Lib. de Spirit.

Sancto ad Amphiloch. c. 13.

will obferve thy Behaviour and Demeanour in the Church of God, being as fo many wadadovoma, &c. (to ufe St. Bafil's Words) Tutors and Governours fet over Men by the Father of all; and accordingly they will accufe or acquit thee at that great Day of Reckoning. This feems alfo to be the Meaning of the fame Apostle in another Place, 1 Cor. 11. 10. where he would have them to think, that Angels are prefent in their Sacred Affemblies; and fo, out of Reverence to fuch great Minifters of his appointed to attend there, and by whom he was prefent, to be careful how they admitted of any thing undecent or immodeft at thofe Meetings. And thus fome have expounded thofe Words of our Saviour, ver. 20. of this eighteenth of St. Matthew, Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them. The Angels, fay they, are there by his Order, as Signs of his Prefence, and the Witneffes of our Actions, and the Helpers of our Devotion at fuch Seafons. But as there is no need to interpret that Place in fuch Manner, fo there is no need of it to justify this Truth (which is attefted by others that I have named) how that they are prefent to obferve, as well as affift us: Nemini confpicui femper adfunt, omnium non modo actorum teftes, verum etiam cogitatorum For though they are conspicuous to none, they are ever near to all, the Witneffes not only of our Actions, but even

of

of our Thoughts. So far the Ancients ventured to proceed in this Difcourfe,

III. Who lookt upon them not only as Witneffes and Obfervers of our Actions, but as Affiftants to us in our Combates; joining their Forces with us then, above all other times, to strengthen us against all Affaults of our Spiritual Enemies. As they prompt a Man to that which is good, fo they stand by him, and are aiding to him, when he meets with Refiftance in welldoing. There is none can doubt, as

Gregory Nyen peaks, but there is Lib. de Vita ouμpana in Oes, an auxiliary Force

Mofis.

fent us from God, and bestowed upon our Na. ture, when we are devoted to Vertue. It at tends upon us, very early, but then appears most manifeftly, when, being advanced in the Courfe of Chriftian Life, we encounter with greater and inore powerful Oppofition. And if you would know how this Help is afforded us, I will unfold, faith he, this Secret to you. There is λόγω τις ἐκ πατρικής του διαδόσεως, a certain Difcourfe defcended to us from the Tradition of our Fathers, so, which carries in it Credibility, that fpeaks on this Manner; That our Nature lapfing into Sin, God did not pafs us by, and overlook us with Neglect in this Condition, leaving us utterly unprovided of Help for our Recovery; but affigned a certain Angel, one of those Creatures that have no bodied Nature, to join himself to every Man's Life for his Affiftance. And on the contrary, the Corrupter

7.

of

of Mankind did annavaday, counterwork this gracious Design, and oppose his Endeavours on the other fide, by fending one of his Evil and naughty Dæmons, to lead Men into Vice, and destroy them. So that Man being & μrow of So, in the middle between two, who are directly bent one against the other, it is in his Power which fhall be victorious. The Good fhews him the Bleffedness of Vertue, in regard of the Hope that is fet before them who do worthily. The other entertains him with material Pleafures, from whence no Hope at all fprings, but only a prefent, fhort, and visible Delight enflaves the Senfes of foolish Men. Now if he eftrange himself from thefe Allurements, and turn with his Thoughts to the better; if leaving, as it were, the Evil behind his Back, he fet his Soul directly Face to Face over against that bleffed Hope, as before a clear Glass, so that the Image of Divine Vertue be clearly reflected and formed in his Heart: τότε αυτῳ ἡ τὸ ἀδελφῶν συμμαχία συναντᾷ καὶ συνίςαται, Imninediately the Help and Affiftance of his Brother comes to him, and manifeftly fuccours him against his Enemy. Αδελφὸς γ8 τρόπον τίνα, &c. For an Angel is after a fort (as to the Rational and Intellectual Part) the Brother of the Soul of Man; who then appears and joins himself to him for his Relief, when he approaches to a Conflict with Pharaoh, his great and deadly Enemies. Thus he, who hath followed in great part the Sense of fome great Philofophers; for Plutarch rejects the Opi

nion, I remember, of Menander, who faid, every Man had an Affiftant-Genius given

θυμίας.

him when he was born, who was L. me 'Eva μυςαγωγὸς τὸ βίs, the Director of his

Life, and faith, that Empedocles was nearer the Truth, who faid there was Tlay Tves, a double Fate and Genius under whofe Government Men were, whom they found ftruggling one with another.

And thus much feems to be declared to us in the Story of our Saviour's Paffion, that the good are earnestly concerned for our seasonable Relief; for when he was in his terrible Agony in the Garden, an Angel we read Luke 22. 43. appeared to him from Heaven, ftrengthning him.

IV. But they go further, I obferve, and add, that the Angels carry our Prayers to the Throne of Grace, as well as bring us Gods Bleffings; they look upon them as the vectores binc precum, indè donorum, Carriers of Prayers from hence, and Gifts from thence; which was the Doctrine of the Platonists expreffed in thofe few Words by Apuleius. And fo in that Place of Tobit before named, 12. 15. where Raphael faith, I am one of the feven Angels that stand and minifter before the holy bleffed one, i. e. God; the Greek reads, οι προσαναφέρεσι τὰς προσευχάς, &c. who prefent the Prayers of the Saints, and go in and out before the glory of the holy One. Origen faith the fame, who was a Follower of the Platonical Opinions, that they do avaßaiver go up with Mens Prayers and Supplications, and ara

κατα

βαίνειν

Caiver inde come down from thence to conveigh those Benefits which God thinks us worthy of. A great many other of the Greek Chriftians deliver their Senfe to the fame Purpose, whom I fhall not trouble you withal, but only mention St. Auguftine among the Latines, who explains it thus. That they do not minifter in this Affair, as if they went to tell God any Thing which he knew not before; but they confult his Will about thofe Things which we pray for, and that which he commands either evidently or fecretly, they conveigh to us. But to fpeak more clearly to every one's Satisfaction, that which I fuppofe they meant hereby was, that the Angels being prefent in Chriftian Affemblies, made their Petitions likewife to God for thofe Things which they heard pious Men pray for. This we may think is one of the Helps which they afford us, to affift us with their Prayers; which carries indeed a great probability in it, though we have no exprefs word of Scripture for it, and fo muft leave it only as a pious Opinion: But I find the first Proteftants well enough fatisfied with it; for they are the exprefs Words of Melancthon in one of his Books, and he makes it the Senfe of my Text: Orant

Tom 3 P pro Ecclefia, juxta illud, Angeli eorum 242. vident faciem patris mei, They pray for the Church according to that, their Angels bebold the Face of my Father, and fo I find a good Writer of our own explaining thefe Words to this Purpofe. Take heed how you offend thefe little Ones, for their Angels may at any