Angels of God ascending and descending" upon the members of CHRIST here below.

Hear the words of a venerable writer of our Church: "Between the Throne of GOD in Heaven and His Church upon earth here militant, if it be so, that Angels have their continual intercourse, where shall we find the same more verified, than in these two ghostly exercises, the one Doctrine, the other Prayer? For what is the assembling of the Church to learn, but the receiving of Angels descended from above? What, to pray, but the sending of Angels upward *?" We see, indeed, no miracles, nothing at least which the world would call miracles; but when we see Christians assembled together, in the name of CHRIST, and by His Apostles' authority, offering the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we see what certifies us of Heaven being opened, as positively as the first Disciples were assured of it by the change of water into wine, and the rest of our LORD's mighty works. There He continues the miracles which He began in Cana: there HE manifests forth His glory: let us, His Disciples, believe on HIM.

And if Angels are present, and signs and wonders are wrought, in the ordinary assemblies of the holy Church, well may we believe the like grace to attend on the rest of her visible rites and ordinances. When Bishops, who are themselves called Angels in the New Testament, lay their hands on the baptized, imparting to them the strengthening spirit: or, on those who are called to be pastors, bidding them receive the HOLY GHOST, for some high office and work in His Church: or when they enter into a newlybuilded Church, and bless and hallow it with prayer, in the name of our LORD: we dare not doubt that in all these cases, true, though unseen, Angels are present;—true, though unseen, communion goes on, between the Most High GoD on the top of the heavenly stairs, and His Israel waiting by faith here below;-true, though unseen, miracles are wrought, if we hinder them not by our unbelief and unworthiness. For is it not a true though unseen miracle, for the laying on of a man's hand to be followed by the strengthening SPIRIT; or by such a change in the person on whom it is laid, as shall make him a true successor of the Apostles, and convey down to him the power and virtue of their 4 Hooker, Eccl. Pol. v. c. 23,

ministry? Is it not a true though unseen miracle, for an ordinary building to be changed, by the prayer of a Bishop, into a place where the glory of GoD dwells, as it dwelt in the temple of Jerusalem ?

And if this be so in the other sacred rites and ordinances of the holy Catholic Church, much more surely in those two, which are the necessary foundation of all, being the appointed means for the participation of CHRIST HIMSELF, by virtue of which participation alone can we be sharers in these or in any other blessings. I mean the two divine Sacraments, of Holy Baptism, and the Supper or Communion of our LORD.

As to the peculiar presence of Angels, in the baptism of children especially; we know what our LORD intimated, that such have Angels of their own in Heaven, who always behold His FATHER'S face; Angels of a high and glorious order, which are yet in some sense those children's own and if they are their own, they minister unto them: and if they minister unto them, who can doubt that they do so especially in the moment of their baptism, when they are being made members of CHRIST, brought out of darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God? Baptism, therefore, is one of the chiefest occasions on which children, and such as children, may be sure of that presence of Angels ascending and descending, which our LORD promised to His Church through Philip and Nathanael: and, to be sure, no miracle can be greater, if we have faith to take Scripture at its word, than what is wrought in holy Baptism. It was wonderful enough that a man should be cleansed of his leprosy by washing in the river Jordan; but it is nothing, absolutely nothing, to the HOLY GHOST by water working the new-birth of a Christian; making him, who was born in sin, and the moment before a child of wrath, to become a member of CHRIST, clothed with His righteousness, a child of GOD and of heavenly grace.

and

There is this difference, that the change was seen in Naaman's case, in holy Baptism it is not seen. But it is the very province power of faith, to do away with this difference, to make us see the things which are invisible. It is nothing but want of considerate, lively faith, which prevents us from feeling, whenever we are present at a Baptism, as if we had lived in our LORD'S time, and seen with our own eyes one of His greatest miracles.

Lastly, if holy Baptism, then no doubt the holy Communion of CHRIST'S Body and Blood, is another and a chief instance of our seeing "Heaven opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the SON OF MAN." The SON OF GOD Incarnate is with us, in that mystery, in a manner wherein He is not with us in any other holy service. The Angels, therefore, as the Church always believed, are there especially, joining in our prayers and praises. Indeed St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, may be well thought to tell us so in express words. He says, Are they not all ministering spirits ?" where the word "ministering" is the very same, which was used in those times to denote the solemn Liturgy, or service of the Communion; and his manner of asking the question, "Are they not all such?" would seem as if he were not teaching a new truth, but reminding the Christians, to whom he wrote, of a doctrine and saying well known among them ;—a doctrine acknowledged also in our Communion service, as often as we profess to sing our Hymn of Glory, with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of Heaven. Doubt not, therefore, nor fear earnestly to believe, that in the holy Eucharist also Angels are present, and miracles continually wrought for what can be a greater miracle, than that the consecrated Bread and Wine should be, to the faithful receiver, CHRIST'S Body and Blood? or that the blessing pronounced by our LORD at the beginning, should be continued, down through His Apostles and Bishops, and the priests appointed by them, and so descend, at the present day, on the bread which they break, and the cup which they bless, in His name? These, if they be truths at all, are great and fearful truths: and no corruption or irreverence of others should keep us from bowing the knees of our hearts, and humbly acknowledging such an awful presence of our LORD, any more than we should be kept from worshipping the true God, because, if we lived in India or Africa, we should see others worshipping idols.

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These things will not have been considered in vain, if they give any help to any of us, in contemplating the times of the first Christians, as being, in fact, our times; the miracles, then wrought openly, as pledges of the unseen, but no less miraculous, working of GOD with us, in His Church and Sacraments. So may we, by God's grace, understand a little of our exceeding

blindness and danger, as many as go on wilfully in sin and imperfection, although we know that Heaven is still open, and the Powers thereof ascending and descending upon us. Rather may

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we all awake, with our father Jacob, and say to ourselves, night and day, "Surely the LORD is here, and we knew it not." Let us be afraid, and say, How dreadful is this place, this kingdom of Heaven, this holy Catholic Church, of which God has made us members this is none other but the house of GoD, and this is the gate of Heaven,"

SERMON CLXXXV.

HOW TO MAKE MUCH OF A LITTLE.

FOR ST. MATTHEW'S DAY.

PSALM XXXvii. 16.

"A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked."

THE Apostle St. Matthew was employed in collecting the taxes for the Roman emperor ;-a gainful business, and reckoned even sure, in those days, to make men's fortunes who practised it ;when our Blessed LORD, passing by, said only two words to him, "Follow Me:' and he left all, rose up, and followed HIM." He well knew what he was doing; giving up all that he had in this world, in order to take part with One who had no home, no place where He could make sure to lay His head. Why? Because St. Matthew had full faith in what ALMIGHTY GOD teaches concerning the true value of things. He felt quite sure and certain, that it was better to have ever so little, in common with HIM who is truly called the Righteous Man, than to have the greatest estate of the richest man in the world, or all the estates of all rich men put together. The smallest thing that CHRIST had to give, was more precious to him than all the wealth of the world; and therefore he at once gave it up, and would have given it up, had it been a thousand times more, in order to be admitted into CHRIST's company.

Now this, for aught we know, might be in St. Matthew no more, at the time, than a strong sort of intsinct or feeling, that