A glimpse of God, or, A treatise proving that there is a God discovering the grounds of atheism, with arguments of divers sorts against atheists : shewing also, the unity of the Godhead, and the trinity of the persons ... / by ... Mr. Thomas Byrdall ...

CHAP. VII.

1. THis sheweth the sottish A∣theism of many wicked per∣sons, who if they can sin in secret from the sight of mortal men, pro∣mise themselves security and safety from punishment, perswading them∣selves that the immortal eye of the holy God, who cannot endure to be∣hold sin, can no more see them in thee dark or in secret, than the mor∣tal eyes of man. Oh tremble rather, for here is matter of terrour to such; your sins and your persons are always before God; he seeth thy secret sins acted in thy bosome; thy heart∣pride, thy heart covetousness, thy heart-adultery, thy heart-murther, as

well as the outward act: he sees thy filthy thoughts, as well as thy filthy actions, and heareth every word spo∣ken by thee.

Thy sins committed in the dark at midnight, are all open to him, as thy sins committed at noon day in the face of the sun: thy sins acted in the most secret place that can be found, are open before him, as well as Ab∣solo••s▪ adultery acted on the house top: as 'tis said of Nimrod, he was a migh∣ty hunter before the Lord, so of the secret Adulterer, the speculative a∣dulterer, he is a mighty adulterer before the Lord: so of the secret drunkard, he is a mighty drun∣kard before the Lord: therefore in vain do men dig deep to hide their counsels from him; in vain doth the Adulteresse wipe her mouth, and say she hath done no evil; seeing all that men or women think, speak or do in publick, in secret, at midnight, and at noon, is before the Lord, who is more than a thousand eye-witnes∣ses,

more then if thou shouldst act sin upon a publique Stage in open mar∣ket.

Then, if thy sins be acted before God, never imagine thou art free from vengeance; thy person is always before the sin-revenging God, who will not acquit the guilty; but be sure O sinner, his vengeance will pursue thee and overtake thee, and never leave till it hath destroyed thee with an everlasting destruction: as the Prophet speaketh of an impossi∣bility of escaping his presence; the like may be said of his wrath; nei∣ther shall the wicked flie from his wrath: though the wicked be hid from his fight in the bottom of the Sea, thence the Lord saith, he will command the Serpent, and it shall bite them: and though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence he saith, he will command the sword, and it shall slay them. Amos. 9. 3. 4▪ God will command this and that Plague to destroy them: he that fills

Heaven and earth with his Essence, is able to fill all sinful places with his wrath.

2. The consideration of Gods Om∣nipresence, should be a Curb to restrain and keep us back from committing sin; we cannot sin but in his presence: if it were possible for thee to find out a place where God is not, then and there thou might'st take liberty to sin, and there thou maist commit folly securely: but dic ubi non est Deus? said the Phi∣losopher to one, who asked, Where is God? Tell me, saith he, where God is not?

It was a Philosophers advice to some, That if they would keep them∣selves from Vanity and Folly, they should alwayes imagine some severe Cato were beholding them; he had well said, if he had counselled them to have set God alwayes before their eyes.

What preserved Joseph from yield∣ing to the adulterous Temptations of his unchaste Mistress, having a fair op∣portunity

to act in secret? How shall I do this wickedness, and sin against God? Gen. 39. 9. As if he had said, Though my Master and all his Servants behold us not, yet God whom I fear and serve, beholdeth me, how shall I sin in his presence? If we did reason thus with our selves, we should vanquish tempta∣tions; and though we have the fairest opportunities to commit sin, yet we should stand in awe of him, and not sinne.

Why do wicked men take liberty to sin? 'Tis because the fear of God is not before their eyes. The Adulterer considers not, that he is sinning before God, and doing of that in his presence, which he durst not do▪ before a child: Why do men harbour such unclean thoughts in their hearts, and make their very hearts the Bawd, Whoremonger and Brothel-house, it is because they consider not, they act this filthiness be∣fore the Lord. A young man being importuned by a Whore to lie with her, told her, he would, if she would

go with him to a place where he should lead her; she asked whether he would go? he said, to the Market-place; she replied, there every one will see us: Then said he, go into the most secret place thou canst find out, and God will see us. You that take liberty to com∣mit secret sins, who, if you can keep your selves from the sight of men, re∣gard not what wickedness you act in the presence of God, let me tell you, That secret sinners are as notorious and desperate Atheists, as the most shameless Drunkard, and open-mouth∣ed blasphemer: To this purpose I de∣sire you seriously to consider these things.

1. No sin is secret, or can be acted in secret, because in the presence of God, who is more than a million of Witnesses. What sins are more secret than our wanton thoughts, our proud or worldly thoughts, than our vain thoughts; yet even these God know∣eth altogether, not a thought, but is present before him: Thou hast possessed

my reins, saith the Psalmist, Psal. 139. 13. God hath possession of our hearts, they are all naked before him.

2. There's no secret sin, but God will bring forth to publick Judgment: There is a day when God shall judge the secrets of all men by Jesus Christ, accord∣ing to the Gospel, Rom. 2. 16. Secret sinners think their secresie will keep them from open shame, and publick punishment; no, God will judge thee for thy secret sins before men and An∣gels: They are apt to bless God they were honest with their bodies, but God will tell thee thou hadst not an honest heart, whiles thou actedst such secret sins, and therefore he will condemn thee: What will be the shame of all those at that great day, but the ripping up of their secret sins? What will the Lord then say? You thought th••se men to be holy men, because you saw nothing but what was commendable in their outward Conversation, but yet in my presence they took liberty to be drunk, to be adulterous, proud, cove∣tous,

&c. That chaste man, as you thought him, was in his heart a most vile Adulterer, Sodomite, incestuous wretch, as any damned Sodomite: That sober man, as you took him to be, was in his heart a vile profane Drunkard, as any damned Drunkard: They have acted these things in the presence of me their God, which they durst not act in the presence of man: I was made no more reckoning of by them, than as a blind God, a careless, regardless God; rather an approver of them in their sins, than an hater of them.

Notes

• Ʋse 1.
• Use 2.
• Cas••ian. Collat.