VIII.

itself to be acted upon by Nothing. AllSERM. the fenfible Qualities of Matter, are merely relative to Us in our present sttate, depending on the frame of our bodily Organs, and not being any thing really inherent in the Things themselves. We behold only the outward Surfaces of things, and are affected only by the various Motions and Figures of certain small parts of Matter; which, by the Help of Microscopes, appear even to Us to be really very different in Themselves from what our Senses represent them; And to a Spirit, which fees the inward real Essences of Things, and not the external sensible Images which affect Us, they have no fimilitude at all with our Imaginations.

4thly, I will be here necessary to observe, How and in what sense, God, who is every where necessarily alike present, is yet in Scripture so frequently represented to be in Heaven: As if He who is in All places, could be confined in Any; or any proper Habitation could be ascribed to Him, whom (as Solomon declares) the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain. The True meaning therefore of N 3 God's

SERM. God's being in Heaven, is to express his VIII. Height and Dignity not in place, but in

Power: It being only a fimilitude drawn into common Speech, from the Situation of things in Nature. As the Heavenly Bodies, the Sun and Stars, are High above us in place; and all Earthly Bleffings depend on the Sun and Rain and the Descent of kindly Influences literally from above so, by an easy figure of speech, whatsoever is above us in Power, we are from hence used to reprefent as being above us in Place. Our Saviour, fpeaking of the Pride and Greatness of Capernaum; And thou Capernaum, says he, which art exalted unto Heaven, skalt be brought down to Hell, Matt. xi 23. The Power and Dominion of the King of Babylon, is thus fet forth by the Prophet Ifaiah, ch. xiv. 13, 14. Thou hast faid in thine heart, I will afcend above the heights of the clouds, I will afcend into Heaven, I will exalt my Throne above the stars of God: And the Defpruction of his Monarchy is defcribed after the like manner, ver. 12. thou fallen from Heaven! The Greatness and Dignity of our Saviour's Kingdom, is

represented in Scripture, by his fitting at SERM.
the right hand of God in the Heavenly VIII.
places. We know that God has no Hands,
nor any Shape or Figure; but the mean-
ing of Christ's fitting on his right hand,
is his being exalted next to him in Au-
thority and Power. Thus therefore when
we speak likewife of God, even the invi-
sible Father himself, as being in Heaven;
it must be understood to express his Su-
premacy, not in Place but in Power and
Dominion; that He is the High and Holy
One, Great and Glorious and Supreme
above All. But there is also another rea-
fon of this expreffion, of God's being in
Heaven: And That is, To fignify, that
though of his real actual Presence there is
indeed no Confinement, yet of his Glory
and Majesty there is in that Place a par-
ticular and extraordinary Manifestation.
Thus the Angel in the Book of Tobit
represents it, ch. xii. 15, I am (faith he)
one of the seven holy Angels, which go in
and out before the Glory of the Holy One :
And the Salutation to the Churches, which
begins the Book of the Revelation, ch. i. 4.
Grace be unto you, and Peace from him
N4
which

SERM. which is, and which was, and which is to VIII. come, and from the seven spirits which are

27.

before his Throne. The real and proper Acts xvii. Prefence of God, is equally in all places : But his Throne, his Glory, the place where the righteous shall see his Face, where they shall behold a more particular glorious Manifeftation of his Power and Majesty, is in Heaven. In like manner, here upon Earth; in places, where God has been pleased more particularly to manifest his Glory, to place his Name There, to receive There the Homage of his Servants; in those places God in Scripturephrafe is faid to Be : Not as if at the fame time he was not equally in all other places also; but that in these places he chose to manifest himself to his Servants, and There to receive Homage from them. The Patriarch Jacob, concerning the place where he first saw the Vision of Angels afcending and defcending out of Heaven; Surely, fays he, the Lord is in this place, Gen. xxviii. 16; and it shall be the House of God, ver. 22. In like manner in the Temple at Jerufalem, the Glory of God appeared vifibly, 2 Chron. vii. 1. and there

it

it also. was, when it did not appear: and SERM. how He whom the Heaven, and the Hea- VIII. ven of Heavens cannot contain, did thus at that time dwell on Earth in a Temple made with hands, is well expressed by Solomon, 1 Kings viii. 30, Hearken thou to the Supplication of thy Servant, and of thy people Ifrael, when they shall pray in, or towards, this place, and hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place: The sense is; God, who is present in every place, had appointed in That place to receive his Tribute of worship. And upon this Account, the place was esteemed Holy, and respected accordingly: Ecclef. v. 1. Keep thy foot; when thou goest to the house of God. What the meaning is, of that unusual Phrafe, Keep thy foot; is explained Exod. iii. 5. where God, appearing to Mofes in the Bush, says thus unto him; Put off thy shoes from off thy Feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. The Custom or Manner in those Eastern countries of showing Honour or Veneration, was by uncovering the Feet; as our present method of showing respect, is by uncovering the Head. Yet God himself was

not