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that fills all Places alike, or whither shall I flee from thy Prefence? If I afcend up to Heaven, thou art there; If I make my Bed in Hell, behold thou art there. If I take the Wings of the Morning, if I could fly as fwift as the Sun, and dwell in the uttermoft Parts of the Sea, in the Regions beyond the vast Ocean, even there shall thy Hand lead me, and thy right Hand shall beld me; there thou wilt be present to direct and sustain me by thy Power and Providence, which are the fame thorough the Universe, If I Jay furely the Darkness fhall cover me; even the Night shall be light about me; yea, the Darkness hideth not from Thee, who seeft not by the Help of corporeal Organs, but the Night fbineth as the Day; the Darknefs and the Light are both alike to thee; for thou poffeffeft my Reins, thou hast covered me in my Mother's Womb; thou piercest thorough every Atom of my Subftance, and didft fuperintend the Formation of my Body in the Womb. And this last is most elegantly defcrib'd in the 15th and 16th Verses. My Subftance was not bid from thee when I was made in fecret, and curiously wrought in the loweft Parts of the Earth; that is, in the dark Receffes of the Womb: Thine

Eyes

Eyes did fee my Substance yet being unperfect, and in thy Book were all my Members written, which in Continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. The Allufion is taken from a skilful Artist, who being to compose a Machine of curious Workmanship, designs every Part of it upon Paper, and calculates the Proportions and Figures, before he begins to execute the Work; and it fignifies that the Shape and Proportion of every minute Member of our Bodies, was answerable to that exquifite Model which the divine Architect had previously cast of it in his own Mind, as fittest to perform all the Motions and Func

tions of human Life.

The whole Scope of this beautiful Description is to reprefent the infinite Knowledge of God, who fees the most dark and hidden Things as clearly as thofe that are the most confpicuous and obfervable. And this is further enforced by thofe Words of the Author to the Hebrews, ch. 4. v. 13. Neither is there any Creature that is not manifeft in his Sight, but all Things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom we bave to do. The original Word here rendred opened is very emphatical, being a Me

taphor

open

taphor borrowed from the Manner of ing facrificed Beafts among the Heathens, which was done by fplitting the Chine, in order to discover more eafily the Soundness of the Entrails.

I fhall offer but one Text more, which is taken out of the 1ft Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, at the 24th Verfe, there we read, that an Apoftle being to be chofen to fupply the Place of Judas, the Election lay between Jofeph and Matthias, who were both Men of unblemish'd Characters. The eleven Apostles being at a Lofs which of the two to choose, because they could not judge of their Hearts, and might poffibly be mistaken in a Matter of fuch Consequence, refer the Cafe to God's immediate Decifion by Lot; and they prayed and faid, Thou Lord which knoweft the Hearts of all Men, fay, which of these two thou hast chofen.

These Authorities for proving that God does perfectly know Men's Hearts, are fo clear and undeniable, that I fhall reft this Point here, and proceed to my

2d General Propofition, which was, That God only knows Men's Hearts, and that it is the fole Prerogative of the fupream Be

ing.

39.

ing. There is a strong Paffage to this Purpose in Solomon's Prayer at the Confecration 1 Kings 8. of the Temple. For thou, even thou only, knoweft the Hearts of all the Children of Men. The Terms thou only are fo exprefly exclufive of the fame Knowledge in any other Being, that I might fafely leave the Question upon this Iffue.

But inasmuch as the Honour and Prerogative of God are fo nearly concerned in this Question, I fshall here make a short Essay in order to illustrate and establish it.

All the intelligent Creatures that we know of in the Univerfe, are either Men, Angels or Devils. And if it can be made appear, that neither of thefe do know perfectly the Heart of Men, then it will remain the fole Prerogative of God.

ift, As to Men, they are fo far from knowing one another's Hearts, that they very often do not know their own. The Writers of natural Hiftory fpeak of the Seeds of feveral Plants that will remain for many Years under Ground without Vegetation, but as foon as they are expofed to the Sun and Air will ftrike Root, and spring away; juft fo do the Seeds of many Vices lie dormant and undiscovered in our Hearts,

till Occafion and Temptation put them in Motion; then it is that they put forth, and fhew themselves, and we discover more Pride, or Malice, or Envy or Revenge, or Luft, than we imagined could be within us, and are carried into fuch Acts of Wickedness, as we could not believe our felves capable of committing.

Give me leave to mention two or three Inftances of this.

When the Prophet told Hazael what Barbarities he would commit after he should become King of Syria, he replies with Difdain, What, is thy Servant a Dog that he2 Kings 8. Should do this great Thing? can I be fo loft 13. to all that is good in human Nature, can I become fuch a Brute as this? but as much as he abhorred the Thing in Theory, yet the Sequel of the Story fhews, that it was in his Nature to do it, when once it came to be in his Power.

David is upon Record for a Man of eminent Piety; and yet how did his Heart betray him first into Adultery with Bathfheba, and then into a deliberate Scheme for murdering her Hufband, in order to take her to be his own Wife? The Force of the Temptation, the Warmth of his Complec

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