Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-04-03
THE ANGELIC HOSTS.
DR.. Talmage Discourses On an In
teresting Theme.
How the Bible Refers to the AnGeIs-TheIr
Superhuman Intelligence and Eternal
Existence-Always BY the side
of MortaIs.

In a recent sermon at Brooklyn Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage took his text FROM
Judges xii 10, And the angel did
wOndrously." He said:
Fire built on rock. Mancah and his
wife had there kindled the flames for
sacrifice in praise of God, and in honor
of guest whom they supposed to be
man. But as the flames rose higher and
higher, their stranger guest stepped into
the flames and by one red leap assembled
into the skies. Then they knew that
he was ali angel Of the Lord. THE
angel did wondrously."
Two hundred and forty-eight times
does the Bible refer to the angels, yet l
never heard or read z sermon on angel
ology. The whole subject is relocated
to the realm mythical, weird, spectral
and unknown. Such adjournment is
unscriptural and wicked. OF their life,
their character, their habits, their
action, their vclocities the Bible gives
full length portraits and why this pro-
lOnged and absolute silence concerning
them? Angelology is nay theme.
There are two nations OF angels and
they are hostile to each other-the ma
ton of good angels and the nation of
bad angels. OF the former ! chiefly
speak to-day. Their capital, their head
quarters, their grand rendezvous is
Heaven, but their empire is the uni
verse. They are q distinct race Of
creatures. No human being can ever
join their confraternity. The little
child who in the Sabbath school sings
81 want to be an angel will never have
her wish gratified. They are super
human, but they are of different grades
and ranks, not at all on the same level
or the same height. They have their
suPeriors and interiors and equals. l
propose no guessing on this subject, but
take the Bible for my only authority.
Plato, the philosopher, guessed and
divided angels into super-celestial, ce-
lestial and sub-celestiaL Dionysius,
the ArcOpagite, guessed and divided
them into three classes-the supreme,
the middle and the last-and each of
these into three other classes, making
nine in all. PhilO said the angels were
related 20 God, as the rays to the sun.
Fulgentius said they were composed of
body and spirit Clement said they
were incoporeaL Augustine said they
had been in danger Of falling, but now
are beyond being tempted. But the only
authority on this subject that | respect
says they are divided into cherubim,
seraphim, thrones, denominations, prin-
cipalities, powers. Their commander
in-chief is Michael. Daniel called him
Michael, st. John called him Michael
These supernal beings are more thor
Oughly organized than any army that
ever marched. They are swifter than
any cyclone that ever SWEET the sea.
They are more radiant than any morn
ing that ever came down the sky. They
have more to do with your destiny and
mine than any being in the universe ex-
cept God. May the Angel of the New
Covenant, who is the Lord Jesus, open
our eyes and touch our tongue and rouse
our soul, while we speak of their death
lessness, their intelligence, their num-
bers, their strength, their achievements.
Yes, deathless. They had 4 cradle,
but will never have grave. The Lord
remembers when they were born, but
no one shall ever see their eye ex-
tinguished, or their momentum slow up,
or their existence terminate. The old
est of them has not wrinkle, or a de-
crepitude, or a hindrance; as young
after 5000 years as at the close of their
first hour. Christ said of the good in
Heaven: Neither can they die any
more, for they are equal unto the an
gels" Yes, deathless are these wonder
full creatures of whom I speak. They
will see world after world 90 out, but
there shall be no fading of their own
brilliance.
A further characteristic of these ra-
diant folk is intelligence. The woman
of Tekoah was right when she spoke to
King David of the wisdom of an angel.
We take in what little wa know through
eye and ear and nostril and touch; but
those beings have no physical encase-
ment and hence they are all senses. A
wall five feet thick is not solid to them.
Through itithey go without disturbing
fake of mortar or crystal of sand.
knowledge. 1t flashes on them. They
take it in at all points. They absorb it.
They gather it up without any hinder
ment No need of literature for them!
The letters of their books are stars
The dashes of their books are me-
teors. The words of their books are
consultations. The paragraphs of
their books are galaxies. The pictures
of their books are sunrises, and sun
sets, and midnight aurorcS, and the
conqueror on the white horse with the
moon under his feet, and seas of glass
mingled with fire. Their library is an
open universe. No need of telescope to
see something millions of miles away,
for instantly they are there to inspect
and explore it. All ASTRONOMERS, all
geologies, all botanies, all PHILOSOPHERS
at their feet. What an opportunity for
intelligence is theirs! What facilities
for knowing every thing and knowing it
right away!
There is only one thing that puts
them to their wits end, and the Bible
says they have to study that They
have been studying it through all the
ages, and yet l warrant they have not
fully grasped 1.-THE wonders of re-
demption,. Those wonders are so high,
so deep, so grand, so stupendous, so
magnificent that even the intelligence
of angelhood is COMPOUNDED before it,
The apostle says: Which things the
angels desire to look into" That is a
subject that excites inquisitiveness on
their part That is theme that strains
their faculties to the utmost That is
higher than they can climb, and deeper
than they cah dive. They have desire
for something too big for their compre-
hension, (Which things the angels de-
sire to look into" But that does not
5;sc-aS4;+ +i,air in+alIigapce Noona hu+