our own. But we are informed, upon the best authority, that there are creatures of a very different nature and condition. Angels are fpirits. Not formed of the fame grofs materials, they are free from the inconveniences we feel, the temptations and fufferings to which we are fubject. Their appearance is glorious as the Light of heaven, and their motion, like that, rapid, and, as it were. inftantaneous. Pure and active as the most pure and active elements with which we are acquainted, light and fire; ftrangers equally to fin and forrow; they live evermore in the prefence of God, and enjoy all the felicity, which that prefence can bestow; expreffing continually their fenfe of fuch felicity, in hymns of praife before the throne. This is the fun and fubftance of the many defcriptions to be met with in facred writ.

The contem

plation of fo many excellent and happy beings opens our underftandings, and enlarges our conceptions of the CREATOR'S Power and Goodness.

"But if we ourselves are miferable, what benefit, (it will be afked,) can refult to us from contemplating the happiness of others? Will not our mifery be rather aggravated than alleviated by it? We do not ceafe to be wretched upon earth, because the angels are otherwife in heaven."

Redeemed by the Son of God, leave off, O man, to complain. Wait but for a little while in faith and patience, and their happinefs fhall be yours. The Redeemer himself has faid (and shall he not perform it ?) that, at the refurrection, we shall become "like the angels of God." Is not the cafe then greatly altered ? Is there no pleasure in contemplating a felicity, the model after which our own will be formed and fashioned? Surely it is the very confideration, which, above all others, fhould caufe us to forget our uneafiness, and remember our mifery no more. Angels are glorious and happy Beings, and we fhall be fo too! They are glorious, because they are pure; and we must be therefore pure, in order to be glorious. The mifery complained of is the furnace, in which we are to be made pure, that duft and afhes may be changed into tranfparent glafs. Purge away the drofs," (fays the wife man) and a veffel fhall come forth for the finer." Our evil tempers and affections are that drofs. With them we cannot enter into the kingdom of God; nor fhould find any happiness there, if we could enter. They must be feparated, and left behind. Severe trials, very fevere trials, are often neceffary to separate them, and are fent for that purpose. When the metal is stubborn, coals of fire, for the moft falutary purpofe, are heaped upon head. The Son of God is with his faithful fervants in the furnace, and will bring them fafely out; when, transformed to angels, they fhall fing the fong of the redeemed; "It is good for us, that we have been afflicted.”

From the nature and condition of angels, let us advert, to that perfect service, that ready and unlimited obedience, by them paid to their Almighty Creator. Their felicity does not confift in

freedom

freedom and independence. An attempt was once made by fome of them to attain it. There was war even in heaven," on that account but Michael prevailed, and the dragon was caft out. The angels that fell, fell by rebellion; they who kept their ftation, kept it by obedience, and are thus addreffed by the pfalmift: "Ye angels of his, ye that excel in ftrength, ye that fulfil his commandment, hearkening to the voice of his words." Like the lightnings which fay, "Here we are," they are reprefented as waiting before the throne, ready, at the divine command, to fly to the extremities of the universe. Inftead of ufing feditious language against their fovereign, we find Michael the archangel, "no bringing a railing accufation" again ft the great adverfary himself, but mildly faying. "The Lord rebuke thee!"—A circumftance much to be regarded, by all who have the misfortune to be engaged in difputes. Nor are the angels more exact in loyalty to their king, than in preferving due fubordination in their feveral ranks, and under their respective leaders; without which, peace could not be in heaven, any more than on earth.

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We do not indeed ftand in the immediate prefence, or receive our orders at once from the throne: but the Scriptures, convey them, and, by his gracious Spirit, "God is in the midst of us;" we likewife may "fulfil his commandment, by hearkening to the voice of his word." Had we but a due respect to the example set us by the angels, we fhould not be fo carelefs, as we are, about knowing what the will of the Lord is; much lefs fhould we be averse from knowing it, because averfe from doing it. Angels are ever on the watch; eager to do it, and therefore eager to know it. We should not prefume to determine which precepts we may obferve, and which we may neglect the obedience of an angel is univerfal. We fhould not put off our duty from day to day: the obedience of an angel is prompt and ready. We fhould perform it, not as a tafk, but as a pleafure:---the obedience of an angel is hearty and fervent; it is his delight, because he loves God: it would be ours, if we loved God, in the fame degree. To love, no commandments are grievous. The difficulties remain as they were; but the motive overcomes them with eafe. The conteft, at first, among angelic fpirits in heaven, and fince, among the children of Adam, through all their fucceffive generations, upon earth, has been, in reality, a contest between pride and love. The fuccefs and termination of it may direct us where to choofe our party. Pride, as difplayed in the rebellion of Lucifer, threw angels from the height of heaven, into the bottomlefs pit: love, as manifefted in the obedience of Chrift, exalted man, from the duft, to the thrones of angels, in heaven.

This leads us to confider, the benevolence and charity of the holy angels; the love they have always fhewn for man, and the fervices by them rendered to him. And here a scene opens, worthy of all admiration, gratitude, and praife. For never do those bleffed fpirits obey with greater delight the commands of

their Maker, than when mankind is the fubject of thofe commands; fo deeply, from the beginning, have they interested themselves in our welfare.

When the world was created, and man put in poffeffion of it, thefe "morning ftars fang together, and the fons of God fhouted for joy." Angels accompanied those fervants of the most High, the ancient patriarchs, during the course of their pilgrimage. By angels was the law given on Sinai; by them were the armies of Ifrael directed, on their march through the wildernefs, protected after their establishment in Canaan, and their enemies difcomfited. By them was the Saviour proclaimed, on the night in which he was born; comforted, after his temptation; ftrengthened, in his passion; testified of, at his refurrection; attended, at his afcenfion. They hall again attend him, on his return to Judgment, gather together his elect from the four winds, and celebrate his final triumph over our last enemy." Even now, there is joy among them over one finner that repenteth;" and the Apofle fays concerning them, "Are they not all miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter to them that fhall be heirs of salvation ? "

Lord, what is man, that thou art thus mindful of him, and cause st him to be vifited by celeftial spirits? But, in the perfon of Chrift, one far above all created fpirits, did not difdain to vifit him; and the court of heaven is only attendant on its king; “Wherefore, when he bringeth his first begotten into the world, he faith, Let all the angels of God worship him."

But..." Are thefe things indeed fo?" Do the holy angels take a decided part in our concerns? Let us, at length, take a part in them, ourselves, and not continue wholly indifferent, as to what we have been, what we are, and what we shall be; fome little time, furely, should be spent in the enquiry. Spirits above are active to fave us; fpirits below are active to deftroy us; and we fleep not to be awakened, perhaps, till it is too late.

At the creation of the world, did" the morning ftars fing toge ther, and all the fons of God fhout for joy?" And do men forget to be thankful for it? In a fit of fpleen, do they fay, they have no reafon to be thankful for it? In a fit of infidelity, do they deny both the creation, and the Creator? Such men, alas, there are: fhame on them---equal fhame on those who have not more sense than to admire and encourage them. "Praife the Lord, all ye works of his, in all places of his dominion; and, all ye fons of men, for whom thofe works were wrought: praife the Lord, O my foul; and all that is within me praise his holy name."

It is written," When he bringeth his first begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the angels of God worfhip him :" and have we lived to hear perfons, calling themfelves Chriftians, with Bibles in their hands, telling us, they find themselves obliged in › confcience to quit the church, becaufe fhe is guilty of idolatry in now doing--what fhe always has done---in paying divine honours to her Lord and Saviour ?.-Such men likewife there are, and

they

they too have their admirers and followers. The more is the pity! But marvel not: "it is the last time."

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To conclude-Are angels, miniftering spirits, fent forth to minifter to them that thall be heirs of falvation; " rejoicing when we do well, and, consequently, grieving when we do otherwise? Have they been, in effect, under every dispensation, the guardians of the people of God? Let us duly reverence and respect them, as fuch. When we confider them as encamping round about us, to deliver us," let us no longer fear the power of the enemy; fince "they that are with us are more than they that are with them." When we reflect, that they are witneffes of our actions, let us do nothing that may make us afhamed before them; nothing but what we would do, if we faw them. When we remember that they are to give an account of us, upon their return to him who fent them, let us take care that they may give it with joy, and not with grief. Let not our conduct be fuch, as fhall oblige them to quit their charge, before the time. O terrible voice, that once heard, at midnight, in the temple at Jerufalem, foreboding its deftruction, then near at hand. LET US GO HENCE!" Whofo defileth the temple of God, him fhall God deftroy." Our bodies are fuch temples. May no unlawful defires, no irregular paffions, ever fo defecrate them, as that conscience shall ring in our ears the same dreadful found; but may our heavenly friends and guardians continue with us to the end, to comfort us in our last forrows, and fupport us in our expiring agonies; that, when breath fhall forfake the body, the foul may be "carried by angels into Abraham's bosom."

THE

AN EXTRACT OF

A fhort and eafy METHOD with the DEISTS.

HE Truth of the Doctrine of CHRIST will be fufficiently evinced, if the Matters of Fact, which are recorded of him in the Gospels be true; for his miracles, if true, evidence the truth of what he delivered.

The fame is to be faid as to Mofes. If he brought the Children of Ifrael through the Red Sea, in that miraculous manner, related in Exodus, and did fuch other wonderful things as are there told of him, it must neceffarily follow, that he was fent from GOD: Thefe being the ftrongest proofs we can defire, and which every Deift will confefs he would acquiefce in, if he faw them with his eyes. Therefore the whole of this caufe will depend upon the Proof of thefe Matters of Fact.

1. And the Method I will take, is, firft, to lay down fuch Rules, as to the Truth of Matters of Fact, in general, that where they all meet, fuch Matters of Fact cannot be falfe. And then, fecondly, to fhew that all thefe Rules meet in the Matters of Fact

of

of Mofes, and of Chrift; and that they do not meet, or pollibly can in any imposture whatsoever.

2. The Rules are thefe, ift. "That the Matter of Fact be fuch, as that men's outward fenfes, their eyes and ears, may be judges of it: 2. That it be done publickly, in the face of the world. That not only public monuments be kept up in memory of it, but fome outward actions to be performed. 4. That fuch • monuments and fuch actions or obfervances be inftituted " and do commence from the time that the Matter of Fact was " done."

3. The two firft Rules make it impoffible for any fuch Matter of Fact to be impofed upon men, at the time when fuch Matter of Fact was faid to be done, because every man's eyes and fenfes would contradict it. For example, Suppofe any man fhould pretend, that yesterday he divided the Thames, in presence of all the people of London, and carried the whole city, men, women, and children, over to Southwark on dry land, the waters ftanding like walls on both fides: I fay, it is morally impoffible that he could perfuade the people of London, thr this was true, when every man, woman, and child could contra him, and declare, that this was a notorious falfehood, for that they had not feen the Thames fo divided, neither had gone over on dry land. There. fore it is plain, that no fuch impofition could be put upon men, at the time when fuch public Matter of Fact was faid to be done.

4. Therefore it only remains, that fuch Matter of Fact might be invented fome time after, when the men of that generation wherein the thing was faid to be done were all dead; and the credulity of after ages might be impofed upon, fo to believe that things were done in former ages, which were not.

But against this, the two laft Rules fecure us, as much as thè two firft Rules, in the former cafe: For whenever fuch a Matter of Fact came to be invented, if not only monuments were faid to remain of it, but likewife public actions and obfervances were conftantly used ever fince the Matter of Fact was done, the deceit must be detected, by no fuch monuments appearing, and by the experience of every man, woman, and child, who must know that no fuch actions, or obfervances were ever ufed by them. For example, Suppofe I fhould now invent a ftory of fuch a thing, done a thousand years ago, I might, perhaps, get fome to believe it; but if I fay, that not only fuch a thing was done, but that from that day to this, every man, at the age of twelve years, had a joint of his little finger cut off; and that every man in the nation' wanted a joint of fuch a finger; and that this observance was part of the Matter of Fact done fo many years ago, as a proof and confirmation of it, and had defcended, without interruption, and been conftantly practifed ever fince the Matter of Fact was done: I fay it is impoffible I fhould be believed in fuch a cafe, because every

one