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Vol. VII.

ber? The holy Prefence, and the pure Eye of God would be to us a thousand times more than to have our Father, or our Mafter, or our Prince, or him whom we most revere, to ftand by us. Did but Men reprefentare fibi Deum, make God preJent to them, by living under a continual fenfe of his Prefence, they would, as the Expreffion of the wife Man is, be in the fear of the Lord all day. Magna pes peccatorum tollitur, fi peccaturis teftis adfiftat: ali quem habeat animus quem vereatur, cujus authoritate etiam fecretum fuum Sanctius facit; The main hope of Sinners is to remain undiscover'd, let but Some body be privy to their defigns, and they are utterly disappointed: 'Tis fit for the Mind of a Man to have an awe of fome Being, whofe Authority may render even its privacy more folemn. This is the Character of wicked Men, P/a. 86. 14. that they have not God before their Eyes. One great caufe of all the Wickedness, and Violence, and Looseness that is upon the Earth is, they do not be

lieve

lieve that God is near them, and stands by them.

Vol. VII.

And as the confideration of God's Prefence should deter us from Sin, fo it fhould quicken and animate us to our Duty. It is ordinarily a great Encouragement to Men to acquit themselves handfomely, to have the Eyes of Men upon them, efpecially of those whofe Applause and Approbation they value. God alone is amplum Theatrum, he's a greater Theater than the World, and it fhould be more to us that he stands by us, than if the Eyes of all the, World were fix'd upon us. Sen. adviseth it as an excellent means to promote Virtue, to propound to our felves, and fet before our Eyes fome eminently virtuous Perfon, as Cato or Lalius, ut fic tanquam illo Spectante vivamus, & omnia tanquam illo vidente faciamus: That we may live just as if he were locking upon us, and do all things just as if he beheld. us. How much greater incitement will it be to us, to think that God looks upon us, and fees us, and re

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ally ftands by us, than faintly to

Vol. VII imagine the Prefence of Lalius or

Cato?

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This fhould have an Influence upon all the Duties we perform, and the manner of performing them, that we do it to him who ftands by us, and is familiarly acquainted with us, and is more intimate to us than we are to our felves. This Cic. in l. 2. de leg. looks upon as a great principle of Religion, fit igi tur hoc perfuafum civibus, & qualis quifque fit, quid agat, quid in je admittat, quâ mente, quâ pietate religio nes colat, deos intueri, & piorum impiorumque rationem habere: Let Men be throughly perfwaded of this, that the Gods obferve, both the difpofition and the actions of every parti cular Man, what he confents to, what he allows himself in, particularly with what meaning, with what degree of inward Devotion he performs his religi ous worship; and that they diftinguish between the pious and the impious.

2. To

To encourage our Faith and Vol. VIL Confidence in him. When we are in Straits, and Difficulties, and Dangers, God is with us; when Trouble is near to us, God is not far from us; where ever we are, how remote foever from Friends and Companions, we cannot be banifht from God's Prefence; if we dwell beyond the utmost parts of the Sea, there his hand leads us, and his right hand holds us. Pfa. 16. 8. I bave fet the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I fball `not be moved. The confideration of God's Prefence is the great ftay and fupport of our Faith, Pfa. 46. 1, 2. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea. In the greatest Commotions, and the moft imminent and threatning Dangers, this fhould charm and allay our Fears, that God is a prefent help.

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Vol. VII. This was the fupport of Mofes his Faith in his Sufferings, as the Apostle tells us, Heb. 11. 27. he endured, as feeing him who is invisible.

To conclude all, when ever we are under any Preffure or Trouble, we fhould rebuke our own Fears, and challenge our anxious Thoughts, with David, Pfa. 42. 11. Why art thou caft down, O my foul? and why art thou fo difquieted within me? trust ftill in God; believe that God is with thee, and that Omnipotent Goodnefs ftands by thee, who can and will fupport thee, and relieve thee, and deliver thee when it seems best to his Wisdom.

SERM.

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