Sermons upon the Book of Job

And therefore so much the more are we beholden to the infinite goodness of our God, who hath appointed them to be our servants by means of our Lord Jesus Christ. For inasmuch as our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Son of God his father, yea even his natural son, (for the belonging of his honour unto him is not befallen unto him through grace, but he is his natural §50son, & for the same cause, his only son also) Inasmuch then (I say) as our Lord Jesus Christ hath not been spared for our redemption and salvation: the Angels also (who are the children of God) are by his mean appointed to serve us, as the Apostle showeth in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and also as it is showed by Jacobs ladder, where it is said that the Angels came down from heaven to the earth: and Jesus Christ affirmeth the same thing to be accomplished in his kingdom: you shall see the Angels (sayeth he) come down from heaven unto men. So §60then seeing we perceive that God hath ordained his Angels to serve for our welfare: so much the more are we bound to his mercy. Moreover he hath done us so great honour, that his Son (to redeem us) hath not taken upon him the nature of the Angels: but (as the Apostle sayeth) hath clothed himself with our nature and our substance. When we see that the Son of God is come so near unto us, as to vouchsafe to be partaker of mans nature, we may perceive that his so doing is the very wellspring from whence proceedeth the other grace, that the Angels travel & watch in our behalf, & also that it is their peculiar charge & vocation to procure our welfare. According hereunto, the holy Ghost sholeth them out from them that be with Satan, and showeth that they be willingly the servants of God. In what wise? Even as his children. When a child obeyeth his father, he doeth it not against his will: but he doeth it because he is inclined the revnto, because his own nature teacheth him so to do, & because he hath a certain lovingness which induceth him to discharge himself of his duty: and even so do the Angels. On the other side, Satan is an adversary. For albeit that he appeareth before God & was fain to render his account: yet was it not for that he yielded of his own accord, nor for that he was willing to be subject unto God:

And therefore so much the more are we beholden to the infinite goodnesse of our God, who hath appoynted them to be our seruāts by meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. For in asmuche as our Lorde Iesus Christe, who is the onely Sonne of God his father, yea euen his naturall sonne, (for the belonging of his honour vnto him is not befalne vnto him through grace, but he is his naturall