Having thus seen the scope of the words as de- livered on that particular occasion, we shall proceed to notice, I. The truth contained in them —
God does inspect the hearts of men —
1. He is qualified to do so —
["He is light; and with him there is no darkness at all*." " His eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good''." There is no possibihty of going from his pre- sence: " if we ascend to heaven, he is there: if we make our bed in hell, behold, he is there also. If we say the dark- ness shall cover us, the darkness and the light to him are both alike''." " All things are naked and opened before him," just as the sacrifices, when flayed and cut open, were to the inspection of the priest*^. " Hell and destruction are before him; and much more the hearts of the cliildren of men ^."]
2. He does so —
[" His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth ^." And not only do " his eyes behold, but his eyelids try the children of men^;" insomuch that he marks with the utmost precision every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts ''. And, to preclude all possibility of mistake, he represents him- self as " searching the hearts" of men*, and trjdng their reins'^, yea, as " pondering their hearts'," and " weighing their spirits™." This, I say, he does: and it is his exclusive prero- gative to do so; as Solomon has told us: "Thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of aU the children of men"."]
3. He does so with an express reference to a future judgment —
[Having ordained a future judgment for the express pur- pose of manifesting the justice and equity of his procedure, he notes every thing in the book of his remembrance, and will *' bring every secret thing into judgment, whether it be good or evil"." There is not a thought or counsel in the heart of any man which he will not then make manifest, in order to pass his judgment upon itP. Nay more, as every evil thought brings with it certain consequences, defiling the soul, harden- ing the heart, grieving the Holy Spirit, and dishonouring
a 1 John i. 5. b Prov. xv. 3. <= Ps. cxxxix. 7 — 12.
d Heb. iv. 13. See the Greek. " Prov. xv. 11.
f 2 Chron. xvi. 9. e Ps. xi. 4. '' Deut. xxxi. 21.
i Rev. ii. 23. i' Ps. vii. 9. ' Prov. xxi. 2.
^ Prov. xvi. 2. "1 Kings viii. 39. " Eccl. xii. 14.
P 1 Cor. iv. 5. Rom. ii. IG.