"all his ways" or proceedings, nay with his very thoughts" while yet exifting only in embryo, in his own mind; as watching and obferving him at all feasons, during the actions of the day, and his repofe at night; and, in fhort, as having fo "befet" him on all fides, and "laid his hand upon him," that he could not move without his knowledge and confent. When we reflect that "all things are thus naked and "open to him with whom we have to do;" that, although he dwelleth in the higheft heavens, he furveyeth not only the outward acts, but the very hearts and imaginations of men upon earth-must we not each of us cry out, "Such knowledge is too won"derful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it;" I cannot adinire it enough, for I cannot conceive of it aright" The actual, conftant confideration of "God's prefence would be the readieft way in the "world to make fin to ceafe from among the chil"dren of men, and for men to approach to the blef"fed eftate of the faints in heaven, who cannot fin, for they always walk in the prefence, and behold "the face of God." See Bishop Taylor's "Holy Living." Chap. 1. Sect. 3. 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither Ahall I flee from thy prefence? 8. If I afcend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, or the grave, behold thou art there. 9. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the fea: 10. Even there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand fhall hold me. 11. If I fay, Surely the darkness fhall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. We We can never fin with fecurity, but in a place where the eye of God cannot behold us. And where is that place? Had we a mind to escape his infpection, "whither should we go?" Heaven is the feat of his glory, creation the fcene of his providence, and the grave itself will be the theatre of his power; fo that our efforts will be equally vain, whether we afcend, or defcend, or fly abroad upon the wings of the morning light, which diffufeth itself with fuch velocity over the globe, from east to west. The arm of the Almighty will ftill at pleasure prevent, and be ready to arrest the fugitives in their progrefs. Darknefs may, indeed, conceal us and our deeds from the fight of men; but the divine prefence, like that of the fun, turns night into day, and makes all things manifeft before God. The fame confideration which should restrain us from fin, fhould alfo encourage us to work righteoufnefs, and comfort us under all our forrows; namely, the thought, that we are never out of the fight and protection of our Maker. The piety and the charity which are practifed in cottages; the labour and the pain which are patiently endured in the field, and on the bed of fickness; the mifery and torment inflicted by perfecution in the mines, the gallies, and the dungeons; all are under the infpection of Jehovah, and are noted down by him against the day of recompenfe. He fees, and he will reward all we do, and all we fuffer, as becometh Chriftians. He who, for our fakes, caufed his Son to defcend from heaven to the lower parts of the earth, and from thence to afcend to heaven again, will watch over, preserve, and re-affemble the parts of our bodies, Ꮋ Ꮒ 2 bodies, though diffolved in the grave, buried in the ocean, or difperfed to the four winds. So that, with allufion to this event alfo, a dying fervant of God may exclaim, Whither can I go from thy spirit? Or whither can I flee from thy prefence? If, as to my fpiritual part, I afcend into heaven, thou art there to receive me; if, as touching my body, I make my bed in or the grave, behold thou art there, to fecure me. If I take the wings of the wind, or thofe yet more expeditious ones of the morning, and am carried by them to dwell in the midst of the fea, inftead of the bowels of the earth; ftill fhall I be under thy power and providence; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand fhall hold me fast, preferving me for a joyful refurrection at the time appointed. 13. For thou haft poffeffed, or, formed my reins: thou haft covered me in my mother's womb. 14. I will praife thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my foul knoweth right well. That God feeth in darkness, and that from him nothing is hidden, his knowledge of, and power over our moft inward parts, do plainly fhew. He "formed," and he therefore "poffeffeth," as his own property, our reins," and is confequently privy to all thofe affections and defires which flow from thence. It was he who "covered" us in the womb, or, as it is elsewhere expreffed, Job x. 2. who "cloth"ed us with skin and flesh, and fenced us with bones "and finews." A work so astonishing, that before the Pfalmift proceeds in his description of it, he cannot help breaking forth in rapture at the thought; "I will "I will praife thee, for I am fearfully and wonder"fully made!" Obftupeo, et memet læta formidine luftro, With awful joy I view this frame of mine, LOWTH. 15. My fubftance was not hid from thee, when I was made in fecret, and curiously wrought, or variegated, like needle work, in the lowest parts of the earth. 16. Thine eyes did fee my fubftance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. By the "lower parts of the earth" is undoubtedly to be understood the "womb," where the fœtus is gradually formed and matured for the birth, like plants and flowers under ground. The procefs is compared to that in a piece of work wrought with a needle, or fashioned in the loom; which, with all it's beau tiful variety of colour, and proportion of figure, arifeth by degrees to perfection under the hand of the artist, framed according to a pattern lying before him, from a rude mafs of filk, or other materials. Thus, by the wisdom and power of God, and after a plan delineated in his book, is a fhapelefs mass wrought up into the moft curious texture of nerves, veins, arteries, bones, mufcles, membranes, and skin, moft skilfully interwoven and connected with each other, until it becometh a body harmoniously diverfified with all the limbs and lineaments of a man, not one of which at firft appeared, any more than the figures were to be feen in the ball of filk. But then (which is the chief thing here infifted on by the Pfalmift), whereas the human artificer must have the cleareft light whereby to accomplish his tafk, the divine work-mafter feeth in fecret, and effecteth all his wonders within the dark and narrow confines of the womb. The reformation of our corrupted and diffolved bodies, which is to be wrought, at the last day, in the womb of the earth, in order to their new birth, will crown all the works of the Almighty. 17. How precious alfo are thy thoughts unto, or, concerning me, O God! How great is the fum of them! 18. If I should count them, they are more in number than the fand: when I awake, I am fill with thee. From the wonders of God's forming hand, the Pfalmift proceeds to thofe of his all-directing Providence, which afford additional proofs of the divine omnifcience and omniprefence. The "thoughts" and counfels of Jehovah concerning David, his appointment to the throne, his troubles, and his prefervation in the midst of them, were "precious" and delightful fubjects of meditation and praife, never to be exhaufted of the rich matter they contained. With thefe in his mind he lay down at night to reft, and, "when he awoke" in the morning, his thoughts naturally recurred to the pleafing theme; he began where he had left off, and found himself, in heart and foul, "ftill prefent with God," ftill ruminating on him and his works. The mercies of heaven in the redemption of the church, by the fufferings and exaltation of the true David, according to the divine decree concerning him-how precious are they to believers! How great is the fum, how far exceeding all |