concerning Simon Gryneus, a grave, learned, and pious Divine (much celebrated, I may add, by Erafmus in feveral of his Epiftles.) This Man being at the great Affembly at Spire, 1529, together with Melancthon, about the compofing of Differences in Religion, and hearing the Bishop of Vienna deliver many grofs things in a Sermon which he preached, follow⚫ed him out of the Church; and after he had ⚫ reverently faluted him, told him, that not out of any wanton or arrogant Humour, but with a good Mind he defired to fpeak with him, about fomething which he had heard him utter for • Chriftian Doctrine; protesting, that it grieved him very much, to hear a Person of his Parts and Authority speak things fo abfurd and contumelious against God. The Bishop heard him kindly, and pretending then he was not at leifure, invited him to come the next Day and discourse with him, fhowing him the Place where he lodged. Grynaus came immediately to Melanthon, and was fcarce fat down to eat, ⚫ and relate part of his Difcourfe with the Bifhop, but one called for Melanthon to speak with a Perfon that asked for him at the Door fo he went out of the Room, and there found a grave old Man, who affured him, that Serjeants were coming from the King to arreft Grynaus, and carry him to Prifon; and that he could not escape, unless he inftantly avoided that Place; and he bid him make no Delay, but believe his Words. So they immediately f carried Grynaus over the Rhine, and coming • back

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⚫ back to their Inn, they found that the Offi cers had been there to apprehend him, and that they came presently after they were got out of the Houfe, which being certainly true, he could not but look upon this as a divine Preservation, for he could never learn who that • Perfon was that came to him; and fuch was "the speed of the Serjeants to lay hold on him, ut nifi ab Angelis te&tus fuiffet Grynæus evadere non potuiffet, that unless the good old Man Grynaus had been protected and covered by Angels, he could never have escaped that Dan⚫ger.' This Story from fo prudent and cautious a Perfon, as Melanthon appears to be in his Writings and Actions, is methinks a great Instance of the Truth of what is related in the Scripture Story, and a Confirmation of our Belief, that God doth fome way or other take care of them that fear him, especially of them that do him eminent Service in the World, to defend them from the violence of Men, and their fecret Contrivances, which can be known to none but himfelf. But,

3. Befides both these, there are other hurtful Things that might frequently indanger us, were it not for the cuftody of Gods holy Angels : When we walk abroad, when we ride, nay, when we fit or lie down in our own Houses, many Things might deftroy us, were we not under this Guard. How often have we feen an House fall, or some fuch perillous Thing happen, from which Men could not have been delivered, had they gone one Minute later from

that

that Place, or one Minute fooner to it? How often have Men been led contrary to their Intentions unto, or from a Place, from whence or whether if they had not turned, fome Lofs or Danger had betided them? For which I must refer you to your own Obfervation and Experience, commending that memorable Paffage in the Pfalmift to your Meditation, Pfal. 107.43. Whofo is wife, and will obferve thefe Things, even they shall underftand the loving-kindness of the Lord. They will acknowledge the Truth of what is faid; Pfal. 122. 7, 8. The Lord fhall preferve thee from all Evil, he fhall preferve thy Soul: The Lord fhall preferve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth, even for evermore. And how he preferves us, we find in another Place of the fame Book, 91. 11. He shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy Ways; they shall bear thee up in their Hands, leaft thou dafh thy Foot against a Stone, i. e. he faves and delivers us from many noxious and mischievous Accidents to which we are exposed by the Miniftry of his holy Angels, who watch over us to do us friendly Offices in time of need.

All these, nor all the reft which I have ftill to fay, will not warrant us to give them any divine Worship, to make our Prayers or Addres fes to them, to vow our felves to their Service, or to render them our Thanks; because they are but Gods Minifters and Servants, (as I fhall fhow you in the Afternoon's Difcourfe) to whom we ought to pay our Acknowledgments: And inHh

eed

deed this Doctrine ought very much to excite our Praifes to God, who imploys and orders them to do these good Offices for us; and it ought to make us live the more contentedly and chearfully in any Condition; fince thefe glorious Creatures, as I have told you, are our Companions, and never difdain to wait upon us in the most homely Dwelling, as much as in the most princely Pallace; nay are then, we have reason to think, most careful of us, when we are in the greatest Diftrefs.

And that now, I must tell you, is the Reafon why Chriftians have, for a long time, observed this Festival, in the Ages that are paft before us: That they might acknowledge the Divine Providence, and his fatherly Care over his Church by the Service of Angels: And I fuppofe it is therefore called by the Name of Michael and all Angels, because he and that part of the heavenly Hoft which is under his Government, are juftly thought, from that Paffage I mentioned in the Revelation, to be the Protectors of Chriftian People, as heretofore of the Ifrael of God. As we take therefore feveral times to meditate upon feveral Paffages of God's Love and Kindness towards us, because we cannot think of all at once, or muft run them over very lightly, and infift long upon none of them: So on this Day Chriftians have ufed to remember the great Goodness of God in creating Angels, and his Mercy in appointing them to fuch Miniftries for our Welfare, and putting them all under the Power and Government of our bleffed Lord and Saviour;

who

:

who, as St. Peter faith, is gone into the Heavens, and is on the right Hand of God, Angels, and Authorities and Powers being made fubject to bim. This Account, I find the first Proteftants gave of it (who were far from looking upon this Festival as a Popish Inftitution) I mean, those who followed the Reformation of Luther. For Sebaftian Frofchelius hapning to write his Epistle Dedicatory before Melanthon's Commentaries on the Gospel of St. Matthew, upon this Day, concludes it in this manner; Dated at Wittenberg the 29th of September, on which the Church gives thanks to God the Creator of all, quod creavit caftos Angelos, &c. that he hath made the chafte and holy Angels, and would have them to be Miniftring Spirits, and take the Cuftody of the Church and all Peoples Minds, and to be depulfores obfcoenorum, &c, the drivers away of all obscene, cruel and lying Spirits, who seek our Hurt and Damage.

And that is the Thing to which I would now ftir you up in a Belief of thefe Things, that there are Spirits good and bad, and that Almighty God is pleafed to appoint the one to do as inuch good, as the other feek to do us harm, humbly and gratefully to acknowledge his Goodnefs, and to render, not only now, but continually, the Sacrifice of Praife, giving thanks to his Name.

Let us praife him, that we are not perpetually haunted with evil Spirits; that our reft Night and Day is not disturbed by these invifible and vigilant Enemies, who envy our Quiet and ReHh 2 pose;