"My lord is of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad." wise according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth." When Absalom, the third son of David, distinguished for his fine personal appearance, his vicious conduct, and his ungrateful rebellion against his father, had succeeded in procuring the death of his half brother Amnon, as a punishment for his unnatural crime, fearing the king's displeasure, he fled into Syria, and took refuge with his grand. father Talmai, the king of Geshur. After an exile of three years, during which David was very anxious to effect a reconciliation with his absent child, Joab, who as ardently desired such an event as his master, prompted an artful widow of Tekoa, by a feigned speech, concerning the danger of her son, who, she pretended, had killed his brother in a passion, to solicit Absalom's return. The woman, thus instructed by Joab, approached the presence of the king, and as was customary in eastern countries when a subject entreated his monarch to grant him a favor, addressed him in very complimentary language. The above quotations are a part of her address. The 17th verse was spoken before David had suggested his suspicions that the woman's tale was a mere artifice, and that the crafty politician, Joab, was the principal agent in the whole plot. When, therefore, the king inquired of the widow, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this?" which really was the case, she added the 20th verse, to confirm what she had said before, in favor of the extent of her sovereign's wisdom. Her phraseology, it may be admitted, is strongly hyherbolical, for it implies little less than omniscience, which is one of the divine attributes; yet it plainly expresses the general opinion entertained by the Jews in those days of the vastness of angelic knowledge. The same doctrine, that angels know much more than men, is also inculcated in the prophecy of Ezekiel, and in the Revelation of St. John. In these books, Ezek. i, 18; x, 12; Rev. iv, 6, 8, the four beasts, or living creatures, who either compose a distinct order of beings in the celestial hierarchy, or else are emblematical representations of the whole heavenly host, are said to be "full of eyes," "within," "round about," "before and behind;" "their whole body," "their backs," "their hands," "their wings," and even the rim or periphery of the symbolical "wheels," are thus, so to speak, filled with the organs of sight. This language indicates to us the perfect acquaintance these beings have with themselves, and the works of God in all parts of the universe; and the admirable intelligence they display in obeying the moral precepts, and in execut. ing the orders of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. It will be perceived by the following verses out of the New Testament, not only that the knowledge of angels is progressively acquired, but that they gain it by diligent investigation; and not merely, as some have asserted, by simple intuition, and without a course of reasoning and deduction. And this idea will be no disparagement at all to the rank we have assigned them in the scale of mental existence. For that truth, the discovery of which may cost us a painful, and long continued effort of the mind, may be seen and understood by them, with far less ratiocination, and in a much shorter time; and that study which to us "is a weariness of the flesh," may be to them no ordinary enjoyment, and but a fresh renewal of their intellectual vigor. Ephesians iii, 10, "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God." This verse is thus rendered by Dr. Mac. knight, in his new translation: "That now to the governments and to the powers in the heavenly regions, the manifold wisdom of God may be made known through the church." It is thus paraphrased by the same learned author: "These things I am appointed to preach to the Gentiles, that now to the different orders of angels in heaven, whose greatest happiness consists in contemplating God's works, the infinitely various wisdom of God may be made known through the constitution and consummation of the church." Commentators have not been agreed in their interpretations of this verse; but one of the three opinions which follow must contain its true signification :— 1. As evil spirits are denominated "principalities and powers," in the sixth chapter and twelfth verse of this epistle, some writers have thought that these are intended in this passage likewise; and that God manifested to them his wisdom, through his dispensation of mercy to the church, in the gift of his Son, and the institution of the Christian ministry, in that Christ laid not hold on fallen angels, who fell without a tempter, but on man, who was seduced into sin by the prince of darkness. But this view of the verse is obviously very doubtful and unsatisfactory. 2. Others imagine that St. Paul alludes to the chief priests, rulers, scribes, and Pharisees of the Jews; and contend that as these were members of the Jewish church, they might be said to be in "heavenly places," with as much propriety as Christians are said to be in such places in Ephesians i, 3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." These "principalities and powers," it is farther conjectured, by embracing Christianity, as many of them did, could easily learn more of the divine wisdom in the plan of redemp. tion, than they could by continuing Jews. This was the opinion of Mr. Locke, and is also held by several other persons of great learning and judgment. Let it, however, here be remarked, that very few, comparatively, of those Jewish rulers who can with any fitness be called "principalities and powers"-a phrase that is very seldom, if ever, applied to the Jews in the New Testament-embraced the Christian religion at all; for the gospel was to a large majority of them "a stumbling block," as it was to the Greeks "foolishness;" and, therefore, instead of exhibiting to their minds any proofs of extraordinary wisdom, they regarded it as a base imposition, derogatory at once to the character of God, and to their own scriptures. 3. The third, then, and the only consistent sense in which this text can be explained, is that which refers the "principalities and powers" mentioned in it to the angels of heaven. As they cannot be supposed to have any knowledge of futurity, except as it may be revealed to them by divine Omniscience, to whom the future is as well known as the past, they can only know as the Lord in his good pleasure may make to them revelations of his will, or as objects of knowledge may present themselves to their attention. Consequently they must gain their information about the works of God and the perfections of his nature only as these works come into being, or are investigated by them, or explained to them by the, Creator himself; and as these perfections are manifested, from time to time, in creation, providence, and redemption. Hence they gradually add new treasures to the rich stores of their intellectual acquirements. Before the earth was formed, when these morning stars sang together, and shouted for joy, they no doubt had astonishing evidences of infinite wisdom in the exact and sublime movements of numerous complicated systems of worlds, and in adapting these worlds to the nature of their inhabitants, as well as in the constitution of these inhabitants; but more awful and convincing proofs of superior wisdom were perceived by them in the fall of man, the incarnation of the second person of the adorable Trinity, his sacrificial death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, ascension to heaven, and intercession at the right hand of the Father; in the gift of the Holy Spirit; in the pardon and conversion of the penitent sinner; and in commisBioning his disciples to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the nations of the earth. In these great doctrines of the Christian church they saw more plainly than they could see it anywhere else, what the apostle emphatically calls "the manifold wisdom of God." This ή πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, multiformis sapientia Dei, “ the manifold wisdom of God," is a very uncommon expression. The word πολυποίκιλος, is compounded of πολυς, much, and ποίκιλος, variegated; and means properly greatly diversified. It has been rendered multivaria, very various; and plena varietatibus, full of varieties. Dr. Bloomfield, in his Greek Testament, gives this as the signification : "In various regards conspicuously excellent." He is an eminent Greek scholar; but others of equal eminence differ from him in their definitions of this word. Dr. Clarke translates the whole member of the sentence correctly, thus: "That multifarious and greatly diversi fied wisdom of God." He adds, that this wisdom "lays great and infinite plans, and accomplishes them by endless means, through the whole lapse of ages, making every occurrence subservient to the pur. poses of his mercy and goodness." Hence the founding, propagating, and saving the church, are an indirect benefit to the angels themselves; for while their knowledge is thus increased, their moral improvement will be promoted, and their happiness augmented in the some proportion. This will farther appear from the next passage. 1 Peter i, 10, 11, 12, "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." These three verses have been thus quoted at length, that the reader may see, without referring to the epistle itself, the relation the latter clause of the 12th verse sustains to the preceding context. By the relative pronoun which, we learn that what the angels desired to inspect was every thing foretold by the Jewish prophets and preached by the apostles concerning Christ and his kingdom, in this world, and in that which is to come. The following paraphrase of this text by Dr. Macknight, whose learning and judicious criticisms have thrown no inconsiderable light on the apostolical epistles, will present us with a brief view of its probable meaning: "Verse 10. Concerning the nature and manner of which salvation the prophets themselves inquired accurately and searched diligently, who have prophesied concerning the means by which, and the time when, the great blessings to be bestowed on you were to be procured. Verse 11. In particular, they employed themselves in searching diligently, (eç riva, supply Zaov,) of what people and of what period of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them did signify, when by them he foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories which were to follow to him and to mankind after these sufferings. Verse 12. In consequence of their searching, to them it was discovered, that not concerning themselves and their contemporaries, but concerning us, they foretold these things; which things have now been reported to you, as came to pass among us, by the apostles and other eye-witnesses who have preached the gospel to you, with the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, Acts ii, 3, 4; into which things angels earnestly desire to look attentively." Το render the clause εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι, as we have in the authorized version, "which things the angels desire to look into," is entirely too weak and lame to express the force of the original. Dr. Macknight's translation is more in accordance with the Greek than the common reading: "Into which things angels earnestly desire to look attentively." In support of this rendering he has the fol lowing excellent note: "Пapakvipai, literally, to stoop. But stooping meaning the action of one who desires to look narrowly into a thing, it is properly translated, look attentively. The omission of the article before ayyɛhot, renders the meaning more grand. Not any particular species of angels, but all the different orders of them, desire to look into the things foretold by the prophets and preached by the apostles." Dr. Clarke says the word napaka, signifies the "posture of those who are earnestly intent on finding out a thing, especially a writing difficult to be read; they bring it to the light, place it so that the rays may fall on it as collectively as possible, and then stoop down, in order to examine all the parts, that they may be able to make out the whole." The term μovoiv, from enì, upon, and Ovμos, the mind, means to set the mind upon something; or to fix the attention with the utmost ardor on an object which you desire to investigate. It has fully this signification in the above passage. The holy angels stoop down to the great principles of Christianity; they fix their intellectual eye on every feature of the gospel; and they earnestly desire to understand, as far as they possibly can, the cha. racter of God as exhibited in the wise and gracious scheme of our redemption. "This angelic inquiry into human salvation, referred to by St. Peter, was figuratively represented by the bending attitude, and the intense gaze of the cherubim shadowing the mercy-seat' in the most holy place of the Jewish sanctuary. There were the two tables of the law, the ark of the covenant overlaid with gold, the lid of which was the propitiatory, and was annually sprinkled with the typical blood of animal victims; and there too was the luminous cloud of the divine glory, the sacred shechinah, dwelling and shining forth between the golden cherubim, who appeared to be deeply engaged in looking into, that they might fully comprehend, the hidden connection between the broken law, the sprinkled mercy-seat, the pardoned sinner, and the glory of God." But as the glorious plan of man's restoration to the favor and image of his Judge, through the mediation of Jesus Christ, was suggested by unbounded love, devised by unerring wisdom, accepted by infinite justice, and accomplished by almighty power; so it can be perfectly understood by the originating Mind alone. But this unspeakable gift, and its amazing consequences in both worlds, form, nevertheless, one of the important subjects of study in the regions of light. And if the angels of God, who are not directly interested in its provisions, apply their minds to the gospel of his Son, with so much intensity, and examine every part of it with such persevering diligence, how ought it to be regarded by those for whose particular benefit it was intended! 1 Timothy iii, 16, "God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory," Though few passages of Scripture in the whole Bible have been the subject of more controversy than this verse, connected as it is with that which precedes it, yet the words "seen of angels" must have one of the three following meanings, the last of which is here offered as the most plausible : 1. The expression may signify that Christ was literally seen, in such a way as spirits see, by those beings whom we call angels. And this, by referring to the Saviour's history, as recorded in the New Testament, we really find to have been the case. He was seen by them when he lay in the manger in Bethlehem; when he had van. quished Satan in the wilderness, and they came to minister unto him, ; when he was in the garden at Gethsemane, for there they sympathized with him in his distress; when they rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, at the time of his resurrection; and when he ascended into heaven from the mount of Olives, where two men, or angels, in white apparel, foretold to his disciples his second appear* Sermon by the author. 14 VOL. XI.-April, 1840. |