perfect mimic, whereby he is of course the most unlike him of all men living. Sophronius just now paffed into the inner room directly forward: Jack comes as faft after as he can, for the right and left lookingglafs, in which he had but juft approved himself by a nod at each, and marched on. He will meditate within for half an hour till he thinks he is not careless enough in his air, and come back to the mirror to recollect his forgetfulness.

TATLER, Vol. I. No. 21.

GOD.

SIMONIDE

DIMONIDES being asked by Dionyfius the tyrant, what God was, defired a day's time to confider of it before he made his reply. When the day was expired, he defired two days; and afterwards inftead of returning his anfwer, demanded still double time to con fider of it. This great poet and philofopher, the more he contemplated the nature of the Deity, found that he waded but the more out of his depth; and that he loft himself in the thought, inftead of finding an end of it.

If we confider the idea which wife men, by the light of reafon, have framed of the Divine Being, it amounts to this; that he has in him all the perfection of a fpiritual nature; and fince we have no notion of any kind of fpiritual perfections but what we difcover in our own fouls, we join infinitude to each kind of thefe perfections, and what is a faculty in an human foul becomes an attribute in God. We exift in place and time, the Divine Being fills the immenfity of space with his prefence, and inhabits eternity. We are poffefled of a little power, and a little knowledge; the Divine Being is Almighty and Omnifcient.

In fhort, by adding infinity to any kind of perfection we enjoy, and by joining all thefe different kinds of perfections in one being, we form our idea of the great Sovereign of nature.

Though every one who thinks, must have made this

obfervation, I fhall produce Mr. Locke's authority to the fame purpose, out of his effay upon human underftanding. If we examine the idea we have of the in'comprehenfible, Supreme Being, we fhall find, that we come by it the fame way; and that the complex ideas we have both of God and feparate fpirits, are 'made up of the fimple ideas we receive from reflection, v. g. having from what we experience in ourselves; 'got the ideas of existence and duration, of knowledge and power, of pleasure and happinefs, and of feveral 'other qualities and powers, which is better to have 'than to be without; when we would frame an idea 'the most fuitable we can to the Supreme Being, we enlarge every one of thefe with our idea of infinity; and fo putting them together, make our complex idea of God."

It is not impoffible that there may be many kinds of fpiritual perfection, befides thofe which are lodged in an human foul; but it is impoffible that we thould have ideas of any kinds of perfection, except those of which we have fome fmall rays and fhort imperfect ftrokes in ourselves. It would be therefore a very high ́ prefumption to determine whether the Supreme Being has not many more attributes than thofe which enter into our conceptions of him. This is certain, that if there be any kind of fpiritual perfection which is not marked out in an human foul, it belongs in its fulness of the Divine nature.

Several eminent philofophers have imagined that the foul in her feparate ftate, may have new faculties fpringing up in her, which fhe is not capable of exerting during her prefent union with the body; and whether thefe faculties may not correfpond with other attributes in the Divine nature, and open to us hereafter new matter of wonder and adoration, we are altogether ignorant. This, as I have faid before, weˆ ought to acquiefce in, that the Sovereign Being, the great Author of nature has in him all poffible perfection, as well in kind as in degree; to speak according. to our methods of conceiving. I fall only add under this head, that when we have raised our notion

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of this infinite Being as high as it is poffible for the mind of man to go, it will fall infinitely fhort of what he really is. There is no end of his greatness: The most exalted creature he has made, is only capable of adoring it; none but himfelf can comprehend it.

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The advice of the fon of Sirach is very just and sublime in this light. By his word all things confift. Wie may speak much, and yet come short: Wherefore in Jum, he is all. How shall we be able to magnify him? For he is great above all his works. The Lord is terrible, and very great; and marvellous in his power. When you glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as you can; for even yet will he far exceed. And when you exalt him, put forth all your ftrength, and be not weary for you can never go far enough. Who has feen him that he might tell us? And who can magnify him as he is? There are yet hid greater things than these be, for we have feen but a few of his works.

I have here only confidered the Supreme Being by the light of reafon and philofophy. If we would fee him in all the wonders of his mercy, we must have recourse to revelation, which reprefents him to us, not only as infinitely great and glorious, but as infinitely good and juft in his difpenfations towards man. But as this is a theory which falls under every one's confideration, though indeed it can never be fufficiently confidered, I fhall here only take notice of that habitual worship and veneration which we ought to pay to this Almighty Being. We fhould often refresh our minds with the thoughts of him, and annihilate ourdelves before him, in the contemplation of our own worthleffnefs, and of his tranfcendent excellency and perfection. This would imprint in our minds fuch a conftant and uninterrupted awe and veneration as that which I am here recommending, and which is in reality a kind of inceffant prayer, and reasonable humiliation of the foul before him who made it.

This would effectually kill in us all the little feeds of pride, vanity, and felf-conceit, which are apt to fhoot up in the minds of fuch whofe thoughts turn more on those comparative advantages which they enjoy over fome of their fellow-creatures, than on that infinite

distance which is placed between them and the Supreme Model of all perfection. It would likewife quicken our defires and endeavours of uniting ourselves to him by all the acts of religion and virtue.

Such an habitual homage to the Supreme Being would, in a particular manner, banifh from among us the prevailing impiety of ufing his name on the moft trivial occafions.

I find the following paffage in an excellent fermon, preached at the funeral of a gentleman who was an honour to his country, and a more diligent as well as fuccefsful inquirer into the works of nature, than any other our nation has ever produced :

"He had the profoundest veneration for the great God of Heaven and earth, that I have ever obferved in any perfon. The very name of God was never mentioned by him without a pause, and a visible stop in his discourse; in which one who knew him most particularly above twenty years, has told me that he was fo exact that he does not remember to have obferved him once to fail in it."

Every one knows the veneration which was paid by the Jews to a name fo great, wonderful, and holy. They would not let it even enter into their religious discourses. What can we then think of those who make use of so tremendous a name in the ordinary expreffions of their anger, mirth, and moft impertinent paffions? Of those who admit it into the most familiar queftions and affertions, ludicrous phrafes, and works of humour? Not to mention thofe who violate it by folemn perjuries: It would be an affront to reason to endeavour to fet forth the horror and profaneness of fuch a practice. The very mention of it expofes it fufficiently to thofe in whom the light of nature, not to fay religion, is not utterly extinguifhed.-O.

SIR,

SPECTATOR, Vol. VII. No. 531.

IN your paper of Friday, the 9th inft. you had oc cafion to confider the ubiquity of the Godhead, and at the fame time, to fhew, that as he is prefent to every VOL. II. I

thing, he cannot but be attentive to every thing, and privy to all the modes and parts of its exiftence; or, in other words, that his omnifcience and omniprefence are co-existent, and run together through the whole infinitude of space. This confideration might furnish us with many incentives to devotion, and motives to morality; but as this fubject has been handled by feveral excellent writers, I fhall confider it in a light wherein I have not feen it placed by others.

First, How difconfolate is the condition of an intellectual Being who is thus prefent with his Maker, but at the fame time receives no extraordinary benefit or advantage from this his prefence !

Secondly, How deplorable is the condition of an intellectual being, who feels no other effects from this his prefence, but fuch as proceed from Divine wrath and indignation!

Thirdly, How happy is the condition of that intellectual being, who is fenfible of his Maker's prefence from the fecret effects of his mercy and loving-kindnefs !

First, How difconfolate is the condition of an intellectual being, who is thus prefent with his Maker, but at the fame time receives no extraordinary benefit or advantage from this his prefence! Every particle of matter is actuated by this Almighty Being which paffes through it. The heavens and earth, the ftars and planets, move and gravitate by virtue of this great principle within them. All the dead parts of nature are invigorated by the prefence of their Creator, and made capable of exerting their refpective qualities. The feveral inftincts in the brute creation, do like wife operate and work towards the feveral ends which are agreeable to them, by this divine energy. Man only, who does not co-operate with his Holy Spirit,and is unattentive to his prefence, receives none of thofe advantages from it, which are perfective of his nature, and neceffary to his well being. The divinity is with him, and in him, and every where about him, but of no advantage to him. It is the fame thing to a man with out religion, as if there were no God in the world. It