ments, and prompts us to tranfgrefs under the Appearance of greater Secrecy and Security, then particularly let us remember, that the Closet is to God as the HoufeTop, the Darkness even as Noon-Day, and that the Almighty is a more intimate and tremendous Witness of our Iniquity than if thousands of our Fellow-Creatures were Spectators of it.

BUT, 2dly, this Senfe of God's Omniscience, as He is our Great Rewarder, is an excellent Incitement to our attaining the Purity of Christian Holiness.

Walk before me, fays GOD to Abraham, and be thou perfect: So that there is a Connection between the one and the other ; and by walking before God, i.e. by behaving ourselves as Perfons under God's continual Notice, alone it is that we shall arrive at true Perfection; for if God, who is the bountiful Rewarder of all his Servants, be conftantly ready and present with us, obferving every Motion and Inclination of the Heart; what more affecting Inducement to a fincere and entire Obedience; if we have any Respect to the Recompence of the Reward, how shall

VOL. I.

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we

we endeavour to keep up cur Pretenfions, to heighten and advance fuch our Reward, by improving in every Virtue, and growing up in every Divine Grace, not one righteous Thought or pious Inclination, not one A&t of Devotion, or Afpiration after Heaven, will be like Water fpilt on the Ground, but all Works of Faith; our Patience of Hope, and Labour of Love, every Circumftance of godly Obedience will be remembered to our eternal Glory and Happiness. So that this Argument takes in not only the overt Acts of our Duty, but extends to the Sincerity of our Thoughts and Intentions; God, who to reward, obferves them both with the Eye of Jealoufy, and our fecret Imaginations are as open in his Sight as our most publick Actions. Since Purity of Heart can alone recommend us to the Divine Acceptance, and Purity of Heart ought as naturally to flow from the habitual Senfe of God's continual Notice and Infpection over us as Purity of Action. Thus then, by fetting God always before us, by making the Almighty, as He is the conftant Obferver, fo

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likewise

.

likewife the habitual Object of our Thoughts, the End of all our Actions: He will be ever on our Right-hand, that we fhall not fall; his Providence will support the natural Man, his Grace will support the moral Man; and by thus making his Effential Prefence familiar to us here, we can alone fecure to ourselves an Admittance to view Him Face to Face hereafter, and make his glorious Prefence pleasurable to all Eternity.

BUT, Good Lord! how dreadful is the Thought of our standing continually in thy View how awful is every Place rendered by thy Prefence in thy Sight the Heavens themselves are not clean : How abominable then shall finful Duft and Afhes appear before thee! Thou fearcheft our Hearts, thou trieft our Thoughts, but, good Lord! while thou thus searcheft, purify; be prefent with us by thy Effence; fo, by thy Grace, look well if there be any Way of Wickedness in us, that thou mayeft reform it; make us as thou will be graciously pleas'd to accept, and then we shall dare, we fhall rejoice to approach thee; purify us by the Influences

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fluences of thy Holy Spirit, and we shall be clean, wafh us in the precious Blood of thy dear Son, and we shall be whiter than Snow. Then will Innocence take off the Dreadfulness of thy Sacred Majefty; for the Brightness of thy Eternal Glory will not amaze those whom thy Grace has fanctified, for to them in thy Prefence is the Fulness of Joy, at whose Right-hand there are Pleafures for ever

more.

SERMON

T

EPHES. iv. 8. Latter Part.
gave Gifts unto Men.

HE Pfalm, from whence thefe Words are taken, is a Pfalm of high Jubilee, de

scribing a Victory of great

Might, a Triumph of great Glory. These Atchievments are attributed to God himself, and the Characters of infinite Power and Majefty, under which they are reprefented to us, well befuit the Dignity of the Divine Being: The vanishing of the Enemies like Smoke, the dissolving of them like Wax before the K 4 Fire;