An Expo(ttion of the Epiflle W Now, what is the caufe of this, that Angels come thus to be reconciled with J'erm.XH. us 1 that they come down upon the Earth to ferve Men, and to be friends with V""'V""V them thus l It is Chri!l:. Gen.28.r2.]acob faw a Laddtr that touched Heaveri and touched Earth; who is that Ladder1 Chrifl himfelf is that Ladder,and him• felf interpreth it fo Joh.r.~tlt. Tot• )ballfoe the Attgels afcending a~:d dtji:tnding 'upo11 the Son tf Ma11, as they did there afcend and defcend upon that Ladder that appeared to Jacob. The Ladder,it touchedBeaveri, tt touched Eatth, fot Jefus Chrifl bath both in him; he is a heavenly man, and he hath the nature of a man, he bath made up Heaven and Earth. ;you heard before, how Chrift was partaker of both Natures, and by the one he bath a Foot on Earth, whereof the Top is in Heaven; and it is he that hath made the htgh-way between Heaven and Earth an open paffage. Therefore now Angels are reconciled to Men, Hea– ven is reconciled to Earth, and there is an intercourfe, a ttade, a liigh-way, they afcend and defcend familiarly; it was there to defend Jacub, and for many othet ends they do it. Before you heard, they kept Man out of Paradife with a Sword; but now you read, that they carry into Paradife the Souls of Men. As of Laza• rtu, Luk.r6.22. and at Latter day , as in Matt.24, l'· And he }halt jmd his Angel.< with a great formd of a Trt~mpet, and they fbatl gather togethtr his Etdlfrom thefot~r Witids, from otumd of Heavmto the other. This is the General. Now fee it in the Particulars, that Angels are in all the particulars wherein they are at enmity that I inflanced in, reconciled to men. In the firfl place,! told you before,that they eKecute Judgments,and Plagues. It was a good Angel that deftroyed iit Jerufalem with the Plague. Now read Pjal.gr.ro,r r. it is a pat in!lance of the contrary, There_}ba1111otvil btfrJII tha neither Jba/1 thePiagt~e come 11igb thy dwelling : for he (hat/ give his Angels charge o'l/er tbee, to keep thee ill all thy waits. You heard belore, that when Man fell, and was call: out of Paradije, Angels flood there with afl,•ming Swol'd to keep him out. Now you !hall fee the A11gcls fiand to let hirn in. Rev.2r.12. defcribing there the New .7trtt{alem, he faith, there were twelve Gates, a11d at the Gates twelve Angels. It wasParadtje, as appears Chap, 22. '4· becaufe there was theTree tf Ltfe, for fo it is defcr.ibed, Blejfed are they that do his Commandmmts, that tbey may have right to the Tree of Life, and may tllttr i11 thro11gh the G,ztes ilito the City. It is an allulion to P,~radife; there Angels kept out, here Angels carrv in : the A1;sels you know fetched the Soul of La– ·zarw, and corried it into Ahr.>ham's bojom, Lrik.r6. And fo at the latter day, Matt.l4•)1 • Tbe A11gels )hat/ lake thrSailtts thatri{e, t111d britJgthrmallto Chrtj/, fo the Text faith there. Here you fee it, I fay, in all the particulars wherein they are Enemies; how they are made Friends. Here is then Angels and Men reconciled after a being broken to pieces. Well, I !hewed you in the Third place, That all on Earth were ihattered to pieces, the Jew from theGe1llile, one man from another. Now Chri!l hath made up this divilion too. Take any man, my Brethren, that is the greatefl enemy to any; let them have had the moll: defperate enmity that ever was be– tween two mortal men; let thefe two men be turned to God, let them meet in Chri!l, theywillloveoneanother, it is certain. Take a godly man, fet before him the greate!l: enemy he bath in the Earth; do but put that quefiion to him, what _will you fay, if this man !hould be turned toGod ? Ob, faith he, I could .falldown btfore him, he would do any thing in the world to procure it and bring Jt about. My Brethren, the .rewand the"Ge1ztile were two, fo they are called; it is the very word ufed Ephef.2.r). They were two indeed, faith he, He bath made of twai11 otlf, h, hath reconciled both; Chri!l did it, it was by the Blood of his Crofs he broke down the Partition watt, the 1''./"'X", the Partition wall of the Ceremonial Law is broken down: which is elegantly lignified, alluding to the Wall in theTemple, that kept the Gentiles from the Court of the .rews. The _7ews were fuch Enemies' to the Gmtiles, that they could not endure the Gofpel to be preached to them; they were at/filled with envy, fo you read in the Afls, th~carna1.7ews were: Well, but when Peter goeth and preacheth the Gofpel to the Gmtiles, what fay the godly ]ews 1 See what they fay, A f/. 1r.18. Good Souls, Wbm they heard thefe thi11gs (namely, that the Gmtiles
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=