9. This tutelage is ever administered according to God's pleasure : Ps. ciii. 21, ' Ye ministers of his that do his pleasure ;' not their own, not ours, but his pleasure. The help of angels is more powerful, but no more absolute, than the help of other means, for it dependeth still on the will of God, as all other means of defence and outward support do ; their employment is to attend us, and serve us, according to the Lord's direction.
Let us now apply what hath been spoken.
Use 1. First, it serveth for information, to show us : —
1. The care of God for the elect. He engageth. his own power for our preservation, as also the mediation of Christ, the conduct of the Spirit, and the ministry of angels. In Zech. i. you have a scheme of providence ; ' the man that stood among the myrtle trees ' sent the angels to and fro throughout the earth, and then they came and gave him an account of what passed in the world. The man is Jesus Christ, who, to prefigure his incarnation, is thus represented ; and he hatli all the angels at his command, to send them forth as the condition of his church requireth ; and they, as his intelligencers and agents, are to bring him notice how all aftairs and matters pass in the world. Thus doth the Lord set forth himself to our capacity, and that we, who are used to means, may the better believe in him.
2. The condescension and humility of the angels; they rejoice in names of service more than in names of honour, and will perform offices of respect to the meanest creatures, — an angel clothed with light and glory would come to the shepherds, — and do not refuse at Christ's direction to wait upon those who are despised and rejected of men.
3. It informeth us of their man-kindness, whicli shameth our envy ; their love is great to mankind, and are affectionately desirous of our good, and therefore decline no office of love and service to us. They rejoiced when the world was created as a dwelling-place for man Job xxxviii. 7 ; and again at the coming of Christ, which was man's restoring, Luke ii. 13 ; and so at the calling and conversion of a sin-
250 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. d.
ner, Luke xv. 7, when we come to be possessed of our privileges ia Christ.
4. It informeth us of the dignity of the saints. What a price doth the Lord and the holy angels set upon the meanest Christian ; Grod's own court is their guard. Certainly a godly man, though of the meanest calling, should not be contemptible ; there is somewhat in holiness more than the world seeth, some worth in it, or else God would not set such a guard upon it, a guard so full of state and strength. It was a mighty favour for Mordecai to have a courtier of a great king to wait upon him for one hour : we have angels that still attend and wait for our good.
5. It informeth us of the obedience of the angels in the lowest services. God saith. Go, and they go, though it be to wait upon poor and mean creatures. We usually dispute commands when we should practise them, and stick at duties that have anything of abasement and self-denial in them. In the Lord's Prayer we are brought to this pattern, Mat. vi., ' Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,' that is, by the holy angels ; it should be done by us with like readi- ness and submission. No office or employment that God calleth us to should be looked upon as too mean and base for us ; the angels, that excel in strength, when God commandeth, being willing to condescend to the guardianship of men.
Use 1. Secondly, it serveth for exhortation to the children of God : —
1. To wait for the angels' help. Do you keep in God's ways in your callings, and you shall have safety and defence, when the Lord sees it fit for you. Remember you are a spectacle to God, men, and angels, in all your actions, trials, and sufferings, and bear up with a confidence becoming Christians. Though you can do little as tc» the promotion of Christ's interest, what cannot God do by his angels ?
2. To behave ourselves as those that do expect this help, not tempting God, not grieving the angels. We should take heed how we carry ourselves in regard of this honourable attendance ; our sins and vanity olfendeth them, as it doth God. Lot was a man of a mixed nature, yet ' vexed with the impure conversation' of the Sodomites, 2 Peter ii. 8. Angels are pure and holy creatures, that still abode in the truth ; pride, lust, and vanity is very offensive to them, especially impurities and indecencies in God's worship, about which they have a special attendance ; therefore the apostle biddeth the women to cover their heads because of the angels, 1 Cor. xi. 10, their fashion being to come into the congregation with loose dishevelled locks ; he mindeth them of the presence of the angels. We may use a like argument to women to cover their naked breasts, now their immodesty is grown so impudent as to out-face the ordinances of God.