Empires are ©o:zpzred, Dan. 7. 2.. and for the buſtlings of them may be well compared io; 2nd toraſmuch as they are raiſed by the Lord, and are under his Con:5nd, may properly enough be called Winds of Heaven, which blow a: God orders. Or, Spirits of, z. e. Angels of Heaven, who have, as Miniſters of Divine Providence a great ſhare in che Manage of Affairs both of Church and State. "Or, the Impulſes cf God's Spirit moving as he pleaſeth in the Kingdoms of Mea, and in Þ15 Church. Indeed this is the great Spring which moves Angels, and ſets them on work about what is to be done by them, ei- ther for or agaialt States and kingdoms.eſpecially in reference tothe Church of Gd. im Which as they refide.in Heaven, till employed, ſo go thence when employed, and obſerve the Will of their God in Heaven, a..9 having done their Work return thither again. n They ſtand as Servauts attending the Will and Command of their Lord. o Their God is Lord of all, and their Buſineſs to do his Will in all the - 0 not 11 one only part, bat every where, whitherſoeyer thcy are ſent.
6 The black horſes p which are therein 9, go forth into the north-country 7, and the white s go torth at- rer them; and the grifled 7 go forth toward the ſouth: COUNtry 2.
þ The Angel fignified by the black Horſes, the Executioners ©f God's juſt ditpleaſure againſt Sinners, 9g In the ſecond Chariot, for nothing is ſaid more of the firſt, ) the red Horſes) ſay ſome, becauic that bloody and cruel State was expired,but the ſad things portended by the black Horſe are to come next on the Scene. »r Babylon, the whole Kingdom of Babylon, which lay ſo much North from Fudes, 2rd becauſe the Mctropelis lay North, the whole Kingdom is called the
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unſeen, that ſtands by you, that built the material Temple ; Neither Zerubbabel nor Foſhua, nor all the Jews, could do any thing without Chriſt in the preſent Building, which is yet far inferiowur to the Spi- ritual Temple, which Chriſt will build, beautifie 2nd nreter ve, and dwell in for ever. :
13 Even he ſhall build 7 the temple of the LORD #. and he ſhall bear the glory f, and he (hall firs and rule þ _ x upon his throne 7, and * he 1hall be a prieſt 4 upon his 317% 4
VI.
hich was executed by the Hands of the Medes and Perſians,aſſiſted a that Squadron of Angels which appeared in the ſecond Place. by iniſters of Goodneſs, Mercy and Kindneſs, went after the bjack 3 : 4 their Buſineſs was,fay ſome, to diſpoſe Affairs for the Benefit and Tc of God's People in Babylon, whither theſe were ſent to preſerve hem ro condu them, and bring them back ; and here was greir 4's in this, for many ſtaid behind till Ezra and Nehemtah's time. The Angels ſignified by theſe, and whoſe Buſineſs, as ſome gueſs, - he Roman Power, which was a mixture of many dit-
Chap
Heb. 2: 1.
av in managing t . : , ”_ People, and which were ſometimes favourable, ſometimes
fierce and ſevere tO thoſe they had to do with. u Egypt and Arabia, which lay South of Judea, and which the Romans did, though late, ſabdue z it may perhaps point at their invading Africa too, whoſe Puniſhmenrs were mixed ſomewhat with Kindneſs and Mercy more than the Puniſhments of Babylon were.
7 And the bay went forth y, and ſought > to go,
that they might walk to and tro through the earth « : and he faid b, Get ye hence c, walk to and fro through
the earth. - So they walked d to and fro through the
arth. | Y y From the place where the Propher ſaw them at firſt ſtanding,as at
the ſtarting place. x Either asked, Commiſſion, or waited for it. 4 They hada larger Commiſſion, ſay ſome, the whole Earth, or a particular Commiſſion to keep their Rounds 1n the Land of Fudea,and to take care of their Afffairs for the Comfort of that People. 6 Chriſt who hath all Power in Heaven and on Earth. c Stay no longer here, haſten to your Charge 3 as you have defired, ſo do. d They obey immediately and do his Commands. Theſe bay. Horſes are here re-
reſented as attempting or making Effay, which at firſt ſeems to take little effe&, though at laſt by a full Commiſſion empowered, they do ſucceed in-the Attempt. This might give ground to ſuppoſe here is ſome Kingdom aimed at, which made ſome Attempts to enlarge it ſelf through all the Earth,but failed in 1ts Attempt, which no won- der fince the Angels which were to affift were not commulionated to walk through the whole Earth, and they keeping to their Commiſ- fion gave no farther help, for want of which the Deſign failed. How
fir this may concern Goths and Vandals, or any more late Empires |
and Kingdoms, I have neither Skill nor Will farther to enquire, Nor yet to enquire whether theſe Bay Horſes were not Emblems of An- gels employed by the Lord, in the Government of the reſt of the Kingdoms of the World remote from Fudea, but not remote from God's Wiſe and Sovereign Providence governing allthe Earth. The known Empires here are ſuppoſed to have been managed by particu- lar Angels, repreſented according to the Analogy between the Co- lours of the Horſes and the Comple=x1on of the Kingdoms. And it may ſeem likely that the reſt of the World was not left without ſome to haye Care of them. $ Then e cried he fupon me, and ſpake unto me, ſay- ing, Behold, theſe that go g toward the north-country þ have quieted my ſpirit 2 in the north-country. e When the Propher had been informed about the former Viſion. f The Angel that talked with the Prophet, 7.e. the Lord Chriſt ſpake aloud, and called to him. g Or are gone, tor he ſpeaks of what was already paſt, *tis likely he meanerh the red Horſes. þ Into Babylon. ; Either by doing what I appointed them againſt the cruel Chaldeans, in Revenge of my Peoples Injuries, or bringing my People back out
of Babylon into Canaan. 9 < And # the word / of the LORD came unto me,
ſaying,