We shall also mention the vision of the Apocalypse granted to the apostle St. John, during his sojourn in the Isle of Patmos. For although we are not able to say with certainty whether he were lifted up bodily from the earth, or whether, falling into a trance like Balaam of old, but with higher privileges, he was permitted to see the wonders of heaven, and to behold in his glorious form him whom he had seen on the cross, him whose glories were revealed in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, yet it was no new vision; for he had before been privileged to see the countenance of the same Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, and while it would come to him like an old familiar face, it would also refresh his mind by bringing before him the spectacle of that which would one day, and at no distant period, be the object of his everlasting contemplation. And while the wonders displayed proved the great favor in which he was held by the Lord of life and glory, the great honor which devolved on the bearer of such revelations, there was, amidst all these glories, one privilege which would ever continue present to his mind

-that he had seen in his glory the Lord whom he so deeply loved, the Lord to whom he had been so long a faithful companion, the Lord who, when on earth, had singled him out from among the twelve as his beloved disciple.

After this we have no more revelations of the Lord; no man has since been permitted to behold his glorified body. But though this be the case, still we know that if we be indeed faithful followers of him, we shall not merely see him in his glory, but of that glory shall be made partakers. He took upon himself the infirmities of our nature, in order to give us a view of his glory, and a share in his throne; he condescended to come to earth, in order that he might raise us to heaven. He entered humanity, and dwelt on earth, in order that he might reunite the Divine nature and the human. Our growth in grace is not a mere imaginary growth, but real and perpetual, and which tends towards full and complete perfection. Every step we take is a step in an endless race; every advance we make is an advance towards a point which, because entirely and truly divine, can never by finite natures, be perfectly attained; yet through eternity we shall be constantly making further progress towards it, and realizing in ourselves more fully the divine perfections.

Is our review of the world of spirits, we pass from considering the nature and character of him who is the Maker and Ruler of all, to the contemplation of an order of beings placed (though, it would appear, but for a time) above men-the ministers of that God who in many and wonderful manners appeared to our forefathers. We allude to the order of angels, concerning whom we have many interesting particulars related to us in holy writ, and whose ministrations in the church form one of the most remarkable and interesting pages in her history. Under the old covenant dispensation, it was not only by means of signs and visions, and the appearance of a Divine Person, to those favored by such extraordinary manifestations, that God made known his will, but he frequently sent created angels to them, to be his messengers, to proclaim his providences, to announce his attributes, to give directions to his people, and to set forth before them the knowledge of his ways. And when we consider who they are that are thus constituted in power and authority, and for what purposes in his divine wisdom did God send them from time to time, to perform his behests on earth, we shall find it a peculiarly interesting occupation to bring before our minds, and gather into

one focus, all that is revealed in Scripture concerning them, in order that, so far as it is possible, we may investigate their nature, and ascertain their power and offices.

“He maketh his angels spirits:" our great poet offers a remarkable commentary on these words:—

"For spirits when they please

Can either sex assume, or both-so soft
And uncompounded is their essence pure,
Not tied or manacled, with joint or limb,

Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,

Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose,
Dilated or condensed, bright or obscure,

Can execute their airy purposes

And works of love or enmity fulfill."

Paradise Lost, Book II.

The passage "He maketh his angels spirits" will of itself be sufficient to answer not a few queries, which at all times, but more especially in the middle ages, have been made on this topic. Seeing the important office which they executed in the church, and the position of the church itself in relation to them, which bound them to that church throughout all time, the divines of the middle ages set to work to ascertain their individual character, and to determine their probable number; and partly by tradition, partly by what they found in Scripture, and partly by their own unauthorized interpretations and conjectures, they made a theory, which, in its completeness and consistency, wanted but the truth to be worthy of observation. They divided them into various orders, assigned to them various offices, named even the principal among them in power, stated who were those that held the chief places of honor and authority, and, in fine, spake and wrote as though they had been as intimately acquainted with the angelic hierarchy as they were with that of their own church.1 Strange as it may seem, the

1

Angels, according to these divines, were divided into nine orders. Milton in the line

"Thrones-dominations-princedoms--virtues-powers,"

names five; the other four were called cherubim and seraphim-archangels and angels. The meaning of the four first-named orders will be seen in their

theories which they entertained spread widely and rapidly in the church; and to the prejudice of more important investigations: the minds of men capable of much better things were taken up with deciding the numbers of angels, who were the chief laborers among them, who were those that fell, and to what order of angels those belonged whose dealings are recorded in Scripture, and who have been the messengers of God to man. They went so far as to say, how many there were when first created, how many there were that fell, who were the principal among those who “kept not their first estate,” what offices they held when unfallen, and for what cause it was that they lost their pristine glory. They went on to assert, what occupations they exercised among mankind now, for what purpose it was that God sent them from time to time to minister in his church, who they were that were thus sent, their names and offices, and to what order they belonged; and expended so much care and time in such researches as to neglect, in a great measure, more important

matters.

One evil that has resulted from this has been, that men with a tendency towards materialism have refused to entertain the subject at all. They have been, or affected to be, so disgusted with the superstition, as to cast aside the reality. It is to such that Dr. Seed said, "We are conversant in the corporeal world from our infancy, sensible objects make such early-repeated-strong impressions, that it is sometimes difficult to let in, upon a mind already immersed in MATTER, one thought concerning immaterial beings, through an immoderate fear of superstition. Men talk and write as if that were the only evil to be dreaded at present. We run into Sadduceeism, and, lest we should suppose any invisible being immediately concerned, we assign visible causes which are plainly unequal to the effect produced." This spirit is now no longer dominant. Pharisaism, not Sadduceeism, is the fault of our age. Still, the caution is needful, for a spirit of unbelief would gladly lay hold on

titles; cherubim were imagined to excel in knowledge, and seraphim were called so from their ardent love; angel signifies a messenger, and archangel a chief messenger. Of the angels, Gabriel was said to be the principal; of

the archangels, Michael; of the seraphim, Raphael.

such doctrines as those taught by some of the schoolmen concerning good and evil angels.

Our limits will not permit us to enter deeply into the statements of these divines, nor would they be worth attention, save as matters of curious speculation; but we notice the subject to show that it was considered one of great importance; and, while we may not go so far as they did, still we are not authorized to leave it entirely untouched. So much is related in the Scriptures concerning angels, their ministrations in the church, and the relationship that exists between them and the saints, that we could not clearly understand the Divine word, did we not pay some attention to what is said therein on this topic.

When we read that "he maketh his angels spirits," we at once perceive that we have to do with spiritual, and not corporeal1 beings; and, as the Lord himself, who "is a Spirit," and therefore free from all conditions of matter, did, nevertheless, take upon him a human form when he visited his saints of old, and made himself known to them as a man, so we cannot be surprised to find that other spiritual beings, though not properly speaking possessing corporeal forms, did yet take such forms as were suitable to the occasions on which they were employed, so as to make known God's commands, and to execute his purposes. We are told in Holy Writ of the cherubim, that "each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly;" but whether this were the normal form of the cherubim, or whether it were merely assumed in order to symbolize certain truths, is a question totally out of our power to solve. And there are many strange and almost incomprehensible statements made about them, in the consideration of which we must bear in mind the words of the psalmist, that God "maketh his angels spirits;" and therefore, whatever corporeal forms they may have assumed at various times, were assumed only in accordance with the circumstances under which they were employed to accomplish the will of God.

It will not be necessary for us to follow this topic any further

1 It will be observed, that we use the term corporeal in preference to material in this place.