ART. VI.-THE SONG OF THE ANGELS.

By Rev. ENOCH POND, Professor of Theology, Bangor, Me.

"Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace, good will towards men." Luke ii. 14.

THE first thing to be noticed, in these remarkable words, is the "peace on earth and good will to men," of which the angels sung at the birth of the Saviour. Reference is here had, no doubt, to that scheme of mercy, which was unfolding through Christ, and according to which proposals of peace and salvation were then published to the world. But proposals of peace and salvation necessarily imply, that those to whom they are made are guilty and lost-in a situation to need the salvation which is offered them. And this is the melancholy fact in regard to all men in a state of nature. They are totally alienated from God, transgressors of his law, and under a just sentence of eternal death. God might justly treat them as he did the angels that sinned. He might "cast them down to hell, and reserve them in chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day." He might justly banish them from his favourable presence, and drive them away accursed into everlasting fire.

But when all this might have been done, and strict justice required that it should be done, infinite mercy interposed. The Son of God consents to take the sinner's place, and to die in his stead. He consents to make this infinite sacrifice, that so the law of God may be honoured, and his justice vindicated, and all the important ends of government secured, while the penitent transgressor is forgiven and saved. It was for this purpose, emphatically, that the Son of God appeared in our flesh and our world. He came, "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

On the ground of the atonement wrought out by the suffering Son of God, easy terms of mercy have been proposed to the world, invitations are given, and motives are urged. On the same ground, too, the Holy Spirit has been sent to give efficacy to the truths and motives of the Gospel, and to raise up from the ruins of the apostasy a renovated, redeemed people, and prepare them for heaven.-Such is, in few words, the "peace on earth and good will to men" which was cele

brated by the angels at the birth of Christ. Such is the method of salvation by a Redeemer.

The next thing to be noticed in the song of the angels, is the glory which they supposed would redound to God, in consequence of this wonderful method of salvation. "Glory to God in the highest," &c.

Theologians have distinguished between the essential glory of God, and his declarative glory. By his essential glory, we understand the glory of his nature, attributes, and character-the glory of being just what he is. It is glorious to the Supreme Being, that he is independent, omnipotent, and omnipresent; that he is infinite in knowledge and wisdom, holiness and justice, goodness and truth; and that he is all this unchangeably, from eternity to eternity. The essential glory of God is beyond all addition or increase. The measure of it is infinite, and it is for ever full.

By the declarative glory of God we understand a display, a manifestation of his essential glory. This display of himself before the eyes of his creatures, God makes in his works and in his word. Creatures cannot look into his heart, as he does into theirs, and search by intuition the deep things of God; and were it not that he has been pleased to manifest his perfections, they must have been in ignorance of their Creator for ever. But no sooner were intelligent beings brought into existence, than God began to make himself known to them, and in this way to display before them his glory. And the more he unfolds to them his perfections and character, the more does he, in this sense, glorify himself. Thus Abraham saw more of the glory of God than Noah; and Moses more than Abraham; and Paul more than Moses; and saints and angels in heaven have brighter manifestations of the divine glory than are ever witnessed by saints on earth. In this declarative sense, the glory of God may be increased, and doubtless will be increased for ever. God will continue-not to add to his essential glory-but to display this glory in brighter and still brighter colours, before the eyes of his intelligent offspring, and thus furnish them with new occasion, and lay them under increased obligations, to love, adore, and praise.

It was in this declarative sense, undoubtedly, that the angels sung of the glory of God. The sentiment of their song was, that by opening a way of salvation for men, through the intervention of the new-born Saviour, God was

displaying the riches of his glory; and that, in the progress of eternity, he would in this way continue to glorify himself. By means of redemption, he would open his heart to his creatures-would make himself known to them-would pour out before them the refulgence of his glory-in a manner, and to a degree, that would in no other way be possible.

But this brings me to a third general remark suggested by the song of the angels, viz. that the great work of redemption by Christ is calculated to advance the glory of God in the highest possible degree. "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men."

This is not the only passage of Scripture in which the work of redemption is represented as pre-eminently glorious to the Supreme Being, and on that account of surpassing interest to the higher orders of intelligent creatures. When the heavens were opened to the view of the prophet Isaiah, he heard one seraph crying to another and saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts; the whole EARTH is full of his glory." This implies, that the attention of heavenly beings was at that period turned with amazing interest to earth; and that this earth, the appointed theatre of redemption, was all radiant in their eyes with the refulgence of the Divine glory. The apostle Paul asserts, that "unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God." The redeemed church is here represented as the medium, through which the principalities and powers of heaven-the higher orders of intelligent beings-become acquainted with God and behold his glory. The apostle Peter, too, speaking of "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow," says, "Into which things the angels desire to look." The original of this phraseology is peculiarly expressive, importing that the angels of light bend from their high seats, and ponder with the greatest interest and delight the wonders of redeeming love.

The other works of God besides redemption are not, indeed, unworthy of their author; nor are they silent in showing forth his praise. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth forth his handy work." The works of creation and providence display the infinite wisdom of God, and his mighty power, and his general goodness; and before redemption was revealed, the flames of the pit

below had flashed upon the universe the terrours of his justice. But the work of redemption excels the other wonders of his hand, in that it makes a more bright display of those attributes of which, in other ways, we might gain some knowledge;--and it also unfolds much that is glorious, in the divine nature and character, of which, were it not for redemption, we must have remained in ignorance for ever. It is proposed to consider the subject in both these points of view.

I. Redemption makes a more bright display of those divine attributes, of which, in other ways, we might gain some knowledge. For example, much divine wisdom is displayed in the work of creation. In proposing ends, and adapting means for their accomplishment-in balancing and adjusting the different parts of the universe-in establishing what are denominated the laws of nature, and carrying them into consistent operation-we see that the resources of divine wisdom are beyond all bounds. But in the work of redemption we have a display of wisdom which to me appears-I do not say greater-but more wonderful and glorious. What are we to think of that wisdom which could devise such a plan of redemption;-a plan, so glorious in its end, and so wonderful in the means by which it is to be accomplished;-a plan, according to which mercy and truth may meet together, and righteousness and peace embrace each other; a plan, by which the greatest honour is to be put upon the divine law, and yet transgressors of this law are to be exalted to a height superiour to that which they would have enjoyed, even if they had not broken it;—a plan, in the developements of which all the designs of God's final enemies are to be turned against themselves, and to his glory, and the very existence of sin and misery will be overruled for a greater good!

In the works of creation and providence we have a display of omnipotent power. What cannot that power do, which could frame worlds out of nothing, and clothe them with beauty, and fill them with living creatures, and roll them at pleasure through the immensity of space! But in carrying into effect the plan of redemption, we have a new display of power, and one, if not more magnificent, at least, as it seems to me, more wonderful. I refer to that power by which hard hearts are broken, and stubborn wills bowed, and the perverted currents of the soul turned back, and from the depths of moral pollution a new and holy people are raised VOL. I.

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up, and rendered meet for the inheritance of the saints in light; that power, by which Satan and his legions have been taken and defeated in their own devices, and the subjects of their dark empire have been rescued from their hands, and exalted to the heavenly kingdom. This wondrous power there would have been no opportunity of exerting or displaying, had it not been for the work of redemption.

In creation and providence, God displays his general goodness. He shows clearly, not only that his hand is powerful, but that his heart is benevolent; that he delights, not in the sin and misery of his creatures, but in their virtue and happiness. Yet, the displays of benevolence which he makes in these ways are as nothing, compared with the unspeakably more glorious manifestations of the same lovely attribute which are exhibited in redemption. The love which God manifested, in sending his Son into this world to die for sinners-in favouring them with the day and the means of grace-in giving his Holy Spirit to strive with themand in preparing them for his glorious presence in heaven; -the love which he has manifested in these and similar ways far transcends all the other exhibitions of love which the universe has ever witnessed. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

The holiness of God is displayed in his law. He never would have issued such a holy law, had he not been himself a lover of holiness, and a hater of sin, and had it not been his inflexible purpose to reward the one, and punish the other. But the most signal displays of God's holiness-his holy hatred of sin, that the universe ever witnessed, beamed forth from the cross of Christ. God here showed to gazing and astonished worlds, that he could not spare his own dear Son, when standing in the place of sinners; and that, though entreated (if it were possible) to take away the cup of suffering, he could not remove it from his lips.

I have hinted already at the displays of justice which were made in the punishment of fallen angels, before man was created, or his redemption was revealed. But the justice displayed in the punishment of these angels cannot be so illustrious or glorious, as that manifested in the punishment of those who have done what the ruined angels never didwho have not only broken the law of God, but trodden under foot his Son, and done despite to the spirit of his grace. But,