fall, whether in a way of mercy or of judgment; so that they will acknowledge it to come from the court of heaven; as appears from the strange effects that the opening of each feal produced in the world and church, which have, and will leave, a ftamp of infinite divinity behind; fo that all fhall acknowledge, as the magicians did, that this is the finger of God.

4thly. A feal is a kind of fecurity. A thing written and fealed is fecured to the proper owner; closed and shut up from all others. Hence the faints are called living epiftles known and read of all men, because the law is written on the fleshly tables of their hearts by the Spirit of the living God, 2 Cor. iii. 3. by which they are fealed alfo ; and grieve not the holy Spirit of God, by which you are fealed to the day of redemption, Eph. iv. 30. This is the faints fecurity and foundation of comfort, and is effectually known to none but God and themselves; nevertheless the foundation of God ftandeth fure; having this feal, God knoweth them that are bis, 2 Tim. ii. 19. This feal then secures the contents of this book, whether it be the portion of that wicked man of fin from God, Job xx. 29. or whether it be the cup of Zion's afflictions, that her adversaries have filled or fhall fill to her, which they fhall receive in their turn double, it shall be measured unto them double, Rev. xviii. 6. The number feven fhews the perfection of the feals, the fealer, and of all things that are fealed; to the Spirit they are all known, for he

Searches

fearches the deep things of God. The Saviour, who is God, and has all the fullness of the spirit on him, knows them all, and reveals them to us by the Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 10. hence thofe that have ears to bear are exhorted in this book to hear, what the Spirit faith unto the churches, Rev. ii. 7. Which leads me to my fecond general head.

And when be bad taken the book-or received it in order to loofe the feals, unfold the myfteries, and fend the contents of it by his angel unto his fervant John, who was to fee these things in the vifions of God, understand them by the Spirit upon him, and to write them as he was moved by the Holy Ghoft, and to fend them for inftruction and direction, as a caution and a cordial to the feven churches that were in Afia, and by and from them to be handed down to the church of God in all fucceeding ages, as a revelation from heaven, with this liberty granted

be that bath an ear let him bear, what the Spirit faith unto the churches, which is a grant to all to whom these prefents fhall come greeting, or to all those whom it may concern, or have any concern about the falvation of their fouls, by faith in Chrift Jefus. Blessed are they that are called to the marriage-fupper of the Lamb. It contains an awful warning alfo, and an irrevocable denunciation of vengeance on all that die in the bofom of the whore of Babylon, or are converted to Popery-I will kill her children with death, Rev. ii. 23.-But I proceed to the fubftance of my fecond head,

And

And when be bad taken the book, the FOUR BEASTS Whatever these four beasts are, it is clear that all through this book they are honoured with the first view of all that is difclosed by the opening of the feals, and were employed in inviting others to behold the wonders revealed and made known by the opener of the feals-And I faw when the Lamb opened one of the feals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beafts faying, Come, and fee, Rev. vi. I. And when he had opened the fecond feal, I heard the second beast say, Come, and fee, Rev. i. 3. And when he had opened the third feal, I heard the third beast say, Come, and fee, Rev. vi. 5. And when he had opened the fourth feal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast fay, Come, and fee, Rev. vi. 7. The indulgence granted to these beasts serves to give us an infight into what they are. First, they are allowed to look on while the Lamb opens the feals, as Manoah and his wife did, when the angel did wonderously before them, Judges xiii. 19. 2dly, They are difcovered in a meafure by their thundering voice; And I heard as it were the noife of thunder, one of the four beafts faying, Come, and fee, Rev. i. 1. And 3dly, By their inviting others to approach, and behold what themfelves faw.

Now who can thefe four beafts be to whom these things can agree, but to gofpel-minifters ? First, By their standing nearest to Chrift, as his amballadors, or good stewards of his manifold grace and mysteries; 2dly, Their having the firft fight of the mysteries couched under the feals-Unto

you (who were apoftles) it is given to know the myfteries of the kingdom of God, Matt. xiii. 11. that they might teach others, obferving all things that Chrift bad commanded them, Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. 3dly, By their thundering voice-And he firnamed them Boanerges, which is the fons of thunder, Mark iii. 17. 4thly, By their being made use of to invite others And at fupper-time he fent out bis fervants (or minifters), to invite them that were bidden-and, 5thly, By their meffage, Come, and fee. Come, and fee for yourselves-take not our word upon truft, but fee and judge for yourfelves as Andrew and Philip faid to Nathanael, We have found him of whom Mofes and the prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth. And be answered, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip faid unto him (in the language of the four beasts), Come, and fee, John i. 45, 46. And he went and faw, and faid, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael, John i. 49. and if fo, he certainly was a good thing, and a holy thing, whether he came out of Galilee, out of Nazareth, or out of Heaven. And I think if our modern Atheists, Deifts, Socinians, Arians, and Arminians, had but a divine power on their wills, and the unction of the Holy One upon their underftandings, they would not be fo eafily led blindfold by the god of this world as they are, nor would fo many heedlefs fouls be led by them ; but, in obedience to the invitation of these beasts, they would come and fee for themselves.

By

By the above obfervations, they seem to be minifters of the gofpel-and 'tis clear that they were finners redeemed by the blood of Chrift, by the celestial anthem that they bear a chorus in; which fhews that they cannot be good angels, for they need no redemption; nor devils, for they are excluded from it; Jefus took not on him the nature of angels, Heb. ii. 16. nor can they be reprobate finners, for Chrift laid down his life for bis fheep; but reprobates are not of his fheep, ye are not of my sheep, as 1 faid unto you, John x. 26. Therefore thefe beafts must be chofen finners of the human race, whether they were preachers or private faints, according to the following part they bear in the coronation-anthem, The four beafts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb; and they fung a new song, faying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals thereof: for thou waft flain, and haft REDEEMED US to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation: and haft made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth, Rev. viii. 9. 10.

If these beafts were redeemed by Chrift's blood, they must be human, not angelic faints-if redeemed out of every nation, people, and tongue, they must be redeemed from among the children of men-and if out of every nation, it is most likely they were Gentiles, rather than Jews, though the Jews will by and by be gathered in