doubt-in many cases where the wilful sin of childhood requires that such a hold should be taken of the atoning Saviour: and when the neglect of those whose general custom it is to defer the work of instructing a soul in the knowledge of God, until long after Satan has set his infernal imps to familiarize it with evil, would have the little one to perish, but for such merciful provision on the part of the Most High for those whom he purposes to remove by an early death, but not before they have sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression.

upon them, and the glory of the Lord shepherds, they went away from them shone round about them, and they were into heaven. Upon this scene the mind sore afraid." This angelic herald, who of infancy always seems to fasten with a came to proclaim his King and theirs, peculiar feeling of its tender beauty; and seems to have worn, as it were, his robe "the child Jesus," the "babe wrapped in of state for the occasion. He "came upon swaddling clothes, lying in a manger," them," probably standing between earth often becomes the hope of a heart too and heaven, as the mighty angel whom young to comprehend the nature of its David saw, but not armed with a destroy-faith-a saving faith, we may not dare to ing sword; and the brightness that shone in his countenance, a glory derived like that of Moses' face, from contemplating the presence of God, shed a broad light on the group of astonished shepherds, who beheld in a moment the darkness of night turned into the blaze of day; and were terrified at the spectacle of so august a being. "And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you (Israelites) is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." How grand is the sequel! "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men!" It would seem as though the very wonder, not to say consternation, occasioned by seeing the Lord of heaven and earth so abased as they described him to be, were lost in the joyful assurance, that since he, the Prince of Peace, was come down to dwell on earth, peace must ensue in all her borders; and that such a token of good will to men was the sure earnest of defeat and destruction to the evil spirits who had so long borne rule over her population. The seed of the woman had appeared; the serpent's head would therefore now be effectually bruised; and since we may well believe it utterly impossible that angelic natures should conceive the extent to which man's hardened depravity could be driven by Satan, even to the crucifying of the Lord of glory, their benevolent joy knew no drawback; and with a sudden burst revealing themselves, as they were permitted to do, to those favoured Jews, they filled the visible space with their glorious forms, and poured forth the divine harmony of their combined voices, until ascending in the view of the

The next appearance of an angelic watcher over the incarnate Lord, was in a dream to Joseph, warning him. "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." Matt. ii. 13. "Until I bring thee word," -how zealously affected were these heavenly creatures in the good work it was their privilege to labour in! This angel was apprized of the bloody purpose of the tyrant, and knew that he should be permitted to watch the progress of his impious conspiracy against the new-born King, and to convey to the believing guardian of that most sacred charge, tidings of safety, when all peril was past. He seems to have cautioned Joseph against any possible deception from other quarters; he was not to return from Egypt until the same messenger, who now bade him flee thither, should again appear to authorize his quitting it. We may readily assure ourselves that bright squadrons of the highest angels of God, surrounded those poor fugitives, and kept at bay every foe that might have crept on their nocturnal path. Christ was at all times "seen of angels," and in one way or another they perpetually "ministered unto him." The assurance of safety, through Herod's death, was at length given by the angel in an

other dream; and once more in the full Up to that moment they were not permitsense of which the former deliverance had ted to interfere: Michael and his holy anbeen but a prophetic type, out of Egypt gels might form in bright array, and the God called his Son. dragon's fallen angels might eagerly look Of our Lord's early years no record is on, panting for their master's success, but given, and we are not warranted in sup-none durst interpose. The strife was perplying the blank from any stores of ima-sonal, and the triumphant issue certain; gination. Of this we are sure, that the for who among created beings, ever hardLord Jesus exhibited alike to angels and ened himself against God, and prospered? to men an all-perfect model of holiness, "Seen of angels" at all times, it was not harmlessness, undefiled purity, perfect often that they were privileged to succour obedience, and that glorious righteousness their incarnate Lord as now we are told by the imputation of which, all who be- they did. The cake and the cruse of walieve on him are justified from all things: ter provided by the angel for Elijah's rethat he magnified the law and made it freshment, were cheerfully prepared and honourable, showing forth the sublime courteously bestowed; but with hat beauty of that in which man sees, alas! eager gladness of heart must those minislittle to desire, and much to shrink from as tering spirits have brought to their gragrievous and burdensome. Thus he con- cious King the sustenance that his body, tinued, to his thirtieth year, when he went exhausted by the prolonged fast, then reforth to John in the wilderness to be bap-quired! We may believe it to have been tized, and to receive that public testimony an epoch in the existence of the holy, from heaven, the voice of the Almighty happy creatures who were chosen to renGod, proclaiming, "This is my beloved der this service and gently too; to faciliSon, in whom I am well pleased;" while tate his return from the giddy height to the mysterious spirit descended and abode which Satan had borne him; and to listen on him. John beheld this, and others, his to the gracious words that spoke accepdisciples, chosen to bear testimony to this tance of their devotion: for he who with solemn anointing of our great High Priest; such authority rebuked and commanded but their eyes were not opened to behold the unclean spirits whenever they crossed the glory that surrounded them-the sap- his path, had surely words of another tenphire throne, the fiery cherubim, the innu- dency whereby to encourage the obedient, merable company of angels, and the many and to animate the zealous servant. thousands of Israel, with the multitude of those who in all ages had looked forward, and by faith embraced the promise of the Seed of the woman, and having seen the day of Christ afar off, now witnessed his actual entrance on the arena of that terrible conflict which he came to wage. We can have but very poor conceptions of that awful hour, if we consider not the great cloud of witnesses, angels, and disembodied souls of men, who thronged to gaze upon the spectacle; and who, beyond doubt, likewise surveyed the personal encounter that followed it.

Of this we have before spoken, and exhibited the successive wiles of the devil to allure his mighty antagonist into some concession on which he might lay hold. He left the man Christ Jesus on a pinnacle of the temple, whither he had been permitted to bear him for the last trial of his steadfastness; and then it was that "angels came and ministered unto him."

But from thenceforth unmitigated suffering was to be the lot of the Lord Jesus, in order that ours might be the lot of unmingled blessedness: foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man had not where to lay his head. Disbelieved on by his brethren, who also mocked and aspersed him; slighted if not opposed by other kindred after the flesh; not openly acknowledged or countenanced by any but the poor of the people; and subsisting on the little aid that such could afford to give; it does not appear that the angels were allowed to yield relief to his bodily necessities, or to cheer his human spirit by any perceptible sympathy in his griefs. They, however, furnished him with a continual theme of discourse; so constantly adverted to, indeed, that were no mention made of them in any other part of God's word, we could gather enough from our Lord's incidental allusions to inform us what are their natures,

strengthening him," Luke xxii. 40, and what a mission that angel had!

The mind sinks under this scene; not the bright throng of chariots and horses of fire that surrounded Elisha; not the array of seraphim, seen by Isaiah, giving glory to the Lord of hosts; not the great multitude of the heavenly host who appeared to celebrate his incarnation; not even the party of those who came to minister unto him when Satan had departed; but one single solitary angel appeared, coming direct from heaven, from the immediate presence of God the Father, advancing through the gloom and stillness of night, and for what purpose? to strengthen him from whom all strength is derived! We cannot tell of what nature was the

their employments, their dispositions, and | thine be done." Then it was that "there their present and future privileges. It is appeared an angel unto him, from heaven, remarkable how often he dwells upon them as interested spectators of the affairs of this world; and witnesses of what shall hereafter come to pass. "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God." Luke xii. 8. 9. "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his father's, and of the holy angels." Luke ix. 26. "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations." Matt. xxv, 31, 32. It would be impossible to reconcile such ex-strength conveyed: we have the word, pressions as these with any ignorance on and nothing more; and we know that, the part of the heavenly host as to what notwithstanding the strength thus impasses among men; on the contrary it parted, "being in an agony he prayed clearly implies that they, having looked more earnestly, and his sweat was as it upon every transaction in the human were great drops of blood falling down to family throughout its continuance, will be the ground." Luke xxii. 44. Of this specsummoned as witnesses to the exact just-tacle the angel was a witness; and a witness of the final award, when all are gath-ness he will prove against such as reject ered together in one vast assemblage, to the salvation wrought out for them at such receive their everlasting doom.

a fearful price by the Son of God! We But we must return to the story as re- cannot pretend to descant on this heartgards angelic interpositions, recorded in piercing scene; we have it, indeed, most the narrative of our Lord's personal so- clearly set forth for our trembling contemjourn on earth. After the close of his plation, and deeply ought we to ponder it. combat with the Evil One, we read no The Lord of hosts, the King of glory, more of their appearance, until that most prostrated on the earth that he created, awful scene when, with his soul exceeding offering up "prayers and supplications, sorrowful even unto death, the Redeemer with strong crying and tears," Heb. v. 7, withdrew a little way from his drowsy dis- in an agony that wrung a bloody sweat ciples, and poured out before his Father from every pore, while one of the brightthat prayer which betokened the extreme est of his creatures, sent from the invisible death of his humiliation, in submitting to throne of God, stood by, imparting such endure the mortal anguish of human fear, strength as he was commissioned to bring, the fear of approaching death. Far be it and beholding the sons of men, for whom from us to follow the example of some who all this was undergone-unmindful of the would fain pry into the impenetrable mys-repeated admonition to watch and pray, tery of that hour's suffering! We are and not even sufficiently alive in their told that it was the hour of the powers of Master's cause, at this extreme point of darkness; when the prince of this world his distress, to watch with him one hourcame to find that he had nothing in the slumbering at the distance of a stone's Son of God; when the supplication was cast. Surely this was the lowest point of wrung from the Redeemer's lip, that if it the Saviour's humiliation, when he could were possible the cup might pass from accept strength from a created angel: and him; yet qualified by the submissive ad- surely it ought also to lay us in the lowest dition, "Nevertheless, not my will, but depth of self-accusing shame, that for our 55

VOL. II.