N° 571. Friday, July 23, 1714. Cælum quid quærimus ultra? "What seek we beyond heaven?” A Luc. S the work I have engaged in will not only confist of Papers of humour and learning, but of several Eflays moral and divine, I fhall publish the following one, which is founded on a former SPECTATOR, and fent me by a particular friend, not queftioning but it will pleafe fuch of my readers as think it no difparagement to their understandings to give way fometimes to a ferious thought. • SIR, IN your Paper of Friday the 9th inftant you had occafion to confider the Ubiquity of the Godhead, and at the fame time to fhew, that, as he is prefent to every thing, he cannot but be attentive to every thing, and privy to all the modes and parts of its exiftence: or, ' in other words, that the Omniscience and Omniprefence are coexiftent, and run together through the whole infinitude of space. This • confideration might furnifh us with many incentives to devotion, and motives to morality; but, as this fubject has been handled by feve 6 * See SPECT. No. 565, No. 580, No. 590, and No. 628. • ral ral excellent writers, I fhall confider it in a light wherein I have not feen it placed by • others. Firft, 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! Secondly, How deplorable is the condition of an intellectual being, who feels no other • effects from this his Prefence but fuch as pro• ceed 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 present with his • Maker, but at the fame time receives no extra⚫ ordinary 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 stars and planets ⚫ move and gravitate by virtue of this great principle within them. All the dead All the dead parts of nature are invigorated by the Prefence of their Creator, and made capable of exerting their refpective qualities. The feveral instincts, in the brute creation, do likewife operate and • work towards the feveral ends which are agreeable to them by this divine energy. Man only, who does not co-operate with this Holy Spirit, and is unattentive to his Prefence, receives 6 6 6 pre 'none of those advantages from it, which are perfective of his nature, and neceffary 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 impoffible for an In'finite Being to remove himself from any of his creatures; but though he cannot withdraw his effence from us, which would argue an impefection in him, he can withdraw from us all the joys and confolations of it. His fence may perhaps be neceffary to support us in our exiftence; but he may leave this our exiftence to itself, with regard to its happinefs 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 those infusions of joy and gladness which are so near at hand, and ready to be poured in upon us; efpecially when we confider, fecondly, the deplorable condition of an intellectual being, who feels no other effects from his Maker's prefence but fuch as proceed from divine wrath and indignation. 6 We may affure ourselves that the great Author of nature will not always be as one who is indifferent to any of his creatures. Thofe who will not feel him in his love will be fure ⚫ at length to feel him in his difpleasure. And • how dreadful is the condition of that creature, who is only fenfible of the being of his CreaVOL. VIII. G 6 tor 6 tor by what he fuffers from him! He is as effentially present in hell as in heaven; but the inhabitants of the former behold him only in • his wrath, and fhrink within the flames to • conceal themfelves 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 greatest comforts of life from refreshing us, and give an edge to every one of its flightest calamities. Who then can bear the thought of being an outcaft 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 haft thou "fet me as a mark against thee, fo 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 person whom we look upon with our eyes. There is, doubtlefs, a faculty in fpirits by which they appre • hend 6 hend 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 fpace they refide, be always fenfible of the Divine Prefence. We, who have this veil of flesh ftanding 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 produces in us. Our outward fenfes are too grofs to apprehend him; we may, however, tafte 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 thofe ravifhing joys and inward fatisfactions which are perpetually springing 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 irraditate 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, he has his light and fupport within him, that are able to cheer his mind, and bear him up in the midst of all those horrors which encompafs him. He knows that his helper is at hand, and is always nearer to him than any thing 6 6 G 2 |