HEA


HEC


how  he  can  be  fnore  than  perfeclly
prcfent  a?iy  ^inhere. "  Keaven  and
earth  are  tull  of  the  Majefty  of  his
glory  :   yea  the  heaven  and  heaven
of  heavens  cannot  contain  him, —
Whichef  fhall  I  go  from  thy  fpirit  ?
or  whither  fhall  I  flee  from  thy  pre-
fence  ?  If  I  afcend  up  into  heaven,
thou  art  there  :  If  I  go  down    into
hell,  thou  art  there  jilfo. If  I  take
the  wings  of  the  morning  and    re-
main in  the  uttermoft  parts  of  the
fea  ;  even  there  tTiall  thy  hand  lead
Ti\e. and  thy  right  hand    fhall  hold
me/*     Yet  the  fcripture,  in   ccn-
defcendon    to   human    capacities,
mentions  him  as  having  vouchfafed
to  eftablifh  his  throne,  in  one  parti-
cular place,  where  he  exhibits  him-
felf  in  the  fymbol  of  light  inaccei-
fible  :   where  his   holy  angels   at-
tend upon  him,    and  fee  his  face  :
From  whence  he  ifTues  forth  his
commands,     as    Princes   do   theirs
from  the  royal  palace. But  this  re-
prefentstion  is  evidently  in  allufion
to  the  courts  of  callern  Kings,  and  the
dcfciiption  is  levelled  to  our  com-
prehenfions. In  the  fame  manner,
when  Chrift  isfaid  to  f.t  or. the  right
hand  of  the  father,  the  expreffion   is
univerfally  allowed  to  be  figurative,
and  accommodated  to  our  ideas  oi
precedency  and  honor  :  nor  are  we
to    underftand   from    hence,    that
God,  who  is  an  infmite  fpirit,  hath
either  hands,  or   any  other  bodily
members. The  word   firmament,
however,  giving  an  idea  of  folidity
and  refiftance,  fupports  the  notion
of  a  ccelefie  Solum,  as  the  refidence
of  Angels   and  fpiritual  fubflances,
tibove  the  vifible  expance,  and,  in-
deed, though  the  deity  be  equally
prefer.t  every  where  i  yet  it  is  not
to  be  denied,  that    he  may   give
iJiore  fenfible  manifefhations  of  his
prefence,  in  one  part  of  fpace  than,
another;  in  the  lame  manner  as  he
manifefts  his  power,   on  many  oc»
cafions,  in  cne  place  more  than  aQO>°


ther ;  yet  as  this  does  not  prove  him
to  be  more  pov.-crful  in  one  place
than  another  ;  fo  neither  docs  the
other  ccnfulerntion  prove  that  he  is
more  perfeclly,  or  immediately  pre-
fent,  in  one  part  of  fpace  than  anc-
ther. 