Scripture besides my text.

So Psalm xxxiv. 7:

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. So Psalm xci. 9-12: Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Yea, our Lord himself assures us, that his little ones, those that imitate the innocence and humility of little children, i. e. all truly good men, have their angels in heaven to protect and defend them; and that therefore it is a very dangerous thing for any man to injure or offend them, Matt. xviii. 10.

It is true indeed the good angels do not now ordinarily appear in visible forms, or speak by audible voices to men, as in ancient times they did. After God had once spoken unto men by his own Son, manifested in the flesh, and by him fully revealed his will to the world, and confirmed that revelation by a long succession of unquestionable miracles, there was no such need of angelical appearances, for the instruction, confirmation, and consolation of the faithful. The succeeding ages do indeed afford us very credible relations of some such apparitions now and then; but ordinarily, I say, the government of angels over us is now administered in a secret and invisible manner. Hence too too many have been inclined either flatly to deny, or at least to call in question, the truth of the doctrine we are now upon. But they have souls very much immersed in flesh, who can apprehend nothing but what touches and

affects their senses; and they that follow this gross and sensual way of procedure, must at last necessarily fall into downright epicurism, to deny all particular providence of God over the sons of men, and to ascribe all events to those causes that are next to them.

But besides, although the ministry of angels be now for the most part invisible, yet to the observant it is not altogether indiscernible.

We may trace the footsteps of this secret providence over us in many instances, of which I shall note a few. How often may we have observed strong, lasting, and irresistible impulses upon our minds to do certain things we can scarce for the present tell why or wherefore, the reason and good success of which we afterwards plainly see? So, on the contrary, there are ofttimes sudden and unexpected accidents, as we call them, cast in our way, to divert us from certain enterprises we are just ready to engage in, the ill consequences whereof we do afterwards, but not till then, apprehend. Again, Quantum est in subitis casibus ingenium! "How strange many times are our present thoughts and suggestions in sudden and surprising dangers!" We then upon the spot resolve and determine as well as if we had a long time deliberated, and taken the best advice and counsel; and we ourselves afterwards wonder how such thoughts came into our minds. Hither also we may refer that lucky conspiracy of circumstances, which we sometimes experience in our affairs and business, otherwise of great difficulty; when we light upon the rò vûv, or nick of opportunity; when the persons, whose counsel or assistance we most need, strangely occur, and all

66

66

things fall out according to our desire, but beyond our expectation. What strange ominous abodings and fears do many times on a sudden seize upon men of certain approaching evils, whereof at present there is no visible appearance! And have we not had some unquestionable instances of men not inclined to melancholy, strongly and unalterably persuaded of the near approach of their death, so as to be able punctually to tell the very day of it, when they have been in good health, and neither themselves nor their friends could discern any present natural cause for such a persuasion, and yet the event hath proved, that they were not mistaken? And although I am no doter on dreams, yet I verily believe, that some dreams are monitory, above the power of fancy, and impressed on us by some superior influence. For of such dreams, we have plain and undeniable instances in history, both sacred and profane, and in our own age and observation. Nor shall I so value the laughter of sceptics, and the scoffs of the Epicureans, as to be ashamed to profess, that I myself have had some convincing experiments of such impressions. Now it is no enthusiasm, but the best account that can be given of them, to ascribe these things to the ministry of those invisible instruments of God's providence, that guide and govern our affairs and concerns, viz., the angels of God.

However it is most certain, that the holy angels are appointed by divine Providence as the guardians of good men (as, and whilst they are such) in all their ways, and throughout the whole course of their lives. For of this, as you have heard, the holy Scriptures (to which we have all the reason in the world to give credit) often and most expressly

speak; and the wiser heathens themselves acknowledged as much, though they called those blessed instruments of God's providence over the virtuous by other names than we do, as by that of boni genii, good genius's," and the like, as hath been before observed.

66

This theme of the angelical ministry is indeed very pregnant, and hath administered abundant matter to exercise the more curious wits, who have raised very many questions about it of more subtlety than profit.

But for my own part, being truly conscious to myself of my infirmity, and believing that what I discourse at this time of the ministry of the holy angels, I deliver in the presence of some of those heavenly ministers, I shall be very careful to keep myself within the bounds of modesty and sobriety. But there are three questions here, which I think may with some profit be discussed, and cannot well be passed over in silence. 1. Whether the office of ministering on earth, for the good of the faithful, belongs to the holy angels universally, even those of the highest order, or only to some certain angels of the inferior orders? 2. Whether 2. Whether every faithful person, during his life on earth, hath his particular guardian angel more constantly to preside and watch over him? 3. Wherein the angelical ministry, for the good of the faithful on earth, doth more especially consist? Of these questions I shall, by God's assistance, discourse in order, with all due reverence, and as the time will permit.

Quest. 1. Whether the office of ministering on earth, for the good of the faithful, belongs to the holy angels universally, even those of the highest

order, or only to some certain angels of the inferior orders?

Aquinas and his followers, being led by the authority of the counterfeit Dionysius, and some texts of Scripture that seem to favour him, have distinguished inter assistentes et ministrantes angelos, between those superior angels that always stand before the throne of God in heaven, and those inferior angels that are sent forth, as need requires, to minister for the faithful on earth. Which distinction being admitted, it follows, that some of the principal angels are wholly exempted from that ministry of which we are now discoursing.

Not to take any notice again of Dionysius, the places of Scripture on which this opinion is founded are those wherein it is said of certain angels, that they always behold the face of God in heaven, Matt. xviii. 10, and stand before God, Dan. vii. 9, 10. Rev. viii. 2. And to these texts of Scripture the patrons of this opinion add a reason or argument, drawn from the order of nature and grace, which, as they say, the angelical polity constantly retain and observe. According to which order the inferior angels are always illuminated and instructed by the superior concerning those things that are to be done here below. So that the superior angels never go forth themselves by external mission, but only give the orders they have received from God to the inferior angels that minister under them, to be executed by them on earth.

But notwithstanding these fair colours put upon this opinion, we can by no means admit of it; but on the contrary we affirm, that although commonly and ordinarily the inferior angels are the immediate