them hereafter into the nethermoft Hell; SER M. let us beware, left being lifted up with Pride, XI. we shall fall into the Devil's Condemnation, 1 Tim. iii. 6. and so instead of making our Earth a Step to Heaven (as it was defigned to be), we abuse our Habitation as the Devil did, and in the End, be caft into the Hell prepared, or that is ftill preparing, for the Devil and his Angels.

Now to God the Father, &c.]

VOL. III.

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SER

SERMON XII.

The Fall of the Apoftate Angels.

2 PET. ii. 4.

God fpared not the Angels that finned, but caft them down to Hell, and delivered them into Chains of Darkness, to be referved unto Judgment.

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HIS Chapter of St Peter, and the Epistle of St Jude, are so much alike in the Subject-Matter, Method, and Style, that St Jude is thought by most Commentators to have had this Epistle of St Peter before him, when he indited his. And alfo fome antient Jewish Book in which some Prophecies of Enoch and Noah were recorded, from which St Peter also had copied before him, but which was very foon afterwards foft. And no Man indeed can think any

*See Bishop Sherlock's First Differtation, at the End of his Six Difcourfes on Prophecy.

otherwise,

otherwife, that reads and compares the one S ER M with the other. The Sin and Fall of the A- XII. poftate Angels, and the Destruction and Overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrha, are brought in by both as terrible Examples to strike Horror into the Minds of the falfe Teachers, and Seducers that were then creeping into the Church of Chrift. But I fhall not in my Doctrinal Part, confider these Words of St Peter, any more than I did St Jude's, with relation to the Context, but shall fix upon the Doctrine of the Text itself, (without any regard to what precedes, or what follows) in or-. der to pursue what Discoveries we can make with relation to the Punishment of those unhappy Spirits of whom it speaks. The Reafon why I chose St Jude's Words before, and St Peter's now, is because St Jude is more express as to the Sin of thefe Angels, and St Peter as to their Fall. And their Fall being the Subject which I referved in my other Difcourse for this; I chufe to lay St Peter before us on this Occafion, as being the most explicit of the two. But that you may have a clear Notion of both Parts of my Difcourfe at once, permit me, before I enter upon their Fall, which was the Beginning of their Punishment, to refresh your Memories, by recollecting

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SERM. lecting in few Words the Subftance of what XII. I have faid with Relation to their Sin.

Now their Sin I fhewed you was Ambition and Pride, which St Jude defcribes both negatively and affirmatively; negatively, in not keeping their first Eftate; affirmatively, in leaving their own Habitation. Their not keeping their first Eftate, I told you was better rendered in the Margin of our Bibles, by their not keeping their own Principality, i. e. in not being contented with being Principalities, which is an Order of Angels mentioned in Scripture, of which Order fome of the fallen Angels may be fuppofed to have been. I imagined therefore, that St Jude might mean, that though these Angels were Principalities in the Hoft of Heaven; though they were higher in Rank and Dignity, than many other Orders below them; yet they were not contented with their Station or Degree, but repined that they were not created, or advanced to one ftill higher. They might want perhaps, to be Thrones, or Cherubim, or Seraphim in Heaven, which the Scriptures defcribe to us as fome of the highest Orders of all, and because these Principalities were not such too, they envied thofe that were, would not keep their Station and Rank, would not perform

the

the Duties and Offices, incumbent on their sER M. own Order, they would not be Principalities: XII. But would leave their Habitation, i. e. their own proper Habitation or Place of Dwelling, which God had allotted them, which I fupposed might be one of the Stars, or Heavenly Orbs above; all of which are now generally thought to be Worlds inhabited as ours is, and fome of them perhaps, by Angels of different Denominations and Degrees. And fince the Scriptures affure us, that there is a Shechinah, or Glory, or Throne of God fomewhere in the Heavens, I prefumed to imagine, that wherever that be, it is fufficient to give the Precedency, or Pre-eminence to thofe Spiritsor Angels, whofe Worlds, or Orbs are nearest to it: For the more near and immediate, their Approach and Attendance on the Divine Prefence is, fo much, they are more honoured and glorified, more happy and bleffed: And according to the feveral Degrees of Nearness, many of the infpired Writers give these Ange-, lick Hofts their Ranks and Names. And one of these Worlds it is not impoffible, but that the fallen Angels or Principalities, that were not contented with their Estate, might originally inhabit, but which, being diffatisfied with the Station, or Situation it had in the Universe,