divine Knowledge as extending to all the Actions we perform, every Word that proceedeth out of our Lips, and the moft fecret Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. Many are the useful Reflections" which naturally arise upon this Subject, and which I shall now distinctly confider.

And ift, How fhould this fill us with the most admiring, awful Thoughts of the Deity, and caufe us to adore and worship him with the profoundest Veneration! For what a wonderful Being must he needs be, of what vaft Knowledge and Comprehenfion, who knoweth every Thing that is faid, thought, or done, by the many Millions of Men, who are now on the Face of the whole Earth, or who have lived upon it from the Beginning of the Creation to this Day. Yea, and all the Thoughts, Words, and Actions, of all the numberless Orders of Beings throughout this vaft Univerfe! He takes them in all at once, without Distraction and Confufion, at one entire, perfect, all-comprehending View, and knoweth every one of them as fully and distinctly, as if he had only that one particular Thing to mind. So that there is no Danger of his forgetting or overlooking any Thing amidst the Hurry and Variety of Objects; yea, what is ftill more aftonishing, he knoweth them all from the Beginning,

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Beginning, and even from everlasting. He forefeeth our Thoughts before we conceive them, our Words before we speak them, and our Actions before they are put in Execution. Accordingly we find in Scripture many clear and exprefs Predictions, delivered by the Infpiration of his Spirit, foretelling the most contingent Events, and which feemed to depend on the free Determination of voluntary Agents, and that a long Time before they happened. The Manner of this divine Knowledge exceedeth our Comprehenfions. It is fo far beyond all the Conceptions we can form, that we may juftly fay with the Pfalmift, Such Knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto · it. In this as well as other Refpects we may well cry out, Who can by Searching find out God? Who can find out the Almighty to Perfection? What a proper Object doth he appear to be in this View of the inward Worship and Homage of all reasonable Beings! Let us therefore proftrate ourselves at his Footstool with Reverence and godly Fear, adoring and ferving him as the incomprehenfible Jehovah, whofe Greatness is unfearchable, and whose Understanding is infinite.

2dly, Since God hath a perfect Knowledge of all our Ways, of our inward

ward Frame and outward Conduct, and now exerciseth a conftant Inspection over us, we may reasonably conclude, that he will hereafter call us to a ftrict and impartial Account, and will judge us accordingly. Hence thefe Things are joined together in the facred Writings, God's knowing our Ways, and judging us for them. Thus Jer. xvii. 10. I the Lord fearch the Hearts, I try the Reins, even to give every Man according to his Ways, and according to the Fruit of his Doings. And again, Jer. xxxii. 19. Thine Eyes are upon all the Ways of the Sons of Men, to give every one according to bis Ways, and according to the Fruit of his Doings. It is evident, that this is not done in this prefent Life, which appears not to have been defigned to be a State of final Judgment and Retributions. We must therefore look for it in a future State. And accordingly we are affured, that God hath appointed a Day in the which he will judge the World in Righteousness. Acts xvii. 31. And that then every one of us shall give an Account of himself to God. Rom. xiv. 12. And what is the most exact and folemn Trial before any human Judicature, compared with that which fhall pass upon us at the Tribunal of God in the great Day? It is impoffible that he fhould commit any Error or Mistake in Judgment, as the best and

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and moft fagacious of human Judges often do, for want of knowing all the Circumftances of Actions, or the Principles from which they proceed. They are frequently at a lofs because they cannot get fufficient Information; but this can never be fuppofed concerning the omnifcient Being, who can never be deceived, either in Matter of Fact or Matter of Right. And as it will be impoffible to deceive our Judge, it will be equally impoffible to bribe or pervert him from a strict Regard to Truth, and Righteousness, and Equity. There is no Impurity with the Lord our God, nor Refpect of Perfons, nor taking of Gifts; but every Thing fhall be weighed in a fair and equal Ballance; and every man fhall receive according to the Things done in the Body, whether good or evil.

2 Cor. v. 10. God's Omniscience will be inftead of a thousand Witneffes, and he will bring their Ways to their own Remembrance, and will caufe their own Confciences to bear Witness against them. That is an awful Paffage which we have, Pfal. 1. 21, 22. where God is introduced as declaring to those who, though they call themselves his People, yet indulge themselves in a prefumptuous Courfe of Wickedness: Thefe Things haft thou done, and I kept Silence, thou thoughteft that I was altogether fuch an one as thy felf, but I will reprove thee, and

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fet them in Order before thine Eyes. The Wife-man reprefenteth it as a certain Truth, and which ought to have a mighty Influence upon us, that God will bring every Work into Judgment, with every fecret Thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecclef. xii. 14. that is, not only our outward Actions, but even our idle Words, as our Saviour affureth us, and the fecret Thoughts and Difpofitions of our Hearts. And the Iffues of that Judgment, according to the Scripture-account of it, will be the most important that can poffibly be conceived, eternal Happiness, or eternal Mifery; and different Degrees of both, according to the different Degrees of their good or evil Actions or Difpofi

tions.

3dly, From what hath been faid on this Subject, we may fee the great Folly and Danger of Hypocrify. The Hypocrite is a Perfon who endeavoureth to put on a fair Appearance in the Eye of the World, but at the fame Time is deftitute of real Goodness, and is under the Power of corrupt and inordinate Lufts, and evil Difpofitions of Heart, which he freely indulgeth in Secret, and is only follicitous to conceal his Wickednefs from the View of his Fellow-creatures. But this is the moft abfurd and foolish Conduct in the World. What will it profit thee if thou fhouldest

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