here, there can be no representation of the glory of God made in that soul, that is clouded over and smutted with ignorance and error. Yea, indeed, knowledge is necessary, not only to our glorifying God in this attribute, but in all the rest: for, as an ignorant man cannot extol the wisdom of God, because he is not capable of perceiving the glorious discoveries thereof, either in the methods of his grace or providence, (and, therefore, when the Psalmist had spoken with admiration of the works and counsels of God, he tells us, Ps. xcii. 6. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this;) so neither can he adore the goodness, power, or mercy of God, because he observes not those effects of them in which they are to be venerated and adored: a blind man may as aptly commend the brightness of the sun, the beauty and variety of colours, the orderly and regular motion of the stars and planets, as an ignorant man declare the glory of God's attributes which he could never observe; for what blindness is to the eye, the same is ignorance to the soul.

(2dly) Thou oughtest to glorify the wisdom of God, by relying upon it when thou art in straits and difficulties, and canst find no way to extricate thyself.

When thine affairs are so entangled, that thou canst get no end to unravel them by, then especially commit thyself to that sovereign wisdom before which all difficulties shall vanish, and whatsoever seemed most intricate and perplexed shall become most plain and open. And, therefore, when affairs seem to run quite contrary both to your hopes and to all probability of success, glorify then the wisdom of God by intrusting him with the conduct of all, and quietly and contentedly wait the issue. There are some links in the chain of providence, that seem not well to hang together; and yet even these are so ordered by the Great Artificer, that they most forcibly draw in one the other. And, as we see the wheels of a clock or watch move all with contrary motions to each other, and yet by these contrary motions they make it go right: so, likewise, all the contrary motions and revolutions, that we see in these inferior engines, are so wisely contrived by the first cause and mover of them all, that, however odd and perplexed they may appear, yet they are all subservient to each other and to the regular proceeding of God's design the great machine of the world would not go right, if they should move any otherwise. What could seem more directly to thwart Joseph's advancement, and the fulfilling

of those prophetic dreams which presaged him so much honour, than to be sold for a slave, and imprisoned for a malefactor? but, yet, upon these strange occurrences was built the whole fabric of his advancement. Certainly, Providence hath secret methods of its own, which we cannot trace. And therefore let us glorify God, by relying on his wisdom in the worst of events, when our own cannot direct us; because we know not but that these things may tend to our good and advantage. And, when our hopes and designs seem dead; withered, and dried, past all semblance and human probability of reviving; yet if then our faith should be questioned, as the Prophet was, Ezek. xxxvii. 3. Son of man, can these bones live? we ought to return the same answer that he doth, O Lord God, thou knowest.

(3dly) We ought to glorify the omniscience of God, by the sincerity of all our ends and actions.

God inspects our very hearts, and distinctly sees the first fluttering and hovering of our thoughts and desires: if there be but the thinnest film or shadow of an imagination flitting there, his all-seeing eye seizeth on it: the divine knowledge pierceth into the darkest corners and most secret recesses of the soul; and looks through that obscure vault, where all our callow thoughts lie confusedly tumbling one upon another: he sees thy thoughts, that lie sleeping in the abyss and centre of thy soul, long before they begin to heave and emerge to the top and surface of it: Thou understandest my thought, saith the Psalmist, afar off, Ps. cxxxix. 2. Now if thou wouldst glorify this searching and comprehensive omniscience, be careful to approve all thy thoughts, and desires, and designs, in uprightness and integrity, unto God: then is it a sign that thou dost believe him to be an all-knowing God, when thou darest not to dally with thy lascivious fancy, nor suffer any impure, covetous, malicious thoughts and affections so much as once to breathe upon thy soul; when thou darest not commit any sin in secret, although the thickest curtains of night and darkness be drawn about thee; when thou darest not perform holy duties in a cold and heartless manner, and, with bended knees and elevated hands and all seemingly devout postures, solemnly mock the Great God, whilst thy mind all the while wanders after vanity, and nothing is less heeded by thee in thy duties than that God to whom thou wouldst be thought to perform them. In these three things, doth the sincerity of a true Christian most of all appear: viz. in not daring to allow himself in Sinful Thoughts; in not daring

to allow himself in Secret Sins; in not daring to perform Holy Duties slightly and superficially. Now what other reason can there be, why he should so carefully abstain from these sins, which if he did indulge he might yet carry a fair shew and be well reputed of by men, but only that he knows God seeth not as men see? they can but look upon the outward features of religion, and, if they be comely and well complexioned, ought in charity to judge the best: but God looks into the very vitals of the soul; and discovers hypocritical professors to be like hectical persons, rotten and unsound within, when outwardly they appear healthy and well coloured. Indeed, every hypocrite doth most heinously disparage this attribute: for, were he verily persuaded that he hath to do with an all-seeing and an allknowing God, would he dare any more to harbour unclean, sensual, and revengeful thoughts and affections, than to perpetrate those sins in act to which these tend? would he dare suffer his heart to run over with gall and bitterness, and think all well, whilst his tongue dropped honey? would he dare sin in secret, though he could lock himself up in the centre of the earth, and wrap himself in impenetrable darkness, any more than in the sight of the sun, and the confluence of people? would he dare offer unto God the husk and shell of a duty; and, in the mean time, whilst perhaps he is praying, his heart and soul, which God chiefly regards, shall be engaged in deep discourse and communication with the Devil? did he believe, that he is always under the eye of an all-knowing God; a God, who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins; a God, that looks through our souls more clearly than we can through the air, and accurately discerns and observes every mote and atom stirring there; could he be so grossly foolish as to think, that he would be put off with such mimical and apish shows, instead of solid, real, and substantial piety, consisting chiefly in the conformity of the soul and affections unto the divine purity? But the truth is, every hypocrite is an atheist: and though, for some sordid ends, he may fawn upon God and flatter him, yet he disbelieves his glorious attributes, and none more than this of his omniscience; and, in his heart, speaks the same blasphemy with those wretches, Ps. lxxiii. 11. How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High? and therefore satisfies himself with plausible shows and fair pretences, and seeks to hide his nakedness under the fig-leaves of an external and counterfeit sanctity; and all his religion and devotion is indeed but putting tricks upon God,

whom he thinks it is as easy to delude, as to juggle with men, If, then, you would glorify the omniscience of God, let all your thoughts, and affections, and desires, and ends, every motion both of your outward and inward man, be ordered as în his sight and under his observation. Say with thyself, "How shall I allow such vain and foolish surmises? How can I yield to this temptation, though it offer me all the advantages of secresy and retirement? How can I content myself to make the service of God only a lip-labour, or a bodily exercise? No: my God looks upon me, and ponders my heart and my ways: that God, whose eye is more effectual to deter me from any sinful and unworthy act, than if the eyes of all the angels in heaven or of men on earth were fixed upon me. My God and my conscience are a theatre to me: they are more than if all the world besides saw me; and, in comparison with these, to sin in the open view of all the world is but to sin in secret." Such reflections as these declare that thou dost highly adore and honour the omniscience of God, when thou art thus careful to approve thyself, in all thy cogitations and actions, to his all-seeing eye.

(4thly) Another way to glorify the omniscience of God, is, by a frequent and conscientious performance of duties in secret. When there is no other witness to behold thee but God and, thine own soul, then do thou pour out thy heart and unbosom all thy wants and desires before him. And indeed that Christian, who hath deeply imprinted this attribute upon his thoughts, will find it a most powerful and effectual means, as to keep him from sinning in secret, so to quicken him to pray in secret. Hypocrites will often be very pompous and splendid in the performance of public duties, where they have a ring of people to admire and celebrate their gifts, and from whom they may think to raise a reputation for their parts and piety: this will make them to expatiate and pour forth such a torrent of raptures and heavenly expressions, that they themselves may seem to be ravished with spiritual joy and sweetness, and their auditors may be really so: but all this may be only ostentation, not devotion; not because God observes them, but because men observe them: and therefore our Saviour makes it the proper character of a pharisaical hypocrite, to pray only in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, (as the custom was in those days) that they might be seen of men: Mat. vi. 5: they made à mere stageplay of religion; and then acted best, when they were most crowded with spectators: but follow these men home to their

houses, to their closets; and, if we had but a cranny to behold them in their retirements, how seldom or never addressing themselves to God, and praying unto him in secret, when they think no eye sees them but God's! for they pray, not so much that God may hear them, as men; and, whatsoever they seem with so much earnestness and importunity to beg of him, yet indeed the only thing they pray for is, that they may be admired and applauded. But, a truly pious and sincere Christian is not only zealous and affectionate in public duties in the congregation, and in private duties in his own family, where he hath witnesses of his devotion; but he considers that he prays to God and not to men: and, therefore, when he is withdrawn from the sight and notice of others, he applies himself unto God with the same zeal and fervency of spirit as before; well knowing, that, in duties performed unto God, the secresy or publicness of them ought to make no difference in our affections. And therefore observe, that, so much as thou dost abate of thy holy warmth and fervency in secret duties, which used to carry thee out with great enlargement and vigour when thou hast joined with others; so much of hypocrisy is mingled with thy serving of God. Our Saviour hath given us our rule: Mat. vi. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet; and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Let me, therefore, O Christians, persuade you to a more constant and zealous performance of secret duties; for this is certainly one of the most infallible marks of a sincere heart, that can be given. That Christian cannot be a hypocrite, that is but careful to keep up a lively and vigorous communion with God in secret: whereas, let thy duties else be what they will, never so many and never so gaudy, if they be only performed in the view and sight of others, and thou art not frequent in addressing thyself to God in secret, let me tell thee, it is very possible, yea and very suspicious too, that thou art but a painted hypocrite, a mere blistered professor; that outwardly lookest smooth and shining, but inwardly art full of nothing but corruption and purulency. Go home, therefore, O Christian: enter into thy closet; and, there, when none but thou and thy God are together, freely unlock thy heart, and pour out thy soul before him. What! hast thou no sins to confess, no wants to be supplied, no mercies to beg, no complaints to make, no tears to shed, but what it is fit others should be privy to? certainly, if thou hast not, it is a