to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?" The word here said to be spoken by angels, most probably means the law given at mount Sinai, which we are told, "was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." But besides being concerned in this first permanent revelation to the church, angels were frequently employed in bearing messages to particular persons, both before and after the coming of Christ. An angel was sent to bear a particular message to Abraham, commanding him to spare Isaac, after he had lifted his hand to give the fatal stroke. And two angels were sent again to Abraham, to reveal to him and to Lot the destruction of Sodom. An angel was sent to Manoah and his wife, to reveal the purpose of God respecting the birth and education of Samson. An angel was sent to Gideon with a message from God, directing him to lead the armies of Israel to war against their enemies. An angel was sent to Elijah, to direct him to prepare for the journey which he was commanded to take. An angel was sent to Zechariah the priest, to foretell the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, to foretell the birth of Christ. An angel was sent to forewarn Joseph of Herod's design to destroy the infant Saviour. An angel was sent to Cornelius, to bid him to send for Peter. An angel was sent to Paul, to foretell his deliverance and that of those who were shipwrecked with him. And an angel was sent to the apostle John, to deliver the divine messages which are contained in the book of Revelation. For about two thousand years angels were sent, from time to time, to bear the messages of God to men.

2. It was the business of angels to attend upon Christ, from the time he came into the world to the time he went out of it. They were devoted to his service, and he could, as he intimated, at any time call more than twelve legions of them to his aid. And it appears from his history, that the angels did attend him all the while he tabernacled in flesh. A multitude of angels announced his entrance into the world. Luke tells us that the angel of the Lord came upon the shepherds, "and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." As soon as Christ was baptized, he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; and at the end of this conflict, the devil having left him, "Behold,

angels came and ministered unto him." After he had celebrated the passover and instituted the sacrament, he went into the garden to meet his enemies. But before they came to apprehend him, he prayed, being in an agony, and sweat great drops of blood; and "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." Though no mention is made by the evangelists, that angels attended him at his crucifixion, yet it seems reasonable to suppose that multitudes of them were actually present on that great and solemn occasion. And this supposition is corroborated by the words of the apostle: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels;" that is, at the time of his crucifixion. While he lay in the tomb, he had a guard of angels, who appeared to Mary on the morning of his resurrection. "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white, sitting the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." And when he had finished the work which his Father gave him to do, and had prepared every thing for his departure out of the world, he had a convoy of angels to escort him to heaven. "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Such was the delightful employment of angels, to attend the divine Redeemer, from his birth to his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven.

3. Angels are employed as executioners of God's wrath, against his enemies and the enemies of the church. The prophet Zechariah was informed that angels are God's ministers, who are constantly patrolling the world, and executing the designs of providence. "Then said I, O my God, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of the Lord, that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and behold all the earth sitteth still and is at rest." The angels who are appointed and sent forth to traverse the earth, ȧre those who are concerned in protecting the church against

its numerous enemies. The angel that talked with Daniel gives this account of himself and of others: "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for, from the first day thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." According to this representation, angels are concerned in great national affairs which affect the church. They undoubtedly have an invisible influence upon the counsels of princes and the fate of battles, and, in other cases, are ministers of good to the church, and of evil to its enemies. The scripture gives us many instances of this kind. The two angels sent to Sodom, were ministers of divine vengeance to that devoted city. For they told Lot, "We will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it." Angels were the destroyers of the first born in Egypt. So the Psalmist expressly declares in the seventy-eighth Psalm : "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, by sending evil angels among them." It was an angel that executed the divine displeasure against David and his kingdom, for numbering the people. After he had slain seventy thousand men, he visibly appeared with his drawn sword over Jerusalem; but a merciful God commanded him to sheath it. In answer to the prayer of Hezekiah for the protection of the church, "The angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses." And when Herod arrogated to himself divine honors, it is said, "Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory." We have good reason to believe that though God does not now employ angels visibly, yet he does employ them invisibly in the government of the world. I ob

serve once more,

4. It is the employment of angels to take particular care of good men. "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" We may not pretend to point out all that angels do for particular saints: but yet the scripture clearly mentions some important services which they perform for the heirs of salvation.

1. They often protect them from danger. The angels were sent to deliver Lot from the destruction of Sodom. Angels were sent to protect Jacob from the violence of his brother. "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host, and he called the name of the place Mahanaim." An angel was sent to deliver Peter from prison. While he was in prison, "Behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands." Then the angel conducted him to the house of Mary the mother of John. "As Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel." They undoubtedly meant his guardian angel. These are instances of angels protecting saints on certain critical occasions. But we have reason to conclude that they are the constant guardians and protectors of good men. David repeatedly suggests this idea. In the thirty-fourth Psalm he says, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Again he says in ninety-first Psalm, "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." These passages represent angels as the constant guardians and protectors of the righteous.

2. They assist good men in their duties and devotions. They are represented as present in the assemblies of the saints. Two large cherubim were carved in the temple. "And within the oracle," we read, "were made two cherubim of olive tree, each ten cubits high." These emblems signified the presence of angels in the temple. Now if angels are present with good men in duty, they may have the power of assisting them in their devotions. It is as easy to conceive how they may assist them in their religious duties, as how Satan can disturb and obstruct them in their approaches to God. They may not only strengthen their bodies, as the angel strengthened the body of Daniel while fasting, and the body of Christ whilst in agony, but strengthen their minds, by suggesting proper thoughts and exhibiting to their view proper objects. By doing both, they may enliven their devotions in secret, in private and in public worship. And in a similar manner, they may assist them in the more common duties of life. I may add,

3. There is reason to believe that angels minister to saints in their dying moments. They not only accompany them through the busy and dangerous scenes of life, but still accom

pany them in the solemn hour of death. This is strikingly expressed in the parable of Lazarus. "And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom." When all earthly friends have done their office to good men, then angels take the charge of them, and guide them safely through the dark valley of the shadow of death. It is a gloomy thought to thinking minds, that we must die alone as to our fellow mortals; but it is a consoling thought, that if we are friends of God, his holy angels shall take the charge of our souls, and guide them safely to the mansions of bliss. The doctrine of the ministry of angels is interesting to all men. However we may forget them in life and health, their presence and aid are very desirable when we come to exchange worlds.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. Since angels were created an order of beings superior to mankind, we have peculiar reason to admire the great and discriminating grace of God in providing salvation for fallen men, while he suffered fallen angels to perish without remedy. Lucifer and the rest of the apostate angels were, for aught we know, equal in greatness and goodness to Gabriel and the rest of the elect angels before their apostacy; and God could have provided salvation for them, as well as for the apostate Adam and his posterity. They were capable of suffering more by their apostacy, than Adam or any of his posterity were capable of suffering by their apostacy, if no salvation had been provided for them; and had salvation been provided for angels, they were capable of rising to higher degrees of holiness and happiness than Adam and his posterity were capable of attaining, to all eternity. It must, therefore, have been owing to the unsearchable riches of divine wisdom and divine grace, that God provided a Saviour for fallen men, and not for fallen angels. If he had regarded the mere misery of fallen angels and the mere misery of fallen men, he would have provided salvation for fallen angels rather than for fallen men. Or if he had regarded the mere happiness of fallen angels, and the mere happiness of fallen men, he would have provided salvation for fallen angels, rather than for fallen men. But he regarded his own glory and the highest good of the universe, more than the eternal misery and eternal happiness of both fallen angels and fallen men. This his infinite wisdom saw he could better promote by providing salvation for fallen men, than by providing salvation for fallen angels, or than by providing salvation for both fallen men and fallen angels. God had goodness enough to desire the salvation of both, and wisdom and power enough to provide