God and our Lord Jefus, through the Holy Ghoft; but he would have him remember alfo, that the Angels are Inftruments by whom he gives us his Bleffings. He would have him know, as his Words are, that they minifter to us, and take Care of what belongs to our Affairs, monoles Ta's indige weg- Epift. ad Se rap. p. 189. es, overfeeing every Man's Actions, and rendring an Account of them to their Lord and Mafter. Agreeable to which it is, that St. John is faid to be in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, ver. 10. The Meaning of which, if you would know, look through the whole Book of the Revelation, and you will foon find, that our Saviour by his Divine Spirit making known to him things to come, they were all represented in Visions by the Miniftry of Angels. And further you may obferve, that our Saviour appearing to him (Chap. 5. Ver. 6.) as the Lamb of God that had been flain, he faw him have seven Horns and feven Eyes, which are exprefsly faid to be the feven Spirits of God, fent forth into all the Earth: That is, our Lord Christ presented himfelf as having all the Angels, even the highest of them, at his Command; which Angels being of great Power, (expreffed by Horns) and of great Knowledge, Wifdom and Care, (expreffed by Eyes) he fends forth to look after the Security and Welfare of all his faithful Difciples.

It seems then by this Place, that we are to conceive, fome part at least, of the Help and Comfort of the Holy Ghoft, to be given us by the Angels of God, who are employed for that Ii 2

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purpofe in all the Earth. Which Phrafe tells us, that this is performed by the Ministry of the fublimeft Angels, as I have often faid, who are of the greatest Perfpicacity, Wifdom, and Forefight, and have a Power and Authority above all others, being the nearest in Place and Dignity to the Divine Majefty. For thefe Expreffions of St. John are borrowed from the Vifions of Zachariah, who faw (as you read Chap 4, 2, 3.) ta Golden Candlestick and feven Lamps in it (which were always, you know, burning in the Temple at Jerufalem) but knew not what they meint. And therefore the Angel, who made thefe Representations to him, tells him, ver. 10. that thefe Seven mere the Eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole Earth; that is, his Prime Minifters, that watchfully attend the Affairs of his whole Kingdom, as the chief Overfeers of it. From whence you may note, for the illuftrating all that hath been faid, First, That the Hebrews have a Tradition, that there are Seven Principal Minifters in the Heavenly Court, before the Throne of God; fome of whofe Names are recorded in the holy Book, as Michael, the Prince of all, and Gabriel, another that ftands in the Divine Prefence. This Tradition is exprefsly mentioned in the Book of Tobit, 12. 15. where Raphael (another of them according to the Hebrews) fays, I am one of the feven Angels which stand and minifter before the boly bleffed one. And thofe Words, Gen. 11. 7. "Let us go down and confound their Language, are thus paraphrafed by the Chaldee Interpreter;

The

The Lord Spake to the feven Angels which stand before him, Go to now, let us go down, &c. Now the Temple of Jerufalem you may obferve (Secondly) being God's Houfe, where his Glory dwelt among them, the feven Lamps (which burnt continually in the golden Candlestick that had juft fo many Branches, before the Veil over against the Mercy-feat, which was God's Throne) were intended, in all Probability, to reprefent thefe feven Angelical Minifters, who are always in the Divine Prefence, and wait upon him in the Heavenly Place to receive his Commands, being as quick as Fire or Lightning to execute his Will. And (Thirdly) that the Office of thefe principal Minifters is to ferve as general Infpectors of this Univerfe of ours, whereas the lower Angels are affigned and limited only to certain Places; for he faith, thefe Seven run to and fro thro' the whole Earth. And (Fourthly) that thefe great Angels, during God's Prefence among the Jews, had a peculiar Care of that Church, Michael the Prince of the Hoft being their Chieftain, and particularly concerned for their Defence: The feven Lamps did not more conftantly burn in the Holy Place, than thefe with all Expedition ferved the Will of God for their Good. And (lafly) that the Affairs of the Chriftian Church are now under the fame mighty Power and Protection. Whilft other Kingdoms, Governments, and Provinces are committed to the Charge of fubordinate Angels, the Body of Chrift is peculiarly under the Care of the most glorious, who fupervife all, but intend with a fpecial Watchful

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Watchfulness the Kingdom of our Lord Jefus. This is clear from what hath been faid, and may be further illuftrated from another Paffage in the Revelation, 4. 5. where St. John faw in the Christian Church, as Zachary had heretofore seen in the Jewish, Seven Lamps of Fire burning before the Throne, which are the feven Spirits of God. And again, Chap. 8. 2. he faw thefe feven Angels which flood before God, founding to Battle against all the Enemies of the Church. That is, as Clemens of Alexandria fpeaks, έλλα πρωτογόνες αγγέλες, the Seven firft-born Angels, or the eldest Sons of Glory, who have the greatest Power; and are reprefented in the following Parts of that Book, as .executing the Anger of God upon all Oppofers of Chriftianity, till they had pulled them down to the Ground; and the Multitude of Chriftian People thundered out Hallelujah's, faying, The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, 19, 6.

Thus I have told you all that I can find at prefent concerning the firft Particular, which is the principal; their helping us in the Knowledge of the Truth, and in our doing Good: The fecond is confequent to this; for,

II. The Ancient Chriftians look'd upon the Angels of God as Witneffes of their Actions; in Confideration whereof they were excited to do well, and to behave themselves with all due Caution and Circumfpection before God. It's true, God is every where, and fo we are to walk as in his Prefence, and under his Eye and Ob

fervance,

fervance. But to make us more fenfible of this, and to bring things down to the ineaneft Capacity, the Divine Prefence, according to the conftant Style of the Holy Scripture, is fignified to us by the Presence of Angels, who are his Attendants and Minifters; and therefore in the Place now mentioned, they are called the Eyes. of God. Hence it is, that holy Men lookt upon themselves as under the Infpection of Angels, to whofe Prefence, as God's Minifters and Signifiers of his Prefence, they ought to have a great Regard. This is the Senfe of that Place, Ecclef. 5. 6. where the wife Man cautions the Ifraelites, that when they had made a Vow they should not retract it, nor fay before the Angel, that it was an Error. The Angel he look'd upon as the Overfeer of their Words and Actions, and, if they did Evil, as the Avenger and Punisher of them. And thus the Heathens alfo fpeak, Hic eft prorfus Cuftos, fingularis Præfectus, domefticus Speculator, &c. He is thy Keeper, a fingular Guide and Governour, a Domestick Obferver, an individual and conftant Difpofer, an infeparable Witness, an Approver of good Actions, and a Difallower of all that are bad. And this is the Style of the New Teftament alfo, as you read in thofe Words cited before, 1 Tim. 5. 21. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect Angels, that thou obferve thefe things, &c. As if he had faid, the elect (i. e. the choice, and moft eminent, and principal) Angels are Witneffes of what I fay, and of all the Charge that is impofed on thee and undertaken by thee; they Ii 4

will