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of strength in himself. IIo could do all by himself. He could have been contont ^vith his own happiness, and never have made a world ; but he made the world to shew his goodness and love and respect to mankind. So he will have angels attend us, though he watch over us by his own providence. This takes not away any care of his, but he shews his care in the attendance of angels and other creatures. He useth them to convey his care and love to us.
Ohj. But you will say, How can the angels help our souls any kind of •way ? They may help our outward man, or the state where we live ; but what good do they to the inward man ?
Atis. I answer. The inward man is especially subject to the Spirit of Christ. It is God that bows the neck of the inward man. But yet not- withstanding, if the devils can suggest sin, angels are as strong as devils, and stronger and wiser too. They are wiser than the devil is malicious, and stronger than the devil is powerful. Whatsoever they can do in evil, the good angels can in good. Therefore no question, but they suggest many thoughts that are good They are not only a guard about us, but they are tutors to teach and instruct us ; they minister good thoughts, and stir up good motions and suggestions. They work not upon the heart of man immediately, to alter and change it — that is proper to God — but by stirring up motions, and by way of suggestion ; as the devils do in ill, so they in good. Therefore it is said, they ' comforted ' our blessed Saviour ; which I suppose was more than by their presence. So they comfort God's childi'en, by presenting to their thoughts (we know not how, the manner is mystical ; it is not for us to search into that) good motions, by stirring up to good. Only the altering and changing of our dispositions, that is proper to the Holy Spirit of God.
Let us often think of this, what a glorious head we have, for whose sake the angels attend upon us in all estates whatsoever, even till we come to heaven.
And this should stir us up to labour to be made one with Christ. All the good we have any way is by the interest we have in Christ first. He holds it in ccqrite. If we have not a being in our head Christ, we can challenge nothing in the world, no attendance of angels ; for the angels are at variance with us out of Christ. We see presently after the fall, the cherubin was set with his sword drawn to keep the entrance of paradise, from whence Adam was shut, to shew that presently upon the fall there was a variance, and a mighty distance between the angels and us. But now the angels no longer shut paradise; no, they accompany us in the wilderness of this world, to the heavenly Canaan, to paradise. They go up and down Jacob's ladder. They attend upon Christ ; and for his sake they are ministering spirits for the comfort of the elect. So that all things are reconciled now in Christ, both in heaven and earth, angels and men. It should stir us up to get interest in Christ, so that we may have interest in all these excellent things that first belong to Christ, and then to us. Whatsoever is excellent in heaven or earth belongs to the king of all, which is Christ, and to the queen of all, the church; and the time will come that there will be no excellency but Christ and his church. All whatsoever is in the world is nothing. It will end in hell and desperation ; all other ex- cellencies whatsoever.
This should teach us likewise to carry ourselves ansicerahle to our condition, to tale a hohj state upon xis. We should think ourselves too good to abase ourselves to sin, to be slaves to men, to flesh and blood — be they what they
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will be — to the corruptions and humours of any man, since we have angels to attend upon us. We are kings, and have a kingly guard. It should move us to take a holy state upon us. It should force a carriage suitable to kings, that have so glorious attendance. Undoubtedly', if we had a spiritual eye of faith to believe and to know this, answerable to the things them- selves and their excellency, it would work a more glorious disposition in Christians than there is, to carry ourselves as if we were in heaven before our time. Oh that we had clear eyes, answerable to the excellency of the privileges that belong to us.
Again, It should teach us not to desj^ise the meanest Christians, seeing angels despise not to attend on them. Shall we disdain to relieve them, that the angels do not disdain to comfort ? To comfort and relieve one another, it is the work of an angel. Shall any man think himself too good to help any poor Christian ? Oh the pride of man's nature ! when the more glorious nature of the angels disdain not to be our servants, and not only to great and noble men, but to little ones, even to Lazarus. What a devilish quality is en\'y and pride, that stirs us up to disdain to be useful one to another, especially to those that are inferiors ! We know it was the speech of wicked Cain, ' Am I my brother's keeper ? ' Gen. iv. 9. Shall I stoop to him ? Flesh and blood begins to take state upon it. Alas ! if angels had taken state upon them, where had this attendance been ? The devils that kept not their first standing, being proud spirits, they disdained the calling they had ; the good angels humble themselves. God himself, as it is Ps. cxiii. 6, disdains not to look on things below. When the gi'eat God became man, shall we wonder that angels should attend upon the nature that God hath so honoured ? What a devilish sin, then, is envy, and pride, and disdain ! Let these considerations move us to be out of love with this disposition. The angels joy at the conversion of others. Shall that be our heart- smart and grief that is the joy of angels ? Shall we despise the work of regeneration and the image of God in another ? Shall it be the joy of angels, and shall it be our sorrow, the welfare and thriving of others spiritually or outwardly ? Shall we, out of disdain and envy, think ourselves too good to do anything w^hen it is the delight of angels ?