That they have the power of neutralizing the action of the most powerful chemical agents, would seem to be shown by the circumstance that when, by command of king Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel's three friends were cast into a heated furnace, from which they afterward came out unburned, a fourth was seen in the furnace with them, and the king said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him." 1

That they are capable of unfavorably affecting the conditions upon which bodily health and life depend, appears from various Scripture accounts. A king of Assyria came against Judea, with intent to take Jerusalem, and subjugate the nation; but "the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians" 185,000 men; and the king abandoned the enterprise. Concerning one of the Herods, it is related that an angel "smote him," and he soon expired. 2

Some are strangely desirous of accounting for these and similar events without angelic agency. We are accordingly told concerning the account of Herod's death, that the language employed is only the Jewish manner of saying that God inflicted a disease upon him. I submit whether it is not a manner, Jewish or otherwise, of saying that God inflicted a disease upon him through the agency of an angel. So it has been taught that the angel who smote so many to death in Sennacherib's army, was only the poisonous wind from the desert. Now, admitting the wind to have been present,and perhaps it was, may not that be more proproperly deemed the instrument wielded by the angel in smiting them?

! Dan. iii. 28.

2 Isa. xxxvii. 36; Acts xii. 23.

That angels are capable (, as even reason teaches,) of affecting the health of human beings favorably as well as unfavorably, appears, Scripturally, not only from the language of the 91st Psalm, quoted while on the subject of guardian angels,) but also from an account in the New Testament, that, at certain seasons, the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem was rendered sanative by an angel.'

That angels can exert an imperceptible influence over human beings, as has been before observed, appears not only from the case of king Darius, already adverted to, but from that of Cyrus also. We read that in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, and in order "that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled," relative to the Jews being captives in Babylon seventy years, and then being released from captivity, "the Lord stirred up the spirit" of the king in such a manner, and to such an extent, that he issued a proclamation for their return to their own land, and for the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. 2

That the Divine Being, in moving the mind of king Cyrus to do what had been predicted should be done, really acted upon him by angelic agency, appears plainly from what an angel told Daniel in relation to Cyrus:

"The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Dan, x. 13.

What-if any thing-concerning the late socalled "spiritual manifestations"?

If such phenomena, in whole, or in part, are any thing BETTER than a sheer delusion, then, in whole,

or in part, they are not only a species of Divine revelation, a continuation of the ancient ministry of angels, but they are actually an outgrowthso to speak, of Christianity itself, are parts and parcels of that "manifestation of the Spirit " which an apostle said was given to every man to profit withal;-are included in those "gifts," "diversities of gifts," "differences of administrations", and "diversities of operations," mentioned and alluded to by that apostle and others; yea, they are granted in the manner, by the authority, and for the purposes, set forth in the Scriptures referred to below. 1 But as regards the "if" at the commencement of this paragraph, let each decide for him or her self; and may God preserve us from delusion, may He keep us from reasonable incredulity.

un

11 Cor. xii. 4-11, 28-31; Eph. iv. 7-16; Rom. xii. 6-8; 1 Pet. iv. 10, 11; John xiv. 12.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCERNING ANGELS

CONCLUDED.

As regards the nature of angels, which is to say their mode of being, I take the ground that they exist each in a spiritual, incorruptible, immortal organization, as distinguished from that of Man in the earth-life, whose bodily organism is described in the Scriptures as "natural," or rather animal, as corruptible", and also "mortal.”

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The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when speaking of Christ as having been in some sense inferior to the angels, mentions his partaking of flesh and blood like other persons, so that thus he might die, which the angels can not, and might deliver others from that bondage caused by the fear of death. He then, by a literal rendering, makes this observation, in which it is obvious that the true subject of the verb is death:

"For doubtless it [that is, "death"] takes not hold of angels; but of the posterity of Abraham it takes hold."

Heb. ii. 16.

In this text, the idea sought to be illustrated by the apostle, namely this, that Christ was "a little lower than the angels," in that they are not subject to death, but He, being of the posterity of Abraham, was thus subject, is in no small degree

obscured by the common rendering, though perhaps not eclipsed totally:

"For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; bút he took on him the seed of Abraham." (Common Version.)

From the Scripture accounts of the doings of angels, as for example, their speaking, their manifesting physical strength, &c., the fact of their possessing some kind of bodily organization would seem to be abundantly manifest; but whether such organization were permanent, or were only assumed for the several occasions respectively, might not perhaps be entirely clear. The Scriptures do not, however, leave us altogether in the dark upon this subject. In that memorable conversation of our Lord with the Sadducee doctors, the terms in which he speaks of the condition of human beings in the resurrection state, seem calculated to teach us somewhat concerning the organization of angels:

"In the resurrection they. God in heaven." Matt. xxii. 30.

are as the angels of

"Neither can they die any more; for they are equal to [or "like"] the angels." Luke xx. 35, 36.

By "children of the resurrection" are undeniably meant those who have been raised. Such - the Saviour assures us can not die. They are therefore properly immortal. That we shall have bodies in the resurrection state as truly as we have here, will be by few-if by any disputed. Our present bodies are are Scripturally denominated "mortal bodies," and we can die; yea, as the Scripture also has it, "we must needs die "; 1 and, of course, we shall die. In the resurrection state we shall not die; yea, we can not die; not then possess immortal bodies?

1 Rom. viii. 11; 2 Sam. xiv. 14.

shall we