eance A 11. Job 38.1. Pſal. 104.4. 7 Came as if it knew its way, and notwirhſtanding its Impertuouſneſs and Irregularities, yet held itsdire& courſe. k From Baby/on, which in Scripture Geography islaid North- ward from 7udear; and the Prophet tho' now in Babylon, does ſpeak of the Jews, as if they were in Jerzſalem. 1 Againſt which this Cloud, on which an angry God did ride, haſtning Vengeance on them, which they ſhould be as little able to divert or withſtand, as to ſtop the Courſe of the Clouds, or their breaking wpon us; it was the Ar. my of the Chaleans made up of multitudes of People (as the Cloud is made by the concourſe of multirudes of Exhaiations and Vapours ) Jer. 4.13. » Burning ina dreadful manner, very fierce, fed by Fue] within it ſelf, breaking outand flaſhing with terror, tho' it had ſeem- ed to rebate, andencircling all things near it, and threatning to devour all. Such was. the Anger of God againſt this ſinful Nation. » Tho' thus terrible, yet round about it was not Smoak and Darkneſs, but a clear Light or Splendor. The Majeſty, Holineſs, Juſtice of God ap. peared to the Propher, and migbr be ſeen by the ſuffering Jews to humble them, that they might ſeek him. o Either of the Whirlwind or Cloud, or the Fire rather, as in the end of the Verſe. _ Þ Heb. As the Eye, the Aſpe&, or Appearance. 4 The Hb. word is variouſly interpreted. and 'tis loſt labour to ſearch the Rabbins here. Amber 15 either Natural, which if in the Fire Joſeth its Brightneſs, or Artificial, made of Gold and fine Braſs mixt, which will brighten in the Fire, and of equal value with Gold (as the D D. Bochart obſerves ) of which 7a. ſepbus faith Solomon did make the Sea of Braſs, and the facred Veſſels; ſomewhat like the Corinthian Braſs, known now only by its name, ex. ceeding ſplendid, and very hard: the one ſpeaking the glorious Ma. zeſty to be reverenced, the other ſpeaking the invincible Power of God to be f:ared ; both adviſing this People and us to repent and a- mend, ond return and meet him. » Which the Prophet ſaw, and in which the Jews were to be melted or conſumed.
{ Of the Fire, or that Amber which appeared, as having four Wheels, ; Theſe were not indeed living Creatures, but the Appearance of them, and fignify with ſome the four Monarchies; with others the four chief Leaders in the four quarters of the Camp of 7/-ae! ; with others the four Evangeliſts ; with others, more likely, the Holy Angels, whoſe Attendance beſpeaks the Majeſty of God, and the Terribleneſs of Judgmentsto be executedon the Jews ; and they are four, either to denote the ſufficient number of them, or to ſhew God would uſe the four chief of his Angels, or perhaps to let the Jews know he had as many ways to puniſh, and as many Officers of his Wrath, as they could find corners” of the World to fly unto. Or, ſince the Appear. ance of a Chariot in the midſt of this Viſion is ſuppoſed, *twas fitteſt that four living Creatures ſhould anſwer to the Wheels rhereaf. » "The Forme in which theſe four each appeared to the firſt view, or at fFome diſtance. :» The Stature, the greater part of them appeared of Humane Shape, for they had Face, Hands and Thighs, and the Poſture was erect in ſtanding or motion, as Man's 1s 6 And every y one had four & faces a, and every ons b had tour c wings. ; Of thoſe four living Creatures which appeared to the Prophet. z This Hieroglyphic tho' it ſeems to preſent us with a monſtrous Sight, yet does not unbecome the Divine Wiſdome, nor dothir want like Repreſentations, as ch. 1o. 14. and Reve. 4. 6. & 5. 6. And ſpeaks either the full Firneſs of Angels to do God's Commands in all "Things and Occaſions, or the PerfeQion of gheir Nature and Obed1-
| 8 And 7hey ; had the hands of a man 7 under »: their wings on the four » ſides, and they four o had thcir
taces and their wings.
z Each of the four living Creatures. & Hands in every Langue: eſpecially in the Oriental, imply Power; and being the chief Inſtru. ments of Aion, are here aſcribed to theſe attive Inſtruments that exe. cute the Commands of God. 7 This is added to denote the Wiſdom Dexterity and Vigilance wherewith they diſcharge their Miniſtry. mM Their Powerand Manner of exerting it, is ſecretand inviſible, and "tis put forth as Gad pleaſeth ro move them. » On each ſide of the Chariot one of theſe living Creatures ſtood, and fo oneach fide Hands were ready to aQt as they were moved; and tho' 'twas to all parts of the World, yet were they moſt ready and prepared. 9 *Tis Joubled
|
to confirm the Truth and Certainty of the thing, and to intimate ths Greatneſs of their Power, Agility and Wiſdom.
9 Their wings were p joined one to another; they turn- ed q not when they went, they went 7 every one ſtraight
forward.
p the Wings of the living Creatures, when ſtretcht out to fly, were joined rogether, ſo the Wings of thoſe ewo Cherubims which went foremoſt, and the Wings of the two hindermoſt were joined together when they moved. Ir ſeems to refer to that Exod. 25. 20. Tt ſigni- fizs however the equal and uniform Readineſs of Angels, their Con- cord, and Union with Conſtancy ro do the Will of God, and it ſhews us the exa&t Harmony that is between the works of God. Theſe Wings, and their being joined is expreſt, Hz6. by the Union of loving Siſters with each other. q They loſt no time in a ditficult or tedious Turning, as we ſee in other Chariots ; for which way ſoever they were to go, thither they had Faces direQed, and ſo readily moved forward on their way, whether Eaſt or Weſt, North or South, and held on till chey had finiſht their Courſe, but then were ready for farther Aion, and returned as quick to their Station, where they might receive new Commands, as Lightning does; ſo this, and that verſe 14. there they did return, here they did not, are reconciled. + This explains the former, and confirms it to us, aſſuring us that every one of thoſe liv. ing Creaturesare ready, faithful and unwearied in doing the Pleaſure of their Creator, in his Government of the World. 7:8. v. 12.
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of that part of the Body which is properly the Face, tho' I ſee no -
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to As for the * likeneſs / of their faces, they four had*t
the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right+ ſide, and they four had the face of an oxe on the left fide;