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venge, by procuring the imprisonment; and, if he might, the death of so sharp a censurer. Grynaus, misdoubting nothing upon his return to his lodging, reports the passages of the late conference, to those, who sat at the table with him; amongst whom, Melanchton being one, was called out of the room to speak with a stranger, newly come into the house: going forth accordingly, he finds a grave old man of a goodly countenance, seemly and richly attired; who, in a friendly and grave manner, tells him, that within one hour, there would come to their inn certain officers, as from the King of the Romans to attach Grynæus, and to carry him to prison; willing him to charge Grynæus, with all possible speed to flee out of Spires; and requiring Melanchton to see that this advantage were not neglected: which said, the old man vanished out of his sight. Instantly Melanchton, returning to his companions, recounted unto them the words of this strange monitor, and hastened the departure of Grynæus accordingly; who had no sooner boated himself on the Rhine, than he was eagerly searched for at his said lodging. That worthy divine, in his Commentary upon Daniel, both relates the story, and acknowledges God's fatherly providence in sending this angel of his for the rescue of his faithful servant. Others, though not many of this kind, are reported by Simon Goulartius, in his collection of admirable and memorable histories of our time: whither for brevity sake, I refer my reader*.

But, more often hath it fallen out, that evil spirits have visibly presented themselves, in the glorious forms of good angels; as to Simeon Stylites, to Pachomius, to Valens the Monk, to Rathodus Duke of Freezland, to Macarius, to Gertrude in Westphalia, with many others; as we find in the report sof Ruffinus, Vincentius, Cæsarius, Palladius: and the like delusions may still be set on foot, while Satan, who loves to transform himself into an angel of light, laboureth by these means to nurse silly souls in superstition: too many whereof have swallowed the bait, though others have de scried the hook. Amongst the rest, I like well the humility of that hermit, into whose cell when the Devil presented himself, in a goodly and glittering form, and told him that he was an angel sent to him from God; the hermit turned him off with this plain answer, "See thou whence thou comest: for me, I am not worthy to be visited with such a guest as an angel †.”

But the trade, that we have with good spirits, is not now driven by the eye; but is like to themselves, spiritual: yet not so, but that even in bodily occasions, we have many times insensible helps from them in such manner, as that by the effects, we can boldly say, Here hath been an angel, though we saw him not.

Of this kind, was that, no less than miraculous, cure, which, at St. Maderne's, in Cornwall, was wrought upon a poor cripple ; whereof, besides the attestation of many hundreds of the neigh

Goulart. Histoir memor. ex Melanct. in Dan. c. 20. + Bromiard. Sum. prædicant. v. Humilitas. + S. Maternus. || One John Trelille.

bours, I took a strict and personal examination, in that last Visitation* which I either did or ever shall hold. This man, that, for sixteen years together, was fain to walk upon his hands, by reason of the close contraction of the sinews of his legs, was, upon three monitions in his dream to wash in that well, suddenly so restored to his limbs, that I saw him able, both to walk, and to get his own maintenance. I found here was neither art, nor collusion; the thing done, the Author invisible. The like may we say of John Spangenberg, Pastor of Northeuse : no sooner was that man stept out of his house, with his family, to go to the Baynes, than the house fell right down in the place. Our own experience, at home, is able to furnish us with divers such instances. How many have we known, that have fallen from very high towers, and into deep pits, past the natural possibility of hope, who yet have been preserved not from death only, but from hurt! Whence could these things be, but by the secret aid of those invisible helpers? It were easy to fill volumes with particulars of these kinds. But the main care and most officious endeavours of these blessed spirits, are employed about the better part, the Soul: in the instilling of good motions; enlightening the understanding; repelling of temptations; furthering our opportunities of good; preventing occasions of sin; comforting our sorrows; quickening our dulness; encouraging our weakness; and, lastly, after all careful attendance here below, conveying the souls of their charge to their glory, and presenting them to the hands of their faithful Creator.

It is somewhat too hard to believe, that there have been ocular witnesses of these happy convoys. Who lists, may credit that, which Jerome tells us, that Anthony the hermit saw the soul of his partner in that solitude (Paul) carried up by them to heaven; that Severinus, Bishop of Colein, saw the soul of St. Martin thus transported, as Gregory reports in his Dialogues; that Benedict saw the soul of Germanus, in the form of a fiery globe, thus conveyed. What should I speak of the souls of the holy martyrs, Tiburtius, Valerian, Maximus, Marcellinus, Justus, Quintinus, Severus, and others? we may if we please, we need not unless we list, give way to these reports; to which our faith obliges us not: in these cases, we go not by eye-sight: but we are well assured the soul of Lazarus was, by these glorious spirits, carried up into the bosom of Abraham; neither was this any privilege of his, above all other the Saints of God; all which, as they land in one common harbour of blessedness, so they all participate of one happy means of portage.

SECT. IX.

THE RESPECTS WHICH WE OWE TO THE ANGELS.

SUCH are the respects of good angels to us: now what are ours to them?

It was not amiss said of one, that the life of angels is political; full of intercourse with themselves and with us. What they re

* At Whitsuntide. † Sim. Goular. ex J. Manlio.

turn to each other in the course of their Theophanies, is not for us to determine; but, since their good offices are thus assiduous unto us, it is meet we do enquire what Duties are requirable from Us to Them.

Devout Bernard is but too liberal in his decision, that we owe to these beneficent spirits reverence for their presence, devotion for their love, and trust for their custody*. Doubtless, we ought to be willing to give unto them so much, as they will be willing to take from us: if we go beyond these bounds, we offend and alienate them to derogate from them is not so heinous in their account, as to over-honour them. St. John proffers an humble geniculation to the angel, and is put off, with a See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant; Rev. xix. 10. The excesses of respects to them, have turned to abominable impiety: which howsoever Jerome seems to impute to the Jews, ever since the Prophets' time t; yet Simon Magus was the first, that we find guilty of this impious flattery of the angels; who, fondly holding that the world was made by them, could not think fit to present them with less than divine honour. His cursed scholar, Menander, whose error Prateolus wrongfully fathers upon Aristotle, succeeding him in that wicked heresy, as Eusebius tells us, left behind him Saturnius, not inferior to him in this frenzy; who, as Tertullian and Philastrius report him, fancied, together with his mad fellows, that seven angels made the world, not acquainting God with their work. What should I name blasphemous Cerinthus, who durst disparage Christ in comparison with angels? Not altogether so bad were those heretics, though bad enough, which took their ancient denomination from the angels: who, professing true Christianity and detestation of idolatry, as having learned that God only is to be worshipped properly; yet reserved a certain kind of adoration to the blessed angels S. Against this opinion and practice, the great Doctor of the Gentiles seems to bend his style, in his Epistle to the Colossians, forbidding a voluntary humility in worshipping of angels whether grounded upon the superstition of ancient Jews, as Jerome and Anselm; or, upon the ethnic philosophy of some Platonic, as Estius and Cornelius à Lapide imagine; or, upon the damnable conceits of the Simonians and Cerinthians, as Tertullian; we need not much to enquire: nothing is more clear, than the Apostle's inhibition; afterward seconded by the Synod of Laodicea, Whereto yet Theodoret's noted Commentary would seem to give more light; who tells us, that upon the ill use made of the giving of the Law by the hands of angels, there was an error of old maintained, of angel worship, which still continued in Phrygia and Pisidia: so that a Synod was hereupon assembled at Laodicea, the chief city of Phrygia, which, by a direct canon, forbad praying to angels; a practice, saith he, so settled amongst them, that

* Bern, in Psal. Qui habitat. + Hieron. quest. 10. ad Algasiam. + Angelici. § Prateolus Elench. v. Angelici. Rejecta expositio à pontificiis, ut non modò periculosa sed et falsa. Vid. Binium in notis in Pium Pap. in Tom. pag. 103.

i.

even to this day there are to be seen amongst them and their neighbours, the Oratories of St. Michael. Here, then, was this mishumility, that they thought it too much boldness, to come immediately to God; but that we must first make way to his favour, by the mediation of angels: a testimony so pregnant, that I wonder not if Caranza flee into corners, and all the fautors of angelworship be driven to hard shifts to avoid it.

But what do I with controversies? This devotion we do gladly profess to owe to good angels, that though we do not pray unto them, yet we do pray to God for the favour of their assistance and protection; and praise God for the protection, that we have from them. That faithful Patriarch, of whom the whole Church of God receives denomination, knew well what he said, when he gave this blessing to his grandchildren: The angel, that redeemed me from all evil, bless the children; Gen. xlviii. 19: whether this were an interpretative kind of imploration, as Becanus and Lorichius contend; or, whether, as is no less probable, this angel were not any created power, but the great Angel of the Covenant, the same which Jacob wrestled with before for a blessing upon himself, as Athanasius and Cyril well conceive it; I will not here dispute: sure I am, that if it were an implicit prayer, and the angel mentioned, a creature; yet the intention was no other, than to terminate that prayer in God, who blesseth us by his angel.

Yet, further: we come short of our duty to these blessed spirits, if we entertain not in our hearts a high and venerable conceit of their wonderful majesty, glory, and greatness; and an awful acknowledgment and reverential awe of their presence; a holy joy and confident assurance of their care and protection; and, lastly, a fear to do ought, that might cause them to turn away their faces, in dislike, from us. All these dispositions are copulative: for certainly, if we have conceived so high an opinion of their excellency and goodness as we ought, we cannot but be bold upon their mutual interest, and be afraid to displease them. Nothing in the world, but our sins, can distaste them: they look upon our natural infirmities, deformities, loathsomeness, without any offence or nauseation; but our spiritual indispositions are odious to them, as those which are opposite to their pure natures. The story is famous of the Angel and the Hermit, walking together: in the way there lay an ill-scented and poisonous carrion: the hermit stopt his nose, and turned away his head, hasting out of that offensive air; the angel held on his pace, without any shew of dislike: straightway they met with a proud man, gaily dressed, strongly perfumed, looking high, walking stately; the angel turned away his head and stopt his nostrils, (while the hermit passed on not without reverence to so great a person,) and gave this reason, that the stench of pride was more loathsome to God and his Angels, than that of the carcase could be to him.

* Reading in angulos instead of angelos. † Jo. Bromiar. Sum. prædic. v. Superbia.

I blush to think, O ye Glorious Spirits, how often I have done that whereof ye have been ashamed for me. I abhor myself to recount your just dislikes; and do willingly profess, how unworthy I shall be of such friends, if I be not hereafter jealous of your just offence. Neither can I, without much regret, think of those many and horrible nuisances, which you find every moment from sinful mankind. Woe is me, what odious scents arise to you perpetually from those bloody murders, beastly uncleannesses, cruel oppressions, noisome disgorgings of surfeits and drunkennesses, abominable idolatries, and all manner of detestable wickednesses, presumptuously committed every where; enough to make you abhor the presence and protection of debauched and deplored mortality!

But, for us, that are better principled, and know what it is to be overlooked by holy and glorious spirits, we desire and care to be more tender of your offence, than of a world of visible spectators: and, if the Apostle found it requisite to give such charge, for but the observation of an outward decency, not much beyond the lists of indifferency, because of the angels; 1 Cor. xi. 10: what should our care be, in relation to those blessed spirits, of our deportment in matter of morality and religion! Surely, O ye Invisible Guardians, it is not my sense, that shall make the difference: it shall be my desire to be no less careful of displeasing you, than if I saw you present by me, clothed in flesh: neither shall I rest less assured of your gracious presence and tuition, and the expectation of all spiritual offices from you, which may tend towards my blessedness, than I am now sensible of the animation of my own soul,

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