The Mystery of Mankind, Part 4
GOD SEENE of Angels.
Explication.
THis Manifestation of God in the flesh, and iustification in the Spirit, The third day of the weeke.was so apparant, and the glory thereof so great that it filled heauen and earth with the brightnesse of it, for it was as well seene of Angels as of men. Seene of Angels, that is, knowne of good Angels, and acknowledged of euill Angels, who felt the power thereof. Of Angels those heauenly souldiers, whose creation, both for the time and place, whose apparition, whether it be reall, or imaginary onelyonly, whose motion, whether it be in time, or at an instant, whose locall sight, whether it bee definitiue, or may bee in many places at once,Haec crypta magis Platonicorum, foreign quam Christianorum. foreign, theologiam sperare iudicamus. whose tongue, whether it bee a proper and peculiar Idiome among themselues onelyonly, or communicable to others, whosetuition, whether it be (according to the Egyptian and Platonicall deuises seuerally limited ouer particular Countries, Prouinces, & cities, whose number whether it be deuided into three Hierarchies, and into nine orders and other such like curious Queeres: if any desire to know, I referre the in quisitors thereof to Abbas Tritemius, Agrippa, Dionysius, and others.
My purpose in this discourse, beeing not to make knots, but to endeauour to vntie them rather, and not so much to satisfie the brain with curious contemplacions, as to desire to sanctifie the heart with diuine meditations, shall endeauo…r and tend to open more profitable lessons, and therefore first I shew vntounto you, that Angels are spirituall essences created of nothing, formed most neere to the …mage of God, ordayned of God to minister to himselfe, to take care of his elect people, and to enioy eternall happinesse with him, being endued with most royal robes of excellent wisedome, righteousnesse, and sanctitie.
The Scripture both Canonicall and Apocripha notifie their natures by certaine proper names attributed vntounto thē
The sacred Canonicall Scripture, note…h two of most eminent imployment, Gabriel signifying the power of God imployed in the message of this manifestation, and Michael, signifying, Who is as God, imployed in the debellation of gods, & our enemies
The Apocrypha Scripture hath these fowre, Raphael, which is power of healing, Vriel named so of the light, Ieremiel called so of the merciemercy of God, and Shealtiel designing the prayse of God.
The Canonicall Epistles of Saint Paul to the Churches of Ephesus, Eph. 3. 10.and Colossi, Col. 1. 16.declare their nature by fiue tearmes of puissance, calling them Thrones, as attendants on Gods tribunall to doe, and execute his decrees, dominations, as being authenticall, & hauing powerfull warrant for what they do, principalities, as guiding & guarding their seueral limited, & especially appointed princedoms, powers, as hauing effectuall working ouer inferiors, Mights as being Gods great guard, who is the Lord of hosts, & angels generally in the whole body of the Scripture, which noteth their generall imployment, being Gods nuntioes, emissaries, & messengers,Dan. 7. 10. A thousand thousand of which stand before him, & 10000. minister vntounto him. Such are their names, such are their natures, & such are their general imploymēts.
And as for their conceited hierarchies of angels, assisting Seraphins, Cherubins, & thrones Angels cōmanding dominations, principalities, powers, angels executing, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, are rather fancies thē verities, rather imaginations then conclusions of diuinity.
As for their number, wee are sure it is numberlesse. For Daniel saith,Iunius in Iocum. Dan▪ 7. A thousand thousand stand before him, and ten thousand minister vntounto him: where a difinite number is put for an indefinite. Christ himself also testifies it saying.
I can euen now pray vntounto my Father, and he will giuegive me more then twelue legions of Angels; Mat. 26.and the spirt of God witnesseth, That wee are come to innumerable company of Angels. Heb. 12. 22.Oh this is a singular comfort vntounto vsus, for hence we know that more are with vsus, then against vsus, as Elisha sayd to Gihazi.
This Misterie of Godlinesse, is sayde here to bee seene of these glorious spirits the Angels, so that wee see Godlines is Angelicall.
Seene, that is, perfectly knowne, for what we see we auerre confidently against all gainesayers to be true, for we auouch with asseueration,Vident animo eloquere (mi fili) vt te videam Senec. that we saw it with our eyes.
Seene intellectually, as the Lattins speake, they see in their mindes: Speake on my son that I may see thee.
In which sence also the Angels who are childrens Gardians, are fayde alwayes to behold the face of their Father in heauen.Mat. 18.
VntoUnto naturall sight three things are required. First the power of seeing, then the light, as the meanes of seeing, and a visible forme for the obiect.
To this intellectual, Angelicall knowledge or fight are three things also requisite.
First, their intellectuall power of knowledge giuen thē by their Creator in their creation; then the reflection of Gods light, as the meanes of their knowledge, and the sacred body of Christ Iesus as the visible obiect to delight them.
The knowledge then of Angells is twofold, the one naturall whereby they see, and know God in the vndeuided Trinitie (to wit) the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost) one in essence, and three in existence, and all the creatures of God in this blessed vision.
The other knowledge of things is two fold: First, by a matutine knowledge, as Saint Angustiue calleth it, knowing, and seeing all things in the Word, by whom all things were made, and afterwards by a view of the creatures in themselues. For the Angells see the creatures in God, and men see God in the creatures.
Playnely thus, Euclides, Archimides, or some such like skilfull Mathematitian, first seeth, and knoweth the length, and breadth, and all the demensions of the lines, and eueryevery turning, tryangle, and particular parcell of his draught and circle in his minde and cogitation, and afterwardes seeth and knoweth the same lines, angles, and Circles, in the table, dust or earth, wherein hee draweth those proportions; semblably the Angels see, and know all things reuealed vntounto them: First in God, and then in the Creatures; in God, as in their mindes, in the Creatures, as in the reuealed obiects, For Angels hauehave a naturall knowledge, wherein they were created, euen as many as continued their stations in the truth and seruice of their Creator, and they hauehave also reuealed knowledge from God in seuerall particulars, as to the Angell Gabriel was made knowne in particular the Incarnation of the Messia…. And they hauehave also an experimentall knowledge of Gods wisdome in the mysterie of his sonnes Inca…nation, euen by the reuelation of preaching in Gods church, as Paul witnesseth, VntoUnto mee (sayth he) who am lesse, then the least of al Saints, Eph. 3. 10.is this grace giuen, that I should preach among the Gentiles the vnsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mysterie which from the beginning of the world hath beene hid in God, who created all things by Iesus Christ, to the e…tent that now to the principalities and powers in heauenly places might bee knowne (by the Church) the manifolde wisdome of God.
And this is most apparant in the sight, and certaine knowledge, that the Angels of Heauen had of the particulars touching this blessed mysterie; for before Christs incarnation, the time of the sixtie two weekes, which was the time, from that prophesie to his passion was seene▪ and known to an Angel,Dan. 9. 24. that reuealed it by Gods appointment to Daniel.
Christs name was foretolde by an Angell before hee was conceiued in the womb;Mat. 1. his conception reuealed by an Angell,Luk. 1. and both to the blessed Virgin;Luk. 2. his birth was proclamed to the shepheards by a troupe of Angels;Mat. 2. his flight into Egypt from Herods butcherie; his returning out of Egygt, and turning aside into the confines of Galilee, all directed and ordered by an Angell, that God especially imployed in that message.
In his temptation in the wildernesse,Mat. 4. Angelles minister vntounto him,Luk. 22. in his agonie, an Angell from heauen comforteth him,Mat. 26▪ in his apprehension hee testifieth to his enemies teeth, that hee could hauehave a guarde of more then twelue Legions of Angels, if he should desire them of his heauenly Father.
While he was in the graue an Angell descendeth,Mat. 28. and rouled away the stone from the dore of the monument.
After his Resurrection, two Angels sate one at the head, and the other at the feet,Ioh. 20. 20. where Iesus body had layne, and declared that hee was rise… from the dead, they beeing imployed by God to bring that message to the then mournfull and sorrowfull Disciples, for the late death of their heauenly master.
In his Ascension two Angels spake vntounto the people, that gazed vp into Heauen,Act, 1. 11 after him, and certified them of his comming againe to iudgement in the end of the world.
Yea the very euill Angels saw and knew the power of the sonne of God in this manifestation to their great terror and torment.
Insomuch that they crie in the possessed;Mat. 8. Oh Iesu, what hauehave wee to doe with thee? Art thou come to torment vsus before our time? And when they were forced to depart out of the possessed, they roare and yell, yea they fell downe, and confesse saying,Luke 8. Thou art the Sonne of God: and at the last being driuen by extremit…es, they desperately attempt to coniure Iesus Christ by God himselfe, not to torment them.
Moreouer, after Christ departure into Heauen,Mar. 5. his very Name was, and yet is most dreadfull vntounto them, and most powerfull against them: For S. Paul by the power of Christs name cast out an euill Angell out of a Damsell that had a spirite of diuination.Act. 16.
And the Disciples of Christ came vntounto him reioising, that euill Angels were madeLuk. 10. 17. subiect vntounto them through his Name.
Whereby it appeareth to our vnspeakeable comfort that the God whom we serue, was knowne and acknowledged of the blessed Angels, yea, and that euill Angels also felt his power, and know him to their faster and deeper despayre, and are now, and alwayes made subiect to Gods elect.
What vnspeakeable comfort is the knowledge of this vntounto vsus?Applicatiō. What excellent direction doth this Angelicall knowledge affoord vsus in our Euangelical seruice, and what diuine incitement is this to stir vp in vsus Angelical zeale? Comfort it is vnspeakable.
For all these blessed Spirites are the attendants of our Lord Christ, and are his Emissaries and Nuntioes, sent out by him for the good of them that shall be saued.Heb. 1.
Not that eueryevery particular person hath a peculiar Angell designed vntounto him to bee his Guardian (as the Popelings would hauehave it) but hence wee know,Psal. 91. that not one Angell, but many are ordayned by God to succour and safeguard vsus in all necessities and distresses what soeuer.
And without controuersie, this is more comfort a thousand times, then to know that one Angell onelyonly is appointed to bee our assistant, In our life, in our death, and in the day of iudgement, they are appointed of God to bee our assistants. In our life, yea in all our life: In childehoode, Christ sayth,Mat. 18. Take heed yee despise not one of these little ones, for I say vntounto you, that in Heauen their Angels doe alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in heauen.
In affliction Hagar is comforted by an Angell.Gen. 16. In the warres Angels fight for Israel against the Assirians.Es. 38.
In prison Peter is loosed out of prison,Act. 12. and out of the fetters by an Angell, albeit hee slept betweene two souldiers that tooke vponupon them to be his keepers.
In all our waies the Angels hauehave charge to bee our Conuoy towardes Heauen.Mat. 4.Psal. 91.
At sea in shipwracke, an Angell comforteth Paul, Act. 27.and sheweth vntounto him what wold be the issue of that voyage.
On land, Iacob in his iourney to Mesopotamia, Gen. 28.is guided by an Angell.
In death they transport vsus into Abrahams bosome,Luc. 16. and keep watch ouer our interred bodies vntill the Resurrection. And in that great haruest at the end of the world, they are the Reapers in that great solemnity, and exceeding Maiesty, They are the Harbengers, Heraldes and Trumpeters,1 Cor. 15. and in the sentence of that iudgement they shall bee the deuiders that shall separate the good from the bad.Mat. 1 3
Oh that our seruice of God then were practised byMat. 25. vsus according to our prayers: For wee pray, Thy will be done O Lord, euen on earth, as it is in Heauen, that is by vsus Christians on earth, as by holy angels in heauen. The Angels seeing and beholding this great and wonderfull sacred mystery, Prayse God continually, crying Holy, Es. 6▪Holy, Holy Lord God of Saboth; should not wee also both by prayers and praises magnifie our God vncessantly.
The Angels most readily exceute Gods will, should not we with King Dauid say, Our hearts are prepared, we are ready to doe thy wil, O Lord.
The Angels louelove God aboue all things: why do we esteeme any thing in the World but for him, and for his sake, as helpers to leade vsus towards him.
The Angels long after our saluation, and much ioy therein: Why doe wee thrust one another into Hell; and heauinesse by our lewdnesse, misperswasion, and euill example?
The Angels desire yet further to see the perfection, and finall consummation of this glorious mystery of Christs Kingdome, why do wee wretches neglect the blessed meanes thereof, which are offered vntounto vsus eueryevery day?
Thus the blessed Angells doe, because they are a part of the Ch…rch vniuersally considered, whereof our Lord Christ is the head, and they much ioy for our association with them, whereby the ruine of those Angells that fell, is repayred, and for the Incarnation of the Son of God, wherby they are in grace most assuredly confirmed for euermore.
Why should not wee, hauing so cleare a reuclation and so displayed a sight, both' in Gods workes, in Gods word, and in the face of Iesus Christ; Why should not wee, (I say Men and Brethren) endeauour that we may doe Gods will, in some measure on earth, as the blessed Angels do in Heauen, seeing God hath placed vsus in the middest, creating vsus neyther Angels nor beasts, but affording vsus the meanes by the preaching of the Gospell, that by Regeneration: wee might become as glorious as the angels of Heauen, and not by degeneration become worse then brute beasts: For God hath giuen vsus the sparkes of right reason to surpassebeasts, and holy grace to surpasse our selues.
Is it not then a thousand sorrows to eueryevery good beleeuing heart to conceyue, that albeit God in his aboundant mercies hath thus reuealed himselfe vntounto vsus in the manifestation of our flesh, among vsus by the power of this Almighty spirite aboue vsus, and by the testimony of Angels about vsus, yet there should bee of them that professe Christianity, such as are worse then the Sect of the Saduces, for the Sadduces yet acknowledge that Angels were the good motions stirred vp in vsus, but these neither acknowledge God, good motions, nor diuels, but are copartners with the Diuell against Michael, and his Angels, and are become CombatantsApoc. 12 against Christ, and his Christians.
Hath not Sathan (thinke you) sifted such to the bran, and winnowed such to the chaffe by his damned motions, that he hath made them good for nothing, and left in them nothing but the dregs, and remnants of himselfe, as namely, the eagernesse, and greedy desire of hauing, and the cursed sins of despite and malice: for they hauehave taken the Diuell at his word, when he shewed them the Worlde, and the glory therof, and said vntounto them.Mat. 4. All this will I giuegive you, they immediately fall downe and worship him. Or else shew themselues to be of the diuels pedegree by the grosnes of lying,Iohn 4. by the fulnes of impurity, by the subtilty of sorcery, or as was sayde by the mischiefe of helsish malice.
All which dregs of the diuel. hide the sonne of God from those children of disobedience, and nothing remaineth for thē (except they repent) but the fearefull sentence of Depart from mee yee Mat. 25cursed into hell fire, prepared for the Diuel and his Angels.
Whereas if the sonnes of mē would consider but what losses they sustaine hereby, me thinkes it should recall eueryevery good mind, but of an ordinary vnderstanding to a far better dispositiō: For we Christians lose by such wickednesse the honour of beeing such euill Angels Iudges;1 Cor. 6. Why doe not yee know that we shall iudge the Angels? that is, doe ye not know that we shall be assessors with Christ in the day of iudgment, and condemne the diuell and his angels?
We lose the sight of Christs mysticall body in the glory of his Saints,2. Pet. 1. Which the Angels of heauen desired to behold.
We loose the victorious triumph of Gods Saints, for shortly Sathan shall bee beate 1. Thess 4.downe vnderunder our feet.
Let vsus then rayse vppe our selues to his glorious assotiation of the Angels, in our seruice of God, knowing, that there are more with vsus, then against vsus, and that our Lord (Christ Iesus shal appeare in the end of the world with this holy Angels in Maiesty,Mat. 25. and great glory to iudge all mankind.
And I adiure you before Iesus Christ, and his Elect Angels, Tim. 21.that yee diligently and duely consider these things, Heb. 12.For yee are not come vntounto the mount which might not bee touched, and that burned with fire, nor vntounto blacknes and darknesse, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voyce of words which voyce they that heard entreated that the Word should not bee spoken vntounto them any more.
But yee are come vntounto Mount Sion, and vntounto the City of the liuing God, the heauenly Ierusalem, and to aninnumerable company of Angels, and to the generall assemblie, and Church of the first borne, which are written in heauen, and to God the iudge of all, and to the spirites of iust men made perfect, and to Iesus the Mediator of the New Test… ment, and to the bloud of sprinck lings, which speaketh better thinges then that of Abell.
Oh blessed Lord, let mee see thy face, for thy face Lord will I seeke.
Incomparably blessed are those sacred Spirtes (O holy & Inuocation…heauenly Father) who euer attend thy glorious Maiesty, and stand before thee …ight & day to behold and see thee in thy displaied glory. They are in the fulnesse of ioy, and at thy right hand, where are blessings for euermore They are euer delighted with the sight of thin… vnsearchable wisedome, of thine vnutterable glory, and vnspeakable mercy. They are free from the assaults of sinne or Sathan, for no euill commeth neere thy dwelling.
O miserable, wretches that wee are on earth, subiect to Sathans sl…ights, the fleshes frailety, and the worlds wickednesse. Debarred are we from thy glorious light (O King of Heauen) and shut vp h…e in the darkenes of our own ignorance, and lye in the very shadow of death. Restrained are wee from the ioyfull fruition of the companie of those stiall attendants the Angels & Saints that euer doe thee seruice without ceasing.
O blessed Lord, how happy were wee the miserable inhabitants of thy footstoole, if thou wouldest vouchsafe vsus that fauour for Christ his sake, as to deliuer vsus out of the prison of this body, out of the fetters of sinne, and out of the snares of the Diuell, that wee might serue thee without feare in thy Court of Heauen continually.
Consider good Father our miserie, and forasmuch as in Christ Iesus thou hast giuen vsus a light of thy selfe, in the mirror of thy mercy, and mystery of Christian godlinesse. Leaue vsus not comfortlesse, but grant vsus for his passion sake a glympse of thee, euen in this Life, while wee are here, that our soules may be rauished with holy desires, and neuer be satisfied vntill we come vntounto thee our God to enioy thy selfe in glorious maiestie.
To this blessed end, Oh tender hearted Father, arme vsus with helpe from heauen in all the occasions of our life. For thou knowest: O Lord, that wee war not against flesh and bloud onelyonly which are intestine and homebred enemies, but against principalities, powers and spirites of errors, and darkenesse in high places.
Thou knowest O Lord, that they are many, mighty and malitious: Thou knowest our frailety, our feeblenesse, and our folly.
Helpe vsus then, deare Father, out of all the temptations and snares of the diuell. Let thy guard of good Angels, and holy ones stand with vsus to assist, stād ouer vsus, to protect vsus, & giuegive thē a charge, O Lord, to keepe vsus in all our wayes. Let them stand at our right hand to guide vsus for the best: Let them goe before vsus dayly with thy preuenting mercy, as they did before the hoast of thy Israel. Let them comfort vsus in the good, as they did thy Iosuah. Let them supplie our wants, if neede require, as they did thy Eliah.
Let them deliuer vsus out of prison as they did thy Peter: saue vsus in shipwracke as they did thy Paul.
Let them alwayes be ayding vntounto vsus in our sicknesse, and in all the weakenesse and temptations thereof, yea in the last breath of our life, and a…ter death: Let them trāsport vsus into Abrahams bo…ome, as they did thy Lazer….
And graunt vntounto vsus O Father, for Christs sake this grace that while wee liue here, we may endeauour to do thy blessed will, as the angels doe in heauen, That wee may euer …praise thee for thy goodnesse, sing vntounto thee for thy mercies, magnifie thee for thy graces, and multiplie our daily thankefulnes, for thine vnspeakeable fauours, both towardes our bodies, and towards our soules, sowards our selues and children in this lise, and in that to come.
Cause vsus, O Lord, to tremble at thy fearefull iudgements, that didst not spare the Angels that sinned, but hast reserued them in chaines of darknesse vntounto the iudgement of the great day, O Lord if thou diddest not spare them for one sin, what shall become of vsus that hauehave sinned dayly against thee, and do multiplie our iniquities as the haires of our head, and as the sands of the sea shores which is innumerable.
O Father hauehave pitty vponupon vsus, forgiue vsus sweete Father, forgiue vsus for Christs sake, and giuegive vsus thy grace, that wee may con…ert and turne vntounto thee, with all our hearts, that those blessed spirites the Angels may hauehave ioy in our conuersion, and repentance, and we may ioy…e with them in the celebration and honour of thy great and glorious name for euermore. O let vsus bee partakers of that grace, with thy blessed Angels, which winneth infallibly, holdeth inseparably, and leadeth indeclinably into the wayes of eternall blessednesse.
Grant vntounto vsus these mercies, O God of mercies, for Christs sake, our onelyonly Mediator.
So shall wee that are thy people of thy pasture, sheepe of thy flocke, and Church of thy Redeemed, as thy holy ones of heauen, be euer telling of thy praise, and magnifying thy goodnesse in Christ Iesus world without end, Amen.