:

"That this is consonant to the revelation of Holy Scripture, I shew, first, from the collection or inference which the Patriarch Jacob makes upon that divine vision of his at Bethel where, having seen a ladder reaching from heaven to earth, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon it, (Gen. 28, 16-7.) Surely' (saith he), the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. How dreadfull is this place! It is no other but the House of God, even the gate of Heaven.' That is Heaven's GuildHall, Heaven's Court; namely, because of the Angels. For the Gate was wont to be the Judgment-Hall, and the place, where Kings and Senators used to sit, attended by their Guard and Ministers.

Secondly, I prove it from that interpretative expression, used in the New Testament, of the Lord's descent upon Mount Sinai, when the Law was given; intimating that the specification of the presence of the divine Majesty there also consisted in the Angelical retinue there encamping. For so St. Steven, (Acts 7, 53.). You, who have received the Law by the disposition of Angels, and have not kept it. St. Paul twice; first, (Gal. 3, 19.) The law was added, because of transgressions,' Aiarayels διὰ τῶν ̓Αγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου, Ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour: and again, (Hebr. 2, 2.) he calls the Law, λόγος λαληθεὶς δι' ̓Αγγέλων, The word spoken by Angels. Howbeit in the story itself we find no such thing expressed, but onely that the Lord descended upon the Mount in a fiery and smoky cloud, accompanied with thunders and lightnings, with an earthquake, and the voice of a trumpet, (Exod. 19, 16. 18.) Whence then should this expression of St. Steven and the Apostle proceed, but from a supposition that the special presence of the Divine Majesty, wheresoever it is said to be, consisted in the encamping of his sacred retinue, the Angels? For that of himself, he, who filleth the Heaven and the Earth, could not descend, nor be in one place more then another.

"Yea, all the apparitions of the Divine Majesty, in Scripture, are described by this retinue. That of the Ancient of Days coming to judgment, (Dan. 7, 10.) Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;' to wit, of Angels. Whence we reade in the Gospel, (Matth. 16, 27. Mark 8, 38.) that Christ our Saviour shall come in the glory of his Father, that is, with an hoast of Angels, as the Holy Ghost himself in the same places expounds it; for Sóta, or glory, here signifies the presence of the Divine Majesty.

In the same style, of the same appearing, prophecied

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, (Jude v. 14.) 'Idoù, de Kúpios ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ, • Behold, the Lord cometh with his holy myriads,' or 'ten thousands;' for so it ought to be rendred, and not, as we have it, with ten thousand of his Saints." Wherefore here the Vulgar Latine comes nearer, which hath, Ecce, venit Dominus in sanctis millibus suis. A like expression whereunto of the Divine Presence we shall find in Moses blessing, (Deut. 33, 2.) The Lord' (saith he) came from Sinai unto them, i. e. unto Israel, (that is, came unto them resting upon Sinai, compare Ps. 68, 17. 18.) and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, he came with his holy ten thousands, or holy myriads,' (for so it should be translated, then it follows;) from his right hand went a fiery law for them. From whence, perhaps, that notion of the Jewish Doctours, followed by St. Steven and the Apostle, (That the Law was given by Angels,) had its beginning. And thus you have heard out of Scripture, What that is, whereby the special presence of the Divine Majesty is (as I suppose) defined, that is, wherein it consists; namely, such as is appliable to all places, wherein he is said to be present, even to Heaven itself, his throne and seat of glory, the proper place (as every one knows) of Angelical residence.

Now, according to this manner of presence, is the Divine Majesty to be acknowledged present in the places, where his name is recorded, as in his Temple under the Law, and in our Christian Oratories or Churches under the Gospel; namely, that the heavenly Guard there attend and keep their rendezvous, as in their Master's House: according to that vision, which the Prophet Esay had thereof (6, 1.,) I saw the Lord' (saith he) sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple, [Septuagint, and John 12, 41. dóka avtoũ,] that is, the Angels and Seraphims, his stipatores; as may be gathered from that which immediately follows, v. 3., where it is said, The Seraphims cried out one to another, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.'

"This King Agrippa, in Josephus (B. J. 2, 16.,) intimates in that Oration he is said to have made unto the Jews a little before that fatal siege, dehorting them from rebelling against the Romans, where speaking to the people hard by, and in view of that sacred Temple, he hath these words: Μαρτύρομαι δὲ ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμῶν τὰ ἅγια, καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ̓Αγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ, 1 call to witness your sacred Temple, and the holy Angels of God; namely, which encamp there, to whom some think that voice may be referred

before the destruction of the Temple, Migremus hinc, 'Let us depart hence.'

"The same is implied in that of the 138th Psalm, v. 1, 2, according to the translation of the Septuagint and Vulgar: 'EvavTlov Ayyeλwv, In conspectu Angelorum psallam tibi; Adorabo ad Templum sanctum tuum, et confitebor nomini tuo: Before the Angels I will sing praise unto thee; I will worship towards thy holy Temple, and praise thy name.'

"And according to this sense I understand that of Solomon, in this Book of Ecclesiastes (5, 1.,) within two or three verses of my text, concerning vows to be made in God's House: When thou vowest a vow, defer not to pay it. Better it is thou shouldest not vow, then vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, neither say thou before the Angel, It was an errour. That is, Let not such a foolish excuse come from thee in the House of God before the Holy Angels. For note that the word Angel may be taken collectively, for more then one; as tree for trees, leaf for leaves, (Gen. 3, 2. 7, etc.)

"For this cause all the curtains of the Tabernacle (Exod. 26, 36. 37. 1 Kings 6.) were filled with the pictures of Cherubims, and the walls of Solomon's Temple within with carved Cherubims, the Ark of the Testimony overspred and covered with two mighty Cherubims, having their faces looking towards it and the Mercy-Seat (Tapaxúvavτes,) with their wings stretched forth on high, called (Hebr. 9, 5.) The Cherubims of Glory, that is, of the Divine Presence. All to signifie, that where God's sacred memorial is, the ensign of his covenant and commerce with men, there the blessed Angels out of duty give their attendance.

"Nor is it to be over-passed, that the Jews at this day continue the like opinion of their modern places of worship; namely, that the blessed Angels frequent their assemblies, and praise and laud God with them in their Synagogues, notwithstanding they have no other memorial of his there then an imitative one onely, to wit, a chest with the volume or roll of the Law therein, instead of the Ark with the two Tables. For thus speaks the Seder Tephilloth, or Form of Prayer used by the Jews of Portugal:- O Lord our God, the Angels, that supernal company, gathered together with thy people Israel here below, do crown thee with praises, and all together do thrice redouble and cry that spoken of by the Prophet, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God. of Hoasts; the whole earth is full of his glory. They allude to Esay's vision of the Glory of God, above mentioned.

"You will say, Such a presence of Angels perhaps there was

in that Temple under the Law; but there is no such thing in the Gospel. No? why? Are the memorials of God's covenant, his insignia, in the Gospel, less worthy of their attendance then those of the Law? Or have the Angels, since the nature of man, Jesus Christ our Lord, became their Head and King, gotten an exemption from this service? Surely not. St. Paul, if we will understand and believe him, supposes the contrary, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, ch. 11, v. 10., where, treating of a comely and decent accommodation to be observed in Church-assemblies, and in particular of women's being covered or veiled there, he enforces it from this presence of Angels: 'For this cause' (saith he), 'ought the woman to have a covering on her head, dià roùs 'Ayyéλous, Because of the Angels; namely, which are there present. For otherwise the reason holds not, that she should more be covered in the place of prayer then anywhere else, unless the Angels be more there then elsewhere. This place much troubleth the Expositours; but see what it is to admit a truth; for now there is no difficulty in it.

"And that the ancient Fathers conceived no less venerably of their Christian Oratories, in this particular, then the Jews did of their Temple, appears by St. Chrysostome, who is very frequent in urging an awful and reverent behaviour in God's House from this motive of Angelical presence as in his Homily (in Morali) 36. in 1 Cor., where, reproving the irreverent behaviour of his auditory in that Church, in talking, walking, saluting, and the like (which, he saith, was peculiar unto them, and such as no Christians elsewhere in the world presumed to doe,) he enforces his reproof with words that come home to our purpose: "Non tonstrina,' (inquit,) neque unguentaria officina, neque ulla alia opificum, qui sunt in foro, taberna est Ecciesia, sed locus Angelorum, locus Archangelorum, Regia Dei, ipsum Calum.' The Church' (saith he) is no barber's or drug-seller's shop, nor any other craftsman's or merchant's workhouse or warehouse in the market-place, but the place of Angels, the place of Archangels, the Palace of God, Heaven itself.'

"And in his 4th Homily, de Incomprehensibili Dei Natura, towards the end :—' Cogita apud quem proxime stas, quibuscum invoces Deum; sc. cum Cherubim, cum Seraphim, cum omnibus cali Virtutibus: animadverte quos habeas socios. Satis hoc

tibi sit ad sobrietatem, cum recorderis te, corpore constantem et carne coagmentatum, admitti cum Virtutibus incorporeis celebrare ominium Dominum. Think near whom thou standest, with whom thou invocatest God; namely, with Cherubims and

Seraphims, and all the Powers of Heaven: consider but what companions thou hast. Let it be sufficient to perswade thee to sobriety, when thou remembrest that thou, who art compounded of flesh and bloud, art admitted with the incorporeal Powers to celebrate the common Lord of all.' But all this, will you the Angels may doe in Heaven. Well, let it be so, yet it is not altogether out of our way; but the next places I shall bring will not be so eluded.

say,

"Namely, that in his 15th Homily upon the Epistle to the Hebrews, against those that laughed in the Church: Regiam quidem ingrediens et habitu et aspectu et incessu et omnibus aliis te ornas et componis; hic autem vere est Regia, et plane hic talia, qualia cælestia, et rides? Atque scio quidem quod tu non vides. Audi autem, quod ubique adsunt Angeli, et maxime in Domo Dei adsistunt Regi, et omnia sunt impleta incorporeis illis Potestatibus.' When thou goest into a King's Palace, thou composest thyself to a comeliness in thy habit, in thy look, in thy gate, and in all thy whole guise; but here is indeed the Palace of a King, and the like attendance to that in Heaven, and dost thou laugh? I know well enough thou seest it not. But hear thou me, and know that Angels are everywhere, and that chiefly in the House of God they attend upon their King, where all is filled with these incorporeal Powers.'

"The like unto this you shall find in his 24th Homily upon the Acts of the Apostles: Οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι μετὰ ̓Αγγέλων ἕστηκας, μετ ̓ ἐκείνων ᾄδεις, μετ ̓ ἐκείνων ὑμνεῖς; καὶ ἕστηκας γελῶν; ‘Knowest thou not that thou standest here with Angels, that with them thou singest, with them thou laudest God with hymns? and dost thou laugh?' See the rest.

"I will alledge but one passage more of his, lest I should grow tedious, and that is out of his 6th book, de Sacerd., not very far from the beginning, where, speaking of the time when the Holy Eucharist is celebrated, Τότε (saith he) καὶ ̓Αγγελοι παρεστήκασι τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ οὐρανίων δυνάμεων ἅπαν τὸ βῆμα βοᾷ, καὶ ὁ περὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον πληροῦται τόπος, εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ κειμένου, ο Then the Angels stand by the Priest, and the whole Quire resounds with celestial Powers, and the place about the Altar is filled with them, in honour of him who is laid thereon,' that is, of his memorial. Compare with it a like passage in his 3d Hom. de Incompr. Dei Nat.; item Hom. 1. de Verbis Isaia. St. Ambrose acknowledgeth the same in Luc. 1. Non dubites assistere Angelum, quando Christus assistit, Christus immolatur. That it was the sense of the ancient Church, (that Christ is offered in the Eucharist by way of Commemoration onely,) see