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VIII.

in the prefence of our Judge, who con- SER M. tinually observes us, and in due time will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counfels of the Hearts, 1 Cor. iv. 5. It will teach us to be as much afraid of committing any Sin or Impurity in Secret, as in the Face of the Sun and in the prefence of all mankind; confidering that our most private misdeeds are set before him, and our fecret fins in the Light of his countenance, Pf. xc. 8. and that all the wickedness men now commit in private, fhall one day be published before all the Inhabitants of Heaven and Earth. Lastly, it will oblige us to govern even our very Thoughts and Defires, and indeavour to keep them in continual Subjection to the Law of God; feeing that He who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, fearches even our very Hearts and Reins with his intimate prefence and allfeeing Eye. O Lord, thou hast fearched me out, and known me; thou knoweft my down-fitting and mine up-rifing; thou underftandeft my Thoughts long before: Thou art about my path, and about my bed, and

And

SER M. fpieft out all my ways; Pf. cxxxix. 1. VIII. Heb. iv. 12, The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any. twoedged fword, piercing even to the dividing afunder of Soul and Spirit, and of the joynts and marrow; and is a difcerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart: Neither is there any Creature that is not manifest in his Sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

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3dly, and to conclude; FROM the confideration of God's being Omnipresent, it follows that his Power (as well as Knowledge,) is unlimited; to be everywhere relied on by Good men, and to be feared by Bad. As there is no Time, fo neither is there any Place, where he is not at hand to protect his Servants. Pf. xlvi. 1, God is our refuge and ftrength, a very prefent Help in Trouble; Therefore will we not fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea. And Hab. iii. Tho' the 17, fig-tree fall not bloffom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; tho' the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no

meat;

my

meat; though the flock fhall be cut off from SER M. the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the VIII. Stalls: yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will' joy in the God of my Salvation. But the most affectionate inftance in the whole Scripture, of relying on the omnipresent 7 power of God, is that of Jonah in the Whale's belly, ch. ii. 2. Out of the belly of Hell I cried, and thou hear deft Voice: In the midst of the Seas, the floods compassed me about; all thy billows and thy waves passed over me: The depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapt about my Head: I went down to the bottoms of the Mountains, the Earth with her bars was about me for ever; (It should not have been tranflated, was about me for ever; For That was not fo; But, the Earth with her everlasting bars was about me :) yet I remembred the Lord, and my Prayer came unto thee. The fame confideration ought likewife on the contrary, to be a Terror to wicked and impenitent Sinners; that there is no poffible place, where they can efcape God's justice, or avoid the vengeance of omniprefent wrath. The Anger of Man, as it is but VOL. I. O

of

N

Plato.

SERM. of fhort duration, fo it can be but of small VII. extent, and may generally be fled from: But from the judgement of God, fays an. excellent Heathen-writer, let no man hope. to be able to efcape: For though you could defcend into the very depth of the Earth, or fly on high to the extremities of the Heavens; yet fhould you never escape the juft judgement of God, either before or after Death. The very fame thing is expressed more emphatically by the Holy Ghost in Scripture, Pf. cxxxix. 6, go then from thy Spirit, then from thy prefence? into Heaven, thou art there:

I

go

Whither shall I whither shall

or

If I climb up

if I go down to Hell, thou art there alfo: If I take the wings of the morning, that is, if I could flee as fwift as the morning-light, which darts in a moment from under one end of Heaven to the other; and remain in the uttermost parts of the fea: even there alfo Shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand fhall hold me. Again; Amos ix. 2, Though they dig into Hell, thence hall mine hand take them; tho' they climb up to Heaven, thence will I bring them down: Though they hide themfelves in the top of Carmel, I will

Search

Jearch them out thence; and though they be SER M. hid in the bottom of the fea, thence will I VIII. command the ferpent and he shall bite them. And Job xxxiv. 21, His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he feeth all his goings; There is no darkness, nor fhadow of Death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themfelves. And to mention but one place more; Ecclus. xvi. 17, Say not thou, I will bide myself from the Lord: Shall any remember me from above? I shall not be remembred among fo many people: for what is my foul among fuch an infinite number of Creatures? Say not thou thus, faith he; For behold, the Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens, the Deep and the Earth, and all that therein is, fhall be moved when he shall vifit; The mountains alfo and foundations of the Earth fhall be fhaken with trembling, when the Lord looketh upon them: No heart (fays he) can think upon these things worthily; and Who is able to conceive his ways?

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