(3.) They saw him so as they were witnesses of him to men. They gave testimony and witness of him. So that it is a full word, in the intention of the Holy Ghost. Indeed, not only the angels, but all gave witness of him, from the highest heavens to hell itself; all witnessed Christ to be the true Messiah.
In his baptism there was the Trinity ; the Father in a '' voice from heaven,' the Holy Ghost in the shape ' of a dove.' He had the witness of angels, of men of all ranks, Jews and Gentiles, men and women ; yea, the devils themselves ofttimes confessed him in the gospel. He was witnessed of all ranks. They saw him, and gave evidence and testimony of him that he was the true Messiah.
He was seen of angels. To declare this a little more particularly.
The angels knew of Christ's coming in the flesh before it was, for what the church knew the angels knew in some measure. When God made the promise of the promised seed, the angels knew of it. And in Daniel the angel speaks of the seventy weeks ; therefore before his incarnation they knew of him. But now they saw him with wonderment in our flesh, now they had an experimental knowledge of him ; for the angels, besides their natural and supernatural knowledge, they have an experimental know- ledge, that is daily increased in them, in the church. They see somewhat
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to admiration continually in the church, in the head, and in the members. They knew of the incarnation of Christ before. You know the angel brought the news of it beforehand to the virgin Mary. The angels attended upon Christ from his very infancy. The angels ministered to him in his temptation, Mat. iv. 11. Before his death they comforted him in the garden, Luke xxii. 43. He was made • lower than the angels,' in some sort, as it is in Ps. viii. 5 ; for they came to ' comfort him.' He was so low that he had the comforting of angels. Then they saw when he was buried ; they ' rolled away the stone,' Mat. xxviii. 2.
By the way in general, it is the angels' office to remove impediments that hinder us from Christ. A Christian shall have angels to remove the stones, the hindrances that are between heaven and him, rather than they shall be any impediment to his salvation.
Then when he rose there were angels, one at the head and another at the feet ; and they told Mary that he was risen. And then at his ascen- sion the angels told the disciples that Christ should come again. You have the story of it at large in the Gospel, how from the annunciation of his conception to his ascension they saw him, and attended on him, and witnessed of him.
As soon as ever he was born, when they appeared to the shepherds, what a glorious hymn thej' sang ! ' Glory to God on high, peace on earth, good will to men,' Luke ii. 14. How joyful were they of the incarnation of Christ, and the great work of redemption wrought thereb}' !
And, as I said, they did not only see these things, but they wondered at the love and mercj' and wisdom of God in the Head and members of the church ; as we see in divers places, in 1 Pet. i. 12, ' We preach the gospel, which things the angels desire to look into.' The very angels desire to pry and look with admiration into the wondrous things of the gospel. So in Eph. iii. 10, ' To the intent that unto principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known by the church the mani- fold wisdom of God.' There is somewhat done by Christ, by his incarna- tion and resurrection and government of his church, that the very angels look into, and wonder at the ' manifold wisdom of God ' in governing his church ; his wisdom in electing them, and after in restoring mankind. And in his manner of dispensation to the Jews, first by ceremonies, and then after by the body itself, Christ ' in the flesh.' There is such a world of wonders in the government of the church, such * manifold wisdom,' that the very angels themselves look upon this with admiration and wonder, and with great delight.
Use 1. Shall angels see and wonder at these things ? at the love and mercy and wisdom of God in governing his church, in joining together things irreconcilable to man's comprehension, infinite justice with infinite mercy in Christ, that God's wrath and justice should be satisfied in Christ, and thereby infinite mercy shewed to us ? Here are things for angels to wonder at. Shall they wonder at it, and joy and delight in it, and shall we slight those things that are the wonderment of angels ? There are a company of profane spirits — I would there were not too many among us — that will scarce vouchsafe to look into these things, that have scarcely the book of God in their houses. They can wonder at a story, or a poem, or some frothy device ; at base things, not worthy to be reckoned of. But as for the great mysteries of salvation, that great work of the Trinity, about the salvation of mankind, they tush at them, they slight them ; they never talk seriously of these things, except it be as it were with a