7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, what he called "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord;" i. 28. ¶ Full of eyes. — See Ezek. i. 18; x. 12. It is evident the revelator had Ezekiel's description in his mind. The revelator's words are, "full of eyes before and behind," i. e., on every side. They had faces every way, and, of course, they had eyes every way. The eye is the metaphor for sight and intelligence; and the idea is, that God can see and understand all things at a glance. hands of man; and hence all the skill denoted by the human hand was attributed to God. This is the highest degree of skill possessed by any creature; had there been greater, the prophet would have chosen it. Their wings were joined; and thus, although they had the powers of different beings, yet there was a sense in which they were one. All the powers of the four were designed to represent the powers of the Being who called himself One Lord. They turned not when they went; for as 7. Like a lion. - This is evidently each had four faces, there was no a copy from Ezekiel's hieroglyphics; need that they should do so. Man, i. 10. ¶ Like a calf.- Ezekiel said, the most perfect being on earth, ox; they are of the same species. sees but one way at the same time. ¶ Face as a man.· - This also comes He must therefore turn his body from Ezekiel. ¶ Flying eagle.— No when he wishes to change his direc- one, we should think, could doubt tion. To take away what would be that the revelator followed the prophan imperfection in the Deity, the et. He was not writing the effusions prophet gives his images each four of a sickly brain, but copying from faces; and hence they turned not the standard sacred books of the when they went, but went every one Jews; and when the intent of these straight forward. And now as to the metaphors is seen, and their force likeness of their faces. Each one and power understood, they are had the face of a man, INTELLI-known to convey ideas of the greatGENCE; the face of a lion, the king est grandeur concerning the Deity. of beasts, MAJESTY, STRENGTH; the 8. Six wings. Ezekiel's images face of an ox,-[a sacred animal had wings. Full of eyes. which the Egyptians worshipped; have already noticed this under ver. hence the golden calf of the children 6. ¶ Rest not day or night, i. e., cease of Israel,] denoting STRENGTH, PA- not from their glorious employment; TIENCE, FAITHFUL LABOR; the face abate not from the expression of their of an eagle, SOARING, PIERCING. The eagle soars to the highest height, and he has the most piercing sight. Now let any man, even of the most brilliant fancy, put himself into the age in which Ezekiel lived, and see if he can devise an image which will describe more fully and correctly the attributes of the Deity. The whole of the tenth chapter of Ezekiel is on the same subject. Both chapters contain the prophet's description of reverence. We This distinction is very necessary to be observed, because it is said of the worshippers of the horrible Roman beast, that they "have no rest day nor night;" xiv. 11. But the words in the case before us have no such sense as the words bear in the latter quotation. Holy, holy, holy. - Thrice holy art thou, O Lord God Almighty. This is the most solemn form of ascription in all the Bible. Isaiah has a figure very like Eze holy, Lord God Almighty, which | ders fall down before him that sat was, and is, and is to come. 9 And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty el : kiel's, and the two appear to have been mingled in the revelator's mind. "Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory;" Isaiah vi. 2, 3. Was, and is, and is to come. — An assertion of the eternal being of God, covering wholly the past, the present, and the future. 9. Those beasts give glory.—They are, in the description of the revelator, not only images to represent God's attributes, but they are also agents to execute his will 1; and thence they worship him. They were next to the throne of God; and not only represent his attributes to us, but also, as the agents of his will, are invested with those attributes, that they may be his ministers the more effectually. Standing next the throne, they set the example of adoration, - an example which at once infuses itself throughout the heavenly hosts: on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and to say, "In thy sight we are, O Lord, as nothing. Thou art our Creator. All we are thou hast caused us to be. And although thou hast honored us by making us kings and priests in thy church, still we know, that of ourselves alone, we are not worthy of distinction. We render all the glory to thee." 11. Thou art worthy. -The song which they sung is one of great significance. It consists of three parts, and is in fact the substance of all the anthems of praise contained in the Apocalypse. 1st. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power." 2d. "For thou hast created all things." 3d. “And for thy pleasure they are and were created." God's worthiness to receive homage from his creatures arises from the fact that he is their Creator, and that he has made them for a great and glorious purpose. He made them for his pleasure. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, Ezk. xxxiii. 11, and therefore he did not create them for endless death; and although the wicked die, temporarily, this is not the end in which 10. Four and twenty elders fall down. God rests as his design, for he has no - They imitated the four living crea- pleasure in their death as such, and tures in their adoration before the permits its reign only for a time, and throne. All heaven worships God; for a good purpose. Adam Clarke all earth should worship Him. That has a fine remark on this passage: liveth for ever and ever. God is end-"God made all things for his pleaslessly existent; the Being who is, and was, and is to come. Cast their crowns. Why they wore those crowns we have shown under ver. 4. But when engaged in acts of worship, they are represented as taking them from their heads, and laying them down before the throne. The purport of this is, that they were moved ure; and through the same motive he preserves. Hence, it is most evident, that he hateth nothing that he hath made; and could have made no intelligent creature with the design to make it eternally miserable. It is strange that a contrary supposition has ever entered into the heart of man; and it is high time that the power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they A are and were created. benevolent nature of the Supreme God should be fully vindicated from aspersions of this kind." Thus we have seen that the fourth chapter of the Revelation contains a hieroglyphical representation of the supposed dwelling-place of God, of the attributes of the Deity, and the court of heaven: God is described as worthy of the highest worship from all beings in heaven and on earth. In closing our notes on this chapter it is proper to remark, that the imagery is kept up in the revelator's mind through the whole Apocalypse. See iv. 6, 8, 9; v. 6, 14; vi. 1, 6; vii. 11; xiv. 3; xv. 7; xix. 4. CHAPTER V. 1. And I saw. - -John here continues the vision which he commenced to describe in the preceding chapter. He had painted the supposed celestial residence, with the throne of God, and the retinue that surrounded him, and rendered him divine honors; and he now proceeds, in the same style, to the rest of his vision. In the right hand. God held the book; it was the record of his will; it was in his care; and could not be revealed until the proper time, and the proper revelator came. TA book written within and on the back side. Book is not so good a translation as the word roll. The books of the ancients, in outward form and construction, were very different from ours. When we read, as in Rev. vi. 14, that heaven departed as a book when it is rolled together, we see the absurdity of translating the Greek word in every case by book; and hence the translators render it in that verse by scroll. The books of the ancients consisted of long scrolls, generally parchments, sewed or pasted together, and fastened at the ends to two rollers. In the case before us the CHAPTER V. ND I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the book is said to have been written "within and on the back side." How could a mere English reader understand this? To such a reader the last term thus applied would be understood to mean the cover, which is not very fit for being written on; and would, besides, contain no more than might have been contained in one additional leaf, though the book had consisted of a thousand leaves. Now, the long scrolls or books of the ancients were seldom written but on one side, here said to be within, because that side was turned inward in rolling. When any one of these scrolls was written on both sides, it contained twice as much as if written in the usual way. See Ezek. ii. 9, 10. The chief intention of the revelator, in mentioning this circumstance, must have been to signify that this volume was replete with information, and that its contents were not to be measured by its size. (Campbell, Diss. ii. part i. sec. 3.) Sealed. Is not this the same book referred to by Daniel? "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end ;" xii. 4. "And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end," ver. 9. Daniel had foretold the destruction coming upon Jerusalem; but he was directed to seal the roll until the time of the end. When the prophet foretold an event that was not to be of speedy occurrence, he was directed to seal up the sayings as if no use was to be made of the writings at that time, but the fulfilment was to be waited for. If, however, the event was near at hand, then the roll was for immediate use; it was not to be laid away; it was to be kept open. Hence we read, at the conclusion of the Apocalypse, "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at throne a book written within 2 And I saw a strong angel and on the back side, sealed proclaiming with a loud voice, with seven seals. who is worthy to open the hand;" xxii. 10. T Seven seals. - as if the heathen notions on these The book (or rather roll) was sealed subjects were correct; but we have with seven seals. It was divided into no belief that Jesus or his apostles seven different parts, and each part intended to recognize the heathen was sealed by itself. This is easily fables concerning spirits to be true, understood, if we keep in mind the any more than they intended to acidea of the roll. One part was writ- knowledge the doctrine of actual posten, and rolled up and sealed. An- sessions. That there are good angels, other was then written, rolled upon the who execute the will of God, we alformer, and also sealed; and so on to low. It is consistent both with Scripthe end. Thus, although there was ture and reason to think so. But but one roll, or book, there were that there is a chief prince of darkseven parts to it, each part being ness, the leader in all that is evil, the sealed by itself. It might have been tempter of mankind, having a legion divided into more parts, but seven is of ministers or imps at his command, the perfect number of the Apocalypse, is unreasonable, and exists only in and hence that division. These parts the language of allegory. God is could be taken off and read one atter omnipotent. He shares dominion the other; and thus one seal would with none. We do not hold the be opened at a time. The account of opinion of the Manicheans, viz., the the opening of these seals we shall existence of two eternally opposite find in the 6th, 7th and 8th chapters principles. Man is tempted when he of the Apocalypse. They are the is drawn away of his own lust and seven seals into which John was per- enticed. This will account for all mitted to look, one after another. sin, without the agency of any other When John wrote the Book of Rev- tempter. But in the parables, metelation, the end was near. He fore- aphors, and allegories of the Bible, told things that were "shortly to come evil spirits are introduced, not to acto pass." The time for unsealing knowledge their real existence, but Daniel's book had come. It was the for scenical purposes. Did Jesus inbook of God's dealings with the Jews, tend to acknowledge the Jewish ideas or his will concerning the punishment of heaven, when he spoke of Abraof that people. Jesus had foretold | ham's bosom? or the heathen notions their destruction; he had unfolded of hades, when he spoke of the great the purpose of God respecting them, gulf? Dr. Macknight says, "In parand thus had opened the sealed book. abolical discourses, provided the doc2. A strong angel.. We take ad- trines inculcated are strictly true, the vantage of this place to offer certain terms in which they are inculcated remarks on the angelology of the may be such as are most familiar to Apocalypse. It has already been in- the ears of the vulgar, and the imtimated by us, that John makes much ages made use of such as they are use of angels in his descriptions. best acquainted with."—(Par. and The heathen had long believed in the Com. on Luke xvi.) We reject, existence of spiritual intelligences, therefore the notion of evil angels. such as we call angels, both good God is good; and the messengers, and bad. The Jews unquestionably who fulfil his pleasure, who inhabit became infected with their notions. his presence, must be good also. So The metaphorical language of the much we should infer from the ScripBible, therefore, is sometimes framed tures. The angel who came down book, and to loose the seals thereof? from heaven to announce to the shepherds the birth of the Redeemer is a proof of the existence of good angels. But here let us remark, that we do not suppose all the good angels John mentions in the Apocalypse were actual existences, any more than the throne was an actual throne, or the four living creatures, or the four and twenty elders, were actual beings. They are introduced to fill up the imagery, and are to be regarded as merely scenical, like the cherubim and flaming sword which guarded Eden, after the expulsion of our first parents; Gen. iii. 24. The angels introduced by John may be classed as follows: 1. The apocalyptical angel, who revealed the whole Apocalypse to John, and who is mentioned only at the beginning and the close; Rev. i. 1; xxii. 6, 8. 2. The angels of the churches, representing the leaders or ministers of those churches; i. 20; ii. 1, 8, 12, 18; iii. 1, 7, 14. 3. Angels of proclamation; v. 2; viii. 13; xiv. 6, 8, 9, 15; xviii. 1, 2, 21. 4. Angels round about the throne, to adore and honor the Father, who were innumerable; v. 11; vii. 11. 5. Angels of the elements, viz., Of the wind; vii. 1. Of fire; xiv. 18. Of the waters; xvi. 5. 6. Angel of the seal of God; vii. 2. 7. Angels of destruction; vii. 2. Here may also be put the angel with a sickle; xiv. 17, 19. The seven angels of the plagues; xv. 1, 6, 7, 8; xvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 17; xvii. 1, 3, 7, 15; xxi. 9, 17. 8. Angels of presence. Of these there were seven, who are sometimes represented by seven lamps, and again by seven eyes; i. 4; iii. 5. They did the duty of trumpet angels; viii. 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13; ix. 1, 13, 14; x. 7; xi. 15; xiv. 10. 9. Angel of the golden censer; viii. 3, 4, 5. 15. Angel of the altar; xvi. 7. 16. Angel of the sun; xix. 17. 17. Angel with the key of the bottomless pit; xx. 1-3. 18. Angels of the gates of the New Jerusalem; xxi. 12. seven We repeat that these angels are not to be regarded, in all cases, as actual beings. Some of them were so, as the angels of the churches; but in general they are merely scenical, and are introduced to preserve the forms of the allegory, or drama. The angel mentioned in the verse now under examination, was one of the angels of proclamation, who inquired, with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" ¶ Open the book. The book was certainly the one mentioned in the preceding verse; and, as we have said, it was the one which Daniel was ordered to seal up. The opening of the book shows that the events foretold by Daniel, and which he was ordered to seal up because they were not to be fulfilled in his day, were about to take place at the time the revelator wrote. Daniel's description is in the following words: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and |