This is what the Pfalmift fignifies, when having declared that God looketh upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth, he adds, He fashioneth their Hearts alike. He hath equally formed the Hearts of all Men, of one as well as another, of high and low, rich and poor, and therefore the Hearts of all Men are known to him, and in his Power. They are all equally fubject to his Jurifdiction. He both exerciseth a conftant Inspection over them, and can difpofe, incline, and govern them which Way he pleaseth.

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First, God exerciseth a constant Infpection over the Hearts of all Men, and hath a perfect Knowledge of their most secret Thoughts, Purposes, and Difpofitions. is but reasonable to believe, that he who is acquainted with the inward Effences of Things, who formed the Spirits of Men, and gave them their thinking Powers, and who is ever intimately prefent with them, and supporteth those Powers in Exercise, must needs know every Thing that paffeth in their Minds. All the Springs of Thought, all the Motions and Tendencies of the Heart lie open to his all-penetrating Eye, and are known to him with much greater Eafe and Certainty than outward Actions are to us. Without this he could not carry on his Administrations towards Mankind

Mankind in a proper Manner. If he were not acquainted with the Hearts of Men, it were to little Purpose to give them Laws for governing and regulating their inward Thoughts and Affections, fince in that Cafe he could not certainly know, whether his Laws were obferved or not. It is the Heart that denominateth Men good or bad, fo that if God did not know the Heart, he could not form a certain Judgment concerning their real Characters, nor reward or punish them accordingly; and thus might great Mistakes be committed in the Government of the World. The Scriptures, therefore, are very clear and full in afferting the perfect Knowledge God hath of the Hearts of all Men. Solomon in his admirable Prayer addreffeth himself thus to God; Do and give to every Man according to his Ways, whofe Heart thou knoweft; for thou, even thou only, knoweft the Hearts of all the Children of Men. 1 Kings viii. 39. That is a remarkable Paffage which we have Jer. xvii. 9. The Heart is deceitful above all Things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? i. e. What Man, what Angel, what Creature can perfectly know it? And then it follows: I the Lord Search the Heart, I try the Reins, even to give every Man according to his Ways, and according to the Fruit of his Doings. To VOL. I.

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the fame Purpose David declareth, that the Lord fearcheth all Hearts, and underftandeth all the Imaginations of the Thoughts. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. God is faid in this and other Paffages of Scripture, to fearch the Hearts, not as if he needed to make a laborious Enquiry; for he knoweth them by immediate Intuition; but to fignify the Certainty and Exactness of his Knowledge. This is what we must still bear in Mind, when we are confidering the Government of Divine Providence. For it lieth at the Foundation of all God's Administrations towards Mankind, both in this and in a future State. It both fheweth, that he will hereafter call Men to a ftrict Account, and will bring every fecret Thing into Judgment, whether it be good, or whether it be evil; and that he now knoweth how to order his providential Dealings towards Men in this prefent State in the fittest Manner. If we did but know the Hearts of Men as he doth, we should undoubtedly fee the Reasons of many of his Difpenfations which we are now ignorant of, and it would appear that Benefits or Calamities are often very properly applied, in Inftances which at prefent we find it hard to account for. feeth the rifing Defigns and Schemes of the fubtileft Politicians, when firft formed in their Hearts, and can eafily render

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their Devices of no effect. For he discovereth deep Things out of Darkness, and bringeth to Light the Shadow of Death, as Job expreffeth it. Job xii. 22. Juftly therefore is a Wo pronounced unto them that feek deep to hide their Counfel from the Lord, and their Works are in the Dark, and they say, Who feeth us, and who knoweth us? Isa. xxix. 15. As if they laid their Plots so cunningly, that God himself could not discover them. This argueth both great Impiety and Folly. What a Check would it be to wicked Men, did they but feriously confider and believe, that the most secret Thoughts and Purposes of their Hearts, though covered over with fair and fpecious Pretences, are ever fubject to the Infpection of the fupreme Lord and Governor of the World! As, on the contrary, it must be a great Comfort to good Men under the undeserved Cenfures and Reproaches which may now be caft upon them, that there is a Providence which governeth the World, to whom their Integrity and the Uprightnefs of their Intentions is fully manifeft.

Secondly, As God knoweth the Hearts of Men, fo he can govern or influence them as he pleaseth. He hath a Power of directing and over-ruling the Thoughts, Inclinations, and Intentions of Mens Hearts, in fuch a Manner as is agreeable to the N 2 wife

wife Purposes of his Providence. This is a Power that cannot reasonably be denied to the great univerfal Lord, who is the Author of our Beings, and who formed the Spirit of Man within him. And it is very exprefsly afferted in the facred Writings. Thus it is declared, Prov. xxi. 1. The King's Heart is in the Hand of the Lord, as the Rivers of Water; he turneth it whitherfoever he will. The Hearts of all Men are in the Hands of God, but thofe of Kings are particularly mentioned, as they seem to be more abfolute than other Men, more felf-willed, and harder to be controlled. Yet God can turn their Hearts, their Counfels, and Intentions, as it pleaseth him, as the Husbandman or Gardener can turn Streams of Water, through Trenches, to what Part of his Ground he thinks proper. We read in Scripture of God's touching Mens Hearts. Sam. x. 26. Of his preparing their Hearts. 1 Chron. xxix. 18. Pfal. x. 17. Of his opening the Heart. Acts xvi. 14. Of his inclining the Heart. Pfal. cxix. 36. And ftrengthening the Heart. Pfal. xxvii. 14. No Creature hath a direct and abfolute Empire over the Heart and Thoughts in Man; and yet it cannot be denied that Men may may in many Instances, and by many Ways, influence one anothers Hearts, Affections, and Inclinations, whe

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