Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-21
MlNISTERING ANGELS

IlOn. 3-l1eD. III 1..-zz
! Writing his argument concerning
/ the superiority of the Son over al
Iangels, the author of this grea
epistle to the Hebrews is neverthe
! less careful 70 show that though he
is superior, the angels are In His ser
/ vice. and in the service of His saints
The literatures of all nations are full
of suggestions of angels. Every PEG
pie on earth in their darkness have
seen white forms and heard the
krustle of wings and felt the breath
of swift spirits upon the cheek.
How oft 90 their silver bowers
leave,
] To come to succor US that succor
| want
How oft do they with golden pin
ions cleave
Tne flittering skies. like flying
pursuiyant,
Against foul fiends to aid us
militant
They for us fight; they watch and
duly ward
! And their bright squadrons
about us plant
And all for love and nothing for
reward.
! Oh, why should heavenly God to
men have such regard"
The Bible is full of the idea of an.
gciic ministries, spiritual presences,
and radiant leaderships. Angels are
mentioned in the Old Testament one
hundred and seven times and in the
N<,x.f act fv1t hnnArnA or ~.
enty-five times. You might as well
have a world without flowers, or a
night without stars, as Bible with
out angels, for the subject runs from
end to end OF the Book of books; IL
forms an integral part of its his.
tory, from the earliest creation,
when the morning stars sang TO.
gether and al the sons of God shout.
ed for Joy" to the close of the vision
OF Patmos, when John was about to
fall down and worship the angel who
of the spiritual world. The tendency
of modern thought is to exalt the ma
terial The only thing considered
real is that which you can see and
count and handle and measure. But
angelic ministry is a thing unseen,
not apprehended, except in rare in.
stances, by the bodily senses. 1t is
nevertheless real. The revelation of
such angelic ministration tells us OF
beings constantly active among the
affairs of men, working in harmony
with the laws of nature. beings unre,
stricted by. earthly limitations, Of
whose presence the world is not cog
infant, but through whose agency
God delivers and ministers to his
people, bringing the schemes and
calculations of the wicked to naught,
as he did long ago the designs OF
the Assyrian monarch and the wicked
plans OF Herod the king.
What the-Age Needs.
What this age needs. perhaps.
more than anything else Is a spirit.
nal Imagination. It needs to get
away from the Sadducean philosophy.
Angels and angel ministries are real.
Jacob saw them in a dream, but a
little later he saw them actually, a
great host of them at Mahanaim, the
place of hosts. They came to Elijah
under the juniper tree. They COM
forted Elisha. They carried the dead
beggar to Paradise. An angel re-
leased Peter from prison. Angels
were active at the coming and all
through the ministry of Christ They
we're curious concerning the mystery
of the incarnation They supported
him I'M the wilderness. They reliev.
ed him in Gethsemane. They guard
ed his grave. They graced his as
cension. They instructed his dis
ciples. They defended his apostles.
Why do we not see them? There
are two reasons among others. Doubt
cannot see them-and fullness OIL
faith does not need them. Signs are,
of no use to unbelieving hearts-andl
to the man of faith they are not nee
essary.
Angels are the messengers of twi-;;
light. Midnight doubt can not seoI
them, and noondav faith does not re-
quire them. But their activity is in
disputabIe. They watch, they sug-i
gest, they guard, they serve.
Are they not all ministering spir.
its sent forth TO minister" Pity me.
if you will; call it a childish ignor-
ance, a fancy, a superstition. But II
believe that if we could see, Yei
should discover that under the lord
ship of Christ angels are watching
and listening, ascending and descend
ing, coming into close union with us,
guarding us in many place of doubt
and danger and peril.
Science Blunts Sensitiveness.
Scientific investigation and mater
ialism have blunted our sensitiyenessi
to the forces of the unseen world. Tol
idealize the world and life is one efl
The offices of religion. There is mol
more reason that we should surren-l
der our faith in angels than our faith
in God. Our faith is always truerI
than our skepticism, because the be,
lieving man is the only avenueI
through which God can speak and
act. We have never seen angels-butl
We have never seen God! We have
never seen our departed frinds! ThereI
is no possible harm in listening toI
hn Nf hn ~