Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Part 5
Angels.
HEB. 1.7.
He maketh his Angels ſpirits, his Miniſters a flame of fire.
CHriſt, the Angel of the Covenant is here preferred before all created Angels,… Pet. 3.21. and worthily, as Lord and heir of all: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God: Angels and Authorities, and Powers being made ſubject unto him, ſaith ſaith S. Peter. The Papiſts (not out of Peter, but out of one Dionyſius) diſcourſe largely of the heavenly Hierarchy, and tell us of nine ranks and ſubordinations of Angels. But the authour is ſuſpected,Satius eſt ignorare ſine crimine, quam ſerutaricum diſcrimine. and the Scripture herein is ſilent. Now where the Scripture hath no tongue, we need not have ears, but muſt content our ſelves with a learned ignorance, leſt we fall into the ſin of thoſe Angel-worſhippers, Col. 2.18. intruding into thoſe thoſe things which they had not ſeen, vainly puft up by their fleſhly mindes. The Friars ſo puft up have names given them by their Governours each according to his merits: and as they encreaſe in their pretended holineſſe, ſo they proceed in their aery titles, from Padre benedicto to Padre Angelo, then Archangelo, Cherubino, and laſtly,Sands his relation of Weſt Religion, p. 20. Cerephino, which is the top of perfection. The Seraphims (thoſe flames of fire) whom the Papiſts place in the higheſt order, as neareſt to God, and ſet them as rulers over the inferiour Angels,Titen. Syntag. pag. 199. they alſo are called here Gods Miniſters, yea they are his meſſengers too (whatever the Papiſts ſay to the contrary) Iſa. 6.6. ſent forth to minister for them who ſhall be heirs of ſalvation, Heb. 1.14. And were not therefore created (as ſome have affirmed) many ages before his viſible world: for then there had been a beginning before that In the beginning, Gen. 1.1. Beſides,Haec fuit the… logorum Graecorum ſententia: in qua & ex tatinis erat non nemo. Ibid. 187. if the Angels be meſſengers and ministring ſpirits, what uſe was there of them, before there were ſome to whom they might be ſent, and for whom they ſhould miniſter? But, ſay they, If Angels were not created til the world was, why doth not Moſes mention their creation?
Some anſwer thus: leſt, if mention ſhould have been made of Angels in the beginning, God might have been thought to have uſed their help in the Creation. Others ſay, Leſt the Jews,Col. 2 18. ſo addicted to Idolatry, ſhould (as ſome did) fall into the ſin of Angel-worſhip. Chryſoſtomes reaſon is not to be rejected,Hom. 2. in Gen. That Moſes his purpoſe was only to ſet forth a deſcription of the ſenſible and viſible works of God, applying himſelf to the rudeneſſe of that people: and therefore omitting the doctrine of heavenly ſpirits, as farre above their underſtanding, and leſſe belonging to them, or us. For if the Theology for Angels were written, we ſhould need another Bible: the creation and government of Angels containing as great variety of matter, as doth the religion of mankinde. Howbeit it is probable they were created the firſt day, Gen. 2.1. with,Orthodoxi quidam patres ſenſerunt Angelos creatos eſſe primo die. quod iü dixerat Deus, Fiat Lux. i. e. naturae lucide. Bucholc. and in the higheſt heavens (as Chriſts ſoul was created with, and in his body in the Virgins womb, the ſelf-ſame moment) and are therefore called Angels of heaven. Beſides, thoſe morning ſtars and ſons of God are ſaid to ſing and ſhout when God laid and faſtned the foundation of the earth, Job 38.4.6, 7. Morning-ſtars they were all then, and Angels of light, ſons alſo of God, as made in his image, and reſembling him as his children, both in their ſubſtance, which is incorporeall, and in their excellent properties, which are life and immortality, bleſſednes and glory.
But now, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer ſon of the morning? The devil and his Angels kept not their firſt eſtate,Iſa. 14.12. The ground of their ſin was amor ſui luordinatus, whence diſcontent, rebellion, apoſtaſie. Yates his Madel, p. 176, 177. but left their own habitation, Jude …. For their ſin; ſome ſay, it was pride in affecting Divinity: Some ſay it was envy ſtirred by the decree of exalting mans nature above Angles, in and by Chriſt: Some ſay a tranſgreſſion of ſome commandments in particular, not expreſt, as Adams was. Whether in Paradiſe or heaven there are that diſpute, I have nothing to ſay; neither yet for the time when they fell; ſome think it was the ſecond day, becauſe it is not added, That God ſaw what he had done that day to be good. Sure it is, That his Angels he charged with folly. Iob 4.18.Neither were they (as the Spaniards ſay of the Portugals) Pocos y locos few and fooliſh: for there was a Legion of them in one man,Hey Geog p. 63 Mat 8. which is ſix hundred at the leaſt. There are that underſtand of them thoſe ninety and nine ſheep in the Parable, to that one of loſt mankinde. The Schoolmen would gather out of 2 Kin. 6.16. that as many Angels fell as ſtood, but the Scripture defineth nothing of that. It is probable that one fell firſt, and the reſt followed after, which are therefore called his Angels, Job. 8 44. evil Angels, ſuch as the Saints ſhall judge, 1 Cor. 6.3. Reprobate, apoſtate Angels, in oppoſition to thoſe holy and elect, Mat. 25.31. 1 Tim. 5.21. who ſtand and continue holy, not by means of Chriſts mediation, but Gods eternall election, and his preventing them with actuall grace, which made them effect and execute at the firſt, what ever thing it was wherewith it pleaſed God to prove their obedience. Chriſt, I know well, is called the Head of Angels, but this is in another manner of ſenſe then he is head of the Church, which is united and ſubjected unto him in a more near and communicative way, as his members, without the which he holds not himſelf compleat, Epheſ. 1.22, 23. Head of Angels Chriſt is, firſt as God; for the giveth them all they have, both eſſence and continuance. 2. As Mediatour, he uſeth their ſervice for the guarding and guilding of his Church and choſen. Not that Chriſt needs their aſſiſtance, as Princes need the counſell and aid of their ſubjects, whom therefore they aſſociate. The holy Angels receive more from Chriſt, then they perform or bring to him. But he maketh uſe of their ſervice, 1. To ſeal up his love unto us by imploying ſuch noble creatures about us. 2. To make and maintain love between us and Angels, till we come to walk arm in arm with Angels: For, I will give thee places to walk among theſe that ſtand by, Alluſively to the walks and galleries about the Temple. Mat. 18.10.ſaith Chriſt to Jehoſhuah the high-Prieſt; that is, among the Angels: who are elſwhere ſaid to ſtand alway looking on the face of God, to receive commandments, for the accompliſhment of all deſignes for our good. And this they do willingly, ſpeedily, conſtantly, zealouſly, reverently, with an awfull reſpect to the divine majeſty,Iſa. 6.2. before whom they cover both their feet (as conſcious of a comparative imperfection) and their faces with their wings, as a man claps his hands on his eyes at ſome extraordinary reſplendent brightneſſe ſuddenly ſhining upon him. As with two of their wings they flie,With wearines of flight. yea weary themſelves, as it were, with eager flight to do us any good office,Dan. 9.21. as Gabriel did to the Prophet Daniel, with the meſſage of the Meſſiah: Theodoret elegantly ſets forth their emploiment about God and his people in two words, foreign 1 They ſing praiſe to God, Iob. 38.7. Iſa. 6 3. Heb. 1.6.Angelos Proeulas Academicus & Plutarchus, eſſe putant foreign Jerentes ad bondnes, & baminum vota al Deos. Pſal 91. Mat. 4… whom they perfectly know and love, and therefore perfectly adore and honour. 2. I hey miniſter (whole myriads of them) both to him and us, Dan. 7.10. and do his will for our good, Pſal. 103.20. rejoycing more in their names of office then of honour, of emploiment then preferment, to be called Angels (that is, meſſengers) then Principalities, Thrones, Dominations, Epheſ. 1.20. Accounting it better prodeſſe quàm praeeſſe, to do good, then to be great, to diſpenſe Gods benefits to the Saints then to enjoy them themſelves. Hence they are with and about the Saints as their companions, guides, protectours, monitours, and rulers of their actions. As they rejoyce at their converſion (becauſe the room of the apoſtate Angels, whereby their ſociety was much maimed, is ſupplied by the elect) ſo when they are converted, they bear them in their arms (as the ſervants of the houſe delight to do their young maſter) and are at all times at their right hands (to ſet forth their dexterity and readineſſe to help them) in holy duties eſpecially.Angelu maxime in pulico cetu circumſiſtuntur piſ. bleò Tabernacuti cu'za Cherubinu lotus & ſoris reſerta. Satan ſtood at Iehoſhuah's right hand, as he was ſacrificing, to reſiſt him, Zech. 3.2. So did Gabriel at Zacharies right-hand, as he was offering incenſe, to enform and comfort him, Luk. 1.11. This they do ſtill, though inviſibly and infenſibly (that God might draw up our hearts heaven ward, and teach us to have our converſation above, though our commoration be here beneath.) Devils are not ſo ready to tempt and devour us, as the Angels are, to help and deliver us: as evil angels ſuggeſt temptations, ſo do good Angels holy motions. And as our good endeavours are oft hindered by Satan, ſo are our evil by the Angels: elſe, were not our protection equall to our danger, and we could neither ſtand nor rife. The devil moved Balaam to go (God bad him go if he thought good,Eccl. 11. …le. as Solomon bids the young man, Follow the waies of his own heart) a good Angel reſifts him, and ſpeaks in the mouth of his aſſe to convince him,B. Hall contemplat. If an heavenly ſpirit (ſaith one) ſtand in the way of a ſorcerers ſins, how much more ready are all thoſe ſpirituall powers to ſtop the miſcarriage of Gods dearest children? How oft had we fallen yet more, had not theſe guardians upheld us, whether by removing occaſions, or caſting in good inſtincts? Michael oppoſed Satan about the body of Moſes: ſo doe the Angels ſtill about the bodies and ſouls of the Saints, while they are alive. As when they are dead, they preſently convey their ſoules into Abrahams boſome thorow the devils territories, and in deſpite of him, for he is the Prince of the air. And for their bodies, they ſhall gather them together at the laſt day from the uttermost part of the earth, to the uttermoſt part of heaven, Mark 13.27.
Quest. But how ſhall they know the righteous from the wicked?
Anſw. Very eaſily. For, 1. They have miniſtred unto them, and been converſant about them. And if a ſervant know his maſters corn from another mans,Mali in area nobiſcum eſſe poſſunt, in borreo non poſſunt. Aug. and the tares from the wheat, why ſhould not the Angels as eaſily know the Lords crop?
2. The elect are marked from the reſt, Ezek 9. and ſhall ſoon be diſcerned, if by nothing elſe, yet by the lightſomeneſſe of their looks, and lifting up of their heads, for their redemption draws nigh. Whereas the wicked ſhall look gaſtly and rufully, the devil claiming his own, and theſe mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thoſe things which are coming upon them, Luk. 21.16. Then ſhall they be everlaſtingly ſhamed, Dan. 12.2. and ſentenced,Iude 14. Mat. 13. Mat. 25.41. Neither helps it, that they are a multitude: for Chriſt comes with thouſands of his Angels, to doe execution, to bundle up the tares, and caſt them into the fornace. Now if Ezekiel, Daniel, Iohn, &c. (men that had good cauſes and conſciences) did ſo tremble before one Angel, coming with good tidings in a leſſer manifeſtation of Chriſts glory; what then ſhall theſe do, when Chriſt cometh to judgement, and when he viſiteth what will they anſwer? &c.Iob 31.