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the thought of being an out-caft from his prefence, that is, from the comforts of it, or of feeling it only in its terrors? How pathetic is that expoftulation of Job, when, for the trial of his patience, he was made to look upon himself in this deplorable condition! Why hast thou fet me as a mark against thee, so that I am become a burden to myself? But, Thirdly, how happy is the condition of that intellectual Being, who is fenfible of his Maker's prefence, from the fecret effects of his mercy and loving-kindness.

The bleffed in heaven behold him face to face; that is, are as fenfible of his prefence as we are of the prefence of any perfon whom we look upon with our eyes. There is doubtlefs a faculty in fpirits, by which they apprehend one another, as our fenfes do material objects; and there is no queftion but our fouls, when they are difembodied, or placed in glorified bodies, will by this faculty, in whatever part of space they refide, be always fenfible of the divine prefence. We, who have this veil of flesh ftanding between us and the world of fpirits, muft be content to know that the Spirit of God is prefent with us, by the effects which he produceth in us. Our outward fenfes are too

too grofs to apprehend him; we may however taste and fee how gracious he is, by his influence upon our minds, by thofe virtuous thoughts which he awakens in us, by thofe fecret comforts and refreshments which he conveys into our fouls, and by those ravishing joys and inward fatisfactions, which are perpetually fpringing up and diffufing themfelves among all the thoughts of good men. He is lodged in our very effence, and is as a foul within the foul, to irradiate its understanding, rectify its will, purify its paffions, and enliven all the powers of man. How happy therefore is an intellectual Being, who, by prayer and meditation, by virtue and good works, opens this communication between: God and his own foul! Tho' the whole creation frowns upon him, and all nature looks black about him, he has his light and fupport within him, that are able to cheer his mind, and bear him up in the midft of all thofe horrors which incompafs him. He knows that his helper is at hand, and is always nearer to him than any thing elfe can be, which is capable of annoying or terrifying him. In the midst of calumny or contempt, he attends to that Being who whispers better things

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things within his foul, and whom he looks upon as his defender, his glory, and the lifter-up of his head. In his deepest folitude and retirement, he knows that he is in company with the greatest of Beings; and perceives within himself fuch real fenfations of his prefence, as are more delightful than any thing that can be met with in the conversation of his creatures. Even in the hour of death, he confiders the pains of his diffolution to be nothing else but the breaking down of that partition, which ftands betwixt his foul, and the fight of that Being, who is always prefent with him, and is about to manifeft itself to him in fulness of joy.

If we would be thus happy, and thus fenfible of our Maker's prefence, from the fecret effects of his mercy and goodnefs, we must keep fuch a watch over all our thoughts, that, in the language of the fcripture, his foul may have pleasure in us. We must take care not to grieve his holy Spirit, and endeavour to make the meditations of our hearts always acceptable in his fight, that he may delight thus to refide and dwell in us. light of nature could direct Seneca to this doctrine, in a very remarkable paffage among his epiftles, Sacer ineft in nobis fpi

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ritus bonorum, malorumque cuftos, & obfervator, & quemadmodum nos illum tratamus, ita & ille nos. There is a holy Spirit refiding in us, who watches and obferves both good and evil men, and will treat us after the fame manner that we treat him. But I fhall conclude this difcourse with those more emphatical words in divine revelation, If a man love me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

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-Si verbo audacia detur,

Non metuam magni dixisse palatia Cœli. Ov. Met.

SIR,

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Confidered in my two laft letters that awful and tremendous fubject, the Ubiquity or Omniprefence of the Divine Being. I have fhewn that he is equally prefent in all places throughout the whole extent of infinite space.. This doctrine is fo agreeable to reason, that we meet with it in the writings of the enlightened Heathens, as I might fhow at large, were it not already done by other hands. But tho' the Deity. be thus effentially prefent through all

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the immenfity of space, there is one part of it in which he difcovers himfelf in a moft tranfcendent and visible glory. This is that place which is ⚫ marked out in Scripture, under the dif'ferent appellations of paradife, the third heaven, the throne of God, and the habitation of his glory. It is here where the glorified Body of our Saviour refides, and where all the celeftial hierarchies, and the innumerable hofts of Angels, are represented as perpetually furrounding the feat of God with hallelujahs and hymns of praife. This is that prefence of God which fome of the divines call his glorious, and others his majeftatic prefence. He is indeed as effentially prefent in all other places as in this, but it is here where he refides in a fen-. 'fible magnificenée, and, in the midst of thofe fplendors which can affect the imagination of created Beings.

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It is very remarkable that this opinion of God Almighty's prefence in heaven, whether discovered by the light of nature, or by a general tradition from our firft parents, prevails among all the nations of the world, whatfoever diffe• rent notions they entertain of the Godhead. If you look into Homer, that is,

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