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turning Himself, and looking upon him, upon which he immediately called to mind the words of our Lord, how He said, "Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice; Luke 22.61, and he went out and wept bitterly;" and from that time forward could never be moved to deny his Master any more, but continued His faithful servant all his life long, and at last too laid it down for His sake. And as St. Peter, so soon as ever he saw Christ looking upon him, immediately called his sin to remembrance and repented of it, so let any one also who is fallen into any grievous sin but look up to God or Christ, and firmly believe that He sees Him, and he will soon call his sin to mind, as St. Peter did, and be as much troubled for it, and as really converted from it, as he was.

And seeing this prevents our falling into, or lying long in sin, it must needs keep us likewise firm and steadfast in our duty to God; for the neglect of that being a sin, and a great one too, whatsoever conduceth towards the preserving us from sin, cannot but conduce also towards the performance of our duty; as setting of God always before us, doth in an eminent manner, insomuch that we can neither perform any duty well without it, nor ill with it. He that setteth upon any duty, without setting of God at the same time before him, goes so awkwardly about it, and is so dull and heavy, so cold and stupid, in the performance of it, that it is the mere outside and shell of a duty that hath nothing of life or vigour in it, nor indeed any thing of real duty; but it is a mere flat and insipid performance, neither acceptable to God, nor any way profitable to him that doth it: whereas, he that sets God always before him, as he dare not omit any duty which God requires of him, so he dare not perform it in a careless, indifferent manner, nor any other way than as God requires it to be done; as knowing that He takes notice all along, not only of what he doth, but likewise how he doth it: which if you would always remember and think of, while you are performing any duty unto God, you would be so far from running it over in a superficial manner, that you would think your whole souls too little to be employed in it.

While you are at your private devotions, where none sees you but God, if you would set yourselves solemnly, as in His presence, and duly consider, that He hears every word you

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SERM. speak to Him, and observes every motion both of your soul and body before Him; how grave, how serious, how devout would you be! how careful to say nothing to Him, but what becomes you to speak, and Him to hear! how impartial would you be in examining yourselves! how heavenly in your meditations! how earnest in your petitions! how free from distractions! how cordial and sincere in the whole performance!

While you are praying or praising God in public, where He hath promised to be present with you in a more peculiar manner, did you really believe that He is so, and accordingly set Him all the while before you, how humbly would you prostrate yourselves before Him! with what reverence and godly fear would you serve and worship Him! Your thoughts would be so composed, your minds so raised, and your whole souls so enlarged towards Him, that you would think yourselves in Heaven, joining with the glorified Saints and Angels, in admiring, adoring, praising, and magnifying the Almighty Creator of the World; and say with Ps. 84. 10. David to Him, "A day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of My God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." While you hear God's Holy Word read or expounded to you, did you really believe that He is there present with you, and speaks to you particularly, and acquaints you with His Divine will and pleasure, what He would have you to believe and do, that you may continue in His love and favour; how attentive would you then be, and ready to catch at every expression! 1 Thess. 2. You would then "receive it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God, which effectually worketh in them who thus believe, and none else."

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When you are invited to our Lord's Table, did you really believe that Christ Himself will meet you there, and apply all the merits of His death and passion to you, for the pardon of all your sins, how readily would you accept of so gracious an invitation! With what care and diligence would you prepare yourselves for it! And while you were there, did you really believe that you were then in the special presence of Christ Himself, your all-sufficient, almighty, all-merciful, all-glorious Saviour; with what shamefacedness and modesty,

with what reverence and humility would you carry yourselves before Him! How would you wonder to see the Son of God Himself going about by His minister, and offering the bread and water of life to all that hunger and thirst after it! And how would you hunger, and thirst, and long, till it came to your turns to receive it! And, how sweet would it be to your souls! What pleasure and delight would you take in eating and drinking of it! The Sacrament would then seem quite another thing to you than what it used to do, and you would esteem it the greatest happiness of your lives that you have so many opportunities of being made partakers of it.

Thus you see how acting our faith in God and Christ, as really present with us all the while that we are using of them, quickens and invigorates the means of grace and Salvation, and makes them effectual to the great ends for which they are appointed; so that we actually obtain the grace and Salvation which is administered by them. Indeed, the setting of God alway before us is itself one of the best means we can ever use, both to procure and preserve in us a true sense of His Divine perfections, and by consequence all manner of grace and virtue which naturally flows from it.

For if we could be always looking upon God, and beholding His infinite wisdom, and greatness, and love, and goodness to us, our affections would soon be taken off from all things else, and placed only upon Him; for nothing would seem wise, or great, or lovely, or good, or any thing, but only He: by which means our whole souls would be inflamed with love to Him above all things in the world, which can never be abated, much less extinguished, so long as we keep our eye fixed upon Him; for our eye will still affect our heart, and so our love to God will be rather always growing stronger and stronger, until at length it comes to its highest perfection; which cannot be till we get to Heaven, where, as we shall see God perfectly, we shall love Him perfectly.

But even while we are upon earth, He Whom our souls love is alway present with us, and manifesting His love to us and if we really believe that He is so, how can we forbear to rejoice in Him, and to please ourselves in pleasing

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SERM. Him? We cannot but delight in the company of those we love, though they be but our fellow-creatures: what delight then must they needs have who love God above all things, in having Him always in their company! Wheresoever they are, the best friend they have in the world is always present with them; and though they cannot see Him with their bodily eyes, yet believing Him to be so, as the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 8. speaks, they "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

And as this is the way whereby to live and rejoice in the Lord alway, so this is the way also whereby to have the fear of God always before our eyes, even by setting Him always before them.

So long as men do not think of God, nor believe Him to be near them, it is no wonder if they do not fear Him, nor regard whether He be pleased or displeased with them: but for a man to be fully persuaded, that the Almighty Creator and Governor of all things is present with him, and yet to stand in no awe of Him, is impossible; as He Himself inJer. 5. 22. timates by His Prophet, saying, "Fear ye not Me, saith the Lord? will ye not tremble at My presence?" Can a guilty prisoner see his judge, and not fear him? Can a known rebel behold his prince frowning upon him, and not fear him? How much less can sinful mortals look upon the King and Judge of the whole world, as present with them, and not tremble before Him? It cannot be: the thoughts of our being always under His eye, would be enough certainly to strike us dead, unless we had some grounds to hope for favour and mercy at His hands; as, blessed be His great Name, we have.

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For we have His Own word for it, that "His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation;" and Ps. 147. 11. that “He taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy." And therefore, as the wise man Prov. 14.26. observes, "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence." For the more we fear Him, the more cause we have to trust on Him, and to hope for mercy, and all good things we can desire from Him: and therefore they who alway set God before them, as they cannot but alway fear Him, so they cannot but also put their trust and confidence on Him, as

always ready to protect and defend them; so that they shall never be moved from that state and condition of life, which He in His infinite wisdom and goodness sees best for them.

This David found by experience, and therefore was confident of it; "Because He," saith he, "is on my right hand, I shall not be moved." And this hath been the constant experience of all good men in all ages, even of all who alway set God before them, and so have Him alway on their side and if God be for them who can be against them? If He be with them, what evil can come near them? What need they fear, who have Omnipotence itself alway ready to preserve them, wheresoever they are? This is the argument which He Himself makes use of to encourage His people, that they may fear nothing but Him: "Fear thou not," Isa. 41. 10. saith He, "for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God; for I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be ch. 43. 2. with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." He may suffer them to pass through fire and water, but He will not suffer them to be hurt by either of them: He may bring them into trouble, but He will preserve them from the evil of it, and make it really good for them; and all, because He is still with them in it. Thus He was with Noah in the ark, with Joseph in prison, with Israel in the midst of the sea, with Job upon the dunghill, with David upon the mountains, with the three children in the fiery furnace, with Daniel in the lions' den, with Jeremiah in the dungeon, with Jonah in the whale's belly, and with the Apostles in the common prison: and being alway with them, how wonderfully did He preserve them, altering often the very course of nature, rather than any thing should hurt them, who set Him alway before them!

And if we set Him before us as they did, He will be with us as He was with them; and then how securely may we walk through all the changes and chances of this mortal life, when we really believe that Almighty God, and Jesus Christ, our most gracious and most merciful Father, is always pre