160 An Expojition,of tbe Epiftle ~baveentertaitJed.Angrlt. Thelikemaybe faidof that I Chron.2I.I). Of that Serm.XII. that (\roke Herod, ACl:, I2. 2~. and of that fmote the Camp of the .AJJ.Yriant; ~ 2Kt11go~ 9· ~)· It is evident; for in all thofe places they are !till called the .A11get of the Lord, which is never fpoken of Satan. . . . . . There is once indeed mennon of an evzt Spzrzt from the Lord , but It }S With an addition of Evil; but the Angelsof the Lord are Cl ill good .Angel!, And that Angel th~t de!lroyed Jeru(alem, which 'Davidfawwith a draw11 Sword i11 hi& hand,flretchtd out over tbe City, I Chr01t.2I.I ).was evidently a good .Angel; for, ver. 1 8. he directs Gad to tell 'David, where the Temple !hould !land, and bid· deth him wor!hip; which an evil .Angel, God would never have ufed him to ~~ . And, (my Brethren) if Men be Enemies to the Church of God,as Wicked men by nature are, .Aztgels will revenge it, Take had (faith Chrift, Matt. 18. 1 o.) thatyou offmd not om of thefe ltttle one;; and·he giveth the reafon of it ,for, faith he, their .Aztgelt doalwaies behold the face of my Fathrr which i& i11 Hea– vezJ: they have .Attgel! that take their part. Thus they are enemies in this life unto Wicked men; and at the Oay of Judgment, you fl1all read in Matt,q.4I, 42.49· The .Angel! arethe Reapen (faith he, v. ~9.) and he !heweth there, how they take the Bodies and Souls of Wicked'men. The good .Angels are their Ga· therers, but it is 'for Hell; They gather a/J together, a11dca{l them into thefurtzace of fire, there/hall 6ewaili11g tJ11dg11ajbillgoj teeth. It is attributed unto the Angels. Thus you fee, I fay, that .Angel; and Mm are at odds, and all by Sin; all is broken now, Godisgone,Angelsare divided from us, and at enmity with us. All in Heaven and Earth is broken to pieces. Well, come tothi?;g; 011 Earth; nothing but Divi!ions there. There is not a man in the World, but by nature is divided from all Men. We, like (h(ep, have goue aflray,every 011e after hi& own way; fo it is Ijai.n.6. All went one way once, we all cleaved to God ; we have left God , and are fallen all in pieces.· Godm_ade Ma11 righteous, there was but one way then, for fo the oppolition im· plieth, lmt they bavefought 0111 mm!J l11ventio1JJ,even as many as there are men, Ecct.7. and Ttt+~·fervmg divers lt~j/s a11dp!eajitrn. Then again, Secondly, Men are at enmity 01ie with another, it ~s certain,more or lefs, Homo homi11i lupeu. Tit. 3· ~· We (faith he, defcribing Man's natural con– dition,)we ot~rfoivts itved i11 matJceattd itt ettvy, hatefid, fl1Jd bati11g o11e a?to– ther. Hateful every man is to another more or lefs, he is hated of another, and he hateth another more or lefs; and if his nature were let out to the full, there is that in him, Every ma11 is agai11/l every mau, as it is faid of lffachar. Self. love, my Brethren, that ruleth all the World, is rhe greate!l Monopolift that ever was in the'World. Mm/hall be lover; of them(e!vet, as you have it 2 Ttm.~.2,~. 'llnd what followeth? Covetoeu, boaflert, proud', 6/afPhemert, dijobrdie11t to Pa– re1!ts, withotlt 1tat11ral affeelion, truce-breaker;, f!lc. Self-love breaks all bonds; all things in Earth are fcattered. Go amongfi all Nations, there is nothing elfe but a fatal confufion among!l ~hem; the .'few at enmity with the Gentile, and tl\eGmtile with the .'few. All have heard how the Scripture fets it out, they were an abomi11al1on and wrje r;d.S<rmon of eaohw other; of which I have treated elfewhere. ~hr~;~~~;;;~ And, Thirdly, In Religions, nothing but Divi!ions,before our Lord and Saviour ~,:«.M•ker, Chri!l came in the fu!tzefs of time, Look upon all Nations, fo many Nations, fo onEph•4· many gods, nay,fo many Citiet, fomanygodr, as it is .'frr. 2. 28. nay, fo many Families, fo many gods; there was not a Family but chofe a feveral god to itfelf; and therefore, I Cor.8,5. there are fords mmryandgodt mm1y, Many indeed, for there was as many almoft as there were men to wor!hip them, each chofe what god he pleafed, And the Apo!lle in that place I Iaft quoted, if you read it, you !hall find, in!lanceth in both, things in heavm and thi11gs o11 earth, there was fcarce any thing in earth. All things in Heaven and in Earth, from Stars to Serpmtt, that creep on the Earth, the very 011ion; were made gods amongft them. Thus was all the World divided; this was the fhattered condition of aU Mankind, of all things in Earth, when Jefus Chrift came,
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