Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-09


comforted him; must have strengthen
ed him unspeakably Strong already
in the certainty OF the nearness OF these
messengers and ministers of the Most
High, but now stronger than ever in the
conviction that he enjoyed the Divine
favor and protection, Jacob will have
laid down to rest that night with sense
of security, TO which, for twenty long
years his soul had been stranger.
So he expressed what he thought and
felt by the name he bestowed upon the
spot where the glorious vision was
vouchsated him. "lIe called the name
of that place Mahanaim." And, what he
meant was, that here were two hosts -
the heavenly and the earthly; two
camps-the angelic and the human
pitched over against each other. And
these two camps-the one seen, the 9th
er unseen, his own company and the
angels--he speaks of as "Mahanaim"-
that is, two hosts, or camps
Now, mark you. in the course OF
few days after, when terrified at the It'd
ings of his brother Esau's approach with
party of armed followers, the Scrip.
ture tells us Jacob divided the people
that was with him, and the iiocks, and
the herds, and the camels, into two
bands" in order that if one were smit
ten, the other at least might escape.
And then he prayed to God and con.
tessed Gods goodness to him and
said, "ior with my staff ! passed over
this Jordan and now am become two
bands
| ask you to observe that Jacob calls
the two bands or camps into which he
has now divided his household 10y the
very same word which he had employed
just before to designate the angels and
himself But there is now a slight dit.
ference in the form of the word. 1t is
no longer .HlhdHdm but .NIhaEdoh.
And the difference is OF this nature
that he speaks OF the angelic company
and his own company as constituting
so to speak,, pair of camps. The
two which went together, because they
were in their nature two because they
could not be either more or fewer, and
because they would be incomplete, one
without the other. 1t is somewhat az
when a man speaks Of his two eyes, his
two hands, meaning both his eyes, both
his hands, and not two eyes and two
hands out OF many others. ] say, when
Jacob divides his family into two com.
panies, it is no longer MIhdnain, but
NIhIaaoh, that he calls them. In
number they were two, but IN nature
they were one. In other words, the
angels OF God and Jacobs company,
made up in his estimation "a pair OF
camps = but his divided followers con.
/ stituted two camps.
Now, my hearers, the inference which
propose TO draw from this very inter.
esting circumstance, lies almost upon
the surface, and perhaps you have al.
ready drawn it for yourselves. 1t is
concerning the Guardianship Of Angels
and Gods use Of Angels in His dealings
with men.
Here is an admission on the part OF
Jacob, or here is an assertion, rather,
OF the doctrine long afterwards express.
ly laid down by the Psalmist, that /" the
angel of the Lord encampeth round
about those that fear Him" And. 1T u
worthy of notice that the Psalmist uses
exactly the same word 10 express 1t ss
that used in the text. Jacob indeed
confesses without confession, that he
and his are under the guardianship Of
Hosts to sustain, protect and defend
them. Could it have been tho same
company OF angels which ne saw near
the same place twenty years before,
when on his way down to Padan Aram.
ascending and descending on the ladder
which reached to heaven II Is true
the word does not necessarily imply tho
presence OF armed warriors; but,
think it Is q somewhat frgid Divinity
which does not zee here the same image
conveyed by the thrice repeated de.
scription OF "the angel with a drawn
sword = "the Captain OF the Lords
Host - our Lords mention Of twelve
legions OF angels :" and, the sublime
allusion TO that heavenly war when
"Micheal and his angel, fought against
the Dragon" So that jacob will have
seen the twin encampments so to
speak tho earthly and the heavenly
over against each other: this, weak
and unarmed and needing protection
that, excelling in power aud might, able
and eager to protect.
And when he called the place where
the blessed vision of these celestial
warriors met his sight. "N1baHaip.," I" he
will have further professed with graft.
tude and JOY unutterable. that God had
indeed been faithful TO all his promises
that the deienceless company which he
had brought up from Padan Aram,
was the undoubted object of heavenly
guardianship, the special care of that
armed and powerful host of heaven;
that the one belonged to the other, in
deed. had been committed to them
beregardei as their own peculiar charge
And then, again, wien by the direc
| ton of an angel, as we believe, the com.
pany of Jacob was divided into two
bands" was there not symbolic allu.
| sion here, to that division of all man.
| kind into two companies, 1.-TWO camps"
the living and the dead, the church
militant and the church triumphant
For, was not one part of Jacobs com.
pany-one camp-sent in advance over
/ = H. -. skc hoit.F 49, . a