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bodies? how adjuft with furrounding bodies without parts? how confift of parts without being corporeal? But if you afcribe a real and proper extenfion to a fpirit, every thought of that fpirit would be a feparate portion of that extenfion, as every part of the body is a separate portion of the whole body; every operation of Spirit would be a modification of that extenfion, as every operation of body is a modification of body; and, were this the cafe, there would be no abfurdity in faying that a thought is round, or fquare, or cubic, which is nothing lefs than the confounding of fpirit with matter. Thus the idea, which our imagination forms of the omniprefence of God, when it reprefents the ef fence of the Supreme Being filling infinite fpaces, as we are lodged in our houfes, is a falfe idea that ought to be carefully avoided.

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II. What notions then must we form of the immenfity of God? In what fenfe do we conceive that the infinite Spirit is every where prefent? My brethren, the bounds of our knowle edge are fo ftrait, our sphere is fo contracted, we have fuch imperfect ideas of fpirits, even of our own fpirits, and, for a much stronger reason, of the Father of fpirits, that no genius in the world, however exalted you may fuppofe him, after his greateft efforts of meditation, can fay to you, Thus far extend the attributes of God; behold a complete idea of his immenfity and omniprefence. Yet, by the help of found reafon, above all by the aid of revelation, we may give you, if not complete, at least diftinct ideas of the fubject it is poffible, if not to indicate all the fenfes in which God is immenfe, at least to point out fome it is poffible, if not to fhew you alk the truth, at least to discover it in part.

Let us not conceive the omniprefence of God as a particular attribute (if I may venture to fay fo) of the Deity, as goodnefs or wifdom, but as

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the extent or infinity of many others. The omniprefence of God is that univerfal property by which he communicates himfelf to all, diffufes hifelf through all, is the great director of all, or, to confine ourfelves to more diftinct ideas fill, the infinite fpirit is prefent in every place. 1. By a boundless knowledge.

2. By a general influence.

S. By an univerfal direction.

God is every where, because he seeth all, becaufe be influenceth all, becaufe he directetb all. This we must prove and establish. But if you would judge rightly of what you have heard, and of what you may ftill hear, you must remember that this fubject hath no relation to your pleafures, nor to your policy, nor to any of thofe objects which occupy and fill your whole fouls; and confequentiy, that if you would follow us, you must stretch your meditation, and go, as it were, out of yourselves..

1. The fit idea of God's omniprefence is his omniscience. God is every where prefent, becaufe he seeth all. This the prophet bad principally in view. “O Lord, thou haft fearched me, and known me. Thou knoweft my down-fitting and mine up-rifing, thou underflandeft my thoughts afar off. Thou compaffeft my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it altogether. Thou haft befet me behind and before. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it," ver. 1, 2, 3, &c. Then follow the words of our text: "Whither hall 1 go from thy fpirit," and fo on.

Let us not then confider the Deity, after the example of the fchoolmen, as a point fixed in the univerfality of beings. Let us confider the univerfality of beings as a point, and the Deity as an immenfe eye, which fees all that paffes in

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that point, all that can poffibly pafs there; and which, by an all-animating intelligence,, makes an exact combination of all the effects of matter, and of all the difpofitions of fpirit.

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1. God knows all the effects of matter. expert workman takes a parcel of matter proportioned to a work which he meditates, he makes divers wheels, difpefes them properly, and fees, by the rules of his art, what muft refult from their affen.blage.. Suppofe a fublime, exact genius, knowing how to go from principle to princi ple, and from confequence to confequence, after foreseeing what must refult from two wheels joined together, fhould imagine a third, he will as certainly know what must refult from a third, as from a first and fecond; after imagining a third, he may imagine a fourth, and properly arrange it with the rest in his imagination; after a fourth a fifth, and fo on to an endless number. Such a man could mathematically demonftrate, in an exact and infallible manner, what must refult from a work compofed of all these different wheels. Suppofe further, that this workman, having accurately confidered the effects which would be produced on thefe wheels, by that fubtle matter which in their whirlings continually furrounds them, and which, by its perpetual action and motion, chafes, wears, and diffolves all bodies; this workman would tell you, with the fame exactnefs, how long each of thefe wheels would wear, and when the whole work would be confumed. Give this workman life and industry proportional to his imagination, furnith him with materials proportional to his ideas, and he will produce a vaft, immenfe work, all the different motions of which he can exactly combi; all the different effects of which he can evidently. for fee. He will fee, in what time motion will be communicated from the first of these wheels to the fecond, at what time the fecond will move

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the third, and so of the rest: he will foretel áll their different motions, and all the effects which must refult from their different combinations.

Hitherto this is only fuppofition, my brethren, but it is a fuppofition that conducts us to the most certain of all facts. This workman is God. God is this fublime, exact, infinite genius. He calls into being matter, without motion, and, in fome fenfe, without form. He gives this matter form and motion. He makes a certain number of wheels, or rather he makes them without number. He difpofes them as he thinks proper. He communicates a certain degree of motion, agreeable to the laws of his wisdom. Thence arifes the world which ftrikes our eyes. By the forementioned example, I conceive, that God, by his own intelligence, faw what must refult from the arrangement of all the wheels that compofe this world, and knew, with the utmost exactness, all their combinations. He faw that a certain degree of motion, imparted to a certain portion of matter, would produce water; that another degree of motion, communicated to another por tion of matter, would produce fire; that another would produce earth, and fo of the reft. He forefaw, with the utmost precifion, what would: refult from this water, from this fire, from this earth when joined together, and agitated by fuch a degree of motion as he fhould communicate.. By the bare infpection of the laws of motion, he forefaw fires, he forefaw fhipwrecks, he forefaw earthquakes, he forefaw all the viciffitudes of time, he forefaw thofe which must put a period to time, when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, when the elements shall melt with fervent heat, when the earth with all the works that are in it shall be burnt up, 2 Pet. iii. 10.

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2. But, if God could combine all that would refult from the laws of motion communicated to matter, he could also combine all that would re

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fult from intelligence, freedom of will, and all the faculties which make the effence of spirits ; and,. before he had formed thofe fpiritual beings which compofe the intelligent world, he knew what all their ideas, all their projects, all their deliberations, would for ever be.

I am aware, that a particular confequence, which follows this doctrine, hath made fome divines exclaim against this thefis, and, under the fpecious pretenee of exculpating the Deity, from the entrance of fin into this world, they have. affirmed that God could not foresee the deter minations of a free agent; for, fay, they, had her forefeen the abufe which man would have made. of his liberty, by refolving to fin, his love to holinefs would have engaged him to prevent it.. But to reafon in this manner is, in attempting to folve a difficulty, to leave that difficulty in all its force.

All they fay on this article, proceeds from thisprinciple, that a God infinitely juft, and infinite-ly powerful, ought to difplay (if it be allowable to fay, fo), all the infinity of his attributes to prevent fin. But this principle is notoriously falfe.. Witnefs that very permiffion of fin which is objected to us. You will not acknowledge that? God forefaw man's fall into fin acknowledge,. at leafy that he forefaw the poffibility of man's. falling, and that, in forming a creature free, he knew that fuch a creature might chufe virtue or vice; acknowledge, at leaf, that God could have created man with fo much knowledge, and could have afforded him so many fuccours; he could have prefented fuch powerful motives to holiness inceffantly, and difcovered to him the dreadful confequences of his rebellion. fo effectually; he could have united obedience to his commands with fo many delights, and the most diftant thought of difobedience with fo many difgufts ; he could have banished from man every tempta

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