The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-11-03
KEEP WATCH OVER us
We Are Guarded by Angels Says
Dr.. Talmage.
sHUe mai Beings Who Give Warnin
When Evil Appronchex-Nex. 20
G.d. They Control Our
Destiny.
Copyright. 1863, Louis K.opsch.)
t-L

Washington,
The brilliant beings supposed by
some to be imaginary are by DIR. Tai
mage in his sermon shown 10 be real
and to have much to do with our every
cay life. The text is Judges 1919:
And the angel did wondrously."
fire built ON a rock. Manoah and his
wife had there kindled the flames for
sacrifice iii praise of God and in honor
OF u guest whom they supposed TO be
a man. But as the flame rose higher and
higher their strange guest stepped into
the fame and by one red leap assembled
into the skies. Then they knew that was
an angel OF the Lord. The angel did
wo%ndrousIy."
Two hundred and forty-eight times
does the Bible refer to the angels, yet |
never heard or read a sermon ON angel
oio&y. The whole subject is rciegated
10 the realm mythical, wierd, spectral
and unknown. Such ad .journment is
un~Scriptural and wicked. Oftheir life,
their character, their habits. their ac-
tons, their veiocitios, The Bible gives
us full length portraits, and why this
prolonged and absolute silence CON
corning them? Angclology is my
theme.
There are TWO nations of angels, and
they are hostile TO each othcf-thc 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 ii distinct race of crea-
lures. No human being can ever join
their confruternitv. The little child
who in the Sabbath school sings: Il
want to be an angel will never have
her wish gratified. They are superhu-
man, but they are of different grades
and ranks. not all on the same level or
the same height. They have their SUI
periors and interiors and equals. | pro-
pose no guessing on this subject, but
take the Bible for my authority. Plato,
the philosopher. guessed and divided
angels into Supercelestial. celestial and
subcelestial. D%ionysius, the Areopa-
Cite. guessed, and divided them into
three classes, the supreme. the m!dule
and the last. and each of these into
three other classes, making nine in all.
philo said angels were related to God.
as the rays of the sun. Fulgentius said
that they were composed of body and
spirit. Clement said they were incor-
poreal. Augustine said that they had
been in danger of falling. but now are
I'D, ond being tempted. But the only
authority on this subject that ! respect
says they are divided into c%heruhim,
seraphi1m. thrones. dominions. primes
paIities, 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 swept 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 cN-
tept God. May the Angel of the New
Covenant. who is the Lord Jesus, open
our yves and touch our tongue and
rouse our soul while we speak of their
deathlessness, their intelligence, their
numbers. their strength, their achieve
ments.
Yes, deathlcss. They had a cradle,
but will never have a grave. The LORD
remembers when they were born, but
no one shall ever see their eye eNtln-
ruished or their momentum slow up
or their existence terminate. The old
est of them has not a wrinkle or a de-
crepitude or a hindrance, as young
6,000 years as at the close OF the"
first hour. Christ said to the good IN
Heavens: "Neither can they die any
more, for they are equal unto the an
Yes. deathless are these won
lerful creatures of whom ! speak. lbey
will see world after world go out, and
there shall be no fading OF their w
h%rilliance. Yea. after the last wo"ld
has taken its last fight, they WIZ be
for the widest circuit through i'm
nensity. taking a quadriIllon OF mics
one sweep as easy as a pigeon circles
|, do>ecote. They ere never sick. lheS
ire never exhausted. They need no
sleep. for they are never tired. AtGods
command they smote with death. ID one
$4,000 of Sennacheribs host, but
no fatality can smite them. Awake,
ieile. multipotent, deafness. immortal!
A further Characteristic of these
radiant folk is intelligence. The woman
If Tekoah was right when she spoke
a King David Of the wisdom Of an
nigel. We mortals take in what hliie
ne know through the eye and ear and
,ostril and touch, but those beings
no physical i~ncasement, and hence
heya are all senses. A wall five feet
bick is not solid to them. Through
I they go without disturbing fake Of
or crystal of sand. knowledge.
1 flashes on them. They take it in at
u
II points. They absorbit. They gather
t up without any Underwent. No
iced of literature for them. The let
ers Of their books are stars. The
ashes of their books are meteors. The
vords of their books are considerations.
he paragraphs of their books are gal
xies. The pictures of their books are
unrises and sunsets and midnight au-
oras and the C%ongueror on the white
Iorse with the moon under his feet.
heir library is an open universe. No
eed of telescope TO see something
of miles away, for instantly
hey are there to inspect and explore it.
III ASTRONOMERS. all geologies, all bot
mics. all PHILOSOPHERS at their feet.
What an opportunity for intelligence
theirs! What facilities for knowing
yerything and knowing il right away!