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great reafon, upon fo great teftimonies, to affent to SER M. the truth of it. And there is no reason I think to doubt, but that God's care extends now to Chriftians, as well as it did to the Jews; and that the angels have as much kindness for us, as they had for the Jews; and there is no reason to think, that the angels are now either dead or idle.

Our SAVIOUR tells us, that they cannot die; and our reafon tells us that a pure spirit is an active principle; and the fcripture represents angels as all flame and wings. Evil fpirits are believed by Chriftians to be as active now, to all purposes of harm and mifchief, as ever: and why fhould any man imagine, that good spirits are not as intent and bufy to do good? The apoftle (I am fure) tells us in the text, that the angels in common (all of them) do employ their service about us, and wait to do good offices to us; << are they not all (fays he) miniftring fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them that fhall

"be heirs of falvation?"

And our SAVIOUR, Matt. xviii. 10. feems to approve and confirm the tradition of the Jews, concerning particular guardian angels belonging to every one that believed in him, that is, to every Chriftian; "Take heed (fays he) that ye defpife

not one of thefe little ones; for I fay unto you, "that in heaven, their angels always behold the "face of my Father which is in heaven." And this feems likewise to have been a received opinion among the first Chriftians; for we find, Acts xii. 15. that when Peter was miraculously releafed out of prifon by an angel, and came to the house where the Chriftians were affembled to pray for him, and one told them, "that Peter was at the door, they faid "it was his angel;" thinking that he himself was

SERM. faft in prifon : For which faying there could be no LXXV. reafon, had there not been a current opinion among them of guardian angels.

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"are they not all minifter for them Nay, our

And because the providence of GOD is more peculiarly concerned, in conducting men to eternal happiness; it is very credible, that GOD fhould more especially ordain the miniftry of angels about good men, for the furtherance of their falvation. And fo the apostle tells us in the text; miniftring fpirits, fent forth to that fhall be heirs of falvation?" SAVIOUR, in that remarkable place I mentioned before, Matt, xviii. 10. feems to intimate, that angels of a higher rank and quality are affigned guardians and guides to thofe that believed on him; "but I fay "unto you, that in heaven, their angels do always "behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven :" an allufion to the manner of earthly kings, upon whom not all the fervants, but the chief of the nobility do more immediately attend, and stand continually in their prefence; for to behold the face of the king, and to ftand in his prefence, are phrases ufed in fcripture to fignify immediate attendance upon his perfon. So that by this manner of expreffion our SAVIOUR doth moft fignificantly intimate, in what efteem good men are with GoD, whofe care and protection he commits to the chief of the angels, to those who are nearest to him, and in highest favour and honour with him, as if he had faid, their angels are not of the ordinary rank, but fuch as are admitted to a more immediate attendance upon the great king and governor of the world.

And no doubt it is for no mean end, that fuch high and glorious fpirits are employed about us; it is chiefly for the furtherance of our falvation; for

the

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the purchafing whereof, the Son of GOD himfelf SER M. ("whom all the angels of heaven worship") came down from heaven, and appeared and fuffered in our nature, that we may one day "be made like to the angels," and dwell where they are, and may "con

tinually behold the face of our father which is in "heaven as they do." And in order to this end, it is very probable, that good angels are ready to do good offices, juft contrary to thofe of evil fpirits, that is, to employ their beft diligence and endeavour for the falvation of men; and that they are very fedulous and officious to restrain and pull them back from sin, and to excite and folicit them to that which is good; and, in a word, to do all they can to help forward the repentance and converfion of finners. And this may reasonably be collected from that paffage of our SAVIOUR, Luke xv. 10, where he tells us, "that "there is joy in the presence of the angels of GOD, over one finner that repenteth." And if they be fo glad of the repentance of a finner; we may eafily imagine how forward they are, to further and promote fo good a work. And when finners are brought repentance; we have no reafon to doubt, but that the angels are as ready to affift their progress in goodness.

It hath been a general, and I think not ill-grounded opinion, both of the Jews and Heathens, that good angels are more efpecially prefent with us, and obfervant of us, and affiftant to us, in the performance of all acts of religion; that they are particularly prefent at our prayers: and therefore the Jews speak of a particular angel for this purpose, whom they call the angel of prayer; that they obferve our yows, and our breach or performance of them. So Solomon feems to intimate, Ecclef. v. 4, 6. "When

"thou

SERM." thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay LXXV. «it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that

"which thou haft vowed. Suffer not thy mouth "to caufe thy flefh to fin:" that is, do not intangle thy life with a rash vow, which the frailty of human nature may make thee afterwards to break; "neither "fay thou before the angel, that it was an error;' that is, do not in the prefence of the angel who attends upon thee, and obferves thee, betray thine own error and rafhnefs. This I take to be the meaning of this difficult paffage," let not thy mouth "cause thy flesh to fin; neither fay thou before the angel, that it was an error."

But the angels are yet more particularly present in the places and at the times of God's publick worship. The placing of the cherubims in the holy of holies, feems to fignify the prefence of the angels in our most religious addreffes to GOD. And Plutarch fays, that the angels are the overfeers of divine fervice. And therefore we ought to behave ourselves with all modefty, reverence, and decency in the worship of GOD, out of regard to the angels, who are there present, and obferve our carriage and behaviour. And to this the apostle plainly hath refpect in that place, which by interpreters hath been thought fo difficult, 1 Cor. xi. 10. where he fays, "that, "for this caufe," in the affembly of Chriftians for the worship of GOD, "the woman ought to have " a veil upon her head," in token of fubjection to her husband," because of the angels ;" that is, to be decently and modeftly attired in the church, because of the presence of the holy angels; before whom we should compose our felves to the greatest external gravity and reverence, which the angels behold and obferve, but cannot penetrate into the inward devo

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tion of our minds, which GoD only can do; and SER M. therefore with regard to him who fees our hearts, we fhould more particularly compofe our minds, to the greateft fincerity and ferioufnefs in our devotion. Which I would to GOD we would all duly confider, all the while we are exercised in the worship of God, who chiefly regards our hearts. But we ought likewife to be very careful of our external behaviour, with a particular regard to the angels, who are present there, to fee and obferve the outward decency and reverence of our carriage and deportment: of which we are very careful in the presence 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 we are in the immediate prefence of GOD, and of his holy angels, every one of whom is a much greater prince, and of greater power, than any of the princes of this world. But how little is this confidered, (I speak to our fhame) and by how few among us!

And as the angels are helpful to good men, in working out their falvation, throughout the course of their lives fo at the hour of death, they ftand by them, to comfort them and affift them in that needful and difmal time, in that laft and great conflict of frail mortality with death and the powers of darkness; to receive their expiring spirits into their charge, and to conduct them fafely into the manfions of the bleffed. And to this purpofe alfo the Jews had a tradition; that the angels wait upon good men at their death, to convey their fouls into paradife: which is very much countenanced by our SAVIOUR, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke xvi. 22. where it is faid, "that when Lazarus died, he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bofom,"

Nay