The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-10-23

in heaven their angels do always behold
the face of My Father which is in heaven"
Matthew Is: 10. That is not the angels of
the children behold the face of the Father,
but the angels that guard the children be-
hold His face, as if to know His will con-
corning them.
Fourth, they watch over the church.
Paul must have had this in mind when he
said. For think that God hath set forth
us the apostles last as it were appointed
to death; for we are made a spectacle unto
the world, and to angels and to men," /
Corinthians 4: 8.
Fifth, they have charge of the dead, as
is indicated in the story of Stephen and
the death and resurrection of Lazarus, also
in the fact that our Lord was in the tomb
and two angels were guarding Him.
His second coming. Prophets, evangel-
lists, apostles all declare this truth.
Seventh, they shall be the executors of
judgment. Matthew l3: 4l-42. 'The Son
of Man shall send forth His angels, and
they shall gather out of His kindom all
guilty and shall cast them into furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and crashing
of teeth"
1t is>my purpose to show something con-
corning angels visits in days that are past
that | may make application of the truth
TO the present time.
1.
Their visit to Abraham. Genesis Is:
-. And the Lord appeared unto him in
the PLAINS OF Mamre, and he sat in the
tent door in the heat of the day, and he
lifted up his eyes and looked, and 10, three
men stood by him; and when he saw them
he ran to meet them from the tent door,
and bowed himself toward the ground"
We have here the thought of communion
OF which the Christian Church is so much
IN need in these days. 1t is not so much
service that is demanded now as fellow
ship with Him and waiting upon Him by
means of which we may know His will. I
like to picture this visit of angels. Abra-
ham at his tent door during the heat of
the day, when suddenly the angels ap-
peared. There were three of them, the
angel of the Covenant being their leader.
stood on the very spot where it is said,
according to tradition, the tent of Abra-
ham stood and the place seemed holy
ground. doubt not the tent was ever
more beautiful to Abraham and Sarah, for
as matter of fact homes are TRANSPORTED
| and lives made beautiful just in proper
ton that Christ, the Angel of the Cove
nant, fills us, and He still comes to us to-
day, and in His coming He is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever He entered
the home of Zaccheus and gave him new
household. He filled the heart of Peter SO
that when Paul was converted he came
down just to visit him that he might know
concerning his Master. Doubtless he saw
the couch where He rested, possibly the
room where He slept, and l have no ques-
ton at all but Peter and Paul journeyed
together visiting the scenes that were
walked with the two on their way to En-
maus and illumined the Scriptures and
also made their hearts burn. We may
have angels visits in these DAYS in unex-
pected ways.
like the story of the German boy who
sat place at the table for Christ, and
suddenly there was a knock at the door.
When the child opened the door he found
| there a peasant poorly clad; babe him
take the seat, feeling that since Jesus could
not come He had sent this man in His
place.
Whatever may be the dispensational
Interpretation of the 18th chapter of
Matthew, the 35th to the 10th verses
are at least most striking in this connec-
ton. For | was an hungered and We gave
Me meat; | was thirsty and We gave Me
IN; naked and We clothed Me; was sick
and We visited Me; | was in prison and We
came unto Me. Then shall the righteous
answer Him saying, Lord. when saw we
Thee an hungered and fed Thee? or thirsty
and gave Thee drink? When saw we
Thee a stranger and took Thee in? or
naked and clothed Thee? Or, when saw
Thee? And the King shall answer and
say unto them, Verify, say unto you. In
| asmuch as We have done it unto one of the
least of these. My brethren, We have done
| it unto Me-" AS matter of fact we
never give. cup of cold water, we never
say a kind word, we never lift another's
burden for the glory of Christ that we do
not do these things unto Him.
II.
Their visit to Lot. Genesis 10: Is.
"And there came two angels to Sodom at
even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom;
and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them
and he bowed himself with his face toward
the ground; and he said, Behold, now, my
lords, turn in, [ pray you, into your serv-
ants house and tarry all night, and wash
your feet, and We shall rise up early, and
go on your ways And they said, Nay,
but we will abide in the street all night
And he pressed upon them greatly. and
| they turned in unto him and entered into
| his house, and he made them feast, and
did bake ;4nleavened bread, and they did
eat. WIN you notice the difference be-
| tween the number of angels in the first pic
ture and the second three in the first, two
| in the second
Lot is a type of worldly Chris
| tian. man who had good start and
made a miserable failure. With such a
man the Angel of the Covenant can have
little fellowship, while for his soul he may
| have great longing. Note the steps in
Lots downfall. He pitched his tent to-
ward Sodom. They moved into Sodom.
Then Sodom gained possession of him
then he lost his influence with his own
household. his fellow-citizens and with the
angels of heaven. He is like the man who
came into service after he had been wan
dering from Christ for thirteen years.
| Once he had been faithful and true,
brought face to face again with Christ he
renewed his VOWS and then started out to
win his children, but returned at the close
| of the day after he had been in their beau
tiful homes to say that they had every one
of them lapsed into infdelity. and he was
powerless to move them There may be
such wanderer here who is saying, is
there any hope. In answer / give you the
| picture of Jacob and the angels guarding
him when he was a supplanter and cheat.
| Genesis 80: -. "And Jacob went on his
way, and the angels of God met him.
And when Jacob saw them he said, This is
| Gods host, and he called the name of that
place Mahanaim," and of Peter concerning
whom the angels said as they gave the
Masters invitation for the disciples to
meet Him, He told His disciples and