SERMON XII. PSALM CXXXIX, 2. Thou art about my path, and about and fpieft out all my ways. my bed, T XII. HE holy pfalmift, in the words SERM. of my text, hath with his usual elegance and propriety, pointed out to us, in one short sentence, two of the greatest and most distinguishing attributes of God, his Omniprefence and Omniscience; the ferious and devout confideration of which united and infeparable perfections, cannot but conspire to raise in us the most noble, worthy and exalted idea of the Supreme Being. It must indeed be confeffed, (the best, though poor excufe for inattention to a truth fo important) that confined as we are XII. SERM. are within the small compass of this fublunary world, and encircled by the narrow bounds of human knowledge, we are too apt to measure the powers of the Almighty by the unequal fcale of our own limited capacities. Our horizon is quickly terminated, and because we cannot fee for ourselves, we think it beyond the power of Omnipotence itself to enlarge the profpect. We cannot easily conceive a being extending itself through all space, yet whole and undivided; prefent at every period of time in every place; operating in every mode and form without change, diminution, or decay; comprehending at one view, all the various parts of the vaft and boundlefs universe, and whilft it remains itself invisible, diffufing its influence, operating, enlivening and invigorating the whole visible creation. It XII. It is, notwithstanding, at the fame time, SERM. indifputable, that if there is a God, he must be both omniprefent and omnifcient; he must fee all things, or he cannot poffibly be able to rule over, to govern, and to direct them. Amongst all those abfurd and pernicious notions, which were fo warmly embraced and propagated in the heathen world, there is not perhaps one fo ridiculous, and withal so derogatory of the divine honour, as the doctrine attributed to Epicurus and his followers, who were weak enough to believe, or wicked enough to endeavour to make others believe, that the fuperiority of the divine nature, confifted merely in an exemption from care and folicitude; in reft, flothfulness, and a total inactivity: in pursuance of this ftrange opinion, they represented their Gods as utterly unconVOL. III R cerned SERM.cerned about the happiness or mifery of XII. mankind, not in the leaft interested or folicitous in regard to their prefervation; enjoying themselves (if fuch could be deemed enjoyment) in uninterrupted peace, in a cold and lifelefs tranquillity, leaving at the fame time every thing here below to the guidance of chance, fate, or they know not what invisible power which prefided over human affairs, and kindly relieved them of the cares of mortality. That deities thus idle and unworthy of the ftation affigned them, fhould meet with votaries as idle and as unworthy as themselves, will scarcely afford matter of surprise or admiration to us; nor can we therefore wonder to find the heathen world at that time funk in indolence and luxury, carelefs of their conduct and behaviour; the flaves, in fhort, of every |