ledged that there is one species met with "clear like the air;" but the fact appears doubtful, or of too rare occurrence to constitute the general character of the stone. The jasper, however, is mentioned Rev. xxI. 18, 19, as forming the first of the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem, and as the material also of which the wall itself was built; in consequence of which, when the city is described as seen by the Apostle "descending out of heaven 'from God, having the glory of 'God," it is added, her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as chrystal." (Rev. xxI. 10, 11.) From this description it is evident, that one of the most pure and splendid of the precious stones, commonly known to the ancients, must be here designated by the name of jasper, and not the opaque, or slightly translucent one, which is now commonly known by that name; unless indeed jasper, which is susceptible of brilliancy from a high polish, be chosen from its general use and appearance, and the quality of transparency be superadded to complete the symbolical description; in the same manner as, in farther describing the New Jerusalem, transparency is given to gold, and it is said "the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and 'the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." (v. 18.) And again, "the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (v. 21.) Whether however any other pellucid precious stone, or any uncommon variety of the modern jasper, or that most commonly known by this name with the superadded quality of transparency, (to which idea I rather incline, as being the most easy and natural explanation of the three,) be here contemplated, it is evident from chap. xxI. 10, 11,

above quoted, that it is designed to represent the divine glory here irradiating the mediatorial throne, as there the New Jerusalem, of which it is said "the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

The sardine stone, which is the same as the sardius mentioned Exod. XXVIII. 17, as the first of the twelve which were set in the breastplate of Aaron, is in the Hebrew called Odem, a name derived from the root Adam, "he was ruddy," and is considered to denote the ruby, (of which the Persian name is Adam,) or certainly some precious stone of the colour of human flesh, in the same way as (adopting a Roman derivation) we name from a like peculiarity the carnelion or cornelian, the general term for which, in reference also to its flesh colour, amongst the Greeks appears to have been Sarda.* This also is mentioned Rev. xxi. 20, as forming one of the twelve foundations of the new Jerusalem, and both of them amongst other precious stones, In Ezek. XXVIII. 13, and in the Lamentations of Jeremiah it is used to describe the pure flesh of the devoted Nazarite; for her “Naza'rites were purer than snow; they were whiter than milk; they were

more ruddy in body than rubies ;" The combination of the two therefore, the jasper, "a stone most precious, clear as chrystal," causing an appearance as of "the glory of God;" and the sardine stone or ruby, an emblem of the pure flesh of the Nazarite; form together a description of Christ, corresponding to that given of the beloved of the church in Cant. v. 10. It represents also his glorified humanity as the second Adam, and the spotless Nazarite, set apart and separated to the service of God; and it accords

also with the vision of his glory as seen on the mount of transfiguration, when his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as' the light and glistering.

The rainbow, the symbol of Christ as a covenant God, is here seen surrounding his mediatorial throne ; for though the imaginations of man's heart are only evil continually, and must ever expose him to divine judgments; yet, and on this account, God, for Christ's sake, (whose atoning sacrifice, or the anticipation of it as offered by Noah, was to him as a sweet smelling savour,) entered into a covenant of peace and reconciliation, that he would no more destroy the world by a flood, or deal with man according to his own merits; and then established the rainbow as its token, ordaining that when he should bring a cloud over the earth his bow should appear in it, to remind man, and Himself as it were, of his unchangeable purpose in Christ. (Gen. IX. 12-26.) So when we might justly fear the anger of God, and the indications of coming judgments upon account of our numerous sins, we are taught in like manner to look at the bow of the covenant, at Jesus our mediator and covenant head, for whose sake, and through whose intercession, God hath for ever laid aside his anger against us, and the threatening cloud of judgment becomes resplendent only with manifestations of grace and mercy; and instead of deserved punishment we obtain the promise of glories and privileges which never could have belonged to us through any righteousness of our own;

Such righteousness were creaturely at best, We in his own obedience shall be drest. Hence also when God desires to give the Jewish nation the strongest assurance of his complete and ever

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lasting reconciliation with them, he refers to this transaction, and says 'As I have sworn that the waters ' of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I 'would not be wroth with thee, nor ' rebuke thee; neither shall the ' covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah LIV. 10.) And in the subsequent vision of Christ, Rev. x. 1, when he again reveals himself to the apostle, he appears, as being ever mindful of his covenant, with "a rainbow upon his head;" and again, in the description of the vision of the mediatorial throne seen by the prophet Ezekiel, it is said, "as the appearance of 'the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance 'of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the 'likeness of the glory of the Lord.” (chap. 1. 28.) Though the glory seen both by Ezekiel and by the apostle John as surrounding the throne had the form of the rainbow, yet we read that here the colour of it was green, or "like unto an emerald ;" and from the softness of this colour, and its agreeableness to the human eye, upon which account God hath chosen it for that of the general mantle of the earth, it may be considered as an apt emblem of peace and reconciliation; whence a green branch is a fit token of offered peace. The olive leaf plucked off, brought into the ark by Noah's dove might imply, with a double significancy, that the deluge of divine wrath had passed away and subsided; and the palm branches, which the saints bear in their hands, may be considered as indicating, not only that they had obtained a victory, but that their warfare was for ever terminated.

But it may on the most substantial grounds be believed, that the

rainbow was given as a pledge and promise of more than these spiritual blessings; and that the covenant made with Noah, and, as it is expressly said, "with the earth," and its various inhabitants, looked forward to the renovation of all things under Christ, when the creature also, or the whole creation, shall at length be delivered from the bondage of corruption. For if we find in other cases, that the end, as seen by God from the beginning, is shadowed forth by the earliest types and prophecies, so that the tree of life in the midst of Paradise was but a type or promise of that tree of life which shall be possessed in the new Jerusalem; and Eve, the bride of the first Adam, was but a type of the bride, the Lamb's wife, (which mystery the apostle lays open in Ephes. v. 20;) and if it is usual also, on the first establishment of a type, or of a typical ceremony, that only the inferior and subordinate motives, intelligible by the persons to whom the command is given, and applicable to their present circumstances, should be adduced; leaving its ultimate and more important meaning to be opened farther to the church at subsequent periods as her necessities may require, (which was manifestly the case with respect to the institution of the passover, the feast of first fruits, the feast of tabernacles, the selection of the first-born, &c.) it is equally sound criticism to consider the covenant made with Noah and with all " the earth as looking farther than the mere assurance that it should no more be destroyed by a flood, and as referring ultimately to the new heaven and the new earth, which, together with the vision of the bride, the Lamb's wife, and the tree of life, form the concluding subjects of the Apocalyptic revelations. This idea does not in

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any way interfere with the promises of spiritual blessings which we have supposed to be implied in the use of this symbol, but confirms, embodies, and substantiates them. In this view, as the greenness of the rainbow directs our attention immediately towards the earth, which universally wears this colour, so it would be a token of its restored fertility towards man, and a type of its moral fertility towards God, when under the covenant of peace during the millennial period, as well as of the renovation of all things in the eternal state. In further confirmation of which general view of the import of the covenant with Noah, we may notice that the apocalyptic vision, where the rainbow is seen surrounding the throne of Christ, refers as its ultimate object to his future reign with his redeemed and glorified church upon earth; as is evidenced by the hymn of praise and thanksgiving, there represented as sung by them, and ending with these words,- And we shall reign on the earth." And in like manner the second vision, where Christ manifests himself as encircled by the rainbow of the covenant, (Rev, x. 1, and 2,) relates to the time when he comes to take possession of all the kingdoms of the world, setting his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth,-first indeed that he may purge it of his enemies by the severity of his judgments; but also that he may then restore it in mercy. Again we find evidence of a connexion between this covenant and the expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, in the fact that the promise to the Jewish nation of everlasting peace and reconciliation in the latter days, in which this more ancient covenant. with Noah is referred to, is subsequently made to them in the terms of the promise of

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new heavens" and a new earth." (Compare Isa. LIV. 9-14; LXV. 17 -25; LXVI. 22.)

Again, the same connexion is shewn to exist between the covenant made with Noah and the new heavens and the new earth, by 2 Pet. 111. 5-13, where the Apostle brings into one view the former destruction of the world by water, and its appointed future destruction by fire; and adds, "but we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."-Which promise made by God of the restitution of all things through Christ he had before referred to in his address to the multitude on the day of Pentecost, as having been spoken of" by 'the mouth of all his holy prophets 'since the world began ;" and which we cannot doubt therefore was revealed to Noah, who was so extraordinary a character both as a prophet of God and a preacher of righteousness, on the occasion of the first awful destruction of the world; and to the existence of which communication the rainbow may be considered as yet continuing to bear testimony. We also find that our Lord, who here at the opening vision of the Apocalyptic history is represented as surrounded by the rainbow of the covenant, at the conclusion of it, chap. xxi. 5, announces the work of redemption as thus completed:

Behold, I make all things new;' and the Apostle beholds "a new heaven, and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." By adopting this view we complete the parallel between Noah and Abraham, who equally, amidst the apostacy of all the world around them, stood forth at the head of their families as the avowed servants of God, and as singular examples to all future generations of the power of faith; and

shew that each was made the depository of the counsels of God and of his designs of mercy in Christ towards this world.

Verse 4. 66 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats (or rather thrones-for it is the same word in both places) and upon the 'seats (or thrones) I saw four and twenty Elders sitting clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold." As the government in the patriarchal times would naturally belong to the heads of families, so the Elders amongst the Hebrews were the magistrates, heads, or rulers of the people; and we read in Exod. xvII. 25, that Moses, following the advice of his father-in-law Jethro, chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, to assist him in the administration of justice; of whom seventy accompanied Moses when he beheld the vision of the glory of Christ. (Chap, xxiv.) And when he was afterwards led to complain of the burden of the government of so numerous a people, he by divine command gathered together seventy men, who were "the elders of Israel" "and officers over them," and set them round about the tabernacle, and the Lord took of the spirit that was upon him (Moses) and gave it unto the seventy elders. (See Numb. xi. 24,) And these elders, composing the senate belonging to all the tribes in general, sat with the leader, judge, or king, who presided in this court; and it appears from 2 Chron. XIX. 8-11, that if the cause was of a spiritual or ecclesiastical nature the high priest was the chief judge ; otherwise, a chief justice who sat on behalf of the king. The council or assembly which is considered to have thus originated existed in the time of our Saviour, and is referred to Matt. v. 21, 22; Mark x111. 9,

&c. and was then called the Sanhedrim, derived from ovv together and εδρα a seat. The president of this assembly was called Nasi or prince, his deputy Ab-beth-din, Father of the house of judgment; and the subdeputy was called chacom the wise; the rest were denominated tzekanim, elders or senators. The room in which they sat was a rotunda, half of which was built without the temple and half within; and as it was never allowed to sit down in the temple, they tell us this part was for those who stood up, the other half or semicircle extended without the holy place, and here the judges sat. The Nasi or prince sat on a throne at the end of the hall, having his deputy on his right hand, and his sub-deputy on his left; the other senators were ranged in order on each side. There were also two scribes, the one to write down the suffrages of those who were for condemnation, the other to take down the suffrages of those who were for absolution. The vision appears there. fore to have reference to the prince, or his representative, sitting in the midst of this sacred congregation of rulers. The number of the elders seen in the vision is however not seventy, but twenty and four; and upon the sacred character of this number it is to be observed, that as that of 7 is formed by the most simple series of geometrical progression, viz. 1, 2, 4, limited to three terms; so this is formed by the first or most simple cube, viz. the number 8, taken also three times; the cube being the most perfect of all forms of figure or of number; on which account the heavenly or perfect state, as represented in the ta bernacle, and in the temple, and also in the vision of Ezekiel by the holy of holies, and in this book by the New Jerusalem, is in each case described under the form of a cube;

the first being of the dimensions of ten cubits, the two next of twenty cubits, and the last of twelve thousand furlongs each way, or in "length,” "breadth," and "height." height." The sacred number twenty-four, thus formed upon the essentially sacred character of the number 3, and the perfect form of the cube, has reference to the regal glory of Christ, here manifested to the Apostle, and hereafter to be universally manifested by him as seated upon his mediatorial throne; of which the glory of king Solomon's throne was one of the most eminent types: where also it was represented, in a way to which this vision corresponds; for we read in 1 Chron. xxvii. 1, (relative to the arrangements made and the institutions formed by David, under divine direction, for this typical purpose, preparatory to the future reign of his son,) that "of the children of Israel, the chief fathers and cap'tains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand." These twenty and four thousand armed men and their rulers, (again mentioned in 1 Chron. XXVIII. 1; xxix. 6,) were thus in constant attendance about the throne; and being relieved every month, the whole formed the military power of the kingdom. In conformity then to this ancient type, the vision seen by St. John of the mediatorial throne surrounded by the four and twenty elders clothed in white raiment, (which, typifying the righteousness of Christ, is equally the regal and priestly vesture,) represents Christ and his church manifested in power, or in their regal character; as is further, and still more clearly, expressed by the thrones upon which they sit,