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On God's providential Government towards good and evil Angels.

DISCOURSE VI.

PSALM ciii. 19.

The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens; and his Kingdom ruleth over

all.

T

HERE is scarce any Thing of greater Importance to us, than to endeavour to get juft Notions of God's Government of the rational moral Part of the Creation : Some general Obfervations were made concerning it in our former Discourse. It is proper now to confider it more distinctly, as exercised towards the feveral Orders of reasonable Beings, the most remarkable

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of which, as far as they come under our Notice, are Angels and Men.

I fhall begin with confidering the Government of Divine Providence towards the Angels.

Whofoever duly confidereth what imperfect Creatures we are, will be naturally led to conclude, that we are not of the highest Order in the Scale of created Beings. Man is of a middle Nature, à Compound of Flesh and Spirit; and, as there are inferior Animals, that have Life and Senfation, and Bodies of Flesh, as we have, but are not endued with rational and intellectual Souls, fo it is congruous to Reafon, and the juft Order of Things to fuppose, that there are Spirits and Intelligencies, which either are not united to Bodies at all, or are not encumbered with fuch grofs corruptible Bodies as ours. Since this lower Earth is replenished with fuch a Variety of living Creatures, can it reasonably be imagined, that all the other Parts of this vaft Universe are deftitute of Inhabitants? And of these there may be various Orders and Degrees, many of which are probably of an higher and more excellent Kind than any that dwell in the inferior Regions. And accordingly, fome Notion of fuch Kind of Beings hath obtained in all Nations and Ages, almost as univerfally

verfally as the Belief of a God and à Providence. The holy Scriptures are very clear and exprefs to this Purpose. There we are informed of great Numbers of Angels, or fpiritual intellectual Beings fuperior to Man, many of whom are holy and happy, employing their vaft Capacities in doing Good, and are called the elect Angels, and holy Angels; others of them, by wilful Difobedience, and an Abuse of their noble Powers, have fallen from their original Purity and Glory, and are reprefented as evil and malevolent Beings. But both the one and the other are under the Dominion of God, and the Government of his Providence.

First, God exercifeth a fovereign Rule over the good Angels; this is one Thing the Pfalmift feems to have especially in View, when he here declares, that the Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens; and his Kingdom ruleth over all. For he immediately adds, Blefs the Lord ye his Angels, that excel in Strength, that do his Commandments, hearkening to the Voice of his Word. Blefs the Lord, all ye bis Hofts, ye Minifters of his that do his Pleafure. They are faid to excel in Strength, and are elsewhere called mighty Angels, to fignify that they are of great Power and Activity, compared with whom, the Sons of Men that dwell in Houfes of Clay, are weak and feeble Beings. They

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are also represented as doing his Commandments, hearkening to the Voice of his Word, to fignify that they are ever obedient to the Will of God, whom they serve with a perfevering Conftancy, and with an unwearied Alacrity and Diligence. They are of great Splendor and Glory, and are represented as the immediate Attendants of the divine Majefty, employed by him in frequent Services and Miniftrations, and are therefore called the Hofts of God, his Ministers that do his Pleasure. They are probably of different Orders and De grees: This feems to be intimated by the different Names and Titles by which they are described, viz. Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, &c. As to the Nature of that celeftial Polity, the Methods of God's Government towards the feveral Orders of bleffed Angels, and the Laws and Conftitutions they are under, we must be content to be in a great Measure ignorant of them, till we arrive to the heavenly World. But it is reasonable to believe, that these glorious Beings are frequently employed as the Inftruments of Divine Providence in feveral Parts of this vaft Univerfe. For God, who can do all Things immediately by himself, as being always intimately prefent to every Part of the Creation, yet choofeth ordinarily to

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work by intermediate fecond Caufes and Inftruments, of which the Angels are the nobleft. How far it pleaseth him to make use of them in ordering and governing the Motions of the inanimate material System, we cannot tell; but that they are employed for carrying on the Designs of his Providence towards Mankind, is evident from many express Teftimonies of holy Writ. Angels were made use of in that amazing Manifestation of the divine Glory, when the Law was delivered at Mount Sinai. This is fignified by the Pfalmift, when he faith, The Chariots of God are Twenty Thousand, even ThouJands of Angels, the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy Mount. Pfal. Ixviii. 17. The Law is called the Word Spoken by Angels. Heb, ii. 2. And St. Stephen faith, it was given by the Difpofition of Angels, among Troops or Ranks of Angels, as fome render the Words. Acts vii. 53. There are Inftances recorded, both in the Old Teftament and the New, of Angels appearing here on Earth in a vifible confpicuous Form and Splendor. But there are not many Inftances of this Kind through fo long a Succeffion of Ages. It is wifely ordered that their Miniftrations towards us fhould' ordinarily be in a Way of invifible Agency. They are capable, in this Way, of doing us all the Services and good Offices that

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