DISCOURSE III. dgl Eph .vi. 12. who are the " rulers of the darknessof this world," that is, of the darkand miserable heathen world ? Do not the princes of Persia and Grmcia seem to be such evil angels ; Dan. x. 13 ? For the prince of Persiawithstood that glorious person, whom I take to be the angel Gabriel who talked with Daniel for one and twentydays, when Michael the arch- angel helped him. And when this glorious person returned from Daniel, " he went to fight with the prince of Persia ;" verse 20. therefore the prince of Persia could not be a good angel. And it appears yet further, that all these angel-princes of the nations were evil angels, because none of them held with this glorious person, that is, with Gabriel, nonebesides Michael your prince, that is, the angel governor of Israel. 'though the heathen nations Were left under the dominionof evil angels, yet since Israel was God's peculiar people, may we not reasonably suppose God set a good angel over them to be a prince, even his own Son in his pre- existent nature, who was the angel of the covenant ; Mal. iii. 1. and the angel of God's presence; Isa. lxiii. 9. and the " angel in whom his name was ;" Exod. xxiii. 25 ; And may not Christ himself be this Michael the archangel, the prince of Israel ? It has been observed by some writers, that the scripture, never speaks of archangels in the plural number : Perhaps there is but one archangel, and that s Christ. Observe further, that Christ's kingdom is directly opposite to the devil's kingdom. His grand design is to oppose and de- stroy the work and power of the devil : and this seems to be Michael's appointed work inscripture, for he is sometimes brought in as " contending with devils ;" Jude verse 9. Rev. xii. and as he has other angels under him to " fight against the dragon or devil ;" verse 7. so has Christ. And he is called the prince of Daniel's people ; Dan. x. 21. that is, the prince or king of Israel ; so is Christ. Observe also; that Michael is called one, or rather the first of the chief princes, as it is in the margin ; Dan., x. 13. which is very agreeable to the character of Christ, who is the first and supreme angel, governor, and the prince of Israel, who wereGod's own kingdom or people'. Now in this view of things, when we consider our blessed Lord as having his dominion extended from sea to sea, and * Some think the glorious person who appeared and talked with Daniel, Chapter o. 5. was notGabriel but Jesus Christ, because he is described much in the same manner as Christ is described, Rev. i. 13 -16. in his appearance to John ; and if so, then Michael cannot be Christ, but most be his prime minister in the governmentof Israel. But by comparison of these chapters, it is plain that this glorious person may much better be supposed to be Gabriel who conversed with Daniel, chapter is. CI ; and who is there called the man Gabriel whom he had seen in the vision at thebeginning," which probably refers to the vision of the man Gabriel in Daniel viii. 15. and then Michael the archangel must be Christ the king or prince of lsiael.
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