Angels: God's Messengers--Our Attendants (5)

Let us comfort ourselves in all conditions. Even when the enemies are thousands more than we, many thousands and millions; yet, if we be in the covenant of grace, and in good terms with God, we have angels to fight for us. You know Elisha's servant, when he saw the multitude of enemies, his eyes were opened to see a company of angels; and sad the prophet, 'There are more for us than against us' (2 Kings 6:17). Let us have Elisha's eye, the eye of faith, and we will have his guard about us always. This should comfort us.
We must also learn not to grieve these good spirits. It is a wondrous humility that they stoop to be servants to us, who are of a weaker, baser nature than they (Psa. 8:5). It is a wondrous patience, that they continue to guard us even when we do that which grieves them. Let us consider when we are alone--it would keep us from many sins--no eye of man sees; but God sees, and my conscience within sees, and angels are witnesses. They grieve at our sin, and the demons rejoice at it. These thoughts will help us when we are tempted to sin.
Let us learn to magnify God, who has honoured us; not only by taking our nature upon himself, but also to give us his own attendants, his own guard, a guard of angels. Indeed, he did not take upon himself the nature of angels, but of men. His plan is that those glorious creatures should be our attendants for our good; and they do not find this attendance disgraceful. What care God has over us, and what love he bears us; that he has honoured us with creatures of a more excellent rank than we, the angels, who are at service to us in Christ. All this should cause us to be full of thankfulness.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
The Fountain Opened, Works, vol. 5, pp. 496-501
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