verse. cipalities, and powers of Heaven.1 But, whatever be the rank of the different Angels of God, all of them are holy. All of them are ministering Spirits to the Lord Almighty, doing His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word, ministers of His that do His pleasure.2 It may be that He sees fit to conduct in part by their agency the government of the uniBut, whatever be the manner in which He may have determined to exercise his superintendence over worlds to us unknown; we are assured that, in ruling the globe on which we dwell, He is pleased largely to employ the services of Angels. When the foundations of the earth were laid, the Angels were present, and beheld the new creation with rapture. The Morning Stars sang together: and all the Sons of God shouted for joy. When the law was promulgated on Mount Sinai, they were present; and, though invisible to mortal eyes, had functions of dignity and sacredness assigned to them in the aweful solemnity. The Law was received by the disposition of Angels. It was 10. 1 Coloss. i. 16. Eph. 3. 3 2 Hebr. i. 7. 14. Psalm ciii. 20, 21. 3 Job, xxxviii. 7. ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediator. When the Son of God invested Himself with human nature, for the purpose of accomplishing the mystery of redemption, that stupendous mystery of Divine Love into which the Angels desire to look2; their ministry was called forth in its most ample extent to glorify the mighty Saviour. To announce His incarnation, an Angel was sent to the Virgin Mary. The birth of His forerunner John the Baptist was predicted by an Angel to Zacharias. From the moment of the birth of Christ, to Him, though he had taken upon himself the form of a servant, to Him, even when he had thus humbled Himself, all the hosts of heaven were placed in subjection. His Everlasting Father, when He brought His First-begotten Son into the world, said: Let all the Angels of God worship him.3 When the appearance upon earth of the Lord Jesus was communicated to the shepherds by an Angel, suddenly there was with Him a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.4 19. 1 Acts, vii. 53. Gal. iii. 3 Hebr. i. 6. 4 Luke, ii. 13, 14. It was by an Angel that God commanded Joseph to remove the Infant and His Mother into Egypt from the murderous machinations of Herod. It was an Angel who, after the death of Herod, appeared to Joseph, and directed him to return with the young Child into the land of Israel. When our Redeemer had encountered and repelled the temptations of the Devil in the wilderness; behold, Angels came and ministered unto Him. When he was in his Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, there appeared unto Him an Angel from heaven strengthening Him.2 When seized by his enemies, He could instantly have received the aid, had He chosen to deliver Himself from death, of more than twelve legions of Angels. When the hour of his Resurrection was come, an Angel of the Lord, whose countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow, descended from heaven, and rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre. It was by Angels that the women who came to the tomb were instructed that Christ was risen. When, after the completion of his undertaking of mercy upon earth, 1 Matth. iv. 11. 2 Luke, xxii. 43. 4 3 3 Matth. xxvi. 53. He ascended into heaven, two Angels showed themselves by the side of his disciples, and averred to them that He should again come from heaven, in the same manner in which they had witnessed his ascent. To Him, as Head of his Church, now that he is exalted in his human nature to the right hand of God, Angels, and authorities, and powers, are made subject.1 Of His present government, of His flock throughout the world, they are spectators and ministers, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God." When He shall come in his glory, to judge the world, all the holy Angels shall be with Him. And He shall send them forth, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. And they shall sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.3 The Scriptures discover to us various purposes for which Angels have been commissioned to appear to men. Sometimes they have been sent to convey practical directions from God to His 3 Matth. xiii. 39. 49, 50. I 1 Pet. iii. 22. servants: as when the prophet Gad was commanded by an Angel to bear a message to David; and Philip the Evangelist to go down into the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza, that he might be ready for the service on which he was there to be employed. Sometimes they were to reveal far distant events, as to Daniel and to St. John. Sometimes they were to communicate special assurances of the Divine favour, which in certain cases were also accompanied with a disclosure of future events, or with instructions to the individuals: as to Abraham, to Hagar, to Zachariah, to Cornelius. Sometimes they were charged with messages of wrath: as to Balaam the soothsayer, and to the rebellious people of Israel at Bochim. Sometimes they were commissioned to afford to the servants of God assistance and deliverance in seasons of affliction or of peril: as to the Israelites in their departure from Egypt; to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace; to Daniel in the den of lions; to the diseased at the pool of Bethesda; to Peter in the prison; to Paul on his voyage into Italy. Sometimes they were sent forth to execute judgements for iniquity: as to destroy 1 Numbers, xxii. 23. 25. Judges, ii. 1—5. |