No. 580. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13. -Si verbo audacia detur, Non metuam magni dixiffe palatia Cali. OVID. Met. 1. i. ver. 175, This place, the brightest manfion of the sky, DRYDEN. SIR, I CONSIDERED in my two laft letters that aw. ful 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 fpace. This doctrine is fo agreeable to reason, that we meet with it in the writings of the enlightened heathens, as I might fhew at large, were it not already done by other hands. But though the Deity be thus effentially prefent through all the immensity of space, there is one part of it in which he difcovers himfelf in a moft tranfcendant and visible glory. This is that place which is marked out in fcripture, under the different appellations of Paradife, the third Heaven, the throne of God, and the habita tion of his glory. It is here where the glorified body of our Saviour refides, and, where all the celestial hierarchies, and the innumerable host of angels, are reprefented as perpetually furrounding the feat of God with Hallelujabs, and hymns of praife. This is that prefence of God which fome • of 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 fenfible magnificence, and in the midst of all those splendors which can affect the imagination of created beings. It is very remarkable, that this opinion of God Almighty's presence in heaven, whether discovered by the light of nature; or by a general tradition from our first parents, prevails among all the nations of the world, whatfoever different notions • they entertain of the Godhead. If you look into Homer, that is, the most ancient of the Greek writers, you fee the fupreme power feated in the hea6 vens, and encompaffed with inferior deities, among whom the mufes are reprefented as finging inceffantly about his throne. Who does not here fee the main ftrokes and outlines of this great truth we are speaking of? The fame doctrine is fhadowed out in many other heathen authors, though at the fame time, like feveral other revealed truths, • dashed and adulterated with a mixture of fables • and human inventions. But to pafs over the notions of the Greeks and Romans, thofe more enlightened parts of the pagan world, we find there is fcarce a people among the late difcovered nations who are not trained up in an opinion, that heaven is the habitation of the divinity whom they • worship. As in Solomon's temple there was the Sanctum • Sanctorum, in which a vifible glory appeared among the figures of the cherubim, and into which none but the high-prieft himself was per'mitted to enter, after having made an atonement for the fins of the people; fo, if we confider the whole creation as one great temple, there is in it this Holy of Holies, into which the high-priest of our falvation entered, and took his place a mong 'mong Angels and Archangels, after having made a propitiation for the fins of mankind. With how much skill must the throne of God be erected? With what glorious defigns is that habitation beautified, which is contrived and built · by him who inspired Hiram with wifdom? How great muft be the majesty of that place, where the ⚫ whole art of creation has been employed, and where • God has chofen to fhew himself in the moft magnificent manner? What must be the architecture of infinite power under the direction of infinite wisdom? A fpirit cannot but be tranfported after • an ineffable manner with the fight of those objects, which were made to affect him by that Being who knows the inward frame of the foul, and how to ⚫ please and ravish it in all its most secret powers and ⚫ faculties. It is to this majestic prefence of God, we may apply those beautiful expreffions in holy writ: Behold even to the moon, and it fhineth not; yea the ftars are not pure in his fight. The light of the fun, and all the glories of the world in which we live, are but as weak and fickly glimmer6 ings, or rather darkness itself, in comparison of thofe fplendours which encompass the throne of • God. As the glory of this place is tranfcendent beyond imagination, fo probably is the extent of it. There is light behind light, and glory within glory. How far that space may reach, in which God thus appears in perfect majefty, we cannot poffibly conceive. Though it is not infinite, it may be indefinite; and though not immeasurable in itself, it · may be fo with regard to any created eye or imagination. If he has made these lower regions of matter fo inconceivably wide and magnificent for the habitation of mortal and perishable beings, how great may we fuppofe the courts of this houfe to be, where he makes his refidence in a more efpecial manner, and difplays himself in the fulness of VOL. VIII. f I • his No. 580. his glory, among an innumerable company of angels, and fpirits of juft men made perfect? This is certain, that our imaginations cannot be raifed too high, when we think on a place where omnipotence and omnifcience have fo fignally exerted themselves, because that they are able to produce a scene infinitely more great and glorious than what we are able to imagine. It is not impoffible but at the confummation of all things, thefe outward apartments of nature, which are now fuited to thofe beings who inhabit them, may be taken in and added to that glorious place of which I am here fpeaking; and by that means made a proper habitation for beings who are exempt from mortality, and cleared of their imperfections: for fo the Scripture feems to intimate, when it fpeaks of new heavens, and of a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteouf⚫ nefs. I have only confidered this glorious place with regard to the fight and imagination, though it is highly probable that our other fenfes may here likewife enjoy their highest gratifications. There is nothing which more ravishes and tranfports the foul, than harmony; and we have great reafon to believe, from the defcriptions of this place in holy fcripture, that this is one of the entertainments of ⚫ it. And if the foul of man can be fo wonderfully affected with thofe ftrains of mufic, which human art is capable of producing, how much more will it be raised and elevated by those, in which is exerted the whole power of harmony! The fenfes are faculties of the human foul, though they cannot be employed, during this our vital union, without proper inftruments in the body. Why, therefore, fhould we exclude the fatisfaction of these faculties which we find by experience are inlets of great pleasure to the foul, from among these entertainments which are to make up our happiness hereafter? Why should we fuppofe that our hearing 'S and and feeing will not be gratified with thofe objects which are most agreeable to them, and which they ⚫ cannot meet with in these lower regions of nature; objects, which neither eye hath feen nor ear beard, • nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive! • I knew a man in Chrift (says St. Paul, speaking of himself) above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) fuch a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew fuch a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) how that he was caught up • into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not pofible for a man to utter. By this is meant, that what he heard was fo infinitely different ⚫ from any thing which he had heard in this world, that it was impoflible to exprefs it in fuch words, as might convey a notion of it to his hearers. It is very natural for us to take delight in enquiries concerning any foreign country where we are, • fome time or other, to make our abode; and as we all hope to be admitted into this glorious place, it • is both a laudable and useful curiofity, to get what • informations we can of it, while we make use of ⚫ revelation for our guide. When these everlasting • doors shall be open to us, we may be fure that the pleasures and beauties of this place will infinitely tranfcend our prefent hopes and expectations, and that the glorious appearance of the throne of God ⚫ will rife infinitely beyond whatever we are able to ⚫ conceive of it. We might here entertain ourselves with many other speculations on this subject, from thofe feveral hints which we find of it in the Holy Scriptures; as, whether there may not be different manfions and apartments of glory, to beings of ⚫ different natures; whether, as they excel one another in perfection, they are not admitted nearer to the throne of the Almighty, and enjoy greater • manifestations of his prefence; whether there are I 2 • not |