wert visible, was no whit strange; herein thou wert a plain and happy object to all eyes: but how the angels, being merely spiritual substances, could see thee, may be part of this great mystery. Doubtless, they saw thee both before and ever since thou camest into the world, with eyes, like themselves, spiritual; and not seldom saw thee, being incarnate, with the assumed eyes of those bodies wherein they appeared. Thus they saw and adored, and proclaimed thee in the first salutation of the world, when thou didst lie in that homely posture in the manger at Bethlehem, singing that sweet and celestial carol at the nativity, "Glory be to God in the highest." They saw thee in the wild desert, where no creatures appeared to thee but either beasts or devils; there they saw thee pined with fasting, conflicted with the prince of darkness; they saw thee foiling that presumptuous enemy, not without wonder, doubtless, at the boldness of that daring spirit, and joyful applause at thy happy victory; they saw thee, but (as knowing there was no use of seconds in this duel of thine) unseen of thee, till the full end of that great combat; then they showed themselves to thee, as willing to be known to have been the secret witnesses of the fight, and glad congratulators of thy triumph; then they came and ministered unto thee. Never were they but ready to have visibly attended thee, hadst thou been pleased to require so sensible a service; but the state of a servant, which thou didst choose to undergo, suited not with the perpetuity of so glorious a retinue. Whether, therefore, they were seen to thee, or not seen, it was their great honour and happiness, and a main part

of the "great mystery of godliness," that thou who art the true God, manifested in the flesh, wert seen of angels.

They saw thee in the garden, in thy sad agony; and if angels could have been capable of passion in that state of their glory, could have been, no doubt, content to suffer in, and with thee. With what eyes do we think they looked upon thy bloody sweat, and the frowns of thy heavenly Father, which they saw bent against thee, in our persons, for the sin of mankind, which thou camest to expiate. Now, in this doleful condition, so wert thou seen of angels, that the angels were seen of thee: "For, lo, there appeared an angel from heaven strengthening thee," Luke xxii. 43. Oh the deep humiliation of God manifested in the flesh, that thou, O Jesus, the God and Lord of all the angels of heaven, shouldst in this bloody conflict with thy Father's wrath, for our sins, need and receive comfort from a created angel, thy servant !

Whilst thou wert grappling with the powers of darkness, there was no need of aid; only after the fight, angels came and ministered to thee; but now that thou must struggle under the wrath of thy Father, for man's sin, there was use of the consolation of one of those angels, whereof thou commandest millions. O blessed Saviour, had not the face of thy heavenly Father been clouded to thee, standing in the stead of our guiltiness, it had been no less than presumption in any finite power to tender thee any suggestions of comfort; but now, alas, those beatifical beams were so for the time hid from thine eyes, and the sweet influences of light and joy arising therefrom were for that sad

instant suspended; so as nothing appeared to thee that while, but the darkness of displeasure and horror; now, therefore, the comforts of a creature could not be but seasonable and welcome; so that thou didst not disdain to be strengthened by an angel. Extreme distress looks not so much to the hand that brings supply, as to the supply it brings. If but one of thy three drowsy disciples could have shaken off his sleep, and have let fall to thee some word of consolation in that heavy agony of thine, thou hadst not refused it.

How much less, the cordial intimations of a heavenly monitor! Neither was it improper for thee, who wast content to be made a little inferior to the angels, Heb. ii. 9, to receive some spiritual aid from the hands of an angel.

What then, O Saviour, was the strengthening which thou receivedst from this officious spirit in this pang of thine agony? Doubtless, it was not any communication of an additional power to bear up under that heavy pressure of the sins of the whole world, which drew from thee those sweats of blood; no angel in heaven was able to contribute that to the Son of God; but it was a sweet and forcible representation to thy disconsolate humanity, of the near approach of a happy eluctation* out of those torments of thy sufferings, and of the glorious crown of thy victory immediately succeeding.

X. And now, soon after, those angels that saw thee sweating in thine agony, and bleeding on thy cross, saw thee also triumphing over death in thy resurrection; they attended thee joyfully in the vault of thy sepulchre, and saw thee tri*Bursting forth.

umphing over the last enemy; being then suitably habited to so blessed an occasion, in white shining vestures. How gladly were they employed about that most glorious solemnity, both as actors in the service, and as the first heralds of thy victories over death! I find one of them obsequiously making ready for thy coming out of those chambers of death, upon thy resurrection morning; rolling away that massy stone which the vain care of thy adversaries had laid (curiously sealed) upon the mouth of that cave, for the prevention of thy fore-threatened resurrection; and sitting upon it with a countenance like lightning, and his garment white as snow, the terror of whose presence made the guard to shake, and to become as dead men, Matt. xxviii. 2, 3, 4. I find two of them, no less glorious, sitting the one at the head, and the other at the feet of that bed of earth, whereon thou hadst newly slept, John xx. 12. By these angels wert thou both seen and attended and no doubt, but as at thy first coming into the world, when but one angel published thy birth, he was seconded by a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God with hymns of rejoicing for thy nativity; so when but one or two angels were seen at thy second birth, (which was thy glorious resurrection,) there were more of that heavenly company, invisibly celebrating the joyful triumph of that blessed day; wherein having conquered death and hell, thou, showedst thyself in a glorified condition to the redeemed world of men. After this, when, for the proof of thy resurrection, upon which all our faith justly dependeth, thou hadst spent forty days upon earth,

I find thee upon Mount Olivet, at thy most glorious ascension, not seen only, but proclaimed, and fore-promised in thy certain, and, at least, equally glorious return, by the blessed angels. "And behold, while they looked stedfastly towards heaven as he went up, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come again, as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts i. 10, 11. But, O Saviour, these views of thee by thine angels hitherto were but special and visible, even by bodily eyes. How do I, by the eyes of my soul, see thee both attended up in that heavenly progress, and welcomed into thine imperial heaven, by all the host of those celestial spirits; no small part of whose perpetual happiness it is to see thee in thy glorified humanity, sitting at the right hand of Majesty; there they enjoy thee, there they sing continual hallelujahs to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

XI. If thine angels, O blessed Jesus, desired to look into this great and deep mystery of the gospel, 1 Pet. i. 12, their longing is satisfied in the sight of thy blessed incarnation, and the full accomplishment of the great office of thy mediatorship, since now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, is made known the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. iii. 9, 10, in this wonderful work of man's redemption; which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by thee. But that