them no fmall Prejudice, even by thefe Wars and Tumults, in which one Sin is wont to follow upon the Neck of another. And befides we may conceive, that he inftigates Men to all forts of Villanies, according as he finds them inclined. He inflames their brutish Defires; he pricks forward their Pride, and Love of Dominion; he ftimulates their Revenge; he heightens their Choler and Rage, and works upon all their other Paffions: So that he is the Furtherer of Adulteries, Fornications, nay, and of all unnatural Filthinefs; the great Provoker to Murders, Thefts, Robberies, Violence, Deceit, Fraud, and all other Wickednefs; that, if it were poffible, there might be a Hell above Ground, and he might be the God of this World.

Then, for the other thing, as he is a Lyar, his Bufinefs is to cheat and delude Mens Minds with falfe Opinions; to propagate all the foolish Conceits, and the lewdeft Doctrines that he can invent; to lead Men to Epicurism and Atheistical Conclufions, or elfe to abufe and gull their Minds with Fancies and vain Dreams, which they fhall glory in as the very Revelation of Almighty God.

From all which I think we may fafely draw this Inference, That as the Devil and his Partakers feek whom, in this manner, they may devour; fo the holy Angels feek how they may fave and deliver Men from thefe Mischiefs. And as I have fhewn you that they are the Prefervers of Mens Bodies, fo I fhall now make it appear, that they are Inftruments of Good to our Souls:

Becaufe

Because they love their Welfare; and they are the Lovers of Truth and Piety, and feek the Promotion of the Faith of Jefus Chrift in Sincerity. This is one great Commendation which St. Peter gives of the Gospel Revelation, that the Angels defire to look into these things, 1 Pet. 1. 12. And St. Paul faith, it hath pleafed God to gather together in one all things in Chrift, both which are in Heaven, and which are on Earth, Ephef. 1. 10. To make us all, that is, but one Society, under one fupream Governour the Lord's Chrift. They being therefore fo much concerned in our Affairs, as to be great Admirers of the Chriftian Wisdom, and the wonderful Contrivance of God and our Saviour, for the restoring of Mankind to their Happiness; you may be fure will take delight to give all the Affiftance they can for the Maintenance, and Prefervation, and Furtherance of the Chriftian Religion, and of all those who are the hearty Profeffors of it. Nay, more than this, fince fuch is the wonderful OEconomy or Difpenfation of Christianity, that God hath united all things in our Saviour, and made Heaven and Earth fo meet together in him, that Angels and Chriftians are of the fame Corporation, and thefe Heavenly Creatures are the Subjects of Jefus as well as we; there can be no doubt, but that they will take Care of those, who are, in fome fort, their Fellow-Members of the fame Body, knit together under one and the fame Head, our Lord and Saviour Chrift Jefus

Το

To declare this a little more particularly, we may fafely conclude, I think, in the firft Place,

I. That the holy Angels do all they can to preferve well-difpofed Minds from the Illufions of Evil Spirits; to keep them, I mean, from being abused with falfe Inspirations of vain and haughty Enthufiafts; to preferve in them a fober Understanding of Things, and deliver them from the Impostures of an hot Imagination: And, more than this, I make no question it is their Endeavour to feek Occafions, how to put good Thoughts into our Minds, to further all pious Inclinations, to inftigate us to that which is truly good, and to promote a fober Life and holy Converfation in the Chriftian World.

How they do this, we are not bound to give an account; and indeed we know no more of it, than we do how the Devil fuggefts bad things to Mens Minds, and troubles their Understandings, and how he ftirs up their Paffions and Affections to that which is hurtful to them. But if we grant him to have a Power to do that, which is the common Senfe of Mankind, there is no Reafon but we fhould allow these better Spirits to do the other, fince they cannot have lefs Ability to promote that which is good, than the Devil hath to advance that which is bad. And thus I am fure the Ancients understood it, and were wont from hence to aggravate the Sins of Men, that they do wickedly not only against their own Reason, but against the Suggestions and Impreffions of good Spirits, who join with them to ftop

In Apocalypf.

their Proceedings in evil Courfes. They forbid and check them in their Motions, and hold them in ὥσπερ τισι χαλινοῖς, as with certain Bits and Bridles, faith Arethas, whereby they feek to reftrain their forward Propenfions to fin, and to with-hold them STO TWS Demowe weer, from Actions that are hateful to God; all which they must break in >Pieces before they be able to undo themselves.

P.

776.

Nor is the Holy Scripture a Stranger to this Notion, as I think it's manifeft from one Place, which I' fhall oppofe to the greatest Objections that can be made against this Discourse. It is commonly faid, that the Holy Ghost doth all thofe things for us which I have now mentioned. For why hath our Saviour bid us ask the Spirit of God, which he hath promised to fend, if it be not to infpire our Minds, and touch cour -Hearts with pious Inclinations to that which is V Good? To which I reply, that there is no good Christian who doubts of this, but it doth not in the least contradict that which I am now about to prove, as is apparent enough, if Men did not bftudy to obfcure the plain Words of the Holy - Scripture by their unskilful Gloffes upon it. For I that the Holy Ghoft gives us many of its Affiftances and Succours, by the Miniftry and Service of the holy Angels, read but the fourth and fifth Verfes of the firft Chapter of the Revelation to St. John, and I think it will leave no Doubt in your Minds of it. There that beloved Apoftle wilhes Grace and Peace to the feven Churches of Afia, from him which is, and which was, and I i which

which is to come and from the feven Spirits that are before the Throne, and from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful Witness, and the First-begotten from the Dead. In which Words the Name of the Holy Ghoft is not mention'd; but instead of that, the Seven Spirits that are before the Throne of the Divine Majefty, are joined together with God the Father, (who is defcrib'd in those Words, which is, which was, and is to come, as the eternal Lord of all) and with God the Son, our bleffed Saviour (who died to affure us of God's Love, and rofe again that he may be able to bless us with eternal Life) in the Communication of Grace and Peace to Chriftian People. Of which the clearest and most fatisfactory Account that can be given, it seems to me, is this, That those Seven Spirits before the Throne, (i. e. the high Angels of Heaven) are employed by the Divine Appointment to be the Minifters and Conveyers of Spiritual Bleffings to us from the Holy Ghost the Comforter: He teaches us, I fay, how that Divine Spirit, which, now that our · Lord is in Heaven, governs his Church, bestows its Favours upon us; and particularly instructed him to know things to come, viz. by the Service of Angels, and of the highest Angels, as I told you in the Morning.

The very fame Account I find Athanafius gives us of those Words of St. Paul, 1 Tim. 5. 21. where in his Charge to Timothy he puts the Elect Angels after God and our Saviour Chrift. Timothy knew well enough, faith that Author, how all is communicated and derived to us from

God