Wesley Corpus

them, they may easily defend us from all bo dily evils, so far as is expedient for us. third method they maybe conceived to employ to defend us from spiritual dangers, by apply ing themselves immediately to the soul to raise or allay our passions ; and indeed this province seems more natural to them than either of the former. How a spiritual being can act upon matter seems more unaccountable than how it can act on spirit: that one immaterial being by touching another, should increase or lessen its motion, that an angel should retard or quicken the channel wherein the passions of angelic substance flow, no more excites our astonishment than that one piece of matter should have the same effect on its kindred substance ; or that a flood-gate or other mate rial instrument should affect the course of a river : rather, considering how contagious the nature of the passions is, the wonder is on the other side ; not how they can avoid to affect him at all, but how they can avoid affecting them more ; how they can continue so near us, who are so subject to catch them, without spreading the flames which burn in themselves. And a plain instance of their power to allay human passions is afforded us in the case of Daniel, when he beheld that gloriously terrible minister, whose " face was as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet like polished brass, and his voice as the voice of a multitude," (x. 6;) when the tears and sorrows of the Prophet were turned so strong upon him, that he was in a deep sleep, void of sense and motion. Yet this fear, these turbulent passions, the angel allayed in a moment ; when they were hurrying on with the utmost impetuosity, he checked them in their course; so that immediately after we find Daniel desiring the continuance of that converse which before he was utterly unable to sustain. The same effect was doubtless wrought on all those to whom these superiorbeings, on their first appearance, used this salutation, " Fear not" - which would have been a mere insult and cruel mockery upon human weakness, had they not with that advice given the power to fol low it. Nearly allied to this method of influencing