Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-05-26

and rarely ever have the moral cour-
age to preach on the ministry of angels
| and the communion of saints, F" for
fear of being charged with a belief in
the ridiculous infideIity as taught by
| many who profess to have had inter
| course with the spirits of the depart
ed.
Noting is more evident than that
our Saviour waS netting all the time in
view OF unseen spiritual influences,
more operative TO him than any of the
visible and matcrislistic phenomena
of the present life. In this respect the
conduct of Christ, if initiated i'll the
present day, would subject man to
the imputatiOn of superstition or
credulity. He imputed to the direct
agency of invisible spirits, acting with
affairs of life, many things. When
Nathaniel, one Of his early disciples,
was astonished at his spiritual Insight,
he said to him: Thou shalt see great
| er things than these. Hereafter .ye
shall see heaven, and the angels oi
God ascending and descending on the
Son of Man,
We come now to the New Testament
scriptures, which embraces the Chris
tan dispensation. We have seen how
men have appeared unto the inhabi-
tants of earth under the patriarchal
dispensatiOn. In the time of Moses
and Joshua under tina government OF
the judges and Kings of Israel.
During the prophetic dispensatiou
they appeared unto the prophets
and talked of the coming glory of gos-
pei or Christian dispensatiOn.
They open this last edition of the
gospel by appearing 10 the father OF
John the Baptist and Mary the moth
er of Jesus. The man Genial Jas he is
called by Daniel) when he told him OF
the four great monarchies which were
to precede and prepare the way for
Christ's kingdom that was to be an
everlasting kingdom.
1t closes with the revelation made
to st. John on the sea girt gale of Pat
mos by one of the old prophets.
They appeared to the shepherds who
watched their flOcks by night, and all
nouHced the birth of the worlds Re
deemer. Their song on this occasion
is the best epitome of the Gospel ever
delivered to man. BY their direction
Joseph was warned TO flee into Egypt
to save the infant Saviour of the world.
The great law giver of the Jewish ma
ton. who never was permitted to en-
ter the promised land, hut died ard
was buried by God on Mount Pisgah-
he appeared and talked with Jesus on
the Mount of TRANSPORTATION in Ca
daan. The Prophet Elijah, who went
4, r l.,
Jesus on that holy mountain relative
to the sufterings he was to endure at
Jerusalem.
When Jesu, was bearing the sins of
the world, in his agony in the garden,
angels ministered TO him and strength
ened him for that dreadful conflict
with the powers Of darkness. They
were the first to declare his resurrec-
ton and the last to speak words of
comfort to the men of Gallilee, who
witnessed his ascension from Mount
Olivet, when a cloud received him out
of their sight. Who were these per-
sons? Mr.. Graves may tell you they
were angels. To the law and the testi-
mOny let us appeal. See Mark xvi, 8.
And entering into the sepulchre they
saw a young man clothed i'll a long
white garment, and they were alright
ed. "
The Youngest of the angels who
shouted for Joy at the creation, must
have been at best four or five thous-
and wears old at the time, and may
have been several times that age
Where is then the propriety or the
truth of his being called 'yOung
man 2" Can it be true that we have
to resort to such interpretations OF
Gods Word, to avoid one of theplain-
est and most comforting doctrines that
is taught in Gods holy Word. Again.
Luke xXiv. (, And behold two men
stood by him in shining garments, and
they were afraid Neither of these
Evangeiists call them angels but
"men" and "a Young man." The
other two call them angels. Neither
are the persons who appeared and
spoke to the men of Gallilee, when
Jesus assembled from Mount Olivet,
even CALEB angels, but "men. See
Acts, tx, 8 10. And when he had
spoken those things, while they be-
held, he was taken up and hand re-
ceived him out of their sight. And
while they looked steadfastiy toward
heaven, and as he went up, behold
two men stood by him in white appar-
ell, which also said: 'Ye men of CALI
lee, why stand We gazing up into heav-
en-; this same Jesus which is taken up
from YOU into heaven shall come in
like manner as ye have seen him 90
ND into heaven p" Here was impor-
tant conversation, in which We are
deeply interested. And thus we see
that while 1.-TWO men" Moses and Eli
as. talked with Jesus about the plan of
human redemption, these two men"
tell of his coming again to judge the
world ia righteousness.
Once more, see Rev. %: The angel
who made the most remarkable of all
the revelations says he was one of the
prophets. Who can doubt that he liv-
ed and died here. if what he says OF
himself be true?
Let US now return after having fol-
lowed our Saviour through his life, his
resurrection. ascension, and his revela
ton to St. John by one of the old
prophets in the Isle of Patmos. We
have seen that the Old Testament
abounds with proofs of spiritual visi-
tations. Noah, Abraham, Lot and
Jacob saw in vision the ladder-one
foot on earth, the other reaching into
heaven; and the angels ascending and
descending shows that they had their
origin on earth and to it descended
again.
He also wrestled with "a man" till
break of day, and would not let him
20 without blessing.
CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK.