A47437:492
Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately…
Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately preached on Genesis XXVIII, XII : wherein the doctrine of free-grace is displayed through Jesus Christ : also discovering the nature, office, and ministration of the holy angels : to which is added one sermon on Rom. 8, 1 : with some short reflections on Mr. Samuel Clark's new book entitled Scripture justification / by Benjamin Keach.Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately preach'd on Genesis XXVIII, XII : wherein the doctrine of free-grace is display'd through Jesus Christ : also discovering the nature, office, and ministration of the holy angels : to which is added one sermon on Rom. 8, 1 : with some short reflections on Mr. Samuel Clark's new book intituled Scripture justification / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by Benja. Harris, 1698
Title page typeset from the transcription.
CHRIST ALONE THE Way to Heaven: OR, JACOB'S LADDER IMPROVED, &c. › Sermon 4
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. From their Office this is further evident: They appear before God, they serve him, and we are commanded to make them our Patterns; they come to us, admonish us, teach, protect, and comfort us.
4. Because th•y are said to appear to Men; as to Abraham, Jacob, and many others, tho not in their own spiritual Form. As so considered, no mortal Creature, doubtless, could behold them; for that is to render the Invisible World to be Visible: Sometimes they have appeared in assumption of Bodies, tho not for the doing of their Work, but to manifest themselves to be familiar with men. Aquinas adds, That they might manifest the intelligible Society and Converse, which men expect with them in another Life.
5. Because Christ is said, not to take unto him the nature of Angels, and hath a Name given him above them. And in the Resurrection we shall be like to them. As to their Nature, they are Spirits incorporate, and immaterial;1 Who maketh his Angels Spirits: And again it is said,2 Are they not all ministering Spirits? Tertullian, and some other ancient Fathers, asserted they have proper Bodies, tho invisible to us; but yet he seems to mean no more than a Substance: And as the same Author observes, If they have any such Composition, as may be called a Body, it is certainly of the greatest Fineness and Subtlety; a spiritual Body, and therefore not like to be of that grossness, that either the Air is, or those Heavens that are framed out of the same Chaos, but nearer the substance of the highest Heavens; which seem to be made at the same time. Lastly, saith he, it will be safe to say, that in Comparison of God they are Bodies, but in comparison of us, they are pure and mighty Spirits — To which let me add, I see not that the Saints, at the