thority of the elders." Here then they present us with two sorts of angels; the heavenly, who are spirits; the earthly, who are men sitting in the seat of Moses. The people of Canaan is said to be subject to both; to the heavenly, 1. As the law was published by them. 2. As they were constituted the avengers or defenders of the law. 3. As the guardians of the authority of the elders. To the earthly; as the people was obliged to apply to them, to seek the testimony and the law, and to obey them, just as if God himself in person had published his commands with an audible voice. And on account of this dominion, both the earthly and the heavenly angels were called gods. LVII. I answer, the source of this error is a misinterpretation of what the apostle says, Heb. ii. 5. Where, indeed, it is denied, that this habitable world is put in subjection unto angels; but this is nowise asserted of the former. And from the denial of the one, the affirmation of the other cannot be concluded. The apostle's whole discourse is with a view, to gain the est authority to the doctrine of Christ. great For this pur pose, he had, in the foregoing chapter, described in magnificent encomiums the excellence of his person : he then established the great pre-eminence of the gospel above the law. And now he urges, that Christ was to be obeyed, because the Father had given him -the government of the whole world, which is an honor. not at all conferred on angels. He speaks of the world to come, not in contradistinction to the past, as if angels exercised dominion in that, as Christ does in this : but because it is a part of Christ's exaltation, to be appointed Lord of that world by God, a world far more excellent than the past. This then is the apostle's reasoning. We are, with the greatest reverence, to attend to the word of Christ, because he is appointed Lord of the whole world; and indeed, especially at that time, wherein the state of all things, and particularly of the but no church, is the most perfect: subjection of the ancient church unto angels from this text? Are we LVII. 2. The law published by angels, was the decalogue; which we are bound to own as the rule of our obedience, equally with the Israelites. then also on that account subjected to angels? 3. The part which the angels acted, in promulgating the law, was purely ministerial, and therefore implies no dominion: John was not therefore subject to an angel, because the apocalypse was sent and signified to him by an angel, Rev. i. 1. 4. I cannot see, how it can be proved, that the avenging the law was enjoined upon angels under the Old Testament by any special command, which is revoked under the New. And the brethren themselves will not deny, that the words, Psal. Xxxv. 5, 6. belong even to the times of the New Testament, and to the enemies of Christ. The punishment of rebels, the chastisement of the miscarriages of the righteous, the defence of those under unjust oppression, argue indeed the ministry, not the empire of angels. And what peculiar has the Old Testament, in this respect, to which the New cannot shew the like? For here also the apostle, 1 Cor. xi. 10. 1 Tim. v. 21. urges the observance of decency in the church, because of the presence of the angels. But it is worth while to hear Cocceius himself commenting to this purpose on John i. 52. "Moreover, that angels were present with the Christian church, appears from the preservation, enlargement, and purging of the Christian church, and from the astonishing protection of those that came out of Babylon." And a little after: "As he subjects our members to our will, and inspires us with a good will; so he also makes his will known to his angels, and sanctifies their will; and if there be any thing that regards the good of man, he inclines them to it. Thus, while he reigns in the church, he reigns in the angels; and the same Spirit is in the angels, which is in the church; as in the vision of Ezekiel, the same Spirit was in the wheels, which was in the living creatures, Ezek. i. 20." Let us add what he says in Disput. ad Matth. xxiv. thes. 38. "The angels assist the preaching of the gospel, no less than they were solicitous, that the law should be observed for the determined time." 5. I know not on what ground it is so confidently asserted, that angels were formerly, in a peculiar manner, guardians of the authority of the elders; unless perhaps on that general one, that God usually employed them, to keep up the order he had established upon earth; but they cease not to do this under the New Testament. 6. They are called gods, because of the excellency of their nature and office, and of the image of God in that respect: not because of any empire they had over the people of God, of which they are now deprived: for Paul, in his time, called them thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, Col. i. 16. LIX. 7. 'Tis scarce needful to mention any thing about men sitting in the seat of Moses, who are called earthly angels. For who will deny, that in the commonwealth of Israel, which was a royal priesthood, God appointed a magistracy, that was both civil and ecclesiastical, with proper authority, in order to see to the due observance of his law? And I shall easily grant, that this magistracy received authority, to deal somewhat more severely with the church, while she was an infant heir, under tutors and guardians, than can now well suit with an advanced age, and days of greater li berty. But I don't see, who can prove, that the apos, tle, in the quoted passage to the Hebrews, treats of them under the name of angels; especially as in the whole of this discourse he constantly means, by angels, those ministering spirits, whom God commands to be ready to serve his beloved people, Heb. i. 14. And then even the New Testament church hath its angels, of which in the Revelation. Shall we also affirm, that therefore it is subject to angels? 8. and lastly, The name gods is common to any civil magistrate, who dispenses justice in God's name, even in pecuniary causes; as appears from Exod. xxi. 6. and xxii. 28. Deut. xix. 7. That notion therefore, about the church of the Old Testament being in a peculiar manner subject to angels, falls to the ground. LX. Eighthly, It also deserves our inquiry, whether we are to reckon the continual fear of temporal death, to which believers of that time were all their life subject, among the defects of the Old Testament? Concerning this fear the brethren argue to this purpose. They distinguish between a good and an evil fear of Ideath. This last is attended with a horror and hatred of the holiness of God, proceeding from an evil conscience, in every unregenerate sinner, who knows and reflects, that God is judge. The former again is twofold either common or peculiar in the saints under the Old Testament: common in all those that account this life, and freedom from misery, to be an extraordinary gift of God, and which may be profitable both to themselves and others. This fear is not unbecoming the pious, nor renders them miserable. That which in an especial manner belonged to the Israelites, the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, arose from causes, which were peculiar to them: namely, 1. From an affection for the land of Canaan, which was given them, with a promise of long life therein, as a pledge of the heavenly inheritance. And therefore it was necessary, that believers should desire to enjoy that pledge. 2. From a desire and hope of seeing, in due time, the Saviour in that land. 3. From the bondage to the elements of the world, to which they were tied down by that law, that if on set purpose they neglected it, they became, as transgressors of the law, obnoxious to temporal and eternal punishments; but if, through infirmity or thoughtlessness, they acted against the ordinances, they had reason to apprehend immediate death to be inflicted upon them by the hand of God: terrible examples of which were sometimes set before their eyes. This fear was good, proceeding from the love of a good conscience and of the grace of God; and made them, with diligence and care, perform the service of the ceremonies for the godly had this all their life long. But they were delivered from it by the death of Christ. And this Paul is thought to have declared, Heb. ii. 15. This is the sum of what is almost every where repeated, and more summarily explained, Animadv. ad quæst. de V. et N. T. quæst. 31. LXI. For my own part, I will not disown, that there was something in the rigour of the Mosaic polity, that had a tendency to make them afraid of some dreadful death: Heb. x. 28. He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses. God himself commanded, that such as these should be punished with death, Lev. xxiv. 16. Numb. xv. 34. and sometimes made examples of those, who had not very carefully observed some circumstantials, by a death altogether extraordinary, Lev. x. 2. 1 Sam. vi. 20. 2 Sam. vi. 7.-9. This, especially if it was just before them, or had lately happened, could not but strike a terror, and excite the righteous to take diligent heed, lest they |