Chap 4, An Expofitionupon the boekof f O B. Verh z 8. o 13 5' charge with folly? The quere or doubt lies, whether we than lay this charge at the door of the good Angels,or of the bad,or ofboth. Many of the Ancients refirain it to the evil Angels, to the Apo - (fate Angels God put no twit in them, he Caw folly in them, ta- king it fen confefled, that the Angels which flood, the good An- gels are trufly fervants,difcreet and wife, far from, either unfaith- fulnefs or folly; fuch as God hash put rruil,in and they never de- ceiv'd his trull; fuch wholeobedience is made the pattern ofours, by Chrilt himfelf inhis pattern ofprayer, Thy will be done on earth as it is inHeaven. And would the Lord regulate us by them, who are themlclves irregular? or make them our copy in doing his will,whofc folly renders them unfit to be marled with the do- ing ofhis will ? Therefore( fay thcfe) fuch a charge fuits not the £late and condition of the good Angels, Others call it upon the good Angels,that God put no truft,no, not in them. I conceive, from either there may be a good fente, though I incline to the latter. For in the Apoflate Angels(take it . in the broadett fence) God law no light,no goodnefs, no faithful - nefs at all ; they have plainly difcovcred themfelves,and Chewed, . not only weaknefs and unfaithfulnefs, but wickednefs and utinoft folly. But to confine it to the evil Angels, or to underfland it chiefly of them, is too narrow for the Text ; efpecially, teeing £marl boni e, this is but a light, a too eatie charge for thofe Apoffate Spirits to fo nihïl Went fay only thus, That God found unfaithfulnefs in thcm,and charg- tjfaniame ed them with folly : for in 'them rebellion wasfound, and they nuilam exfef :- /land charged to thisday with HighTreafon, againil the Crown pientiam, nu and dignity of the Kingof Heaven : and are therefore commit- Tunveritarem, ted to Prifon, and referved in Chains of Darknefs to the judg- bonito:en nut- ment of the great Day. As for the good Angels,Godmay be faid 1004 to charge themwith folly without any r, roug,either to the holi- nefs of their nature,or the fledfattnefs oftheir obedience. For up- on examination(or intuition rather)he finds,they have no wifdom, or liability, but by Divine bounty and eflablifhment. As the apo £late Angels were pofitively full offolly and unfaithfulnefs; fo the good Angelsmight be charged with folly,negatively,namely,that they had no faichfulnefs but asatfifled and propt up. But we may take theAngels in a third or middle confideration. neither for thefallen or apoftateAngeis,nor for the good andcon- firmed Angelsas diftina,or fence this dillináion : But by Angels we may undertland the Angeliçal Nature ; the whole complex nature
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=