On the Omniscience of God.

DISCOURSE VIII.

PSALM CXxxix. 1.-6.

O Lord, thou haft fearched me, and known me. Thou knoweft my Down-fitting and mine Up-rifing, thou under flandeft my Thoughts afar off. Thou compaffeft 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 knoweft it altogether. Thou haft befet me behind and before, and laid thine Hand upon me. Such Knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot

attain unto it.

TH

HERE is fcarce any Thing of greater Importance in Religion, than to maintain an habitual Senfe of God's continual Prefence with us, and Inspection

[VOL. I.]

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spection over us. If we firmly believed, and feriously confidered, that we and all our Ways, our Thoughts, Words, and Actions, are ever open to the View of a pure and holy Deity, our fupreme Lord, and final Judge, by whom our everlasting State is to be determined; furely this must needs have a mighty Influence to engage us to exercise a conftant Care over both our inward Frame, and our outward Practice. Nothing could poffibly furnish a more effectual Prefervative against Sin, or a more powerful Motive to the Performance of our Duty. And there is no Part of the facred Writings that is fuller and more exprefs to this Purpose, and that exhibiteth a nobler Description of God's Omniscience and Omnipresence, than this Pfalm, which for the Dignity and Sublimity of the Sentiments, the Variety and Energy of the Expreffions, and the Strength and Beauty of the Figures, cannot be fufficiently admired.

In the Words which I have chofen for the Subject of this Discourse, the Pfalmist plainly fignifieth both the Extent and the Exactness of the divine Knowledge. The Extent of the divine Knowledge is here fignified. He reprefenteth God as knowing his Down-fitting, bis Up-rifing, his Path,

bis lying down, his Words, his Thoughts, and all his Ways. The Exactness of the divine Knowledge is also fignified. O Lord, thou haft fearched me, and known me. Thou hast fearched me: Not as if God needed to make a laborious Search, a diligent Scrutiny in order to discover our Ways; but it is a figurative Expreffion, to fignify that God knoweth them fully and perfectly, as we know thofe Things beft, which we search into with the utmoft Diligence and Care. So again, Verse 3. Thou compafleft my Path, thou observest it on every Side; or it might be rendered as it is in the Margin, "thou winnoweft my Path," thou fiftest it narrowly. And with regard to every Word that proceeded out of his Lips, the Pfalmift faith, Thou knoweft it altogether; not imperfectly or in Part only, but abfolutely and with the greatest Exactness. So that the general Defign of this Paffage is to make a Declaration of this most important Truth, which deferves to be deeply and continually impreffed upon our Minds;

That God exerciseth a conftant Infpection over us, and hath a perfect Knowledge every Man's Ways, his inward Frame and Temper, and his outward Conduct and Behaviour.

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This is a Truth frequently inculcated in the Holy Scriptures, in ftrong and fignifiM 2

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cant Expreffions. We are often told that God knoweth all Things. There is not any Creature, faith the facred Writer to the Hebrews, that is not manifeft in his Sight; but all Things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to do. Heb. iv. 13. And if all Things, then furely all the Ways of the Children of Men. Accordingly the Wife-man exprefsly faith, that the Ways of a Man are before the Eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his Goings. Prov. v. 21. To the fame Purpose Job expreffeth himself, Doth not be fee my Ways, and count all my Steps? Job xxxi. 4. See alfo Job xxxi. 21. And thefe Declarations of Holy Writ are perfectly agreeable to the Light of impartial Reafon. It is neceffarily included in the Idea of God, that he is the abfolutely perfect Being. Whatfoever therefore is really a Perfection, and the Abfence of which muft argue an Imperfection and Defect, ought to be ascribed to him. And confequently fince it cannot be denied that Knowledge is a Perfection, and that the more exact the Knowledge is, and the greater the Extent of it, the more perfect it is; it neceffarily followeth, that God is a Being of the most exact and comprehenfive Knowledge. His Underftanding is infinite and unlimited; and therefore

therefore he is omnifcient and knoweth all Things: and confequently must know all Mankind, and all their Words and Actions, and even their moft fecret Thoughts. The fame Thing may be also argued from his Immenfity and Omniprefence. He filleth Heaven and Earth, and is most intimately and effentially present to every Part of this vaft Univerfe, upholding and maintaining all the Orders of Beings in the Use of the feveral Powers and Faculties which he hath given them. He is not far from any of us, feeing it is in him that we live, and move, and have our Being. Acts xvii. 27, 28. And therefore he must needs know all his Creatures, to each of whom he is continually and most intimately prefent. Hence God's Omnifcience and Omniprefence are jointly celebrated in this Pfalm, as having a close and inseparable Connection. That God knoweth all Men and their Ways, and exerciseth a continual Inspection over them, farther appears from this Confideration, that otherwife he could not be properly qualified to govern and judge the World, to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. He might be impofed upon with external Shews and fpecious Appearances; he might poffibly be deceived in his Judgment of Perfons and Things, M 3

and