frequent visitors to man, encouraging and sharing with him the language of praise to their King; and very terrible indeed to them must have been the spectacle of these favoured, beloved creatures, recently formed out of the dust, and exalted to such majesty, and endowed with such felicity, drawn aside by a device of the devil, to revolt, and to bring a curse upon what God had blessed. And their service in guarding the gate from the expelled offenders was a willing one; for how could the Lord be insulted and they not moved to most indignant sorrow? But although we find them prompt to execute the terrible denunciations of his displeasure, his mercy to man excites their chief joy. We shall find many proofs of this as we go on; and while repudiating with horror the least approach to rendering them a particle of the honour due to God alone, we must be cold indeed not to feel a glow of thankful affection towards the high and sinless beings who sympathize with us in this our low estate of guilt and sorrow, who encamp around us to watch the movements of our deadly foes, and who long to welcome us into the heavenly mansions of safety and peace prepared for us by their Lord and

ours.

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II.

ANGELIC KNOWLEDGE AND POWER.

OMNISCIENCE belongs to God alone: He only is the Hearer of prayer, the Searcher of hearts, the sovereign Ruler of the affairs of man. To suppose that any created being may appropriate even the minutest portion of these high prerogatives of Jehovah, is nothing short of heresy, verging on blasphemy. Its dangerous tendency is plainly shown by the apostle, who says that the worshipping of angels beguiles the Christian of his reward, Col. ii. 15. Therefore we have need to be very sober and circumspect, lest in treating of this most interesting subject we be led, through inadvertence, into ascribing to the holy angels any properties on which the ignorant and profane might ground an excuse for rendering to them divine honours. God has not seen fit to reveal to us to what extent the spiritual creatures, good and evil, who constantly surround us, can penetrate our thoughts. They, of course, can form a very accurate conclusion from what they see and hear, combined with their ac

quaintance with the past events of our lives; but beyond this we have no warrant for supposing that they know more than the Lord, for special purposes, is pleased to reveal to them.

One knowledge the angels do certainly possess, and that the very chiefest of all knowledge-they know God and as the depths of the riches of His knowledge and wisdom are unfathomable, they evermore seek fresh acquisitions in that divine science. The apostle Peter, speaking of the mysteries of redemption, "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow," the preaching of the Gospel, "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven," adds, "which things the angels desire to look into." 1 Peter i. 11, 12. And that they do look with adoring joy upon the mighty work is manifest from their joining in the heavenly song, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." Rev. v. 12. How far they may be employed in overseeing the minute circumstances by which a sinner is often brought to the hearing of the Gospel, by entering some particular place of worship, taking up some particular book, or other similar occurrences, we do not know; but this we do know, that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one such repenting sinner. The expression, "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salvation," would lead us to suppose that the

children of God, even previous to their effectual calling, are placed under the care of these bright and loving creatures, whose holy nature must often be deeply grieved at the iniquity of man; knowing as they do, the unspeakable immensity of the stake which he so daringly trifles with, and the infinite love of God, against which he so basely and insolently sins.

There is a knowledge too, which, no doubt, is revealed to the angels-that of the Lord's peculiar favour to certain individuals. Gabriel expresses this to Daniel, when about to communicate to him what the Lord had informed him of. "O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved.” Dan. ix. 22, 23. And again, on another occasion, “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved"-Dan. x. 11, and “O man, greatly beloved, fear not!" v. 19. In addition to this, they are unquestionably endowed with very high degrees of discerning and discriminating knowledge. In that beautiful passage, where the woman of Tekoah with such singular eloquence and effect, pleads with David, covertly purposing to soften him towards his banished son, these expressions occur:-"The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad ;" and again, "My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in

the earth." 2 Sam. xiv. 17-20. This wise woman of Tekoah, whose wisdom appears to have been of a worldly description, and who was prompted by Joab, certainly flattered the king; but there is no reason to suppose that she flattered the angels, concerning whom we are led on much better authority to form a very high estimate. How exquisitely beautiful are her words, in relation to the Lord's reconciling mercies! "Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again : neither doth God respect any person; yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him." verses 13, 14. The justness of this sublime picture of man's helplessness and God's rescuing power, gives weight to what this singular woman also said of angelic wisdom and knowledge. Paul, too, refers to them, when he says, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed;" Gal. i. 8: and again, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 1 Cor. xiii. 1.

But whatever difficulty we may find in ascertaining the extent of angelic power, of the knowledge of the angels we are taught to form most stupendous conceptions;