and weakness. An earthly house is meant to shelter its inmates from the inclemency of the elements of nature, and to defend them against the assaults of beasts of prey, and against the still more terrific depredations of human foes. But "the house of our Father in heaven" will not be needed by his children for any such purpose; for in that "better country" there will be no enemy to disturb the security of the inhabitants." Thieves do not there break through and steal." "No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up therein, it shall not be found there;" but "the redeemed shall walk there." "The gates of the celestial city shall not be shut at all by day; and there is no night there." An earthly house serves the purpose not only of shelter and protection, but of repose, affording the inmates accommodation for recruiting their bodies when wearied, and their minds when exhausted. But numerous and commodious as are the apartments in "the house of our heavenly Father," not one of them will be employed for that purpose; for the inhabitants of heaven no longer need the aid of what is now

"Tired nature's kind restorer, balmy sleep."

"They who are before the throne of God" are endowed with powers of incessant and interminable activity, and "they serve him day and night in his temple." An earthly country furnishes its inhabitants with the means of subsistence; and the superior value of one country to another, depends in no small degree on the fertility of its soil and the salubrity of its climate, and on the consequent quantity and quality of its productions. But the inhabitants of the heavenly land will not require the refection of that material aliment, that gross food which is here indispensable to the sustentation of life: for their bodies will be spiritualised, assimilated to

We

spirits in their constitution and properties. It would seem, then, that when it is said that they shall "eat of the hidden manna," and of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God, the expressions are employed in a metaphorical sense, as referring chiefly, if not exclusively, to mental operations and enjoyments. But if heaven is not needed for the purpose of protection, or repose, or sustenance, what is precisely its use? In what respects will it serve as an habitation to angelic spirits and redeemed men? These are questions which we can but imperfectly answer. may assert, however, in general, that it may be regarded as their habitation, because it is to be the place of their eternal abode. We may assert with confidence, further, that, as an habitation, it will be admirably adapted to their exalted natures; that it will contain whatever a local abode can contain that is necessary or desirable to creatures possessed of sinless purity, and of high intellectual powers and attainments; and, in particular, that the refulgent display of the divine perfections, furnished by its various scenes and objects, will fill them with ineffable admiration and rapture, and prompt them to unceasing admiration, love, and praise.

While the various scenes and objects of heaven will be radiant with the divine glory, the scriptures intimate, further, that in some peculiar manner God dwells in heaven; that is, as is frequently remarked, exhibits manifestations of his presence, and revelations of his character, such as are exhibited in no other region of the universe. This exhibition constitutes the sublime distinction, the transcendant glory of heaven. It remains, then, to inquire,

VII. In what peculiar manner God exhibits his presence in heaven?

There is obviously one important respect in which God manifests himself in heaven in a peculiar manner, and in which, therefore, heaven may be said to be his peculiar dwelling. That illustrious personage who is the "image of the invisible God," " the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of the Father's person," who is so intimately united to the Father, and who is so perfect a resemblance of the Father that they "who have seen him have seen the Father;"—that wonderful personage dwells in heaven, in human nature, and appears in heaven in a visible form. Heaven is the sanctuary in which he officiates as the High Priest of his people ;—the palace in which he reigns as the Head of the church and the Lord of the universe. And it will form no inconsiderable accession to the enjoyment of the blessed in heaven, that they will see that illustrious person with the bodily eye; that they will behold his face-that face which for them was once marred and mangled, but which is now adorned with unrivalled brightness and beauty. And not only will they see his face, they will also be admitted to immediate and sensible intercourse with him. It is in part, at least, to the privilege of seeing him in the plenitude of his grandeur, and of holding sensible communion with him, that he himself refers, when he says, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me." And it is partly in reference to the same privilege that it is said, "that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is."

But however great may be the delight which the saint may feel in the actual sight of his Saviour in human nature, and in immediate and sensible fellowship with him, something more is implied in that manifes

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tation of the divine presence in heaven, of which we read in scripture. This manifestation refers to the "As for me," says the Father as well as to the Son. Psalmist, "I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Not only shall the Lamb, who is before the throne, feed and lead the inhabitants of heaven, but "he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." "The tabernacle of God shall be with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." "The Lord God Almighty, along with the Lamb, is the temple of the heavenly city; and the glory of God, as well as the Lamb, is the light of it. The throne of God, and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face." What, then, is the exact import of these and similar expressions? Do they refer to a sensible as well as a spiritual manifestation of the divine presence? And, if they comprehend the former, what is exactly its nature? In reply to these questions, and in explanation of the topic to which they refer, I would offer four observations.

I would observe, first, That we have no reason to expect that God will ever be an object of direct perception to our bodily senses. All that we know of the nature and qualities of matter and mind, of body and soul, warrants us to conclude that corporeal organs and senses can perceive only that which is material or corporeal. But a spirit is an immaterial and incorporeal substance, and can neither be seen by the eye, nor grasped by the hand, nor discovered by any other bodily sense or organ. Now, God is a Spirit, and the Father of spirits. He has no bodily parts or members; and it seems, therefore, altogether inconceivable and impos

sible that he can be an object of direct and immediate perception to the senses even of a glorified body. In accordance with this conclusion, we find that invisibility is repeatedly specified in scripture as a distinguishing property of God. "No man hath seen God at any time." He is the blessed and only potentate, "the King of kings, and Lord of lords: who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see.” And if, as a spirit, God cannot be perceived by the eye, then, by a parity of argument, it may be presumed that he cannot be an object of perception to any bodily sense whatever.

I remark, secondly, That though a spirit cannot be an object of direct perception to bodily senses or material organs, a spirit may, in various ways, operate most powerfully, though most mysteriously, upon body. Of the possibility of this, we have experimental evidence in the constitution of our own nature. It is in obedience to the volitions of the mind, that our arms are extended, that our limbs move, and that our eyes gaze on objects both near and remote. Let the mind be agitated by any vehement emotion, whether pleasing or painful, and the commotion is speedily communicated to the body. Let the former be long or intensely exerted, and the latter experiences a proportionate degree of lassitude and languor. Similar is the sympathy of the soul with the body; for, let the body be exerted beyond its strength, and the mental faculties become jaded and exhausted. Let a wound be inflicted on the body, it is by the soul that the pain is felt. Such, then, is the intimate connexion, and such the reciprocal influence of the human soul and the human body. But he who formed the body, and created the soul, and united them by links so close and mysterious,