The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 130

the oe, Antioch, u" :i-ata obedire maiidatu But the point ii pr&Qiically immaterial. a.postolorum; ,. the fflf!k. Constantinople, since. the eense of the passage ia the -.me in rema.rka.ble for men "per contemplationem both readings. Th88e representatives of. ele'fflti, ut Greg. Na.11." (De Lym and life display the cha.racteristios of life in it.I Ii, Lapide). (5) The four cardinal virtue& fullest energy. They have no part in any- (Arethas). (6) The four element& (the thing which savours of death-no stilln8811, • Catena,' p. 246)--il view not materially reat, or sleep. Holy, holy, holy. The thrioe- differing from that first set forth above, bear- repeated "holy" has very generally been ing in mind the idea of the ancients that all held to indicate the Trinity of the God- creation wu formed f:rom the fuur elements. head. Such ia evidently the intention of (J) The four motive powers of the human the Engliah Ohureh in ordering thia paasage eool: reason. anger, desire, conscience (a to be read in the Epiatle for Trinity Sunday. Le.pide, quoting Greg. Naz.). (8) The docton This aaoripnon of praise ia often, tho,h of the Ohnreh (Vitringa). (9) Four attri- wrongly, spoken of aa the "Triaagion. 1 bntes of out Lord: his humanity, aacrilioiti.l Lord God Almighty, "Almighty" is ....,..., life, hill kingly nature, his perfect and ,q,J.,ro,p. the " All-Buler," not ......,.,.~,, apiritual nature .ming beyond all other the" All-Powerful" The former, u Biehop men (Arethu-Oramer, p. 2~). (10) The Pearaon 1111.ys. embracea the latter. Whioh • four orden: pastoral, di&00nal, doctoral, waa, lllld ja, and ii to aome. Thie phraae Ill oontemplative, (Joachim). (11) The four no doubt intended to attribute to God .the principal angela () Lapide). (12) Four apos- quality of eternal existence.. But it may tolic rirtuell (Alca.sar,). (IS) The attributes also symbolize three aspects or departments of divinity: wisdom, power, omniscience, ofGod'sdealinga with ma.ukind: theom1Uott, creation (Renan). 1'1111 of eyea before lllld which hu been effected 1,ly the Father; the 1lelwul. From Isa. 'ri. 2, S the idea of ns redemption, which is now ooourring by the winga ia borrowed, and also the "Holy, holy, inter(l88ai9Il of the Son; and the dual per- holy " from Ezek. i 5, 6; the /our ftgv.,..,. fect 111nct(lication by the Holy Ghost. GIid f mw fa- (which are united in Ezekiel, Ver. 9.-And when those beuta gin; or, but made aepaate in the Revelation); and and a, oftffl a, the litJing .1Jeing• ,haU gi11& from Ezek. x. 12. the body /uU of eyea. The expression has a freqnentative force, The eye, denol:e unceasing activity. If the and also points to a continued repetition of four lirin~ beings all faced towards the the act in tne future; perhaps a oontraat throne while sta.ndjng on each side of it, St. io the past, aince before the :redemption the John would see tliepi. in various positiOI19t Church, as being of the whole world, could and observe the back aa well as the front. not join in the adoration. Glory ud honoar Ver. 7.-And the fint beast was like a and thanb. The Eucharistic hymn recog• lion, a.nd the 118COnd bean like a calf, and nizes the glory and honour which an, the the third beast h&d a face as a man, and the inseparable attributes of God, and :renden fourth beast was like a fiying eagle. (Upon the thanks due to him from his creation. "'beast" (Co)o11), see on ver. 6. For the To him that •t OD. the throne, who liveth 1igniftcation, aee also above on ver. 6.) for ever and ever; or, to him litting on 0.. Whether there was any dllference in the thr0fl8. The Triune God (see on Tel', Z~ torms as a whole, or whether the di:lieranoe "Wholiveth for ever and ever" declares that; eonsiated chiefly or solely in the faee,, can- attribute which was ascribed to God, in the not be certainly known. Each being is song of the living beings, by the words, eymbolical of some class or some quality of " which was, and is, and is to oome "(ae., oa which it ia representative, (For the appli- nr. 8). cation, see on ver. 6.) Ver. 10.,-The four and twenty elder& fall Ver. 8.-.&nd the four beuta had eaoh of down before him that 1111.t on the throne, and them six wing• about him; and they were worsliip him. that liveth fo,.. ever u4 ever. flill of eyes within. The stop should prob- Shall fall, etc. The tenses are all future ably be after " wings : " are fuU of eya, except the present "sitteth" and "liveth." obov.t and taitliin. In Isa. vi. 2 we have The four and twenty eldBl'I! a.re the repre- "six wings; with twain he covered his face, sentatives of the universal Church (see on and-with twain he covered hisfeet, and with twain he did fty." These actions appear 1 The " Trissgion" is "the hymn•A7u,s I to indicate reverence, humility, obedience. e.&,, 1£-y,os :uxvpos, ll-y,os Mtl.,,11,Tos, 'Af'l/{Tor, The eyes denote ceaseless activity, And 11p;iis, which is sung, according to the rite of they ren not day and night, saying. In Constantinople, in connexion with the Little the Au1horized Verefon "day and night" Entrance. • , • In the Roman Liturgy it ii ia attached to "rest not," bnt probably sung only on one day of the year, viz. Good 1honld be ta.ken with "saying," f'or, if con- Friday, in the special office called the Re- nected with the negative phrase, "nor" proaohes" ('Liturgiee, Ealtetnand w~• 1rould be more likely to ocour than ",end." Ho!lllllond, p. 380). 148 THE REVELATION OJ.I' BT. JOHN THE DIVINE. [cu. iv.1-11..