Chap.4 Secr '· Book IL 2 , After Death they guard thebo.liesof the S>ints: 1 he Devil would have obukd the dead body ot- M<{<J, but Micbac! the Archan!',d contended with him, and refcutd the body out of his hand, : SHans malice is without end, and th"rcfore hath he llirred his inl1rmt«nts to abufe the dead bodic• or many Mutyrs; he loves not that duit wherein the Holy Spirit dwelkd, but the Angds IJkt care of every dull, fo tllJI not one !hall be /of! at the general day : Suppo!C them fcattered up awl down the world, yet are they but thrown and fowu in the earth , thac they m>y fpring out again to a glo. rious incorruption:, and in the mean time the Angr.:ls :!re a Guard, aud hav~ a rcg:ud to them in th~ir llrcp, tili dH:: morning, of their RcfLtrr~..dion d1y. 1 2· f'or che Souls of chc fJithful -- , t• The Angels, in the v...ry Anicle and point of death, are vigibnt ovet rhem , and oft-times infpirc the partin~fouls with a ff>irit of Divination, or Con{oiJtlon, fUJpaf:. fing all humane knvwlcdge. Thus Grcg"y cuuld fay , dui JomctimeJ Souii bef"c tbrir G"€· Dia. departure came to the k_!trJtVIt'dp;eof tbinJ,J kY Rcvcl,tiJit .. .<tr.d f~mr:timu by beavrH!y infpi· 1.4, c 20. 1·atlvn th~y pemtrate witb tbcit jpiritzut cy~r tbc ve1:y jecrttJ of beavCit it ji.Jf. D,) we not fee by experienct, th:H when rhe Soul is drawi11g intQa i~parHc coodjrion, it is in a great part delivered from bodily opentio:IS . and lrom the bulinefs ot <he out ward fen· fCs , an,d from the commerce wich tXttrnal auJ worldly maacrs, w!Jicb puts 1t, as it were, into a kind of Sabbach, or lbte or· rei\? Now the more quiet the Soul is, and the . more C.:queared frDmeartbly ip>d outw'<d chings, the more afl.< it is to enjoy the benefit of iu<ernal light,, 'and the better titted for Spiritrnl Commerce wi1h God himfelf, or with his Angels, which ( faich one) may alro leail us Id underlllnd {omeching to. Pr;,~ar;fl;; wards a reafon , why mm d!l wing n~ar their departur«, arc. obkrved <0 bedifpofed to m • 0 • Prcfage and Prophdie, or to be full of comfort, as if heaven entred into them, before they could enter into heJ ven. , . , , 2 • The Angels !land ready to receive Soul, feparate from their pcdies, into their im• braces. Macariuf, a LC3rn<d Monk , could fay , that immediately after death, the Qt:ircs of Angeb received the ,Souls of Saintsinto their awn fide, imo the p111e world, , and fu brought them unto the Lord : Wicked men, when they die, !haiL ha,ve a black , guard of Angels to reeeive them, and to hale them down to hell, but the Godly !haH have a wlute guard, che fame Angels that were faid before , t.o /Jeaolmn '~I' i11 their ,, ha>Jdt, will then receive them into th<;ir arms, and fall upon them wi<h hugs, and kif•· fes, and irnbraces. , , , , , . ; . ·:. . ! 1 3 • The Angels convey ~ouli in their hands, or on the it wing;, througC. d1e Air and middle RegiOn, up mto heaven : We cann,)t go from earth to hGaven, but we mull: needs p1fs through the D~v,i!s Territories, or through the·air (for fo is Satan called, 11Je Princeof4he Power of' the Air; that is to fJy, of the Ai1y Dorn'oion, or Princedome) Epher 2 , 2 • thither were DevJ!s, wah Satan then Punce, exJ!ecl from heaven: whence. the JewJ have a Tradition, That all tbe {p;cebetwixr the Earth, and tpe firmament, i;fu!lof'Ironpi Hierom in E– cf evil [pirztJ: And tt ii the Opinion of all DollcrJ (faith I-Iicr>me) tl>at DroilJ 'i'"ve phcr.o, · , their manfionJ and refidence in tl1t1t fjace ~et>Hm tbc heavw and earth. And althoug!l fouieagaio(! rhis alkdge thofc Texcs , For if God !jaw! not the Angel[ whicp finned, bm 2 Pet.~+ caft t'hcm darrm to hell, and deli~md them imo ch>inJ,of darkncfJ, tobe r1jirved unto Judgment•.- And tbe /iltg<IJ which k!pt not tbei•· firft <jb(e,,hut,lcft thciuwnh.•bttatiJn, he J•de 6. bath refcivcd in cverlajling cbai,u under d.a/>,nefi, 1filto ihe j«dgment of tfl! gre•t day: Yet Learned Mcde hath,cxpounded the firlt Text thus, 'lbat i?c cd}l them down to hell– ward, or to thiJ lower Orb, there to be referved Jot chains of dad;,ncfJ at tl" day of ittdg– ment: .And the laa~r Text thus, 1ha't the evil Spiritt whlc~ fell into this lower Region, ;"'there to be r<ferved, aJ i1! aPri[o11, for everlajling; il"'int oJ:'d,;r/;jzcfi ai r!Je jlidg>>mtt ' /Jay. This isthe Valley of th~ !hadi!>w o.f death, through which the Souls of .?aints are to go to heave"; and becaufe of th> dangeru1~s voyage, the Angels .f>ourarid clear the ' paffage for them ; they go with them,, a~d tight tor them, and With fpeed and tri~ umph at !all convey them to their,,F•theis honfe. Oh in what pomp and triumph did Lazams Soul ridt: on the wings of Angels ! N..!ver. wa.s Divu fo honoured in hi~ life, as w.s_Lazar1<I at his de>th,; he rmght ride in !Omo ~hatiot drawn with' horfcs, but Lazarus was; aud the Surds of all believers !hall,be. drawn at thdr ·deadis in t-ieiy , Chario<s; they flu!l be car(ied and conveyed' eo heaven by th~ Angels ot God. . . , 4 • Tbe Angel< wclcom the Soulsof S~ipts, in thii Heav;cnly Pro!lref>,' to' their Hea– Yehlj Cauaiii 1 : They,arc ~ot only Porters to carry Sauls; bur ihey are Porters a!fo !o >' xeceil·e Souls; they !land ready at Heavens Gates, to fer ophrthc doors, and to bid them elite~
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