prophecies relating to the sufferings and glory of our Lord, he says, " Which things the angels desire to look intop." The very word he usesq refers to their bending posture, which I have before mentioned. And that they are brought to more enlarged views of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ, by the revelation of it which is given to us, is expressly asserted by St. Paul ; who says, that " God would have all men see what was the fellowship of the mystery which, from the beginning of the world, had been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that nozo unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known hi) the Church the manifold wisdom of God1. Hence we find that, at the incarnation of our Lord, a new song commenced in heaven : " Glory to God in the high- est, and on earth peace, good-will towards men8." From that hour have they been contemplating all the wonders of his love : and still are they beholding the radiance of his glory, and of the glory of God beam- ing forth from his face ; and from every discovery of the divine perfections they receive a still further aug- mentation of their bliss. Till the foregoing method of reconciling and glorifying the divine perfections had been revealed to us, the angels could have had no more conception of it than we. They had seen in the works of creation, and had experienced in their own bosoms, a marvellous display of the wisdom and goodness and power and love of Almighty God : but they could never have conceived the least idea of them, as they are exhibited in the gift of his only- begotten Son to die for man. All this they learn from the Gospel only : and, consequently, the Gospel, which has contributed so greatly to their happiness, has, on that very account, an excellency of glory deserving of the highest admiration.
And how is the happiness of man also advanced by this great salvation ? Doubtless, as I have said before, he would have been happy, if he had never
P l Pet. i. 12. 1 TrapciKvipai.
r Eph. iii. 9, 10. s Luke ii. 13, 14.