| 824 whether this third class of spiritual beings, do not constitute two distinct races in the heavenly world.
The Psalmist said that man was created a little lower than the angels, and this taken in connection with the idea of Paul and the Psalmist, (if rightly translated) "who maketh or sendeth his ministering spirits, angels, (or messengers) a flame of fire" or in flames of fire, would give us a fourth grade of angels; and a true Mormon would go on to prove the case still further, on this wise: that Jesus Christ did the same work that his Father had done: and that Christ's disciples did the same work that he had done; and as he went in the spirit before his resurrection, during the three days that his body lay in the sepulchre [sepulcher], to preach to the spirits in prison, so also do and will his disciples in all ages of the world since he opened the door of the resurrection. Again, John says
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do: because I go unto my Father."
What "greater work," as Jesus had raised the dead, could his disciples do, unless, after death, as ministering spirits, they should minister to the spirits in prison, and so save the dead? If any are wise let them say.
But the greatest matter of mystery concerning angels, is, that they, or some of them at least, live by eating. The two angels that visited Lot, in Sodom, partook of a feast; and Paul says: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." And also, it is written in the Psalms, that "man did eat angles food."
From these facts, it is evident that the angels who minister to men in the flesh, are resurrected beings, so that flesh administers to flesh; and spirit to spirits: this was the case with John when he said:
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
This angel might have been good old Daniel, who had risen with Jesus, as "one of thy brethren the prophets."
The angels are our watchmen, for Satan said to Jesus: "he will give his angels charge concerning thee, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone at any time." It would seem from a careful perusal of the scriptures, that the angels, while God has saints upon the earth, stay in this lower world to ward off evil: for the prophet Isaiah has left this testimony on the subject:-
"I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses.
For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Savior.
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old."
The angels that have gone forth at sundry times to execute the decrees of God, fully substantiate this fact: Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, Balaam, Joshua, Gideon, together with the enemies of the Lord are the witnesses who knew the power and offices of angels on earth.
But lest we take up too much time on the resurrected bodies, who go and come at the bidding of Him who was, and is, and is to come, we will change the theme to the thoughts and witnesses of the heart.
The action of the angels, or messengers of God upon our minds, so that the heart can conceive things past, present, and to come, and revelations from the eternal world, is, among a majority of mankind, a greater mystery than all the secrets of philosophy, literature, superstition, and bigotry, put together: though some men try to deny it, and some to explain away the meaning; still there is so much testimony in the bible, and among a respectable portion of the work, that one might as well undertake to throw the water out of this world into the moon with a tea-spoon, as to do away the supervision of angels upon the human mind.
The first account that comes to our mind now is, when Jacob was journeying; "And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and, behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
The next case we notice is relative to Pharaoh and Egypt, which Joseph interpreted and the interpretation was sure. Now, unless there had been an understanding between the angel of Pharaoh, and the angel of Joseph, how could the interpretation have been known? Or in the case of Nebuchadnezzar when he dreamed of the great image, which fled from his mind, how could Daniel not only have brought the image, but the meaning with it? Daniel said there was a God in heaven that revealed secrets, but God does not often leave heaven to give a man a dream and the interpretation.
There is nothing in the bible which comes
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