terpofing of a vail should any way avail to the restraint of their wicked inclinations, and purposes it is too poor a thought to enter into any wife understanding.

The other [ viz. leaft thofe Spirits fhould take this occafion of tempting ] might pafs for currant ; if ever we could find in the whole body of the Scripture where the evill fpirits are abfolutely called Angels without fome addition of diftinction, (which is learned Camerons obfervation) except only that one, 1 Cor. 6. 3. where they are fo ftiled for the greater honour of the Saints that fhall judge them: However, the truth of the propofition is undeniable; that fo we ought to habit, and order our felves, that we may not give advantage to the evill Spirits either to our temptation, or their prevalence: we may be fure thofe tempters will omit no occafion of winning us to filthinefs. Do you not think that when they fee wanton dames come difguifed into Gods houfe, as it were into the box of the play-house, with their brest bare almoft to the Navel, their armes to the elbow, their necks to the fhoulder-points, darting their lafcivious eyes every way, and in their whole fashion and gefture bewraying fuch lightness as might be able to debauch a whole affembly, think ye not, I fay,that they applaud themselves in fo rich a booty; as knowing that every сус that is transported, and every heart that is fired with that immodeft gazing-ftock are fo many fpoiles and trophees of their Temptations? It is a true and feafonable word that holy Cyprian faid to the dames of his time that it was not enough for them to keep themselves from being corrupted by others folicitations, unlefs they took care fo to drefs and deport themselves that they might not be occafions of rayling wanton thoughts in the beholders; For furely, we can not free our felves from thofe fins wherein others by our means (though befides our particular intentions) are infnared; there is much liberty, I confefs, in matter of attire, but let me withall give you St. Pauls Item to his Galathians; Brethren, ye have been called to liberty, only ufe not liberty for an occafion to the flesh, but by love ferve one another, Galat. 5. 13. When and how is our liberty an occafion to the flesh, but when we do fo pranck up and pamper our flesh as that we regard not therein others dangers; which when foever we are drawn to do, we may be fure we have fo wary and vigilant fpirits to watch us, as

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that no advantage can be let fall against our fouls: as therefore wife and carefull commanders do not only caft how to impugne, oppreffe, and annoy an enemy, but also how to remove those helps which might be advantageous to him in his fiege, even to the demolishing of Suburbs, and stopping up of Fountaines, and the like; fo must we do in this fpirituall warfare of ours; we must not only ftir up our courage and indevors to resist and vanquifh tentations, but we must bend our utmost care upon the prevention, and removall of whatsoever, in our apparell, carriage, diet, recreations may be likely to give furtherance to their affault, or prevalency and in the whole practise of our lives fo demean our felves as that we may, according to the charge of the Apostle pendepínar à populus Sodovas ; not so much as give an occafion to an adversary; 1 Tim. 5. 14. wether of calumny, or of Triumph : oh that we could be fearful of doing any unfit thing because of the evil Angels; we fhall be fure to hear of it again to our coft; even the most careleffe boyes will be affraid to offend in the face of the monitor, fuch are the evill Angels to us. Be fure every unbefeeming and unlawfull act that passeth from us, is upon their file; and shall once be urged against us to our fhame and conviction; My Brethren we would be loath to come under the power of their torment; as we would avoid this fearfull iffue, let us be jealous of their fuggeftions, and our carriage; and not dare to do ought that may be fcandalous, Because of the Angels.

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Good ufe may be made ( you fee) even of this fenfe; but I take it our Apostle intended here to intimate the prefence of, and refpect to the good Angels.

It is no a leffe comfortable then well-grounded point of Divinity, That none of Gods Children upon Earth want the affidence and Ministration of those bleffed fpirits, we have it from him that cannot fail us. Matth. 18. 10. and the fweet finger of Ifrael had warbled out this Heavenly note before him; The Angels of the Lord encamp about thofe that fear him, Pf. 34. 7. And he that was rapt up into the third Heaven and faw thofe wonderfull Orders of Angels, can tell us they are all miniftring Spirits fent forth to Minifter for them who fhall be heirs of Salvation: Heb. 1. 14.. Now these, as they guard and attend every of Gods elect ones when they are fingled and fequeftred in the greateft folitarinefs,

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fo we can not think they leave their whether common or feverall charges, when they affemble together for the exercises of piety and devotion: fo as the publique meetings of Gods Saints can be no other then filled with whole troupes of Angels; This as it is a truth; fo it was the received opinion of the Fewes, as Capellus pregnantly cites it out of the Sedar Tephilloth of the Portugall Femes; in his learned Spicelegium; Coronam dant tibi Domine Deus noster Angeli, turba illa fuperna cam populo tuo Ifrael hic inferne Congregato. O Lord our God the Angels give glory to thee, even thofe Heavenly troupes that are affembled with thy Ifrael here below. Out of the reverend and awfull refpe&t therefore that is due to thefe glorious (though invifible) beholders there may no unfeemly thing be done or admitted in the Church of God; and therefore The women ought to have power on their Heads becaufe of the Angels; and furely, my beloved, were we fully perfwaded that now at this prefent, there is within thefe walls a greater gregation of Angels, then of Men and Women, I fuppofe it could not but ftrike fuch an awe into us, as to make us at once holily, mannerly and fervently devout: It is a great fault in us Christians that we think of nothing but what we fee; whereas that fpirituall, and intelligible World, which is paft the apprehenfion of these Earthly fenfes, is far greater, farr more noble and excellent then all visible and materiall fubftances. Certainly there is not one Angel in Heaven that hath not more glory then all this fenfible World can be capable of: what should I tell you of the excellency of their nature, the height of their offices, the Majefty of their perfons, their power able to confound a World, their nearness both of place and of effence to that infinite deity; their tender love and care of man-kind, any of which were able and worthy to take up a whole lives meditation.

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And if there be fo much perfection in one, how unconceiveable is the concurrent luftre, and glory of many: had we eyes to fee these invisible supervisors of our behaviour we could not, we durft no let fall any fo much as indecent gefture before fuch a prefence. Quicken then (Ibefeech you) and Tharpen your eyes, dear and beloved Chriftians, to fee your felves feen even of them whom ye cannot fee, and let your whole carriage be thereafter; he is not worthy to claim more priveledge then of a beaft, that can see no

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thing but fenfible objects: brute Creatures can fee us; if we fee nothing but our felves, and then, wherefore ferves our understanding, wherefore our faith? and if we fee invifible beholders why are we not affected accordingly; certainly it were better for us not to fee then, than, fecing, to neglect their prefence.

What is then the honor, what the refpect that we muft give to the Angels of God who are prefent in our holy affemblies: I must have leave to complain of two extremities this way: There are fome that give them too much veneration, there are others that give them no regard at all: In the first are those within the Roman Clientele; who are fo over-curteous as that they give them no leffe then the honor of adoration, of invocati on, reviving herein the erroneous opinion and practife of them which Theodoret held confuted by St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Coloffians. It is the praise thar Francifcus de Sales Bishop of Genua gives to Petrus Faker, one of the first affociates of Ignatius Loiola that his manner was,whenfoever he eame to any place he ftill made fuit to the Tutelar Angels, that prefided there for their aid of converting the people from herefie ; and found great fucceffe in it: This imploration and worship is ordinary; wherein they do that to the Angels, which the Angels themfelves have forbidden to be done and yet I muft needs fay if any creature could be capable of a religious worship, it is they; and if any creature were fit to be prayed unto, it is they rather then the higheft Saints of Heaven: for whereas it is the juft ground of our refufing to pray to the Saints that we cannot be fure of their prefence, and notice, (fure rather of the contrary) and therefore cannot pray in faith; that ground is here juftly removed, we are fure that the Angels of God are prefent with us; we are fure that they hear us pray; but this is an honor referved as peculiar to the God of Angels,and to that one mediator betwixt God and man, Jefus Chrift, thofe Spirits hate to be made rivals to their maker; neither have we learned that unreasonable modesty to fue to wayters, when we are called up to fupplicate the King.

The other extreme is of careleffe chriftians, that do no more think of Angels, then if there were none; fuffering their bodily eyes to be taken up with the fight of their affembled neighbours, but never raifing their fpirituall eyes to behold those spiritual offences which are no leffe prefent; and certainly I fear we are all much

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to blame this way; and may juftly tax our felves of an unthankful, dull, irreligious neglect of thefe glorious Spirits ; I finde that the Mahometan Preifts in their Morning and Evening prayer ftill end their devotion with Macree Kichoon; Be Angels prefent: and the people shout out their Amen: and thall our piety this way be leffe than theirs.Surely the Angels of God are infeparably with us; yea whole cohorts, yea whole Legions of thofe heavenly foldiery are. now viewing & guarding us in these holy meetings, and we acknow-leag them not; we yeild not to them fuch reverent and awful refpects as even flesh and blood, like our own, will expect from us. Did we think the Angels of God were with us here, durft those of us which dare not be covered at home (as if the freedom of this holy place gave them priviledge of a loose and wild licentiousness) affect all faucy postures,and ftrive to be more unmannerly then their, Masters ?

Did we confider that the Angels of God are witneffes of our demeanour in Gods house, durft we ftumble in here with no other reverence then we would do into our Barne, or Stable; and fit down with no other care then we would in an ale-house,or Theater?

Did we finde our felves in an affembly of Angels, durft we give our eyes leave to rove abroad in wanton glances? our tongues to walk in idle and unfeasonable chat? our cars to be taken up with frivolous discourse? Durft we fet our felves to take those naps here whereof we failed on our pillow at home; certainly my beloved, all thefe do manifeftly convince us of a palpable unrefpect to the bleffed Angels of God, our invifible conforts in these holy fervices.

However then it hath been with us hitherto; let us now begin to take up other refolutions; and settle in our hearts an holy aw of that prefence wherein we are; Even at thy home addrefs thy felf for the Church; prepare to come before a dreadful Majesty of God and his powerful Angels; thou feeft them not; no more did Elifbaes fervant till his eyes were opened: It is thine ignorant and groffe infidelity that hath filmed up thine eyes, that thou canft difcerne no fpiritual object; were they but anointed with the falve of faith, thou fhouldeft fee Gods houfe full of heavenly glory, and shouldest check thy felf with holy Jacob,when he awaked from his divine vifion; Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not; how dread

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