De Moor IX: Outline of the Doctrine of Angels, Good and Evil

Chapter IX, by a Transition from the Visible World to the Invisible, treats of ANGELS, of which here occurs a consideration

I.  Nominal, to which have regard,

A.  The Etymology of the word Angel, as also of the Hebrew מַלְאָךְ/malach.

B.  Various Synonyms, § 1.

C.  The Homonymy, wherein the term Angel denotes,

א.  The Son of God, with ἐπεξηγήσει/epexegesis often added (not likewise the Holy Spirit):

ב.  Whatever human messengers, especially Ministers of God,

ג.  Ministering Spirit, good and evil, as here, § 2.

II.  Real, in which

A.  The Existence of Angels is proven,

א.  From Sacred Scripture,

ב.  From Nature,

α.  A priori and

β.  A posteriori:  against the Sadducees, certain Enthusiasts and Atheists, § 3.

B.  The Definition of the same,

א.  Is related, § 4 at the beginning, and that

ב.  Is explained, with respect to

α.  Genus, Creatures:  in which

a.  The Truth of their Creation is proven.

b.  Inquiry is made into the time of the same:  which, against many of the Fathers, Socinians, and Remonstrants, is held not to have been before the Mosaic Beginning, § 4 in the latter part.

c.  The proper generic is added, Finitude, with respect to

a.  Essence,

b.  Faculties and Gifts,

c.  Presence, against More Recent Philosophers,

d.  Duration,

e.  Number, § 5.

β.  Specific Difference, sought from

a.  Their internal Cause or Form, whereby they are Spirits; hence

a.  With respect to Essence,

1.  Positively true Substances;

2.  Negatively,

§.  Not mere Thoughts, § 6.

§§.  Not Corporeal, which

̸.  Is proven.

̸ ̸.  Is defended against the Jews, Platonists, Socinians, Vorstius, following many of the Ancients, attributing subtle Bodies to Angels, § 7.

b.  With respect to Faculties,

1.  Intellect, which

§.  Is furnished with Wisdom, which is divided into

̸.  Natural,

̸ ̸.  Experimental,

̸ ̸ ̸.  Revealed,

̸ ̸ ̸ ̸.  Supernatural.

§§.  Differs from the Intellect

̸.  Belonging to us,

̸ ̸.  Divine, with respect to

̅ .  Mode,

̲̅ .  Object.

§§§.  Their Cognition is gratuitously distinguished into

̸.  Morning and

̸ ̸.  Evening, § 8.

2.  Free Will, from which are absent Bodily Affections and Motions, § 9.

3.  Executing Power, of which

§.  The Existence is proven;

§§.  The Mode is declared negatively, as a thing that

̸.  Is not Independent of God:

̸ ̸.  Is not done through the Motion of the Will alone, against the More Recent Philosophers.

̸ ̸ ̸.  The Object is indicated,

̅ .  Negatively, not

†.  All things,

††.  Things adverse to the Divine Will,

†††.  The bending of the Will of man,

††††.  The immediate Communication of their Thoughts with us,

†††††.  Things scattered beyond their sphere of Activity,

††††††.  True Miracles.

̲̅ .  Positively, things marvelous and astounding upon other Spirits and upon Bodies, § 10.

Corollary:  The Image of God is applicable to them with respect to Nature and Gifts, § 11.

b.  The Effect, or their Office, according to which they are in a special manner God’s Ministers; belong to which Office

a.  Are Acts,

1.  To show forth the Glory of God,

2.  To declare His Counsels,

3.  And to execute the same.

b.  Objects,

1.  God,

2.  The Θεάνθρωος/Theanthropos/God-man Archangel,

3.  The Church.

c.  The Mode of execution through incredibly swift Motion, § 12.

C.  The Division of Angels follows,

א.  Both Negatively, into Spirits Assisting and Ministering:

ב.  And Positively, into Angels Good and Bad, § 13 in the former part.

α.  Of the Good is related

a.  The Name with Synonyms and the proper name of Gabriel, § 13 in the latter part.

b.  In the Real Treatment is exhibited

a.  The Cause of their Goodness,

1.  Efficient,

§.  Remote, namely, Creation:  for by this they were made Good only Mutably:  which

̸.  Is proven,

̸ ̸.  Is defended, § 14.

§§.  Proximate, that is, Confirmation in Goodness, so that now they are Immutably Good, which

̸.  Is proven,

̸ ̸.  Is defended, § 15.

2.  Impulsive or Meritorious;

§.  Positively God’s Election and Grace.

§§.  Negatively:

̸.  Not the Merit of Christ the Mediator; which

̅ .  Is proven,

̲̅ .  Is defended.

̸ ̸.  Not the Merit of the Angels, more strictly so called; although Merit is able to be ascribed to them by Covenant, § 16.

b.  Their Effect or Office,

1.  Positively, the same as belonged to all of old.

2.  Negatively,

§.  Not the permanent Oversight of Regions, Persons, etc., which

̸.  Is proven,

̸ ̸.  Is defended against the Gentiles, Jews, and various Scholastics and Protestants, § 17 in the former part.

§§.  Not particular Intercession for men; which

̸.  Is proven,

̸ ̸.  Is defended against today’s Papists, following the Ancient Gentiles, Jews, and Heretics, § 17 in the latter part.

c.  The accidental property of the Veneration due to them, which consists

1.  Positively,

§.  In Reverence of them,

§§.  In Imitation of them.

2.  Negatively, not

§.  In servile Subjection,

§§.  In Religious Honor; which

̸.  Is proven,

̸ ̸.  Is defended against the Papists, following the Platonists and Angelic Ancients, § 18.

d.  The discrete Quantity of Number, which is very great, § 19 in the prior part.

e.  The Order,

1.  The Best, which is proven.

2.  Of what sort it is, we are ignorant, which is observed against the Angelic Orders of the Platonists, Jews, and Papists, § 19 in the latter part.

f.  The Circumstance of Place; which is Heaven, their ordinary Dwelling Place, § 20.

β.  Of the Evil is set forth

a.  The Name, Synonyms

a.  Common,

b.  Proper to their Prince, § 21.

b.  A Real Consideration:  in which

a.  Is investigated the Cause of the Wickedness of Demons; which

1.  Negatively, it is not to be sought in their Creation:  for, although mutably, they were created Good, against the Manicheans, § 22.

2.  Positively, is situated in a voluntary Lapse, of which

§.  The Existence is proven, § 23.

§§.  The Circumstance of the Time is examined, § 24.

§§§.  The formal Act is searched out,

̸.  Negatively;

̸ ̸.  Positively it is believed to be either

̅ .  Pride, or

̲̅ .  Envy, § 25.

b.  The Effect or Consequence of the Fall and Wickedness of the same is added, namely, the Punishment,

1.  Begun now in

§.  Their casting down from Heaven to Hell:

§§.  The privation of the divine Image, which is limited.

2.  Consummated, following on the last Day, § 26.

c.  Are noted the adjuncts;

1.  Of the Irreparability of their state; the cause of which is related negatively and positively, § 27.

2.  Of their dependent Submission to the divine Will, which they are bound, although unwilling, to furnish, § 28.

d.  The discrete quantity of their Number, the greatest, § 29.

e.  Their Order, as between a Prince and his Ministers, concerning the cause of which a question is raised, § 30 in the former part.

f.  The Circumstance of the Place of their Infernal Dwelling, § 30 in the latter part.