w, is to mi to them, the word itself doth in part declare.. This then in general is the office of the angels; they are -souare Astrovgrise, * ministering spi ;וחות or מלאכי השרת rits,' that wait on God in and about his holy services for the good of the church; which also in the like manner ministereth unto God in its own state and condition. And hence it is that the church and they do make up one family, Ephes. iv. 15. and that they are all fellow servants in the same family with them that keep the testimony of Jesus, Rev. xxii. 9. And of this some of the later Jews have retained the tradition. Whence is that of Maimonides, More Nebuch. part ii. cap. 6. which he citeth out of the Talmud. y map 18 The holy blessed God doth' :,,דבר עד שנמלר בפמליא של מעלה nothing unless he consult with his superior family.' Only not knowing the rise of the word 25, nor what it should signify; that in the Greek פמליא הוא המחנה בלשון יון,he tells us tongue it signifies an host; whereas it is purely the Latin familia without the least alteration. And the description of this superior part of the family of God is given us, Dan. vii. 10. "Thou, sand thousands did minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." In which words Pseudo-Dionysius, Gregory, and Aquinas, with sundry of the schoolmen, have coined a distinction of angels into ministrantes, those that minister unto God, and assistentes, those that stand before him. Whereas the whole intention of the expression is, that all the angels stood ministering before him, as John declares the matter, Rev. v. 11. And therefore the apostle expressly here affirms that they are all ministering spirits, cutting off one member of their distinction. Neither is there more intended in the ministry of that upper part of the family of God than is expressed concerning the lower part of it of old, Deut. xviii. 5, "God chose the priests and the Levites nw, to stand and to minister in the name of the Lord." The same persons were both assistentes and ministrantes, they stood to minister before the Lord. Now, because of this standing and ministering of angels, that is their waiting on God in a readiness to do his will, they may be said in some sense to be the throne of God, from whence he executeth justice and judgment; for as he is called '17 2, Psal. lxxx. 1. "He that dwelleth between the cherubims;" as also Psal. xcix. 1; so the Jews say, that the thrones mentioned Dan. vii. were orbyn on, the higher princes' or angels, as Abarbinel on the place. This then is their office, they are all ministering spirits. 3. Their execution of their office in their actual employment, is here also expressed. They are ministering spirits, s dianOVIάv AшOOTSλλqμяva, sent out unto a ministry;' sent out, that is, they are daily so, continually so, the word denoting the present time, which is always. They stand before the presence of God, and are continually sent out by him, sometimes some, sometimes others, always those that are sufficient for his work. 6 Now, as we observed before, that argi denotes the whole family service of God, which in general is ascribed unto these children and servants of his, in the upper part thereof, they being vμata Aurougyixa, ministering spirits;' so here the execution of their work is expressed by two words, which comprise the whole ministry of the church; aorton and diaxovia, apostleship' and labouring ministry,' and therein the harmony is still preserved, that is between both parts of the family of God. And as in the service of the church, the ministers thereof do not minister unto men, but unto the Lord, for and in the behalf of men, Acts xiii. 2. so is it with these spirits also, they are sent out to minister for the good of men, but it is the Lord unto whom they minister; his ministers they are, not ours, Psal. ciii. 21. though in their ministry, belonging unto the same family with believers, they are their fellow servants. As all the servants of a king, though otherwise greatly differenced, agree in this, that they are all servants unto the same person. And these two words express both their honour, that they are immediately sent out from the presence of God, they are his apostles, as also their obedience and diligence, they undertake dianova, a ministry,' to be discharged with care and due observance of him by whom they are sent. 4. There is expressed the restriction of their ministry unto the especial object of their work and employment; it is for them that shall be heirs of salvation ; διά τους μελλοντας κληρονομείν σωτη gav, for them,' for their sakes, for their good, in their behalf who shall inherit salvation.' Elect believers are heirs at pre sent, and hereafter shall inherit, or actually obtain salvation, by virtue of their heirship. Yet the apostle speaketh not of them as elect, nor yet absolutely as believers; but as of heirs, which they obtain by the privilege of adoption. This gives them heirship, and an interest in the family of God. And the ministry of the superior part of the family in behalf of the lower, respects them as such, that is, as adopted, as children, as heirs, as co-heirs with Christ, Rom. viii. 16, 17. This privilege, I say, amongst others innumerable and inexpressible, we have by our adoption, that being admitted into the family of God, those blessed angels, whose special ministry respects that family, have us under their constant care. It is true, that the ministry of angels is not always absolutely restrained unto the church or family of God: they are employed also in the government of the world. So the angel that was sent unto Daniel affirms, that in the first year of Darius, he stood to confirm and strengthen him, Dan. xi. 1. that is, to assist him in the wielding of his new gotten empire. As also, ch. x. 13. 20, 21. he declares how he acted in opposition to the prince of Persia, and stirred up the prince of Grecia; that is, how he should do so in the appointed time. And so also doubtless are they employed about other affairs in the world, from whence much good redounds unto many who yet belong not to the family of God. But yet two things we may here observe: First, That though this ministry of theirs was not immediately, yet it was ultimately for the church. For their sakes were those mighty empires first raised, and afterwards razed to the ground. And this is that which they consider in their ministry; see Zech. i. 8-11. And thence it appears that the prince of the kingdom of Persia, who withstood the angel, was not any angel of God, but the king of Persia himself, who laboured to obstruct the work committed to him. Secondly, That the apostle treats in this place of that immediate respect which the ministry of the angels had unto the church, because in that regard alone he carries on his comparison between them and the Son, that only being unto his purpose in hand. But it may be objected, that this their ministry will not clearly evince their inferiority and subordination unto Christ, seeing he himself also was sent, and that for the good of them who shall inherit salvation, and is thence called the apostle of our profession. But the differences between him and them in their being sent, are so great and manifest, that his superiority unto them, and pre-eminence above them, is not in the least thereby impeached. He was sent by his own voluntary previous choice and condescension: they are so, in pursuit of the state and condition of their creation. He was sent to minister in the form of a servant, only for a short season, in the days of his flesh; they continue to be so from the beginning to the end of the world. He was sent unto that great and mighty work of mediation, which none was worthy to undertake, none able to go through withal but himself alone, as being the only begotten Son of God; they are sent about the ordinary concerns of the saints: He as the Son, they as servants: He as the Author of the whole work of the redemption and salvation of the church, they as subordinate assistants in the particular promotion of it. The general agreement then of his and their being sent for the good of the church, hath so many and so great differences in the manner, causes and ends of it, that it no way takes off from the evidence of their subordination and subjection unto him. And with this demonstration the apostle closeth the argument he had so long insisted on. Of the nature of this ministry of angels for the good of them that shall inherit salvation, because it belongs not directly unto the present design of the apostle, and would in the full consideration of it cause a long diversion from the work in hand, I shall not treat, although it be a matter singularly deserving our meditation. For the present it may suffice us to observe, that in the government and protection of his saints here below, both as to the dispensation of grace and providence, God is pleased to make use of the ministry of angels, wherein much of their honour and our safety doth consist. For a close of the whole, we may only observe the way and manner whereby the apostle proposeth this doctrine of the ministry of angels unto the Hebrews; are they not?' saith he, he speaks of it as a matter well known unto them, and acknowledged by them. Their nature, their dignity, their office was declared in the Old Testament. Thence were they instructed, that as to their nature they were spirits; in dignity, thrones, principalities and powers; in office, ministers unto God, sent out for the good of his church. And therefore these things the apostle in sundry places takes for granted, as those that were already known and received in the church of God, Rom. viii. 32. Eph. i. 20, 21. Col. i. 16. This doctrine then I say, was propagated from the Jews unto the Christians. And from them also came forth much of that curiosity and superstition about angels, which af terwards infected the minds of many in the Christian church. For after they were forsaken of God, and began to give up themselves unto vain speculations, there was not any thing wherein the vanity of their minds did more early manifest itself, than in their imaginations about angels, wherein they exercise themselves unto this day. For to omit their monstrous figments about the original of devils, most of whom they af firm to have been begotten by Adam on Lilith, before God formed Eve, and many to have issued from Adam and Eve se verally whilst they lived separate, an hundred and fifty years after the death of Abel, as later follies; it is certain that some of them began to vent curiosities about angels in the apostles' time, Col. ii. 18. and to express their fancies about their names, orders, degrees and employments. And this they continue yet to do, although they peremptorily deny that they are to be invocated or prayed unto, wherein they are outdone by others. Names they have invented for them innumerable, and those many of them uncouth and insignificant. Orders also or degrees they assign unto them, some four, some five, some seven, some nine, some thirteen, according as it hath seemed good unto this or that great master among them. From them the Pseudo Dionysius about the fourth or fifth century after Christ, took the occasion and rise of his operose figment about the celestial hierarchy, though he mixed their inventions with many Peripatetical and Pythagorean notions. Aristotle proportioned the number of the intelligencies unto the spheres of the heavens, more he granted not. The Pythagoreans and Platonics asserted all things here below to be influenced by the planets in their orbs, the inferior receiving a communication of virtue from the higher, and imparting it unto those beneath. So they interpreted the exsection of Saturn by Jupiter, as that of Colum by Saturn to be the interception of their procreative influence, that it should not immediately be communicated unto things below but by them. Out of all these fancies did Dionysius raise his hierarchy. From the Jews he took the disposition of his angels into orders of superiority and rule; from Aristotle their number, placing an order instead of a single intelligence, to answer what is taught in the Scripture concerning their multitude; and from the Pythagorean Platonics, the communication of light, knowledge and illumination from God by the highest to the lowest series or order, and from them to men on earth. And on this foundation, such as it is, are built the discourses of many commentators on this place; in their inquiries, whether angels of the superior orders are sent forth to minister for the good of believers; which is denied by many, though by some later expositors, as Estius, Ribera, Tena, A Lapide, it is granted, and proved not without much ado. So hard is it sometimes for men to cast down scare-crows of their own setting up. It remaineth only that we close our whole discourses on this chapter with some observations for our own use and instruction from this last verse, as, 1. The highest honour of the most glorious spirits in heaven, is to minister unto the Lord in the service whereunto he appoints them. This is the office, this the work of angels; and this is their honour and glory. For what greater honour |