Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1:4-15

These living creatures may denote angels, as ministering in the dispensations of providence, and ministers, as serving in the church. Their being living denotes their own life and liveliness, and the quickening influences of their work: their being four denotes their sufficiency for all the ends of the earth, and under all the empires of it: their four faces:—viz. at a man, denotes their wisdom, prudence, and tender compassion;—of a lion, their courage, boldness, and might;—of an ox, their indefatigable labour and patience;—of an eagle, their clear and piercing knowledge, high contemplations, and holy affections. Their four wings, covering their bodies, stretched upwards, and joined to their fellows, denote their diligence, speedy success, consciousness of their own infirmities, and mutual harmony and love. Their straight feet, like those of a calf, and sparkling, denote their upright, steady, persevering, pure, and glorious, ministrations and behaviour. Their many hands under their wings denote their great, but prudently directed and humble, activity in their whole work. Their fiery appearance denotes their ardent love and holy zeal. The Spirit moving among them denotes the Holy Ghost as calling them and qualifying them for, and directing and actuating them in, their work; and all directed by the voice of the Almighty who is enthroned in heaven. 15—25. The four wheels, with four faces each, and coloured like beryl, mysterious in their form, dreadfully high in their rings, full of eyes, and moved by the living creatures straight forward, may denote the manifold, precious, glorious, mysterious, dreadful, wise, and prudent, providences of God, perseveringly, self-consistently, and righteously, conducted by the ministration of angels in all parts of the world: Or they may denote the churches of Christ, mysterious in their form, uniform in their appearances, perseveringly advancing to the everlasting state, precious and shining in their oracles, ordinances, and true members, fearing God, and dreadful to their enemies, intelligent, prudent, and watchful, and directed and actuated by the Spirit of God, through the instrumentality of ministers, according to the word of an enthroned Redeemer

Ezekiel 1:26-28

This man, amber-coloured, and fiery in appearance, enthroned in heaven over the wheels and animals, and encircled with a rainbow, represents Jesus Christ in our nature as terrible to his enemies, but full of love to and zeal for his people, exalted to his Father’s right hand, to be the Head and Director of angels and ministers, and ever attending to and administering the covenant of grace to the world

REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. I.—Wherever God has a people he will find ministers for them. And there is great need that these should have a clear and distinct call from him to their work, considering the important dangers attending, and the awful issues and accounts thereof. All discoveries of God ought to fill our minds with deep awe and reverence of him. May I then, like these living creatures, be endowed with the Holy Ghost, filled with spiritual knowledge and prudence, and be uniformly active and upright in the Lord’s way; always under his direction and influence, and making my light so to shine before men, as that they may see my good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven. However strange and intricate the form of ordinances, churches, and providences, be, let me revere them, as framed and managed by God for his own glory; and always look above all to his infinitely glorious self, particularly as manifested in my nature, and the Lamb as it had been slain in the midst of the throne