of an intellectual Being who feels no other effects from his Maker's prefence, but fuch 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 difpleafure. And how dread-ful 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 teffentially prefent in hell as in heaven, but the inhabitants of thofe accurfed places behold him only in his wrath, and fhrink within the flames to conceal them-felves from him. It is not in the power of imagination to conceive the fearful effects of Omnipotence incenfed.

But I fhall only confider the wretchednefs of an intellectual Being, who, in this life, lies under the difpleasure 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 greatelt comforts of life from refreshing us, and give an edge to every one of its lighteft calamities. Who then can bear F 2

the

the thought of being an out-caft from his prefence, that is, from the comforts of it, or of feeling it only in its terrors? How pathetick 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 burthen to my felf? 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 Blessed 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 doubtless a faculty in Spirits, by which they apprehend one another, as our fenfes do material objects; and there is no question 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 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 produceth in us. Our outward fenfes are too

we may

too grofs to apprehend him; 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 refrefliments which he conveys into our fouls, and by thofe ravishing joys and inward fatisfactions, which are perpetually fpringing 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 irradiate its underftanding, 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! Tho' 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 midft of all thofe horrors which encompals him. He 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 midst of calumny or contempt, he at tends to that Being who whifpers better

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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 elfe 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 it felf to him in fulness of joy.

If we would be thus happy, and thus fensible 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 fcripture, his foul may have pleasure in us. We 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 epistles, Sacer ineft in nobis fpi

ritus bonorum malorumque cuftos, & obfervator, & quemadmodum nos illum tractamus, ita. Fille nos. There is a holy Spi rit 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 word, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Si verbo audacia detur,

Non m tuam magni dixisse palatia Cœli, Ovid. Met.

SIR,

I

Confidered in my two laft letters: that awful and tremendous fubject, the Ubiquity or Omniprefence of the Divine Being. I have fhewn that be is equally prefent in all places throughout the whole extent of infinite space. This doctrine is fo agreeable to reafon, that we meet with it in the writings • of the enlightened Heathens, as I might fhow at large, were it not already done by other hands. But tho' the Deity f be thus effentially prefent through all the

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