p. 422.) It is, indeed, held by some divines, that the words of Job, "When the morning stars sang to gether, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," afford an argument against the creation of angels within the six days ; and imply that their origin must be referred to a still more ancient period. But where, asks Light foot, is the difficulty of supposing that angels were created on the first day with the heavens : and that they were spectators of God's works in the other days of creation, and joined in a hymn of praise at each mighty manifestation of his power ? They are represented by Ezra, as singing and shouting when God laid the founda tion of the temple, c.
The words of Moses, in their obvious meaning, seem plainly to imply, that before the period to which his six days of creation refer, no created being whatever ex isted. " In the beginning," says he, "God created the heavens and the earth ; which must refer either to the beginning of creation, or the beginning of time. If we take the word in the first sense, the meaning of the passage would be, " In the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth, God created the heavens and the earth :" which is far from the perspicuity and em phasis with which the sacred historian usually expresses himself, and would indeed be nothing but a feeble ple onasm. The phrase, "In the beginning," seems most naturally to refer to the beginning of time, which may be considered as coeval with the foundation of the world. Before the beginning of creation, and the beginnineof time, all was eternity, no finite and created being existed, nothing but the great First Cause. The whole language of scripture is in conformity to this doctrine. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, thou art God." Psalm xc. 2. "Before the world was," is, in scripture language, a phrase always expressive of eternity ; and St John asserts the divine nature of his Lord, by claiming to hint an existence prior to creation, and by celebrating the first act of his creative power nearly in the language of Moses. " In the beginning," says he, " was the Word ;" that is, as Dr Doddridge expounds it, before the tion of the world, or the first production of any creature. For if the phrase beginning does not absolutely and for mally express eternity, yet it must, says Dr Owen, denote a pre-existence to the whole creation, which amounts to the same thing ; for nothing can pre-exist before all creatures but the nature of God, which is eternal, unless we suppose a creature before the creation of any. In
deed, the meaning of " this expression is fully declared by many passages of scripture : "I was set up from everlasting, before the beginning, or ever the earth was :" " Glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was ;" both which passages not only explain the text, but amount to a proof of the pre-existence of Christ, the son of God. Owen On the Trinity, p. 45.
The argument of the evangelist John for the divinity of Jesus Christ, in the opening of his gospel, is ground ed on his existing before the creation of the world ; and from this it is inferred, that he is the creator of all things ; but if angels also had a being before that period, the argument loses all its force, and no more proves the divinity of Christ than the divinity of an angel. The Socinians, however, maintain, that angels were in ex istence long before the account given by Moses, and in order to evade the reasoning of the evangelist, interpret the phrase in the beginning, either in a figurative sense, or as referring to the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry.
As to the nature of angels, and the extent of their intelligence and power, it would be presumptuous to offer any decided opinion. Whether they are pure spirits, divested of all matter, or united to some fine corporeal vehicle or etherial frame, has been a con troversy both among philosophers and divines. St Au gustin, among the Christians, was of opinion that angels were clothed with incorruptible bodies, of the same na ture with those which we shall one day put on, when we come to be equal to them. But the more generally prevalent sentiment has been, that they are purely spiritual essences, though they can at pleasure assume bodies, and appear in the shape of human or other crea tures. That they are of superior intelligence, purity, and power to man, seems a necessary consequence of their being treed from the imperfections and impedi ments of a corruptible colvtire'aVnature, and of the high offices to which they are mired. We must suppose their understandings to be always vigorous, their inclinations regular, and their powers undiminished by exertion, or scarcely requiring the repair of rest. The intervals of space oppose no obstacles to their motion, and the natural qualities of matter are subjected to their con troul, and made subservient to the purposes of reward or punishment to man, according to the views of Ilro deuce in the government of the world.