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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	prophet_n	testament_n	5,085	5	8.1969	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32847	A theological discourse of angels and their ministries wherein their existence, nature, number, order and offices are modestly treated of : with the character of those for whose benefit especially they are commissioned, and such practical inferences deduced as are most proper to the premises : also an appendix containing some reflections upon Mr. Webster's displaying supposed witchcraft / by Benjamin Camfield ...	Camfield, Benjamin, 1638-1693.; Webster, John, 1610-1682. Displaying of supposed witchcraft.	1678 (1678)	Wing C388; ESTC R18390	139,675	230

power and might Whereas Angels saith St. Peter which are greater in power and mig●t When the H. Scripture would set sorth the excellency of Manna wherewith God fed the Israelites in the Wilderness above our Daily-bread it calls it Angels's Food and St. Paul adds the Tongue of Angels as a gradation beyond that of Men Though I speak saith he with the Tongues of Men and of Angels And to express the beautiful and amazing lustre of St. Stephen's countenance when he had spoke like an Oracle 't is said of him They s●w his face as it had been the face of an Angel Hence it is that the Name Angel is given as an honourable bearing to those whom God hath taken up to the greatest Dignity among Men. Thus it is communicated to the Chief Priest under the Law The Priest's lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger or Angel of the Lord of Hosts And to the Prophets The Angel or Messenger of the Lord that came up from Gilgal to Bochim is supposed to have been some extraordinary Prophet Haggai is called The Lord's Messenger or Angel delivering the Lord's Message to the People And Malachi which signifies an Angel is that Prophet's Name whose Writings conclude the Old Testament Some indeed have thought the Author of that Book to have been an Angel and not a Man But the Hebrew Rabbi's tell us It was Ezra the Priest and Scribe Whence I●nathan the Chaldee turns the beginning of that Prophencie after this manner Onus ●●rbi Domini super Israel in manu Malachi cujus nomen vocatur Ezra Scriba The Burden of the Word of the Lord upon Israel in the hand of Malachi whose Name is called Ezra the Scribe The LXX read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the hand of his Angel Again it is given to Iohn the Baptist who was Greater than all the Prophets that went before him the immediate Prodromus and Harbinger of our B. Saviour Behold I will send my Messenger and he shall prepare the way before thee Which we have in S. Mark Behold I send 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my Angel before thy face Nay it is given to Christ himself Whose shooe-latchets he was not worthy to unloose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greek reads that of the Prophet Isaiah Ch. 9.6 Verse The Angel of God's presence Ch. 63.9 and The Angel of the Covenant as the Prophet Malachi stiles him Ch. 3.1 and the very Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Gospel hath some relation hereunto concerning whom the Fathers as well as many later Divines interpret sundry passages of Angelical Appearances in the Old Testament as Precursorie types and Pledges of his future Epiphanie and Incarnation which I take occasion here to advertise once for all because I shall hereafter wave the notice of it S. Paul useth it as an hyperbolical commendation of that transport of affection wherewith the Galatians at first entertained him Ye received me as an Angel of God and our B. Savi●ur from Heaven bestows it as a Title of Pre●minence upon the Chief Governours settled in the Christian Church upon Earth in his Epistles directed to respective Heads of the seven famed Churches of Asia to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus To the Angel of the Church in Smyrna To the Angel of the Church in Pergamus c. Touching which I refer the Reader to Dr. Hammond's learned Dissertations of Episcopacie and his Vindication of the same Yea it is a stile beyond that of Apostle or King than which we know none greater among Men. Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any Gospel saith St. Paul Gal. 1.8 mentioning an Angel from Heaven as the more exalted and eminent And the Woman of Tekoah doubts not thus to commend King David My Lord the King saith she is even as an Angel of God And again My Lord is wise according to the wisedom of an Angel to know all things that are in the Earth To end this Argument this is the Description of our future state of Glory and Happiness far beyond any in the present Life that we shall be then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Angels of God in Heaven and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like or equal to the Angels Hi●rocles useth the same word with others that answer and agree to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Tertullian mentions Animam in Regno Dei reformatam Angelisicatam an Angelisied state Now since our Ex●ellency our highest and most perfect ●state is but to be as the Angels they must needs be granted ●ar above us here as Bishop Andrews well infers Nay let me add one thing yet farther The H. Scripture sometimes calls them C●ds Elohim as Origen also notes And so Aristotle and other Philosophers have also stiled them meaning yet Minores à summo Deo factos deos l●sser and made-Gods as Plato speaks or as Hesiod calls the He●o●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S●mid●os Demy-gods or as Se●●●● Inferioris notae and from Ovid de Plebe Deos Petty and Under-gods over whom the Supreme Deity is King or Populares Deos as An●isthenes cited by Lactantius Popular and Plebeian Gods Plutarch entitles a Discourse of his De Daemonio Socratis but Apuleius on the same Argument De Deo Socratis whom he calls also his Amicum Numen Plato de●ines a Daemon or Angel to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a middle sort of Being between God and Man and Max. Tyrius to the same purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. a Substance more excellent than Man but inferiour unto God We have there●ore abundant proof and conviction That the Angels are a sort of Beings transcendent unto us Men the b●st of Men and that in their best condition upon Earth Indeed the Apostle's way of arguing in this Epistle to the Hebrews is a sufficient demonstration of as much for he gives the proo● of Christ's Deity and exaltation next to God the Father by his being above the Angels ch 1. and then expresseth his great condescension to us mortals in that passing by the Angels he took on him the seed of Abraham and tasted death for every man ch 2. CHAP. II. Of the Nature of Angels PRoceed we now secondly to enquire into their Nature as they are here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spirits For this as S. Augustine notes is the name of their Nature as the word Angel more properly relates to their Office even as Man saith he is a name of the Nature Souldier or Praetor of Office And to this purpose we have it ver 7. before the Text Of the Angels he saith who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an immaterial Fire as one of the Greek Writers phraseth it God himself is

are of a Rank and Degree above us a more excellent sort of Beings than Men are SECT 1. That there are such real Subsistences 1. That there is such a Species of Beings that there are such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 real and external Subsistences and that they are not ●mia rationis Notions only Creatures of our brain Chimera's of our fansie or impressions made upon the imagination or meer Dreams and Appearances or Vis●o●s or a Noise in the air as some have represent●d nor yet only certain Divine in●luences and inspirations or certain a●fections and dispositions in Men V●rtues or Vices as others have conceived but true personal and p●rmanent Subsistences that have of themselves a real p●rfect and actual Being The Sadduc●es say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that th●re is no R●surr●ction neither Angel n●r Spirit Act. 23.8 They believed that there was a God saith Grotius but nothing else besides which was not perceptible by their bodily S●nses They looked not on Angels as really subsisting nor on the Soul of man as continuing af●er its separation ●rom the body and consequently denyed a Re●urrection But the following words as he w●ll observes seem to intimate their opinion of Angel and Spirit as one and the same thing The Pharisees confess both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not making three distinct particulars of the before-named but two onely which is also favour'd by the verse immediately succeeding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If a Spirit or ●n Angel have spoken to him Where those two words are equivalent It seems very strange now to conceive That the Sadd●●●es should say There were no Angels or Spirits whom all agree to have owned the five Books of Moses wherein are many evident Reports on Record of their Appearances and Operations and more wonder still if what Iosephus is said to relate be true of them that they received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Scriptures of the old Testament and rejected onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unwritten Traditions And therefore the Learned and Judicious suppose that their meaning was not to deny Angelos esse that there had been and were Angels so call'd but onely Spiritus esse immortales per se subsistentes that they were immortal and self-subsistent Spirits looking upon them but as certain apparitions ●or a time and such as vanished away when their Embassie or Message was dispatch'd And yet the whole Story of the Bible is a sufficient confutation of this vain conceit also which tells us those things of their Nature Multitude Order Ministries Rewards and Punishments from whence we must needs conclude them to have a real personal and permanent Subsistence I will not go about to mention the particulars here because they will be plentiful enough in the following parts of this Treatise It shall suffice therefore to set it down as a Point de Fide clearly deliver'd in the Holy Scriptures from whence we have all our certain and distinct knowledge about the Angels that there are undoubtedly such Beings Maximus Tyrius enquires of those who doubted of Socrates his Daemon whether ever they had read Homer speaking of the same thing under other Names as Minerva Iuno Apollo Eris and such-like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he calls them not that they were such as described by the Poet but that those Names imported certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assisting of excellent Persons both sleeping and waking And then he concludes his conviction thus If once thou thinkest that there are no such Beings take notice that thou must proclaim war against Homer and renounce Oracles and Prophecies and disbelieve credible Reports and declare against Dreams with their Interpretations And at last bid Adi●u to Socrates I may with greater Authority ask our Modern Sadduce●s Whether ever they have read the Book of God and therein observed the many and various passages concerning Angels set down at large and seriously admonish them to beware in time how they oppose or dispute against Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles In like manner as our B. Saviour said to their Ancestors Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Or as S. Mark hath it Do ye not therefore err because ye know not the Scriptures neither the power of God SECT II. That th●y are for Excellencie above us I add 2. That they are of a rank and degree above Men. Man is the Top of the visible Creation To whom God hath given Dominion over the works of his hands as the Psalmist witnesseth And therefore our B. Saviour puts the Question as to other Creatures Are ye not much better than they po●nting to the Fowls of the Air And the Apostle S. Paul having mentioned a Law providing for ●ea●ts comm●nts thus upon it Doth God take care for Oxen or saith he it altogether for our sakes And before them Iob's Friends Bildad not without indignation Wheref●re are we accounted as the Beasts And Elihu positively God our Maker teach●th us more than the Beasts of the Earth and maketh us wiser than the Fowls of the Heaven With all whom agrees well that of Ovid Sanctius his animal ment●sque capacius altae d●erat adhuc quod dominari in caetera possit Factus homo est That also of Iuvenal separat haec nos i. e Ratio à grege mutorum atque ideò venerabile soli sorti●●●ngemum divinorúmque capaces c. Sat. 15. Man is no fort●●●nous careless and uncontriv'd piece of work hundled up in haste as Seneca hath it but such as Nature hath none greater to glory of among her rarest and most exquisite draughts Cicero also to a like purpose Animal hoc providum sagax multiplex acutum memor plenum rationis consilii quem vocamus Hominem praecl●râ quâdam conditione generatum à summo Deo c. Lib. 1. de Legib. Hierocles placeth him between Heaven and Earth as participant of both Lives the lowest of Superiour but the first of all Inferiour Beings and by the possession of Vertue or Vice becoming by turns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a God or a Beast He hath indeed his Body in common with the Beasts but his Soul and Reason with the Gods as Epictetus tells us This briefly of Man's Excellency But yet no disparagement to him the Angels are his betters Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels saith the Psalmist which our Apostle applies even to Christ too wi●h reference to that Mortal Nature of ours which he assumed We may therefore note our B. Saviour's climax when he speaks of the uncertainty of the time of future Judgement But of that day and hour knoweth no Man no not the Angels of Heaven Where if Angels were not supposed beyond Man it had been ●lat and dull to have added no not the Angels of Heaven And as they excel us thus in knowledge so also in