_find how they despised in this world a share and interest in that service which is, and ever was, the glory and honour of angels.
II. Such is the love and care of God towards his saints labouring here below, that he sends the most glorious attendants on his throne to minister unto him in taking care of them. He who gave his only-begotten-Son for them will not spare to send his holy angels unto them. Heaven and earth shall be witnesses of his care of them, and the value that he puts upon them.
Now, this being a matter of so great importance as it is unto the church’s consolation, and the doctrine directly taught in the text, we may a little further inquire into it, in answer unto these two questions:—
24:4 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
First, Wherefore is God pleased to use the ministry of angels in the dispensation of his care and good-will unto the church, the heirs of salvation, seeing he can by an almighty facility exert all the effects of it by his own immediate power?
Secondly, Unto what especial ends and purposes doth God make use of the ministry of angels for the good of them that believe?
For the rirst of these, the principal account of it is to be resolved into his own sovereign will, wisdom, and pleasure. Thus are we always to live in a holy admiration of him, whenever we consider any of his works or ways, Rom. xi. 33, Herein are we to rest, and to put a stop unto all our inquiries. So it pleased him, Matt. xi. 26; and he giveth no account of his matters, Job xxxiii. 12, 13. This we are to acquiesce in as the great reason of all God’s dispensations and ways, even his own infinite wisdom and sovereign pleasure. He alone knows what becomes his own goodness and greatness, and of creatures not one, but as he is pleased to reveal it. For can we find out the Almighty unto perfection? can we by searching find out God? Job xi. 7. How shall poor, limited, finite creatures come to know what beseems the infinite Holy One to do, any otherwise but as himself declareth that he hath done it? And then we know the work is holy and wise, and such as becometh infinite perfection, because he hath done it. Herein, then, we principally rest, as to the meetness and condecency of the ministry of angels,—God hath ap- pointed it. Whereunto we may add those other reasons which the Scripture suggests unto us, as,—
1, God doth it for the preserving and manifestation of the glorious order of his kingdom. God is pleased to rule his creation as a supreme Lord and King. Hence there is so often mention made in the Scripture that he is the King, the only Potentate, the Lord of lords and King of kings; as also of his throne, his kingdom, domi- nion, reign, and government. And God doth this, that he might thereby give an understanding of his sovereignty unto his creatures, and make way thereby for the manifestation of his glory. Now, unto a kingdom there are three things essential, rule, obedience, and order. In this kingdom, the sovereign rule is in the hand of God alone; the kingdom or monarchy is his. Obedience is the work and duty of the whole creation, every thing according to its nature, capacity, and condition. The glory of both these lies in order. Hereof there are two parts:—first, That which respects the being of the creatures in their dependence on God; secondly, That which respects their operation in obedience unto him. God hath in infinite wisdom endowed the works of his hands with such various natures, whereon their uses do depend, as that they are placed thereby in several ranks, series, and orders, in a useful subserviency unto one another, so far as they are advantaged thereby in their common and absolute subjection to
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himself, This is the order of their being. The order of their opera- tion is such as they are fitted for by their natures, and whereby they set out the glory of this kingdom of God. Thus he takes the
angels, being fitted thereunto by ‘that place which they hold in the order of nature and being, unto the next and immediate attendance upon the throne of his kingdom, ‘There they wait upon him, to receive and execute his commands in all the affairs of his kingdom. So are they everywhere described in the Scripture, Ps. Ixviii. and cili.; Dan. vii.; Rev. v.; Isa, vi. and elsewhere. And by this mi- nistry of angels doth God intimate unto us the glory and order of his kingdom, his glorious and fiery throne being attended with millions of these mighty angels, ready to accomplish his will. And whereas God hath erected “imperium in imperio,” “a kingdom in a kingdom,” like the wheels within the wheels in Ezckiel’s vision, namely, the economical, dispensatory kingdom of Christ in his cecu- menical kingdom over the whole creation, and hath annexed there- unto the principal manifestation of his glory, rule, and dominion, those blessed ministers do principally attend the affairs thereof. And thus, though God can govern and dispose of all things “solo nutu,” by the almighty, immediate emanations of his own power, yet, for the manifestation of the glory of his kingdom, especially of that rule which is committed unto the Lord Christ, he useth the ministry of his creatures, in that order which his infinite wisdom had disposed them unto at their first creation.