Since its commencement all the tribe of acute deiftical writers have arifen; let any man read with candour and attention the many able anfwers which have been made to them by the friends of revelation, let him read the different books which have been written in different parts of the world on the fubject of theology, and deny, if he can, that knowledge and reafoning are the striking features in the character of the gofpel miniftry in this period.

That the gospel miniftry fhall still more be diftinguished for knowledge and reasoning during the two hundred years of this period, which are yet to come, is highly probable from this hieroglyphic, and from what hath already happened to verify VOL. I.

S

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