quainted with every thing that exists. The universe, in all its parts, is continually under the Divine infpection, and he comprehends in one view the immenfity of the creation. Boundless as the Divine works are-and philofophy difcovers to us worlds beyond worlds in endless progreffion-they all lie open to the view of the Supreme Being: being ever prefent in all worlds, he furveys the whole, and every part, with a degree of exactness which nothing can escape. His intelligent creatures, which are innumerable, are all perfectly known to the Divine mind.

These fentiments are no where expreffed in fuch fublime and animated language, as in the Pfalm from which the text is taken- Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither fhall I flee from thy prefence? If I afcend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in the grave, behold, thou art there: if I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the fea; even there

fhall

(hall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand fhall hold me: if I fay, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night fhall be light about me.”

Such are the conceptions which the most accurate reafoning, as well as the language of the holy Scriptures, teach us to entertain concerning the Supreme Being: and it is of great moment that they should be firmly established in our minds, and frequently recollected, both to correct and exalt our notions of God and religion, and to furnish us with powerful principles of right conduct, and an inexhauftible fource of confolation.

It is not, perhaps, an eafy thing entirely to diveft our minds of all grofs and vulgar ideas of God, or to purify our devotions from all mixture of fuperftition: but nothing will fo effectually enable us to do this, as a due attention to that attribute of the divine nature which is the fubject of our prefent meditations. If God be every where prefent, it is very evident, that he B 4

cannot

reft.

cannot be more in one place than in another; and, confequently, that there is no one part of the universe which ought to be confidered as the refidence or habitation of the Almighty more than the There may be particular regions of his immenfe empire in which he may choose to make diftinguished difplays of his power and greatnefs: there may be focieties of rational beings, inhabiting fome of those innumerable worlds which occupy univerfal space, whom he honours with peculiar manifeftations of his goodnefs fuch a region is, according to the promises of the gospel of Chrift, provided for good men after death, under the name of heaven. But we ought not to imagine the Great First Being, who is the cause and fupport of all being, life, order, and happiness, throughout the vast universe, refiding in a palace, seated upon a throne, and dwelling in the midst of a sphere of light, too dazzling for mortal eyes, where he is furrounded with a numerous train

of

of bright and glorious attendants, which are continually proftrating themselves at his footstool. Such defcriptions of Deity as these are evidently borrowed from human affairs; and wherever they are introduced, are only to be confidered as figurative illustrations of a fubject which is too exalted for human comprehenfion. If they be understood merely in this light, they may, like all other metaphorical expreffions of abstract truths or fpiritual objects, be of ufe to give us a lively impreffion and a strong feeling of the subject: but the utmost care fhould be taken not to miftake metaphorical language for literal truth, left thofe fublime images, which are intended to affift devotion, fhould in fact encourage fuperftition, and lead us to think the Great Univerfal Mind "altogether fuch an one as ourselves." It may, perhaps, feem unnecessary to add, that we fhould be careful that we be not led by the figurative application of terms expreffing any parts of the human body, as eyes,

ears,

ears, and hands, to the Deity, into any grofs conceptions of this Great Being under a human form: and yet there can be little doubt, that children and others, whofe imaginations are ftronger than their judgments, are in fome danger of fuch mifapprehenfions; and the rather, as there have been, and ftill are, opinions profeffed among fome fects of Chriftians which favour thefe vulgar errors. There have been Chriftian focieties, whofe diftinguishing tenet has been, that God fubfifts truly and literally in a human form and the number of Chriftians is ftill not inconfiderable with whom it is a principal article of belief, that the Eternal God has been fo united to a man as to form one perfon-opinions, which are alike inconfiftent with the doctrine of the immensity of the Divine nature: for it is most evidently impoffible, that the great Being, who is every where, fhould be of an human form, or should be inclofed in a human body.