ing, and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the Sea, even There fhall thy Hand lead me, and thy Right-hand fhall hold me. Swift are the Wings of the Morning, those fprightly Rays, the Meffengers of Light, which in a Moment dart themselves from Heaven to Earth; And yet, if our Activity were equal to Theirs, we should be utterly Incapable of flying, or being in the least removed, from the Face of Him who is prefent to Every Being, and according to the Apostle's Expreffion, with which I fhall conclude this Head, Who filleth all in all*. Hence therefore I proceed

II. To draw fome Inferences from this Doctrine of God's Omniprefence. And,

ift, The Belief of it should raise in us the utmost Reverence towards him. Majefty does in fo forcible a Manner command the tribute of Refpect from us, that we cannot easily prevail with our felyes to with-hold it. The Prefence of a Prince does Naturally strike awful Apprehenfions upon our Minds, and we muft offer fome violence to our felves

* Eph. i. 23.

before

before we can either prevent or rase out fuch Impreffions. How ought we then to Revere the Almighty, in whom we live and move and have our Being. Those Profane and Impious men, who make their Senfes the fole Judges in Determining the Existence of Things, do of course exclude fuch Reverential Thoughts of God as are deducible from the Belief of his Omniprefence; But the Wifer part of Mankind, very well knowing that the Evidence of Faith is no lefs to be depended on, than That of Senfe, and Therefore being abundantly affured, that the Effence or Subftance of God fills Heaven and Earth, do, on that account, indulge in their minds the moft Honourable and Awful conceptions of him. For what Bounds can be Prescribed to the veneration of him whofe Effence is unbounded and Infinite? Or, how is it poffible for us to reflect Attentively upon our being in his Immediate Prefence without the Proftration of our Souls before him?

2dly, The Belief of his Omnipresence fhould introduce and preferve upon our Minds, an Habitual Fear of Offending

him. Thofe Actions which cannot bear the Light do naturally feek for Darkness as their Refuge. And this is one Reaon why Wickedness is, in Scripture, ftyled Works of Darkness. Fear of Difcovery may oblige Flagitious Men to proceed with fome Degrees of Caution and Reserve in that part of their Behaviour which falls under publick Obfervation: But when close Retirement becomes the Scene of Action, and they are no longer apprehenfive that the Eye of Man can reach them, they then lay afide all Restraint, and freely execute all the Imaginations of their Hearts which are Evil continually.. Thus do Men vainly flatter themselves with the Hopes of Security, not confidering that they are all the while Manifeft in the Sight of God, from whofe Eyes the thickest Darkness cannot Cover us, and whofe Prefence the most Solitary Recefs does not exclude. For, if we fhould find out fome of those lonely Apartments of Nature where no Living Creatures dwell, and There take up our Abode; even There fhould we find the Almighty;

There

There would our Actions, and our Thoughts too, be as Confpicuous to Him, as if we were placed in the publick View of the World. And what Confideration can more powerfully restrain us from Offending God, than a deep Sense of this his Continual Prefence with us? To what height of Impudence and Defiance must we be arrived, when we dare, as it were to Affront God to his Face, by doing those things which are difpleafing to him, at the fame time that we confider him as Beholding us? Or is it indeed poffible to confider him as Beholding us, to have such a strong and lively Conviction of his Omniprefence upon our minds, as we ought to have, and yet be prevailed upon to commit fuch actions before him, as we fhould not dare to Commit before even an Equal, or Inferiour?

3dly, The Belief of God's Omniprefence should encourage us to go through every part of our Obedience and Duty with Pleasure and Delight. And the Truth of this obfervation may in fome meafure be Illuftrated even from the Principles and Practices of Hypocrites themfelves. Their Industrious Display of Good Ff works

works before men, that they may receive Praise from Them, fhews how apt we are to be delighted with an apprehenfion, that our virtues are obferved and approved, notwithstanding that they do moft finfully abuse and mifapply this Apprehenfion. 'Tis undoubtedly Natu ral to defire that our Light fo fhine as to be observed; But 'tis the Corruption of this Defire to wifh, and ftudy, and contrive, that our virtues may be seen of men, purely in order to gain Praise from them; As it is, on the other hand, the Improvement of this natural Defire, to propofe to our felves the being observed and approved by the Almighty, or by men for the fake of Advancing his Honour, and Their Spiritual advantage. There is nothing more certain, than that virtue is more agreeable to our Nature than vice, if our nature be confidered in its pureft and beft State; But fuch are our Depravities, that we should in many inftances give vice the Precedency, and neglect the tedious Prefcriptions of virtue, if we were not firmly perfuaded, that God does Regard and will not forget our work and labour that proceedeth of love.

But