1st.—angels.

Under this heading may be ranked an untold number of the denizens of the regions of immortality, from the "Angel of the Covenant" down through the hierarchy of archangels, angels, cherubim and seraphim, and possibly the "spirits of just men made perfect." We know that the "Angel of the Covenant," in some mysterious manner, took part in the history of the Jews as a nation, revealing to them the one living and true God, and was intimately blended with the affairs of men as a guiding influence, from the "Fall" onwards, and, in the fullness of time, on the day of Jesus' baptism, descended from heaven and was visibly revealed in and through him as the Messias. We also find that angels were employed in a multitude of cases all through the ages in carrying on the designs of Providence, that these supernal beings were messengers, many if not all, of whom had the power at will of assuming and throwing off a recognizable form in executing the purposes of God's government. "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? " (Hebrews i. 13) all of them as various in grade as their various missions demanded? But for a lingering notion still in our minds that this petty earth, this grain of sand, is the centre and man the pet and darling of the material universe, we would readily conceive that an infinitesimally small contribution told off from this august assembly would be able, and more than sufficient, to see after our little matters. Possibly there was a modicum of truth in the belief the ancients entertained as to "guardian angels" ruling men and nations. If it is argued that the mandates of Scripture are given in the name of the Most High, it may be said, partly it was a Jewish mode of speech, partly they imagined a lot, and at other times it may have behoved page 10 God's vicegerents so to issue them. In dealing with our own mundane affairs, we are never staggered when the governor of a colony issues the royal commands by beginning "Victoria sends greeting." Let us select a few illustrations from the Scriptures of the mission of the angels. (Genesis iii. 24.) "So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east end of the Garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword."

Genesis xvi. 10, &c.—"And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude," &c.

Genesis xxi. 17-18.—"And the angel of the Lord called to Hagar out of heaven and said, . . . . I will make him a great nation."

Genesis xxii. 11, 15.—"And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, .... And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time and said, ....

Genesis xxiv. 7, 40.—"He shall send his angel before thee . . . . The Lord, before whom I walk, shall send his angel with thee and prosper thy way."

Genesis xxxii. 30.—"For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved." Query, an angel?

Exodus iii. 2, 6.—"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush .... Moreover, he (God?) said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God." It is clear that Moses' God was only an angel, for we read in Judges ii. 1, "And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto this laud which I sware unto your fathers, and I said I will never break my covenant with you"; and in Exodus xxxiii. 11, "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend."

Judges xiii.—This chapter narrates a long interview between an angel and Manoah and his wife. They took the angel to be God, for at verse 22 it is stated, "And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die for we have seen God."

I. Kings xxii. 19.—"I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left." See also Exodus xxiv. 9-10, already quoted.

Psalms cii. 20.—"Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments."

Isaiah vi. 1-2.—"I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims."

Isaiah lxiii. 9.—"And the angel of his presence saved them."

Ezekiel x. 5, 7.—"The sound of the cherubim's wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh."

I. Chronicles xxi. 15.—"And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was destroying the Lord beheld and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough; stay now thine hand And David lifted up his eyes page 11 and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem."

Luke ii—It was an angel that appeared to the shepherds and announced that Jesus would be born of Mary, and with the angel there was a multitude of the heavenly host. Verse 15 : "And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven" .... See also the othe evangelists in reference to the same.

Luke i.—It was an angel that appeared to Zacharias and informed him that his wife would bear a son—John the Baptist. See also the other evangelists in the same matter.

Matthew ii.—It was an angel that appeared to Joseph and warned him to "take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt."

Matthew xxvi. 53.—"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions angels? "

Matthew xviii. 10.—"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Does this refer to guardian angels?

Acts xxvii. 23-24.—It was an angel that appeared to Paul in his journey towards Rome, and comforted him saying, "For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Cæsar."

Matthew xiii. 39, 49.—"The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from amongst the just."

Matthew xxv. 31.—"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him."

Acts xii. 7, 10.—This chapter informs us that an angel suddenly appeared to Peter in prison and wrought a series of astounding miracles on his behalf, and got him safely out in spite of chains, prison doors, iron gates, and soldiers.

Acts x. 3, 10.—An angel came to Cornelius in a vision and commanded him to send men on an important mission to Peter, which he did.

Revelations i. states distinctly that the entire Book of Revelations was communicated to St. John by an angel.

Revelations i. and ii.—Here it is expressly stated that the seven churches in Asia were presided over each by an angel.

Revelations xviii. 21.—"And a mighty angel took up a stone, like a great mill-stone, and cast it into the sea saying, Thus shall that great city, Babylon, be thrown down."

Revelations xx. 1-3.—"and I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up."

Limited space forbids farther quotations. The Bible is full of angelic communication. It was the mission of angels to be present at the birth of the human race, the sons of the morning shouted for page 12 joy to mark the great event, they ministered to man all through the Scripture ages, rejoicing with him in his joy, and sorrowing with him in his distresses, and doubtless they are called upon in fulfilment of the spiritual laws of the universe, to follow him all through his earthly journey, and finally to be in attendance to give him a welcome into the heavenly kingdom to which we are all directed to look forward with the eye of faith.