This confideration might furnifh us with many incentives to devotion, and motives to morality; but as this fubject has been handled by feveral excellent writers, I fhall confider it in a light wherein I have not seen it placed by others.

First, How difconfolate is the condition of an intellectual being, who is thus present with his Maker, but at the fame time receives no extraordinary benefit or advantage from this his prefence !

Secondly, How deplorable is the condition of an intellectual being, who feels no other effects from this his prefence, but fuch as proceed from Divine wrath and indignation!

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 !

First, How difconfolate is the condition of an intellectual being, who is thus prefent with his Maker, but at the fame time receives no extraordinary benefit or advantage from this his prefence! Every particle of matter is actuated by this Almighty Being which paffes through it. The heavens and the earth, the ftars and planets, move and gravitate by virtue of this great principle within them. All the dead parts of nature are invigorated by the prefence of their Creator, and made capable of exerting their respective qualities. The several inftincts, in the brute creation, do likewise operate and work towards the several ends which are agreeable to them by this divine energy. Man only, who does not cooperate with his Holy Spirit, and is unattentive to his prefence, receives none of those advantages from it which are perfective of his nature, and neceflary to his well being. The Divinity is with him and in him, and every where about him, but of no advantage to him. It is the fame thing to a man without religion, as if there were no God in the world. It is indeed impossible for an infinite Being to remove himfelf

himself from any of his creatures; but though he cannot withdraw his effence from us, which would argue an imperfection in him, he can withdraw from us all the joys and confolations of it. His prefence may perhaps be neceffary to fupport us in our existence; but he may leave this our exiftence to itself, with regard to its happiness or mifery: for, in this fenfe, he may caft us away from his prefence, and take his Holy Spirit from us. This fingle confideration one would think fufficient to make us open our hearts to all thofe infufions of joy and gladnefs which are fo near at hand, and ready to be poured in upon us; especially when we confider, 2dly, The deplorable condition of an intellectual being who feels no other effects from his Maker's prefence, but such as proceed from divine wrath and indignation.

We may affure ourselves, that the great Author of nature will not always be as one who is indifferent to any of his creatures. Those who will not feel him in his love, will be fure at length to feel him in his displeasure. And how dreadful is the condition of that creature, who is only fenfible of the being of his Creator by what he fuffers from him! He is as effentially present in hell as in heaven; but the inhabitants of thofe accurfed places behold him only in his wrath, and shrink within the flames to conceal themselves from him. It is not in the power of imagination to conceive the fearful effects of Omnipotence incenfed.

But I fhall only confider the wretchedness of an intellectual being, who, in this life, lies under the displeasure of him, that at all times, and in all places, is intimately united with him. He is able to difquiet the foul, and vex it in all its faculties, He can hinder any of the greateft comforts of life from refreshing us, and give an edge to every one of its flighteft calamities. Who then can bear the thought of being an outcast from his prefence, that is, from the comforts of it, or of feeling it only in its terrors?

How

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 haft thou fet me as a mark against thee, so that I am become a burden to myself? But, 3dly, How happy is the condition of that intellectual being, who is fenfible of his Maker's presence from the secret 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 standing between us and the world of fpirits, must be content to know that the Spirit of God is prefent with us, by the effects which he produceth in us. Our out

ward fenfes are 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 those secret comforts and refreshments which he conveys into our fouls, and by those ravishing joys, and inward fatisfactions, which are perpetually fpringing up, and diffufing themselves 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! Though the whole creation frowns upon him, and all nature looks black about him, hẹ has his light and fupport within him, that are able to cheer his mind, and bear him up in the midft

of

He

of all thofe horrors which encompass him. knows, that his helper is at hand, and is always nearer to him than any thing else can be, which is capable of annoying or terrifying him. In the midft of calumny or contempt, he attends to that Being who whispers better 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 converfation 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.

We

If we would be thus happy, and thus fenfible of our Maker's prefence, from the fecret effects of his mercy and goodness, we must keep fuch a watch over all our thoughts, that, in the language of the Scripture, his foul may have pleasure in us. 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. The light of nature could direct Seneca to this doctrine, in a very remarkable paffage among his epiftles: Sacer ineft in nobis fpiritus bonorum malorumque cuftos et obfervator, et quemadmodum nos illum tractamus, ita et ille nos. There is a holy fpirit 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 difcourfe with thofe more emphatical words in divine revelation: If a man love me, he will keep my words; and

my

my

Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

No. 572. MONDAY, JULY 26.

I

-Quod medicorum eft

Promittunt medici

HOR. Ep. i. lib. ii. ver. 115.

Phyficians only boast the healing art.

Am the more pleafed with these my papers, fince I find they have encouraged feveral men of learning and wit to become my correfpondents: I -yefterday received the following effay against quacks, which I fhall here communicate to my readers for the good of the public, begging the writer's pardon for those additions and retrenchments which I have made in it.

THE defire of life is fo natural and ftrong a paffion, that I have long fince ceased to wonder at the great encouragement which the practice of phyfic finds among us. Well-conftituted governments have always made the profession of a physician both honourable and advantageous. Homer's Machaon, and Virgil's lapis, were men of renown, heroes in war, and made at leaft as much havock among their enemies as among their friends. Those who have little or no faith in the abilities of a quack, will apply themselves to him, either because he is willing to fell health at a reasonable profit, or because the pa tient, like a drowning man, catches at every twig, and hopes for relief from the moft ignorant, when the most able phyficians give him none. Though