The Communion of Saints, Chapter 15
CHAPT. XV.
Of the cōmunion that the Sainctes have in this life with Angels.
The name of Angel, which is in English a Messēger, is in ye scriptures attributed, 1. to our Lord Christ; 2. to the spiritual creatures in heaven; 3. and to some certaine men on earth, imployed in the message and service of God.
2. Christ, is the Angel whom God †Num. 20. 16 1 Cor. 10. 9.sent to bring Israel out of Aegipt, in whome ‖Exod. 23. 20. 21.Gods name is, and is therfore caled the Angel *Isa. 63. 9.of his Face or Presence, even the ‡Exo. 34. 14.Face of God it self; the *Mal. …. ….Angel of the Covenāt, whom the Israelites desired; the Angel that ‡Gen. 48. 116. foreign … Redemer; the title of Christ.delivered Iaakob from al evil; the Angel that †Deut. 33. 116 Exod. 8. 2. 6.dwelt in the bush, whiles it burned and was not consumed; who was the God of Abraham Isaak & Iaakob; the ‖Iudg. 6. 11…. 14. 16 …Angel Iehovah, who emboldned Gedeon to battel against the Madianits, and was with him in the same; the Angel with the golden censer *Rev. 68. 68. ….that giveth many odours to the prayers of all Saincts, and out of whose hand the odours with the prayers goe vp before God in his throne. He is no created Angel, but the ‡Colos. 11. 1…6creator of Angels, and all other thinges in heaven and earth; therefore is he the †Iude. ver. ….Archangel, the ‖Col. 2. 10.head of al principalitie and power the *Dan. 10. 113.first of the chief Princes, even ‡Revel. 12. 7. Dan. 10. 21.Michael our prince, whom †Heb. 1. 6.al the Angels of God do worship. Of him and our communion with him is before spoken.
3. The ministers of God, though mē on the earth, yet for the service wherein they be imployed ar caled Angels or Messengers. Such were the priests in the tyme of the Law, as Malachie *Mal. 2. 7.intitleth them; such was Mat. 11. 10Iohn Baptist; & such ar Christs ordinarie ministers the †Rev. 1. 20. and 2. 1 &c. and often in that bookAngels of the Churches. Of whom it remaineth to be spoken otherwhere.
4. The blessed spirits which are about the throne of God, where ‖Dan. 7. 10.thousand thowsands minister vntounto him, and ten thowsand thowsands stand before him; these heavenly creatures being often sent forth into this world on Gods message, are therfore most properly & vsually caled Angels. Of thē do we treat in this place. These ar *2. Sam. 14. 20.wise & ‡Psal. 103. 20excel in strength, and in al ready and swift performance of the wil of God; They ar †Col. 1. 16.Thrones; Dominions, principalities, & powers, they ar the †Dan. 10. 13.chief princes above al the princes of the earth; and the title of ‖Psal. 8. 5. & 97. 7. with Heb. 1. 6. & 2. 6. 7.Gods is given vntounto them: God imparteth *1. king. 22. 19. 20. Zach. 1. 10. 11. &c.to them his counsels and vseth their ministerie in the government of the world.
5. These heavenly creatures, ar parties in the communion of the Saincts, as is ‡Chap. 4. Sect 3.before touched; for they & we hav al one head †Col. 2. 10. & 1. 18.which is Christ, & are al ‖1. Tim. 5. 2…elect to be partakers of the glorie of God for ever. But because they are *Heb. 1. 7.spirits, and hav not flesh and blood as we; therfore the fellowship between them and vsus is spiritual, to be learned out of the scriptures, and discerned by faith, not by ey-sight. Again God hath in ages past, before ye incarnatiō of Christ, more imployed them outwardly in reveling his will vntounto men, then in these last dayes he doeth; since he hath opened vntounto vsus the whole mysterie of his counsel, †Heb. 1. 1.by his Son. Yet as at the giving of the Law, when the Lord came from mount Sinai, & rose vp from Seir vntounto his people, he came with ‖Deut. 33. 2.ten thowsands of the Saincts: so in the time of the Gospel, when his feet stood on the mount of Olives, the Lord our God came, and *Zech. 14. 4. 5al the Saincts with him, to do him worship ‡Mar. 1. 13.and minister vntounto him; to guard †Rev. 9. 11.his throne & church; & to be sēt forth in ministery ‖Heb. 1. 14.for their sakes wch shalbe heyres of salvation.
6. Somtimes the Angels appeared in visible formes of *Gen. 18. 2. &c. & 19. 1. &c. Heb. 13. 2men, and for a while so conversed with men, eating and drinking, and talking familiarly of the matters wherabout they were sent; as in the historie of Abrahā & Lot is to be seen. Somtimes they appeared in more glorious shapes, like *Isa. 6. 2. 6. 7 Dan. 8. 15. 17 & 9. 21. 22.winged creatures, and so would treat with men about their affayres vocally: but their celestial majestie, then much daunted the sons of Adam. Sometimes they appeared, †Gen. 28. 12.but spake not; & againe somtime they spake, ‖Act. 8. 26.whē no mention is made of their appearing.
7. The causes also and effects of their appearing, were many and weightie. For by them Abrahā was told of the *Gen. 18. 10. 17. 20.birth of Isaak; & the destruction of Sodom; Manoah & his‡ Iudg. 13. wife, of ye birth of Sāson; Zecharie, of ye †Luk. 1. 13.birth of Iohn Baptist; Mary, ‖Luk. 1. 30. 32of ye cōceptiō, & ye shepheards, *Luk. 2. 10.of y• birth of our Lord Christ; the womē ‡Mark. 16. 1. 5. 6.of his resurrectiō; & the Apostles, †Act. 1. 10. 11of his second coming at the last day. By them Zecharie was ‖Zech. 2. 3. 4▪certified of the restauration of Ierusalem; Daniel *Dan. 7. 10. 16. &c. & 8. 13. 15. 17. & … & 9. 21. &c. & 10. 5. 6. &c.was informed of the state of the church from his time to‡ Revel. 1. 1… &c. vntounto Chap. 22. 6. 16. Christ; and Iohn, of the * estate therof, frō his dayes, to the worlds end. By them, Lot †Gen. 19.was delivered from the burning of Sodom; Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego, †Dan. 3. 28.from the fyrie fornace; Daniel, ‖Dan. 6. 22.from the Lions mouthes; & Peter, *Act. 12. 7. &c.out of Herods prison. By them, Abrahams servant, was ‡Gen. 24. 7. 40.guided in his journey; Philip, was directed to goe †Act. 8. 26. 29and preach to the Eunuch; Paul ‖Act 16. 9. 10.to the Macedonians; Iaakob, was encouraged *Gen. 28. 12. & 32. 1. 2. 11 24.in his going towards, & retourning from Mesopotomia, Eliah, was ‡1 king. 19. 5. 6. 7.refreshed with food in his flight frō Iezebel; Ioseph †Mat. 2. 13.was counselled to flee with Christ, from Herods persecution; and Paul ‖Act. 27. 23. 24.was comforted against peril of shipwrack. Their ministery was vsed at *Gal. 3. 19. Act. 7. 53.the giving of the fyrie law on mount Sinai; their melodie was heard at the ‡Luk. 2. 13. 14.birth of the Lamb, that reigneth on mount Sion; and they stil sing loud †Rev. 5. 11. 12his praises about Gods throne; and they shalbe the harvestmen to ‖Mat. 13. 39 41. & 24. 31reap the earth and to sever the bad from among the just, at the end of this world.
8. They ar Gods powrful instruments as for smiting †Psal. 78. 4… Act. 12. 23.the wicked with sore diseases; so for the help and healing of our sicknesses, when it pleaseth God so to imploy them: as appeareth by that famous miracle, often wrought in the pool at Ierusalem, whose waters were at certaine times troubled by an Angel; after which stirring, who so first stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. In memory of which heavenly grace, the place was caled ‖Ioh. 5. 2. 4. &c.Beth-esda, that is the house of bountifulnes or mercy.
9. And although now a dayes they appear not visibly, nor afford vsus such outward help: yet are these heavenly messengers, stil secretly imployed for the safeguard and benefit of the Saincts. For who so dwelleth in the secret of the Most high, and lodgeth in the shadow of the Almighty; over him (as the *Psal. 91. 1. 11Psalmist sayth,) God giveth his Angels charge to keep him in all his wayes: yea even vntounto ‡Mat. 18. 10.little children doth their care extend, & as the embroydred †Exod. 26. 1.Cherubims environed the Tabernacle, so doe those heavenly soldjers cōpasse and guard Gods true tabernacle the Church. And whereas we are in danger two manner wise, 1. by our own infirmitie, 2. and our enemies might & subtiltie: these ‖Dan. 4. 14.watchmen and guardians *Heb. 1. 14.of our salvation, do succour vsus in both. For as the mother, carieth in her armes the child which cannot wel goe; so these do Psal. 91. 12.bear-vsus-vp in their hands, that we hurt not our foot against a stone; and when we are besieged by our foes, these †Psal. 34. 7.pitch roūd about vsus, and deliver vsus; being as a bulwark betwixt the fiends, even all our enemies, and vsus. So that if God gave vsus to see with the eye, as we are taught to beleev by faith; we might behold with Elishaes servant *2. king. 6. 17the mountaines to be ful of horses & charets of fyre round about vsus: and would say with Iaakob, ‡Gen. 32. 1. ….This is Gods host. Neyther do they only save vsus from peril; but as heavenly warriours that excel in strength, they †Dan. 10. 20.fight against our enemies, pursuing and ‖Psal. 35. 1. 5 6.scattering them, as chaff before the wind; like as at Hezekiahs prayer, *Isa. 37. 21. … 36.an Angel came and killed 185. thowsand of his foes. And as they attend vponupon vsus in our life, so do they also at our death; being sent to fetch our flitting soules, & cary thē into ‡Luk. 16. 22.Abrahams bosome, in the Paradise of God.
10. These things as those blessed spirits the †Iob. 1. 6. & 38. 7.sons of God, do at the commandement of their heavenly father, ‖Psal. 103. …0 Mat. 6. 10.redily and cheerfully, for his elect: so also ar they beholders of our wayes & conversation, & affected (after their spiritual mā ner) with the things they see in vsus. For they ar, evē the thousād *Rev. 5. 1…. 12thowsāds of thē, as about Gods throne, so about the four living creatures & the 24. Elders, togither with them magnifiing Christ the killed Lamb, & prostrate on their faces do worship God, ‡Rev. 7. 11. 12.and giv glory vntounto him for evermore. Into the celestial mysteries reveled by the Gospel, they hav a †1 Pet. 1. 12.desire to look; because God hath by his church ‖Eph. 3. 10.made known his manifold wisdome vntounto them. Loving also they ar, glad and desirous of our good; as appeareth by their glorifying of the Lamb that was killed for vsus, not for them; and by the joy which they have, when any one of vsus converteth from our syns; as Christ *Luk. 15. 7. 10hath shewed. Witnesses they ar with the Lord, of the charges & contestations layd vponupon vsus, for the observing of our duties; as by †1 Tim. 5 21.the Apostles words to Timothee, we be taught. Wherfore we ought holily, righteously, & soberly to cary our selves, in al our actions; seing we ar a spectacle to those heavenly ‖Psal. 104. 4.Flames, and *Heb. 12. ….are come to the great assemblie of innumerable of them: yea the Apostle seemeth to require of ‡1 Cor. 11. 10.women, modest and submissiveattire, in respect of them.
11. Al this notwithstanding, we must take heed, both of superstitiō, and curiosity about them; for we are forbidden of God the †Colos. 2. 18.religion or worship of Angels: which when Iohn for the revelations shewed him would hav done; the Angel refused, and sayd, ‖Rev. 22. 8. …See thou do it not. If therfore we hav need of succour let vsus pray vntounto *Mat. 26. 53.our Father, and he can send vsus legions of them; and if we would giv thanks for their help, & offer a sacrifice; themselves †Iudg. 13. 16.hav taught vsus, to offer it to the Lord; whose servants they are, even ‖Rev. 22. 9.fellow servants with vsus; though much more excellent, able, and obedient. He it is, that sendeth them forth, for our sakes which ar heyrs of salvation; he also wil change this our corruptible estate, & cloth vsus with immortalitie, and make vsus *Luk. 20. 36.equal to those holie Angels, and giv vsus … place ‡Zech. 3. 7.among them: whose cōmuniō at that day we shal fully enjoy, togither with them serving our God, and lauding his Majestie, in his own blessed presence for ever.
The Angel of the Lord pitcheth round about them that fear him, & delivereth them.
Psal. 34. 7.