The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University

See Notes on Revelation, no. 70.This reference is a later addition, and the note to which it refers consists of material taken from Arthur Bedford's Scripture Chronology (London, 1730), pp. 459–61. Of special interest to JE was Bedford's support for the assertion made in No. ww that the standards of the four principal tribes stationed around the camp of Israel (Numbers 3) bore respectively the faces of the four creatures described in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4. JE had come across the notion elsewhere; see below, n. 2. See Works, 5, 162–65. The meaning of the four living creatures mentioned in the beginning of St. John's visions [Revelation 4:6 ff.] may without [doubt be] easily understood, if they can be understood where they are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. Now we know the four living creatures mentioned by Ezekiel are the same with these; that is, the faces of the living creatures were, one a man, another a lion, another an ox, another an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10).

I think it is agreed on by all, that Ezekiel's first vision of the four

living creatures and the wheels full of eyes is an emblem of divine providence with which Ezekiel's prophecy is introduced, as likewise without doubt is St. John's. The wheels here mentioned [Ezek. Ezekiel 1] are the wheels of providence, and the wheels were managed by the living creatures and by their spirit; so that these four living creatures are those four living creatures that have the management of God's providence, that managed it by their spirit. So likewise are the four apocalyptical living creatures. Very fitly are these wonderful prophecies of the great events of providence introduced by a vision: first, of God the great Beginning and Ending of all; secondly, of the church of God, represented by the four and twenty elders, the subject of all dispensations; thirdly, of the Spirit of God, the seven lamps, by whom God executes all; and lastly, of the four living creatures, who had the management of God's providence.

But what doth Ezekiel mean by four living creatures managing the wheel of providence? Certainly none have the management of God's providence but God himself. Angels sometimes may be sent out on some particular errands; but none but God do, and none but God can, manage the great wheels of God's providence. It is said, the wheels were managed by "the spirit of the living creature" [Ezekiel 1:20–21]; but we know that the wheels are managed alone by the Spirit of God, by St. John's seven lamps burning before the throne. Wherefore we may certainly conclude, that these four animals are the emblems of something divine. It plainly appears by Ezekiel 1:24 that they were something divine: it is said, the noise of their wings is as the voice of the Almighty, and as the noise of many waters, the same that is said of the voice of the Son of God (Revelation 1:15); and it further appears because they had the glory of God, the shechinah, upon them.

But what are these four in God that have the managment of providence? What four divine things are they that have the management of the world, that turn the wheel of providence and carry it just as they go? Answer this question, and the whole mystery will be unraveled at once. I answer, they are wisdom, power, goodness, and justice. These are the four attributes of God that have [to do] with the world, and these only; the rest concern himself. These are the four that manage all things; these are the four that have the management of the wheels of providence. Where these go, the wheels follow; when these stand still, the wheels stand still; when these are lift up from the earth, the wheels are lift up. That is, providence is always managed exactly according

to these four, the divine wisdom, power, goodness, and justice: "the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels."

These were the four beasts in the Revelation, that were in the midst of the throne and round about the throne. Very fitly are the prophecies of St. John introduced with these four managers of the wheels of providence. 'Tis the manifestation of these four in God's works and dispensations that do[th] continually praise and glorify him. The power and goodness, the wisdom and justice of God in his works, cease not to sing his praises day nor night: "they rest not day nor night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Revelation 4:8). And when these give glory, when God's glory is shown forth by these, then the church, the angels and saints, do also praise him; then the four and twenty elders do fall down before him and give glory to him (Revelation 4:9–11).

The first living creature was a lion, which is power. The second was a calf or ox, which was always, as I think, the emblem of goodness amongst the Israelites and the nations round about. The Egyptians used to worship a bull or ox in remembrance of Joseph, for the plenty that he foretold and for his preserving corn in the midst of a famine. 'Tis very probable that for this reason those nations worshiped golden calves as emblems of goodness; the oxen, they plow the fields, from whence we receive the goodness of God. The ox is observed to be the most compassionate of all creatures. It is said that the feet of Ezekiel's living creatures were calves' feet (Ezekiel 1:7), because all God's paths are mercy and truth. 'Twas alone the goodness of God that moved him to make the world, that moves him to preserve it; and all God's providential proceedings are upon the feet of goodness, even his damning sinners (though not in them, yet in others, as I could show). The third beast had the face of a man, which is wisdom. The fourth was like a flying eagle, which, being the king and ruler of birds, the most just and exact of all creatures (how exact do philosophers observe they are in distributing meat to their young), also for their quickness of sight and swiftness of flight, is the emblem of justice. "Justice" and "eagle" in the Hebrew tongue are derived from the same root. See note on Ezekiel 10:7 and on Revelation 4:6; note on Ezekiel 10:5.These are successive later additions and all are references to JE's "Blank Bible." All citations of biblical notes refer to the "Blank Bible," except where they are otherwise identified.

But this matter will be abundantly enlightened by the consideration

of the four standards of the camp of Israel [Numbers 2], which were the likenesses of those four living creatures.JE may have derived this notion from Matthew Poole's Annotations upon the Holy Bible (2 vols. London, 1683–85). Poole himself left it out of his notes on Numbers, but one of the men who completed the work after Poole's death states in the note on Revelation 4:7 that the four creatures of Revelation and Ezekiel were represented on the four standards of Numbers; he also matches up standards and creatures with the help of Jacob's blessing exactly as does JE in No. ww. A copy of the Annotations was in the Edwards household; it was much read by JE's sister Jerusha, according to Timothy's obituary of her in the Trask Library. How properly did God order the emblems of his power, wisdom, justice, and goodness to be set at the four corners of the camp of Israel, as standards of the church militant. Now we know the face of a man was upon the standard of Reuben, who is "the excellency of dignity and excellency of power," according to Jacob's blessing [Genesis 49:3]. A lion was Judah's standard, of whom Jacob says, "Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah," etc. [Genesis 49:8–10]. And accordingly, Judah, we know, was the most powerful tribe. Wherefore I say, a lion in the Revelation signifies power. Dan had the standard of an eagle, by which at once it appears that an eagle is the emblem of justice, the signification of his name; and Jacob's blessing, "Dan shall judge his people" [Genesis 49:16], abundantly clears it. Ephraim's standard was an ox, and what was more remarkable in Joseph than goodness? He was a great means of God's goodness, and [a] means of the preservation of all Egypt, as well as his father's house; for which, as I said before, the Egyptians worshiped under that image of an ox. His own bounty and goodness were also very remarkable. How bountiful, how compassionate was he! It also appears by Jacob's blessing, Genesis 49:22, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitfull bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall"; what better to set forth God's bounty? "Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee; with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb" (Genesis 49:25). Wherefore, I say, the standard of Joseph is God's goodness. It also appears by Moses' blessing:

Wherefore, I say, without doubt by the calf in the Revelation (the same with Joseph's standard) is meant the goodness of God.