MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA. TREATISE III. 12. THE FIRST HIERARCHY.
St. Francis Xavier, C
TREATISE III.
12. THE FIRST HIERARCHY.
I. An ancient work formerly attributed to St. Denis the
Areopagite sums up the ancient Jewish and Christian traditions concerning the different orders of the angels and
the characteristics of each. The author gathers from Holy
Writ, and principally from St. Paul s Epistles, the names
of nine choirs, and arranges them in three greater divisions
or hierarchies according to their dignity. The first hierarchy
comprises those spirits who are devoted to the immediate
service of God, and stand, comparatively speaking, within
the veil. The highest of the three choirs is that of the
Seraphim. Their characteristic is the intense and burning
love which they render to Him who is the source of all
love, and is Himself infinite Love. They are the created
representation of that high divine perfection ; and in that
consists their service and glorification of God. This keeps
them for ever in the adorable Presence, worshipping, and
crying one to another, " Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! the Lord God
of Hosts" (Isa. vi. 3). The love of God is the final service of
Him, the most worthy of Him. the most perfect offering of
yourself to Him. It is the completion and crown of the
other departments. of our service, and at the same time is
the summary of them all. God sums up all His perfections
for us in His love ; and He desires above all things our love
in return. Join yourself with the Seraphim, and ask them
to bring a burning coal from the celestial altar to enkindle
your frozen heart.
II. The Cherubim are the second choir. God is the sole
object of their service, and they too stand for ever round
His throne. We attribute to them a deep knowledge and
science of God ; it is accompanied indeed by an intense
love, but this is subsidiary to the activity of their intelligence.
Their characteristic is to reflect the infinite wisdom, to be
representatives of the action of the divine intellect, to glorify
it thereby, and to praise it. On account of their all-penetrating vision of the Divine Essence, they are represented by
the prophet as being full of eyes, their bodies, and their necks,
and their hands, and their wings (Ez. x. 12). They see and
understand the beauty of God, and are the means of communicating this knowledge tu the inferior choirs of the blessed
spirits. The knowledge of God is perfect justice (Wisd. xv.
3). It is a great and lofty service of Him to think of His
presence, meditate on His attributes, and seek out in His
works the evidences of His power, and wisdom, and love. No
science on earth is so wonderful, so beautiful, so satisfying
to the soul. Value it beyond all.
III. The third choir in the hierarchy that immediately
surrounds the majesty of God is that of the Thrones. God
is a spirit, universally present, not limited to any spot ; His
throne, His presence chamber, His courts, can only be spoken
of in a figurative way ; we speak of such things to indicate,
not really to describe, that which is ineffable. By the
Thrones we mean a choir of spirits upon whom the divine
Majesty, in some spiritual sense, rests and reposes. Isaias
speaks of the throne of God being high and elevated, and of
the temple being filled by those which were beneath Him
(Isa. vi. 1. Vulgate). The virtue attributed to these spirits is
a profound submission by which they recognize the supreme
authority of God and exhibit it to others. Amongst men
the throne of an earthly monarch is the symbol of his
authority and even of his person, and itself receives honour
on account of him whom it represents. You may become
like to these spiritual Thrones by your submission to the will
and pleasure of God, as made known either in Him or in His
representatives. God will then rest and repose upon that
throne with glory to Himself and with honour to you.
Humble yourself thus, and He will make you truly great.
MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES BELLORD, D.D
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