appointing their hoftile defigns.The throne upon which Jehovah appeared, was high and lifted up; fig nifying, that he who fat thereon, was elevated far above all might and dominion, and every name that is named in this world, or that which is to come. His. kingdom ruleth over all. Inanimate creationis obedient to his command: to devils, and wicked men, he fets reftraining bounds: angels who excel in ftrength, do his commandments: his faithful fubjects among men, a multitude, which no man can number, he governs, enriches, and preferves, in the enjoyment of the moft glorious prerogatives.With humility and reverence we bow before thy eternal throne, and give thee homage, rejoicing that thou the Lord God omnipotent reigneft; and in our fafety and felicity, under thy mild adminiftration, who waits to be gra cious, who art ready to fupply us with ftrength, to guide us with counfel, to protect us by thy omnipotent arm, and to grant us inheritance among thy faints in light. And his train filled the temple. Heavenly objects are fo ineffably grand, that, in our prefent, imperfect, feeble ftate, we can at most understand them but very imperfectly. They must therefore be prefented to view in a light in which we are capable to apprehend them, and be described in a manner fuited to our li mited capacities. Of this we have an inftance in the words before us. The train here mentioned, I fuppofe, confifted not in the retinue, or numerous attendants, who furrounded the throne of God, but in somewhat resembling a loofe, flowing garment, affording an emblem of the divine perfections, of the confummate dignity, and fupreme majefty of Jehovah. The ideas of the prefence and glory of God, conveyed by this vi fion, are borrowed from royal majefty, as difplayed by eastern monarchs, and refer to fenfible images wellknown to those who were acquainted with the temple of old. In the exercife of the divine government, the Lord of hofts difplays fupreme authority, irrefiitible power, power, immaculate purity, confummate goodness, untainted righteoufnefs, exquifite wifdom, incomparable. magnificence, and boundlefs grace. Like a beautifultrain, which adds dignity and fplendour to the perfon who wears it, thefe give luftre, brilliancy, and glory, to the divine administration, and ought ever to excite our admiration and reverence. Similar figurative representations of the Almighty often occur in the holy fcriptures; of which you may fee an instance, Pfal. xciii. 1. where the royal pfalmift thus fpeaks, when defcribing the majefty, power, and holinefs of God's kingdom: The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majefty, the Lord is clothed with ftrength wherewith he hath girded himself." This train filled the temple. There are three temples wherein God is faid in fcripture to refide; his dwelling place in heaven, the temple at Jerufalem, and the humble heart. The firft of thefe, which is always filled with the prefence and glory of Jehovah, does not feem to be the temple of which our prophet fpeaks. As to the temple of Jerusalem, you know, it was exceeding magnificent, contrived by infinite wif dom, which formed the plan; in executing of which, above one hundred and fifty-three thoufand workmen were employed for feveral years; and therein were performed the most folemn exercises of divine worship inftituted among the pofterity of lfrael. It is dignified in fcripture with various honourable defcriptions; fuch as, the houfe of the Lord*, the holy and beautiful houfet, the place in which God put his name, the refting-place of Jehovah |, the temple of the Lord §. Such was the glory of this wonderful structure, that the fame thereof reached unto all countries. In the place called the holy of holies, contained within this houfe, did the God of Ifrael graciously vouchsafe to manifeft himself, in a peculiar manner, to the high * Ecclef. v. 1. + Ifaiah lxiv. 11. Kings viii. 29. prieft, priest, who went in thither once in the year. This temple, in our prophet's view, was filled with the train of Jehovah.This temple of God, honoured with his prefence and worship, afforded an inftructive type and reprefentation of the church of Jefus Chrift, favoured with his prefence, in which the facred inftitutions of divine worship are obferved. Hence, like the temple of old, it is called the house of God; and Chriftians, of which it is conftituted, are said to be the temple of the living God. If then you confider the temple here mentioned, in its figurative fenfe, the prophet had a vifion of the kingdom of the Son of God, under the New Testament, which was to be filled with his glory.. Under the former difpenfation, the prefence of God was confined to the temple at Jerufalem, where he refided in a fpecial manner, and received the homage of his people; whereas now, under the gofpel, the temple of. the Most High is greatly enlarged, and God hath his habitation in all places in which his faints refide, and his name is recorded. The beautiful train of his divine excellencies filleth every humble heart, and every worshipping affembly, throughout his widely extended empire. This was the grand object, I fuppofe, which this vifion was intended to reprefent.Let Chriftians then, who are the temple of God, highly prize, and earnestly seek to enjoy, the comfortable prefence of Jehovah. For this purpose, be folicitous to have your hearts adorned with every divine grace, that they may be fit habitations for God, through the Spirit; and take heed that you defile not the temple of God, which is holy. 2 Above it stood the feraphims: each one had fix wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. There is a remarkable fimilarity in the manifeftations of the divine glory, which God afforded his fer vants the prophets, though there was confiderable va riety in the appearances which they contemplated. Micaiah, the fon of Imlah, faw the Lord fitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him, on his right hand and on his left *. Daniel beheld the Ancient of days fitting on his throne, which was like the fiery flame. Thoufand thousands miniftered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thoufand ftood before him +.' Our prophet fays, that, in his view, above the throne stood the feraphims, &c. In these words, he defcribes the attendants of Jehovah: he acquaints us with their name, their ftation, their posture, their figure, and employment.Their name is feraphim, which is derived from a Hebrew word that fignifies to burn; and intimates, that the celeftial fpirits, who attend the throne of God, are creatures remarkable for the excellency and fimplicity of their nature, their untainted purity, their ardent zeal for the glory of God, their vivacity and activity in executing the commands of Jehovah. Hence the royal pfalmift celebrates the praises of God, who maketh his angels fpirits: his minifters a flame of fire t These feraphims, in our prophet's view, to whom they appeared in an elevated ftation, feemed to be above the throne; not surely upon the top of it, as ornaments, but behind it, exalted above its level, after the manner of those who are in waiting upon kings and princes.- -Thefe living creatures appeared in a standing pofture, highly proper for the fervants of the most high God, who are in continual readinefs to execute the orders of their great Lord, for the benefit of his church. With refpect to their figure, each one had fix wings. We prefume not to pry into the nature of angels, nor to affign the reafons why they have appeared to men in fuch and fuch forms. Their nature, and the forms which they have occafionally affumed, far tranfcend our limited capacities, which are + Daniel vii. 9, 10. + Pfal. civ. 4. 1 Kings xxii. 19. inadequate to the comprehenfion of the fmalleft infect; and therefore it becomes us to fpeak of feraphims with great modefty and diffidence. Thefe here mentioned, probably refembled, in fome refpects, those which were feen by the prophet Ezekiel, which he thus defcribes: They had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. As for the likeness of the living creatures, 'their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps *. The cherubims which were anciently in the temple, had only two wings; thofe whom Ezekiel faw, had four; whereas the feraphims feen by Ifaiah, had fix wings. The dif ferent purposes for which they were ufcd are mentioned in the following words: With twain he covered his face; thus expreffing his profound reverence, and becoming modefty, in the divine prefence. We can hardly approach those who are greatly our fuperiors but with down-caft eyes, intimating the confcioufnefs we feel of their preeminence, and our profound refpect for their excellence and dignity. We cannot look at the fun, when fhining with meridian fplendour, but we are obliged to cover our eyes with our hands. Such is the infinite glory of the eternal Jehovah, that celeftial fpirits, around his thronc, appeared to our prophet, covering their faces with their wings. Light inacceffible, and full of glory, in which God refides, was too ftrong for them directly to contemplate. This circumftance inftructs us, that all our approaches to God ought to be accompanied with great reverence and humility, deeply fenfible not only of the infinite diftance there is between God and us, as he is the Creator, and we the creatures of his power, but ftrongly affected with the ftill more awful diftance that is between him and us. as he is the most holy God, and we finful duft and ashes.—With twain be covered his fect. In fcripture |
