nour to have a company of glittering fellows attending upon them, and following them in reds and ribbands, and gold and silver laces. Oh, the beggarly attendants of this earth, unto the attendants the saints have; glorious angels attend them. It was much that Paul spake: "All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas," all are yours: Pauls, or Appolloses, or Cephases; why, what are they? they are ministers, and ministers are called angels, angels of the churches. But not only these angels are the saints' attendants, but heavenly angels are the saints' attendants. Ah, what dignity, what honour is here? Who dare despise any of the saints or people of God, although they be never so mean? You see what our Saviour saith, Matt. xviii. 10, " Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." That is the first.

2. If these things be so, why then surely the highest enjoyment, and the meanest employment commanded, may and can stand together: what meaner employment than to attend upon a man that hath a plague-sore running upon him? this the angels are to do; and they have the highest enjoyment at the same time; says he, after, "They always behold the face of my Father." So that then our highest enjoyments, and meanest employment commanded, may and can stand together. It may be you say, I will not go to my calling, it is a poor and mean calling, I shall not enjoy God in it. Aye, but know this, you may enjoy God in the lowest employment. The highest enjoyment, and the meanest employment commanded, may and can stand together. That is the second.

3. If these things be so, great is the saint's security, great is the saint's safety. Are they not in safe hands that are in the hands of angels? not of one angel, but many angels: if this be not enough, why the angels bear them up in their arms: if this be not enough, God himself carries them in his arms, as in the days of old; God's eye is upon them, his ear is open to their cry: Christ's left hand is under their head, and his right hand doth embrace them, all the angels attending upon them. Oh, the safety and security of the saints and people of God, even in the worst of times-in the time of the plague and pestilence!

4. If these things be so, how good and gracious is the Lord

unto you; you that are the saints and people of God, how good and gracious is the Lord to you! No sooner had David said, Psalm xxxiv. 7, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them:" but the next words he subjoins, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good." Aye, here you may taste and see the goodness of the Lord indeed, in the ministration of angels; that the angels nurse you, and carry you up and down in their arms: the more you look into this, the more you will see how good and gracious the Lord is. In the viiith Psalm, when David had considered the creatures around, "Lord, (says he) what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him; for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels," for a time: "all sheep and oxen, and all creatures thou hast put under his feet:" he begins the Psalm thus, "Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" and because his heart was full of the sense of God's love, he ends the Psalm with the same words, "Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” ave, this is a taking thing indeed; here you may see how gracious and good the Lord is to you.

5. If these things be so, how infinitely are we all beholden unto Jesus Christ, upon whose account it is that the angels are your attendants in this time of the plague and sickness; he is the ladder that Jacob saw: Christ explains that ladder himself; "You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man :" it is upon Christ's account, all the ministry of angels is upon Christ's account: here you have more than Adam had in the state of innocency; when Adam fell, then you read indeed of the cherubims set to keep the tree of life, to keep Paradise; but you do not read that before the fall he had the angels to minister to him; but now, in and by Jesus Christ, we have the ministration of angels, we are reconciled unto all the angels, and not only so, but they are brought in to be our attendants. Oh, blessed be God for Christ! why should we not say, “I love thee dearly, O Lord my Saviour, by whom I am made partaker of this infinite privilege of the ministration of angels."

6. If these things be so, what a mighty difference is there betwixt the godly and the wicked, even in the time of the

plague. Your great desire in this sickness-time is, that God would make a difference betwixt the one and the other: whatever outward difference there is, I am sure there is this difference, the saints and people of God have the angels to attend upon them, but the wicked have not. The corn and the weeds are cut down by the same scythe, one stroke cuts them both down, but the corn and the weeds are differenced. Two men, a godly man and a wicked man, lay sick of the plague at the same time; the wicked man hath little or no attendance, when his friends leave him it may be he hath nobody to attend him, except it be a halberteer at the door; no angels to attend him: but the good man, when all his friends are gone, then come the angels and comfort him, and attend upon him; and he may comfort himself, and say, Though my friends have left me, yet here are the Lord's angels to look to me and comfort me. What a mighty difference is there betwixt the one and the other! Oh, who would not be godly; who would not get into Christ upon this very

account?

7. If these things be so, why, then, why should we not trust in the Lord in this day of great mortality, this sickly time, this time of the plague and pestilence? What, shall the angels be your attendants, now especially, and will not you trust in God? What, have you such a promise as this is, and will not you trust in the Lord? Shall the Lord himself be your protector, and charge his angels with you for such a time as this, and will you not trust in the Lord? It is recorded of Alexander, that being in great danger, and to fight next day with his enemies, he slept very soundly the night before; and he being asked the reason thereof, said, Parmenio wakes; meaning a great and faithful captain of his : Parmenio wakes, says he. The angels are called watchmen; they watch and are faithful, therefore you may be secure, quiet, and at rest: trust in the Lord for ever, upon this account, in this day trust in the Lord.

8. If these things be so, then, friends, why should we not stoop to any work commanded, though it lie much beneath us? Do not you think that the attending upon a sick man, a man that hath a plague-sore running upon him, is a work that lies much beneath angels? yet the angels do it because it is commanded, though much beneath them yet they stoop

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to it because it is commanded: and what though a work lie much beneath you, yet if it be commanded, why should you not stoop to it? You will say, Such an one is much beneath me, I will not lay my hand under his shoes, he is much beneath me; ah, but the angels lay their hands under your shoes, and the work they do for you is much beneath them : why should we not be like our attendants? This is angelical obedience; the angels do you many a kindness, and never look for thanks from you, they do many a kindness that you are not aware of: why are you delivered, sometimes you know not how? here is a hand under a wing, the ministration of angels is the cause of it. But, I say, the work they stoop to for you is much beneath them, and therefore why should we not stoop to any work commanded, though it lie much beneath us?

9. If these things be so, friends, what manner of men and women ought we to be in all holy conversation! What, your attendants so holy, and you unholy! Let the women be covered, because of the angels, says the apostle; so say I, let us walk holily because of the angels, they are always about us. If you be in company with a grave man, you will not giggle, nor be so frothy as with others. If a man have a servant attending upon him that is grave and sober, he will not be frothy and vain. Behold what grave and holy attendants there are about you, and will you giggle, and be frothy and vain? Oh, what manner of men and women ought we to be in all holy conversation.

But, 10. To conclude. If these things be so, why should we not always be found in that way, whereby we may come within the compass of this protection? In the xxxivth Psalm it is put upon fearing God, "They shall pitch their tents round about them that fear him." In this Psalm it is put most upon trusting in God. In this xcist Psalm, in this verse, it is put upon (this protection of angels is put upon) being in our way: "They shall bear you up in their hands. He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep you in all your ways." "In all your ways:" your ways: your ways are God's ways, your way is the way commanded by God. you be out of God's way, you are out of your own way: if you be in your way, the angels shall keep you, even in the time of a plague, and bear you up in their hands, that you

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dash not your foot against a stone; but if you be out of your way, I will not insure you of safety. When Balaam went upon the devil's errand, an angel met him and scared. his ass, and the ass ran his foot against the wall, dashed his foot against the wall. The promise is, "Thou shalt not dash thy foot against a stone;" but he was out of his way, and the angel met him and scared his ass, and his ass made him rush his leg against the wall. Jonah went out of his way, God bade him go one way,

when he ran away from God; and he went another. Well, what then? were the angels with him for his protection? the very sea would not be quiet till he was thrown overboard: instead of angels to protect him, he had a whale to devour him. I confess indeed, through the free grace and mercy of God, the belly of destruction was made a chamber of preservation to him, but he was out of his way; and instead of an angel to keep him that he dash not his foot, his whole body was thrown overboard. Says Solomon, "As a bird from her nest, so is a man out of his place:" so long as the bird is in her nest, it is free from the hawk, it is free from the birding-piece, it is free from the nets, and gins, and snares, as long as it is in her nest; but when the bird is off her nest, then she is exposed to many dangers. So, so long as a man is in his way, in his place and in his way, he is well, and under protection; but when a man is off his nest, out of his place, and out. of his way, then is he exposed to all dangers: but, be but in your way, be but in your way, and then you may assure yourselves of divine protection, and of the management thereof, by the hands of angels. Oh, who would not labour always to be in that way which God hath appointed him to be in! why should we not always consider with ourselves, and say, But am I in my way? Old Mr. Dod, being upon the water, and going out of one boat into another, slipped between them, and the first word he spake was this, "Am I in my way ?" so we should always be saying, But am I in my way? am I in my way? I am now idling away my time, but am I in my way? Oh my soul, am I in my way? I am in my calling this day, without prayer in the morning and reading the Scriptures; but am I in my way? Oh my soul, am I in my way? I am now in such frothy company, where I get no good, but hurt; but am I in my way? ever consider this,