The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 138

of here as leaders or worship, aa singing the song or the redeemed {ob. v. 9), with harps and golden censers " full of odours, which are the prayers of sainta." They say, "Thou hast made us kings and priests," etc. Surely all this belongs more to human, redeemed ministries than to vague abstractions, such &s "representatives or creation." And if so, then such being the ministers of God is a further reason for the trust, the eonfidence, and the assured hope of the Church of God in all ages. And then all are beard as well as seen, and that which we have ia the Trieagion, the Ter-Sanctue, the .. Holy, holy, holy," which L'18.iah heard wlien in the temple. He alao &&W the vision of the ·Lord of hosts. And the uplifting of this holy song serves as the signal for the yet fuller outburst of praise which the twenty-four elders, rising from their seats, and re-verently placing their crowns of gold at the Lord Jehovah's feet, and prOBtrating themselves before his throne, render unto him that sitteth upon the throne, aaying, "Worthy art thou," etc. (ver. 11). The vision ia all of a piece. It atrikes terror into the hearts of God's adversaries, as-to compare great things with small--do tile pomp and paraphernalia of an earthly tribunal strike terror into the heart of the criminal who~ia brought up to be tried. and probably condemned. at its bar; but fills with holy confidence the hearts of all God's faithful people by the assurance of the holiness, the wisdom, t.be Ion, and might of him that ruleth over all, and in whose hand• they and all things are. IIL I-rs GPDAL Il'ITEN'l' AND PUBPOSB. Beyond the immediate needs of the Church or St. John's day,· surely it is designed to teach ll8 all: 1. The reality <>f the heavenly tOOf'ld. The seen and the temporal do not a little dim and often shut out altogether the sight of, the unseen and eternal It is difficult to realize. Hence whatever tends to .bring to· bear upon us " the powers of the world to come " cannot but be good. And this is one purpose of this vision. 2. Another is to awaken inquiry as to our oum nlation to the judgment of God. How shall we stand there, abashed and ashamed, or bold through the atoning sacrifice of Christ which we have believed and relied upon? How shall it be? 8. 2b ~cite desire and aspiration after participation m its bleased- "8S8, Hence the door is let open in heaven, that we may long to enter there, and resolve through Christ that we will. "What must it be to be there ?"-that is the aspiration wbich such a vision aa this is intended to awaken, as God grant it may.-S. C. Ver. 6.-The cherubim. c, In the midst • • • • were four living ones full of eyes before and beh.iud." There can scarce be a doubt ·that thele rn,sterious beings are the same as in the Old Testament are called " cherubim." Who and wh&t they were, and what they have to teach us, is an inquiry not without difficulty, but usuredl7 of much intt>rest and profit. Let ·us, therefore-- I. REVIEW THE SoBIPTUBB NOTICES OP THE CBEIIUBDL They are mentioned in connection: 1. Wsth the ~ul1ion. of Adam and Eve from Eden.. We read," So be drove out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword, which turned ev;, ry way to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. iii. 24). Now, from this passage we learn but little as to the nature of these exalted beings-only that they were deemed worthy to occupy the place where alone perfoot rign teousness could dwell. But from the word rendered " to place," which signifies rather " to place in a tabernacle," and from expressions which we fi.rid i.n eh. xiv. 14-16, it seems aa if this " place" wherein God had appointed ih, cherubim had become a sort of local tabernacle, and was called " the presence of the Lord," from which Cain mourned that he was driven out; and so for a long time if; remained, probably' until the Deluge. For how else could the idea of the cherubim, so connected with that place, and apparently so familiar to the Jews, have continued in their minds? That it did so is shown by the fact that Bezaleel (Exod. xxxi), when he was bidden make cherubim of gold for the ark of God, knew exactly what he wu to do. Here, as at Eden, they were where sinful man could not approach. Then the next mention of them is: 2. In connection with Ike ark <>/ the C011fflald in the tabernacle (Exod. :r.u. 18-20). Such were the commands of him who, but a little while before, amid !l,ll the majesty and awe of Sinai, had commanded, "Thou 1halt not make unto thee any graven image, nor any likeneae of anything," etc. (E:r.od. xx.). This command was engraven -upon stone, and placed within that very ark of the. covenant upon wbkb the golde11 oherubim atood. And Solomon, too, with apparentq, 158 THE REVELATION OJ' ST. JOHN THE DmNE. [C!L rv. 1-11.