1. The Book of Gold | 2. His Heavenly Monitor |  3. Ministers of Special Providence | 4. Elastic As the Light | 5. An Angel in the House | 6. Christ the Lord of Angels | 7. An Angel Leads | 8. With Watchful Care | 9. Angels Sympathize with Men | 10. "The Lord Hath Sent His Angels." | 11. Protect, Defend and Foster | 12. Peopling the Aerial Spaces | 13. "Ere I Lay me down to Sleep." | 14. Outward Help and Relief | 15. Personal Beings in Scripture | 16. Compassion over Us | 17. Invisible Friends | 18. Their Durance Immortal | 19. Allotments of Happiness | 20. Synonym of Perfection | 21. His Best Angel, Love | 22. Clad in Angelic Light | 23. Children of the Sun | 24. Word Spoken by Angels | 25. Ever-Blooming Youth | 26. Formed into Armies | 27. Celestial Hierarchy | 28. Angel-Worship | 29. Story of the Archangels | 30. "To You who are Troubled."

MINISTERS OF SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.

September 3.

And he said Cornelius was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee unto his
house, and to hear the words of thee.—Acts 10:22.

GOOD angels are not to be considered as the mediating agents
of God's regular and common providence, but as the ministers
of His special providence in the affairs of His church. Their
intervention is apparently occasional and exceptional—not at
their own option, but only as it is permitted or commanded by
God. Hence we are not to conceive of angels as coming between
us and God; nor are we, without special revelation of the fact,
to attribute to them in any particular case the effects which the
Scriptures generally ascribe to divine providence. Like miracles,
therefore, angelic appearances generally mark God's entrance
upon new epochs in the unfolding of his plans. Hence we read
of angels at the completion of creation (Job 38:7) ; at the giving
of the law (Gal. 3 :19) ; at the birth of Christ (Luke 2 :13) ; at the
two temptations in the wilderness and in Gethsemane (Matt. 4:11,
Luke 22:43) ; at the resurrection (Matt. 28:2) ; at the ascension
(Acts 1:10) ; at the final judgment (Matt. 25:31).
                                                                    —Strong.

Unheard by all but angel ears
The good Cornelius knelt alone,
Nor dreamed his prayers and tears
Would help a world undone.
Far o'er the glowing Western main
His wistful brow was upward raised,
Where, like an angel's train,
The burnished water blazed.
                                       -Keble.

Satan saw how in that blest day-breaking night;
The heaven-rebuked shades made haste away;
How bright a dawn of angels with new light
Amazed the midnight world, and made a day
Of which the morning knew not.
                                    —Jeremy Taylor.