SERMON UPON I PETER L 12.
Which things the angels desire to look into. — 1 Peter i. 12.
There are two things for which the doctrine of the gospel is com- mended to us — the truth and the worth of it : 1 Tim. i. 15, verum et honum, ' This is a true and faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- tion.' The happiness of the intellect lietli in the contemplation of truth, and the happiness of the will in the enjoyment of good. In innocency this was represented by the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, and possibly under the law by the candlestick and the table of showbread. I shall not now speak of the truth of the gospel, but of the worth of it The scope of the context is to show the worth of that salvation which is the end of the christian faith. To commend it the apostle produceth the instance of the prophets and of the angels.
1. Of the prophets : ver. 10-12, ' Of which salvation the prophets have inquired, and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you : searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.' When the prophets foretold it, they viewed and reviewed their own prophecies, that they might be more thoroughly acquainted both with the thing and the time. They prophesied of other things, the rise and downfall of great and, mighty monarchies and kingdoms ; but these were not the things they inquired after so diligently, but the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which shall come to us. Well, then, if those to whom the Holy Ghost did dictate these mysteries did so accurately search into them, what should we delight in and study upon but the gospel ?
2. Angels themselves did look into the excellency of this grace and salvation offered to us iir Christ ; they can never be satisfied with the contemplation of it, nor wonder at it enough ; nor rejoice at it enough : ' Which things the angels desire to look into.' IlapaKv^frai signifieth to bow the head and stoop that we may take a moi-e narrow view of the thing which we would see : Luke xxiv. 12, ' Peter ran unto the sepulchre, and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes lying
SERMON UPON I PETER I. 12. 203
by tliemselves.' So John xx. 5, koX TrapaKv-^a^ pKiirei KeCfieva ra odovia, ' And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying;' and in the 11th verse, Mary irapeKv-^ev eh to /xvrj/jietov ; we render it, ' She stooped down and looked into the sepulchre.' And probably there is an allusion to the type of the two cherubims over the mercy-seat, which were figured bending their faces towards it : Exod. XXV. 20, ' Their faces shall look one to another ; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.' As desiring to pry into the mysteries represented there.
Doct. That the mystery of redemption by Christ is an object worthy of the contemplation and admiration of the angels themselves.
I shall illustrate this argument by examining these circumstances — (1.) Who; (2.) What; (3.) How; (4.) Why.
I. Who desired ? The text saith, ' the angels.' There are two sorts of them, some good and some bad ; some that fell away, and stood not in the truth, others that are called ' the elect angels,' 1 Tim. V. 21. Now which of these are we to understand? Not the evil angels to be sure, for since the fall they are called devils, not angels singly, without a note of distinction. This was an holy desire of an holy object, of which those damned spirits are not capable. It is a burden to them to think of God and Christ ; they abhor their own thoughts of God : James ii. 19, ' The devils also believe and tremble.' And Christ's presence was a torment to them : Mat. viii. 29, 'What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Son of God ? art thou come to torment us before the time ? ' They cannot please themselves, nor find such a delight and full satisfaction in the view of these truths. Therefore it is meant of those good angels that behold the face of God and minister in his presence ; they are beholding, wondering, and rejoicing at the mysteries of the gospel. There are two kinds of crea- tures made after the likeness of God — angels and men ; and they are seated and placed in the two extremities of the world ; the one in heaven, and the other on earth, in the highest and lowest story of the universe, that at both ends of the creation there might be some to glorify him and acknowledge his excellencies. Alas ! here with us in the lower part of the world, how few take notice of the glorious dis- coveries of God in any of his works, especially in the work of redemption ! so that all God's preparations and expenses seem lost, as to the honour and service which he might justly expect from us. But there is another world, where this mystery, that is so little regarded here, is more thought of, and better studied ; even by the blessed angels, creatures more excellent and more numerous than mankind, who are always glorifying God, and admiring his excellencies upon this account. As we behold the sun that shineth to us from their part of the world, so do they behold the sun of righteousness from our part of the world, even Jesus Christ the Lord, in all the acts of his mediation : 1 Tim. iii. 16, ' Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness ; God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels;' that is, beheld with wonder and reverence. God needeth not to court us with such importunity ; he hath creatures enough to glorify him, ten thousand times ten thousand angels, that stand before his throne, and know more of God than we do, and are more ready to praise him.