The Offices o{ Angels for the God!J. CHAP. X£. :Direflions t~bout our Communion with the Uly Angels. ~· I· DireCl:. I• BE {atiljitd in /tnmng fo much of A~gtiJ aJ God in N•turt and Scripturt Dirtll.,. htJtb rwealed, h•t prefume not to enqwtre further, much lefs to determine of z:rnrevealeJ things. That there are Angels, and that they arc holy Spiriu, is pafi di!put<. But what nutnhtr they are, and of how many.worlds, and of what ordas and differet~t dignities and degrees; and when they were created, and what locality belongcth to them and how far they exedl or differ from the fouls of men, thefe and many other fuch unnecef– fary qu;ftions neither Nature nor Scripture will teach us ~ow infallibly to refolve. Al':"ofiall the He. wicks in the firfi ages ofthe. Church dtd make theit.doCl:nnes of Angels the fi~(l and chtef.part of their Herdics: arrogantly intrudmg 1nto unrevealcd th1ngs,_and ~oaft.tng of thctr acquamtance with the orders and inhabitants ofthe higher worlds. Thefe bemg rt!i:n m the ApoAles dayes, octlfioned paul to fay, Col. 2· 18. Let no man beguile you ~fyuur reward ~n a voluntarJ ~mility, and 'IPorjhipping sf AngtlJ, introding into tbo[e tbingJ ,.,hich he bath ~ot[em, vamry puft up by h~ ft'fhly mind. . . ~. 2. DireCl:. 2· V?dtrft~nd {o mu<h •fthe Mmijlry ofAngtlJ ar God hat~ revealed, and fo far t•~ ~:r:~~"~ not"e 1[ your commum.on wuh them, but t~Jftt1 not any other fort of cttmmumon. voc~bulum: · · nomen eft of6cii, nGn naturz : m.m fandi illi cceldl.is patri:E fpiritw , femper funt fptruus, f(d (!.:mper vocarj Ang:eli non poiTunt. Grt$or. 1 !hall here !hew how much of the Minifiry of Angels is revc;led to us in Scripture. ~- 3· ,.It is part of the •pp<>inted wor/;. of Angels, to be Minijlring Spiritr for the heirs of falvation, Dan. •· IJ· Heb. ,, '4· Not Minifterr or StrvalttJ of the godly, but Minifiers of God for tht godry: As the Shtp· G<n. !'· •;•. herd is not a ferv~n:: of tht jhe~p, _butf~ the lbecp. It is not an acci.dental or occafional work which t:~~6~2;:: they do r:ctra()rdmarily; bm tt ts the11 undertakeR ()_ffict to whu;h they are [ent forth. And this Atts 11 , 7 , u. their Minillry is about the ordinary concernments ofour hves,and not only about fome great or unufual 1King.x,.s,$ nfes or exigents. Pfal. 34• 6, 7• Pfo1•9'· II, 11· 9·4• z, It is not fome,but All the Angels rhar arc: appointed by God to th~s Miniflration, Heb. 1, 1 , 4 • Are they not aU miniftring SpiritJ fent forth, &c. Mark here, that tf you enqutre whether God have any higher Spiriu, [hat arc not imployc:d in fo low an Office, but govern thele Angels, or if you enquire whether only this world be the Angels cl)arge, or whether they have many orher worlds alfo (of Vi– atorr ) to take care of: neither Nat#f't nor Scripture doth give you the detcrm'ination of any of thcfc qucf\ions: and thercfoieyou mull: leave them as unrevealed things; (with aBundance more with which 1he o\d Hcrcticks and the Popifu Schoolmen, have diverted mens minds from plain and necef.. fary things.) Bnt that aU tlu An;,elJ minifter for u.J 1 is the cxprefs words ofScripture. 9· 5· 3• The work of this Office is not left promifcuou!ly among thcm 1 but feveral Angels have rheir fcver:ll works and chaFge: Therefore Scdp~urc: tcllcth us of fornc fenr of one meifage, and feme on an ~;,k~;; :J:1~ other: And tells us that the meaneft of Chnlls members on earth, have their Angtl1 before God in 2• 10, 13 , z.t. Heaven, M:~.tth. 18. to. I fay unto you, that in Heaven their Angel! do alwaye1 behold the face of my ACh 10. 7· u . Fathtr which i1 in Hta7Jen. Whether each true Believer hath one or mort dngeli? and whether & 12 • 8, 9. one Angtl lonk_. to m~re than ont Believer? are quefiions which God harh nor refolvc::d us 9f either in ~a2. 3 2~. Nature or Scripture: But that tacb trueChrijtisn bath bi1 A ngel, is here affc:rted by our L~rd. Gen.• :~: iO· ~- 6. 4· In thiJ offict ofMinijlration rhey arc {ervantr ofGhrijl as the Head of the Church and rhe Mediator betweenGod and man,to promote the ends of his fuperiour office in m1ns R~demp;ion ¥at. rPet. 3· z.:. 28._18. AU powfr i1 given to meinHeavmandEatth, John I3·3• Eph.t.20,2I,22· A11.dJirhim l. 1atth.:z. 6 ·SJ• at hu right hand in the crleftials, far above tJUprincipality, and power, and might, and domi~tion and tvery name that i.r named, not only in thir worlti, but al[o in that ~hich i1 to comt, and bath put aO ;hing 1 undtr his feet, and gave him to be head over all thing1 to the ChurcH. Rev. 23· 1~. I Jt[us have [ent . mint Angtl to t~{lifit unto you tbefe things in the Churches. Whether the Angels were appointed about Rev. 1 • 1 • !he fer_vice of Adam in innocency? or only began their Office with C_hrifi th4: Mediator as hU Minifterr, 15 a thmg that God bath not revealed. But that they[ervt under Ghrijl for hiS Church is plain. 9· 7• 5• Thts c~re of ~he ~ngels for us IS exc::rc1fed throughout our hvcs, for the faving of us from all our dangers, and delrVtnpg us out of all our troubles. Pfal. 3+· 6, 7· ThH poor man cryed and t King~ 6. , 7 ., lht Lord h:ard him, ~ndJ4ved him out of aU his troubles : the Angtt .ofthe .Lord encampetb about' t/.Jem . that fear k' 111 and delzvertth them: Pf;J( 91. I I1 ~2· ~or he jha/J gn~. hi1 Angell charge over thee) trJ ll!ep thtt •• aU thy ,.ayts; 'Ihry Jha~bear thet up m tbnr band, lefl thou dajh thy foot •gainjl ajlont. bJ aDowr ''"YtJ ( that ar< good ) and m every tlep we tread, we have the care and Mini!lry oftutelar Angels, They are our oxdinary defence and guard. ~- s.
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