The great mystery of godliness laid forth by way of affectuous and feeling meditation : also the invisible world discovered to spirituall eyes and reduced to usefull meditation in three books / by Jos. Hall.

SECT. IX.

O Saviour, it is no mysterie that being manifested in he flesh, thou wert seen of men; but it is no small part of

the great mystery of Godliness, that thou who art the God of Spirits, wert seen by those hea∣venly spirits, cloathed in flesh: It could not be but great news to the Angels to see their God born, and conversing as man, with men. For a man to see an Angell is a matter of much wonder, but for an Angell to see God become man, is a far greater wonder: since in this▪ the change concernes an infi∣nite subject, in the other, a fi∣nite, though incorporeall▪ But, pause here awhile, O my soul, and inquire a little into these strange spectators: Seen of Angels? who, or what might those be? Are three any such reall, incorporeall, permament substances; or are they onely things of imagination, and extemporary representations of the pleasure of the Almighty? Wo is me, (that no errour may be wanting to this prodigious age,) do we live to see a revicti∣on

of the old Sadduci••••••, so long since dead and forgotten? Was Gabriel that appeared and spake to Daniel, nothing but a super∣natural ph••ntasme? And what then was a he Gabriel▪ that ap∣peared with the happy newes of a Saviour to the blessed Vir∣gin? What are the Angels of those little ones, whereof our Saviour speakes, which do al∣waies behold the face of his Fa∣ther in heaven? What were those Angels that appeared to the shepherds with the tidings and gratulations of the Savi∣our borne at Bethlem? What was that beneficent spirit that visited Peter in the Prison, smote him on the side to wake him from his sleep; shook off his chains, threw open the iron gate, and rescued him from the bloody hands of Herod? What are those spirits, who shall be Gods reapers at the end of the world, to cut down the tares, and gather the wheat into his

barn? Shortly, what were all those spirits (whereof both Testaments are full,) which God was pleased to imply in his frequent missions to the earth? were these phantasms too? Certainly, though there may be many Orders, yet there is but one generall condition of those Angelicall attendants on the throne of the Almighty: Even in the old Testament, was it a supernaturall apparition of fancie, that in one night smote all the first borne in the land of Aegypt? was it a supernatu∣rall apparition of fancie, that in one night laid an hundred fourscore and five thousand As∣syrians dead upon the ground? Could these be any other then the acts of living, and powerful agents? It is not for us to con∣tend about words; those that are disposed to devise paradox∣es, may frame to themselves what senses they please of their own terms; this we are sure of,

that the Angels are truly ex∣isting, spirituall, intelligent, powerfull, eviternall Creatures, whose being is not exposed to our sense, but evidenced both to our faith and reason; not circumscribed in any grosse lo∣cality, but truly being where they are, and acting according to their spiritual nature.

Of these Angels, O blessed Saviour, wert thou seen mani∣fested in the flesh, to their won∣der and gratulation: That, thou who hadst taken our flesh wert visible, was no whit strange; herein thou wert a plain and happy object to all eyes: but how the Angels, being meerly spirituall substances, could see thee, may be part of this great mysterie: Doubtlesse, they saw thee both before and ever since thou camest into the world, with eyes like them∣selves, spirituall, and, not sel∣dome, saw thee being incar∣nate with the assumed eyes of

those bodies wherein they ap∣peared; Thus they saw, and a∣dored, and proclaimed thee in thy first saluration of the world, when thou layest in that homely posture, in the Manger at Bethlehem; singing that sweet and celestiall caroll at thy na∣tivity, 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, confli∣cted with the Prince of darknes: they saw thee foiling that pre∣sum ptuous enemy, not with∣out wonder, doubtlesse, at the boldnesse of that daring spirit, and joyfull applause at thy hap∣py 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 shewed 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 ministred unto thee; Never were they but ready to have vi∣sibly attended thee, hadst thou been pleased to requite so sen∣sible a service; but the state of a servant, which thou choo∣sedst to undergoe, suited not with the perpetuity of so glo∣rious a retinue; whether there∣fore they were seen to thee, or not seen, it was their great honour and happinesse, and a main part of the great mysterie of Godliness, that thou, who art the true God manifested in the flesh, wert seen of Angels.

They saw thee in the gar∣den, in thy sad agonie; 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 lookt upon thy bloody sweat; and the frownes of thine heavenly Father, which

they saw bent against thee, in our persons, for the sin of man∣kind, which thou camest to ex∣piate? Now in this dolefull condition, so wert thou seen of Angels, that the Angels were seen of thee: For lo, there ap∣peared an Angell from heaven strengthening thee. O the deep humiliation of God, manifested in the flesh, that thou, O Jesu, the God and Lord of all the Angels of heaven, shouldst in this bloody conflict with thy Fathers wrath for our sins need and receive comfort from a created▪ Angel thy ser∣vant▪

Whilest thou wert grapling with the powers of darkness there was no need of aid; only after the fight Angels came, and ministred to thee; but now, that thou must strug∣gle under the wrath of thy Fa∣ther, for mans 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 clou∣ded to thee, standing in the stead of our guiltinesse, it had been no lesse then presumption in any finite power to tender thee any suggestions of com∣fort; but now, alas, those bea∣tificall beams were so for the time hid from thine eyes, and the sweet influences of light and joy arising there-from, were for that sad instant, suspended; so as nothing appeared to thee, that while, but the darknesse of displeasure and horrour; now therefore the comforts of a creature, could not be but sea∣sonable and welcome; so that thou disdainedst not to be strengthened by an Angel: Ex∣treme distresse looks not so much to the hand that brings supply, as to the supply it brings: If but one of thy three drouzy clients could have sha∣ken off his sleep, and have let

fall to thee some word of con∣solation, in that heavy fit of thine▪ thou hadst not refused it; how much lesse, the cordiall in∣timations of an heavenly moni∣tor? neither was it improper for thee, who wast content to be made a little inferiour to the Angels, to receive some spiritu∣all aid from the hands of an Angell.

What then, O Saviour, was the strengthening which thou receivedst from this officious spirit in this pang of thine ago∣ny? Doubtless it was not any communication of an additio∣nall power to bear up, under that heavy pressure of the sins of the whole world, which drew from thee those sweats of blood; No Angell in heaven was able to contribute that to the Sonne of God; but it was a sweet, and forcible represen∣tation to thy disconsolate hu∣manity, of the near approach of an happy eluctation out of

those torments of thy sufferings, and of the glorious crown of thy victory immediately suc∣ceeding.

Notes

• Seen of An∣gels.
• Dan. 8. 19, 17.
• Mat. 18. 10.
• Luk. 2. 9. 15.
• Act 12. 7, 8, 10.
• Luk. 22. 41.
• Heb. 1. 9.