present with all creatures. "Where shall I flee from your presence?"
(2.) In the saints, by knowledge and love;
(3.) In the church, by his essence and direction;
(4.) In heaven, by his majesty and glory;
(5.) In hell, by his vindictive justice.
Hemingius says, There is a fourfold presence of God—
(1.) There is a presence of power in all men, even in the reprobates;
(2.) A presence of grace, only in the elect;
(3.) A presence of glory, in the angels, and saints departed;
(4.) A hypostatic presence of the Father with the Son.
But, if you please, you may take notice that there is a sixfold presence of the Lord—
1. First, There is a GENERAL presence of God, and thus he is present with all creatures. "Where shall I flee from your presence?" Psalm 139:7. Empedocles, the philosopher, said well, that "God is a circle, whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere." God is not bound by any place, and not excluded from any place. Says another: "God is the soul of the world; his eye is in every corner, etc." To which purpose they so portrayed their goddess Minerva, that whichever way one cast his eye, she always beheld him. Though heaven is God's palace—yet it is not his prison. Diana's temple was burned down when she was busy at Alexander's birth, and could not be at two places together—but God is present both in paradise and in the wilderness at the same time. "God is higher than
the heaven, deeper than hell, broader than the earth, and more diffuse than the sea!" —Bernard.
1 Kings 8:27, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built?" By the heaven of heavens is meant that which called the empyreal heaven, where the angels and the departed saints enjoy the glorious and beatific vision of God; and it is called the heaven of heavens, both because it is the highest and does contain the other heavens within its orb; and also by way of excellency, as the "most holy place" in the temple is called the "holy of holies," because it far surpasses all the rest in splendor and glory, Isaiah 66:1; Proverbs 5:21; Heb. 4:13; Job 26:6.
Jer. 23:24, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I should not see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord." Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." God is all eye. The poor heathen could say, "God is nearer to us than we are to ourselves." Repletively he is everywhere, though inclusively nowhere. Job 34:21, "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he sees all his goings;" verse 22, "There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." Sinners shall never be able to shroud themselves nor their actions, from God's all-seeing eye.
The Rabbis called God Place, because he is in every place, though in the assemblies of his saints more eminently and gloriously. God is present with all his creatures—
(1.) Via productionis, by raising them up;
(2.) Via sustentationis, by sustaining and keeping of them up; they are his family, and he feeds and clothes them, Mat. 5:45;