on it, fhining in the brighteft luftre of Jasper green and Sardine red: The green colour, as beft proportioned to the human eye, speaks his Mercy, and the red his Juftice; thefe two attributes bearing a particular relation to mankind. The Throne is furrounded with a Rainbow, in which fhines remarkably a most beautiful green, like that of Emeralds. This Rainbow, with its bright green colour, denotes the Covenant of reconciliation and peace, which God made with man after the deluge.

V. 4. And round about the throne were four and twenty feats: and upon the feats, four and twenty Ancients fitting, clothed in white garments, and on their heads crowns of gold.

Round the Throne of God appear fitting four and twenty Ancients, representing the Saints that preceded the age of chriftianity, and for that reafon called Ancients. They are clothed in white, to exprefs the immortal glory they poffefs in heaven; and their crowns of gold fhew their royal dignity, God admitting them to fit as judges with him. In the fame manner it was said, that Chrift makes his faints kings, Apoc. i. 6.-See p. 5.

V. 5. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, and voices, and thunders: and there were feven lamps burning before the throne, which are the feven Spirits of God.

The lightnings, loud voices, and thunders, which come from the throne of God, announce alarms and fevere hardships, fuch as perfecutions, diffenfions, calamities, &c. by which he tries the fidelity of his fervants on earth. And the feven Spirits of God, who appear under the form of burning lamps, are feven angels, as before-mentioned, Apoc. 1. 4. ftanding ready to execute the Divine commands.

V. 6. And in the fight of the throne was as it were a fea of glass like to Crystal: and in the midft of the throne and round about the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.

V. 7. And the first living creature was, like a lion : and the fecond living creature, like a calf: and the third living creature, having the face, as it were, of a man: and the fourth living creature was like an eagle flying. V. 8. And the four living creatures, had each of them fix wings: and round about*, and within, they are full of eyes.

The extenfive fea of glass here described, transparent as Crystal, reprefents what may be called, the floor of heaven. Before the throne of God and round it ftand four living creatures of an extraordinary shape, which denote the four great prophets, Ifaiah, Jeremy, Ezechiel, and Daniel. Their bodies are described full of eyes both before and behind, an emblem of their prophetic fight, that penetrates into all ages, paft, prefent, and to come. And they being alfo full of eyes within indicates that their extenfive knowledge arifes from an interior Divine Infpiration. They have each fix wings, in the fame manner as the Seraphims appeared to the prophet Ifaiah, Ifai. vi. 2.: Two wings ferve to cover their face, two their feet, out of respect for the Deity; and the two others ferve to fly, that is, figuratively exprefs their expeditious readiness to carry and deliver the Divine inftructions and meffages.

Some have imagined these four fymbolical living creatures to reprefent the four Evangelifts, but we think, improperly; as St. John was still living, and there prefent in perfon. Befides! the fcene exhibited here to St. John represents the times and perfons that exifted before the age of Chriftianity. The firft living creature is here faid to refemble a lion, the king of beafts; because the prophet Ifaiah, represented by it, was defcended of the royal race of David. The fecond living creature resembles a calf, and represents the prophet Jeremy, in his character of a priest; the calf which was the principal victim

* In the Greek, fix wings about him ; and within, &c.

victim in Jewish facrifices, being on that account the emblem of priesthood. The third living creature, exhibiting Ezechiel, has the countenance of a man; because God, in fpeaking to that prophet, always addreffes him by the name of fon of man. The fourth living creature, denoting Daniel, resembles a flying eagle, on account of the fublime oracles of this prophet, who foars to the higheft object, and views the fucceffion of all the great Empires, that were to rife up in the world to the end of time.-Probably these four principal prophets are to be understood to reprefent all the prophets of the old

law.

V. 8. And they, the four living creatures, refted not day and night, faying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to

come.

V. 9. And when thofe living creatures gave glory and honour and benediction to him, that fitteth on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

V. 10. The four and twenty ancients fell down before him, that fitteth on the throne, and adored him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their crowns before the throne, saying:

V. 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honour and power: because thou haft created all things, and for thy will they were *,

and have been created.

The Almighty being feated on his throne, in the fplendor of his Majefty with the marks of his fupreme power, furrounded with the auguft choir of the ancient Saints and Prophets; these Prophets, represented by the four living creatures, are conftantly employed in offering their homage to him and finging his praises. They cry out day and night,

* In the Greek, shall give, &c.—the four and twenty ancients will fall down, &c.

*In the Greek, they are.

night, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, &c. repeating three times Holy, probably in honour of the Bleffed Trinity; and for the fame reason they give to God three different kinds of praise, glory, honour, and benediction, or thankfgiving. And whenever the four living creatures fing thefe praises, the four and twenty Ancients are ready to join their homage, by falling down before Him that fitteth on the throne, and adoring Him that liveth for ever and ever; and in token of their acknowledg ing all their happiness and pre-eminence to be his gift, they caft down their crowns before the throne; and thus they conclude their homage: Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, honour, and power: because thou haft created all things, and for thy will they are, and have been created; that is, we acknowledge thy power, O Lord, because by thy Omnipotence thou haft created all things; honour is due to thee, because by thy will they are, or continue to exift; glory is due to thee, because they were created to serve to thy glory.

Apoc. Chap. V. v. 1. And I saw, fays St. John, in the right hand of him that fat on the throne, a book written within and without, fealed with feven feals.

The Book, which Almighty God holds in his right hand, contains the detail of his adminiftration of the Christian Church; the length of which detail is marked by the book being written both within and without. It is fealed up, as containing the Divine Counfels impenetrable to human fagacity; and the feven feals indicate that the whole is divided into feven parts, each of which is unfolded and made known at the opening of each refpective

feal.

V. 2. And I faw a strong angel, proclaiming with a loud voice: who is worthy to open the book, and to loofe the feals thereof?

V. 3. And no man was able, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, nor to

look on it.

Aftrong angel cries with a loud voice, to be heard over the whole creation, who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the feals thereof? But there is not found a creature, either in heaven, or on earth, or elsewhere, worthy to do this function, or even to look on the book, the eyes not being here permitted to view the repofitory of the Divine difpenfations, which, the book being yet fealed up, are kept concealed from human understanding.

V. 4. And I wept much, continued St. John, because no man was found worthy to open the book*, nor to see it. V. 5. And one of the Ancients faid to me, weep not; because the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the feven feals thereof.

St. John mortified and weeping, because no one was found worthy to open the book, is told by one of the four and twenty Ancients to ceafe weeping; for that the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, &c. Chrift the Meffiah, who is born of the tribe of Juda, and who is the root that fprings from the royal race of David, is, on account of his atchievements, ftyled the Lion of that tribe, conformably to Jacob's prophecy: Juda is a lion's whelp, Gen. xlix. 9. He, the Meffiah, David's defcendant, like a valiant Lion, conquered Satan, Death, and the World. He put a stop to Satan's power, by breaking down the empire of idolatry, he difcharged the great functions he undertook to perform on earth, he reconciled man to his Eternal Father, he raised himself from Death, he established his new Law notwithstanding the moft obftinate oppofition from the World, and he founded his Church at the expence of his blood. By these victories he

D

The Greek text here adds, and to read it.

is