are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Dan. xii. 5-9.

When we read of things being shown in a vision, we are apt to regard it all as the imagery of a dream; and those who find it difficult to realize to themselves the actual existence of spiritual beings, always apply the word vision as opposed to what it actually imports: they interpret it to mean not something seen, but something not seen a mental phantasmagoria, unreal, and easily produced by a disordered state of the bodily functions, affecting the brain. This, of course, no believer can for a moment venture upon connecting with any thing declared in Scripture; but many seem to think that what the inspired writers are described to have seen of angelic beings, was only a sort of allegorical representation; a vehicle for conveying to their minds certain impressions concerning the divine will and purpose. So far from agreeing in these phantomizing interpretations, we believe Daniel to have truly seen with his bodily eyes the angels of God, even as the keepers at the sepulchre and the disciples saw them at the Lord's resurrection; and as we shall see them when he comes in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. God can speak to his servants without any such intermediate agency, as we find in a multitude of instances throughout the Scriptures; but in some cases he has seen fit to employ one or more of the heavenly host, and has also commanded his witnesses to record it for our instruction. We surely owe it to our Divine Teacher to receive with thankful humility and undoubting credence, what he has vouchsafed thus to reveal to us of the interest taken by his angels in the concerns of men; and to believe that a book, not one thing contained in which may we dare to take away or to alter, the whole being given by the inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that such a book is not a volume of riddles and allegories; but is a plain, comprehensible declaration, no less of what we are to believe than of what we are to do.

SECTION VI

ANGELIC INTEREST IN THE JEWISH

PEOPLE.

Ir may appear strange to devote a separate section to this subject, seeing that the whole is, so far, essentially Jewish: but we live in a time so peculiar, and the portion of the Old Testament which remains to be considered, bears so directly upon what we in our day look for, while it primarily treated of a former and very partial work of mercy, that we must especially point it out. Zechariah was cotemporary with Daniel during the later years of that great prophet's ministry; and in the abundance of the prophetic revelations made to him, he was scarcely less favoured: but his visions have this distinguishing mark, that they refer almost exclusively to the literal restoration of the literal Israel to the land which God gave unto their fathers, and to their seed after them, for an inheritance to the end of the world.

Daniel sometimes beheld several individuals of the angelic legions uniting their testimony as to the divine authority of what was declared to him; but Zechariah saw them in larger numbers, and astir with great vivacity in the work of preparation for the return of his people from captivity. It is a glorious spectacle that this sublime book opens to us, and may well shame our cold-heartedness in a cause so dear to the inhabitants of heaven. For our example, no doubt, as equally for the encouragement of Israel after the flesh, is all this written down; and howsoever we may delude ourselves by the so-called spiritualizing of these things, if not to the exclusion at least to the national extinguishment of the Jews as a separate people, we shall yet find that a literal accomplishment will be given to every word which the Lord has spoken of, or to, the natural descendants of Jacob

yea, that one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away, until all be fulfilled.

We cannot fully enter upon the extraordinary instances of angelic kindness, and we may call it affectionate freedom of discourse, displayed in the book of Zechariah. He begins by relating, “I

saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind them there were red horses, speckled and white. Then said I, O my Lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Zech. i. 8-11. It has been decided by expositors in general, that the man who stood among the myrtle trees was the Lord Jesus; and this decision seems to be grounded on the sequel: "Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of Hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me, with good words and comfortable words." (Verses 12, 13.) Christ being the one appointed Mediator between God and Man, it is alike vain and sinful to seek the intercession of any created being; but are we therefore justified in denying to the angels a privilege that we know from holy writ the spirits of the redeemed enjoy? John heard the souls of them that were slain for the testimony of Jesus, asking how long it would be ere their blood was avenged on them that dwelt upon the earth; and surely an angel might venture to remind the Lord that the time spoken of by Jeremiah, threescore and ten years, was now come to an end; and to ask how long it should be ere he would have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, which were to be rebuilt and inhabited again. In the first year of Darius, Daniel made his accepted prayer, grounded on his understanding by the books that the number of the years revealed to Jeremiah was almost fulfilled: and in the second year of Darius, Zechariah hears an angel remarking the same thing, in a tone of reverential entreaty.

the Lord are not less concerned than we are for the glory of his name, and confusion of his enemies in the exact performance of all his gracious promises. The Lord having answered the angel that talked to Zechariah "with good words and comfortable words," the purport of that answer was joyfully proclaimed by the angel; who then dictated to Zechariah what he was to declare in the Lord's name, of his merciful purposes to Zion, and his sore displeasure "with the heathen that are at ease." The angel next showed the prophet a symbol of the power of the Gentiles, scattering Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem; and of the destruction that awaited them for so doing.

It is very beautiful to mark the bustle and joyous activity among the heavenly hosts, when the Lord's purpose of immediate mercy to his people and his land was made known. "I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, for the multitude of men and cattle therein: for I, saith the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her." Zech. ii. 1-5. A splendid strain ensues, expressive of the coming revival, and more distant triumph of Israel in Jerusalem; after which, says the prophet, "He showed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan: even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel." Zech. iii. 1-3. Whoever is meant by this angel before whom Joshua stood, one thing is certain; we have here the great adversary himself in person resisting the re-establishment of Israel as a nation, and the LORD silencing his malignant Surely those holy, zealous servants of opposition, and repeating the blessed as

surance, that the brand which he desired | then foreshown. He who, by the threshto consume was, indeed, by the Almighty ing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, pointed arm, plucked from the burning. Joshua his drawn sword over Jerusalem, and was then re-clad, and a mitre placed on gladly sheathed it at the command of her his head, "And the angel of the Lord forgiving Lord, still looks upon her desostood by: and the angel of the Lord pro-lations, and yearns over the royal city of tested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; if thou wilt walk in my ways," &c. The prophet appears to have been lost in the contemplation of the things then promised to his beloved people, but he was recalled to witness farther wonders: "The angel that talked with me came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou?" (iv. 1.) He sees some typical objects: and with the respectful freedom that the condescension of his guide was well calculated to encourage, he asked, "What are these, my Lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord;" (verses 4, 5.) The same form of interrogation, and an explanatory reply from the angel, occurs again five times; exhibiting most beautifully the indulgent temper of the holy angel, who continually invites inquiry, and evidently takes a high pleasure in making everything known to the prophet. The very expression used by our angel to another, "Run, speak to this young man," when the word to be spoken was an assurance of the coming restoration, abundance, and security of Jerusalem, indicates a feeling perfectly similar to that with which we would all hasten to communicate to a beloved friend any tidings of especial gladness and advantage. It gives rise to reflections, that ought at once to awaken our gratitude, and doubly to increase our zeal; for surely we cannot make light of such indications of sympathy on the part of creatures who have far less cause than we to rejoice in the Lord's returning love to his ancient, chosen people. The angels who, at different periods of his wonderful history, communed with Abraham, and made known to him, on some occasions, the will of the Lord, which at other times he knew by direct inspiration-those very angels, with all the perfection of memory belonging to their high natures and faculties, never impaired by sin, are watching the fulfilment of every tittle of what was

David, trodden under foot of the Gentiles; while a sword, more destructive than that which he wielded in the three days' pestilence, is upon her children from generation to generation, consuming not merely the life of the body, but extinguishing also that of the soul. Gabriel, who so minutely set forth to Daniel the dates of things which were to come, is watching for the time when Michael, the great prince that standeth for the Jewish people, shall "stand up," and bring the afflictions to an issue. He who reminded the Lord that his indignation against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, had already burned on to the predicted threescore and ten years, is waiting now to see the days fulfilled, when a far longer and fiercer visitation of the divine displeasure shall have an end, and one angelic messenger may hasten another to run with the glad tidings of pardon, of jealousy for Jerusalem, of sore displeasure against the heathen who are at ease, and of the final fraying of every horn of pride that has contributed to scatter Judah and Israel. We naturally take a livelier interest in events of which we have ourselves seen the commencement, and fully expect to see the termination, than in those which began before our days, and are not likely to come to an end till we are gone. Thus it is that we may in some measure comprehend the feeling of earnest expectation with which the holy angels must regard the winding up of this world's history, the creation whereof, in its bright, unclouded morning, called forth their songs and shouts of joy. Every word of God to man was spoken in the presence of spirits both good and bad; and while the devils, who themselves are constrained to believe, and tremble, would fain retard the accomplishment of the Lord's merciful purposes, by stirring up the vile principle of unbelief, rebellion, and ingratitude in man's heart, the angels, though they can have no sympathy with unholy, unthankful, disobedient men, yet mourn over the delinquency that originated in the success

sion-that is to say, knowingly and wilfully, are yet laid under the sentence of bodily death-while the all-atoning blood of the Lamb is applied to them, cancelling the original debt, and they are eternally saved. This we firmly believe to be the

ful wiles of a powerful and subtle foe, and long for the time when their King shall take to himself his great power, and reign triumphant over the earth, according to the sure promises, which they have often been commissioned to repeat and reiterate in his name. Regarding with holy indig-case with every human being who dies in nation the work of malignant sin, as wrought by their apostate fellows in a creature once so fair and so good, they rejoice in the presence of God over even one repenting sinner, and celebrate each individual triumph of divine grace, as an earnest of what is ultimately to be accomplished throughout the whole earth. The glory of the Lord is intimately concerned in the exact fulfilment of every word that he has spoken; and no marvel if "the angels desire to look into" the gradual development of that mighty plan which is known to none but God alone, except as far as he has foreshown it in prophetic revelations, and gradually brings it to pass in the sight of angels, of devils, and of men.

infancy; not that their quitting the body before they have wilfully sinned gives them any title to heaven; but that God, who will surround his throne with a great multitude whom no man can number, out of every kindred, and people, nation, and tongue, sets the seal of his electing love on a certain number, and takes them away; such early departure not being the cause but the effect of their salvation. Over these, we may well believe the angels have an especial charge, tenderly watching them during their transitory sojourn in the flesh, perhaps communing with their spirits, which though yet unable to act by the bodily functions, may be free to hold high and glorious intercourse with the unseen world-to us unseen-and then rejoicingly taking charge of their liberated souls, as our Lord informs us they did that of Lazarus, who "died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." Luke xvi.

But with this exception, we repeat, one family of the human race monopolized the

All this we know from the sure word of God; and can we doubt of their intense interest in that particular family which for a long period of time constituted their only care? We say their only care as regards this earth; for throughout the Gentile world the system of devilworship prevailed, all being sunk in idol-favouring care of the heavenly hosts duatry; and it is morally impossible that with such the angels of God could have any fellowship, or behold without horror those detestable perversions of human intellect, those bold strivings against the inward law of man's conscience, that refused to acknowledge the glorious Creator in his visible works; and, turning his truth into a lie, gave that honour to stocks and stones, to beasts, reptiles, and their own vilest passions, embodied and deified, which was due alone to him who gave them rain and sunshine, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness. The only work that we can suppose the angels to have been engaged in among the heathen nations is that And what a pre-eminence of privilege which we believe they are continually do they now, through the long period of performing throughout the whole world- the Gentile dispensation and their own the bearing away from earth those rescued dreadful depression, enjoy? Gigantic souls whose clay tenements are dissolved empires have arisen, and towered on high, in infancy; and who, not having sinned and crumbled into dust: Babylon, the after the similitude of Adam's transgres-queen and the hammer of the whole earth,

ring many successive generations. The angels cannot move a step, save as commissioned by their King; and he says to the people of Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." Amos iii. 2. They alone were the recognised objects of his love; to them only were committed the revelation of his will; they were chosen, called, preserved, led, and by a succession of miraculous mercies, forgiven their trangressions, because of them, as concerning the flesh, Christ was to come; and because to them the gift and calling of God which are without repentence, insured a pre-eminence of national privilege forever.

is broken, and become heaps of burnt rub- | suffer his truth to fail. Blighted and disbish, and pools of stagnant mud. Of honoured as the leafless tree may appear Nineveh no trace remains, by which to in the sight of man, they know that the identify its very site; Greece, Persia, sur-Lord hath said it shall again strike root vive in name, but what now are the men downward and bear fruit upward; and whose fathers ruled the world? Rome that the glory of the coming deliverance indeed continues, and rules, but how? the and final honour shall so exceed whatever battle axe and weapons of war have been the people of Israel have aforetime ensuperseded by the monk's cowl and the joyed, as to cause even the stupendous miharlot's cup; and she is reserved to light racles of their wonderful beginning to be up with the blaze of her burning the scene comparatively forgotten. "Behold the of Israel's predicted jubilee. In the midst days come, saith the Lord, that they shall of all these changes, the Jew abides the no more say, the Lord liveth, which same; in every particular the same as brought up the children of Israel out of when God led him out of Egypt, with one the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, creed, one language, one liturgy, one sor- which brought up and which led the seed row, and one hope, he is found in every of the house of Israel out of the north corner of the globe, a severed fragment of country, and from all countries whither I that exquisite design which the Lord shall had driven them, and they shall dwell in again arrange as of old, to be the beauty their own land." Jer. xxiii. 7, 8. These and the glory of earth. Other people declarations are disbelieved or explained have changed their gods, which be no away by men, and the hope of poor Israel gods, and assimilated themselves to the is esteemed a vain thing, while yet walkabominations of neighbouring or invading ing in darkness and having no spiritual unbelievers; and even Christianity, apart light, he stays himself upon this word of from the Papal apostacy which wholly un- the God of his fathers; but the angels, christianizes itself, has separated into so well knowing that word is not yea and many varying sects and denominations, nay, look forward with earnest expectathat, to a superficial or ignorant observer, tion to the triumphant proof of his faithit appears to consist of a multitude of reli- fulness with whom is no variableness gions, each contradicting the rest; but in neither shadow of turning. the midst of this stands Judaism, a blighted, We have no reason to suppose that the but still a stately tree, unaltered in form angels knew beforehand how our Lord and undiminished in size by the visitation would be rejected of his own when he that has bound up its sap, and shrivelled came into the midst of them. Many the once verdant leaf into dryness and among the Jews, like Hannah and Simeon, corruption. Upon this noble ruin is fixed were waiting for the consolation of Israel: the eyes of the angelic squadron, the Ma- and when the aged believer held the ranaim who once met Jacob on his mys- child Jesus in his arms, and proclaimed terious way; who surrounded the march him a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to of his descendants when traversing the be the glory of his people Israel, it is prodepths of the sea, and the paths of the wil-bable that like the disciples after our derness that so long shut them in; who Lord's resurrection, and even after he had heralded the presence of the Most High, when in clouds and darkness, with mighty thunderings and bursting flames of fire he descended on Sinai to commune with a man of that unspeakably, favoured and privileged race, and to establish a covenant with the whole people of Israel. Those angels well knew that the covenant is as immutable as the ordinances of day and night; and that though their offences be visited with the rod, and their iniquities with scourges, yet the Lord will not utterly withdraw his loving kindness, nor

opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures, he expected the kingdom to be at that time restored to their nation. Such would be the impression on the minds of the angels, so far as we can judge; and the joy with which the messages were borne successively of the approach of his forerunner, of his own conception, and of his birth, was undoubtedly a joy in which the chosen people of God, the Jews, were a very principal object. When Gabriel appeared to Zecharias in the temple, and announced the honour