14% nExpofitionof the CldAP,j. nothing unlefs he confult with his fuperiour family. Only not knowing the rife of the word i4t4t79, nor what it thould tignifie ; he tells us, jilt í103 rli , t K1 t N1'109, that in theGreekTongue it fignifies ari Hsit; whereas it is purely the Latinefamilia with- out the leapt alteration. And the defcription of this fuperiour part of the Family of God is givenua, Dan. 7. io. Thoufand thoufandr didminifier unto him, and ten tboufnd times ten thoufand flood before him. In which words Pfeudo-Dionyfius, Gregory, and Aquinas, with fundry of the Scbeol-men, have coined a diftïnétion of Angels into miniflran;eJ thofe that minifier unto God, and offiente , thofe that (land before him. Whereas the whole intendment of the expreffion is, that all the Angels flood mini- firing before him, as John declares the matter, Rev. g. I r. And therefore the Apollle exprefly here affirms that they areallminiftringfirits, cutting offone member of their diftinâion. Neither is there more intended in the miniftery ofthat upperpart of the Family ofGod than is expreffed concerning the lower part ofit ofold, Deut. 18. q. God chafe the Priefts and the Levites 11107 1CI7h, to hand and to minifier in the Nameof the Lord. The fame perfons were both affiientes and minifiranter, they flood tominifier be fore the Lord. Now becaufe ofthishanding and minijiringof Angels, that is their waiting on God in a readinefsto dohis Will, they maybe faid in Come fenfe to be the Throne of God, fromwhence he executeth Juftice and Judgment ; for as he is called 0'311T! Pfal. So. v. I. He that duelletbbetween the Cherubim! ; as alfo Pp. 99. v. r. So the yews fay that the Thrones mentioned Dan. g. were 1=ITILyn i=+tiw, the higher Princes or Angels, as Abarbinel on the place. This then is their Office, they are all miuiftring fpirits. . 'CH dltaxed- 3. Their Executionoftheir Office in their aáual employment is here alfo expreffed. av ¿stet»,- They are minifiringfpirits, inPtaxoviar âwoses hinge, fint oat unto a miniftery; fens out, Mira. that is they are dailyfo, continually fo, the word denoting the prefënt time which is always. They ttand before theprefence ofGod, and are continually fent out by him, fometimesCome, fometimesothers, always thofe that are fufficient for his work. Now as we obferved before that uí7=tyía denotes the whole familyfervice of God, which ingeneral is afcribed unto theft children and fervants ofhis in the upper part thereof, they being evil ata >,tio tywol, Miniffringfpirits ; So here the execution of their work is expreffed by two words which comprize the whole Minifeg of the Church; cisosorñ and d'tatoríe, Apo(tlefhip and labouring Miniflery; and therein the Harmony is (till preferved that is between both parts ofthe family of God. And as in the fervice of the Church, the Miniflers thereof do not minifier unto men but unto the .Lard,forand in the behalfofmen, Aar 13. a. So is it with theftPirìtsalfo, they are fent out to minifierfor thegoodofmen, but it is the Lord unto whom they minifier; his Minitters they are, not ours,.Pfau. 103. v.21. though in their miniftery, belonging unto the fame Familywith Believers, they are their fellow fervants. As all the fervants ofa King, though otherwife greatlydifterenced, agree in this, that they are allfer- vantr unto the fame Perfon.. And thefetwo words exprefs both their Honour, that they are immediately lent out from theprefence of God, they are his Apoflles, as alfo their Obedience and diligence, they undertake 4'100014ar, a Minifìery to be difcharged withCare and due Obfervanceof him by whom they are fent. q.. There is expreffed the Reftrittion of their Minifiery unto the efpecial °bjel2 of cad74 ¡i >- their work and employment ; it is forthem that (hall be heirs offalvation; d td eat aie,- AVMS sail- ?omit a ntots¡/it Qatrue(at j for them, for their fakes, for their good, in their behalf, Corot' ' who fhatl inheritfalvation. Heirs they are at prefent, and hereafterfhall inherit or a&u- erarnaav ally obtain falvation by vertue of their Heirfhip, that is, eleft Believers. Yet the Apo- tile fpeaketh not of them as Elea, nor yet abfolutelyas Believers ; but as ofHeirs, which they obtain by the priviledge of Adoption. This gives them Heirfhipandan intereft inthe Family of God. And the miniftery ofthefuperiourpart of the Family in behalfofthe lower, refpe6ts them as fuch, that is, as Adopted,asChildren, as Heirs, as Co-hens with Chrifl, Rom. 8. v. 16, t 7. This priviledge I fay amongll others innu- merable and inexpreftible we have byour Adoption, that being admitted into the Fa- milyofGad, thofe bleffed Angels whole fpecial miniflery refpeEts thatFamily have us un- der their conflant care. It is true, that the miniftery ofAngels isnot always abfolutely rettrained unto the Church or Family ofGod they are employed alfo in thegovernment oftheworld. So theAngel that wasCent untoDaniel affirms, That in the fir¡fyear of Dariushe flood to confirmandirengtben him, Dann. r r. t. that is, to a1(í1 him in theweddingofhis new. gotten'
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