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angels that appeared to the shepherds, with the tidings and gratulations of the Saviour born at Bethlehem? What was that beneficent spirit that visited Peter in the prison; smote him on the side, to wake him from his sleep; shook off his chains; threw open the iron gate: and rescued him from the bloody hands of Herod? What are those spirits who shall be God's reapers at the end of the world, to cut down the tares and gather the wheat into his barn? Shortly, what were all those spirits, whereof both Testaments are full, which God was pleased to employ in his frequent missions to the earth? Were these phantasms too? Certainly, though there may be many orders, yet there is but one general condition of those angelical attendants on the throne of the Almighty. Even in the Old Testament, was it a supernatural apparition of fancy, that in one night smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt? Was it a supernatural opposition of fancy, that in one night laid a hundred fourscore and five thousand Assyrians dead upon the ground? Could these be any other, than the acts of living and powerful agents? It is not for us to contend about words. Those that are disposed to devise paradoxes, may frame to themselves what senses they please of their own terms. This we are sure of, that the angels are truly existing, spiritual, intelligent, powerful, eviternal creatures; whose being is not exposed to our sense, but evidenced both to our faith and reason: not circumscribed in any gross locality, but truly being where they are, and acting according to their spiritual nature.

Of these angels, O blessed Saviour, wert thou seen manifested in the flesh to their wonder and gratulation. That thou who hadst taken our flesh, wert visible, was no whit strange; herein thou wert a plain and happy object to all eyes: but how the angels, being merely spiritual substances, could see thee, may be part of this great mystery. Doubtless they saw thee both before and ever since thou camest into the world, with eyes, like themselves, spiritual; and not seldom saw thee, being incarnate, with the assumed eyes of those bodies wherein they appeared. Thus they saw, and adored, and proclaimed thee, in thy first salutation of the world, when thou layest in that homely posture in the manger at Bethlehem; singing that sweet and celes

tial carol at thy nativity, "Glory to God in the highest." They saw thee in the wild desert, where no creatures appeared to thee, but either beasts or devils; there they saw thee, pined with fasting, conflicted with the prince of darkness; they saw thee foiling that presumptuous enemy, not without wonder doubtless at the boldness of that daring spirit, and joyful applause at thy happy victory; they saw thee, but as knowing there was no use of seconds in this duel of thine, unseen of thee till the full end of that great combat; then they shewed themselves to thee, as willing to be known to have been the secret witnesses of the fight, and glad congratulators of thy triumph; then they came and ministered unto thee. Never were they but ready to have visibly attended thee, hadst thou been pleased to require so sensible a service; but the state of a servant which thou chusedst to undergo, suited not with the perpetuity of so glorious a retinue. Whether therefore they were seen to thee, or not seen, it was their great honour and happiness, and a main part of the great mystery of godliness, that thou who art the true God manifested in the flesh, wert "seen of angels."

They saw thee in the garden, in thy sad agony; and if angels could have been capable of passion in that state of their glory, could have been no doubt content to suffer in and with thee. With what eyes do we think they looked upon thy bloody sweat, and the frowns of thy heavenly Father which they saw bent against thee in our persons, for the sin of mankind which thou camest to expiate? Now in this doleful condition, so wert thou "seen of angels," that the angels were seen of thee; for, lo, "there appeared an angel from heaven strengthening" thee. O the deep humiliation of God manifested in the flesh, that thou, O Jesu, the God and Lord of all the angels of heaven, shouldest, in this bloody conflict with thy Father's wrath for our sins, need and receive comfort from a created angel, thy servant!

Whilst thou wert grappling with the powers of darkness, there was no need of aid; only, after the fight, "angels came and ministered" to thee; but now that thou must struggle under the wrath of thy Father for man's sin, there was use of the consolation of one of those angels, whereof

thou commandedst millions. O blessed Saviour, had not the face of thy heavenly Father been clouded to thee, standing in the stead of our guiltiness, it had been no less than presumption in any finite power, to tender thee any suggestions of comfort; but now, alas, those beatifical beams were so, for the time, hid from thine eyes, and the sweet influences of light and joy arising therefrom, were, for that sad instant, suspended, so as nothing appeared to thee that while, but the darkness of displeasure and horror; now therefore the comforts of a creature could not be but seasonable and welcome, so that thou disdainedst not to be strengthened by an angel. Extreme distress looks not so much to the hand that brings supply, as to the supply it brings. If but one of thy three drowsy clients could have shaken off his sleep, and have let fall to thee some word of consolation in that heavy fit of thine, thou hadst not refused it; how much less, the cordial intimations of a heavenly monitor! Neither was it improper for thee who wast content to be made "a little lower than the angels," to receive some spiritual aid from the hands of an angel.

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What then, O Saviour, was the strengthening which thou receivedst from this officious spirit, in this pang of thine agony? Doubtless it was not any communication of an additional power to bear under that heavy pressure of the sins of the whole world, which drew from thee those sweats of blood; no angel in heaven was able to contribute that to the Son of God; but it was a sweet and forcible representation to thy disconsolate humanity of the near approach of a happy eluctation out of those torments of thy sufferings, and of the glorious crown of thy victory immediately succeeding.

And now soon after, those angels that saw thee sweating in thine agony and bleeding on thy cross, saw thee also triumphing over death in thy resurrection: they attended thee joyfully in the vault of thy sepulchre, and saw thee trampling upon the last enemy, being then suitably habited to so blessed an occasion in white shining vestures.

How gladly were they employed about that most glorious solemnity, both as actors in the service, and as the first heralds of thy victories over death! I find one of them obsequiously making ready for thy coming out of those

chambers of death upon thine Easter morning; rolling away that massy stone which the vain care of thine adversaries had laid, curiously sealed, upon the mouth of that cave, for the prevention of thy fore-threatened resurrection; and sitting upon it with a countenance like lightning, and his garment white as snow; the terror of whose presence made the guard to shake, and to become as dead men. I find two of them no less glorious, sitting the one at the head, the other at the feet of that bed of earth, whereon thou hadst newly slept. By these angels wert thou both seen and attended; and, no doubt, but as at thy first coming into the world, when but one angel published thy birth, he was seconded by a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God with hymns of rejoicing for thy nativity; so when but one or two angels were seen at thy second birth, which was thy glorious resurrection, there were more of that heavenly company invisibly celebrating the joyful triumph of that blessed day; wherein, having conquered death and hell, thou shewedst thyself in a glorified condition to the redeemed world of men.'

After this, when, for the securance of thy resurrection upon which all our faith justly dependeth, thou hadst spent forty days upon earth, I find thee upon mount Olivet at thy most glorious ascension, not seen only, but proclaimed and fore-promised in thy certain and at least equally-glorious return, by the blessed angels; "And, behold, while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, 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 from you into heaven, shall so come again, as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts i. 10, 11.

But, O Saviour, these views of thee by thine angels hitherto were but special, and visible even by bodily eyes; how do I, by the eyes of my soul, see thee both attended up in that heavenly progress, and welcomed into thine imperial heaven, by all the host of those celestial spirits! no small part of whose perpetual happiness it is to see thee in thy glorified humanity, sitting at the right hand of Majesty. There they enjoy thee; there they sing continual hallelujahs "to him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."

SECTION V.

Preached unto the Gentiles.

IF thine angels, O blessed Jesu, desired to look into this great and deep mystery of the gospel, their longing is satisfied in the sight of thy blessed incarnation, and the full accomplishment of the great office of thy Mediatorship; since" now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, is made known the manifold wisdom of God," in this wonderful work of man's redemption; "which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things" by thee. But that "the unsearchable riches of Christ should be preached to the Gentiles," how marvellous an accession is it to the greatness of this divine mystery of godliness! Of old "in Judah was God known; his name was great in Israel: in Salem was his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Sion;" but, in the mean while, we, miserable Gentiles, sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, "without God in the world;" exposed to the displeasure of heaven; tyrannized over by the powers of hell; "strangers from the covenant of promise;" forlorn, without hope of mercy. That therefore, O Saviour, thou vouchsafedst, in the tender bowels of thine infinite compassion, to look down from heaven upon us, and, at the last, graciously to visit us in the clear revelation of the saving truth of thy gospel; to break down the partitionwall, whereby we were excluded from any participation with thee; to own us for thy people, and to admit us unto the fellowship of thy saints; O the wonderful mystery of godliness effectually manifested to us out-cast Gentiles, to our conversion, to our eternal salvation!

What a veil, O God, was spread over all nations! a dark veil of ignorance, of error, of impiety. How did our forefathers walk in their own ways; following the sinful lusts of their own hearts; worshipping dumb idols; sacrificing to all the host of heaven; offering, not their substance only, but their sons and daughters to devils! It was thine own infinite goodness, that moved thee to pity our woeful and despaired condition, and to send thine eternal Son into

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