Connecticut western news., 1899-11-02
X HEAVENLY GUARD.
pR. TALMA6E ON THE MISSION OF
 THE ANGELS.

They Have Much to Do With the Ev-
 tinxsishea Preacher-A Guardian
 Angel For Every One.
 tCopsright. Louis Klopsch. ls9a.l
 WAsHINGroN, Oct 20.-The brilliant beings supposed by some to be imagi- nary are by Dr. Talmagein this sermon shown to be real and to have much to do with our everyday life. The text is, Judges xiii, 10. And the angel did wondroasly."
 Fire built on rock. Manoah 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 flame rose higher and higher their stranger guest stepped into the flame and by one red leap as- cended into the skies. Then they knew that he was an angel of the Lord. 1.-The angel did wondrously.
 Two hundred and forty-eight times does the Bible refer to the angels, yet I never heard or read sermon on angel ology. The whole subject is relegated to the realm mythical. weird. spectral and unknown. Such adjournment is un-Scriptural and wicked Of their life, their character, their habits. their ac- tions. their velocities, the Bible gives as full length portraits, and why this prolonged and absolute silence concern ing themf Angelology is my theme.
 There are two nations of angels. and they are hostile to each other-the na- tion of good angels and the nation of had angels. Of the former l chiefly speak today. Their capital. their head quarters, their grand rendezvous. is heaven, but their empire is the uni verse. They are distinct race of crea- turesL No human being can ever join their confraternity. The little child who in the Sabbath school sings, II want to be an angel. will never have her wish gratified- They are superhu man. but they are. of different grades the game height. They have their su- peridfs and interiors and equals I pro pose no guessing on this subject, but take the Bible for my only authority. Plato. the philosopher, guessed and di vided angels into supercelestial, celes- tial and subcelestiaL Dionysius, the Areopagite. 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 that the angels were re- lated to God. as the rays to the sun. Falgeatius said that they were com- posed of body and spirit. Clement said they were incorporeal Augustine said that 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. domina- tions, principalities, powers. Their com mander in chief is Michael. Daniel him Michael. These supernal beings are moss thoroughly organized than any army that ever marched They are swifter than any cyclone that ever swept the sea. They are more radiant than any morning that ever came down the sky. They have more to do with your destiny and mine than any being in the universe except God. May the Angel of the New Covenant, who is the Lord Jesus, open our eyes and touch our tongue and rouse cur soul while we speak of their deathlessness. their in- telligence. their numbers, their strength. their achievements
 A Cradle, but No Grave.
 Yes. deathless. They had cradle, but will never have a grave. The Lord remembers when they were born, but no one shall ever see their eye extin- guished CT their momentum slow mp or their existence terminate. The oldest of them has not a wrinkle or decrepi- tude or a hindrance, as young after 5000 years as at the close of their first hour. Christ said of the good in heav- en, Neither can they die any more. for they are equal unto the angels. Yes, deathless are these wonderful creatures of whom speak. They will see. world after world go out, but there shall be 10 fading of their own brillianoe. Yea. after the last world has taken its last flight they will be ready for the widest circuit through immensity, taking a quAdrilion of miles in one sweep as easy as a pigeon circles dovecot. They are never sick. They are never exhaust ed. They need no sleep, for they are never tired. At Gods command they smote with death in one night 185. 900 of Sennacherib's host, but no fatality can smite them. Awake, agile, multi potent, deathless, immortall
 A fuBther 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 mortals tase in what little we know through eye and ear and nostril and touch, but those beings have no physic- al encasement, and hence they are all senses. A wall five feet thick is not solid to them. Through it they go with out disturbing flake of mortar or crystal of sand. Knowledge! It flashes on them. They take it in at all points. They ab- sorb 1t. They gather it up without any them. The letters of their books are stars The dashes of their books are msteors- The words of their books are constellations. The paragraphs of their books are gahxies The pictures of their books are sunIises and sunsets and midnight auroras and the Conqueror on the white horse with the moon under his feet Their library is an open uni verse. No need of telescope to see some thing millions of miles away. for in- stantly they are there to inspect and explore it. All astronomies, all geol- ogies, all botanies. all philosophies, at their feet. What an opportunity for in telligence is theirsl What facilities for knowing everything and knowing it right awayl
 There is only one thing that puts them to their wits end. and the Bible says they have to study that They have beer. studying it all through the ages. and yet I warrant they have not fully grasped it-the wonders of re- demption. These wonders are so high. 80 -deep, so grand, so stupendous, SO