Serin. XXI. ofGood Angels. ofus, and afiïffant o us, in. the Performance of all As of Religion ; that they are particularly prefent at our Prayers and therefore the Jews fpeak ofa particular Angel for this purpofe, whom they call the Angel ofPrayer ; that they obferve our Vows, and our Breach or Performance of them. So Solomon feems to intimate, Ecclef. ç. 4, 6. When thou vowels a Pow unto God, defer not to pay it ; for he bath nopica- lure in Fools ; pay that which thou hall vowed. Suffer not thy Mouth to caufe thy F'lefh to fin; that is, do not entangle thy Life with a rafts Vow, which the Frailty ofHumane Nature may make thee afterwards to break ; neither fay thou before the Angel, that it was an Erreur that is, do not in the Prefence of the Angel who attends upon thee, and obferves thee, betray thine own Errour and Rafhnefs. This I take to be the Meaning of this difficult Paffage, Let not tby Mouth caufe thy Fief) to fn; neitherfay thou before the Angel, that it was at Errour. But the Angels are yet more particularly prefent in the Places, and at the Times of God's Publick Worfhip. The placing of the Cherubims in the Holy of Holies, feems to fignify the Prefenceof the Angels in our molt Religious Addreffes to God. And Plutarch lays, That the Angels are the Overfeers ofDivine Service. And therefore we ought to behave our felves with all Modefty, Reverence, and Decency in the Worfhip of God, out ofregard to the Angels, who are there pre- fect, and obferve our Carriage and Behaviour. And to this the Apoftle plainly hath refped in that Place, which by Interpreters have been thought fo difficult, I Corinth. II. ró. where he fays, That, for this Caufe, . in the Affemblyof Chri- flians for the Woríhip of God, the Woman ought to have a Veil upon her Head, in Token of Subjeulion to her Husband, becaufe of the Angels ; that is, to be decently and modeflly attired in the Church becaufe of the Prefence of the Holy Angels ; before whom we fhould compote our felves to the greateft external Gra- vity and Reverence, which the Angels behold and obferve, but cannot penetrate into the inwardDevotion of our Minds,, which God only can do ; and therefore, with regard to him who fees our Hearts, we should more particularly compofe our Minds to the greateft Sincerity and Serioúfnefs in our Devotion. Which, I would to God we would all duly confider, all the while we are exercifed in the Worfhip of God, who chiefly regards our Hearts. But we ought likewife to be very care- ful of our external Behaviour, with a particular regard to the Angels, who are prefent there, to fee and obferve the outward Decency and Reverence of our Car- riage and Deportment : Of which we are very careful in the Prefence even of an Earthly Prince, when he either fpeaks to us, or we make any Addrefs to him. And furely much more ought we to be fo, when weare in the immediate Pre- tence of God, and ofhis Holy Angels, every one ofwhom is a much greater Prince, and of greater Power, than any of the Princes of this World. But how little is this confrdered, (I (peak toour Shame) and by how few among us ! And as Angels are helpful to Good Men, in working out their Salvation, throughout the Gouge of their Lives ; fo at the Hour of Death they (land by them, to comfort them and affift them in that needful and difmal Time, in that laft and great Conflit of frail Mortality with Death and the Powers of Dark; nefs ; to receive their expiring Spirits into their Charge, and to conduIt them Gafely into the Maniions of the Bleffed. And to this purpofe alto the Jews had a Tradition, that the Angels wait upon Good Men at their Death, to convey their Souls into Paradife : Which is very much countenanced by our Saviour, in the Parable of the rich Man and Lazarus, Luke r6. 2a. where it is Paid, that when Lazarus died, he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bofom. Nay; that the Angels have fume Charge and Care of the Bodies of Good Men after Death, may not improbablybe gathered from that Paffage in St. Jude, Verfe 9. where,Michael the Archangel is faid to have contended with the Devil, about the Body ofMofes: What the Ground of this Controverfy betwixt them was, may be molt probably explain'd, by a Paffage, Deut. 34. 6. where it is faid, that God took particular.care (probably by an Angel) concerning the buryingofMofs in a certain Palley ; and it is added, but no Man knoweth of his Sepulchre unto this day. The Devil, it feerns, had a fair Profped of laying a Foundation for Nola- try, 57
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