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confidered infinite space as the recep-tacle, or rather the habitation of the Almighty but the noblest and moft exalted way of confidering this infinite space is that of Sir Ifaac Newton, who calls it the Senforium of the Godhead. Brutes and men have their fenforiola, or little fenforiums, by which they apprehend the prefence, and perceive the actions of a few objects, that lie contiguous to them. Their knowledge and obfervation turns within a very narrow circle. But as God Almighty cannot but perceive and know every thing in which he refides, infinite space gives room to infinite knowledge, and is, as it were, an organ to omniscience.

Were the foul feparate from the body, and with one glance of thought fhould fart beyond the bounds of the creation; fhould it for millions of years continue its progrefs through infinite fpace with the fame activity, it would still find itfelf within the embrace of its Creator, and encompaffed round with the immenfity of the Godhead. While we are in the body he is not lefs prefent with us, because he is concealed from us. "O that I knew where I might find him! fays Job. Behold, I go forward but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On' the left hand, where he does work, but I cannot behold him : he hideth himfelf on the right hand that I cannot fee him." In short, reafon, as well as revelation affures us, that he cannot be absent from us, notwithstanding he is undifcovered by us.

I

In this confideration of God Almighty's omniprefence and omnifcience, every uncomfortable thought vanishes. He cannot but regard every thing that has being, efpecially fuch of his creatures who fear they are not regarded by him. He is privy to all their thoughts, and to that anxiety of heart in particular, which is apt to trouble them on this occafion : for as it is impoffible he should overlook any of his creatures, fo we may be confident that he regards, with an eye VOL. II. No. 17..

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THA

HAT your Lordship's unhappy petitioner, though heretofore careffed, and acknowledged as the moft useful and valuable fervant of mankind, is of late, through fome unnatural prejudices of education, or corruption of manners, become either hamefully neglected, or notoriously ill-ufed. And though on all hands his abilities in teaching, and bring ing to perfection the greatest and most ufeful defigns, are acknowledged; yet it is aftonishing to fee in what uselefs and trifling concerns he is engaged by fome, and what vile and infamous drudgery he goes through for others. Some have employed him many years together in teaching them the art of managing a pack of cards to the best advantage; the confequence of which is, ruin if they do not fucceed, and infamy if they do whereas, if they had fo pleased, he would with lefs trouble have taught them to conduct an army or a fleet, by which they might have gained advantages to their country, and glory to themselves. Others drag him at their heels from one place of idle amusement to another, never confidering how he exhaufts his fpirits, and confumes himfelf in following them; nor fuffering him to do them any fubftantial service, though they know him to be so well qualified for it. Nay, it can be proved, that daily attempts are made upon the life of your faid petitioner fome being fo abandoned as to confefs their Rr barbarous

barbarous and unnatural defire to murder him, and openly, and without fhame, folicit their vile companions to join with them in the wicked defign: infomuch that your petitioner is obliged to go conftantly armed with a very formidable weapon; the terror of which, though it ferves to keep fome few in awe, is yet not fufficient to deter thefe defperate.wretches from their determined and conftant attempts to kill him. The many cruel wounds your petitioner has received from the hands of thefe ruffians, have brought upon him Inumberlefs evils and calamities; which, together with the weight of years he now labours under, render his prefent ftate a scene of misfortunes and mifery. In the midst of his diftreffes, however, it is matter of great confolation to your faid petitioner, that the wife and vit. tuous, fome few of whom remain to comfort his old age, take every opportunity of cherishing and mak ing much of him; and agree in commiferating his misfortunes, and

lamenting the ill ufage he receives from the aforefaid foolish and aban

doned profligates. But notwithftanding thefe noble examples, fuch is the force of custom, and the prevalence of fashion, that every poffible outrage ftill continues to be committed with impunity against the perfon of your abufed petitioner, the moft ancient and most ufeful fervant of mankind.

It is therefore most humbly prayed, that your lordships will take the premifes into your ferious confideration, and in your great wifdoms contrive fome effectual means or laws to prevent or punish thefe grofs infults, and unpardonable outrages, committed against an old man, paft the best of his years, hourly declining, and daily expecting to refign his being to one, who will never forget the injuries done to his predecessor:

And your petitioner, as in duty bound, fhall pray for the increase of your happiness to the end of time.

1

MIS CELL A NIE S.

ON THE

BENEFITS OF INDUSTRY.

IND

INDUSTRY is a virtue of ineftimable value. It not only promotes every thing that is good and virtuous, but refifts every thing that is bad and vicious: Industry affords the most ample fatisfaction to a virtuous difpofition: because it beftows the most valuable gratifications. It is both the inftrument of improvement, and the foundation of pleasure." Labour itself is a pleasure," fays the poet. Man. kind are apt to call the vain purfuits of life pleasure, but that very falfely; for what are they but fo many deceptions? At beft they af

ford no real fatisfaction, and are unworthy to be compared with those real and fubftantial pleafures which arife from induftry; whatever joys. are real must be valuable; and upon due confideration it is evident, that no real enjoyments are attainable without industry.

Health which gives a relish to every other poffeffion, and is on that account the chiefeft bleffing of life, is foon impaired without industrious exercise; for moderate exercife is as requifite to promote bodily health, as natural food is to afford nourishment; it not only prevents difeafes, and gives ftrength and vigour to the conftitution, but qualifies us for the enjoyment of fuch real delights as the floth ful

indolence

indolence of fenfuality and intem-ments thereof in ignorance; where

perance cannot attain.

Honour likewife is the natural production of industry-" Seeft thou a man diligent in his bufinefs" fays Solomon, "He fhall ftand before kings, he shall not ftand before mean men." For diligence creates efteem and confidence it foon attracts the observation, and confequently the regard of mankind; every man for his own advantage will employ a perfon of that character in every office of life; he who neglects his business, and follows recreations instead thereof, will in a little time have no business to follow; for none will employ him, or have any particular concern with him; and as the only motive for giving the preference to the induftrious man is founded on interest; he will be fure to reap all the advantages fo justly due to his merit fo long as he remains diligent; for he will of courfe not only obtain honour and esteem, but riches too, which are another valuable reward of industry- The hand of the diligent maketh rich," faith the wifeman; "but the foul of the fluggard defireth and hath nothing." Industry places a man above all reafonable apprehenfions of want, and qualifies him to affift others. It almoft in general, produces a fuccefsful maintenance with credit and esteem, and confequently yields true fatisfaction; for what greater pleasure and delight can a man ever experience, than to enjoy the fruits of his own honeft industry?

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Wisdom is likewife unattainable without this virtue: for exercise is equally beneficial to the mind as well as the body; no knowledge of arts and fciences can be required without due application and study; the poisonous productions of vice will be fure to pollute the mind that is not employed in worthy purfuits; befides, idlenefs will moft furély fix and ftagnate the endow

as industry and application will not only enlarge its faculties, but create a defire for higher improvements; for the more any one improves in wisdom, the more he defires to be acquainted with her; for "her ways are ways of pleafantnefs, and all her paths are peace."

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Now when any one acquires thefe valuable bleffings of health, honour, riches and wifdom, merely by moderate application and honest industry; he has a right to rejoice, and undoubtedly, upon reflection, will be fatisfied from himfelf." Conscience must of course give her teftimony, with complacency and approbation; chearfulness and felfenjoyment muft unavoidably enfue; befides, there is another confiderationwhich will very much enhance his joy; he not only obtains his own and the approbation of his fellow-creatures, but what is greater importance, the approbation of Almighty God-For God not only teaches the advantageous duty of industry throughout all his works, but with peculiar energy impreffeth it in the holy fcriptures.

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In short, industry is productive of every good, while indolence and floth create nothing but evil: for the confequences of indolence do not confift merely in lofing the comforts of life, but in the certain acquifition of evil and mischief; our nature is ill calculated for mere inactivity he who has no proper employment, will probably wander after that which is improper, and from doing no good, proceed to do ill; industry and floth are diame trically oppofite, as well in practice as in confequence; for whatever good the one promotes, the other is fure to destroy; induftry is not only va luable as productive of the greatest good, but as a prefervative from the greatest evil; whereas floth is not only odious as productive of the greatest evil, but as depriving us of all attainable bleffings; there

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T

HE Deity is effentially pre. fent through all the immenfity of fpace; but there is one part of it in which he difcovers himself in a moft vifible and tranfcendent glory: This is that place which is marked out in fcripture, under the different appellations of Paradife, the third heaven, the throne of God, and the habitation of his glory. It is here where the glorihed body of our Saviour exifts, and where all the celeftial hierarchies, and the innumerable hofts of angels are reprefented as perpetually furrounding the feat of God, with hallelujah's and hymns of praife. This is that prefence of God, which fome divines call his glorious, and others his majeftic prefence. He is indeed as effentially prefent in all other places as in this; but it is here where he refides in magnificence, in the midst of all thofe fplendours which can affect the imagination of created beings.

As in Solomon's temple there was

the fanctum fanctorum, in which the fhechinah, or vifible glory appeared among the cherubims, and into which none but the high-priest himfelf was permitted to enter, after having made an atonement for the fins of the people; fo, if we confider the whole creation as one great temple, there is in it this holy of holies, into which the high-prieft of our falvation entered, and took his place among the angels, and arch angels, after having made a propitiation for the fins of mankind. This doctrine is both. agreeable to reafon and the holy fcriptures. Dives begs of Abraham to fend Lazarus from heaven, with a meffage to his brethren upon earth. Paul was caught up to the third heaven; the rebel angels were caft down into hell and as hell, into which they were caft, is a place, heaven, from whence they were caft, must be a place alfo.

Sic iter ad aftra

;

Reptes humi quicunque velit
Cœlo reftat iter cælo tentabimus ire.

THE

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTOR.

No. IV.

Like the deaf adder that ftoppeth her ears against the voice of the charmer charm he ever fo wifely.”

T

HOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and addrefs myfelf to fuch an audience as hath not wifcom nor a will to chufe the best means conducive to the best end, I am become as founding brafs or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, fo that I could remove mountains, that is, all impediments and obftructions placed in the way to truth and revelation, to reafon and common sense. And speaking to men of perverse hu

mours

mours and ftubborn tempers, who being as fond of their prejudices as ever Job was of his integrity, hold them faft and will not let them go, I am nothing, nothing of value in their estimation. And though I beftow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have it not my lot to preach to a wife and understanding people, it profiteh me nothing. My endeavours will be of little availance, or of no power to enlighten or convert them, fo as to turn them from the bondage of fin and flavery, to wifdom and the glorious liberty of the fons of God. What St. Paul saith of the excellence of charity, may perhaps with equal propriety, be faid of wifdom and prudence. They fuffer long, and are kind. They envy not, they vaunt not themselves, they are not puffed up they do not behave themfelves unfeemly: though they feek that which is their own, they yet do it with difcretion, which keepeth her poffeffors from evil. Wifdom, heavenly wisdom, with her ever faithful attendant prudence and difcretion, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. They that poffefs her, must be obedient to her voice: they will not be like the deaf (and stubborn and perverse) adder, that floppeth her ears against the voice of the charmer, charming ever fo wifely.Wifdom beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endur. eth all things. Whatever wildom faith or decrees, that is beft. Wifdom never faileth; fo long as the throne of the moft High ftandeth, she liveth. But whether there be prophecies, they fhall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall ceafe; whether there be knowledge, it fhall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part; but when we are removed hence to have our habitation with wifdom in all her glory, then that which is in part ihall be done away. When I am without wisdom, I am as a child, I fpeak as a child, I understand as a

child, I think as a child; but when I think and act wifely, I become a man, I then put away childish things. For now (in the midst of half wisdom and half knowledge) we fee through a glafs darkly; but then face to face, in the full perfection of beauty. Now I know in part, but then shall I know (know all the worth and excellency of heavenly things) even as I am known of wildom. And now abideth faith, hope, wisdom, thefe three; but the greatest of thefe is wisdom.

I could not fay more in praife of wifdom, than what Solomon faith of her in the 8th chapter of Proverbs. I prefume he there treats wifdom in the great and fublime tile of prophecy; comprehending, under that name, Chrift the Redeemer, the Meffiah, in whom dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Doth not wifdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? unto you men I call, and my voice is to the fons of men. O ye fimple, understand wisdom; audiye fools, be ye of an understanding heart: hear, for I will fpeak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips fhall be right things: for my mouth fhall fpeak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. Receive my inftruction and not filver, and knowledge rather than fine gold. For wildom is better than rubies, and all things that may be defired are not to be compared to it. I wifdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The Lord (the Lord Chrift, as being the very way to happiness, the truth, and the life) poffeffed me in the beginning of his way, (by whom the world was made) before his works of old. I was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was-(Verily, verily, I fay unto you, faid our Lord to the Jews) before Abraham was, I am.) When there was no depth I was brought forth, before the mountains were-before the hills were settled was I brought forth. Before the mountains were brought forth (lays the royal

prophet

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