A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

Secondly, Faith preserves from sinning, by representing that God, who must hereafter be our Judge, to be now our Spectator and Observer. It is only an Eye of Faith that can discover things future as present, and things spiritual as real: Why now, God he is a spiritual ⟨p. 306⟩Being, and therefore is invisible to the dull eyes of Flesh; but the quick Eye of Faith, that can see him who is invisible; as it was said of Moses, Heb. 11.27. it fixeth its eye upon the all-seeing eye of God, and fills the Soul with awful Thoughts of God's Omni-presence and Omniscience, that all things are naked and bare before him, in whose company we are where-ever we are, and with whom we have to do whatever we are doing: Why now, consider with your selves, Would I commit such or such a Sin, to which possibly you are tempted, if some grave person were in the room with you whom you did much respect? And what, shall the Presence of a mortal Man keep you from sinning, and shall not the Presence of the Great God much more? Shall we dare to sin, when God's eye is fixed upon us, when he views not only our outward Actions, but also our inward Thoughts, clearer than we can see the faces one of another? It was the wise Counsel that a Heathen-Man gave to a Scholar of his, That if he would preserve himself from doing any thing that was undecent, he should suppose some sober and reverend man present with him; ⟨p. 307⟩and this would keep him from doing that which he would be ashamed to do before him. Truly, we need not make any such Supposition; the great and holy God is present with us in reality, and the eye of Faith discovers him so to be; he is always looking on us: yea, always looking into us; and certainly this, to one that can exercise the discerning eye of Faith, will be a more effectual means to keep a man from Sin, than if all the eyes of Men and Angels were upon him.

Secondly, Faith preserves from sinning, by representing that God, who must hereafter be our Judge, to be now our Spectator and Observer. It is only an Eye of Faith that can discover things future as present, and things spiritual as real: Why now, God he is a spiritual ⟨p. 306⟩Being, and therefore is invisible to the dull eyes of Flesh; but the quick Eye of Faith, that can see him who is invisible; as it was said of Moses,