SERMON XVI.

HAGAR SEEN OF GOD.

Thou God seest me. GENESIS xvi, 13.

ABRAHAM had many family trials. Sarah, the wife of his youth, was restrained from child-bearing, which proved a source of considerable uneasiness. Abraham was blessed with abundant wealth; but he had no child to inherit his wealth. Great promises had been made to his seed; but there was no appearance of those promises being fulfilled. At length, that he might have children, Sarah gave unto him Hagar, her handmaid; and when she conceived, Sarah was despised in her eyes. The improper behaviour of Hagar drew upon her the resentment of her mistress, who dealt so hardly with her, that she fled from her face. The angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness, by a fountain of water, exhorted her to return to her duty, and gave her great encouragement. The place was rendered remarkable by the presence of the angel of the Lord; and she called the Lord that spake unto her, "Thou God seest me."

In this passage several important truths are suggested: We should often apply it to ourselves; and much good will result from this practice. I. SEVERAL IMPORTANT TRUTHS ARE SUGGested.

Amongst other truths suggested by this passage, we shall particularly notice the following: That God is present in every place; that there is a watchful Providence over men; that all the affairs of men are fully known to God; and that God is amazingly condescending.

God is present in every place. He is not only in our houses and in our cities, but in the solitary wilderness: So that every man in the world may say, "Thou God seest me." We cannot hide ourselves from him, because he is every where present. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If Í take the wings of the morning," the rays of light which first dart from sun, "and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Ps. cxxxix, 7-13.

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There is a watchful Providence over men, from the moment of their birth, to the moment of their death. God sees their varied situations and circumstances, and knows what is best for them in every state. Were it not for this superintending Providence, how many would perish! Poor Hagar might have perished in the wilderness, had there been no God to care for her. She was far out of the reach of her master's care; but she could say, "Thou God seest me." Thus our heavenly Father

extends his care to all the helpless children of men. "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. v, 45.

All the affairs of men are fully known to God. Men only see that which is external; but God sees the heart. "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance." Ps. xc, 8. As a wise and just judge, God weighs all our actions. "For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." 1 Sam. ii, 3. A crime cannot be committed in the most secret place, without his notice; and he sees every good work in its beginning, progress, and end. This truth should produce in us a solemn awe of the Divine Majesty, and a sacred fear of offending. "Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." Ps. iv, 4.

God is amazingly condescending. He might overlook poor mortals amidst his great and glorious works. The universe is full of his glory! What vast multitudes of angels and glorified human spirits appear before his heavenly throne! How numerous and glorious are the stars of the firmament! But he who made the heavens, is mindful of us, who dwell in the dust. David seems to have been deeply and piously impressed with this subject, in an evening meditation on the starry heavens: "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him!" I am but a worm; but "Thou God seest me.'

II. WE SHOULD OFTEN APPLY THIS PASSAGE TO OURSELVES.

When we are engaged in religious duties, let us recollect that we are seen of God. Do we retire into our closets for devotional purposes? Let each of us seriously recollect the important truth, "Thou God seest me." When we call our families together to worship God, we should remember that his eyes are upon us. The sacred Scriptures should be read daily, and that man who reads should always think, "Thou God seest me." When we assemble in the great congregation, to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, many eyes are upon us; but every one who is present, whether preacher or hearer, should call to mind, "Thou God seest me."

In all our worldly concerns, we should apply this passage to ourselves. The duties of life may call us forth to labour with our hands, to buy and sell, to plant and build, to sow and reap, to mix with company of almost every description; but in every employment, and in every company, seriously remember, "Thou God seest me." Carry about with you. a deep impression of a present God wherever you go. Whether you are in the field, in the market, or in the shop, still think of a present God. It is a mark of the most abandoned character to inquire, "How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?" Ps. lxxiii, 11. Truth, however, compels us to say, that most men go abou: their business as if God had no knowledge of what is done on earth; and that man is held in sovereign contempt, who, mixing piety with business, often exclaims, "Thou God seest me. Do we

If adversity be our lot, let us not forget that God sees us.

suffer pain? are we reproached? are we in want? are we oppressed are we persecuted? God sees. Are we in prison, or in banishment? The eyes of God are upon us there. The Lord said to Moses, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters; for I know their sorrows. Now, therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come up unto me: And I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them." Exod. iii, 7-9.

In our prosperity we are seen of God. Do riches increase? God sees how we came by them, how we use them, and whether we are disposed to give him the glory. Does our fame spread far and wide? God sees how we bear it, and whether we are disposed to give him the glory, or, like Nebuchadnezzar, to take it to ourselves. When that monarch walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, and said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of my kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" God saw him: And, "while the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, The kingdom is departed from thee." Dan. iv, 30, 31. What an awful lesson .o the proud!

In short, wherever we go, let us still apply this solemn truth, "Thou God seest me." Pious men, like David, should frequently address God in such language as this: "Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me." Thus, while we remember God, all is well with us.

III. MUCH GOOD WILL RESULT FROM THIS PRACTICE.

A deep sense of God's presence will lead us to a circumspect walk. When we are in the company of wise and good men, we are circumspect. Their presence inspires us with a kind of awe, which has an amazing influence upon our conduct. In the company of the ignorant and wicked, we are apt to throw off every restraint, and to follow the strong tide of our corruptions. Surely, then, a deep sense of the presence of God, will lead us to circumspection. And that man will be careful, both of his inward and outward walk, who calls to mind, "Thou God seest me."

This will prove a source of consolation in affliction. How supporting in affliction is the presence of that God, who pities and relieves the distressed and afflicted! Our fellow-creatures may not see our afflictions; or, if they do, they may neither pity nor relieve us. Think, then, when thy spirit is bowed down with grief, and when wearisome days and nights are appointed unto thee, "Thou God seest me." God knows how much thou canst bear; what support is necessary; and when thou shouldest be delivered. Commit thyself to him, and leave all thy affairs in his hands. He looks upon thee, that he may do thee good. When we intend to relieve an indigent man, we look upon him; but when we have no such intention, we turn our face away

God might hide his face, and leave us in distress; but, after all our crimes, he looks with kind compassion.

The presence of God will reconcile us to trying providences. What does it signify how much, or in what way we suffer, if God see us? Come what will, we are prepared, and every providential occurrence is over-ruled for our good. We dread solitary affliction; but we love to have friends about us in a trying hour. Well, we may be confident that whatever afflictions take place, we shall not be left alone. In every future period, a good man will be able to say, what he says now, "Thou God seest me.'

Under these impressions, we shall cultivate holy tempers. We dare not suffer either unholy passions to burn, or malice to take root in our hearts, while we recollect that God sees us. We dare not indulge vain thoughts, we dare not murmur, we dare not be light and trifling, while we think upon this passage, "Thou God seest me."

An application of this truth will help our devotions. God is not far off when we pray. He beholds the bended knee, the uplifted eye, and the rising desire. "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers." 1 Pet. iii, 12. Jesus pleads, and, through him, God is attentive when we pray! O, persevere in this duty, and never forget, "Thou God seest me." To him be glory for

ever.

Amen.

SERMON XVII.

THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM.

Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. GENESIS XIX, 24, 25.

THE destruction of Sodom was a most awful event, and it stands recorded in the sacred Scriptures, as a perpetual warning to presumptuous sinners. The country to this day bears dreadful marks of that calamity; sufficient both to convince unbelievers, and to alarm the careless. The place where Sodom stood is now a great lake, called the Dead or Salt Sea, into which the river Jordan empties itself. It is about thirty miles long, and ten broad. The waters are so bitter and fetid, that neither fish, nor any other aquatic animals, can possibly live in them. The Greeks call it Asphaltites, on account of the Asphaltus, or bitumen, with which it abounds. The land on its borders is not cultivated. It is of a white appearance, and mixed with salt; and it has totally lost the power of vegetation.

Let us carefully examine this dreadful judgment, that we may learn

to abhor and detest those 'sins which provoked the indignation of God, and brought ruin upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The whole account may be divided into three parts: The circumstances which preceded the destruction; the destruction itself; and the circumstances which followed the destruction.

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECEDED THE DESTRUCTION.

Sodom enjoyed largely the bounties of Divine Providence. The plain of Jordan, on which it stood, was fruitful, and produced not only the necessaries, but even the luxuries of life. In reference to this we read, that the inhabitants had fulness of bread. When Lot left Abraham, he pitched his tent toward Sodom, because he had "beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord." Gen. xiii, 10. But, notwithstanding the goodness of the Lord, the people were exceedingly wicked. They gave themselves up to fornication, and went after strange flesh. "The men, leaving the natural use of women, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly." Rom. i, 27. 27. They were proud, luxurious, idle, and uncharitable. "This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy." Ezek. xvi, 49.

Lot, a righteous man, dwelt amongst them before the overthrow; and, it is probable, often reproved and warned them of approaching danger. That righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." 2 Pet. ii, 8. And can we suppose that he never opened his mouth? Could he possibly remain a silent spectator of their evil deeds? We read of one tender reproof, which he gave them the evening before the overthrow. He went out to a filthy rabble, which had assembled before his door for vile purposes, and said, "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly." Verse 7. But they treated his mild reproof with contempt, saying, "This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge." Verse 9.

God made particular inquiry into their conduct. Human conduct is reported in heaven. Angels, though invisible, mix with men, and carry intelligence of all their proceedings to the throne of God. In allusion to this, God said to Abraham, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come up unto me; and if not, I will know." Gen. xviii, 20, 21. God, who knows all things, has no need of information from others; but, throughout his vast empire, he employs agents to carry on his various purposes, and thereby promotes their happiness. He has no need to come down from his glorious throne; but he is pleased to represent the subject in this light, to make a deeper impression upon the mind of man.

The destruction was made known to Abraham before it came to pass. We seldom undertake any thing important, without making it known