who, if any Poet ever did, deferves the Title, S ER M. of Divine. Think not, though Men were none, The Heavens would want Spectators, God want Praife. Millions of fpiritual Creatures walk the Earth, Пеер. All these, with ceafelefs Praise, his Works behold, Both Day and Night Milton, B. iv. lin. 675, &c. Beings therefore, which the Scriptures affure us, almost in every Page (as we shall fee hereafter) to be constantly and immediately prefent with us all; let us get acquainted with, at least in our Minds, and always remember what Neighbours, or rather Inmates, we have. The Refpect and Gratitude we ought to bear them, on Account of the many good Offices for which we are beholden to them, I fhall have occafion to obferve to you, when their Office and Miniftry come to be particularly confidered by us: But at present, from the fingle and bare Confideration of fo many intelligent, and difcerning Beings that, are always about us, it behoves us to reflect, in all Places, and at all Times, even in our, Privacies VII. ? SER M. Privacies and Retirements, with whom we VII. are. We have the Eyes of many Witneffes continually upon us: Witneffes whofe Sight no Curtains can intercept, whofe Prefence no Doors, nor Walls, nor Bars, can exclude. Whenever therefore, you are acting any Wickedness, think not yourselves fafe, and fecure if alone; for you are never alone; nor never know how many Eyes are watching your Deeds. I charge thee, faith St Paul to his Son Timothy in the Faith, I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect Angels, that thou obferve thefe Things, &c. 1 Tim. v. 21. plainly intimating, that the Holy Angels take Notice of our Behaviour, and are appointed of God to be Witneffes of our Faithfulness, and Diligence, and Conduct, through the whole Courfe of our Lives. Our chief and most awful Regard, fhould always be had to the all-feeing Eye of the omnifcient, and omniprefent God: And this, if we have an habitual Mindfulness of it, will always be fufficient to quicken our Virtue, and to check our hottest Inclination to Vice. But alafs! we fee and know by Experience, that Men stand more in Awe, of the Eye of a Child, than they do of the Sovereign Judge of the World. And therefore, perhaps it may may affect fome People more (though I by SER M. no Means urge it as an equal Restraint) to tell VII. them again, that when they are acting any Fraud or Lewdness, or other Vice, free as they imagine from any that can see them, they have numerous Angelick Eyes upon them, which, were they but apprehenfive of it, would abafh them more, than the Prefence of all whom they ftand in awe of on Earth. R But Secondly, and to conclude; Since we have now seen that it is equally poffible for Spirits to exift and live without Bodies, as well as in them; let us no longer be in Fear for ourselves, as to what will become of our Souls when we die. For if Souls are Spirits, (as most certainly they are) the Dif folution of the Body, which the Soul now inhabits, will not refolve the Soul itself into a State of nothing; but rather, by releasing it from it's Prifon or Cage, tranfmit it to a more active and intelligent Life. Take care therefore only to behave yourself well, whilst you are paffing through this World below and never fear, but when you leave it, you will find not only a better and more glorious World to receive you, but also an innumera ble SERM.ble Company of Angels, pure and subtle VII. Beings, like Souls themselves, to welcome you to it, and the Spirts of many other just Men, made perfect before you, already there. To which happy Place, that we may at laft arrive, God of his Mercy grant, thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. SERMON SERMON VIII. The Nature, &c. of Angels. HEBREWS i. 7. And of the Angels he faith, Who maketh his Angels Spirits, and his Minifters a Flame of Fire. T HE direct Design of the holy Penman in this Epistle, I have already told you, is to fet forth the tranf cendant Eminency of our Lord. To beget in the Hebrews a more awful, and reverend Regard to the Gofpel, he labours to convince them of the great Excellency, Dignity, and Power of him that introduced it. This he attempts by comparing him, not with Mofes and the Prophets, but with the Bleffed Angels, the highest, and moft excellent of all the Creatures of God: And to prove the Superiority of Chrift over thefe; he fhews that, though the Angels in virtue of their Creation, VOL. III. N are |