40 Tbe Shamefulnefs of Sin, Vol. II. Second Place, to confider Sin in refpe& of God, againft whom, and in whofe fight and prefence it is committed ; and uponexamination it will appear to be no lets fhameful in this refpeét than the other. There are Tome Perfons before whomwe are more apt tobe afhamed and blufh, than before others ; as thofe whom we reverence, thofe to whomwe aregreatly oblig'd, and thofe whoare clear of thofe faults whichwe are guiltyof and thofe who hate or greatly diflike what we do ; efpecially if they be prefent with us, and in our company ; if they ftand by us, and obferve, and take notice of what we do, and are likely to publifh our folly and make it known, and have Autho- rity and Power to punifh us for our faults; we are afhamed to have done any thing that is vile and unworthybefore fuch Perfons. Now to renderSin the more fhameful, God may confider'd by us under all thefe Notions, and in all thefe Refpe&s. I. Whenever we commit any Sin, we do it before him, in his pretence, and under his eye and knowledge, to whom of all Perlons in the World we ought to pay the molt profound reverence. I remember Seneca fomewhere. fays ; that There are force Perfons, quorum interventuperditi quoque homines vrtia feppri- " merent, that are fo awful and fo generally reverenc'd for the eminency of their " Virtues, that even themolt profligate and impudent Sinners will endeavour to fupprefs their Vices, and refrain from any thing that is notorioully bad, and uncomely, whilft fuch Perfons ftand by them, and are in Pretence. Such an onewas Cato among the Romans. The People of Rome had filch a Regard and Reverence for him, that if he appeared, they would not begin or continue their ulna! fports, till hewas withdrawn from the Theatre, thinking them too light to be titled before a Perfon of his Gravityand Virtue : And if they were fo much aw'd by the pretence ofa Wife and a Virtuous Man, that they wereafhamed to do any thing that was unfeemly before him ; how much more fhould the Pretence of the Holy God, who is ofpurer eyes than to behold iniquity, make us blufh todo any thing that is lewd and vile in his fight, and fill us with (name and confuf/on of face at the thoughts of it ? Now whenever we commit any Sin, God looks upon us ; and he alone is an ample Theatre indeed. That he obferves what we do, ought tobe more to us, than ifthe Eyes of all the Worldbefides were gazing up- on us. 2. He likewife isincomparably our greateft Benefa&or, and there is no Perfon in the World, towhom in any degree we (land fo much oblig'd, as to him; and from whom we can expe&and hope for fo much good, as fromhim; the conti- deration whereofmull make us afhamed, fooften as we confider, and are confci- ous to our felves, that we have done any thingthat is grievous and difpleafrng to him. We are wont to have a more peculiar Reverence for thofe to whomwe are ex- ceedingly beholding, and to be much a(hamed to do any thing before them, which may fgnifie difrefpe&, and much more enmity againft them ; becaufe this wouldbe horrible ingratitude, one of the molt odious and fhameful of all Vices. And is there any one to whom we canGland more obliged, than tohim that made us, than to the Author andFounder ofour Beings, and the great Patron and Pre- ferver of our lives? And can there then be any before whom, and againft whomwe fhould be more afhamed to offend ? When the Prodigal in the Para- ble would let forth the (hamefulnefs of his Mifcarriage, he aggravates it from hence, that he had offended againft and before one to whom he had been fo infi- nitely obliged: Father, Pays he, Ihave finned againfl heaven, and in thy tight. 3. We are afhamed likewife to be guiltyof any fault or crime before thofe Per- Ions who are clearof it, or ofany thing of the like nature themfelves. Men are not apt to be afhamed before thofe who are their fellow - Criminals, and involved with them in the fameguilt, becaufe they do not (land in awe of of them, nor can have any reverence for them. Thofe, who are equally guilty, mutt bear with öneanother. We are not apt to fear the cenfuresand reproofs of thofe, who are as bad as our felves : but we are afhamed to do a foul and unworthy A&ion, be- fore thofe who are innocent and free from the fame, or the like Sins and Vices which we are guilty of. Now
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