Sermons Volume 4, Discourse 5
A DISCOURSE UPON THE Omnipreſence OF GOD.
Pſal. cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10.
Whither ſhall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither ſhall I flee from thy Preſence? If I aſcend up into Heaven, thou art there; if I make my Bed in Hell, behold thou art there. If I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermoſt parts of the Sea; even there ſhall thy Hand lead me, and thy right Hand ſhall hold me.
THESE Words declare to us the glorious Attribute of God's Immenſity or Omnipreſence, ſet forth in moſt elegant and lofty Terms, as if the Prophet would mitigate that Dread that might well ſeize upon us, from the conſideration of the terrible Majeſty of God being ſo near us, by the ſweetneſs and flouriſhing of the Expreſſion, Whither ſhall I go from thy Spirit? This Queſtion doth not imply that David was indeed contriving how to make an Eſcape from God, nor pondering with himſelf in what forlorn Corner of the World he might lie obſcure, where the Preſence of God ſhould never apprehend him; but this Interrogation ſerveth for a vehement Aſſertion, Whither ſhall I go? That is, there is no Place where I can go, or where I can imagine to go, but thy Spirit, and thy Preſence will be with me. Whither ſhall I go from thy Spirit? That is, either from thee who art a Spirit, and ſo canſt pierce and penetrate me, be as truly and eſſentially in the very Bowels and Marrow of my Soul, as my Soul is intimately and eſſentially in my Body. From thy Spirit; that is, from thy Knowledge and thy Power; thy Knowledge to detect and obſerve me, thy Power to uphold or to cruſh me. In what dark Corner or Cavern ſoever I ſhould muffle my ſelf, yet thy preſence is ſo univerſal, that it would find me out, for it ſtretcheth it ſelf from Heaven to Hell. If I make my Bed in Hell. By Hell here, may be meant either the Grave, which is often ſo called in Scripture, as Acts 2.27. Pſal. 16.10. Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou ſuffer thine Holy One to ſee Cortion; (A Prophecy concerning Chriſt) that is, Thou wilt not leave my Perſon in the Grave; ſo it is interpreted Verſe 31. when it is ſaid, that his Soul was not left in Hell, neither did his Fleſh ſee Corruption; it is ſpoken ſo in Gen. 37.35. Jacob, ſpeaking concerning the ſuppoſed Death of his Son Joſeph, ſays, I will go down into the Grave to my Son mourning. Concerning the Reſurrection of Chriſt from the Grave, Gen. 37.35. Job 17.13. that word which we tranſlate the Grave, we tranſlate (alſo) Hell. Now ſaith the Prophet, Though I ſhould go down to the Grave, and be covered from the ſight, and forgotten out of the mind and thoughts of Men, yet thou art there, and obſerveſt every Duſt how it molders and crumbles away: My Body cannot be more in the Grave than thou art there. If we take Hell for the place of the damned, God's preſence is there likewiſe: One would think, if from any place God would exclude himſelf, it ſhould be from Hell, ſince his preſence is ſufficient to make an Heaven any where; but ſo infinite is his unlimited Being, that when the Body is in the Grave, and the Soul in Hell, yet then is God preſent, both with the Soul, and with the Body. If I make my Bed in Hell, that is, If I cover my ſelf never ſo cloſe and draw the Curtains of the thickeſt Darkneſs round about me; If my Body ſhould lye in the deepeſt Intrails of the Earth, and my Soul be wrapt about with a Winding-ſheet of Smoak and Flames, yet thou art there, and thy preſence would ſoon find me out, Job 26.6. Hell is naked before him, and Deſtruction hath no covering. Yea, the Apoſtle tells us, 2 Theſſ. 1.9. That the Wicked in Hell ſhall be puniſhed, with everlaſting deſtruction from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his Power. That is, not only that their puniſhment ſhall be to be ſeparated from the preſence of the Lord; but look how they are ſaid to be puniſhed from the glory of his Power, ſo likewiſe are they to be puniſhed from his Preſence, their Deſtruction ſhall be from the Glory of his Power; that is, his Power in inflicting moſt dreadful Puniſhments upon them, and his Power in ſuſtaining them under thoſe Puniſhments, when with one Hand the Lord ſhall hold them up in Hell, and lift up the other as high as Heaven, to give them redoubled Strokes of everlaſting Vengeance. So likewiſe they ſhall be puniſhed from the preſence of the Lord; that is, God himſelf will be preſent in Hell to torment and puniſh them, that at the very ſame time that he ſhall be a cheriſhing God in Heaven, he will be a tormenting God in Hell: becauſe in them he hath eſtabliſhed his two great Thrones, the one of his Mercy, the other of his Juſtice. But yet poſſibly there may be found ſome neglected place here below, where God hath no ſuch concernment to be preſent in it, as he hath to be preſent in Heaven and in Hell. Now ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Verſe 9. If I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermoſt Parts of the Sea, even there ſhall thine Hand lead me, and thy Right-hand ſhall hold me. Wings of the Morning is an elegant Metaphor, and by them we may conjecture is meant the Sun-beams, called Wings, becauſe of their ſwift and ſpeedy motion, making their paſſage ſo ſudden and ſo inſtantaneous, as that they do prevent the obſervation of the Eye, called the Wings of the Morning, becauſe the Dawn of the Morning comes flying in upon theſe Wings of the Sun, and brings Light along with it, and by beating and fanning of theſe Wings ſcatters the Darkneſs before it. Now, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, If I could pluck theſe Wings of the Morning, the Sun-beams; if I could imp my own Shoulders with them; if I ſhould fly as far and as ſwift as Light, even in an inſtant, to the uttermoſt parts of the Sea; yea, if in my flight I could ſpy out ſome Solitary Rock, ſo formidable and diſmal as if we might almoſt call in queſtion whether ever a Providence had been there; if I could pitch there on the top of it, where never any thing had made its abode, but Coldneſs, Thunders and Tempeſts, yet there ſhall thy Hand lead me, and thy Right-hand ſhall hold me.
Thus you ſee the Text declares this Ubiquity and Omnipreſence of God, both in Heaven and Earth and Hell, and in all Places and in all Things.
I ſhall firſt handle this Point Doctrinally, and then Practically, obſerving this Method: I ſhall,
1. Lay down ſome Poſitions.
2. Demonſtrate the Truth of them by ſome cogent and convincing Arguments.
3. Anſwer ſome Objections which may be made againſt the Omnipreſence of God.
4. Make ſome Improvement of this Point.
The firſt Poſition I ſhall lay down is this,Poſition 1. That God is intimately and eſſentially in all parts and places of the World; yea, this Preſence being eſſential is alſo neceſſary, ſo that it is ſimply impoſſible that God ſhould not be whereſoever the Creature is. By the World, I mean whatſoever was at the beginning created by the Power of God, the Heavens, the Air, the Earth and Sea, and all things viſible and inviſible; God is with them and in them all. There are three things briefly to be touched upon here.
Firſt, That God is intimately preſent with the Creatures. He paſſeth through their very Beings and Inward Parts; he is in the very Center of their Eſſence; and this flows from the Spirituality of his Eſſence. From hence it is that it is impoſſible that he ſhould be excluded out of the moſt cloſe compacted Being. Bodies cannot thus enter one another, becauſe of their groſs and material Subſtances; they can only ſtand without and knock for admiſſion; they cannot enter into the ſubſtance one of another: Water, when ſucked up by a Spunge, doth not paſs into the ſubſtantial part of it, but only fills, up thoſe Caverns and hollow Pores that were before filled with Air. The Air we breath in cannot enter into the Subſtance of our Bodies, but only into thoſe Pores and hollow Receſſes that are by Nature fitted to receive it; ſo of all other Corporeal Beings. But Spirits are not tied up to this Law. The Soul of Man, becauſe it is a Spirit, reſides not only in the empty void Spaces of the Body, but alſo in the midſt of the moſt ſolid and ſubſtantial part of it. Angels, who are a degree of Spiritual Beings above the Soul, they cannot be excluded from being preſent in the moſt condenſed Bodies; and we know not how often they are in us; we know not how often they paſs through us, nor how many of them are now preſent with us. We read of no leſs than a Legion, which is Six Thouſand, that quartered themſelves together in one poſſeſſed perſon, Mark 5.9. Then, certainly God, between whom and the Angels there is infinitely more diſtance than between Angels and Bodies, cannot poſſibly be ſhut out of any Being, but diffuſeth himſelf to every part of his Creatures.
Secondly, God is not only intimately preſent with his Creatures, becauſe as he is a Spirit he paſſeth through the moſt inmoſt part of them, but he is intimately preſent with all his Creatures at once. And therein is his preſence diſtinguiſhed from the preſence of Angels; they indeed paſs from one to another, and be one in another; they may poſſibly ſtretch and dilate themſelves to a great compaſs, but they cannot ſtretch themſelves to an Ʋbiquitarineſs, to be in all Beings at once. If an Angel ſuddenly dart himſelf from one Point of the Heavens, through the Center of the Earth, to an oppoſite Point of the Heavens, and by a motion of inſinuation, without impelling or driving the Air before him, yet he is not in Heaven and Earth at once, but when he is in one place he ceaſeth to be in another; but it is not ſo with God, for he is every-where and in all things at once for ever, therefore God tells us, Do not I fill Heaven and Earth, Jer. 23.24. He is ſo in them, as that he doth not leave any one place void or empty of himſelf, for were there any places where God were not, then it could not be properly ſaid to be filled with him.
Thirdly, This Omnipreſence of God is ſimply neceſſary, not only for the preſerving and upholding of his Creatures in their Beings and Operations, but neceſſary to our very Beings; for his own Eſſence is ſimple, and he cannot withdraw from, nor forſake any place, or any thing with which his preſence now is. God cannot contract and leſſen himſelf, nor gather up his Eſſence into a narrow room and compaſs; but as he is here in this very place which we now take up, ſo he muſt and will be here to all Eternity. Nor is this any imperfection, as if God were not an Infinite Perfection and Excellence, for this flows from the immutability of his Nature and Eſſence; for ſhould God remove himſelf, he were not altogether unchangeable, but with him there is neither change nor ſhadow of turning, Jam. 1. What the Heathens thought of this Immenſity and Omnipreſence of God, it is ſomewhat obſcure, ſome of them confined him to Heaven, and were ſo far from affirming him preſent in all things, that they thought he took no care of any thing below, as being too mean and too unworthy for God to regard. This was the Opinion of the Epicureans, Acts 17.18. Others thought indeed, that the Care and Providence of God reached to theſe ordinary things, but not his Eſſence; and the ground of their Errour was, becauſe they thought it moſt befitting the Majeſty of God, to ſit only in Heaven, a glorious and a becoming place, and not to make himſelf ſo cheap and ſo common, as to be preſent with Men and the Vile Things of the World: But this is a weak Reaſon, as I ſhall ſhew anon. Some others among the Heathens had righter Apprehenſions of this Divine Attribute; one of them, being to give a Deſcription what God was, tells us moſt admirably, God was a Sphere, whoſe Center was everywhere, and whoſe Circumference was no where. A raiſed apprehenſion of the Divine Nature in an Heathen. And another, being demanded what God was, made anſwer, That God is an Infinite Point, than which nothing can be ſaid more (almoſt) or truer, to declare this Omnipreſence of God. It is reported of Heraclitus the Philoſopher, when his Friend came to viſit him, being in an old rotten Hovel, Come in, come in, (ſaith he) for God is here. God is in the meaneſt Cottage as well as in the ſtatelieſt Palace; the pooreſt Beggar cohabits with God as well as the greateſt Princes, for God is every-where preſent and ſees all things.
Poſition 2.God is not only preſent in the World, but he is infinitely exiſtent alſo without the World, and beyond all things but himſelf. He is in all that Vaſt Tract of Nothing which we can imagine, and beyond the Higheſt Heavens: What Reaſon can ſay for this, I ſhall anon ſhew. In the mean time ſee that one poſitive place of Scripture, 1 Kings 8.27. Behold the Heavens and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him. And if God be not contained in them, certainly he then muſt be infinitely beyond and above them: He ſurmounts the Heaven of Heavens, that is, the very higheſt and uppermoſt Heavens, which St. Paul calls the Third Heaven, 2 Cor. 12. That glorious Place in which God doth moſt ſpecially manifeſt himſelf and will do to all Eternity. The Scripture tells us, that though the Heaven of the glorified Angels and Saints be the place in which God will eſpecially manifeſt his preſence, yet it is not that place unto which God will or doth confine his preſence. Iſai. 66.1, 2. Thus ſaith the Lord, The Heaven is my Throne, and the Earth is my Footſtool. Where is the Houſe that ye build unto me? and where is the Place of my Rest? For all thoſe things hath mine Hand made. As if God ſhould have ſaid, Do not think to cloiſter me up within the Walls of the Temple; no, I am ſet upon the higheſt Heavens, as upon my Throne, and they are all under me, and I am exalted far above them. Many ſuch glorious Expreſſions there are of God's Infiniteneſs and Immenſity ſcattered up and down the Scripture, which I ſhall not now ſpend time to recollect: The Scripture, you ſee, owns it for a truth, That God is Infinite in his Eſſence beyond the whole World, which is one of thoſe Divine Properties which poſeth Reaſon to conceive, how it is poſſible, that ſince beyond the World there is nothing, that God ſhould exist there; but though Reaſon cannot apprehend it, yet from Reaſon, as well as from Scripture, it appears it muſt be ſo.
Poſition 3.As God exiſts every-where, ſo all and whole God exiſts every-where. So that all God is here, and all God is there, and all God is in every place, and in every thing: This is indeed a great and moſt unconceivable Myſtery, but yet it muſt needs be ſo, becauſe God is indiviſible and ſimple and not compounded of Parts; and therefore where-ever there is any of God's Eſſence, there is all his Eſſence, otherwiſe part of his Eſſence would be here, and part there, and part of it elſewhere, which would be utterly repugnant to the ſimple and uncompounded Nature of God. God's Attributes are his Eſſence: Now there is no where, where God is, but there are all his Attributes, and therefore where God is there is all his Eſſence. He is a Spirit, moſt Wiſe, moſt Powerful, moſt Juſt, and the like, here and there, as well as in Heaven above; yea, and what is more, to the aſtoniſhment of Reaſon, than all this, God is every-where Omnipreſent, and in every place. And though it be common to all Spiritual Beings, becauſe they have no parts, to have a totality in the whole, and a totality in every part: (Indeed it is expreſſed in the Schools, that Spirits are all in the whole, and all in every part;) yet herein God hath a peculiar way of ſubſiſting from other Spirits, that not only his Eſſence alone is in every part of the World, but alſo his Preſence is in all and every part of the World: So that God is every where preſent, which is beyond the reach of our apprehenſions; yet it is undoubtedly true, for God's Omnipreſence being that Attribute which belongs to him, he is preſent every-where and in all things.
Now for the Rational Demonſtrations whereby it may be evinced, that God is Omnipreſent.
That God is preſent every-where in this World, that I ſhall make good by theſe Arguments:
Argument 1. Firſt from his Unchangeableneſs, thus: If there be any place where God is not, then God may be there, becauſe he is Omnipotent; but if God may be there, where he is not actually alſo, then it muſt be by motion to that place; but it is impoſſible that God ſhould be able to move from one place to another, becauſe he is immutable: Therefore hence it clearly follows, that there is no place where God is not, and where he was not from all Eternity.
Arg. 2. It may be demonſtrated, That God is Omnipreſent from his preſervation of all things in their beings. Thus God is preſent with whatſoever he preſerves, but he preſerves every thing in its being, therefore he is preſent every-where. There is required as great a Power to preſerve Creatures from falling back into their firſt nothing, as there was to make them at firſt out of nothing; for Preſervation, as the Philoſopher ſpeaks, is nothing elſe but a continued and a prolonged Creation. Now he cannot create any thing at a diſtance from it, becauſe no Creature is fit to convey a Creative Action, and becauſe alſo what ever Vertue or Power is in God it is his Eſſence; therefore if he create or preſerve by his Power, he creates and preſerves immediately by his Eſſence, and ſo his Eſſence muſt be whatſoever his Operations are. But God exiſts not only in the World, but infinitely beyond the World alſo, that may be demonſtrated thus:
1. Firſt, From the Infiniteneſs of his Nature and Eſſence.
2. Secondly, From the Infiniteneſs of his Perfections.
Arg. 1. Firſt, From the Infiniteneſs of God's Nature or Eſſence. That Nature, which is infinite, cannot be bounded or limited; but God's Nature is infinite, therefore it cannot be bounded; but if God were only preſent in the World and did not exiſt infinitely beyond it, then his Being and Nature could not be infinite as a Spirit is infinite; therefore if God ſhould be included in the World, he would alſo be but infinite as the World.
Arg. 2. Secondly, From the Infiniteneſs of his Perfections, we may argue thus: That which is infinitely perfect, muſt be infinitely great, but God is infinitely perfect; ſo that there is no Perfection which we can imagine but is eminently in God, therefore he muſt be infinitely great, ſo as there can be no ſpace which we can imagine, but he muſt be preſent in it: But we can imagine an infinite ſpace beyond this World, therefore God is there, becauſe there is no Perfection imaginable which God hath not. Whatever is infinitely perfect, muſt be infinitely great, as appears from this, becauſe the greater a thing is, the more perfect it is of that ſame kind, as a great piece of Gold is more excellent than a leſs; and therefore from this Perfection of God, it appears, that he is every-where, he being all Perfection.
Arg. 2. As it is demonſtrated from God's Infiniteneſs and Perfection, ſo likewiſe from his Almighty Power, God can create another World greater than this, even in that imaginary ſpace which we can conceive beyond this World; therefore certainly God is now exiſtent there.
Arg. 3. God's Omnipreſence may be argued from the Eternity of God. God was infinitely exiſtent before the Creation of the World, ſince he is Eternal, and the World but Temporal; the World hath ſtood only but ſome few Thouſands of Years, and before the Creation of the World there was nothing but God; and God exiſted eternally in himſelf; therefore, though beyond this World there be nothing, yet God will be there actually exiſting in that ſame imaginary ſpace beyond this World, as he did exiſt in an imaginary ſpace before this World was created.
Thus I have done with the Propoſitions, and the Confirmation of them by the rational Arguments, thoſe things that relate to the Philoſophical Part of the Text, for informing of the Judgment in the Notion of that ſtupendious Attribute of God's Omnipreſence.
I ſhall now come to anſwer ſome Objections: The firſt is taken from thoſe Scriptures where it ſeems to be implied, that God moves from place to place, as in Gen. 18.21. where the Lord ſaith, concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, I will go down now and ſee whether they have done altogether, according to the cry of it, which is come unto me. And in Hab. 3.3. it is there ſaid, God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran, &c.
Object. 1 Now theſe places which ſpeak of going to, and departing from places, ſeem to oppoſe God's Ubiquity, becauſe Motion is inconſiſtent with God's Omnipreſence.
Anſw. I anſwer: Theſe and the like Scriptures are not to be taken properly and literally, but as accommodate to our capacity and conception, even as Parents, when they ſpeak to their little Children, will ſometimes liſp and babble in their Language; ſo God oftentimes condeſcends to us in ſpeaking our Language, for the declaring of thoſe things which are far above our reach. But you will ſay, how are ſuch Places to to be underſtood? I anſwer, When God is ſaid to come unto, or to depart from any Place or Perſon, nothing elſe muſt be underſtood thereby, but a declaring or not declaring himſelf to be preſent, as Men, when they manifeſt themſelves preſent, they do it by moving hither or thither; ſo God, to accommodate himſelf thereunto, when he manifeſts his preſence any where, he tells us, that he goes thither; and when that Manifeſtation ceaſeth, he tells us he departs thence, though he was always there preſent, both before and after that Manifeſtation. So that theſe Expreſſions uſed in the Scripture, concerning God, though ſpoken after the manner of Men, yet they muſt be underſtood after the manner of God, that is, with a ſuitableneſs and conformity to his infinite Eſſence.
Object. 2 The Scripture tells us, that hereafter in Heaven we ſhall ſee God as he is: But is not that impoſſible? If God be an omnipreſent God, we ſhall not be able to comprehend him, becauſe we ſhall not our ſelves be infinite in Heaven; and if Man be ſtiled finite, how then can he comprehend what is infinite, ſince infinite is comprehended of nothing but that which is infinite?
Anſw. I anſwer, Such Scriptures are not to be underſtood, as if the Capacities of Angels, much leſs of Men, are or ever ſhall be wide and capacious enough to contain the infinite greatneſs of God; no, his Omnipreſence is not comprehended by Angels themſelves, nor ſhall be by Man for ever; but it muſt be underſtood comparatively. Our Viſion and Sight of God here, is but through a Glaſs darkly; but in Heaven it ſhall be with ſo much more brightneſs and clearneſs, that in compariſon of the obſcure and glimmering way whereby we know God here, it may be called a ſeeing of him Face to Face, and knowing him as we are known by him; though, to ſpeak in abſolute Propriety of Speech, theſe things are not poſſible to any Creature.
Object. 3 It may ſeem no ſmall diſparagement to God to be every-where preſent; What! for the Glorious Majeſty of God to be preſent in ſuch vile and filthy Places as are here upon Earth?
Anſw. 1 To this I anſwer, God doth not think it any diſparagement to him, nor think it unworthy of him to know and make all theſe which we call vile and filthy places; why then ſhould we think it unworthy of him to be preſent there?
God is a Spirit, and is not capable of any pollution or defilement from any vile or filthy things. The Sun-beams are no more tainted by ſhining on a Dunghil, than they are by ſhining on a Bed of Spices; no more can God be ſullied by being preſent in filthy Sinks, (to ſpeak with Reverence) than to be in the glorious Heavens, becauſe he is a Spirit, and his Eſſence is not ſubject to any taints from the Creature.
The vileſt things that are, have ſtill a being that is good in their own kind, and as well-pleaſing to God as thoſe things which we put a greater value and eſteem upon.
Laſtly, It reflects no more diſhonour upon God to be preſent with the vileſt Creatures, than to be preſent with the nobleſt and higheſt; becauſe the Angels are at an infinite diſtance from God. There is a greater diſproportion between God and the Angels, than there is between the vileſt Worm and an Angel; all are at an infinite diſtance to his Glory and Majeſty. Thus much for the Objections.
APPLICATION.
Ʋſe 1 Firſt, Is God thus infinitely preſent every-where, and thus in and with all his Creatures, then what an Encouragement is here unto Prayer? Thou canſt not ſay, Alas! I now pray, but how ſhall God hear? He is in Heaven above, and I am on Earth below, many Thouſands of Miles diſtant from his preſence: How then ſhall my weak Whiſperings, that can ſcarce reach the Walls of mine own Cloſet, ever be able to reach his Ear? No, God's Eſſential Preſence is with thee whereſoever thou art, as he is in Heaven it ſelf; and God is all Ear, he can underſtand the ſilent Motions of thy Lips every-where, yea, he can underſtand the ſecret Motions of thy Heart. When Hannah prayed for her Son Samuel, Eli, the Prieſt of God, thought her Geſture did proceed from a diſtempered Head, and not from an holy Heart; but God was preſent with her Lips, and that Prayer which was thought by the Prieſt of God to be but a dumb ſhew, yet to God himſelf it was powerful Rhetorick and as loud as Thunder in his Ears. The Scripture generally intimates that all our Prayers ſhall be directed to God in Heaven. So Solomon prayed, 1 Kings 8.32. Then hear thou in Heaven, &c. And it is again expreſſed in the 30th Verſe. So that moſt excellent Compoſure which Chriſt taught his Diſciples in the beginning of it, Our Father, which art in Heaven, it gives our thoughts a Lift to Heaven. Now this doth not imply, that God doth no where hear our Prayers, but only in Heaven. But how then? Why is this Phraſe uſed? For theſe two Reaſons:
Firſt, Becauſe Heaven is the moſt glorious place; there God eſpecially hath eſtabliſhed his Throne of Grace, and ſits upon it. Now, becauſe it is moſt Glorious and Majeſtick, and ſince God is there to hear Suits and receive Petitions, that are tendred up by all his Servants here on Earth, therefore the Scripture directeth us to that moſt glorious and celeſtial place, Hear thou in Heaven. Hence we have that Expreſſion, Acts 10.4. Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a Memorial before God. Certainly, if our Prayers ſhould not be heard till they come to Heaven, they are ſo weak and faint, that they would be out of breath by the way, and not be able then to ſpeak for themſelves: But yet God ſpeaks in us by his Spirit, and keeps alive the Senſe of his Majeſty upon our Hearts, that he would not have us think it to be a mean and trivial thing to have our Prayers heard; therefore he repreſents himſelf to us Arrayed in all his Glory.
Secondly, Our Prayers are directed to God in Heaven, becauſe though he hears them where-ever they be uttered yet he no where hears them with acceptation but in Heaven only. Our Prayers are accepted by God becauſe they are heard in Heaven. Thy Prayers are not accepted by God becauſe God hears them upon Earth, as they are heard in thy Cloſet, or as they are heard in thy Heart, but only as they are heard in Heaven; and the reaſon is, becauſe that Prayers are acceptable only as they are preſented before God in the Mediation and Interceſſion of Jeſus Chriſt. He muſt mingle them with the Incenſe of his Merits, before they can aſcend up before God as a ſweet Savour. Now Chriſt performs his Mediatory Office no where but in Heaven; for though, as God, he be every-where preſent, as the Father is, and therefore hears your Prayers whereſoever they be put up; yet, as Mediator, they are only heard in Heaven by him; and he hears no Prayers, but the Prayers of his People, as he is Mediator; and therefore it is no comfort, to you, that Chriſt hears your Prayers, as he is God only, for ſo he doth, and cannot but do it, unleſs he hears your Prayers likewiſe as he is Mediator. Now Chriſt, as he is Mediator, he is God-man, for as he wrought out our Salvation in both Natures, ſo he ſtill continues to mediate for us in both Natures: And ſince the Human Nature is only in Heaven, therefore it follows, he performs the Mediatory Office only in Heaven. Now it is the Mediatorſhip of Chriſt alone that makes all our Prayers and Duties acceptable to God himſelf, therefore it concerns us ſtill to pray, Lord, hear us in Heaven. It is in vain that thou heareſt me on Earth, unleſs thou heareſt in Heaven too. My Prayers cannot be heard acceptably, unleſs thou heareſt them twice; thou heareſt my Prayers on Earth; not a Word of my Tongue but thou heareſt; but what will it avail thy Servant, unleſs thou heareſt my Prayers a ſecond time repeated over to thee in the Interceſſion and Mediation of Jeſus Chriſt in Heaven? And therefore, ſaith Solomon, 1 Kings 8.34. Hear thou in Heaven, and forgive. When God ſhall only hear on Earth, he will be ſo far from forgiving, that he will be avenged; but when he hears our Prayers in Heaven, through the Mediation of Chriſt, then he is inclined to forgive and pardon us. Hence we find, that the Jews prayed towards the Temple, which was a Type of Heaven, and the Altar and Incenſe and Mercy-ſeat in this Temple were Types of Chriſt, who is now in Heaven. And therefore Daniel, when in Babilon, he prayed, his Window being open towards Jeruſalem, towards the Temple; as if no Prayer were acceptable to God, but what was heard in Heaven. So Jonah, when he was in the Belly of the Whale, Jonah 2.7. My Prayer came in unto thee, into thine Holy Temple. Jonah was a ſtrong Orator when he was in the ſlimy Paunch of the Whale; yea, but God was there, and God heard him there; but yet his Prayer would have been as filthy as his Perſon, if God had not heard him elſewhere than in the Belly of the Whale. My Prayer came in unto thee, into thine Holy Temple. That is, God heard him in Heaven. And therefore, though the Breath of Jonah could have no ſweetneſs, yet the Prayer that he breathed forth, came up as Incenſe and a ſweet Perfume before God as it came into the Holy Temple. Thus God hears the Prayers of his in Heaven; but the Prayers of the wicked he hears only upon Earth; he hears them when they ſpeak them, but God never hears their Prayers in the Mediation of Chriſt; but the Prayers of his own People he hears on Earth, as he is an omnipreſent and omnipotent God; and he hears them in Heaven as he is a gracious and reconciled Father. If thou doſt but Whiſper thy Prayer, God will hear it; that which is but whiſpered on Earth, it rings and eccho's in the Court of Heaven; and if Chriſt ſpeaks your Prayers over to God, they become ſo loud, that God cannot ſtop his Ears againſt them. The Voice of Prayer is not like other Voices, the further they reach the weaker they grow; no, that Voice which is ſo weak that it cannot be heard beyond the compaſs of thy Cloſet, yet when it is put forth in Prayer, it fills all Heaven with its ſound. But where is the encouragement unto Prayer in all this? If thou doſt belong to God, thou may'ſt have great encouragement to Prayer from the Conſideration of his Omnipreſence; for becauſe of this there is no Prayer of a Child of God but ſhall be heard in Heaven tho' it be uttered in ſecret: For conſider, that tho' Chriſt, as Man, is only in Heaven, yet Chriſt, as God, is everywhere preſent, and hears the Prayers of all Men in the World. Thoſe that are wicked he regards no further, but gives them the hearing; but for his own, he regards their Prayers, and preſents what he hears from them to God in Heaven; Chriſt makes his Omniſcience and Omnipreſence to be ſubſervient to the Work of his Mediatorſhip: One of his Offices is to be a faithful High-Prieſt and an Advocate to God for us; and Chriſt being ſuch an Advocate, that hears all the Suits and all the Cauſes of his Clients, we may be aſſured, that there is not one Prayer that God hears on Earth from us, but he hears it alſo in Heaven, through Chriſt. It was a notable Scoff of Elijah to Baal's Prieſts, 1 Kings 18.27. Cry aloud, for he is a God, &c. peradventure he ſleepeth and muſt be waked. As if he ſhould ſay, You ſerve an unworthy God, that cannot hear thoſe that pray unto him. And indeed how ſhould he do ſo, that is not Omnipreſent? He is talking, or he is purſuing, or travelling; Cry! Cry aloud! and, peradventure, if he ſleepeth, that will awaken him. But though you ſhould cry never ſo loud, though your Cry ſhould reach from Earth to Heaven, he would be ſilent; ſuch a God as yours could never hear. And therefore when Elijah himſelf came to pray, Verſe 36. the Text doth not tell us he cried aloud, but that he came neer. But when Baal's Prieſts roared and howled, like diſtracted Men, and cut themſelves in an idolatrous manner, Baal is not prevailed with to hear them. Now, Elijah came near; that is, he came in a calm and ſedate manner, and poured out his fervent compoſure to God, as knowing, that that God whom he prayed to, is preſent every-where. The Voice in Prayer is neceſſary upon a threefold Account:
Firſt, As it is that which God requires ſhould be imployed in his Service, for this is the great end why our Tongues were given to us, that by them we might bleſs and ſerve God, James 3.9.
Secondly, When in private it may be a Help and Means to raiſe up our own Affections and Devotions, then the Voice is requiſite, keeping it ſtill within the bounds of decency or privacy.
Thirdly, In our joyning alſo with others, it is a help likewiſe to raiſe and quicken their Affections; otherwiſe, were it not for theſe three Reaſons, the Voice is no more neceſſary to make known our Wants to God, than it is to make them known to our own Hearts; for God is always in us and with us, and knows what we have need of before we ask it.
Secondly, As the Conſideration of Ʋſe 2 of God's Omnipreſence ſhould encourage us in Prayer, as knowing that God certainly hears us, ſo it ſhould affect us with a Holy Awe and Reverence of God in all our Prayers and Duties, and in the whole Courſe of our Lives and Converſations. Certainly it is an excellent Meditation to prepare our Hearts to Duty, and to compoſe them in Duty, to be much pondering the Omnipreſence of God, to think that I am with God, he is preſent in the Room with me, even in the Congregation with me, and likewiſe in my Cloſet, and in all my Converſe and Dealings in the World: How can it be poſſible for that Man to be frothy and vain, that keeps this Thought alive in his Heart? If the Preſence of ſome Earthly Perſon ſtrike an Awe in our Hearts when we come before them, how much more ſhould the Conſideration of God's Preſence affect us with an Holy Fear? Suppoſe an Angel ſhould fly in the midſt of us, that are here preſent, with a ruſhing and dazling Glory, how would it make all our Hearts beat and throb within us? It would make us ſoon abandon all thoſe vain Thoughts that now we feed upon, thoſe Thoughts that eat out the Heart and Life of Duty; how much more ſhould it affect us and fill us with Holy Fear, that God is now and always in the midſt of us, whoſe Glory ſtains and ſullies the Beauty, and extinguiſhes the Light of Angels. Oh! that God, that is always preſent with us, ſhould be worſhipped and ſerved with a Holy Fear, and remembred with the greateſt Veneration. Now, to imprint this the more deeply, I ſhall ſuggeſt two or three Particulars.
Firſt, Becauſe God is in all things, therefore he ſees and knows all things. The Omniſcience of God is grounded upon his Omnipreſence, Jer. 23.24. Can any hide himſelf in ſecret places, that I ſhall not ſee him, ſaith the Lord; do not I fill Heaven and Earth, ſaith the Lord? Nothing in Heaven or Earth can be hid or concealed from God's Eye, Heb. 4.13. All things are naked and opened before the Lord. There is no Corner ſo retired, ſo ſhady, ſo dark, no Gulph ſo deep, that can hide any thing from the piercing diſcovery of his Eye: He knows our Thoughts, thoſe Nimble and thoſe Spiritual Things, that are ſo quick in their flight that they cannot be ſeized upon by any Creature in the World; God knows them, the Devil cannot know them, nor can an Angel know them; yet God diſcerns our Thoughts more clearly than we can diſcern the Faces of one another; he ſees our Thoughts afar off, as the Pſalmiſt tells us; he ſees our Thoughts in their firſt Conception, when they firſt begin to heave in our Breaſts; he knows the leaſt Windings and Turnings of our Souls. Now would not this compoſe us to an habitual and holy Awe of God, to be continually thinking that whatſoever we do, God's Eye is now upon us? Let every one ſay within himſelf, Where-ever I am, or whatever I do, I am in the Preſence of the Holy God, who takes notice of all my Carriages; there is not a Glance of mine Eye, but his Eye obſerves it; there is not an irreverent or unſeemly Geſture, but he takes notice of it; there is not a Thought of mine can eſcape, but he knows that Thought; and he knows my Down-lying and Ʋp-riſing, &c. Let this Conſideration ſeaſon your Lives and Converſations; be ſtill pondering in your Minds, That whatſoever you are doing, his Eye is upon you, and he is preſent with you.
Secondly, Conſider, That God not only ſees into all you do, but he ſees it to that very end that he may examine and ſearch into it. He doth not only behold you with a common and indifferent Look, but with a ſearching, watchful and inquiſitive Eye; he pries into the Reaſons, the Motives, the Ends of all your Actions. Pſal. 11.4. it is ſaid, The Lord's Throne is in Heaven; his Eyes behold, his Eye-lids try the Children of Men. Rev. 1.14. where Chriſt is deſcribed, it is ſaid, His Eyes are as a Flame of Fire. You know the Property of Fire is to ſearch and make trial of thoſe things that are expoſed unto it, and to ſeparate the Droſs from the pure Metal: So God's Eye is like Fire, to try and examine the Actions of Men; he knows and diſcerns how much your very pureſt Duties have in them of mixture and baſe ends of Formality, Hypocriſie, Diſtractedneſs and Deadneſs; he ſees through all your Specious Pretences, that which you caſt as a Miſt before the Eyes of Men, when yet thou art but a Juggler in Religion; all your Tricks and Sleights of Outward Profeſſion, all thoſe things that you uſe to cozen and delude Men withal, they cannot poſſibly impoſe upon him; he is a God that can look through all thoſe Fig-leaves of Outward Profeſſion, and diſcern the Nakedneſs of your Duties through them. In the laſt place,
Thirdly, God tries all your Caſes and Actions, in order to an Eternal Judgment and Sentence to be paſſed upon them. This Conſideration might damp the ſtouteſt Sinner's Heart in the whole World. Believe it, Sirs, God doth not only ſee your ways, but he ſees them ſo as to remember them againſt you another day; though you have forgot what you have thought and what you have ſpoken, and what you have done, yet God for ever remembers them, and at that day he will ſadly recall all theſe things again to your remembrance. Oh! that therefore this might prevail with you ſo to do every thing, as being now already under the Eye of God, and ſhortly muſt be under his Doom and Sentence. Now if God ſhould ſend an Angel to ſtand at our Backs, and tell us whatever we are doing, this Action of ours we muſt be judged for; it ſhould make us fearful of ſinning, as that Angel himſelf. True, we have no ſuch Monitor, but our Conſcience performs to us the ſame Office: Therefore charge it upon your Conſciences, that they ſtill put you in mind of God; that he ſees you; that he will judge you; and that he always looks upon you, and writes down in thoſe Eternal Leaves of his Memorial-Book, whatſoever proceeds from you, either in Duties of Religion, or the Actions of your Ordinary Courſe and Converſation: Therefore, becauſe he is Omnipreſent and ſees all things, ſtand in awe of his Omniſciency, whereby he ſees whatſoever we do, and whereby he will try and judge us at the laſt day.
FINIS.