and to enable them to perform it; being fenfible that without him, his grace and ftrength, they can do nothing; but through him ftrengthening them they can do all things, Phil. iv. 13.

(2.) The living creatures, who are the cherubim, are defcribed by their eyes; particularly in John's vifion of them, where they are faid to be full of eyes, before and behind, and within, Rev. iv. 6, 8. see also Ezek. x. 12. The eye is the light of the body; and what the eye is to the natural body, the minifters are to the church, the body of Chrift; yea they are the light of the world; and if the eye be fingle, if minifters be fincere, and have a fingle view to the glory of Chrift and the good of fouls, the whole body will be full of light, the church will be illuminated by them, Matt. v. 14. and vi. 22. they are Argos-like, have many eyes; and they have need of all they have to look into the facred fcriptures, which are a fealed book to learned and unlearned men, deftitute of the Spirit of Chrift; only to be looked into fo as to be understood by fuch who have their eyes enlightened, their understandings opened by Chrift, as were the difciples; the scriptures are to be diligently fearched into, and explored for the rich treafure that is in them; and those that search into them, as for hid treasure, shall find knowledge of great and excellent things; but these escape the fight of all but those who have spiritual eyes to fee. Minifters of the gospel had need to be full of eyes, to look to themselves, and to the flocks committed to them; to take the overfight of them, and feed them with the words of faith and found doctrine; to take heed to themselves and to their doctrine, that it be wholefom, pure and incorrupt; and to their lives and converfations, that they give no offence to Jew nor Gentile, nor to the church of God, that the miniftry may not be blamed and rendered useless; and alfo to efpy dangers, and give warning and notice of them, arifing whether from without or from within; to look diligently left any root of bitterness, of error or heresy, or of immorality and profaneness, fpring up in the churches, and trouble fome and defile others; and to watch against falfe teachers, and to be careful to keep up the difcipline of Chrift's houfe. They have, as they fhould have, eyes before and behind; eyes behind, to obferve things paft, the fulfilment of prophecies, promifes, and types in Chrift; before, to look to predictions yet to be fulfilled relating to the church and kingdom of God; behind them, to watch against Satan, who goes about feeking whom he may devour, and who comes upon the back of them at unawares; and before them, to watch over the flocks they have the overfight of; behind them, to the twenty-four elders, the members of the churches to whom they minister, fo fituated with respect to the four living creatures; and before them, to the throne of God and the Lamb, on whom is their dependence, from whom they expect fupplies, and whofe glory they are concerned for: and they have allo eyes within, to look into the finfulness and corruption of their nature, and

G 2

and which is a means of keeping them humble under all their attainments, gifts and usefulness; and into the state and cafe of their own fouls, and their inward experience; which qualifies them to speak to the cafes of others, and by which they can make better judgment of the truth of doctrines, having a witness of them within themfelves; and to look into the treafure that is put into them, in order to bring forth from thence things new and old, both for the profit and pleasure of thofe that hear them.

(3.) The living creatures, or cherubim, are described by their wings. The cherubim over the mercy-feat had wings, but how many is not expreffed; but it is the opinion of fome, both ancient and modern, that they had fix, and fo many had the Seraphim in Ifaiah's vifion, chap. vi. 2. and the fame number had the living creatures in Ezekiel's vision; for though they are faid to have four, chap. i. 6. yet not four only; from ver. 11, 23. it seems as if they had two more, and it is certain the living creatures in John's vifion had fix, Rev. iv. 8. and, 1. With two of them particularly they flew, as Ifaiah's Seraphim did; which in minifters, denote their swiftnefs, readiness and chearfulness to do the work of God, to minifter the word, and to adminifter ordinances, to vifit the members of churches when needful, and do all good offices. for the faints, that lay in their power. The Greek version of Ezek. i. 7. is, their feet were winged; expreffive of the fame thing, particularly of their readiness to preach the gospel, their feet being food with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and for the fame reason, a fett of gofpel-minifters are reprefented by an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlafting gofpel to preach to all nations, Rev. xiv. 6.2. With other two wings they covered their faces; ministers, fenfible of the purity and holiness of God, and the fpirituality of his law, in comparifon of which, they see themselves unholy, carnal and fold under fin, blush at their fins and imperfections, and are confcious of their unworthiness to be employed in fuch fervice, looking upon themselves to be less than the leaft of all faints, the chief of finners, and unfit to be minifters of the word; and are ashamed of their poorperformances, and acknowledge that they have nothing but what they have received, and therefore have nothing to glory of at beft. 3. With other two wings the living creatures covered their feet: however beautiful the feet of gofpel: minifters may appear to others, to whom they come running with the good tidings of peace, life, righteousness, and falvation by Chrift; yet they, fenfible of their deficiencies, confefs, that having done all they can, and in the beft manner they could, they are but unprofitable fervants. So Ifaiah's Seraphim. covered their feet with two of their wings, but Ezekiel's living creatures covered their bodies with them, and feem to have made ufe of four for that purpose, chap. i. 11, 23.— 4. Their wings were stretched upwards, ver. 11. so ministers.

look

Clement. Alex, Stromat. 1. 5. p. 563. Fortunat. Scacchi Eleochryfm. par. 2. c. 36. p. 474

look towards heaven, up towards Chrift, from whence are all their expectations of grace to help them to perform their work, and of all fuccefs in it: and their wings were also joined one to another; that is, the wings of one living creature to that of another; denoting minifters affection to each other, their giving mutual affiftance to one another, their concern in the fame work of the Lord, preaching the fame truths, and adminiftering the fame ordinances, having the fame zeal for the glory of God, love to Chrift and to the fouls of men, and being of the fame mind and judgment; and efpecially they will be fo in the latter day, when they fhall fee eye to eye, Ifai. lii. 8. 5. The found of their wings is worthy of notice, and is repeated once and again, that it might be obferved, faid to be like the noise of great waters; as the voice of the almighty, when he fpeaketh, chap. i. 24. iii. 13. and x. 5. which is no other than the gospel ministered by them, a joyful found, a found of love, grace and mercy, peace, righteousness and falvation; and which, like the found of waters, was heard at a distance, when by the miniftry of the apoftles it went into all the earth; the voice of Chrift, and which is the gofpel alfo, is compared to the fame, Rev. i.15. for its rapidity and force, under a divine influence; and which is not the voice, found and word of man, but of God himself; which appears by its powerful effects on the hearts of faints and finners, when attended with a divine energy; and indeed it is the Lord God almighty that speaks in minifters, and speaks powerfully by them, 1 Thefs. ii. 13. 2 Cor. xiii. 3.

(4.) These living creatures, or the cherubim, are defcribed by having the bands of a man under their wings on their four fides, Ezek. i. 8. and x. 8. this denotes the activity of gospel-minifters, who have not only the theory and knowledge of things, but are men of practice and business; they have much work. to do all around them, on every fide; preaching the gospel, administering ordinances, visiting their people, praying with them, and giving them counsel and advice, inftruction and exhortation, when needful; and they have hands to work with and ftrength given them, and which they employ, and are stedfaft and immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; and they do it with judgment, acting like men of understanding and reason: and their hands being under their wings, fhew, that befides their public work they do much in private,. in their studies and clofets, in meditation and prayer, where no eye fees them but the eye of God; and also in private houses where they pray, inftruct, counfel and advise, as the nature of cafes that prefent require; and whatever they do, whether in private or public, they do it not to be seen of men; or in an oftentatious way, as the Scribes and Pharifees; they boast not of their own performances, they afcribe all to the grace of God which is with them, and own that it is by that they are what they are, and do what they do; fuch is their modesty and humility, which this phrase is expreffive of..

(5) The

(5.) The living creatures, or cherubim, are defcribed by their feet, which are faid to be straight; and with them they went every one straight forward, and they turned not when they went, Ezek. i. 7, 9, 12. they made ftraight paths for their feet, and went not into crooked paths; they turned not, neither to the right hand nor the left; their eyes looked right on, and their eyelids right before them, and steered their courfe accordingly: thus faithful minifters of the word walk uprightly, according to the truth of the gofpel, and go in the paths of truth and righteousness; and neither turn to error on the one hand, nor to immorality on the other; and having put their hand to the plough of the gofpel, neither look back nor turn back; for fuch that do fo, are not fit for the kingdom of God, Luke ix. 62. Moreover, it is faid of the living creatures, the cherubim, that the fole of their feet was like the fole of a calf's foot; round, the hoof divided, and fit for treading out the corn, and which is more firm and fure than the fole of a man's foot, which is apt to flip and turn afide; and fo may denote the firmnefs, fteadiness, and conftancy of faithful minifters in their work, particularly in treading out the corn of the word for the nourishment of fouls to whom they minifter and it is alfo added of the cherubim, that their feet sparkled like the colour of burnished brass; which may not only fignify the ftrength and firmness of minifters to fupport under all the weight of work and sufferings, expreffed by brass; fo Chrift's feet are faid to be like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, Rev. i. 15. but also the brightness of their converfations, and the fhining purity and holiness of their lives; and when the light of their works, as well as of their doctrines, fhine before men, they look as bright as polished brass, and become examples of the believer, in word, in converfation, in charity, in fpirit, in faith, in purity, 1 Tim. iv. 12. Moreover, the living creatures were directed by the Spirit, whither the Spirit was to go, they went, Ezek. i. 12, 20. fo, as the prophets of the Old Teftament fpake as they were moved by the holy Ghoft, the minifters of the New Teftament are led by the Spirit, and guided by him in their miniftrations into all truth as it is in Jefus; as well as they are influenced by him in their converfations, to walk as becomes the gofpel of Chrift; and as they are qualified by him with his gifts and graces for the work of the miniftry, fo he disposes of them where he pleases, and makes them overseers of fuch and fuch flocks in fuch and fuch places, according to his will; and they go as they are led by him, where he has a work for them to do. A remarkable inftance of this fee in As xvi. 6-10 where the apostles were forbid by the holy Ghoft preaching in one country; and, affaying to go into another, the Spirit fuffered them not; but they were directed to steer their courfe another way, and to another place, where fouls were to be converted, and a gofpel-church planted. Once more, when and where the living creatures went, the wheels went; and according to the motion and position of the one, were the

motion and position of the other: when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them; and when the living creatures were lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift up; when those went, these went, and when thofe ftood, thefe food, Ezek. i. 19, 21. and x. 16, 17. the wheels fignify the churches; and where there is the ministry of the word by the living creatures, the minifters of the gospel, there generally churches are raised and formed by them; and as the miniftry of the word is continued or removed, fo is a church-ftate fixed or changed; it is in this way and by this means that the candlestick is either continued or removed out of its place and it may be obferved in John's vifion, agreeably to this, that when the four living creatures gave glory to God, the four and twenty elders fell down before him and worshipped him, Rev. iv. 9, 10. and v. 14. Ministers begin the worship of God, move first in acts of devotion, and then the churches. and the members of them follow and join with them; and as they receive their doctrine, and are guided by them in matters of worship, fo they copy after them in their converfations: and, generally fpeaking, as minifters be, churches are; if minifters have raised affections and elevated frames, fo it often is with the churches, and the members of them, that fit under their miniftrations; if minifters are active and lively, the churches are fo too; but if dull, indolent, and inactive, fo are church-members; if minifters are evangelical in their. preaching, fo are the people that hear them; but if they minifter in a legal manner, of the fame complection, fpirit and temper, will the members and

hearers be..

(6.) The living creatures, or cherubim, are described by the appearance of them, like burning coals, and like lamps, Ezek. i. 13, 14. Minifters of the gospel may be thus described, because of their ministerial gifts; the extraordinary gifts of the spirit are fignified by cloven tongues as of fire, Acts ii. 3. and ordinary gifts for the ministry are reprefented as coals of fire, which are to be stirred up and enflamed, and not lie neglected, disufed, or quenched, 2 Tim. i. 6. 1 Thefs. v. 19. And the cherubim or minifters may be set forth hereby, because of the clear light of truth that fhines in them, and because of their ardent love to Chrift and the fouls of men, which is one qualification for the miniftry; hence fays Chrift to Peter, when he had affirmed once and again that he loved him, and. appealed to his omnifcience for the truth of it, Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, John xxi. 15-17. intimating, that fuch a lover of him was a fit perfon to feed the flock or church of God; even one whofe love is fo ardent that the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame, that many waters cannot quench; even waters of afflictions, reproaches, perfecutions, and sufferings for the fake of Chrift and his gospel: and by coals of fire may they be described, because of their burning zeal for the glory of God and the intereft of a Redeemer; hence they

are