Page images
PDF
EPUB

than to raise their affections to God and the things which are above? That fpirituality, elevation and ardour of affection, which in the present age, would be looked upon by many as enthusiasm, would fall quite fhort of that refinement and elevation of affection which is fuited to that period, in which the kingdom of God, which is not meats and drinks, but truths and righteousness and peace and joy fhall come.

This defcription of the gofpel ministry, was drawn by John in the year of Christ ninety-five; it is now the year 1790; and the fact for near feventeen hundred years hath exactly correfponded to that defcription. Such an exact correfpondence between the predictions and the events, in fo many different periods, for fo long a course of time, and in circumstances, which could not poffibly have been planned, forfeen, nor brought about by any created being, at once prove the infpiration of this book, God's perfect fore-knowledge of future events, even the most contingent, in the ftricteft confiftency with the liberty of man as a moral agent, the fuperintindency of divine providence, God's moral government of the world, and his ticular care of the church of Chrift.

par

Verse 8th.-And the four beafts had each of them fix wings about him; and they were

full

full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to

come.

Every one of these living creatures had fix wings, like the feraphim mentioned in Ifaiah vi. 2. 3. "Above it stood the feraphim, each one had "fix wings, with twain he covered his face, and "with twain he covered his feet, and with twain "he did fly. And one cried to another holy, holy,

་ holy is the Lord of hofts, the whole earth is full "of his glory." As in the feraphim, these fix wings ferved two purposes, firft to cover their faces and their feet, that is to exprefs their reverence and humility before God, and fecond to fly, that is to express their readiness and expedition in obeying the commands of God; they here fignify that reverence and humility in the fight of God, and that readiness and expedition in the execution of the Divine will, which mark the character of the minifters of the gospel.

They are full of eyes within. In verfe 6. they are reprefented as full of eyes before, to perceive the commands of God, and behind, to infpect their flocks; and here within, in order to look to themfelves. They do not fatisfy themselves with the fpeculative knowledge of religion, whilft they have not felt its power. They do not conduct the wor

fhip

fhip of their congregations, merely because it is their office to do fo; but they fpeak because they believe. As exhorted in 1 Tim. iv. 16. "They "take heed to themselves and to their doctrine

[ocr errors]

;

they continue in them, that in doing this they may fave themfelves, and them that hear "them."

"And they reft not day and night." The words reft not are a wrong tranflation of the origi- : nal καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχεσιν. In our tranflation they imply fome degree of wearinefs or pain; for to one or moft commonly to both of these is rest opposed. But, in the Greek language, they are oppofed to mere ceffation; which ceffation, instead of implying reft from labour, toil, wearinefs or pain, might as well fignify (as it does here) the interruption of fuch active employments as are confiftent with and even productive of real joys. The meaning of them would have been better expreffed thus: "They ftop not," or, "they intermit not." That is, they are continually employed and delighted in adoring and praising the moral and natural perfec-tions of God. His moral perfections are all comprehended under his fuperlative holiness, and his natural perfections under his felf-existence, omnipotence and eternity. Their adorations are directed first to his moral perfections, because natural perfections, though they might fill their minds with awe and even dread, are rendered truly amiable. VOL. I. T

and

and adorable only when they are under the direction of those which are moral; and alfo because, to those who are living creatures, who are fpiritually alive, the perfect holiness of God is the moft adorable of all perfections.

By their not intermitting day nor night, it is not meant, that they are actually employed every moment either in private and fecret devotions, or in conducting the public devotions of the church: Of none of these are they negligent; but only that, even when they are not actually engaged in thefe, their minds are habitually impreffed with fuitable fentiments of the greatnefs, the goodness and the holiness of God. This is to have the fear of the Lord ever before their eyes; to wait on God all the day, to pray without ceafing, and to rejoice

evermore.

Verfes 9th, 10th, 11th.-And when those beasts give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that fat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that fat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their crowns before the throne, faying, Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.

The

The four living creatures, the ministers of the gofpel, are reprefented as conducting the worship of the Christian church, typified by the twenty four elders. The whole church, confifting of minifters and people, join in worshipping God only, and in adoring and praifing him as the Creator and Preferver of all, and the Author of every bleffing and honour, temporal and spiritual, which they poffefs. They therefore afcribe to him all the glory, honour, and power, of every great and good thing which they have either perceived or enjoyed.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »