ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

man.

So that as God, he is no angel; neither as I conceive, that it is highly important always to keep the remembrance of this alive in the mind. And that his people are no angels, they need not be told, for they are sinners; and they know themselves to be redeemed sinners, redeemed from among men. In the upper, brighter world, it is said that they shall be as the angels: that is, in glory and in happiness. But still men, and not angels, united to their glorious Head as the members of his mystical body to all eternity. (Exod. xxiii. 20. Zech. i. 12. Malachi iii. 1. Matt. xxii. 30. and xxv. 41. Rev. ii. 1.

[ocr errors]

ANGELS. Evil angels we read of, Psalm lxxviii. 49. And we read of "angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, that the Lord hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 6.) And we read that Satan is sometimes "transformed into an angel of light." (2. Cor. ii. 14.) But the Scriptures are altogether silent respecting their nature, agency, and extent. The Holy Ghost hath been graciously pleased to give general precepts and warnings to the church, respecting the malignity of those evil angels, and to admonish the people of God to resist the devil, and that he shall flee from them. We are taught also, by the several names given to the chief of those evil powers, to be always looking to the Lord Jesus for grace to resist the "fiery darts of this enemy," who is called, "the prince of this world." (John xii. 31.) " the prince of the power of the air; the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephes. ii. 2.) But to numberless enquiries, which we feel highly disposed to put forth, concerning these things, there are no encouragements of any answers to be

66

given in the word of God. It is very blessed, however, to be enabled by the promises of God, to take to ourselves those glorious and comprehensive assurances which belong to the whole church of Christ, and which ensure the present safety of every individual member, and the ultimate triumph in Christ, over Satan and all his angels. One Scripture tells the church, that " no temptation hath them taken, but such as is common to man: and that God is faithful, who will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it." (1. Cor. x. 13.) And another Scripture saith, that " the God of peace shall bruise Satan under their feet shortly." (Rom. xvi. 20.) Here then, is enough for every child of God to know and to rest in, until the whole comes to be explained in eternity. See Satan.

66

ANNUNCIATION. See Mary.

[ocr errors]

ANOINT. In the language of Scripture, this is a most important word. It means the consecrating, setting apart, and sanctifying, in a peculiar manner, persons or things to sacred purposes. Hence, in a very eminent and personal degree, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Christ of God, is emphatically called the Messiah, or anointed of JEHOVAH. His name, Messiah, means this. It is, indeed, the same word in Hebrew, as Anointed in English. And what I particularly beg the reader to remark, under this article, as a proof of this dedication of Christ, as Christ, to this office character, from everlasting, is, that he is all along in the Old Testament Scripture spoken of as such, the Messiah or Anointed, and shewn to be so in the New. A plain proof of his consecration by the Holy Ghost before his incarnation. I beg the reader not to pass on until that he hath turned to the following Scrip

Hence, Aaron as a xxviii. 41. Psal. ii.

tures, and read them all attentively. (Psal. Ixxxix. 19, 20. 1 Sam. ii. 35. Psal. cx. 4.) type of Christ, (Exod. viii. 12; 2; xlv. 7; cxxxii. 17.) Hence, the whole church is represented as calling upon God for acceptance and favour in Christ: "Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed!" (Psal. lxxxiv. 9.)

And as Christ is thus the Christ of God, so the church, by virtue of her union and oneness with him, is anointed with him, and that from the beginning. "Touch not mine anointed." (Ps. cv. 15; xxiii. 5. 1 John ii. 20. 27. 2 Cor. i. 21.) Reader! it is truly blessed to trace through both Testaments the testimonies of these things. What can be, indeed, more satisfactory to the soul than thus to discover, first, Christ, as the source and fountain and security of all our hopes; and then, secondly, to behold the church interested and made a rich partaker of the same in Him. (Acts iv. 27. Ps. cxxxiii. 3. Acts x. 38.)

APOSTLE. This is a word well known in the New Testament. It is peculiarly applied to the twelve men, whom the Lord Jesus called and commissioned to be his more immediate disciples and followers, to preach the gospel. But Christ himself condescended to be called by the same name. (Heb. iii. 1.) Indeed, he was the apostle of JEHOVAH. As it may be gratifying to have their names brought into one view, I have here subjoined them.

1 Peter.

2 Andrew.

3 John.

4 Philip.

7 Thomas.

8 Matthew.

9 Simon the Canaanite.

10 Jude, the brother of James.

5 James the Greater. 11 James the Less.

6 Bartholomew. 12 Judas the Traitor.

N. B. Matthias was elected in the Traitor's room.

APPAREL. See Linen.

APPREHEND. In the language of Scripture, this word is peculiarly significant. Paul the apostle best explains it, when he saith, "I follow after, if that I may apprehend that, for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." (Phil. iii. 12.) that is, if by faith, I may be enabled to lay hold of Christ Jesus, as the Lord by grace hath laid hold of me. ARCHANGEL. I should not have thought it necessary, in a work of this kind, to have noticed this name, but for the purpose of noticing at the same time an error, into which, as I humbly conceive, not a few have fallen. I cannot find in all the Bible, the name archangel but twice; once in 1 Thess. iv. 16; and once in Jude 9. And as for archangels, as if there were more than one, or many, the very name itself implies that it is an error. For archangel signifies the first, or prince of the order of angels, consequently, there cannot be many firsts, without making it necessary to alter the term. So that, what is said of angels and archangels, together in hymns of praise, seems to be founded in a misapprehension of Scripture in relation to one archangel only, for the word of God speaks of no more, and the name is not plural.

The question is, who is this archangel, twice, and but twice only, noticed as such in Scripture? If the reader will consult both places, he will find that of whomsoever it be spoken, it is only spoken of him in office. And if the reader will compare the passage, particularly in Jude, with what the prophet Daniel saith, (chap. x. 13—21.) I conceive that both together will throw light upon the subject. "Lo!" saith the prophet, "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”. And again, he calls the same person, (ver.21.)

.

"Michael, your prince." In the passage of the apostle Jude's Epistle, he saith," Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses." It should seem, therefore, pretty plain, that this Michael is one and the same person. In one he is called prince, in the other, archangel. But in both, it is evident, that the name is a name of office. For my own part, I do not hesitate to believe that it is Christ himself, which is meant by the name archangel in Scripture; and of whom it is said, in relation to his coming at the last day, that "he shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." (2 Thess. i. 7.) And elswhere, the Lord Jesus describes this advent in similar words. (Matt. xxv.31; Zech. xiv. 5; Matt. xvi. 27.). And whether this appearing of Christ hath respect to his coming in his thousand years' reign upon earth, or to the universal judgment, the sense of the words (in reference to the subject of the archangel we are now considering) is the same. Some have thought that the archangel spoken of by Jude cannot mean Christ, because it is there said, that he durst not bring against Satan a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But this is not an objection in the smallest degree. The Lord Jesus durst not do it; not because he dared not, or had not the power, but because it belonged not to the Redeemer's character, "who, when reviled, reviled not again, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." (See Zech. iii. 1—4.) Here we have a similar contest. Now that he who spake was the Lord, appears by his saying, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment." Hence, therefore, it is plain from this passage, that the angel before whom Joshua, as a type

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »