signify less or other than that God's providences always have a meaning; always aim at some wise purpose; are evermore guided by one and the same supreme and all-pervading divine will.

22. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was, as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

Here we begin to reach the purpose and work of this remarkable combination of symbols. These living creatures bear upon their heads and upon their straight wings, a firmament, i. e., a solid expanse, platform, or elevated floor. Its appearance was in color "like the terrible crystal".- -so brilliant and dazzling as to be even fearful to behold. Upon this base, as we shall soon see, reposed the throne of the incarnate God.- -The prophet again refers to the position of the two sets of wings, one set straight and joined together, assisting to support the firmament, somewhat like the wings of the cherubim in the most holy place. When the living creatures stood, the other set fell gracefully down and protected their bodies.

24. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

As if to combine every element of grandeur and sublimity, and appeal to every sense, the sound of their wings, when in motion, was as the roar of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty God himself. In the clause, "The voice of speech as the noise of an host," the Hebrew does not imply the utterance of articulate words, but should rather be rendered, "The sound of their noise was as the sound of an host," i, e., of an army rushing to battle. There may have been the voice of articulate words from above the firmament, i. e., from the glorious personage who sat on the throne; v. 25 seems to imply this.- -The reader will readily recall the manifestations made by the "Alpha and Omega," by Him who is both the first and the last, to John, the Revelator, as in Rev. 1: 10-16, "His voice was as the sound of many waters, and his face as the sun when he shineth in his strength.”

26. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphiro

stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above it.

27. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

The vital points in this description are plain, and they are also richly significant and sublime. Here is the throne, for the sake of supporting which, and of moving it also, we have seen a wonderful combination of living creatures, wings and wheels, with various accompanying symbols of intelligence, energy, splendor. and majesty. Here also-more really sublime than all the rest-is the appearance of a man upon this throne. From his loins upward, and from his loins downward, he seemed as one begirt with fire-the brightness of fire, and the effulgence of the most magnificent pearls and gems, combining to invest him with ineffable glory. This personage can be no other than the incarnate Son of God, the great Lord of universal providence, appearing in this majestic form to his servant Ezekiel, much as the same personage appeared to Isaiah (chap. 6), of which case, John in his Gospel (chap. 12: 41) tells us that Isaiah then and there "saw the glory of Jesus and spake of him." Numerous proofs might be adduced to show that repeatedly, during the course of the Old Testament age, Jesus Christ anticipated his incarnation by appearing in human form to his people. He appeared thus to Manoah and his wife (Judges 13: 2-23), giving them his name, "Wonderful" (not "secret"), using the identical word which Isaiah gives as one of his names (Isa. 9: 6), "Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God," "This is also He who was with his church in the wilderness," as Stephen affirms (Acts 7: 38), and as the narrative (Ex. 23: 20-23) most plainly indicates. It was therefore only a subsequent appearance of the same glorious personage which, was vouchsafed to John in Patmos with a luster and effulgence of glories closely analogous to what we have here.

etc.

28. 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. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one that spake.

The final touch to this inimitable representation compares it to the radiance of the "bow in the cloud in the day of rain." Such was the brightness and glory that invested the incarnate Deity. Thus the Shechinah revealed himself to Ezekiel to impress his soul with the magnificence, the energy, and the glory of Him whose work he was now to undertake, whose mission as a prophet

he was to fulfill, whose words he was to hear and then to bear to his people. What an installation this into his prophetic work! No wonder he fell on his face as one overwhelmed with reverence and awe! Let it be noted yet further that this portrayal was specially pertinent in view of the fact that God's providential agencies were then intensely active among the nations, and especially toward the Jews in both discipline and judgment—the discipline that chastened to reclaim, and the judgments that scourged in stern and awful retribution. Into the midst of these agencies Ezekiel was thrown. He was commissioned as a prophet of God to cooperate by the use of moral agencies with those providential agencies of the Almighty. He was to interpret the significance of those judgments. He was to warn the people to repent, as they would escape such inflictions. He was to press them to repentance by the promise of pardoning mercy. In every appropriate way he was to supplement those agencies of providence with the concurrent influences of God's revealed truth. Hence nothing could be more vital than to impress upon his mind the qualities of that fearfully glorious and energetic divine providence which in its intensified forms was now being manifested toward the chosen people.- -Moreover, nothing could have been better adapted to impart to him a baptism of reverence, docility, energy, and selfsacrificing devotion. Under the influence of such views of the glorious Being whose behests he is commissioned to bear to the people, how could he falter before hardship or danger? How could he fail to carry with him through life a sense of the glory of his Divine Master, saying evermore: "I serve the ineffably glorious incarnate God; and I must be true and faithful !”

Some minds will naturally ask, What proof do you give your readers that your interpretation of this chapter is the true one? To such I answer briefly: The fact that it meets all the conditions of the case. It fits every circumstance. It is pertinent to an inauguration of Ezekiel to his prophetic office, as it should be; it fits his relations as a prophet to the captives at Babylon; fits their relations to the Omnipresent and then specially active agencies of God's providence over nations; fits the style of illustrating the attributes of God which prevailed in Chaldea, and also that which was developed to some extent in the Jewish temple; in short, this construction fits in all possible points, and therefore must be the true one. Out of a dozen trial keys, that one which enters the lock, moves without obstruction and with the least possible friction through its wards, and throws its bolt readily, must be the right one. No rational man ever doubts such proof.

CHAPTER II.

THE glorious personage brought to view in the previous chapter here gives the prophet his commission and instructions.

1. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

2. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake

unto me.

The overwhelming impressions of solemnity and awe under which the prophet sank to the ground, and also the kind words and imparted spirit which set him upon his feet again and restored calmness to his soul, are noted here with entire simplicity. This case is closely analogous to that of Isaiah as in his sixth chapter, and that of Daniel, (chap. 10: 15-19,) or of the revelator John (chap. 1: 17). It can not surprise us that John should say, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead;" or that Daniel should testify, "O my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength, neither is any breath left in me." In each of these cases, as in this case of Ezekiel, the Lord kindly renewed their strength and prepared them to hear his words.

3. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

4. For they are impudent children and stiff-hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.

5. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

"Impudent," in v. 4, is in the original hard-faced. The prophet is to assure them that he brings them a message, not from himself, but from the Lord God. "Will forbear," means will refuse to hear. The Lord intimates that they will have occasion to know that he has certainly sent his prophet among them. His judgments would verify the prophet's commission and leave the people no room to doubt this appalling truth. This introduction shows that the exiles in Chaldea, though less hardened and hopeless than their brethren in Judea, were yet exceedingly stubborn and perIt was a great and very difficult work for Ezekiel to accomplish, to impress upon them the fear of the Lord and to recall them to repentance and a new life.

verse.

6. And thou, sou of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

7. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.

The clause, "Though briers and thorns be with thee," Gesenius prefers to render, "though they be rebels and thorns toward thee." Maurer, favoring greater congruity between the two words, makes the sense "nettles and thorns.' The general sense is clear. Though they are hostile, malign, severe, and even savage toward thee, yet be thou firm and fearless before them, and do thy duty. The Lord would have him anticipate stern opposition and a painfully trying life, and gird his soul to meet it. So evermore, he who will live godly in Christ Jesus and for Christ Jesus must suffer more or less persecution. Let him expect it and seek grace to meet it with Christian fortitude.

8. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

9. And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

10. And he spread it before me: and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

This eating was in vision, and not done in the actual world. As a thing of vision, it was admirably significant, implying that he must take the messages of God to his heart and shrink not from any service for God which they might involve. This roll, like the ancient book, was a long strip of parchment, fitted to roll up, which was written upon both sides ("within and without "). Its contents, the matters therein written, were wholly of "lamentation, and mourning, and woe"-all mournful exposures of guilt and crime; messages of swift judgment and of awful doom! How sad to Ezekiel must have been this preïntimation of his painfully trying work! Must his messages to his own people testify only to their guilt and shame; speak but rarely of promise and hope, and mainly of judgment without mercy and of woe "too wide to see beyond!" If so, may he have grace to be true to his God and true to the souls of the guilty people; for it were a fearful thing for mortal man to falter in duty where the destiny of souls is at stake!