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that we may run and not be weary, and walk and "not faint.".

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Such a sabbath will leave us prepared for the duties and trials of the week. Such a sabbath will lead us to say, a day in thy courts is better than a thousand, I "had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God "than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." Such a sabbath will be a foretaste of glory, the beginning of heaven. What is heaven ? "There remaineth," says the apostle, "a rest for the people of God:" it is in the margin a keeping of sabbath. Such is the representation of the happiness above, and O how instructive, how endearing is it to those who love Sabbaths below? By and by your week-days will be over, and the Saturday evening of life will come. You will lie down-and fall asleep and open your eyes on a sabbath infinitely superior to any we can expect on earth. Here we worship with a few-there we shall join the general assembly here we often feel unsuitable frames, and our powers are always unequal to our work-there our faculties will be raised to the highest degree of perfection, and we shall " serve him day and night in his "temple." Here our sabbaths end, and we soon go down again from communion with God into the vexing, debasing things of the world-there the sabbath will be eternal; and we "shall go no more out-we shall be "for ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one "another with these words."

But should there be in this little assembly, one individual who is a stranger to the pleasures of devotion, and who dislikes the employment of God's holy day, let me ask-is He qualified for an eternal sabbath who is now groaning as he passes from duty to duty, "what

a weariness it is to serve the Lord! When will the "sabbath be gone?" Can He enjoy even the thought of being for ever engaged in religious exercises, who at present feels a day, an hour, a few moments employed in them, disagreeable and irksome? The question is awful-may the Lord help you to lay it to heart. Amen.

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DISCOURSE IV.

THE EYE OF GOD ALWAYS UPON US.

Thou God seest me.-Gen. xvi. 13.

THESE are the words of Hagar, Sarah's maid—and I have read them hoping that you will individually make the reflection your own. They can easily be remembered because of their brevity: they should be daily thought of because of their importance. Let us see whether this reflection be not founded in truth; and shew, by taking several views of it, how instructive and edifying it may be rendered.

Hagar was convinced that God saw her. Indeed he found her in the wilderness of Shur where no eye saw her. By an angel he admonished her to return and humble herself under the hand of her mistress; and predicted the character and condition of her child unborn." He will be a wild man; his hand will be "against every man, and every man's hand against him: "and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” On this she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, thou God seest me.-) -But how much more striking is this to us? We are able to compare the accomplishment with the prophecy. The descendants of this poor woman's child are the Arabians, and lo! they continue to this day a wandering uncivilized multitude. They live by treachery and plunder; they are in war with all the world: no conqueror has ever subdued them; while they spread themselves over a vast country, thirteen hundred miles in length, and twelve hundred in breadth. Can any thing be hid from him whe

declareth the end from the beginning, and before a babe is born can describe with unerring exactness the disposition and circumstances of his offspring for a number of ages?

His knowledge of all our concerns may be inferred from his universal presence. Effects prove him to be every where for every where life is given and sustained-and this is the work of God only: now if he be every where what can be placed out of his sight? Hence we read " can any hide himself in secret places, that I "shall not see him! saith the Lord. Do not I fill "heaven and earth? saith the Lord."

Besides how could he judge the world in righteousness unless he were perfectly acquainted with all our doings? He could not produce what he had never witnessed-but we know that " God will bring every work "into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be "good or whether it be evil." The scripture therefore tells us that "his eyes are in every place beholding both "the evil and the good :" that " his eyes are upon the

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ways of man, and he seeth all his goings: there is no "darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Hell is naked before “him and destruction hath no covering. Neither is "there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: "but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of "him with whom we have to do." Human inspection is very limited, and easily interrupted. I now see you -but place between us only a screen or a curtain and I see you no more. I now behold you-but let the sun go down or this candle be extinguished, and for want of a medium of vision the eye seeks you in vain. Think then of a being of whom it is said "yea the dark"ness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the "day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

What use then should we make of this undeniable truth?-Thou God seest me is a reflection very pleasing to good men-very dreadful to sinners, and very edifying to all.

First, it is very pleasing to good men. Hence when David had been considering the omniscience of God as compassing his path and his lying down, and as acquainted with all his ways, he exclaims "how precious

also are thy thoughts unto me, O Lord, how great is "the sum of them?" His meditation of an all-seeing God was sweet, and therefore it was frequent. How is it with us? If we feel a satisfaction in thinking of this attribute, it is a good evidence of our sincerity. Now this is the case with the christian-he comes to the light, and instead of shunning scrutiny he invites it. If I am not right, says he, I wish to be set right. I know that he will discover in me much that is amiss, but he knows that I am willing to have it cured; and as he alone can heal, why should I wish to keep my physician ignorant of any part of my complaint. "Search "me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, "and lead me in the way everlasting."

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Thou God seest me! this is a pleasing reflection when I fear some hidden corruption which has hindered the answer of prayer and often deprived me of comfort, but which I cannot after the most faithful investigation deHe can discern it-- "Shew me wherefore thou

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Thou God seest me! This is a pleasing reflection when I feel those infirmities which make me groan. He sees grace however small; he sees the disadvantages of my situation, the influence of the body over the mind, and of sensible things over the body; he sees that the "spirit indeed is willing when the flesh is weak: "he knoweth my frame, he remembereth that I am "dust."

Thou God seest me! This is a pleasing reflection with regard to prayer. I often know not what to pray for as I ought, but he always knows what to give. I cannot express myself properly in words, and words are not necessary to inform him who "knoweth what is the

"mind of the spirit-my desire is before him and my "groaning is not hid from him."

Thou God seest me! This is a pleasing reflection when I am suffering under the suspicions of friends, or the reproaches of enemies. "Behold now also my "witness is in heaven and my record is on high. Lord "thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee."

Thou God seest me! This is a pleasing reflection, when I am in trouble. He knows all my "walking "through this great wilderness," he knows where the burden presses, he knows how long to continue the trial, and by what means to remove it. In no condition am I hid from my heavenly friend. He saw Jeremiah in the dungeon and Daniel in the lion's den. My circumstances are perplexing-" Behold I go forward "but he is not there and backward but I cannot be "hold him: on the left hand where he doth work but "I cannot behold him; he hideth himself also on the "right hand that I cannot see him.-But he knoweth "the way that I take; when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold. The eyes of the Lord are upon "them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.'

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Secondly. To the wicked it is a very awful reflection. Yes, what can be more awful than the thoughtthat God sees you rise in the morning, goes forth with you, observes you all the day long-that you have passed under his eye from infancy to youth and from youth to manhood-that he has beheld every plan you have formed, every bargain you have made that he has observed not only actions but motives, not only words but thoughts, not only the evil you have committed but the evil you wished to commit, all the filthiness of your imaginations as well as of your lives-all the difficulties you have had to overcome in pursuing a sinful course, every check of conscience, every rebuke of providence and has noticed not only the number but aggravations of all your crimes. crimes. And what renders all this still more dreadful is this-that he does not forget any thing he has seen. You have forgotten many of

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