embraced the Chriftian religion, and were thereby become the children of God, and heirs of eternal falvation. So that these words are a brief fummary of the doctrine of good angels, and of what the fcripture has thought fit to reveal to us concerning them: which may be referred to these three heads. 1. Their nature: Are they not fpirits ? 2. Their general office and employment: Are they not miniftring Spirits? 3. Their special office and employment in regard to good men They are fent forth to minifter for them (that is, in their behalf, and for their benefit) who shall be heirs of falvation.. And this is as much as is neceffary for us to know concerning them. And all this is very agreeable to the general apprehenfion of mankind; but the fcripture hath very much cleared and confirmed to us that which was more obfcure and lefs certain before. I fhall briefly explain and illustrate these three heads, and then draw fome ufeful inferences from the whole. I. For their nature, they are spirits. This is univerfally agreed by all that acknowledge fuch an order of beings, that they are Spirits; but whether they are purè fpirits, divefted of matter, and all kind of corporeal vehicle, (as the philofophers term it), hath been a great controverfy, but I think of no great moment and confequence. Not only the ancient philofophers, but fome of the ancient Christian fathers, did believe angels to be clothed with fome kind of bodies, confifting of the pu rest and finest matter, which they call athereal. And this opinion feems to be grounded upon a pious belief, that it is the peculiar excellency and prerogative of the divine nature, to be a pure and fimple fpirit, wholly feparate from matter: but the more current opinion of the Chriftian church, especially of latter times, hath been, that angels are mere and pure fpirits, without any thing that is material and corporeal belonging to them; but yet fo, that they have a power to affume thin and airy bodies, and can, when they pleafe, appear in human fhape, as they are frequently in fcripture faid to have done.. And this feems moft agreeable to the fcripture-account of them; though I think it is no neceffary article of faith, either. either to believe that they are clothed with fome kind of bodies, or that they are wholly divested of matter. But however this be, they are described in fcripture to be endued with great excellencies and perfections. They are faid to excel in ftrength, Pfal. ciii. 20. :_ and in knowledge and wifdom; hence are those expressions of being as an angel of God, to difcern good and bad, 2 Sam. xiv. 17.; wife, according to the wisdom of an angel, y 20.: to be of great activity and fwiftnefs in their motions; hence it is that they are reprefented in fcripture as full of wings and to excel in purity and holinefs; hence is that title given them in fcripture, of the holy angels. This is the fum of what the scripture hath in several places delivered to us concerning the nature and properties of good angels and beyond this, all our knowledge of them is mere conjecture and uncertainty; and the nice fpeculations concerning them, idle and wanton curiofities. Indeed the fcripture gives fufficient intimation of feveral ranks and orders among them, by calling Michael an archangel, and chief prince, and by diftinguishing them by the names of principalities, and powers, and thrones, and dominions: but what the difference of these names imports, though fome have attempted to explain, yet I do not find that they have discovered any thing to us befides their own ignorance and arrogance, in pretending to be wife above what is written; intruding into thofe things which they have not feen, being vainly puffed up in their fleshly minds; as the Apostle cenfures fome in his time. II. We have here their general office and employment; They are miniftring Spirits: they are (as I may fay) domeftick fervants, and conftant attendants upon that great and glorious King, whofe throne is in the heavens, and whofe kingdom ruleth over all; they ftand continually before him, to behold his face, expecting his commands, and in a constant readiness to do his will. For though the omnipotence of God, and his perfect power of acting be fuch, that he can do all things immediately by himself, whatever he pleafeth in heaven and in earth; can govern the world, and fteer the affairs of it, and turn them which way he thinks beft, by the leaft nod and beck of his will, without any inftruments or ministers of his his pleasure; yet his wisdom and goodness has thought fit to honour his creatures, especially this higher and more perfect rank of beings, with his commands; and to make them, according to their feveral degrees and capacities, the ordinary minifters of his affairs, in the rule and government of this inferior world: and this not for his own ease, (for to infinite power nothing can be difficult or troublefome), but for their happiness; and he therefore employs them in his work and fervice, that they may be capable of his favour and rewards. And that the angels of God are the great ministers of his providence here in the world, hath not only been the conftant tradition of all ages, but is very frequently and plainly afferted in fcripture. In the Old Testament we often read, that God employed his angels to be the meffengers of his will and pleasure to men, and to carry good tidings and comfortable news to them upon feveral occafions: As, to Abraham, to foretel the miraculous birth of his fon Ifaac, and afterwards to rescue him from being facrificed; to Jacob, when he was fo afraid of his brother Efau; to Manoal and his wife, to foretel the birth of Samfon, the great deliverer of Ifrael from the Philistines and upon that great occafion of bringing the people of Ifrael out of Egypt, and conducting them through the wilderness, he fent a great and mighty angel (called the angel of his prefence) to go before them, and guide them in their way: and the Apostle tells us, that the law was delivered to them upon mount Sinai by the difpofition of angels. On the other hand, God frequently made them the meffengers of his wrath, and inftruments of his vengeance. Thus he fent them to foretel, and to execute that terrible deftruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. And he fent a destroying angel to brandifh his fword in a vifible manner over Jerufalem, and to fmite them with the peftilence, for David's fin in numbering the people. And by the miniftry of an angel, he flew in the camp of the Affyrians in one night, an hundred and eighty five thoufand. And Acts xii. 23. it is faid, that the angel of the Lord fmote Herod, for receiving the blafphemous acclamations of the people. Nay, the angels fhall be the inftruments and execu tioners tioners of God's vengeance upon the wicked at the judgment of the great day. So the judge himself tells us, Matth. xiii. 49. 50. So fhall it be at the end of the world: the angels fhall come forth, and fever the wicked from among the juft; and fhall caft them into the furnace of fire: there fhall be wailing, and gnashing of teeth. And that particular angels do prefide over empires and kingdoms, and fway the weighty affairs of them; and by a fecret and invisible hand manage and bring about great changes and revolutions, both Jews and Chriftians have collected, with great probability and confent, from Daniel x.; where. there is mention made of the prince of the kingdom of Perfia withstanding the angel that was fent to Daniel, and of Michael a chief prince affifting him. And of this ministry of angels, in the government of kingdoms, Clemens Alexandrinus fpeaks, as of a thing out of all controverfy. I proceed to the HI. Third thing which I principally intended, and feems to be chiefly defigned in the text; and this is the fpecial office and employment of good angels in regard to good men and for this the Apostle exprefsly tells us, that they are fent forth to minifter for them (that is, in their behalf, and for their benefit) who shall be heirs of falvation. In which words there are three things very confiderable for our inftruction and comfort. 1. Their particular defignation and appointment for this employment, expreffed in these words, fent forth, αποςελλόμβροι, as if they were particularly commiflioned and appointed by God for this very end. God himself doth fuperintend all affairs; and, by his particular defignation and command, the angels do fulfil his word, and execute the pleasure of his good-will towards us. Hence it is fo frequently faid in fcripture, that God fent his angel to fuch or such a person, for fuch or fuch purpofes. 2. You have here the general end of their employment; for good men: they are fent forth on our behalf, and for our benefit; to take care of us, and protect us; to fuccour and comfort, to direct, and affift, to rescue and deliver us. 3. Here is the more fpecial end of their employment in regard to good men, intended in those words, for them VOL. IV. B b whe who fhall be heirs of falvation; hereby fignifying, that the angels are employed about good men, with regard more particularly to their eternal happinefs, and for the conducting and furthering of the great affair of their everlasting falvation. This certainly is our greatest concernment; and therefore they have a more particular charge and care of us in regard to this. It was a common opinion among the Heathen, and a conftant and firmly believed tradition among the Jews, (the Sadducees only excepted, who did not believe there were angels or fpirits), that every man, at least every good man, had a guardian angel appointed him by God, to take a special care of him and his concernments, both fpiritual and temporal; to guard him from dangers, to direct and profper him in his way, and to comfort and deliver him in his affliction and diftrefs. And therefore we find among the Jewish prayers, used by them at this day, a particular prayer, wherein they request of God, to "command the angels who have the care of human "affairs, to help and affift, to preserve and deliver "them." But efpecially they believed good angels in their attendance upon good men, to be very active and diligent to incline them to good, and to encourage them therein, by holy emotions and fuggeftions, by fecret comfort and affiftances; and by oppofing evil fpirits, and defending us against their affaults, and by countermining their malicious defigns and attempts upon us. And accordingly we find, that the best men among the Jews did ftedfaftly believe, if not the particular guardianship of angels, and that every good man had his particular angel afligned to him by God, to take the particular charge of him; yet the common miniftry of good angels about good men, and their more especial care of particular perfons, upon particular and great occafions, to protect them from temporal evils, and to promote and profper their temporal affairs and concernments. Of this Abraham, the father of the faithful, and the friend of God, was most firmly perfuaded, at least in matters of great moment and concernment to us; as appears by his difcourfe with his fteward, when he was fending him to treat of a match for his fon, Gen. xxiv. 40. The Lord, (fays he), before whom I walk, will fend his angel |