The theatre of Gods judgements wherein is represented the admirable justice of God against all notorious sinners ... / collected out of sacred, ecclesiasticall, and pagan histories by two most reverend doctors in divinity, Thomas Beard ... and Tho. Taylor ...

CHAP. XV. The conclusion, concerning the protection of holy angels, over such as feare God.

NOtwithstanding all these Judgements upon the wicked, yet God is good unto Israel, even to those that are of an upright heart. Psalme seventie three, Verse the first: for as he executeth his Judgements upon the one, so hee defendeth the other, by his mightie providence; espe∣cially by the protection of Angels. Of which I pur∣pose to give you many examples in this place: and first out of the holy Scriptures.

Two Angels came to L••t in Sodome, strooke the inhabitants with blind∣nesse and led Lot by the hand out of Sodom, readie to be destroyed by fire and brimstone, Genesis the nineteenth. When Abraham was about to sacri∣fice his son Isaac, an Angell held his hand, and forbad him to kill his sonne, promising him from God a blessing for his obedience, Genesis 22. Iacob in his returne homeward, was comforted and strengthened against his brother Esau by the blessed Angels, Genesis the two and thirtieth.

An Angell of the Lord when the children of Israel came out of Aegypt, stood betwixt the campe of the Aegyptians and the Israelites in a pillar of clouds by day, to protect the Israelites against the Aegyptians, Exodus 14. Balaam when being sent for by Balaac King of Moab to curse the Israelites, an Angell with a sword drawne in his hand withstood him in the way, and commanded him to speake nothing but what the Lord should put into his mouth. Numbers 22.

An Angel of the Lord apeared unto Gedeon, comforted him, and appointed him captain over the people, to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Madi∣anites, Iudges, Chapter 6.

An Angel of the Lord appeared unto Manoa and his wife who was barren, promising them a sonne, to be called Sampson, that should deliver the Israe∣lites out of the hands of the Philistims, Iudg. 13.

It was an Angell in Davids time which strooke the Israelites with the pestilence, whereof died threescore and ten thousand; and when David prayed, put his sword up into his sheath, and saved the rest: the second booke of Samuel, and twentie fourth Chapter.

Elias the Prophet was refreshed with meat and drink, and in the strength thereof hee travelled fourtie dayes and fourtie nights; even to Mount Ho∣reb, by the Ministerie of an Angell, 1. Kings, 19.

Many legions of Angels environed the Prophet Elisha, which his ser∣vant, at his prayer, (his eyes being opened) saw and beheld, and all to de∣fend him from the Assyrians that besieged Samaria; 2. Kings, 6.

An Angell of the Lord slew in the campe of the Assyrians in one night an hundred fourscoure and five thousand men; 2. Kings, 19.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, being cast into the fierie Furnace by Nabuchadnezzar, for not worshipping his golden Image, were preserved a∣live and kept from hurt by an Angell of the Lord, Daniel 3.

It was an Angell that stopt the mouthes of the Lyons, that they could not hurt Daniel that was cast into their Denne, Daniel, 10.

The Angel Gabriel declared unto Zacharias, that his wife should conceive with child, and bring forth Iohn the Baptist in her old age, Luk•• 1.

It was the same Angell that announced to the Virgine Mary, that she should bring forth Iesus Christ our Saviour, Luke 1.

The same told the shepheards in the field, of Christ his Nativitie and witnessed his resurrection and ascention into the heavens, Mathew 28 Marke 16. Acts the first.

An Angell delivered the Apostles out of Prison, Acts 5.

An Angell freed Peter from his chaines, Acts 12. and Paul and Silas, Acts 16.

An Angell comforted Paul upon the Sea, and all those that were with him, and delivered them from the Tempest, Acts twentie seven.

All these Examples are out of the holy Scriptures, which is of infalli∣ble

truth, and sheweth that to be which is spoken by the Prophet Da∣vid in the foure and thirtieth Psalme, That the Angell of the Lord pitcheth his tents round about them that feare him.

Now follow examples out of humane Writes; and first to begin with a storie in Socrates, lib. 6. cap. 6. and Sozomen. lib. 8. cap. 4.

When Arcadius was Emperour of Rome, and Saint Chrysostome Bi∣shop of Constantinople, there was Gainas, an Arrian, and a Barbarian by profession, who being powerfull and great, went about to thrust Arcadius out of his Seat; but the Emperour compounding with him, sent him unto Constantinople with a troupe of horse and foot, under the pay of the Emperour. This man desired to have a peculiar Church for them of his owne Sect, for the free exercising of their Religion: which being denyed by the Emperour, at the perswasion of Saint Chry∣sostome, the Tyrant raised his forces in the night to spoyle and havocke the Citie. But they were resisted the first and second night, by the shew of a great Armie of tall and lustie men, and so terrified, that they durst doe nothing. The third night the Tyrant himselfe, thinking this to be but a fable, came in his owne person with his whole Armie, and found the same resistance: wherewith being terrified, hee fled into Tracia; where hee was slaine most miserably. Thus this great Citie was protected by the ministery of Angels, as Hierusalem once was from the Tyran Zenacherib.

In the reigne of Pompilius King of Poland, as the Polonian Chroni∣cles doe report, in the first booke, and twelfth Chapter, there came two men o•• a venerable countenance and habit to the Court gate, desi∣ring entrance and entertainment; but they were repulsed by the Por∣ter. Then they went to one Pyastus, a man of excellent holinesse and charity, who entertained them into his house very lovingly, broached a Vessell of sweet Wine for their drinke, and killed a fat Hogge for their meate, which hee had prepared against the first tonsure of his sonne, according to the custome of that Countrey. These men, or ra∣ther Angels, finding this kinde entertainment, caused the Vessell of sweet Wine to multiply, so that the more they dranke, the more still remained behinde; and the Hogge also in like manner. At last they wrought means, that Pompilius the King being dead, this good man was chosen King in his stead; and then disparished and were never more seen.

Nicephorus in his seventeenth booke, Chapter thirty five, reporteth a strange storie of a Jewish childe. This boy playing among other Christian children, was brought into the Temple by the Priest to care the reliques of the Sacrament, as the custome was: who tooke it a∣mongst his followes. Which as soone as the Jew his father understood, he put him into a fierie oven to be tormented to death: his mother sought him up and downe the Citie, not knowing what was done; and at last, after three dayes, found him alive in the Oven: from whence be∣ing taken, there was no smell of fire about him. Thus God protected by his Angell this poore childe. Instinian the Emperour, after hee knew thereof, caused the boy and his mother to be baptized; and the father, who refused, he caused to be crucified to death.

Under the Emperour Mauritius the Citie of Antioch was shaken with a terrible Earthquake, after this manner: There was a certaine

Citizen so given to bountifulnesse to the Poore, that hee would never suppe nor dine, unlesse hee had one poore man to be with him at his Table. Upon a certaine evening seeking for such a guest, and finding none, a grave old man met him in the Market-place, cloathed in white, with two companions with him, whom hee entreated to suppe with him: But the old man answered him, That he had more need to pray against the destruction of the Citie; and presently shooke his hand∣kerchiefe against one part of the Citie, and then against another; and being hardly entreated, forbore the rest. Which hee had no sooner done, but those two parts of the Citie, terribly shaken with an Earth∣quake, were throwne to the ground, and thousands of men slain. Which this good Citizen seeing, trembled exceedingly. To whom the old man in white answered and sayed, By reason of charity to the poore his house and Familie were preserved. And presently these three men (which no question were Angels) vanished out of sight. This storie Si∣gubert in his Chron. reporteth, Anne 585.

Philip Melancthon reporteth, That in a certaine Village neare unto the Citie Sygnea, a woman sent her sonne into the wood to fetch home her Kine: in the meane while, such a snow fell, that the boy could not returne home againe: his parents the next day (taking more care for the boy then for the kine) went out to seeke him; and within three dayes, found him in the middest of the wood, sitting in a faire place where no snow had fallen: They demanded of him, Why he made not haste home: He answered, That he tarryed till it was evening; being insensible both of the time and of the cold: They asked him againe, Whether he had received any food or no? The boy answered, That a certaine man brought unto him bread and cheese, which hee did eate. Thus without doubt the childe was preserved by an Angell, and the man that brought him the bread and cheese was an Angel of God.

Tiburtius the Governour of Areciam, a Heathen man, forbad two Christian brothers, Pergentinus and Laurentinus, to preach Christ: First, he allured them by flattering speeches; which when it succeeded not, he caused them to be beaten with clubbes. But the armes of them that beat them were so withered, that they could not strike a stroke: Then he went about to starve them in prison, but they were nourished by an Angell of God: After, hee commanded them to walke bare-footed upon burning coales, which they did without any sense of hurt: Last∣ly, the Image of Iupiter being brought unto them to worship, they cal∣ling upon the name of Jesus, the brazen Image resolved into dust: whereupon many of the Heathen people forsooke their Idols, and tur∣ned unto the faith of Christ. This story is written by Marullus Spala∣tensis, lib. 1. cap. 8.

In that battell wherein Iudas Machabeus overcame Timotheus, five men appeared in golden Armour; whereof two defended Machabeus, and the other three assaulted the enemies; the second of Machabees, Chapter the tenth. Likewise in the eleventh Chapter of the same Book, it is declared how two men in goodly Armour, and upon white horses, fought for the Jewes against their enemies; as Castor and Pollux were seene to fight for the Romans against the Tusculans, at the Lake Regillum.

When the Locrians made warre with the Crotolians, there was seen two goodly young men upon white horses, fighting for the Locrians; who as soone as the victory was gotten, were never seene more: which victory, at the same instant that it was gotten, was declared at Athens. Lacedemon, and Corinth; places farre distant from Locris and Cro∣thon.

When Attila the King of the Hunnes, calling himselfe the scourge of God, had with furious rage destroyed and wasted many Cities in Ita∣ly; he came at last to Rome, purposing also to destroy it: But Pope Leo the Great, by the commandment of Valentinian the Emperour, came out unto him, and by his prayers and intreaties made him so milde, that presently without doing any hurt he returned into his owne Countrey. Hereupon, being demanded by his Nobles, Why he shew∣ed himselfe so obedient to the Romane Bishop; he answered, That it was not in honour of the Pope, but that he saw another man standing by in Priestly garments, threatning him with a naked sword in his hand, unlesse hee would yeeld unto Pope Leo. This doubtlesse was an Angell protecting of the Citie of Rome from that cruell and mercilesse Enemie.

We reade in the lives of the Fathers, how a certaine religious Chri∣stian was cast into prison by the souldiers of Iulian the Apostata, whom when Apolonius another godly Christian came to visit, the Centurion cast him also into prison, to accompany the other, and set souldiers to watch the prison lest they should escape; but late in the night an Angel of God was seene in a most cleare light, and broke open the prison dore: which being seene, the Watch fell downe before those holy men, and the Centurion that night having his house sore shaken with an Earth∣quake, and some of his servants slaine; the next morning came and deli∣vered the two holy men out of prison with great trembling and feare.

We reade in the lives of the Fathers, of one Copres a holy man, that disputed with Manichee, and when hee could not put him downe in words, it was agreed betweene them, that the tryall of the truth of their religion should be made by fire: whereupon a fire being made in the Market-place, Copres went into it, and stood a time in it unhurt, being protected by the Angell of God; then the Manichee refusing to doe the like, was thrust into the middest of the fire by the people, and was so scortched, that he scarce escaped with his life; so that the people ab∣horring his wicked doctrine, thrust him out of the Citie; saying, This seducer burneth alive.

Baratanes the King of Persia made warre upon the Romanes; against whom Narsaeus the Emperours Generall prepared an Armie: and when the Constantinopolitanes were in great feare, two Angels in Bythinia charged certaine men that went to Constantinople, to tell the Citizens that they should give themselves to prayer and fasting, and feare no∣thing, for they were sent of God to defend the Army of the Romanes against the Persians; which they did accordingly for the Persian Army was defeated by Narsaeus, and the Saracens that came to helpe them in great multitudes, were drowned in the river Euphrates. This Socrates reporteth, Lib. 7. Capitul•• 18.

But to come to examples of later memory. Melancthon in his ex∣plication of the tenth Chapter of the prophesie of Daniel, relateth a storie of Gryneus a famous learned and godly man, who having offended the Bishop of Vienna, called Faba, in a disputation about Religion, re∣turned unto his sociates assembled together, whereof Melancthon was one: where discoursing of the disputation betweene him and the Bi∣shop, I (saith Melancthon) was called out of the chamber, to speak with a certaine grave man, of a venerable countenance and habit, who told me that we should remove Gryneus out of that place presently, for the Sergeants were come to apprehend him, and to cast him into prison: whereupon we presently conducted him through the Citie, and brought him unto the rivers side, where we had him conveyed over into ano∣ther Jurisdiction: and at our returne to the Inne, found that the Ser∣geants had beene there. Thus, saith Melancthon, we see that this grave old man was an Angell of God, that came to protect the good man from his enemies.

In the yeare 1539, not farre from Sitta in Germany, in the time of a great dearth, and famine, a certaine godly matron having two sonnes, and destitute of all manner of sustenance, went with her children to a certaine fountaine hard by, praying unto Almighty God, that he would there relieve their hunger by his infinite goodnesse: as she was going, a certaine man met her by the way, and saluteth her kindly, and asked her whither shee was going; who confessed that she was going to that fountaine there, hoping to be relieved by God, to whom all things are possible; for if he nourished the children of Israell in the desart forty yeares, how is it hard for him to nourish me and my children with a draught of water: and when shee had spoken these words, the man, (which was doubtlesse an Angel of God) told her, that seeing her faith was so constant, she should returne home, and there should finde six bushels of meale for her and her children. The woman returning, found that true which was promised.

In the yeare 1558, a cruell tempest raged in Thuringea, beating downe houses, pulling up trees by the roots, and drowned by the vio∣lence of the water above forty persons, men and women. In this feare∣full inundation of waters, a notable and miraculous example of Gods protection by Angels shewed it selfe: for there was a woman newly brought to bed of a childe, drowned, but the infant lying in a cradle, was carried with the violence of the water a great way off, and at last the cradle stopping at the bough of an apple-tree, was fastened till the waters decreased, and after divers dayes was found alive.

The like example of a childe miraculously preserved in the waters, is described by Husan•••• in most elegant verses; the copie whereof you may reade in the Historicall Theatre of Lonicerus, pag. 196.

Another childe at Friburge in Misnia falling into the river, was car∣ried violently a great space, untill it came unto a Mill, where it stop∣ped, and was miraculously taken up alive by Gods protection, and his holy Angels.

The like we reade of concerning another childe, miraculously preser∣ved at Rotinberge, in the yeare 1565, as Lonicerus reporteth.

I will adde one more of my owne knowledge, concerning an In∣f••••t.

〈…〉〈…〉 Towne in Cambridge-shire, there was a cra••ie Steeple ready to 〈◊〉〈◊〉, under which a poore man with one childe, had built a little cottage, and lived therein: it chanced that the Steeple fell upon that little cot∣tage, the woman being in the towne, and the childe in the house: all men supposed the childe had beene crushed to pi••••es; but it pleased God, by the protection of his holy Angels, that certaine pieces of the Bell-free fell crosse over the little cottage, and kept off the sto••••es from hurting of the childe; which crying was heard, and they removing the stones and rubbidge, found the childe alive.

The like happened at Huntington; where Saint Mar••••s Church, having a decayed Steeple, the Parishioners for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to repaire it; who about noone comming downe to ••h••ir 〈◊〉〈◊〉, left certaine children which were taught by the Minister, playing in the body of the Church, who had no sooner runne into the Chancell to their victuals, but the Steeple tumbled downe into the Church, beating downe a great part of the Church: withall, behold the wonderfull protection of God, if the Steeple had fallen upon the Lords day, many hundreds had beene slaine; and if at any other time of the day, the Masons and the children had all perished: but blessed be the name of the Lord for this safe de∣liverance.

Another example was related unto me by men of good credit, upon their owne knowledge; how a certaine man riding between two woods in a great tempest of thundering and lightening, rode under an Oake to shelter himselfe; but his horse would by no meanes stay under that Oake, winching, and kicking, and running away, whether his Master would or no: which his master perceiving, went unto another Oake hard by, where the horse stayed very quietly: but they had not long staid there, but the first Oake with a grievous clap of thunder and ligh∣tening was torne all to fitters, and the man and horse in the other place escaped safely: Oh the wonderfull protection of God, and that by the ministery of his holy Angels!

In the yeare 1565, so great a tempest of raine and waters arose at Islebia, that it bare downe houses before it; it fell most violently upon the house of one Barthold Bogt, so that it broke downe the fore-part of his house, where lay a childe in a cradle; which the father, with hazard of his life, brought forth and carried into his adjoyning neighbours house: two other of his children endeavouring also to save, hee tooke in his armes to carry forth of the house, but the rage of the water hin∣dered him, so that they rested upon a beame; from whence the one of his children was violently taken out of his armes, and he and the other being shaken from the post, were carried into the Orchard; where fin∣ding footing, stood up to the neck in water, with the childe in his armes; and looking about for his other childe, he found it sitting upon a piece of timber, and comming towards him, which hee also tooke into his armes, and got up into a high pile of wood, where he rested all night, none being able to afford him any helpe. The next morning, when the waters were decreased, he came downe to looke for two other of his chil∣dren

which he had left in an upper part of the house, whom hee found fast asleepe; now he had no sooner taken them from thence, but that part of the house fell downe also: where we may see a visible signe of Gods protection by his holy Angels, who not onely preserved all the fa∣mily, but also kept that part of the house from falling, wherein the chil∣dren lay sleeping, untill they were brought forth.

Many more examples of this kinde might be added, but these shall suffice to shew Gods great providence towards his children; who as he punisheth the wicked with most severe Judgements, so he protecteth those that feare him with extraordinary providence by his holy Angels: to shew the truth of that, which the Apostle speaketh; that They are ministring Spirits, sent forth to waite upon them who shall be heires of salva∣tion, Hebrewes 1. Verse 14.

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