all the Acts of religious Homage and Devotion, proceed upon this Principle, that the Deity is present with us, and observeth every Thing that paffeth. And the maintaining a conftant Sense of this upon our Minds, is of very great Importance for influencing and governing our whole Temper and Conduct. It hath a manifeft Tendency to engage us to exercise a continual Watchfulness, and to do every Thing we do as in his Sight, and with a Regard to his Prefence and Approbation. To confider that God is ever present, yieldeth great Comfort and Encouragement to good Men, and is one of the most effectual Checks and Restraints to Vice and Wickedness.

Accordingly this Attribute of the divine Immenfity and Omniprefence is admirably described in the facred Writings. Whither Shall I go from thy Spirit, faith the devout Pfalmist, and whither fhall I flee from thy Prefence? If I afcend up into Heaven thou art there; and if I make my Bed in Hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermoft Parts of the Sea, even there shall thy Hand lead me, and thy right Hand shall hold me. Pfal. cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10. Solomon, in his excellent Addrefs to God at the Dedication of the Temple, expreffeth himself thus,

Behold

Behold, the Heaven, and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, but much less this Houfe which I have builded? 1 Kings viii. 27. God is introduced as declaring concerning himself, Am I a God at Hand, and nat a God afar eff? Can any hide himself_in fecret Places, that I fhould not fee him? Do not I fill Heaven and Earth? Jer. xxiii. 23, 24.

Thirdly, Another Thing included in the Idea of God is that he is almighty. This may be justly argued from his being the eternal and self-exiftent Being; for as fuch he muft neceffarily have an independent abfolute Fulness of Life, and active Power or Energy, originally and effentially in himfelf, without any Thing to bound and limit it; whereas, Power cannot but be limited in all derivative Beings. But the most obvious and irrefiftible Demonftration of God's Omnipotency is that which arifeth from the Confideration of his having created this vaft Syftem of the Universe. Hence the Apostle here speaking of the invifible Things of God, which are understood by the Things that are made, particularly mentions his eternal Power. It is natural for every Man to conclude that the Author of this ftupendous Frame, and of all the Orders of Beings contained in it, must certainly be almighty. What

an

an amazing Power muft he be poffeffed of, who at first formed and ftill fuftaineth this huge terrestrial Globe, the Earth, the Sea, and all Things that are therein! But how much greater an Idea must it give us of his Power, if we confider him as having made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens, with all their Hoft, the Sun, Moon, and Planets, with all the Conftellations of fixed Stars, and all the Beings of whatsoever Kind that dwell in thofe vast Regions, the Extent of which tranfcendeth all human Imagination! The creating all Things out of Nothing, i. e. giving Being to thofe Things that had no Existence before, though it doth not imply a Contradiction, and therefore cannot be. proved to be impoffible, yet is certainly the nobleft Exertion of Omnipotency that can be conceived. And the Scripture, to heighten our Ideas of the divine Power, representeth God as having done this with a wonderful Facility. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made, and all the Host of them by the Breath of his Mouth. Pfal. xxxiii. 6. He only faid, Let there be Light, and there was Light. Gen. i. 3. And fo with regard to the other Parts of the Creation, he fpake, and it was done. Pfal. xxxiii. 9. Juftly therefore it is declared, that with God all Things are poffible.

Matt.

Matt. xix. 26. He can do every Thing that is the Object of Power, every Thing but what includeth a Repugnancy in its Power, or would suppose an Imperfection in the Agent. And indeed, what can be impoffible to him that created the World? Behold, faith the Prophet, thou haft made the Heavens and the Earth by thy great Power and stretched-out Arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. Jer. xxxii. 17. If all the Power and Strength of Men and Angels, and of all the Orders of Beings throughout the Universe, were collected into one, what a mighty and stupendous Power muft that be! And it is all derived from God, and is indeed but a fmall Part of the Fulnefs of Power that is in him. Once hath God spoken, faith the Pfalmift, twice have I heard this, that Power belongeth unto God. Pfal. lxii. 11. i. e. It belongeth to him, and to him alone, originally, effentially, independently, in all its unlimited Extent, and without the least Mixture of Weakness, some Degree of which there is in all created Beings. Juftly therefore is he frequently defcribed to us in Scripture under the Character of the Lord God Almighty. And it is absolutely neceffary to a Life of Religion, that we should have a Senfe of this glorious Attribute deeply impreffed upon our Minds.

There

There is nothing that hath a greater Tendency to create in us a facred Awe of the divine Majefty, a Dread of expofing ourfelves to his Displeasure, and an earnest Defire to fecure an Intereft in his Favour, and alfo to beget in us a firm and fteady Confidence in him, amidst the greatest Dangers and Difficulties. How comforting is it to be perfuaded, that what he hath promised he is able alfo to perform. Rom. iv. 21. and that, as St. Paul nobly and emphatically expreffeth it, he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we afk or think. Eph. iii. 20. A wonderful Paffage, whereby it is fignified, that the Power of God far tranfcendeth not only all Expreffion, but even our lightest Conceptions, the utmoft Flight of the most unbounded Imagination!

Fourthly, Infinite Knowledge or Omniprefence is another of the divine Attributes which Reafon teacheth us to afcribe to God, the great Author and Lord of the Universe. That Knowledge is a Perfection, and the Want of it a Defect, and that Beings which have Intelligence are of a more noble and excellent Kind than those that are deftitute of it, will not be denied. And therefore it were the greatest Abfurdity to fuppofe the most perfect and excellent of all Beings, the first original Cause and Au

thor