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perience p.s pethel and Peniel. The fact that One may be unconscious of such attendance does not affect its reali ty. It is our privilege to look not at the things that are seen but at the things which are not seen. This look will give us indomitable courage and a sublime confidence of ultimate vic tory. FRIDAY, February 24. Acts 12:5-11. Peter’s Heavenly Defender. Peter’s case was precarious but he was not troubled with insomnia. He could afford to sleep for the church was awake and in prayer. The angel did for Peter everything that Peter could not do for himself. He did nothing that Peter could do for himself. Peter could not unlock his fetters. The angel attended to that. Peter was able to dress Himself without assistance and the angel allowed him to do so. Peter could not pick the lock or break the bars of the iron gate but it was accommodating e- nough to open to him of its own accord, v. 10. The angel conducted Peter to that part of the city with which he was familiar enough to take his bearings. Then the angel said "Good-bye” and Peter went to the house of John Mark alone. Afterward the angel attended to the case of Herod who paid the pen alty for laying his hand upon a servant of the Lord, vs. 23. SATURDAY, February 25. Matt. 4:1- Hat Jesus and the Angels. Our Saviour was a man with all the attributes of a human being. He ate and drank, hungered and thirsted, wept and prayed. When He emerged from that terrible ordeal in the wilderness, and was freed from the pressure of Satanic powers, He sank down in ex haustion and craved the aid of some friendly hand and the sympathy of a friendly voice. Then the holy angels of heaven gathered around Him and ministered to His weakness and His sorrow. With strong arms they sus tained Him, brought Him food and strengthened Him. During His con flict with the devil they could not aid Him by act of power or look of love. The battle was wholly His own. After He had won the victory and repulsed the tempter they thronged about Him with tenderness and love. As they
guarded His cradle in infancy, so now they ministered to Him in His redemp tive work. SUNDAY, February 26. Heb. 1:6-14. Angels and Believers. When the Saviour returned to heaven He did not leave His own to the sor rows of orphanage, John 14:18, marg. Among the choicest gifts bequeathed to His church was the legacy of angelic ministration. More than seventy-two thousand shining ones waited upon His Divine behest, Matt. 26:53. Though some escorted Him to the courts above others were commissioned for t h e guardianship of the little flock which He left behind. Jacob’s ladder has not been drawn up to heaven. They con stantly come and go upon the Son of Man, the tireless messengers of the as cended Lord. They sing His praise a- bove and work His will below. They turn the steps that lead to danger and sometimes intercept the shaft of death. There is strong ground for believing that these intermediate beings ranking between men and God, bear incessant and effective part in all the trophies of Divine grace. "There are angels hov ering round.” Why not? "Are they not all serving spirits, sent forth to serve them that shall be heirs of salva tion?” MONDAY, February 27. Psa. 104*1- 12 . Agents of Divine Providence. The fourth verse admits of this trans lation, “ He maketh the winds his mes sengers and the flames of fire his min isters.” It suggests the thought that the inanimate forces of Nature may be subsidized to do the work and ac complish the will of God. Hurricane, earthquake and tidal wave are His in struments and messengers. Psa. 107: 25. In 1588, Philip II of Spain deter mined to wipe the Protestant faith off the face of the earth and sent a mighty armada of 130 ships greater than had ever been seen before to ravage the British isles. God’s people cried unto Him for deliverance and mighty tem pests dashed this great fleet to pieces so that only 53 battered and sinking ships went limping back to Spain. This detracts in no wise from the heroic val or of the English sailors under Haw kins, Drake and Frobisher but it was the breath of God blowing upon the
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