"know not in what Part of the Creation it "lies."

This indeed, has fome Tendency to confole our Ignorance, but helps but very little to remove it; it but leads us a Chace over Millions and Millions of Miles, and after a tedious Flight amidst numberlefs Suns and Worlds, it leaves us at last as much in the Dark as ever. According to the vulgar Hypothefis, Heaven is not a great Way off, and though fuppos'd beyond the Stars, not very diftant. But Philofophy sets the Stars at fuch a Diftance, as is amazing but even to think on; and yet no Man of Sense will therefore defpife Philofophy, which has not only prefented us with a grand and noble, but as there is Reason to think, in the main, a juft System of Nature. Ten thousand Suns with their revolving Worlds declare at once the Glory of their Maker, and fill the Soul with the profoundest Reverence at the inexpreffible Majefty of his boundless Kingdom, who made, preferves, and over-rules them all. In this Philofophy deferves Applaufe, and greatly helps to heighten our Devotion; though ftill where Heaven is it cannot tell us, nor is to be expected indeed that it should; it belongs to Theology, and not Philosophy, to give a Solution to Queries of this Kind.

Some

Some may poffibly look upon this as a needlefs Query, but it is nevertheless a very just and natural one; nor can it found other than odly in the Ears of Infidels, to talk of Seats of Happiness none knows where, in the World of the Moon, or Nobody knows how far beyond the Spheres of the remoteft Stars. If we examine the Scriptures, it calls by the Name of Heaven all the Air at any Distance above the Earth, as well that below the Clouds as that above them; all in fhort that Philofophers commonly call the Atmosphere. Thus the Clouds are ftiled the Waters above the Firmament, and the Fowl are faid to fly in the open Firmament, which Firmament, as Mofes tells us, God call'd Heaven. And from hence do we frequently hear of the Fowl of Heaven, the Clouds of Heaven, and Towns walled up to Heaven. The Sun alfo, the Moon, and the Stars, are represented as placed in this celeftial Firmament, on account of their appearing to us there, and feeming but a little Way above the Clouds, which appear to the Eye to be near as high as they are. What need we then to take fuch lofty Flights in fearch of that, which may be found much nearer? Or fearch for that in other and distant Worlds, which is reprefented as furrounding our own? Other C 3 Planets

Planets as well as this which we inhabit have probably Atmospheres peculiar to them; but as it is in the Air or Atmosphere which furrounds this Earth, that the Scripture feems to me to place our Heaven, I have no Inclination I own, for fearching farther, unless I had fome good Hopes of faring better.

When St. Stephen the Martyr faw the Heavens open'd, and the Son of Man at the Right-Hand of God, is it not much more likely that he faw this in the Atmosphere, than in Regions fo remote, that a human Body could never be feen in them? Or when St. Peter faw the Sheet let down from Heaven, did it seem, can we think, to come down from beyond the Stars? But though thefe Confiderations make it fomething probable, that Heaven is not fo very far diftant as fome have imagin'd, there is yet one Confideration which makes it more probable ftill; and that is the confidering it as the Seat of Angels, and from which they have frequent Intercourfe with this our Earth. They are ministring Spirits, as the Scripture expressly tells us, fent forth to mi nifter for them who fhall be Heirs of Salvation: And they are accordingly reprefented by our Saviour as carrying the Soul of Lazarus into Paradife. Jacob faw them in

his

his Vision as employ'd in their Afcent and Descent, and the Scripture, in fhort, speaks fo much of their Intercourfe here, as must naturally lead us to think, that they do not live far from our Neighbourhood. For can it be reasonably thought that the all-wife Creator should make Beings defign'd to be employ'd on Earth, and yet affign them their Habitation at an almoft infinite Diftance from it? Could indeed the romantick Opinion with regard to the Motion of Angels, could this be prov'd as eafily as faid, the Distance of Place muft then be inconfiderable; but the Misfortune of it is, that it has not only no Proof for it, but that all the Proof we have is full against it.

If we could depend on the Prayer set down in the Ninth of Daniel, as containing the whole that was utter'd on that Occafion, as the Words it is ufher'd in with feem to intimate, it would give us the Time taken up by an Angel in coming from Heaven, and that, as the Text exprefsly declares, with as much Expedition as poffible. The Prayer as there fet down fills. up about fixteen Verses, but may with great Deliberation be pronounced in about three Minutes, at the End of which is the following Account. And while I was speaking, fays he, and praying, and confeffing my Sin, and the C 4 Sin

Sin of my People Ifrael, and prefenting my Supplication before the Lord my God for the boly Mountain of my God; yea, while I was peaking in prayer, even the Man Gabriel, whom I had feen in the Vifion at the Beginning, being caufed to fly fwiftly, touch'd me about the Time of the Evening Oblation. And be inform'd me, and talked with me, and faid, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee Skill and Understanding. At the Beginning of thy Supplications the Commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee. If therefore what is there written, as I faid but juft now, was the whole of the Prayer, we have here a Journey from Heaven perform'd in rather less than three Minutes, which fuppofing Heaven at the Top of our Atmofphere, and which is commonly reckon'd about fifty-fix Miles from us, is flying at the rate of above a thousand Miles an Hour, which is Swiftnefs enough, one would think, for any Occafion they ever can have for it, tho' not enough, were Heaven where fome would place it, to be able to reach it in a Course of Years.

In short, as wherever God is pleas'd to reveal his Glory, or to fix what is usually ftiled the divine Shechinah, it is generally thought and believed, that there is Heaven; it must appear, I think, probable from the

afore