Angels saith he stood round about the Throne and fell before the Throne on their faces and worship'd saying Amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be unto God for ever and ever Amen Where we observe also a decent reverence and uniformity both of gesture and expression for our instruction doubtless in their worship And their Liturgy we see is wholly in a manner composed of Lauds and Praises Doxologies and Thanksgivings which therefore should waken us to an holy emulation of them in the same our blessed Lord and Saviour having taught us to pray dayly that Gods will may be done by us on earth as it is by them in heaven Tibi omnes superni cives cuncti B. Spirituum ordines gloriam honorem suppliciter adorantes concinunt sine fine Laudant te Domine illi superni cives magnificè honorabiliter D. Aug. Med. c. 33. Well therefore hath our Church taken in certain parcels of their holy Offices into her public Service So in the Te Deum To thee all Angels cry aloud the Heav'ns and all the Powers therein To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth heav'n and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory So at the holy Communion a little before the Consecration and Receiving of the Sacred Elements Therefore with Angels and Arch-angels and with all the company of Heav'n we laud and magnifie thy glorious name evermore praising thee and saying holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heav'n and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high And again after we have participated of the Heav'nly Food there follows that Angelic Hymn Glory be to God on high and on earth peace good will towards men we praise thee we bless thee c. The Psalmist that Sweet-Singer of Israel we find calls upon the Angels to bless and praise God yet not in the least to reflect upon their backwardness or impute a negligence and forgetfulness to them but as one delighted himself in that celestial imployment and desirous to set them forth as excellent examples of it and provoke them to a supply of those higher measures of devotion which he could not reach unto Bless the Lord ye Angels of his that excel in strength Bless ye the Lord all his Hosts ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure Ps. 103.20 21. And again Praise ye the Lord from the Heav'ns praise him in the heights Praise ye him all his Angels praise ye him all his Hosts Psal. 148.1 2. III. These Ministring Spirits wait upon God as his ready Messengers to receive his commands observe his orders go upon his errands and embassies and fulfil all his will thus to serve and obey him in whatsoever he shall send or imploy them about Non solùm autem hymnos decantant sed divinae etiam oeconomiae ministrant Theodoret. Divin Decret Epit. So we have it in that place of the Psalmist just now recited Ye Angels of his that do his commandements hearkning unto the voice of his word and ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure who are always at his beck No sooner doth he signifie or injoyn any thing but they are presently on the Wing swiftly flying In Iacob's Vision therefore we have a Ladder reaching up to Heav'n with Angels ascending and descending on it that is in continual motion quorum unum solumque officium est servire nutibus Dei nec omninò quidquam nisi jussi◠ejus facere apparitores magni Regis Lactant. Instit. l. 2. c. 17. Sometimes they are dispatch'd to declare and make known the mind of God as the Law was deliver'd by Angels on Mount Sinai and several Messages of Glad-tidings we read of by and from them in holy Scripture as to Abraham Daniel Zacharias the blessed-Virgin Saint Iohn and others of which more afterwards Sometimes again they are sent to execute God's Judgments and pour out the Vials of his Wrath Revel 15.6 7. as on the wicked Sodomites Gen. 19. on the First-born in Egypt Exod. 12. on the Assyrian Host 2 Kings 19. on the People of Israel 2 Sam. 24.15 16. But oftner as the Ministers of good things to work deliverance and bring supplies extraordinary to his Servants and Worshippers as I shall take occasion hereafter more particularly to specifie and therefore forbear to add any thing of it farther in this place unless it be the testimony of Hesiod to this truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But O that we could learn of those blessed Spirits and might be awaken'd to imitate and follow them in these steps of their Ministry unto God! That we may delight as they do in the presence of God and the places of his Worship and Service That we may be as zealous and devout orderly and unanimous diligent and unwearied in the glorifying of God and praising of his Name And that we may add unto all our religious acknowledgments a readiness of obedience too like unto theirs to hearken unto the voice of his word and do his will and commandements SECT II. Their Ministry unto Christ. Secondly They are Ministring Spirits unto Christ the Son of God made Man whence they are said to ascend and descend upon the Son of Man Saint Iohn 1.51 And this they do by divine appointment When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world he saith and let all the Angels of God worship him Heb. 1.6 according to that of the Psalmist worship him all ye Gods Here now I might entertain you with a prolix discourse to shew how all along the holy Angels have waited upon Christ and Ministred to him But I will only touch upon the particulars most of which the devout Gerhard hath summarily laid together Angelus ejus conceptionem nunciat nativitatem manifestat in AEgyptum fugere mandat Angeli serviunt ei in deserto ministrant ei in toto praedicationis ministerio Angelus ei adest in mortis agone apparet in ipsius Resurrectione Angeli praestò sunt in Ascensione aderunt in futurâ ad judicium reversione 1. To signalize his Advent an Angel foretels his immediate Fore-runner Iohn the Baptist unto Zacharias Saint Luke◠13 and then his Conception to the Virgin Mary ver 30.31 resolving her doubts how this should be ver 35. and after that assuring Ioseph her espoused Husband that what was conceived in her Womb was of the Holy Ghost Saint Mat. 1.20 2. At his Birth as hath been some-where already intimated an Angel is the Herald to proclaim the good news of it to the Shepheards in the Field and directs them to the place where he lay and immediately upon that a whole host of Angels sing together in consort with him glorifying and lauding God Saint Luke 2.10 c. No sooner was he born into the World but he was look'd upon with admiration by the Angels adored and worshipped by those knowing and
most fully confutes And now I see not from hence any shew of Reason why our Author should except the Rational Soul or Spirit from his enquiry into the Nature of Angels I pass on therefore to his third Reason and will be briefer in all that remains lest my discourse swell beyond the bounds I intended it 3. Saith he because it is safer to believe the Nature of the Soul to be according to the Analogy of Faith and the concurrent opinion of the Learned than to sift such a deep Question by our weak understanding and reason I hope he is not of the opinion of Atheo-Pol that Theology and Reason have two distinct and separate Kingdoms between which there is no commerce or affinity viz. Reason the Kingdom of Truth and Sapience Theology of Piety and Obedience only and accordingly that our Faith requires not vera sed pia dogmata But I rather constre this as an expression of his tenderness and modesty only And yâ—t as deep a Qâ—estion as this is he tells us elsewhere The unanimous consent of all men which is more than the concurrent opinion of the Learned hath agreed it as I shewed before whatever become of Solomon's Who knoweth in the precedent Reason And we find him not so over-shy as here he would seem of siâ—ting some Questions of as deep Philosophy to the full as this such as that towards the close of his Book of the Astral Spirit and the Efficacy of Charms by Astral Influences c. But is it in good earnest a deeper enquiry to look into the nature of our own spirit which we are most privy to For who knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him than to search into the Nature of Angelical Spirits without us Is not that Candle of the Lord our weak Understanding and Reason more like to discover somewhat within doors than to administer any steady light abroad where the stronger winds of uncertainty and opposition puff and blow about it Or lastly Is there not as much of the Analogy of Faith and the concurrent opinion of the Learned about the Angels as about the Humane Soul I conclude therefore from the Premises that there was no reason at all why he should thus once for all exclude and except forth the Humane and Rational Soul as not to be comprized in the same limits with Angelical Spirits unless this only that it was like to prove unserviceable to his Cause nay an irreconcileable Enemy to it And so I come at length more directly to reflect upon what he discourseth of the Nature of Angels which yet I should not at all have concern'd my self with were not his Arguments levell'd against their Incorporeity as a thing utterly inconceiveable which we can in no wise understand or if they proved no more but this that Angels have certain Vehicles or Bodies joyned to them as the Humane Soul hath though of a more noble and refined sort to which purpose I'have also granted somewhat in the precedent Treatife Ch. 11. § 1. But he seems to me confused in his own understanding about them and therefore he shuffles or blunders in the stating of this Question making it all one to prove that Angels are Corporeal and that they have Bodies or Vehicles joyned to them whereas there is an apparent difference between these two and the one may securely enough be granted as by many it is where the other is yet denied Take his own words As much saith he as we contend for is granted by Dr. More in these words For I look upon Angels to be as truly a Compound Being consisting of Soul and Body as that of Men and Brutes And therefore saith he they must needs have an Internum and Externum as the Learned and Christian Philosopher Doctor Fludd doth affirm in these words Certum est igituâ— inesse ipsis sc. Angelis aliud quod agit aliud autem quod patitur nec verò illud secundum quod agunt aliud quam actus esse poterit qui forma dicitur neque â—tiam illud secundum quod patiuntur est quicquam praeter potentiam haec autem materia appellatur So much the less reason still say I to exclude the Humane Soul from this Enquiry But if this were all he needed not to have taken so much pains about it being done to his hands or he might have spared at least those arguments which prove somewhat more if they prove any thing He might have kept those Arrows by him which are shot besides and beyond this Mark These Arguments do sufficiently and evidently prove that Angels are either Corporeal or have Bodies united to them which is all one to our purpose whether way soever it be taken And again We have sufficiently proved saith he that they are corporeal that is that they have Bodies naturally united to them and so have an Internum or moving power and an Externum or a part moved To me therefore he seems to hide himself only and darken the business by those terms of simply and absolutely incorporeal which are so usual with him and the only retreat he hath upon occasion to betake himself unto To be short that which I search after is thâ— Internum in Angels or pars movens or actus or forma illud quod agit in Dr. Flud's Philosophy or the spiritual part of these compound Beings or whatever Name he please to call it by what that is And if we can once find out that as we have already the Humane Soul incorporeal and capable of self-subsisting what will become of that which he affirms so dogmatically that our Faculties cannot conceive of an incorporeal Being But now let us see the scuffle and how demonstratively he lays about him 1. Saith he we lay it down for a most certain and granted truth that God simply and absolutely is only a most simple Spirit in whom there is no corporeity nor composition at all And what other things soever are call'd or accounted Spirits are but so in a relative and respective consideration and not in a simple and absolute acceptation And this is the unanimous tenent of Fathers School-men and all other Orthodox Divines agreeing with the plain and clear words of Scripture as God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And again Now the Lord is that Spirit That God is a Spirit whatever some dispute is I grant affirmed in holy Scripture and that he is the most simple and excellent Spirit I as readily believe But it is no-where in our Bible said that God is the only Spirit or that there are no other Spirits but God In the very same verse which asserts God to be a Spirit we also are allowed a Spirit too to serve and worship him in And if we once take the liberty to turn all other Spirits so call'd into Bodies I doubt the
an old Verse to construe and chew upon Carpere vel noli nostra vel ede tua A Table of the chief Contents THe Introduction and Partition Page 1 Ch 1. Of Angels in General 3. Sect. 1. That there are such real Subsistences 4. Sect. 2. That for excellency they are above us 6. Ch. 2. Of the Nature of Angels 11. Sect. 1. Spirits 12. Sect. 2. Created 22. Sect. 3. Intellectual and Free Powerful Agile and Immortal 27. Ch. 3. Of their Number and Distinction 35. Sect. 1. Of their Multitude Ibid. Sect. 2. Of their Order 39. Ch. 4. Of the Offices of Angels 49. Sect. 1. Their Ministry unto God 50. Sect. 2. Their Ministry unto Christ. 61. Sect. 3. Their Ministry to the whole World especially of Man-kind 66. Sect. 4. Their Ministry to the Faithful 78. Sect. 5. An Objection touching the superfluousness of their Ministry removed 100. Ch. 5. The Character of the Persons for whose good especially they are Commission'd 104. Sect. 1. Heirs of Salvation 105. Sect. 2. A farther account of the same and therein of things necessary to Salvation 109. Ch. 6. Practical Inferences from the whole 118. Sect. 1. The Christians Priviledge and Comfort Ibid. Sect. 2. The Christians Dignity not to be despised 123. Sect. 3. Why no more mischief donâ— in the Worlâ— and why so much permitted notwithstanding the presidence of Angels 126. Sect. 4. No disparagement to â—ny to Minister â—nto and serve others 131. Sect. 5. Angels to be revered but not adored 135. Sect. 6 God in and for them to be admired and glorified 144. Sect. 7. Why and how the Ministâ—y of Angels is to be obliged by us 150. The Conclusion with Prayers 163. The Contents of the Appendix FOr the Reader 's ease and benefit I have pointed to the chief Contents already in the Margin as so many rests and pauses for his thoughts as here I present him with a view of them together The Occasion and Scope of these Reflections Page 169. The denial of Spirits a step to Atheism asserted and justified against Master W. 171. Dangerous Positions of Master W. against the Idea of a Spirit and of God 173. Self-study and Reflection the right and ready method to the notion of Spirits 176. Master W's Contradictions both about Body and Spirit 177. The Humane Soul excluded by him from his disquisition about Angels for three pretended Reasons 178. This method of procedure unreasonable 179. Master W. confounds Imagination and Intellect which else-where he knew well to distinguish 180. Master W. asserts the Incorporeity of the Humane Soul 181. An examination of his three Reasons for excepting the humane Soul from this enquiry 183. Of his First Reason Ibid. A short Comment upon Genes 2.7 concerning Mans Original 184. Of his Second Reason 186. An Explication and Vindication of Eccles. 3.18 21. from Atheistical and profane Epicureans 187. Of his Third Reason 194. Master W's Speculations about the Corporeity of Angels and how he blunders in the stating of this enquiry 195. The Critical point of the present Controversie 196. God a most simple and absolute Spirit but yet not thâ— only Spirit 197. Angels are not such Spirits in perfection as God iâ— and yet truly Spirits 198. Mr. W. asserts Devils more spiritual than he allows other Angels 199. His mighty Arguments against the Incorporeity of Angels examined and found weak 200. Rules and Laws of Bodies ineptly applyed unto Spirits 202. The difficulty of explaining the manner of Things must not make us deny what is otherwise evident 203. Some Texts of holy Scripture considered and vindicated from Master W's Exceptions 206. Saint Mark 12.24 207. 1 Cor. 15.44 208. Psal. 104.4 Ibid. His clear Reasons against the Scholastick Interpretation of this last Text proved defective 211. OF ANGELS AND THEIR Ministries Hebrews 1.14 Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to Minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation The Introduction and Partition of the â—nsuing Discourse THE chief scope and design of the Apostle in this Chapter is to declare the exaltation and preference of Christ Jesus above the Angels To which purpose not to lead you through the whole contexture in the Verse immediately before-going he thus argues But to which of the Angels said he at any time Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool So God had said expresly to this his beloved Son Psal. 100.1 thereby to intimate that peculiar state of Royal Majesty and Honour whereto he had advanced him But he never said the like to any of the Angels no not to the most excellent among them all They are not therefore Lords like him but Servants under him for the good of his Disciples So much the Interrogation of the Text imports with emphasis leaving the matter to be decided by the Reader 's judgment and making an Appeal to every one upon it as in a case known and granted Are they not all that is undoubtedly all the Angels are ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation Abstracting then from the coherence of the words we will observe for the more orderly and profitable consideration of them these six points First The Persons spoken of they the Angels in the precedent Verse as to their Name Angels and the certainty of their existence Are they not Secondly Their Nature Spirits Thirdly Their number and multitude all and therein their order and distinction Fourthly Their Function and Office ministring Spirits sent forth to minister Fifthly The Character of such for whose good and benefit this their Ministry is chiefly intended for them who shall be heirs of salvation And Lastly By way of Application those practical Inferences which are most proper and pertinent to be made from the whole In which severals now that we may proceed with due success I do here in compliance with the well-grounded piety of the Ancients prefix the Prayer of a Learned Divine in his Proem to Cases of Conscience about this very subject Lead us O Lord our God into the right way we beseech thee and direct our goings by thy good Angels but command the evil ones to be as far as is possible removed from us Amen CHAP. I. Of Angels in the General I Begin with the Persons here spoken of Angel is a Greek word made English and it signifies a Legate Embassador or Messenger employed upon another's Errand So of the Disciples of Iohn the Baptist whom he sent to enquire of Jesus whether he was indeed the Christ it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When the Angels or Messengers of Iohn were departed But the word is more restrainedly taken both in holy Scripture and our common way of speaking for a peculiar and divine sort of Messengers certain coelestial Spirits made and commissioned and employed by and under God Concerning whom all that I shall offer under this head will be 1. That there are such real Subsistences and 2. That they
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 â—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 Visâ—oâ—s or a Noise in the air as some have representâ—d nor yet only certain Divine inâ—luences and inspirations or certain aâ—fections and dispositions in Men Vâ—rtues or Vices as others have conceived but true personal and pâ—rmanent Subsistences that have of themselves a real pâ—rfect and actual Being The Sadducâ—es say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thâ—re is no Râ—surrâ—ction neither Angel nâ—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 Sâ—nses They looked not on Angels as really subsisting nor on the Soul of man as continuing afâ—er its separation â—rom the body and consequently denyed a Reâ—urrection But the following words as he wâ—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 â—n Angel have spoken to him Where those two words are equivalent It seems very strange now to conceive That the Saddâ—â—â—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 â—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 Adiâ—u to Socrates I may with greater Authority ask our Modern Sadduceâ—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 thâ—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 poâ—nting to the Fowls of the Air And the Apostle S. Paul having mentioned a Law providing for â—eaâ—ts commâ—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 Wherefâ—re are we accounted as the Beasts And Elihu positively God our Maker teachâ—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 mentâ—sque capacius altae dâ—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 sortiâ—â—â—ngemum divinorúmque capaces c. Sat. 15. Man is no fortâ—â—â—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 praeclâ—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 wiâ—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 â—lat and dull to have added no not the Angels of Heaven And as they excel us thus in knowledge so also in
power and might Whereas Angels saith St. Peter which are greater in power and migâ—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 sâ—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 Iâ—nathan the Chaldee turns the beginning of that Prophencie after this manner Onus â—â—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. Saviâ—ur from Heaven bestows it as a Title of Preâ—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 Hiâ—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 Exâ—ellency our highest and most perfect â—state is but to be as the Angels they must needs be granted â—ar above us here as Bishop Andrews well infers Nay let me add one thing yet farther The H. Scripture sometimes calls them Câ—ds Elohim as Origen also notes And so Aristotle and other Philosophers have also stiled them meaning yet Minores à summo Deo factos deos lâ—sser and made-Gods as Plato speaks or as Hesiod calls the Heâ—oâ—s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sâ—midâ—os Demy-gods or as Seâ—â—â—â— Inferioris notae and from Ovid de Plebe Deos Petty and Under-gods over whom the Supreme Deity is King or Populares Deos as Anâ—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 deâ—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 thereâ—ore abundant proof and conviction That the Angels are a sort of Beings transcendent unto us Men the bâ—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 prooâ— 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
the one and onely uncreated and the Angels are created Spirits Substantiae spirituales as Tertullian also calleth them whatever he thought of their incorporeity Here brieâ—ly we must examine what a Spirit is and then what kind of Spirits Angels are SECT I. Spirits Not to search into the different significations of the word Spirit as it is sometimes taken we mean by it here according to the most proper and known acceptation and use of it which is the best rule of speech An incorporeal or bodyless Being endued with understanding will and active power And whatever incompossibility jargon or non-sense some haughty scorners have talked of in the Notion of an immaterial or incorporâ—al substance as if the words flatly contradicted and destroyed each other and were such as however men put together they could never have the conception of any thing answerable to them those who have inured their minds to a more sober thoughtfulness and skill the difference between intellect and imagination find it as clear and distinct and no whit more intricate perplexed or difficult than that which the ablest Philosophers can give us of a Body The immediate Attributes or intrinsick Properties of the one being as plainly and easily intelligible as of the other and naked Essences we have no knowledge of Essence or Being is the common Term under which all things are represented to our minds and we distinguish them only by their proper and peculiar adjuncts or attributes and from thence divide them into their respective Classes of Substances and Accidents entia per se per aliud material and immaterial corporeal or incorporeal res extensa res cogitans or whatever else it is that others chuse to describe them by for I list not here to enter upon that Controversie Theodoret in his Dialogues hath enough to serve my turn Q. What are the properties of the Soul or Spirit A. To be endued with Reason simple immortal invisible Q. What is proper to the Body A. To be compounded visible mortal Spirit stands opposed to Body We read when the Disciples were affrighted supposing they had seen a Spirit Iesus said unto them Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have In the same Phrase as Homer speaks of the Souls of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And to a like purpose the Platonist The Natures of Demons are not flesh nor bone nor blood nor any thing else that is corruptible and capable of dissolution or liquefaction It is remarkably explained in the Nazaren's Gospel cited by Ignatius and Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bodyless Demon or Spirit without a body And accordingly Dr. Hammond here paraphraseth it Ye doubt or suspect me to be a Spirit without a body It is very I body and soul together But lest any should here object that in some Manuscripts the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also we find elsewhere S. Matth. 14.26 and S. Mark 6.49 a spectrum or apparition though I conceive that supposeth our Doctrine of Spirits they may please to note farther how the Apostle S. Paul contra-distinguisheth these two Flesh and Blood on the one side and Spirits on the other For we wrestle not against flesh and blood saith he but against spiritual wickednesses or wicked Spirits as the Syriac there hath it A Spirit is a Being which we cannot touch with our hands or see with our eyes as we do Bodies which is not the object of our external senses nor can be pointed at with the finger or pictured out to us in its proper nature there being nothing like it in the whole visible world of Bodies and nothing so near of kin to give us any sensible resemblance of it as the wind or animal Spirits are whose force and power we feel but yet cannot behold either of them Whence probably anima and animus were derived from the old Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the most positive best and easiest conception we can frame of a Spirit is certainly by reflecting upon our own Souls For the Soul of man is also a Spirit The Spirit of man within him opposed to his body of Flesh. And they are strangely out who take the measures of man by his outward appearance and Carcase only Solomon speaks of man's dissolution with reference also to his original Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God that gave it Agreeable to which are those excellent Verses of Phâ—cylides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. Our Spirit is the Gift and Image of God For we have our Body out of the Earth and as to that part all of us being dissolved into the same become dust again but then Heaven receiveth our Spirit again which came from thence The words of Lucretius do fitly enough express as much provided onely that we construe them in a Diviner sense than he intended Cedit item retrò de terrâ quod fuit ante In terras quod missum est ex aetheris oris Id rursùm coeli rellatum Templa receptant When our B. Saviour had cried out on the Cross Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit He gave up the Ghost saith the Text that is emisit Spiritum he sent forth his Spirit and Ghost is the most proper word for a separated or departed Spirit Accordingly we read of the Spirits of just men made perfect Now the Spirit or Soul within us is the principle of all our thoughts and knowledge of all our will and choice of all our Life and motion These then are the proper attributes of a Spirit Understanding Will and Vital motion or self-activity and power of moving other things And this notion we shall find applicable both to God and Angels When we speak of God we must think of nothing material 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither dimensions nor colour nor figure nor any other bodily passion We may indeed define him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the most conspicuous Beauty but not a beautiful Body He is a Spirit and the Spirit of Man his imperfect image And by so affirming we not onely exclude him from the number of visible sensible and Corporeal Beings whose Understanding and Knowledge is infinite who wills and nills chuseth and refuseth according to that infinite Understanding and Knowledge who hath Life in himself and acts according to his will and choice a Being of most soveraign wisedom goodness and power Such is the Idea of the most excellent Spirit Thus Anaxagoras defined him Infinitam mentem quae per scipsam moveatur and thus he is described by Cicero Mens soluta libera segregata ab omni concretione mortali omnia
Deorum And Homer is by many call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter admirabilem scilicet multarum rerum cognitionem And Proclus will have the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be used in divers respects 1. God alone saith he is ipsâ essentiâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. e. omnia sciens omnibus prospiciens Whom Plato likewise calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Angels are so comparatione because they do proximè ad Dei scientiam accedere idque naturâ suâ And then 3. The Soul of Man is so habitu by vertue of its acquisitions Zanch. de oper Dei p. 1. l. 2. c. 1. Their faculties and capacities are abler and larger than ours They are undique oculati full of eyes before and behind They are more privy than we to the Almighty's Councels Standing in his presence and beholding of his face And then their time for observation and experience hath been much longer even from the first of the Creation which must needs make a vast addition to the treasure of their knowledg always growing and increasing For with the antient is wisdome and in length of days is understanding And yet their knowledg is not infinite and boundless but limited and confined Some things are hidden from them as the Day of future judgment Some things are proper and peculiar to God only to know as the secrets of mens hearts and those future contingents which depend upon the free-will and determination of reasonable creatures The Angels we presume have a deep and searching 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or skill of guessing beyond the ablest Sons of Art that are most vers'd in Natures Secrets and the History of the World and so can readily foretel such things as necessarily depend upon certain natural causes though to us unknown and make shrewd conjectures of other matters But the certain fore-knowledge and prediction of things to come which are purely voluntary and contingent must be reserv'd to God himself who sometimes makes his appeal thereunto as that which is not communicable to any other besides shew the things that are to come hereafter saith he that we may know that ye are Gods Whereto agree 〈◊〉 notable saying of Pacuvius Nam si qui quae eventura praevideant Equiparent Iovi As to the distinct manner of Angelical knowledge natural or revealed per suam essentiam per species vel imagines à Deo inditas nec ratiocinando ut nos sed magis simplici intuitu or the way of communication which they have either among themselves or unto mortals their tongues and language whether it be only voluntatis actu imperio as in God to will is to effect and our inward operations and bodily motions much depend on the nutus inclination and determination of the will 't is somewhat beyond our present dull apprehension who dwell in clay and therefore the inquiry after it fit to be respited donec Elias venerit as the Jews speak or to the other World Hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon Earth as the Wiseman observes and with labour do we find the things before us but things that are in Heaven who hath searched out And as Zanchie saith none but fools will be bold and peremptory in defining this matter Quid enim opus ut haec atque hujusmodi affirmentur vel negentur vel definiantur cum discrimine quando sine discrimine nesciuntur ut D. August optimè Enchirid. c. 59. Secondly The Power and Might of these Spirits is great and considerable Spirit is a word that connotes Power as Flesh doth Weakness So it is said of the Egyptians They are Men and not God and their Horses Flesh and not Spirit And the Angels are said not only to be mighty and strong but to excell in strength or to be mighty in strength and by Saint Peter as I shewed before described with this attribute of preference unto men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a being greater in might and power Hence are they call'd God's Host. When the Angels of God met Iacob he said This is God's host and he call'd the name of that place Mahanajim i. e. Two Hosts or Camps for the word is of the dual number as P. Fagius notes and some of the Jews he tells us refer it to Iacob's Host or Company that he had with him and this Host of God which met him there but others of them to two Hosts of Angels there meeting together the one that guarded him out of Mesopotamia and the other came out of Chanaan to receive him as their charge upon his return it being a common opinion among them that certain Angels are deputed to every Province or Region of which more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hereafter Whatever there be in this Comment there is no doubt saith Saint Augustin but the Hosts which Iacob saw were a multitude of Angels call'd in Scripture the heavenly Militia or Host of Heaven And they are indeed a puissant and mighty Host resembled else-where to Horses and Chariots of Fire 2 King 2.11 and c. 6.17 You may guess at their strength a little by their exploits on Record One of them slew all the first-born in Egypt both of Men and Cattel in a night One of them in another night destroy'd all Sennacherib's formidable Army to the number of an hundred fourscore and five thousand One of them restrained the flames of that raging fire into which the three Confessors were cast so that it touched not so much as their garments though it devoured their Executioners One of them stopt the mouths of the hungry and ravenous Lyons from seizing upon Daniel in their Den. One of them smote off Saint Peters Fetters and caused not only the Prison-door but the Iron-gate of the City to open to him Not to give any further instances It was a saying of Luther's unus Angelus potentior est quà m totus mundus One Angel is of greater power than the whole world beside But yet all their power is subjected unto God and nothing if compared with his Omnipotence They can do nothing but what he pleases nec est in Angelis quidquam nisi parendi necessitas and therefore in the same place where they are acknowledg'd by the Psalmist to excel in strength they are said also to do his commandments hearkning unto the voice of his word III. Their agility speed and swiftness is extraordinary moving like lightning from one end of Heaven to the other compared therefore to a flame of fire which also penetrates the hardest Bodies Hence are they represented to us alati with wings to flie Isa. 6.2 In the same sense as Wings are attributed to the Wind by the Psalmist and by Poets to the Thunder-bolt And so the Heathens feigned Mercury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Hesiod calls him the nimble Angel or Messenger of the Gods to be winged This their quickness and agility in motion
house They will be still praising hee A Day in thy Courts is better than a thousand Psal. 84. It should be our great delight as often as we can with Angels and Arch-Angels and all the Host of Heaven to laud and magnifie the glorious name of God in our Christian Assemblies as we are admirably instructed and trained up to do by the Service and Liturgie of our Church which I had almost said none can be offended at who are upon deliberate and mature thoughts throughly reconciled to the Angelical SECT V. Angels to be reverenced but not adored Fifthly Since the Angels are thus Ministring Spirits sent forth by God to minister unto us and for our good and happiness let us express an awful sense of their attendance and shew them all due regard and reverence It was I confess a speech of generous honesty which A. Gellius commends from Peregrinus the Philosopher whom he heard at Athens Virum quidem sapientem non peccaturum etiamsi peccâsse eum Dii atque homines ignoraturi forent That a wise man would not sin though the Gods and men should never know it because he forbears not out of the fear of punishment and infamy so much as from a sense and love of duty and goodness it self So the Poet describes his Golden Age Quae vindice nullo Sponte sua sine lege fidem rectumque colebat Paena metusque aberant c. 1. Metaph. But this is an Idea of such perfection as this state of ours on Earth affords very few if any instances of It is rare to find any who are got to this high improvement the greatest part need other motives and restraints yea and our very make and constitution is fitted to them The thoughts of secrecy and hopes of impunity tempt most men to transgress To such therefore the same Philosopher thought good to propound this consideration out of Sophocles and otâ—ers That timâ— wiâ—◠〈…〉 and 〈…〉 And iâ—â—as 〈◊〉 aâ—vâ—ce to Lâ—cilâ—â—◠〈◊〉 weâ—panâ— â—panâ— good Mâ—n 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 as 〈…〉 〈◊〉 he had learn't himself from 〈◊〉 wâ—ose precept tâ—erefore â—e aâ—â—edgeâ—â— for it greâ—â—â—word â—word of Mens sâ—nâ— and mâ—scarâ—iages saith he 〈…〉 taâ—en away if 〈…〉 if a 〈…〉 they are 〈…〉 And 〈…〉 do wâ—â—â— to have in mind 〈…〉 Auâ—â—â—rity may render 〈…〉 Haâ—â—y that man as he 〈◊〉 wâ—â— referres 〈◊〉 only his 〈◊〉 but his 〈◊〉 Happy he was 〈◊〉 learn's so to reâ—ere aâ—other as uâ—â—n every remembrance of him to comâ—ese and 〈…〉 Such a man will quickly â—ecome â—â—nerabl◠〈◊〉 therefore saith he a Cato or if he seem too riâ—â—s and severe châ—se a Laeâ—â—â—s to tâ—y self one whose life as well as 〈◊〉 is most approveaâ—le and having his very Soul and countenaâ—ce before thee represents 〈◊〉 to thy self at all times as a Guardian and Exaâ—ple But we need not so much this wholsom couâ—â—el neither if we call but to mind those many invisible witnesses which are for certain continually about us and the heathen Moralists too have sometimes taken notice of There is first a Spirit within us which registers all our Actions in order unto judgment and from whose observance we can conceal nothing Never therefore do a base act with hopes of secrecy saith Isocrates for though thou keep it from others thou must needs be privy to it thy self My conscience saith Cicero is more to me than the words of all besides And What booteht it saith Seneca for none to know when thou thy self knoweth O wretched Soul if once thou despisest this Witness Tâ—â—â—e 〈◊〉 a sacred Spirit within 〈…〉 is the observer â—f 〈◊〉 good and evâ—â— Agreeaâ—ly wâ—ereto saith Saint Beâ—â—â—rd excellently Wheresoever I go my 〈◊〉 is with 〈…〉 it 〈◊〉 I 〈…〉 or evil 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 is a 〈◊〉 wâ—ile I â—ove and will 〈◊〉 it as 〈…〉 I am â—ead 〈◊〉 Secondly there is the great God our Creator Goâ—ernouâ— and Judg always with us Befâ—re wâ—â—se all-â—eeing eye 〈◊〉 â—â—ings are naked and 〈◊〉 câ—jus 〈…〉 as Hâ—â—â—d aâ—â—o acknowâ—edgeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This saith Epâ—â—â—erus is amoâ—g our first rudiments Tâ—at there is a God and that â—is providence 〈◊〉 oâ—er all 〈…〉 that neither our doings nor 〈◊〉 can be câ—â—cealed â—rom â—im So live with men saith Seneca â—s under God's eye Nothing is â—idden from him he is present to our very Souls and thoughts Let us always 〈◊〉 â—aith Cicero 〈◊〉 those 〈…〉 we must give an account and consider that we are every 〈◊〉 not in some Tâ—eâ—er of the World seen of Men but beheld from above by him who will be both Iudg and Witness And therefore as Boerâ—ius hath it If men would not dissemble they are under a great necessary of honesty as acting before the eyes of the All-seeing Iudg. Our very inwards should be such saith M. Antoâ—â—â—us that the Gods may see us vertuous And this is that we meet so often with in holy Writ to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before â—od and righteous before God c. These two Rules I have now spoken of the Stoick excellently puts together Chuse saith he to please thy self and chuse to approve thy self unto God But then thirdly to say nothing of those many malignant Spirits that watch an occasion of doing us mischief to accuse tempt and ruine us there are also the holy Angels about us whom God commissions for our defence and welfare And that is the point which here I am to recommend that we shew an awful respect and due regard to these invisible Spectators Know ye O men saith Epictetus that every one of you is committed to a certain diligent and excellent keeper and observer such is every man's Genius or Daemon appointed by God When therefore you shall have shut the doors and made all dark about you remember that you never say you are alone for indeed you are not But God is within and your Genius or Daemon is within And they have no need of light to see your doings by And Apuleius having discoursed the Doctrine of Guardian-Angels out of Plato concludes it in this manner All you who have heard me expound this divine sentence of his so form and compose your minds to the devising and doing of all things as those that know thâ—re is nothing at all within or without secret and hidden from those Observers c. Thus Saint Bernard lessons us Since the Angels are present in all thy ways see that thou walk warily shew a reverence to thy Angel in every Inn in every Nook and Corner And do not thou presume to commit that in his presence which thou durst not vâ—nture on in mine Again saith he This word He hath given his Angels charge over thee O how great a revâ—rence should it produce how great devotion how great assurance in regard of the presence of Angels awe and reverence for their good-will devotion with thanks-giving and upon the account of their safe-guard confidence and
we may have the comâ—ort of this reflection among others in cases of the greatest trouble and adversity and the most perplexing difficulties that at any time befal us Now this we shall best effect if we make sure to our selves the character of those persons who have the promise from God of such a blessing that is If we are found in the number of them that truly fear God for The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Ps. 34. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge Prov. 14.26 If we set our chiefest love upon God put ouâ— trust in him know and own his name for of them that do so it is said Ps. 91. He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways If we approve our selves sincere and faithful Christians honest and obedient Disciples of our blessed Lord and Saviour for as the Text tells us They are sent forth to Minister for them who shall inherit Salvation Thus in the general But then there are some more particular directions to be given worthy of our most careful observance namely such as these that follow First pray we to God from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift for this among other benefits They are all at his beck sent forth and imployed at his will and pleasure and therefore it is but fitting that we own him in the favour and make our humble requests to him for it The success of Prayer in this matter was observable in the instance I have before recommended out of Bodinus This was part of Iacob's Benediction upon Ioseph's Sons even his Prayer to God for them ' The Angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the Lads Gen. 48.15 16. For so I construe it as votum Deo and not invocatio Angeli And Iudas Maccabâ—us we read besought the Lord that he would send 'a good Angel to deliver Israel 2 Macc. 11.6 And again in another distress He said in his Prayer after this manner O Lord thou didst send thine Angel in the time of Hezekias King of Iudea and didst slay in the Host of Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand Wherefore now also O Lord of Heav'n send a good Angel before us for a fear and a dread unto them and through the might of thine Arm let those be stricken with terror that come against thy holy People to blaspheme Ch. 15.22 c. 'T is part of the Psamists Imprecation against his and the Churches Enemies Let them be as Chaffe before the Wind and let the Angel of the Lord chase or scatter them Let their way be dark and slippery and let the Angel of the Lord persecute them Ps. 35.5 6. And this is part of the Jews Form of Prayer still in their Euchology Command O Lord thine Angels who are placed over humane affairs that they be ready for my aid to help save and deliver me Secondly keep we our selves diligently within the Pale and Communion of the Christian Church the society of those who are the declared Heirs of Salvation The Lord added to the Church dayly such as should be saved Acts 2.47 For to such as hath been shewn they are partiâ—ularly sent as Guardians and Protectors Vbi non est Dâ—i gratia ibi nee locum habet Angelorum custodia The custody of Angels saith Luther hath no place where the Grace of God is not and Gâ—rhard to a like purpose Reconciliandus priùs es Deo per fidem si Angelum vis habere custodâ—m Thou must first be reconciled to God by Faith if thou wouldst have an Angel of his for thy Guardian The Form of Excommunication is call'd remarkably 'A delivering over unto Satan 1 Cor. 5.5 1 Tim. 1.20 The Devil claims a peculiar power over those who are rightfully cast out of the Church of Christ and so barr'd and deprived of the succour and assistance of good Angels This is notoriously apparent saith Doctor H. More in some of the forlorn and giddy-headed Sects of these times among whom I dare say a man may find out a greater number of true Demoniacks than Christ and his Apostles are said to cure For to what more rationally than to the possession of these deceiving Spirits can be attributed those wild extasies they are in c. We must be careful then by holding fast the form of sound words the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints and avoiding of all wicked Schism from and disobedience to the Church of Christ to secure our selves from being exposed to the Tyranny of evil Spirits Thirdly Let us continue honestly and industriously within the compass and bounds of our lawful Vocations respectively Angelis suis mandavit de te ambulante scilicet in tuâ vocatione timente Deum Brentius in Heb. 1.14 'T is an useful Rule delivered from S. Hierom Semper boni aliquid operis facito ut Diabolus te sempèr inveniat occupatum Be always doing some good work or other that the Devil may find thee still employed and not at leisure for his motions We are studiously to avoid those curious and unwarrantable Arts and Practices whereby we may tempt and invite evil Spirits to our company and having betaken our selves to innocent and lawful Callings to keep close unto them The Egyptians as I have before intimated assigned an Angel to every man in his respective Calling whom they stiled the Spirit of his Profession The good Angels to be sure are all for order and have no kindness for those that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disorderly and unruly ones who will not keep their place and rank 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the words of M. Antoninus Deserters of the Station and work assigned them and fugitives from their particular charge and duty such as the evil Angels are on the contrary described Who forsook their first Estate and left their proper Habitation S. Iude v. 6. And ever since they are all for confusion and every evil work which follows upon that with those Children of Disobedience who are busie bodies in other mens matters but neglect their own Offices and Duties Undoubtedly whensoever any leave their proper Callings and Ministries they go out of those ways wherein the holy Angels have a special charge over them Fourthly we must with courage and vigilance resist the Devil and all his wicked instruments between whom and the good Angels there is Antipathy and a continual fight and contest 'T is said of our blessed Saviour upon his defeat of the Evil One and vanquishing of his Temptations S. Matth. 4.11 Then the Devil leaveth him and behold Angels came and ministred unto him Whereby is shewn as S. Hilary notes That the Ministeries of Angels and good Offices of the heavenly Powers will not be wanting to us if we overcome the Devil and trample upon him That we may secure their delightful abode with us
bestows as also that aspersion which he casts upon the Pious and profoundly Learned Dr. Hammond That he is â—lmost eveâ—y-wâ—ere guilâ—y of vain Traâ—itioâ—â—l Fancies These aâ—â— Epâ—thâ—â—es which howeâ—er they might be pardoned in a Practitioner of Physick whoâ— Age â—nd â—nfirmities may â—aâ—e 〈◊〉 froward and waâ—pish are not so agreeable to his other Character as a Presbyter of this Church ordained long since by the Right Reverend Dr. Tho. Morton Bishop of Durham and Câ—rate of Kildwick about the Year 1634 as himself acquaints us though he wholly baulk his Spiritual Titles in the Frouâ— of his Book as one that glories rather in another Function I do heartily both approve and commend his Piety in acquieâ—cing as he professeth in the determinations of holy Scripture and fully accord with him in what he lays down for the Rule of proceeding in these Controversies The Word of God saith he is the most proper medium with sound Reason to judge of the power of Spirits and Devils by And again That the Scâ—iptures and sound Reason are the only true and proper Medium to decide these Controversies by is most undeniably apparent beâ—ause God is a Spirit and the invisible God and therefore best knows the nature and power of the spiritual and invisible world and being the God of truth can and doth inform us Nay he is the Father of Spirits and therefore truly knows and can and doth teach us their Naâ—ures Offices and Operations And again The Scriptures and found Reason are the most fit Medium to determinâ— these things by Particularly he speaks of the Humanâ— Soul Angels and Devils 1. The Word of God saith he doth particulâ—rly teach us the state and condition of Souls after death that they shall be like the Angels in Heaven and all other things necessary to move and draw us â—o beliâ—ve the immortal existence of Souls 2. Hath not God in the holy Scriptures amply and plainly laid down the state of the other world in describing to us such a numerous Company of Seraphims and Cherubims Angels and Arch-Angels with their several Ordâ—rs Offices Ministries and Employments 3. The Scriptures do fully and abundantly inform us of the Devil 's spiritual and invisible power and against the same declare unto us the whole Armoâ—r of God with which we ouâ—ht to be furnished as the Apostle saith Ephes. 6. Now that which I purpose to observe and examine is chiefly this how consistent our Author is to himself and how well he hath acquitted him according to these Rules and Measures in his Discourses of Angels and Spirits And that so far only as I apprehend my self concern'd by some things which I have asserted and declared in the precedent Treatise I have suggested in the Epistle Dedicatory that the general dis-belief of Spirits may well be thought an Introduction to all manner of Irreligion and Profaneness which brings me in part under that condemnation wherein he involves both Dr. Casaubon and Mr. Glanvil The one for saying One prime foundation of Atheism as by many ancient and late is observed being the not belief of Spiritual Beings The other for affirming Those that will not bluntly say there is no God content themselvâ—s for a fair step and introduction to deny there are Spirits In opposition to whom he asserts that the denying of the Existence of Spirits doth not infer the denying of the Being of God because God might be without them and God was before them and the Sadducees believed a God allowing of the Books of Moses c. as he discourseth more at large Now this formal arguing of his as I conceive is weak and trifling For to say nothing that such Ethical propositions as these should not be scann'd over-rigidly but construed sometimes cum grano salis as holding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 However therâ— might be a God though there were neither Angels nor Devils in rerum natura yet those that deny in general the being of Spirits do therein implicitly impugn the being of God who is a Spirit whether themselves know and consider it or no. And as some have justified the Truth of that Royal Maxime No Bishop No King against them who would prove in like manner as this Author pleads that there is no necessary and immediate connexion of the terms Bishop and King or no essential dependence of King upon Bishop because nevertheless they that have opposed Bishops in the Church have been generally also against a King in the State and the same Antimonarchical principle inclines them to oppose both so may we answer here and 't is to be observed among our modern Atheists and Sadducees especially that their antipathy and aversation as to the notion and being of Spirits universally hath carried them on and naturally doth so to the dethroning of God the Supreme Spirit and Father of Spirits And although as he farther saith God had been God though he had not been Creator or there might be a God though there were no Creation Such a God as Epicurus and his Followers aâ— vitandam invidiam acknowledg yet should not I question to tax that person with real Atheism who denies a God under that notion as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first cause of all things the Maker and Governor of the World especially since the Apostle hath taught us that The invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are cleerly seen being understood by the things that are made even his Eternal Power and Godhead so that they even the Heathen are without excuse Those persons certainly suppose we never so charitably as Salvian saith of the Arrians that they may bono animo errare contribute very much towards the countenancing and support of Atheism among men who banish the belief of Incorporeal Beings out of the World as mere jargon and a thing which no man whatever he talks can possibly understand And though I am far enough from insinuating this Author to be such an one since he openly professeth his belief of God the humane Soul Angels and Devils and of all the holy Scripture which declareth these things to our faith and because there are some who by the goodness of their nature and prevalence of some better principles may not be effectually and in practice what otherwise certain evil tenets would incline them to be Many are too dull and stupid to understand or consider of the fatal and pernicious consequences of their own Opinions and others are too vertuously qualified to be influenced by them Yet it may not be amiss for him seriously to reflect and weigh within himself what a bad use others at least may make of such assertions of his as these are that follow There is no common notion saith he of a spiritual and immaterial Being in all or any man And again confidently We assert that our faculties or cognitive Powers how far soever some would magnifie and extol them
what was there by that which drops from his Pen as if he were really 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partaker of two distinct and contrary Souls in another Sense than St. Iames useth the word which we English double-minded ch 1.8 or Dr. Willis physically defends the thing For my part I am no ways able to reconcile his Thus we find him thwarting of himself both about Body and Spirits As to Body besides what I have already noted he tells us Penetration of Bodies is simply unintelligible and impossible to conceive as certainly it is And yet we have him afterwards very favourable and yielding to his most admired Helmont's Penetration of Dimensions The Arguments saith he that he bringeth to prove Penetration of Dimensions to be in Nature or something equivalent thereunto seem to be strong and convincing There may it seems be convincing Arguments with him for what is simply unintelligible and impossible to conceive or equivalent thereunto But then as to Spirits which is the subject I am chiefly concern'd about I fix â—specially upon his tenth Chapter and shall make the charge of Contradictions abundantly good as I pass along in the examining of certain Periods of it compared with what he there or elsewhere offerâ—th dispersedly in his Book In the handling this point saith he of the corporâ—ity or incorporeity of Angels we do here once for all exclude and except forth of our discourse and arguments the humane and rational Soul as not at all to be comprized in these limits And that especially for these reasons 1. Because the humane Soul had a peculiar kind of Creation differing from the Creation of other things as appearâ—th in the words of the Text Gen. 2.7 And the Lord God formed man of the Dust of the Ground and breathed into him the Breath of Life and Man became a living Soul Vpon which the Note of Tremellius and Junius is Anima vero hominis spiritale quiddam est Divinum That note of theirs he gives more at large Ch. 16. Vt clariùs appareat discrimen inter animam hominis reliquoâ—um animantium horum enim animae ex eadem materia provenerunt unde corpora habebant illius vero anima spiritale quiddam divinum 2. Because I find Solomon the wisest of men making this question Who knoweth the Spirit of Man that goeth upward and the Spirit of the Beast that goeth downward to the Earth Eccles. 3.21 3. Because it is safer to believe the nature of the Soul to be according to the Analogy of Faith and the concurrent opinion of the Learned than to sift such a deep question by our weak understanding and reason Now it is to my apprehension extrâ—mely unreasonable that in the entrance of this enquiry the Soul of Man should be exempted from it and seems like the odd practice of cunning men at Law who secure such as are like to give in a casting evidence against their Cause For it is manifest enough that Angels are a sort of Beings superiour unto the humane Soul as I have shewn in the foregoing Treatise Ch. 1. Sect. 2. If then it be apparent and undeniable as I shall make good anon from this Author's concessions that the Soul of Man is truly incorporeal the conviction and evidence from hence as to Angels will be as great as can be desired to which purpose I have also reasoned Ch. 2. Sect. 1. And if it be certainly true that we can conceive such a spiritual Being as the humane Soul is granted by him to be it will then be utterly false that an immaterial Being is utterly unconceiveable by us as he asserts I have quoted this saying from him already but shall take occasion once more to repete it together with the proof such as it is which he tenders for it Those that pretend saith he that Angels are meerly incorporeal must needs â—rr and put force upon their own faculties which cannot conceive a thing that is not continuate and corporeal Now this conclusion or inference of his he grounds upon a School-Maxime as he tells us thus Imaginatio non transcendit continuum And this saith he if we perpend it seriously is a most certain and transcendent truth for when we come to cogitate and conceive of a thing we cannot apprehend it otherwise than as continuate and corporeal In which discourse he grosly confounds Imagination and Intellect together as if they were one and the same thing and we could not cogitate apprehend and conceive that at all which we cannot imagine or draw a Picture of in our phansie An assertion which argues somewhat of a stupified understanding He himself hath else-where better distinguished It is one thing saith he truly to understand and another thing to imagine or fancie And he had learn't as much as he tells us had he but seriously perpended it here from the learned Doctor Willis De animâ Bâ—utorum in these words which he cites with commendation out of him Intellect and Imagination are not wont to agree in many things And again In man there is a double cognitive power to wit the Intellect and Imagination So there is a double appetite the Will proceeding from the Intellect which is the Page or Servant of the rational Soul and the sensitive appetite which cohereing to the Imagination is said to be the Hands or Procuratrix of the corporeal Soul Imagination then is a sensitive and corporeal faculty and therefore no wonder if it cannot transcendere continuum but Understanding or Intellect a rational and incorporeal power and therefore able to conceive and apprehend things like it-self The Objects as well as Acts of the one and other are vastly different Though the neer and intimate union of our Souls to these Bodies of Earth wherein they dwell makes it difficult for us to abstract our thoughts altogether from sensible and corporeal Images In quo nihil est difficilius quam à consuctudine oculorum aciem mentis abducere as Balbus in Cicâ—ro hath it Yet difficult though it be 't is not impossible but the dayly experience of contemplative minds Every faculty is concern'd in its proper object and to be imployed about it The Eye for seeing the Ear for hearing the Palate for tasting c. So among the external senses And so in like manner it is with the internal powers The Fansie is for imagining and the Intellect for abstract thinking or conceiving even what we cannot imagin Metaphysical Logical Moral Universal Verities rationes veri falsi boni mali God and Divine things c. We may as well taste Light and Colours and see Sounds as imagine a Spirit but yet for all that we may think and conceive of it I will dismiss this with the words of Max. Tyrius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now I will shew as I promised that our Author had some notion of an incorporeal Being because he plainly and often asserts
the reasonable or humane Soul to be such The Rational and immortal Soul he owns expresly to be a Spirit quoting that of our blessed Saviour for it Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit An incorporeal substance and therefore immortal saith he out of Gassendus And so he expounds that Text of Saint Paul 1 Thes. 5.23 which makes the whole of man to consist in Spirit Soul and Body The Spirit that is saith he the ratiâ—nal mind And he well approves of Doctor Willis his arguments and proofs â—or two distinct Souls in man The one sensitive and corporeal and the other ratiâ—nal and incorporâ—al Nay saith he The Soul by the â—nanimous consent of all men is a spiritual and pure immaterial and incorporeal substance And It is manifest by divine Authority that the Spirit that is the rational immortal and incorporeal Soul doth return to God and exist eternally And again It is most evident that there are not only three essential and distinct parts in man as the gross Body consisting of Earth and Water which at Death returns to Earth again the sensitive and corporeal Soul or â—stral Spirit as he calls it consisting of Fire and Air that at death wandreth in the Air or neer the Body and the imâ—ortal and incorporeal Soul that immediatâ—ly returâ—s to God that gave it But also that after death they all three exist sâ—parately the Soul in immortality and the Body in the Earth though soon consuming and the Astral Spirit wandring in the Air and without doubt doth make these strange Apparitions and Bleedings We have then here a notion a manifest and most evident notion and that as he saith by the universal consent of all Men as well as Divine Authority of a spiritual and pure immaterial and incorporeal substance and that existing sepâ—â—atâ—ly and by it self in immortality which is the thing he said our faculties cannot conceive of And this I suppose whatever is pretended was the principal inducement to his excepting so sollicitously the humane and rational Soul from his intended discourse of the corporeity of Angels But we will view his three Reasons alledged for this Exception more distinctly as they lie in order First saith he because the humane Soul had a peculiar kind of Creation differing from the Creation of other things as appeareth in the words of the Text Gen. 2.7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of Life and Man became a living Soâ—l Upon which the Note of Tremellius and Iunius is Anima verò hominis spiritale quiddam est divinum Or more at large as he cites it p. 314. Thus in English That the difference between Man and oâ—hâ—r Animals might appear more clearly for the Souls of these came out of the same matter from whence they had their Bodies but his Soul was a certain Spiriâ—uâ—l and Divine thing Now it is evident upon first sight that Tremellius and Iunius here for I take his word for the Quotation not meeting with it in their Notes oâ— the place did not intend to lay down any difference between the creation of the Soul of Man and of Angels which alone would serve his purpose but of Man and other Animals only produced out of matter And therefore this could not be a reason for excepting the humane Soul from the dispute of Angels But yet it may be worth the while to stay a little upon the Text referr'd to for our better acquaintance with our selves and so a greater preparedness for the conception of material and immortal substances The Lord God saith the Text formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his Nostrils the breath of life and man became a living Soul His Body made of Earth but his Soul the Breath of God Divinae particula Aurae We must not understand it grosly for so Breath is not attributable unto God who is a simple and perfect Spirit but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a figurative expression of God's communicating unto Man that inward Principle whereby he lives and acts not only in common with but in a degree above other Animals Vatablus therefore renders it by injecerat sive immiserat He put or conveyed into his body a vital Spirit And so Iunius and Tremellius in their Notes upon the place tell us humanitus dictum pro eo quod ex virtute sui aeterni spiritûs c. It is spoken after the manner of men and the meaning is this that by vertue of his Eternal Spirit without any Elementary matter he inspired a Vital Soul which is by nature a simple form into that Elementary Body that it might use as an Instrument And Man became a living Soul that is say they quum virtute Dei fuit anima corpori adunata in unitatem personae c. ' when by the power of God the Soul was thus united to the body in one person the Earthy Statue became indued with life and was reckoned a principal species of Animals To a like purpose saith Clarius The Souls of other living Creatures were de materiâ eductae brought forth of matter Gen. 1.20 21. Let the waters bring forth the moving Creature that hath life and let the Earth bring forth the living Creature after his kind But the Soul of Man was for ìs inspirata from God immediately And thus much Iob also acknowledgeth The Spirit of God saith he hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life Ch. 33.4 The Learned P. Fagius takes notice of three things in the Text of Moses which do conclude the Immortality of the Soul of Man I. Insufflatio illa Dei This Inspiration from God spoken of For he that breaths into another contributes unto him aliquid de suo somewhat of his own And therefore saith he when our B. Saviour would communicate his Spirit to his Disciples he did it with Insufflation breathing on them thereby to signifie se Divinum de suo quiddam illis contribuere II. The Original word Nischmath which we render Breath or Spirit derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heaven imports somewhat Divine and Celestial III. The word Hajim added to it sounds plurally spiraculum vitarum the breath of lives Non simpliciter vitam sed longaevam significat a long and continuing life or as some will have it being of the dual number praesentis futuri saeculi vitam the life of this and the other world Or if I may add a farther conjecture both the rational and sensitive life What is here declared by Moses of Man's Origination was notably emblem'd out in the Fable of Prometheus which is by interpretation Providence where the Body is said to have been è molli luto of soft and yielding Clay And such we must suppose the dust of the Earth in Genesis Earth temper'd and prepared with moisture è pulvere sub jam macerato ac
as when a man with a Rod or Line doth draw a thing forth of water Both of these do require a corporeal Contact But what is absolutely incorporeal hath no superficies c. And this is an argument he seems to triumph in as a Mathematician in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore is he pleased so much to repeat it For so he had said before If the Devil be consider'd as an incorporeal Nature simply and absolutely then it will follow low that he cannot act upon any corporeal matter because an incorporeal substance can make no contact upon a body unless it were it self corporeal For quicquid agit agit per contactum vel mediatum vel immediatum but both these are caused by the touch of one body upon another But that which is meerly incorporeal can perform neither And again I take it saith he to be one of the most firm Maxims that ever the Schools had that immateriale non agit in materiale nisi eminenter ut Deus Which alâ—o he cites again in another place Now the Leading Mistake in all this Philophizing is the inept applying of the Rules and Laws proper and peculiar unto Bodies unto Spirits also Tangere enim tangi nisi corpus nulla potest res As before we observed his confounding of Imagination and Intellect And indeed he seems to allow of no mental notions or apprehensions which do not first strike upon the senses And this is that which makes him place the Idea of spirits or incorporeal beings among the unintelligibles The substance of a created Spirit conceived as immaterial and incorporeal must of necessity be utterly inconceiveable to any of our faculties Elegant conceived as immaterial and incorporeal and yet at the same time utterly inconceiveable But passing that hear we his reason Because it hath no effects operations or modifications that can or do operate upon our senses This is gratìs dictum But the general importance of it relies upon another School-Maxim which I wonder that hâ— forgets to quote to us Nihil est in intellectu quod non priùs fuerat in sensu And I could furnish him with more to this purpose But now what will become of the poor humane soul among the rest of its fraternity of Spirits which is as he hath told us by the unanimous consent of all men as well as Divine Authority a spiritual and pure immaterial and incorporeal and to be sure created substance How come men to an unanimous consent in a notion utterly unintelligible and unconceiveable Nay what will become of all the spiritual and invisible World Well but the great difficulty remains How can an immaterial act upon or move a material This certainly is Nodus vindice dignus But what if there be no Oedipus to unriddle it to us What if neither we nor any body else can sufficiently explain it It is no more than that ignorance we must be contented with in other matters of occult Philosophy where we subscribe often to the thing though we cannot declare the manner of it Our Author himself in other cases trains us up to this degree of modesty and humility The ultimate sphere of Natures activity and ability saith he is not perfectly known And as it is thus in general saith he so in many particulars We are ignorant of many Natural Agents that do work at a great distance and very remotely both to help and to hurt the Weapon-salve the Sympathetick-powder the curing of Diseases by Mumial applications by Amulets Appensions and Transplantation which all have been and commonly are ascribed unto Satan when they are truly wrought saith he by Natural Operation But he cannot satisfie himself or others I presume by what contact mediate or immediate of suppositum or virtus all these are performed Or by what influence of the Stars quibus nota sunt omnia quae in naturâ existunt as he tells us out of Paracelsus and his Mystical Authors for whose vain traditional fancies he hath a profound Veneration whatever he hath for Doctor Hammond's or under what right and favourable Constellations Words Charms Images and Characters do receive their energy and vertue Or how certain Celestial Vertues and actions are sown into Gems from whence they afterwards spring up no otherwise than seed which doth fall from a Tree and doth regerminate Though here I confess he hath some advantage from a speculation of Phantasms Quid te fatigas haec minuta scrutando Pernice pennâ fretus Icari more Scrutare potius digna mentis alatae One great means saith he elsewhere of advancing those Tenents of Witch-craft c. hath been men's supine negligence in not searching into and experimenting the power of Natural Agents but resting satisfied in the sleepy notions of General Rules and Speculative Philosophy by which means a general prejudice hath been created against the most occult operations of Nature and Natural Magick And may we not here retort this supine negligence upon himself in not observing the common experience which he and every one else hath of the incorporeal spirit within him actuating and moving of the body whilst he industriously opposeth this common experience by sleepy notions of General Rules and Speculative Philosophy concerning Bodie ill adapted unto Spirits and their way of operation It is enough that we have this Domestick Argument of our own experience in the case to oppose to all his subtil arguings As to a Sceptick disputing against the possibility of motion it were a sufficient and silencing confutation to move from him and turn away Let him resolve us how God who is a Spirit the most simple and pure Spirit acts upon matter how the Spirit of God moved upon the waters c. for the word Eminenter is not intelligible enough to our faculty to be Englished But because this is too hard a Task let him resolve us how the immaterial and incorporeal Soul of Man moveth upon the body or it 's corporeal and animal Spirits or by what Gluten or Vinculum and contact of superficies it is united to it's body or how the body vice versa works upon and affects the immaterial Soul which yet as to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or quod sit are matters of common sense and universal experience Nam corpus onustum Hesternis vitiis animum quoque praegravat una Let him resolve us how the Internum or moving part of Angels acts upon the Externum or part moved and we shall soon be able to return him a satisfactory answer to this curious question How an immaterial can operate upon and move a material But in the mean while it is unreasonable to disclaim a certain Truth because we cannot give account of the Quomodo or manner of it And this is also abundant Answer to another of his puissant Arguments If Angels saith he be absolutely incorporeal then they cannot be contained or
circumscribed in place and consequently can perform no operation in Physical things Contained and circumscribed in place are corporeal phantasmes and so is place it self as he describes it proper unto bodies But let him tell us how the incorporeal spirit of man is in it's body and that so as to perform undeniably Physical operations there and we shall soon inform him of the Vbi of Angels and their definitive being in it Let us see briefly whether he hath better success from Scripture than from Reason and I have done The Scripture saith he informeth us that in or at the Resurrection the bodies of men shall be as the Angels that are in Heaven Sicut Angeli Mark 12.25 Now this Analogy Comparison or Assimilation would be altogether false if Angels had no bodies at all but were meerly incorporeal Then it would follow that bodies after the Resurrection were made pure Spirits and so ceased to be bodies which is false according to the Doctrine of S. Paul who sheweth us plainly that after the Resurrection they are changed in qualities into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritual bodies 1 Cor. 15.44 From whence we conclude that Angels have bodies and that they are pure spiritual ones I will not dispute against the matter of his conclusion viz. that Angels have bodies and that those bodies are pure and refined such as he calls spiritual ones For my concern is only to defend that they are nevertheless incorporeal Beings as the Humane Soul is though united to a grosser body But yet I must add a word or two of his Scripture-premises And first here is violence offer'd to the Text of our B. Saviour by foisting in the word Bodies to it for the Text is only thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When they shall rise from the dead they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the Angels which are in Heaven And it is known well enough to be our Saviours Answer to the Question propounded concerning the Woman which had had seven Husbands In the Resurrection whose Wife shall she be of the seven Elsewhere I remember our Author puts in Souls instead of his Bodies here The Word of God doth particularly teach us the state and condition of Souls after death that they shall be like the Angels in Heaven But whatever Truth there may be in either Proposition apart and by it self the H. Text I am sure mentions neither Bodies nor Souls And if it did we must not stretch Similitudes to make them argumentative beyond the thing they are brought for They run not we say on all four It is enough that our B. Saviour there resolves us that we whether in Body or Soul or both shall at the Resurrection be like unto the Angels in Heaven in Immortality and an estrangement from the sensual inclinations and entertainments of this present imperfect state such as Marrying and giving in Marriage And we may be like the Angels in many perfections as we are said to be like to God himself though they should have no Bodies so that even upon that supposal this Analogy Comparison or Assimilation as he speaks would not be altogether false nor would it follow that Bodies after the Resurrection are made pure Spirits and cease to be Bodies as he infers Secondly for Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or spiritual Bodies Though upon the supposition that Angels have Bodies which for my part I gain-say not it may be an ingenious translation Such Bodies as Spirits or Angels have yet it is sufficient to the purpose of the Apostle there that our Bodies are participant of the spiritual perfection of immortality Or put on immortality Ver. 53. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod ad tempus vivit dum anima adest Anima est vox hujus vitae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habens in se vice animae Spiritum immutabilem c. Grot. in Loc. See Ch. 3. Sect. 3. of the fore-going Treatise And so he cannot conclude from hence that Angels have Bodies That I be not over-tedious I will end all with some few Reflections upon that noted Text of the Psalmist Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers a flaming Fire Psalm 104.4 From whence saith our Author the persons of the other opinion such as Aquinas and the rest of the Scholastick Rabble would positively conclude that they are spirits and absolutely incorporeal but fail of their purpose for these clear Reasons His clear Reasons I shall examine anon when we have first viewed the Text it self I can scarce pass over that Rude and Detracting Term of Scholastic Rabble He should have been obliged I think to a greater sweetness and civility to those whom he owes so much to and of whom he hath borrowed the chief ornaments of his Book as to this Subject those dear Maxim's I mean which he relies so much upon Imaginaâ—io non transcendit continuum Quicquid agit agit vel mediatione suppositi vel virtutis per contactum immediatum aut mediatum Immateriale non agit in materiale nisi eminentâ—r ut Deus And not to immind him of his own essential Identity and Alteriâ—y he can easily match their most Bombast and Barbarous Terms among his Occult and Magical Sophies But to the matter before us It is confess'd that the original word sometimâ—s signifies Winds as well as Spirits and the Hebrew Doctors so read it Ventos Angelos suos non ex accidente spirant sed sunt Dei nuncii Ignem ardentem fulgura So R. David And Munstâ—r translates it Facit flâ—tus nuncios suos ignem flagrantem ministros suos q. d. Violent and sudden Winds to execute his commands and Fire performs his pleasure fulfilling his word Ps. 148.8 And this is a great Truth But the holy Ghost in Hebr. 1.7 as Master Ainsworth well notes shews it to be spoken by the Psalmist of Angels properly who are named ministring Spirits Ver. 14. And our Physician allows The Author of the Epistle to Hebrews must needs be taken for the best Expositor of the words Yet among those that conceive them of Angels properly so call'd there is some difference Some refer them to the respective Vehicles of Angels either AEreal for Wind is but Air in motion or AEthereal and Ignâ—ous Thus Grotius Sunt enim Angelorum alii Acrei alii Ignei Angelis corpora sed subtilissima non Pythagorae tantùm Platonis Schola sensit sed Judaei veteres veteres Christiani And to the same effect Doctor Hammond paraphraseth Who though he be able to do all things by himself to administer the whole World as he first created it by a word by saying and it was done yet is he pleased to make use of the Ministry of Angels who some of them in subtile Bodies of Air others of Fire come down and execute his Commands here upon Earth And in his Annotations he tell us As Angels and Ministers are but several names of the same
Divine Creatures so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Fire are but expressions of the several appearances of them sometimes in Airy sometimes in Flaming Clouds And hence I suppose Bâ—za in his Marginal Notes to Hebr. 1.7 puts Cherub with Ps. 18.11 and Sâ—raph with Isa. 6.2 Iunius and Tremellâ—us interpret it Angelis utitur nunciis administrisque voluntatis judiciorum suorum adcò commodè ut ventis igne uti solet He useth Angels for Messengers and Ministers of his Will and Iudgments as readily as he is wont to do Winds and Fire And to this same effect our Author chuseth to sense it As the Winds which is but a strong motion in the Air and the shining of flaming Fire are two of the most agile and operative Agents that are known to us in nature so the Angels and Christ's Ministers are strong quick anâ— most nimble and powerful in performing their Offices and Administrations For my part I see not any considerable inconvenience in these Expositions unless where men will dogmatize with this Author and say the words cannot otherwise be rationally understood And the nature of Angels may be yet incorporeal for all these vehicles assigned them or notwithstanding the comparison of their operations to those most powerful and subtile Agents among Bodies Wind and Flame Our God who is a Spirit most simple and absolute is also said to be a consuming fire Hebr. 12.29 Who maketh his Angels Spirits i. e. saith Master Ainsworth spiritual substances So differing from Christ who is no made or created Spirit but the Maker of all things And his Ministers a flaming fire i. e. effectual in their Administrations Whence the Angels have appeared like Horses and Chariots of Fire And Saint Augustine who was none of the Scholastick Rabble finds here both Nature and Office of these Celestial Creatures Quaeris nomen ejus Naturae Spiritus est Quaeris Officium Angelus est Ex eo quod est Spiritus est Ex eo quod agit Angelus Enuarat in Ps. See Ch. 11. Sect. 1. of the fore-going Treatise The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Doctor â—ouge whose judgment possibly may bear some sway with him as he tells us Master Baxter's doth with other Reformed and Orthodoxal Divines such as tread not in the steps of Arminius True Sons of the Doctrine of Church of England intimates two things 1. Creation So God is said to have rested from all his Works which he had made Gen. 2.2 And to have made Heaven and Earth Revel 14.7 is meant created 2. Ordination or disposing things to this or that use And in both senses is this phrase He maketh here used He maketh them Spirits that is he createth them spiritual substances He maketh them a flame of Fire that is he ordereth and disposeth them to be as a flame of Fire in doing his Will Now let us hear our Author 's clear Reasons against this later way of interpretation 1. Saith he The Text there cannot be rationally understood of their Creation or of their creaturely Nature but of their Offices and Administrations because the word used there is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to create or form forth of nothing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit that is by ordering them in their Offices and Administrations And again the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not always or of necessity signifie an incorporeal thing but that which is a Body as the Winds c. With all becoming deference to his skill in the Hebrew Lanâ—uage whereof and Greek he hath been a ' Teacher in his younger years as he acquaints us the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit is sometimes usâ—d for Creation as I noted even now out of Doctor Gouge and Maker of all things in our Creed is as much as Creator And therefore so also it may be taken by us here And so Theodoret none of thâ— Scâ—olastick Rabble neither understands it alledging this for a proof of the Angels creation And so the Arabick version reads it Qui creavit And thougâ— the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not always and of necessity signifie an incorporeal thing 't is enough to decline the force of this Reason of his that sometimes it doth signifie such and possibly may do so And the Arabick if Vicars in his Decapla have rightly noted is absque corpore But the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrâ—ws as he adds must needs be taken for the best Expositor of these words who doth quote them only for this purpose to prove that Christ in Dignity and Office is far above the Angels who are all order'd to serve and obey him and are by their Offices all but Ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation By which it is manifest that this place is to be understood of their Ministrations and Offices and not of their nature and substances I readily consent with him that the Author to the Hebrews is certainly the best Expositor But then I positively deny that he quotes them only to shew Christs superiority in Office above the Angels For his design there is to manifest our blessed Saviour to be superior to them in Nature as well as Office as God above these Creatures who are the best of Creatures as well as Lord above these Ministers But to the Son he saith thy Throne O God as it follows immediately Ver. 8. by way of opposition to what is here said of Angels And so it is far enough from being manifest as he avers that this place is not to be understood as inclusive of the nature and substance of Angels their Creaturely nature but of their Ministration and Offices only He yet adds 2. They can no more be merely and literally said to be Spirits understanding Spirit to intend an absolute incorporeal substance than his Ministers can be literally understood to be a flaming Fire They must either be both literally true which is absolutely absurd or else this word must have a metaphorical interpretation as they he means I suppose the other words may and must have Now I find nothing in this clear reason but clear confidence which asserts boldly but proves nothing and may therefore be answer'd by as bare a denial or saying that there is no must in the case but the words may still be otherwise understood For why may not one word or sentence in the same period be literally true and the other metaphorical and so accordingly intended Or what if we should transpose the Subjects and Predicates as some do Who maketh Spirits his Angels and flaming Fire his Ministers Then both may be literally true without the least impeaching of Angels Incorporeity Or what if we should affirm both were literally true only with this different respect the former to the internum of Angels the later to their â—xternum the former to their intrinsick nature the later to their subtile Vehicles Or what if
hearkning to the voice of his word that word of his which is written for our learning and instruction in the holy Scriptures The good Angels are Angels of light and love to keep them company who walk in the light They are no friends to blind Obedience but for a reasonable service The Devil on the other side is the Prince of Darkness and labours what he can to keep men in the mist and darkness of ignorance errour and delusion The good Angels promote to their uttermost the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ. We read of one of them in the Revelations Flying in the midst of Heâ—ven having the everlasting Gospel to preach to every Nation ch 14.6 7. And of another of them calling S. Paul into Macedonia to further this work Acts 16. But the Devil by all the means and ways he is able endeavours to obstruct and hinder it We would have come unto you even I Paul once and again saith he to the Thessalonians but Satan hinder'd us 1 Epist. 2.18 And where the Word is preached he does what he can either to put it out of the hearers memories or to prejudice them against the belief and love it When they have heaâ—d saith our blessed Saviour Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the Word that was sown in their hearts Saint Mark 4.15 And The God of this World saith the Apostle hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine into them 2 Cor. 4.4 II. An assiduous constant and orderly devotion Of their example herein I have spoken sufficiently Ch. 4. Sect. 1. by the copying out whereof we shall invite them to us Si verbi praecum gaudes exercitio Angelorum quoque gaudere poteris patrocinio saith the devout Gerhard If thou delight in the Word of God and Prayer thou shalt be gratified with the Angels Patronage While I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my People Israel saith the Prophet Daniel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy Mountain of my God yea while I was speaking in Prayer the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the Vision at the beginning being caused to fly swiftly touched me about the time of the evening Oblation Dan. 9.20 21. And of Cornelius it is recorded that being a devout man and one that feared God with all his house and gave much Alms to the People and prayed to God alway viz. upon every season and opportunity He saw in a Vision about the ninth hour of the day when he was praying an Angel of God that said unto him thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a memorial before God Acts 10.2 3 4 30. And we read in the Revelâ—tions of ' Angels with Golden Vials full of Odours or Incense which are the Prayers of the Saints Revel 5.8 8.4 Learned Mr. Mede will needs have Revel 8.4 understood of Christ alone as our only high-Priest in Heaven Apost of lat Times par 1. c. 7. which I know not how to reconcile unto Ch. 5.8 where it is plainly enough spoken of the four living Creatures the Angels before described Ch. 3. and the 24 Elders in conjunction having every one of them Harps and Golden Vials full of Odours or Incense which are the Prayers of the Saints unless it be said that these all deliver their Golden-Vials of Incense to that other singular Angel Ch. 8.4 that he should offer it with the Prayers of all the Saints upon the Golden-Altar before the Throne These it seems they delight upon occasion to present unto God adding their own probably together with them according to the pattern of the Angel in Zechary Ch. 1.12 O Lord of Hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah They are careful Messengers between God and us saith both Saint Bernard and Saint Augustin though to be sure they never meant it in the Heathen-Notion faithfully to bear our groans to him and devoutly to bring back the tidings of his Grace and favour unto us Solliciti discurrunt medii inter nos Deum nostros gemitus fidelissimè ad eum portantes ipsiusque gratiam devotissimè ad nos reportantes D. Bern. Med. c. 6. cujusmodi etiam apud D. Augustin solil c. 27. But then with our Confessions and Petitions we must not forget to intermingle those Doxologies Lauds and Praises I have else-where spoken of which are their continual imployment We must be sure to join with them in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs making melody in our hearts to the Lord as the Apostle speaks Ephes. 5. Nothing is more acceptable to these Celestial-Spirits nothing can tie them and us together more strictly than our union and communion with them in the same beloved Service and Ministry making our selves a Temple for God's praise which he may vouchsafe to dwell in bringing these his Attendants along with him and conversing delightfully as they do with heav'nly and divine objects Nihil magis supernis civibus spectare libet O quam faelix essesâ— si spiritualibus oculis intueri possis quomodo praeveniunt principes conjuncti psallentibus in medio juvencularum Tympanistriarum Videres proculdubio quâ curâ quóve tripâ—dio intersunt cantantibus assistunt orantibus adsunt meditantibus D. Bern. ubi anteà quò spectat Ephremi illud Habitante in Deo animâ Angeli festinant honorare eam utpote Templum Dei effectam III. A profound humility and ready condescension unto all foâ— their good This is most conspicuous throughout the whole Ministry of the blessed and glorious Angels unto us and we find them ever most forward in their errands and embassies to the meek and humble such lowly ones as God himself hath a special regard unto Isa. 66.2 The humble Virgin the humble Shepherds c. Whereas procul absunt à superbis qui nemini inserviunt as Saint Cyril speaks they are far from the proud and haughty who use the services of others imperiously enough but disdain themselves to serve others Pride is the noted â—in of Devils and draws us into their Snare and estranges the good Angels from us The tears of â—enitent Sinners are the Wine of Angels as Gerhard hath it They are humble and lowly themselves and pride and scornfulness is perfectly hated by them Thâ—y are not ashamed to serve Christ's little ones Why then is Dust and Ashes proud when those â—eav'nly Spirits so much abase themselves IV. An unspotted purity and chastity They are all holy and undefiled clothed continually with clean and white linnen the robes of righteousness and their joy is in those that keep their garments clean and unspotted with their flesh that maintain an holy pure chast and uncorrupted life and conversation holy and pure thoughts and words and practices As on the contrary the Devil is known by the name of
an unclean and impure spirit Saint Luke 11.24 and takes up his habitation upon choice among the Swine Saint Matth. 8.31 V. And lastly a fervent love and peace and concord as much as lieth in us one with and towards another For thus it is among the holy Angels And to this some refer that of Bildad qui facit concordiam in sublimibus Job 25.2 He maketh peace in his high places And again that of God unto Iob. ch 38.37 which the vulgar Latin reads concâ—â—tum coeli quis dormire faciet Who can lay asleep the harmony of Heav'n And nothing doubtless is more grateful to them than to see the like among us below Behold how good and how plâ—asant a thing it is to them as well as our selves for brethren to dwell together in unity Ps. 133. This saith Saint Cyprian brings the greatest pleasure not only to faithful men and those that know vertue but unto the Coelestial Spirits also whom the Scripture represents as rejoycing over one Sinner that râ—pentâ—th and so returns to the bond of unity which could not saith he be verified of the Angels that have their conversation in Heaven were they not some way united also unto us who rejoice in our union and on the contrary are troubled when they see us divided and at variance There is not any temper that gratifies and invites the envious and mischievous one the Devil more than malice and ill-will strife and contention By our undue heats and inordinate wrath we give place unto him He is known by his foaming rage and cloven-foot And on the other side there is nothing more acceptable as I said to the good Angels than brotherly love and unity peace and agreement whereby we conform our selves to their charity and participate in a degree their blissful and serene state of amity and friendship which is indeed a very Heav'n upon Earth The Conclusion If therefore we are followers of this angelical obedience devotion humility purity love and peace we need not doubt but they will delight in our converse as agreeable and look upon us as their kindred and familiars and consequently take pleasure in ministring unto us here upon earth until at last they bring us in safety and with triumph out of an uncertain and evil World into those blessed Regions of unmixed and durable joy and happiness where we shall be added to their Choire and sing perpetual Halelujah's with them in Notes far above our present reach unto the glory of God Almighty both their and our most Sovereign Lord and Gracious Benefactor Which he of his infinite mercy grant for Christ his sake To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be given by us for the hopes of this and all other Blessings all Honour Praise and Adoration now and for ever Amen O clementissime Deus qui per sanctos Angelos deducis nos per hujus vitae Eremum da ut per eosdem deducamur ad caeleste regnum Amen Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity O Lord who never failest to help and govern them whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love to whom peculiarly thou hast promised the guard of thy holy Angels to encamp about them keep us we beseech thee under the protection of thy good providence and that we may be qualified for it make us to have a pâ—rpetual fear and love of thy holy Name through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Collect for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany O God who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot keep our selves or always stand upright Grant us such strength and protection from the assistance of thy holy Spirit and the Ministry of thy holy Angels as may support us in all dangers and carry us safe through all temptations through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Collect for the sixth Sunday after Epiphany O God whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil and make us the Sons of God and Heirs of Eternal Life Grant us we beseech thee that having this hope we may purifie our selves even as he is pure that when he shall appear again with great power and glory attended with those holy Angels which now by thy appointment Minister unto us upon Earth we may be made like not only unto them but unto him in his eternal and glorious Kingdom where with thee O Father and thee O holy Ghost he liveth and reigneth ever one God world without end Amen Blessed God whose Throne is encircled with Myriads of glorious Spirits that vail their Faces with their Wings as not being able to behold the brightness of thy Majesty and delight in their attendance upon those Ministries whereunto thou hast appointed them we thy most unworthy Creatures in all humility prostrate our selves at thy Footstool desirous with that holy Choire of Angels and Arch-angels and all the Host of Heav'n to laud and magnifie thy great and glorious Name in and for all thy Works and beseeching thee to give us grace to do thy will on Earth as it is done in Heav'n and so to follow the exemplary obedience devotion condescension purity and charity of thy sacred Angels as to oblige their constant Ministry to our necessities here and be advanced hereafter to a more intimate and happy society with them in the life to come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS AN APPENDIX CONTAINING SOME REFLECTIONS UPON Mr. WEBSTER'S Displaying of Supposed WITCH-CRAFT WHEREIN He handles the EXISTENCE and NATURE of ANGELS and SPIRITS LONDON Printed for Hen. Brome at the Gun at the West-end of S. Pauls Church 1678. Reflections on Mr. Webster's Discourses against the Incorporeity of Angels or Spirits WHile the fore-going Treatise of Angels was under the Press there came to my hands a learned and laborious Volume of Mr. Iohn Webster Practitioner in Physick call'd The Displaying of supposed Witchcraft wherein also he discourseth of the Existence and Nature of Angels and Spirits Upon the perusal of which I have noted some things which I conceive it pertinent for me to reflect here a little upon I shall not presume to censure any thing of the main design and scope of this industrious Author in the prosecution of which he hath indeed heaped together many rare and excellent Observations worthy to be considered of for the improving Knowledge and rendring all men cautious how they pronounce of such abstruse Subjects Much less shall I espouse any man's particular Hypothesis and Quarrel or attempt the Defence of those eminently worthy Persons whom he hath singled out for his Antagonists the Reverend and Learned Divines Dr. Casaubon Mr. Glanvil Dr. H. More who are better able and more concern'd to speak for themselves Onely I wish for his own sake that he had treated them with more respective terms than those of Scurrilous Impudent Witch-mongers which he so freely