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A92136
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Joy of Angels. Delivered in a sermon before the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inne, on the last day of June, 1656. By Ja: Rutherford D.D.
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Rutherford, James, D.D.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing R2372; Thomason E948_6; ESTC R207576
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11,226
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24
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man can tell me with what shadow of truth can the Angels of God be excluded from all actings and operations upon the inward senses of man To conclude this third Incentive If Aristotle broke forth in joy when he did reade the learned Epistles of his Scholar Alexander If it be a Crown of rejoycing to the man of God to see the people of his charge not children but men in understanding How enlarged are the gratulations of Angels when their motions are attended and their monitions obeyed to our further progress in the School of Grace in which we are admitted and matriculated by Repentance This ground is Paedagogical There remaineth one and but one taken from Society of Arms which I called Martial Humane Stories tell us That the scarce numerable Army of Xerxes conducted against Greece was so defeated by Sea and Land that very few of them returned home but that was a continued overthrow of many dayes Aetius the Proconsul that prodigie of valour kill'd 20000 Barbarians led by Attilas the scourge of God in one day The like destruction is reported to have faln upon the Moors and Saracens by the wise Conduct of Charls Martel in one day Yet more five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell by the sword of Abijah and his loyal Subjects in one day But thousands of thousands millions of millions myriads of myriads of Angels fell in one hour When a battel proves more than desperate by the taking of the Royal Standard the surprizal of the Canons and Magazine the destruction of a great part of their Army yea the death of the General added What joy is it to the broken limb of that dispersed Army to see it self vigorously recruited God hath numbred unto himself an Army like unto the Army that he had lost or rather and indeed onely so that had wilfully lost it self hoses for horses chariots for chariots The Ranks and Files of lapsed Angels are fill'd up with new Recruits men and women penitent for their sins matter of joy extatical joy unto the holy Angels And thus they who own us in the womb of the Church Brethren in the house of God Fellow-servants in the school of Christ our Monitors in the field of the Church perform many Military services for us I will name but two 1. They are watchful Centinels in destroying the devices of the enemy and giving a timely alarm to the happy frustration of the same Arise and take the babe and his mother and flee into Egypt and be there until I bring thee word for Herod will seek the babe to destroy him S. Mat. 2.13 2. They are faithful Life-guards He shall give his Angels charge over thee in all thy wayes Psal 91.11 Jacob had experience hereof whose Convoy they were into the Land of Canaan This is Gods Host Gen. 32.2 Such was their diligent custody of Elisha when the Syrian Army came to take him who in contemplation of his guard broke forth into that expression of high confidence They that are with us are more than they that are with them 2 Kings 6.16 And hitherto of the Reasons the two Reasons of this Proposition The unfeigned conversion of a sinner is the undoubted rejoycing of Angels to wit their relations unto God whose Angels they are and their relations unto Man discoursed unto you to be Natural Paedagogical Oeconomical and Martial It remaineth we come to the Questions which are two The former How come the Angels of Heaven to know the conversion of a sinner upon earth I answer Conversion is either passive or active This distinction is necessarily to be maintained against the Flatterers of Nature Enemies of Grace The former I call Conversion in the heart the latter Conversion of the heart The first is the immediate act of God hid from the Lyncean eyes of those Spirits but hid a very little while Gods act being infrustrably followed with our actings which makes conversion of the heart from which effect the Eagle-sighted Angel concludes the antecedent cause to wit Conversion in the heart 2 Quest Is the conversion of every particular sinner made known unto all the Angels of God I answer Whatsoever is of the essential beatitude of Angels is known unto them all Now their knowledge of thy repentance or my conversion is accidental not essential to their bliss It is enough that some Angels do know it and rejoyce therein As for other Angels far removed at least not definitively present in that Ubi where the new convert is when they come to know this holy change it is either by revelation from God or he approving it by communication of the circumstant or concerned Angel one or more Briefly though the wisdom of Angels is exceeding great yet it is finite very large yet limited for neither by their Matutine or Vespertine knowledge in the language of the Schools borrowed from S. Austine neither by their natural or experimental infused or acquired knowledge in the expression of Moderns have they a distinct and intuitive inspection of future contingencies depending upon the singular providence of God or mutability and indeterminateness of mans will without particular revelation from God and consequently reade not the inmost thoughts of men but when they are rendred legible by omanations and signs for God onely knows the thoughts of the hearts of all the children of men as it is in the dedication-prayer of Solomon 1 King 8.39 In a word God sees our thoughts afar off even before they are formed Angels near at hand when they are performed which is abundant matter of their joy at the conversion of a sinner Likewise I say unto you There is joy in the presence c. And now suffer the word of Exhortation Man is a Creature not more remarkable for Invention than Imitation of things worthy very seldome but of things to be abhorred too often Natural deformities in the body have been copied out as singular beauties and Moral infirmities of the soul of some have past into vices National and Epidemical Have we not read and seen unsound Opinions onely sipt by great ones taken down in great draughts by the injudicious multitude The calumniating superciliousness of those Demagogues Scribes and Pharisees had empoysoned the fillier people had not our Saviour prepared this Antidote and the iron-like austerity of the Novatians denying Repentance to such as sinned after Baptism and excluding all relapsers how penitent soever from Church-Communion had over-spred the Primitive Church even unto precipitating desperation had not the holy Fathers burning with the zeal of Christs truth maturely and vigorously opposed the same These certainly are not for us to imitate unless we chuse rather to contesserate with Hereticks than Orthodox Professors All the Reformed Churches and that of Rome also condemning as those painted Perfectionists of old so them likewise who tread in their steps at this day What did I mention the Reformed the Roman Churches To congratulate the salvation of the Gentiles was the practice
Natural the second Oeconomical the third Paedagogical and the last Martial Of which perspicuously and succinctly in their order and first of the first ground Natural or Proximity of Kindred Holy Angels are called The Sons of God Job 1.6 and true Converts enrobed with the same Title Now we are the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.2 they Sons and we Sons of one God and Father therefore Brethren therefore near in Kindred Jacobs youngest Son was Benjamin the son of his right hand but the eldest was Reuben unstable as water But in the filiations now in hand it is quite otherwise the confirmed Angels are Gods Benjamins and converted sinners whilst they walk by faith and not by sight are as Reuben And though they are the elder brethren yet their Seniority is not such as Origen fancied created long before this visible world for by these words Before the foundation of the world Scripture denotes Eternity Eph. 1.4 yea Moses celebrates the Eternity of God in that He was before the Mountains were brought forth ere ever he formed the earth and the world Psal 90.2 Nor yet with others do we think they were created the sixth day that is to make us Twins even the productions of one birth but we hold it most consentaneous unto truth That together with the supreme Heavens they were created the first day so that they were five dayes elder than Adam who is called the Son of God S. Luk. 3. ult To which filiation having sinned we are not restored but by Repentance and then brethren of Angels they by Creation we by Conversion both by Adoption Ah silly Cosroes though the great Monarch of Persia it was thy debasement to instyle thy self Brother to the Sun and Moon Ah ridiculous hypocrite Francis of Assise in calling the Wolf thy Brother the Fire thy Brother We need not emendicate thoughts of humility from such servile prostitutions of our Nature nor need we court those great Luminaries of Heaven to own us in a Brotherhood We are exalted unto a Fraternity with the Angels by our Repentance from dead works to serve the living God the first Motive of their Joy and that Natural I adde a second taken from Family-relations they servants and we servants of the great King I am thy fellow-servant and of the Prophets thy brethren and of them that keep the words of this book saith the Angel Rev. 22.9 'T is true S. John was an Apostle of the greatest Magnitude yet was it no small dignation in the Angel who was perfect to call him Brother tending to perfection Sure I am it was much greater when the Angel profest himself a fellow-servant to the Prophets men separated to the Ministery but not assumed to the height of Apostolical Function And yet he doth not stick there he comes lower and of them that keep the sayings of this book even the meanest of Christs Menial servants The difference betwixt a Subject and a Servant is known to every one All the people of Spain are the Subjects of their King but they onely that are enrolled in the Houshold-book are properly his Servants Amongst whom some are of his Bed-chamber others of his Presence-chamber in near and dear relations above stairs yet disdain they not to call them of the Houshold which are below stairs their fellow-servants Angels Apostles Evangelists Prophets Martyrs Virgins Confessors even all the Saints departed are Servants of the King of kings and their attendance is above stairs I mean in Heaven all in Heaven for quality not equality of Glory and yet the most immediate and eminent Officers to wit Angels do not scorn to call us penitents below stairs far removed from the Beatifical Presence of our God their fellow-servants 'T is frequent in the Courts of Princes some Servant to start up and plausibly to perswade his Lord to retrench his family yet such specious counsels are often forg'd upon the Anvile of Self-interest but that Servant to whom the honour of his Lord is dear and sacred delights to see him numerously attended Good Angels for of them onely we speak all this while are most zealous of Gods glory which is most sweetly manifested in the great Court of Converts who being called out of the state of Subjects at large to be properly of the Houshold of God those ancient Courtiers those prime Servants the Angels are therewith gladsomely affected Which is the second ground viz. Occonomical 3. They instruct and men do learn The Angel Gabriel doth expound the vision of the four Beasts unto the Prophet Dan. 6.16 informs him of the 70 weeks cap. 9. ver 21. unto the end yea reveals many other great mysteries unto him in the 10 11 12 Chapters of that book So in the Old In the New Testament the very same Angel doth annunciate to the holy Virgin the Incarnation of the Son of God in her of her Luke 1.26 Angels acquaint the Shepherds with the joyful news of his Nativity the Resurrection of Christ declared by an Angel to the women Matth. 28.5 the Apostles themselves are instructed in his Ascension and his return to Judgement by two Angels Act. 1.11 yea the future estate of the Church until the day of the restitution of all things is revealed by an Angel I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie these things unto you in the Churches Rev. 22.16 Some Arminians do teach That at this day God useth the visible Ministery of Angels for the conversion of Pagans to whom Christian Pastors are totally wanting Of which I will say no more than what Gabriel Biel hath long ago following S. Hierom concluded of such speculations Whatsoever is not founded upon sacred Scripture either expresly or by just consequence and neither way in my opinion is this opinion is with the same facility rejected as affirmed When the Gospel of Christ lay hid in a Mystery when the foundations of the Christian Church were not laid when the Canon of the sacred Oracles was not completed it seemed good to the wisdom of God to relieve the infirmity of man by sensible and exteriour Revelations of Angels But now that the light of the Gospel is so clear in it self and so clearly sealed up and confirmed such vocal and outward Ministrations under sensible and assumed shapes are not to be expected and yet well are not they who deny all power to the holy Angels to act upon the inward senses of man For my part with the good leave of my Religious and Learned Brethren be it spoken I doubt not but good Angels suggest good counsels tender holy motions offer pious thoughts yea refresh the often parched spirits of gracious men with inward joy Shall wicked Angels steal the Word that was sown in the hearts of men lest they should believe and be saved Luke 8.12 Shall the Devil work in the children of disobedience Eph 2.2 Enormously disquiet the affections 1 Sam. 16.15 yea inject wicked thoughts with success in godly men 1 Chron. 21.1 Tell me if any