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tion to fin, fo that he would never have been a finner. Yet God created man in another manner; confequently it is not true, even in your fyftem, that God hath exerted all the power he could to prevent fin's entrance into the world. Confequently it is falfe, that a Being, who perfectly loves holiness, ought to display the whole extent of his attributes to prevent fin, and to establish virtue. Confequently, the principle on which you ground your denial of God's comprehenfion of all the difpofitions of spirits, is an unwarrantable principle, and to attempt to folve the difficulty in this manner, is to leave it in all its force.

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But if you consult revelation, you will find that God claims an univerfal knowledge of fpirits. He fays, he searcbeth and knoweth them, Jer. xvii. 10. Rev. ii. 23. He forefaw, he foretold, the afflictions which Abraham's pofterity would endure in Canaan, Gen. xv. 13, the hardening of Pharaoh, the infidelity of the Jews, the faith of the Gentiles, the crucifixion of the Meffiah, Exod. iii. 19, the coming of the prince or leader, that is of Vefpafian, or Titus, who would destroy the city and the sanctuary, Dan. ix. 25, 26. And confequently, we have a right to affirm, that God knows all the thoughts of the mind, and all the fentiments of the heart, as well as that he knows all the motions of matter..

Perhaps you wifh, my brethren, that our fpeculations were carried further; perhaps you would have us disentangle the fubject from all its difficulties; perhaps you wish we could make you comprehend, in a clear and diftinct manner, how it is poffible that fuch immense objects can be always prefent to the Supreme Intelligence; but what mortal tongue can exprefs fuch fublime truths, or what capacity is able to conceive them! On this article, we are obliged with our prophet to exclaim, such knowledge is too won derful

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derful for me; it is high; I cannot attain unto it ! ver. 6. In general, we conceive that the fphere of divine knowledge is not contracted by any of the limits that confine the fpirits of mankind..

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The human fpirit is united to a portion of matter. Man can perform no operation without the agitation of his brain, without the motion of his animal fpirits, without the help of his fenfes.. But the brain wearies, the fpirits evaporate, the fenfes are blunted, and the minutest alteration of body clogs the most penetrating and active genius. But God, as we have reprefented him,thinks, understands, meditates, without brain, without fpirits, without any need of senses; not participating their nature, he never participates their alteration, and thus hath intelligence inmediately from the treasure of intelligence itself.

The fpirit of man owes its existence to a fuperior fpirit, to a foreign caufe, to a Being who gives him only fuch ideas as he thinks proper, and who hath been pleafed to conceal numberless myfteries from him. But God, God not only does not owe his existence to a foreign caufe, but all that exift derive their existence from him. His ideas were the models of all beings, and he hath only to contemplate himself perfectly to know them.

The fpirit of man is naturally a finite fpirit he can confider only one circle of objects at once, many ideas confound him; if he would fee too much, he fees nothing he must fucceffively contemplate what he cannot contemplate in one moment. But God is an infinite fpirit; with one fingle look: he beholdeth the whole univerfe. This is the firft idea of the omniprefence of God. As I am accounted prefent in this auditory, because I see the objects that are here, because I an witness of all that paffes here; fo God is evary where, because he fees all, because veils the moft

most impenetrable, darkness the most thick, diftances the most immenfe, can conceal nothing from his knowledge. Soar to the utmost heights, fly into the remoteft climates, wrap thyfelf in the blackest darkness, every where, every where, thou wilt be under his eye. "Whither fhall I go from thy fpirit? or whither fhall I flee from thy prefence?"

But, 2. The knowledge of God is not a bare knowledge, his prefence is not an idle prefence; it is an active knowledge, it is a prefence accom panied with action and motion. We said juft now, that God was every where, becaufe he influenced all, as far as influence could agree with his perfections. Remark this restriction, for as we are difcuffing a fubject the moft fertile in controverfy, and as, in a difcourfe of an hour, it is impoffible to answer all objections, which may be all anfwered elfewhere, we would give a general prefervative against every mistake. We mean an influence which agrees with the divine perfections; and if from any of our general propofitions, you infer any confequences injurious to thofe perfections, you may conclude, from that very reason, that you have stretched them beyond. their due bounds. We repeat it then, God influenceth all things, as far as fuch influence agrees with his perfections.

When new beings appear, he is there. He influences their production. He gives to all life, motion, and being, Acts xvii. 28. "Thou, even thou art Lord alone, thou haft made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their hoft, the earth and all things that are therein, the feas and all that is therein, and thou preferveft them all, and the hoft of heaven worshippeth thee," Neh. ix. 6. 660 Lord, I will praife thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are thy works, and that my foul knoweth right well My fubftance was not hid from thee, when I was

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made in fecrêt, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did fee my fubftance yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them," Pfal. cxxxix. 14, 15, 16. "Thine hands have made me, and fashioned me together round about. Thou haft clothed me with skin and fieff, and haft fenced me with bones and finews."

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When beings are preferved, he is there. He influences their preservation. 66 Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thou preferveft man and beaft," Pfal. xxxvi. 5, 6. "When thou openeft thy hand they are filled with good; thou hideft thy face they are troubled, thou takest away their breath they die, and return to their duft. Thou fendeft forth thy fpirit they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth," Pfal. civ. 28, 29, 30.

When the world is difordered, he is there. He influenceth wars, peftilences, famines, and all the viciffitudes which diforder the world. If nature refufe her productions, it is because he hath made the heaven as iron, and the earth as abrass, Lev. xxvi. 19. If peace fucceed war, he makes both. If lions slay the inhabitants of Samaria, it is the Lord who sends them, 2 Kings xvii. 25. When tempeftuous winds break down thofe immenfe banks which your industry has op. pofed to them, when a devouring fire reduceth your houses to afhes, it is he who makes the winds his messengers, and bis ministers flames of fire, Pfal. civ. 4.

When every thing fucceeds according to our wishes, he is there. He influenceth profperity. "Except the Lord build the houfe, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is

vain for you to rife up early, to fit up late, to eat the bread of forrows. It is God who giveth his beloved fleep," Pfal. cxxvii. 1, 2.

When our undertanding is informed, he is there. He influenceth our knowledge. For in bis light we see light, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. -"He lighteth every man that cometh into the world," John i. 9.

When our heart difpofeth us to our duties, he is there. He influenceth our virtues. It is he who worketh in us, both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. It is he who giveth us not only to believe but to suffer for his sake, chap. i. 29. It is he who giveth to all that ask him liberally and upbraideth not, James i. 5.

When the groffeft errors cover us, he is there. He influenceth errors. It is God who sends strong delusions that men should believe a lie, 2 Theff. ii. 11. "Go make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and hut their eyes, left they fhould fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears," Ifa. vi. 10.

When we violate the laws of righteoufnefs, he is there. He influenceth fins, even the greatest fins. Witnefs Pharaoh, whofe beart be hardened, Exod. iv. 21. Witnefs Shimei, whom the Lord bade to curse David, 2 Sam. xvi. 11. Witness what Ifaiah faid, the Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of Egypt, chap. xix. 14.

When magistrates, our earthly gods, confult and deliberate, he is there. He influenceth policy. It is he who hath the bearts of kings in bis hand, and turneth them as the rivers of water, Prov. xxi. 1. It is he who giveth kings in bis anger, and taketh them away in bis wrath, Hofea xiii. 11. It is he who maketh the Assyrian the rod of bis anger, Ifa. x. 5. "Herod and Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Ifrael,

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