694 A N G E L. 
rejected them. Indeed, the belief of middle intelligences 
influencing the affairs of the world, and ferving as minif- 
ters or interpreters between God and man, is as extenfive 
as the belief of a God; having never, fo far as we know, 
been called in queftion by thofe who had any religion at all. 
The creation of angels is not indeed exprefsly mention¬ 
ed by Mofes in the firft of Genefis, yet it is generally con- 
fi'dered by judicious expoiitors as implied. The reafon 
why the lacred hiflorian is Silent on this fubjeft, is fuppo- 
fed by Berrington to be the natural pronenefs of the Gen¬ 
tile world, and even of the Jews, to idolatry. And it is 
thought, if they worfiiipped mere material elements, 
which was the cale, much more might they be inclined to 
worfhip Inch luperior and fublitne beings as angels. But 
a better reafon is perhaps given by other writers, viz. that 
this firft hiftory was purpofely and principally for informa¬ 
tion concerning the vifible world; the invifible, of which 
we know but in part, being referved fora better life. 
On what day they were created has been matter of con¬ 
jecture. It is a point on which learned men have differ¬ 
ed. The Socinians, indeed, hold, fays bifhop Hopkins, 
that it was long before the account given by Mofes, but 
if muft have been within the fix days creation; becaufe, 
as we are informed, that within this (pace God made hea¬ 
ven and earth, and all things that are therein. All the 
writers that we have ieen on this fubjeft, think they were 
included in the firft day’s work, when the heavens were 
framed. 
It lias been thought by fome perfons, that the words of 
Job, “When the morning ftars fang together, and all the 
Jons of God fhouted for joy,” militate againft the creation 
of angels within the fix days. About the meaning of thefe 
words, however, expofitors are not agreed ; but, admitting 
shat they refer literally to angels, Dr. Lightfoot, Caryl, 
and others, fee no difficulty in the pafTage. The doftor 
thinks they were created on the firft day, with the hea¬ 
vens; and that they were fpeftators of God’s works in 
the other parts of creation, and praifed and magnified the 
Lord for his works all along; finging and fliouting when 
God laid the foundation of the earth, as tire Jews did at 
the laying the foundation of the temple, Ezra iii. 
On a (object of this nature, it would be imprudent to 
indulge a fpirit of conjecture. Scripture is the only ftand- 
ard by which truth and error can be tried, and to this we 
muft ultimately appeal. It is acknowledged that Moles 
has not exprefsly mentioned angels by name; yet, as we 
have remarked, their creation is undoubtedly implied : 
for the heavens muft include all that are in them; and 
therefore it is that the divine penman fays, in the conclu- 
fion of his narrative, “ Thus the heavens and the earth 
were finifhed, and all the lioft of them.” Of the kojls of 
heaven, the angels muft form a confiderable part; they 
are exprefsly called the heavenly hoft, and the armies of hea¬ 
ven , Dan. iv. 35. Lukeii. 13. And, if divine authority be 
admitted as decifive, the reafons adduced by Jehovah for 
the fanftification of a labbath, demonftrate that they did 
not exift previous to the creation of the heavens. It is, 
fu rely., afterted with propriety, that in fix days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is. 
Similar to which is a declaration of the divine hiftorian re¬ 
lating to the fame fa ft : “ And God blefted the feventh 
day and fanftified it; becaufe that in it he had refted from 
all his work which God created and made,” Gen. ii. 3. 
Now, if angels exifted prior to the fix days of the creation, 
the language of Moles is far from being accurate and in¬ 
telligible ; and efpecially when it is conlidered that the 
ob/curity might have been removed by adding, “ from 
all the work which God had then created and made.” 
But, if angels were created before the heavens, where 
could they exift ? For, as the learned Giil has remarked, 
“though angels have no bodies, and fo are not in place 
( ircumfcriptively; yet as they are creatures they muft 
have an ubi, a fomewhere in which they are definitively ; 
ip that they are here, and not there, and much lefs every 
where. Now where was there an ubi, a fomewhere, for 
them to exift in, before the heavens and the earth were 
made? It is moil reafonable, therefore, to conclude, that 
as God prepared an habitation for all the living creatures 
before he made them; as the fea for the fifties, the ex- 
panfe, or air, for the fowls, and the earth for men and 
beafts; fo he made the heavens firft, and then the angels 
to dwell in them.” 
That this was the faft, will appear very evident, if the 
words of Mofes be impartially confidered. “ In the be¬ 
ginning (fays he), God created the heavens and the earth 
which words muft refer to either the beginning of crea¬ 
tion or of time: if to the former, and angels previoufly 
exifted, the language is neither intelligible nor conforma¬ 
ble to truth: if to the latter, the difficulty remains; for what 
is time but the meafure of created exiftence. “ Time 
(fays the judicious Charnock) began with the foundation 
of the world: before the beginning of the creation and 
the beginning of time, there could be nothing but eter¬ 
nity; nothing but what was uncreated, that is, nothing 
but what was without beginning.” But, if angels were in 
a pre-exillent ftate, the hiftorian’s language is unaccounta¬ 
bly ftrange and inaccurate : for if the phrafe in the begin¬ 
ning w hich is remarkably emphatical, refer to the crea¬ 
tion of the heavens and the earth only, they are unhappily 
exprefted; fo exprefted, indeed, as to convey no meaning 
to thofe who conftder words as the vehicle of .thought, 
and as intended to exprefs clearly to others the meaning of 
the writer. For the natural obvious fenfe is as follows: 
“ In the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the 
earth, God created the heavens and the earth ;” which 
language is not only a departure from that perfpicuity and 
preciflon which diftinguifh all his narrations, but entirely 
irrational and abfurd. 
That the words in the beginning refer to the firft creation, 
cannot be doubted, if it be remembered that Jehovah 
himfelf founds a claim to eternity on this very ground: 
“ Before tire day was, 1 am he.” “ Before the mountains 
were brought forth, or ever thou hadft formed the earth 
and the world, even from everlafting to everlafting, thou 
art God.” Ifa. xliii. 13. Pl.ix. 2. See alfo Prov viii. 22, 
23, &c. Now there could be no propriety in this kind of 
reafoning, if angels or any other creature exifted before 
the creation of the world, becaufe all claims to eternity 
from Inch premifes would apply even to Gabriel as well as 
to Jehovah. “ Before the world was,” is, in Scripture 
language, a phrafe always expreffive of eternity; and on 
this principle the evangelift John afferts the divinity of 
Jefus Chrift in the firft chapter of his hiftory. For this 
purpofe he alludes to the words of Mofes, and introduces 
his divine mafter to notice by celebrating the firft aft of his 
creative power. “ In the beginning (fays he) was the 
Word;” that is, Dr. Doddridge remarks, before the foun¬ 
dation of the world, or the firft production of any creature : 
and Dr. Sherlock is of opinion, that the words, in their 
moft common and ufnal acceptation, fignify the firft crea¬ 
tion of all things, and are a demonftration of the divinity 
of Chrift. Of the fame mind was Dr. Owen. He fays, 
that, if the phrafe beginning does not abfolutely and for¬ 
mally exprefs eternity, yet it doth a pre-exiflence to the 
whole creation, which amounts to the fame tiling; for no 
thing can pre-exift before all creatures but the nature of 
God, which is eternal, unlefs we fuppofe a creature be¬ 
fore the creation of any. But what is meant by this ex- 
preffion is fully declared by other paftages of Scripture: 
“ I was let up from everlafting, before the beginning, or 
ever the earth was;” “ Glorify thou me with thine own 
felf, with the glory which I had with thee before the world 
was;” both which paftages not only explain the text, but 
undeniably prove the pre-exiftence of Chrift the fon of God, 
If, therefore, the words of Mofes be impartially view¬ 
ed in their obvious and natural meaning, and compared 
with other paftages of Scripture that relate to the fame 
fubjeft, we have no doubt but every unprejudiced mind 
will perceive, that as he intended to give a fummary hif¬ 
tory of the creation of all things both in heaven and in 
3 earth. 
