of necessity they must be made of things that do not appear, that is, of things above the stars, from whence the original of all life came.

But in what condition things were, and are in their heaven, no man can tell, but by faith.

Therefore if the revelation of the spirit of faith will call the waters above the stars A sea of glass like unto chrystal, who shall gain say it?

Neither is it to be looked upon as an allegory, as many do vainly imagine, but a real spiritual sub

stance.

For this must be understood by the reader, that God created or made all creatures of something; he had matter and substance to make every creature of. He did not make living substances of an allegory, that is, as if we should say God made all things of nothing;

For an allegory is nothing, and of nothing comes nothing.

Yet the vain imagination of wise and learned men have not been ashamed to say, that God made this world of nothing; but I shall let that pass.

Again, what should be the meaning of the four beasts full of eyes before and behind?

These four beasts which John saw in his vision in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, I declare they were four good beasts;

That is, they were four good kings; and if there were four thousand good kings, yet they are all reckoned but into four: all good kings are included in these four.

These four beasts do signify the four monarchies,

that is, all the good kings that acted well, and had faith in the true God, under the four monarchies, are called by the Revelation of John, the four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Now what particular persons these four beasts were, the Revelation of John gives no light into:

But this I say, that king David was one of these four beasts, he being the first beast, that was like a lion, he being of the tribe of Judah, from whence the sceptre should not depart until Shiloh come.

This Shiloh being Christ, the root of David, he is called The lion of the Tribe of Judah, as may be read in Revelations, v. 5. And David being of the tribe of Judah, and he being chosen king by the Lord Jesus the Almighty God, as he was the Creator.

Who afterwards became a child, as Isaiah saith, and so called The Son of David, of the tribe of Judah. When as indeed he was David's lord; he was David's lord as he was the creator:

But as he took upon him the seed of the woman, which is the nature of man, he became a little child, and so God became flesh;

And he being of the tribe and lineage of David, as he is a Redeemer, he may be, and is called the son of David.

And what ever David did in point of war, justified by Jesus Christ, as he was his Lord ;

it was

For it is said in scripture, That David walked with a perfect heart before the Lord in all things, only in the matter of Uriah.

And David being the first king that wrought righteousness before the Lord in all his war, and he being

of

of the tribe of Judah, he is called by the Revelation of John the first beast that was like a lion;

For he acted as in the person of Christ, who is the lion himself of the tribe of Judah, as Jacob did prophesy when he blessed his sons.

Now I would have the reader to understand, that all these four beasts spoken of here, they were men, though they be called by the Revelation of John, beasts.

Also he doth distinguish them into four several forms; the first like a lion, the second like a calf, the third beast had a face like a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

These four beasts, as I said before, were all men, and not only so, but good men; only this I would have the reader to mind that they are called beasts, in relation to the work that they were to do.

And so they acted after that manner as such beasts use to do.

As the nature of a lion is to destroy and tear in pieces.

And the nature of a calf is to act simply and foolishly, and yet innocent also,

Now the third beast had a face like a man, that is, he acted as a rational man by wisdom and policy. And the fourth beast was like a flying eagle, that is, he acted in swiftness and strength, and according to other properties that are in an eagle.

And so according to the natures and properties of these four beasts, did men act, and do act in this world; therefore called four beasts, when as they were no other but men.

But

But I shall leave the distincton of the persons of the other three to those that are better read in histories than I am.

Neither is it revealed unto me who the persons were; therefore I shall speak no more than is revealed unto me; but the reader may understand what the four beasts are, by what is afore-written, therefore I shall say no more of it, but go unto verse 8.

CHAP. X.

IN N verse 8, it is said, That the four beasts had each of them six wings about them, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying Holy, holy holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and which is, and which is to come.

The chief things in this verse to be known, are what is meant by those six wings which the four beasts had, which were full of eyes within.

The meaning is this, that each of these four beasts had six wings, that is they had six wings apiece.

And these six wings apiece, it was the spirit of revelation which gave them wisdom, to order and manage the affairs of their battles.

And these six wings were employed thus ;

Two of them were to be employed before, in the fore-front of the battle.

And two of them were to be employed in the rear, or hinder part of the army, least the enemy should come upon the back of them.

And the other two wings were to be employd in the middle, that in case their enemy should put them

to

to the worst both before and behind, that they might fly away with those two wings in the midst.

And this was very good revelation and wisdom, and called by the Revelation of John, six wings;

For the scriptures doth call revelation and good counsel, wings; as that saying, Revel. xii. 14, it is said, There was given unto the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness.

Which wings were no other but Revelation, as I have opened in the Interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation.

And where we find in the scriptures that God hath commanded his prophets and apostles to fly from one place to another, in case of persecution, it is not meant that God would give them wings to fly.

But he will give them wisdom and revelation to get from it.

And in this sense they may be said to have wings to fly away;

And in this sense the four beasts aforsaid, may be said to have each of them six wings.

And as for their being full of eyes within, that is, they had a spirit of discerning both of spiritual and of temporal things.

Therefore it is said, that these four beasts full of eyes before and behind, that is, they had the eye of faith before, and the eye of reason behind.

That is, they did discern by the eye of faith before, the things of God, and how he became flesh, and shed his blood, as afterwards is expressed by these four beasts.

And