Mat.>8 t8. Joh.q.:;. Eph<f. t. 2o, :ZJ,llo Matth.t8,Jo. hath app~intcd his Angels an ~,;x;;;-;;ry n.iniflratio:- for us, in order to our falvation and prefcrvaucn thereunto; fo IllS a dongerocs ttmpt1ng of God for us to feck toputthcm ont of th~tr woy,or, to pray,or to looklorfuch unuiu•l apptarcnce! or works as we h t!O promJfe for, !!Or full acgu:tint,mce with,nor skill to undcr!h.nd or ufc arlghr ~e know not cafily gocdSpirits from bad and we might fo eafily be feduced by crea;ures f~ rcrnbleand {o 1\r•nge to u<,that it is a vtry great mercy,thatGod hath committed us ra• therto the tcachwg ofman, and gu1dcd1 us to our ~nd bymeans more fctirable to our na· r\lres, and ufet~l rh~ apcaranccs of Angels but mrely on fome extraordinary occafion ;fa that what Chra\ fatd of ufing from the dead, we may fay o! Angels, he 'tPould n;t be <f· fr;adcd bythem, t/;at wzll 1101 hec;r Mofes and t!;c Propbm. t ' . As it is a very hard t~ng t" rccetve mercy by the har.d of any creacure, and not to adhere too mttch to that crea· cure, and fuifer our hearts to be f\cpt~ or diverted, or alienated from God ; andthe more ufeful and cxellcnt the mflrumcnt tS, the f\rouger Ii our temptatiou, and the greater is otlr dang<r ; fo the more we are convinced ot the Minillry and ufefulncll"e ot the An, gels to our welfare, the more are wein dau5eJ of too much all"cribing to them or adhereing to them, and minding of them more than God: And therefore we ~ufl carefully watch again!\ this tempration,:wd take heed leH out hearts take up in thcfc our fcllow·fervants, by whom they ihould beraifcd and drawn to (;od. And yet as w= muft not call away our mercies for kar of over· valuing them, nqr reject MagititatLS or Minillcrs, or Parents for fear of ldoli:Ung them; fo neither tm1fi we by f,"h tearsbu drawn from our acknowiedgment of the fer vice of Angcls,nor deny th~ mercy of their Mi niflration , to av_oid the abufe of it: In all this I !uppofe, we arc all agreed , and t~e poynr that _rcmameth ."~refolved ts but rl115, Wbctl•ir rt bt GudJ ordinary way 11 grve tU our uremCJ lrythe Mmzjlry of Angel;? not whether rawy be du fu, nor whetncr rarely '" do otberwifi ; but what is the way of hi< orrlinary Prwidencc. And here fiil protei!".: myJudgment to befor thc'aflirmativc ; and tlllt antoi~\,S otiH.rs, tor rhdc rcafons followit<g. 1 • If fcripture makes known to us,that i't is the very flJJCd Ofiice of the Angels,to be minifu:ing Spirits for the heirs of Salv<H ion, and rhat about their daily ordinary con• cernments; then it is Gods ordinary way of Providence, to £,ive uscvm our ordicaty •nerci,s by their means. But the Antecedent is true, Erg' fo is the Conft'iU<!lt· Ww.; it but forne unufual thing with the Angels tobe lent out of their way upon ruch ttr· teflrial errands ; or were it ufilal with them to do only things unufual or wonderful tor us, ,lhen J confcll"e we could not infer our conclulion from their fcrvice; but when j! is their very fiatcd Office, not only to do wonders tor us, but to fcr·1e us in our ordinary concernments, the Confequencc is plain. And therefore Ifind nothing incumbent"" me now, but to prove the A~>tecedcnt, which is done by thdc plain exprcilionsof the Scriptures. 1. Such as declare them to be tl;e/lated/irvanu of Chrijl, aJ Medimr and bwi of tiJC Church, fo~ tl1e promoting of his work ol S•lvation tor his body; as thcfc fer together,Matth.28-18•.411 power i< given tv me in Heaven andE.rtb,JohtH3.3.Ephef. 1 ·20,2 1,22. And fit him at hiJ right hand in the Cflejfials,far above ~11 Principalitit anti P•wtr, and Might, and Domirion, andevery name that is named, not only in tbiJ Wwld, but aljo into that which iJ to come, and bath put all things under hiJfeet, a11d gav; biw to b:the bead over all thing! to the Church. z. Such as parttcularly dcfcnbc thm olliceaud work, as Heb1 • 14 • Ar< they not all mi~tijlring Spirits,fi~ fort!' to miJtijle: f•r themw~o fha/1 be }JtirJ ofS•lvation? Cor.fiderherc. '·. That th1s ts thetr very ~Rice. ~· ~t. 1.1 about our ordinary concerments. 3• It_li cxprdfcd generally, wtt.hout hmlttngtoany one thing, or way ; and '1-• It JS all tbe Angel!, that are put mto thtsOI!ice: that thefc Angels aregreat iuftrength,Pfal.ta3·20·one of them able to do more thag a thou– fand men, and that they are in~tumerable, Pfal.68o1 7· Heb. I 2·l 2• '!nc.omparably moJe than all men in the world ; and then I think it will pafl doubt that it is their .r• dinary wor/tto minifler to us in our orai~ary concerment<· SoMatiV· 18 ••' 0•. I (ay unN you, that in Heaven their Angels do alwaut beh,ld the F4ceofmy Fa1ber wh~th 11 111 Hea• . ven. lh)s can fignifie no ldfe than that eYery Chrijtian, even the w•ak~ll,Jlath one'or more Angel~ deputed by God to take a f~cc~al care ofhim (though tbe11~me Angels may alfo take care ot others) and "the apprornatton can never yroperly be meant of foiJ!e rarc,ufual aCl: performed for them, yea t?r fame very fe_w ot them, but mutt nee~.s mean a fiated fervicc. ' So Pfal. 34· ~,7• 'fhu poor man crud, and1bc Lord ktardhlm, a~d faved him ottl of all bit troubles: 1he Angel •f tbe Lord encampllh roun& abou11hem thal fear bim and delivemh them- Here lS • defcnbcd a flate<l charge or Otlice aboul
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