an angel can express. I tell this, faid he, for God's glory, and for your good; and I pray you tell it to others, that fo they may know what malice and fpite the devil bears to their fouls, and likewife that they may be comforted as I was. And if the Lord deals thus with any of us, if he come with this feal, oh let us mind it, and make the fame ufe of it as he did, in repelling Satan, and then we may expect the fame he had, both victory, and joy, and triumph.

Miniftrationof, and Communion with ANGELS.

PSAL. XCI 11, 12. He fhall give his Angels charge over thee, to Reep thee in all thy ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands, left thou dafh thy foot against a stone.

PROLEGOMENA.

M

SECT. I.

Of the Occafion of them.

INISTRATION of Angels, is a point. both fcriptural and practical: That fuch a thing is, no Chriftian doubts that ever I yet heard of, only the manner of miniftration may feem ftrange to them who are not throughly acquainted with the fubject. I perceive by what hath been told me by a precious friend, that fuch as have lately difcuft of angels, have met with the cenfure of more curious conjecture, than of evidence in their difcourfe, reafon not reaching to the subject, and fcripture not fpeaking diftin&tly of it. I deny not, but fome may have met with that cenfure in refpect of fome controverfies about the deputation of angels; yet in other things not controverted, I verily believe (notwithstanding all cenfures) they have brought truth to light. It is in my mind what Peter Martyr faith, that to enquire of the angels accurately and fubtily is, Magis

ad

al curiofitatem noftram, quam ad falutem; and he wifheth that schoolmen in their knotty, thorny and unprofitable difcourfes, had obferved this; and yet he confeffeth, it is profitable for us to know how the angels are deftined to our miniftry, for thereby we understand God's goodnels towards us; and therefore of this, faith he, the fcripture is not filent. Yea, of this, faith Mufculus, the fcripture is very full. Yea, the fcripture, faith Calvin, ftandeth most upon that which makes most to our comfort, and confirmation of faith, to wit, that the angels are diftributers and adminiftrators of God's bounty towards us, and therefore the fcripture reciteth, that they watch for fafety, Pfal. xci. 11. and xxxiv. 7. Gen. xvi. 9, &c. Howfoever I approve well of the caution, and it was therefore my refolution to have altered my method, and every fection where the difficulty lay; Firft, To have delivered my own tenets, Secondly, To have backed them with fuch authors as are most orthodox, Thirdly, To have proved them by fcripture, Fourthly, To have given in experiences. But the prefs having received my papers, and went on too faft for me, and I was prevented before I was aware. And yet I fee not but the thing is done, tho' not diftinctly in the method as I propofed: If any thing be wanting, it is only the citation of fuch authors, as I moft build upon, and of those texts of fcripture which they fo numerously cite. I shall therefore lay the foundation on which I make it my work to fuperftruct, and this (fith I cannot do otherwise) fhall pin upon the front or porch of the following fabric, that all the work that follows may feem the lefs ftrange, and become the more edifying to the intelligent reader.

SECT. II.

Of the Sayings and Proofs of Dr. Usher, Bishop of Armagh.

L

EST any thing I write may be thought novel, I ap peal unto others, both godly and orthodox divines. And first let us hear what bishop Ufher in his Body of Divinity, one of our worthies, if not moft worthy, hath faid of the feveral kinds of angel-miniftration. The offices which angels perform towards man are either in this life,

or

or in the life to come. In this life the good offices which the angels perform towards the godly, are either as instruments to beftow on them good things, or to keep them from evil things; the good things partly concern the body, and partly the foul: For the body, 1. They are used as inftruments to bestow things for the preservation of it, and to bring neceffary helps to men in their distress, as to Elias and Hagar. 2. They are appointed of God to be as a guard and garrifon unto his children to comfort and defend them walking in their lawful callings, Pfal. xxxiv. 7. and xci. 11. 3. They give an happy fuccefs to them in the good things they go about, Gen. xxiv. 7. and xl. 4. They are appointed as watchmen over the faints, that by their prefence they might keep their bodies in ftedfaftnefs, holiness and purity, í Cor. xi. 10. And for the foul, they are, 1. To reveal the will of God to the faints, and to inform them in things which he would have done, Acts x. 5. 2. To ftir up good motions in their hearts. 3. To comfort them in forrow, as Christ was comforted, being diftreffed in foul, Luke xxii. 43, 44. and as Paul was comforted, Acts xxvii. 23, 24. 4. To rejoice at the conversion of faints, Luke xv. 10. Again, the evil things from which the good angels do keep the godly, do partly concern the body and partly the foul. The evils of the body are either without us or within us: The evils without us from which we are preferved by the miniftry of angels are, 1. From thofe dangers that one man bringeth, upon another. 2. From thofe they are fubject unto by reason of wild beasts. 3. From those they are fubject unto by reason of other creatures without life. 4. They do not only preferve the bodies of the faints, but all things are theirs, as their goods, wife, children, and families. The evils within us, from which alfo the angels keep the bodies of faints are, 1. Sickness. 2. Famine. 3. Death. And as thus for the body, fo the evils of the foul from which the angels keep us, are the evils of fin, and that two ways. 1. By their continual prefence. 2. By their power. Lastly, The good offices which the good angels are to perform towards men after this life. I. They carry the fouls of the godly, being feparated from

the

the body, with comfort into heaven, Luke xvi. 22. 2. They wait upon Christ at the day of judgment to gather all the faithful unto him, and to separate the wicked from among them, Mat. xxiv. 31, 51. and to rejoice at the fentence he shall give. This analyfis we have from the eminently able, and worthy divine, the glory of this and our neighbour nation. His character is, Antiquitatis primeva peritiffimus, orthodoxe religionis vindex [ananter. retos] errorum malleus, in concimando frequens, facundus, præpotens, vita inculpato exemplar Spectabile. And for his catechism out of which it is taken, it is the fum and fubftance of Chriftian religion, upon which as a more fure foundation we build our faith, and ground all our hopes.

SECT. III.

Of the Sayings and Proofs of Mr. Edward Leigh. NOTHER of our worthies gives us another scheme,

munion with angels, as thus, Their miniftration or fervice in refpect of the church and people of God is, 1. They are glad for the good which befals the elect, Luke ii. 14. and xv. 10. 2. They reveal unto them the will of God, Dan. viii. 9. Rev. i. 11. 3. They keep the elect from dangers both of foul and body, fo far as is expedient, Gen. xix. 16. and xxviii. 12. and xxv. 7. and xxxii. 1, 2. Pfal. xxxiv. 7. and xci. 11. Numb. xxii. 1 Kings xix. 7.` 2 Kings vi. 16. and viii. 9, 10. 4. They comfort them in diftrefs, heavinefs and distraction, Gen. xx. 17, 18. and xxxii. 1, 2. Ifa. vi. 6. Luke i. 30. and ii. 10. Mat. xxviii. 5. Acts x. 4. and xxvii. 23, 24. Judg. vi. 12. and xiii. 10. Dan. x. 12. Mat. i. 20. and ii. 12, 13. 5. They fuggeft holy thoughts into their hearts, as the devil doth evil and unclean thoughts. 6. They carry the fouls of the elect into heaven at the end of this life, Luke xvi. 22. and at the day of judgment they fhall gather the elect from the four winds, and feparate between elect and reprobate, Mat. xxiv. 31. and xiii. 27. And as for our com. munion with them, 1. We honour them, and judge them more noble creatures than man: They have greater wildom, holiness and power than man hath. 2. We love

them

them becaufe they love us and delight in our good, being ready to help us every where. 3. We fhould be careful of our carriage because of their presence, we should not fin because of the angels. 4. We fhould defire to make them examples of our lives, that we may do God's will as they do. 5. If angels fhould appear vifibly unto us, we fhould honour them as more excellent creatures, but fil keep within the bounds of civil or fraternal honour as to our fellow fervants, tho' above us; and not honour them with religious worship. The Papifts fay, a religious wor fhip is due unto them, not primary, fuch as is due unto God, but fecondary: But we reply, religious worship is only due to the Creator, as being the command of the first table; and civil worship is only due to the creature, as be ing the command of the fecond table. By confent of all religious worship is that whereby we do acknowlege God to be the primum principium, the ultimum finem et fummum bonum, now this is but one, and we may well fay, there is a fummum bonum fecondario, as there is a fecondarious reli gious worship. Again, there is the fame reafon of a reli gious worship, as there is of a divine act of faith, but we cannot fay that we may with a divine faith believe in God primarily, and in angels fecondarily, for this were ridicu lous.

Confectaries from angels. 1. We fhould imitate the angels. 2. It fhows us how much we are beholden to God and Chrift; no angels could love us if it were not for him: God's angels are our angels to defend and keep us; God hath committed the care of us to his miniftring fpirits. This is the doctrine of angels, laid down by the au thor as one of the fundamentals and main grounds of Christian religion; fo then to deny this, it were to deny a fundamental, which (faith the fame author) must of neceffity destroy religion.

SECT. IV.

Of the Sayings and Proofs of Mr. Samuel Clarke. NOTHER of our divines, whofe works praife him in the gates, is yet more full. The miniftration of angels is either in this life, or hereafter: In this life it reMates to mens bodies and fouls; for bodies in general, they

are