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GERM.
XIII.
HERE
AND
HEREAFTER.
2?g
.
or
his mercy.
It
was
for this
purpose
that
Christ,
at
his
departure
from
earth,
engaged the promise
of
his
pre-
sence
with
his
ministers
in
the preaching
of
his gospel
:
Lo
I
am
with you always
even to
the end
of
the
world,
Mat.
xxviii.
20. And
is
not
this sufficient
ground for
men
to
expect and hope
to see
God there
?)
Besides
all this, have
not
christians
enjoyed blessed
experiences
of
the
presence
of God
in
his
sanctuary, in
the
assemblies
of
his
saints
?
One
can
say,
"
I was
all
darkness and ignorance,
and there I found
divine
light,
discovering
to me
my
sin
and
misery,
and his sal-
vation." Another
can
say,.
I
was
dead
in sin,
and found
my
soul raised to
a divine life
there;
"I
was
mourning
and
despairing, and there
I found a
word
of support and
holy
joy, such
as
no-mere words
of
men could convey
in-
to
me
;
and
I
am forced to confess
God
was in
this place
of
a truth,
1
Cron
xiv. 15.
REMARKS
on
the
first
head.
I.
How
much should
we
guard against hypocrisy
in
di-
vine worship, because it
is
an
appearance
before
God
2
We
do then,
in a solemn
manner, set ourselves before God,
and,
as it were,
humbly call
God
to look
upon
us,
and
take
notice
of
our hearts.
.
Let
us
remember
this,
every
one
of
us,"
when
we go to
public
worship,
we
do
in
effect
say to
God,
"
O
Lord,
we
are
always in thy sight,
but
in a
special
manner
we
now come to
shew
thee
our
hearts,
to
acquaint
thee
humbly with
our
wants,
our
sor-
rows,
and our
sins,
our
desires and hopes;"
and
God
will
not
hold
him
guiltless
that
takes
his
name
in
vain:
He
is
a
jealous God,
he will
hot
be
mocked,
Gal.
vi.
¡.
He
is
a Spirit,
and
he will be
worshipped in
spirit and
in truth,"
John
iv.
24.
He
is
sharp
-
sighted, he
sees
through our
souls,
and
knows
the ends
and
designs
of our
conning,
whether
to
see
creatures, and
be seen
of
them,
or
to
see himself,
our
Creator:
Whether
to
observe
the
modes,
dress,
and behaviour
of
our
fellow
-
creatures
on
earth,-
or
to
learn the
will
of
God,
and
the
mode-
of
heaven: Suppose
Jesus
Christ,
in his
human
nature,
were there, whose
eyes
are
as
a flame
of
fire,
and
through
your countenances
can discern the most
secret thought
of
your
souls, would you
not
stand
in awe
of
his
majes-
ty
?
Would
not
this
glorious
appearance
fix
the most
vain
and fluttering imagination in a pious solemnity
?
Q3