Four beafts round about the throne; which bare the fame diftinguishing marks as the four faces of the cherubim, in the vifion of Ezekiel. And in the opening of the feals, there were feen four horfes, with their riders; one white, another red, the third black, and the fourth pale-thefe were miniftering fpirits, and the agents of divine providence in the earth, and fuch are the angels. Again, when the fervants of God were to be fealed, John faw four angels ftanding at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth; and when the flaying of the men which have not the feal of God, was about to take place, he hears a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, faying to the fixth angel which had the trumpet, loofe the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loofed which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. It may also be noticed refpecting this army, which, in the ftricteft fenfe, mult be understood to be angels-that they wrought the destruction by four powers, viz. by fire, and by Smoke, and by brimstone, and by heads which were in their tails; for their tails were like unto ferpents.

The church, under the law, being in a fubject ftate, every thing in the camp of Ifrael was ordained at Mount Sinai, according to the angelic form. The altar was four square, with four horns, one at each corner; and it was fet up facing to the four winds. A great variety of things in the tabernacle, fhewed C c

the fame device; around which this hoft of God encamped, in four divifions, one on each fide, distinguished by four standards, and moving under four heads or commanders at diftinct founds of the trumpet. It would be lengthy to enter into the particulars of this angelic conftitution. The things which belong to men and to angels, are numbered by two, by four and by fix; as those which belong to the kingdom of righteousnefs, are numbered by three, by five and by feven.

Again, the angels, in refpect to their callings in the different departments of the divine government, appear to be divided into two orders, which fome have supposed are defignated by the names of Cherubim and Seraphim; one of which orders are employed where ftrength and prowess is requifite; and the other, in matters of miniftry, that require intelligence and dispatch. Thus we have repeated instances of Michael being engaged in arms; as alfo of Gabriel being employed on meffages. And when the an gels are referred to in their employments, two words are always ufed, which give them a distinct defcription, as in Pfal.civ. Who maketh the clouds his chariot-who walketh upon the wings of the wind. Who maketh his angels Spirits, his ministers a flaming fire: both which words are understood by the Apostle to the Hebrews, as referring to the angels -Of the angels he faith, Who maketh his angels fpirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.-Daniel, fpeaking of the glory of the Ancient of Days,

Tays, Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand, stood before him. And fimilar to this, we have generally two enumerations given of the angels, as in Pfal. lxviii. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; and, Rev. v. 11, And the number of them was ten thoufand times ten thoufand, and thousands of thoufands. This idea of there being two orders of angels is corroborated by the two orders of ftanding officers which were appointed in the Jewish ftate, which wholly accorded with the difpofition of angels.

All this is agreeable to the state of Adam, in the day that God created man :-Male and female created he them; and bleed them, and called their name Adam. Gen. v. 2.— And the government of the world was, at firft, committed to an united head: And God faid, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion, &c.The administration of government requires counfel, which cannot be had by one alone; and throughout the whole sphere of human life, there exifts fuch feparate departments, as require at least two, in order to maintain the economy. And thus, fays the Preacher, Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but wo to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm a one? And if one prevail against him, two fhall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Alfo, the dominion of man, by the divine charter, confifted of four provinces :-And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattie, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Thus was Adam a figure of Chrift. And it may be observed, that angels are represented by the diftinguishing properties of these four kinds of creatures; as by the leviathan, which is the monster of the deep; by the eagle, which is the king of birds;-by the ox, which is diftinguifhed among cattle-and by the ferpent, which is the first of the creeping things.

Mofes, in his account of the creation, discovers evidently a defign to connect these four provinces of creatures with the four first creative operations :-Hence, thofe of the waters, he makes the firft province;-thofe of the air the fecond;-of the earth, the third; -and the creeping things, the laft.-It has been obferved of the work of creation, that there was a progreffion in the operations, and that the light of the unfolding divine will brightened cach day; and the refult of each fucceffive movement was ftill more and more perfect. So, in this view, the fish, undoubtedly, are to be confidered as the loweft fpecies of the animal creation;-the birds are a higher fpecies;-the cattle are ftill more perfect--and the ferpent is defcribed to have poffe fled powers of intelligence nearly allied to thofe of the rational worlds; and being the last formed, may be fuppofed the molt perfect of the animal natures, and to

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have been the next link in the chain of beings, to those who were capable of moral government. The fame remark may be made - upon the great fucceffive difpenfations of divine providence, which, in the fcriptures, are called days, that they fhine with increas ing brightness unto the perfect day.

In the paffages which have been quoted, and there are many others in the same style, it may be feen that the angelic powers, which are the fubjects of the throne of heaven, are in a fimilar manner connected with the four winds; the idea of which, as has been noticed, feems to have originated in those creative operations which framed the worlds.To recite only two inftances is fufficient :Thefe are the four fpirits, or winds of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. Zech. vi. 5.-And af ter thefe things, I faw four angels ftanding the four corners of the earth, holding the jour winds of the earth, that the wind fhould not blow on the earth, nor on the fea, nor on any tree. Rev. vii. 1. And by being thus connected, the angels are placed in a strong point of analogy with thefe lower fubjects of Adam's empire.

It may alfo be observed, that, with the winds, the courses of the waters in the world before the flood, appear to have conformed to the fame fystem; for a river went out of Eden, and having watered the paradife of Adam, it was parted into four heads, extending to the four quarters of the earth; dividing thofe realms into four grand departments, and