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aforefaid easons, that there is fome fuch Standard f Glory fomewhere placed on the Top of our Atmosphere, or at fome convenient Distance above the Earth, which it is not needful for us to determine; and that on the Right-Hand of this our Saviour fits inthron'd, and iffues forth his Orders among the Angels, having all Power both in Heaven and Earth committed to him. And in this Refpect was the most. holy Place, or the Part within the Veil in the Jewish Tabernacle, a proper Figure, as St. Paul obferves, of Heaven itself; as it had in it, though hid and cover'd behind a Veil, fome Refemblance at least of this divine Shechinah, in the lucid Cloud that dwelt between the Cherubims, and to which the Pfalmift plainly alludes in these Words of the eightieth Pfalm, Thou that dwelleft between the Cherubims, fhine forth.

If it should be objected to this, that the Air is the Habitation of Devils, not of Angels; it is very readily own'd, that the lower Regions are fo, the lower Atmosphere of Storms and Tempeft; but not those purer Realms at further Distance, and to which thofe fallen Spirits probably cannot rife. As for the prefent Invifibility of Scenes of this Kind, they that fuppofe the Air around us full of Spirits, are as much obliged to

account

account for this as I am: As are alfo all that believe in the Doctrine of miniftring Angels. It is not indeed the meer Prefence of Objects that renders them visible, unless the Organs of Vision are rightly difpos'd to difcern them; or God is pleas'd, as exprefs'd in the Scripture, to open our Eyes, but which for feveral wife Reasons is at prefent but feldom the Cafe. When St. Stephen, as before obferv'd, faw the Heavens open'd, it does not appear they were seen so by any one elfe: Nor were the Horses and Chariots of Fire furrounding Elisha, though feen by the Prophet, difcern'd in the leaft by his Servant, till his Mafter had pray'd God would open his Eyes for that Purpose. If there are any however to whom it gives any Uneafinefs to think of their having the angelical Heaven fo near them, let them fix it wherever they please: I am no way averfe to a moderate or credible Distance, or fuch as Creatures may pass in a moderate Portion

of Time.

I must own, fays CRITO, the Journey, as you have shorten'd it, fits fo eafy on my Mind, that I have no Mind to find Fault with it. I am alfo pleas'd with the Company you have brought fo near us, and to find the Atmosphere fo well inhabited:

The

The higher Part of it, in my Opinion, is Check upon the lower.

but a proper

It is indeed, fays PHILANDER, when one comes to think of it, but a kind of difmal Reflection to think evil Angels fo near us," and the good on the other Hand at fo great a Diftance. I am as well as Crito fo pleas'd with their Neighbourhood, that the very Thought of it tempts me to become your Profelyte.

I was a little afraid at our firft fetting out, fays CRITO, we should have travell'd a great Way to Day to little Purpose. I had no great Hopes of finding Heaven by Sun-fet; but by the Help of Theophilus we have found it a great deal fooner. The Journey is no fo long indeed as I fuppos'd' it, but as it is however long enough to require fome Reft, I fhall propofe to defer the Solution of other Queries till we have an Opportunity of meeting again in the Af-'

ternoon.

I have no Objection to that, replies PHILANDER; for though I am very far from being tir'd with hearing, yet as it is very poffible that Theophilus may be fo with Speaking, a little Relaxation may be very proper for him.

I am glad to find, fays THEOPHILUS, that you are come at last to have fome Confideration.

fideration. You have ftuck so close to Crito's firft Proposal, that you would have fuffer'd me to have gone on I know not how much longer, if I had not thought proper to stop of myself.

Indeed, fays CRITO, I fhould hardly have ftopt you, till you had got to the End of your Journey, had it been longer by

much than it has been.

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DIALOGUE IV.

HEY had no fooner retaken their Seats in the Afternoon, than PHILANDER began with observing, that as Theophilus had introduced them in the Morning into fo good a Neighbourhood, he fhould be glad for his Part to be better acquainted with it. Crito, perhaps, fays he, may be fomething impatient to know the where of the other Seats of Happiness; but as he has fome Days to fpend with us still before he leaves us, there will be Time enough, I hope, to fettle thefe Things, and to fettle them without fo much hurrying. I want, methinks, to know more of these. Angels, than I find I have known of them hitherto.

be

Nor shall my Impatience, fays CRITO, any Hindrance: I think we cannot fpend

our

our Time much better, and am therefore as willing as you are to drop, at prefent, all other Enquiries.

Let me then, fays PHILANDER, premise in the first Place, that I have no Objection at all to what Theophilus faid in the Morning. The more I think of it the more I like it: Nor does it appear on Review, to be other than highly probable. I had, indeed, always conceiv'd of Angels as further diftant, and as inhabiting Regions very remote from ours, where they had lived for Ages e're our World was made, and before fo much as the Name of Man was ever heard of. I had all along trod in the old beaten Track, that they were the original Inhabitants of fome unknown Heaven; that one Part of them kept, and another Part of them loft their Integrity, and for fome Rebellion or other, were thruft down into other Regions; that Man was created to fill up their vacant Seats; that the evil Angels for this Reason hated him, and accordingly fet themselves to procure his Downfal, in which they met but with too much Succefs; that the good Part of them still enjoy their antient Manfion, but are nevertheless employ'd as miniftring Spirits here, which notwithstanding its Distance from their natural Heaven, it has been generally

thought