SECTION III
The All-Seeing Presence
The author establishes the foundational truth of God's omnipresence through scriptural witness.
That God is present in every place, that he sees every action, hears every conversation, and understands every thought, is nothing strange to a Christian ear that has been taught this doctrine—not only by sound reason and the agreement of all the wise in the world, but also by God himself in holy Scripture. “Am I a God close at hand, says the Lord, and not a God far away? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I will not see him? says the Lord.✦ Do I not fill heaven and earth?” “And there is no creature that is not laid bare in his sight; but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to deal.”✦1 Jer. 23.
In Him We Live
God is described as the infinite, indivisible environment in which all creation exists.
23, 24. “For in him we live and move and have our being.”✦ Heb. 4. 13.✦ God is wholly in every place; contained in no place; not bound with cords except those of love; not divided into parts, nor changeable into various shapes; filling heaven and earth with his present power and with his never-absent nature.✦2 So St. Augustine. Acts 17.3
Enclosed in His Infinite Nature
The chapter concludes with a devotional metaphor illustrating the inescapable reality of living within God's presence.
28.✦ expresses this point.✦4 So we may picture God as the air and the sea, and all of us enclosed in his circle, wrapped in the lap of his infinite nature—or as infants in the wombs of their pregnant mothers. And we can no more be taken out of God's presence than out of our own being.✦
Read the original Latin
That God is present in all places, that he sees every action, hears all discourses and understands every thought, is no strange thing to a Christian ear who hath been taught this doctrine, not only by right reason and the consent of all the wise men in the world, but also by God himself in holy Scripture. ‘Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ ‘Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.’ Jer. xxiii.
23, 24. “For in him we live and move and have our being.’ Heb. iv. 13. God is wholly in every place; included in no place; not bound with cords, except those of love; not divided into parts, nor changeable into several shapes; filling heaven and earth with his present power and with his never absent nature. So St. AugustineActs xvii.
28. expresses this article. So that we may imagine God to be as the air and the sea, and we all enclosed in his circle, wrapped up in the lap of his infinite nature; or as infants in the wombs of their pregnant mothers: and we can no more be removed from the presence of God than from our own being.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Jer.23.23-Jer.23.24 — Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Jer.23.24 — Can a person hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
- ↩Heb.4.13 — And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
- ↩Acts.17.28 — For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
- ↩Heb.4.13 — And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
- ↩Jer.23.24 — Can a person hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
- ↩Acts.17.28 — For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
- ↩Acts.17.28 — For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
- ↩Acts.17.28 — For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
Notes
- 1 ↩Source “with whom we have to do” is the older English rendering of the Hebrews 4:13 phrase; modernized as “with whom we have to deal,” preserving the sense of accountability before God rather than casual interaction.
- 2 ↩“Included in no place” is rendered “contained in no place” to keep the classical omnipresence claim: God is fully present everywhere without being enclosed by any place.
- 3 ↩Source reads “AugustineActs xvii.”—almost certainly a merge of the saint’s name with the book citation. Rendered as “Augustine. Acts 17.” The following section’s “28.” likely completes “Acts 17:28.”
- 4 ↩Early modern 'article' here means a doctrinal point or statement of teaching, not a written article.
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