November 9

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. - Psalms 139:1-4.

WHAT a preservation from sin would the continued reflection of this solemn and important fact prove. The eye of a fellow-creature-yea the eye of a child-would be sufficient to restrain some from many a sin, how much more the eye of God. The thief would never steal the goods while he saw the eyes of the owner upon him, but “his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings; there is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” “Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.” We never committed a secret sin in our lives. “Thou hast set my secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” What a check to insincerity in all our religious concerns also would such a reflection prove. We may deceive our fellow creatures, our fellow Christians, our ministers, but “God is not mocked.”

“Nothing but truth before his throne

With honour can appear,

The painted hypocrite is known

Through the disguise he wears.”

And what an excitement would this be to duty! How does the eye of the commander-in-chief animate the soldier in action? How does the eye of the master stimulate the servant. We therefore read of “eye-service;” service performed while the servant knows the eye of the master is on him. The master cannot have his eye always upon his servant; but as to the God we serve, we are continually with him.

The heathen philosopher recommended as a moral maxim to his pupils always to imagine, wherever they were, and whatever they were doing, that the eye of some distinguished individual was upon them. What was the eye of Cato compared with the eye of the Eternal God? God therefore said to Abraham, “Walk thou before me and be thou perfect.” See how you move; I have you under my eye; I can see if you turn back; if you turn aside; if you lie down; if you stand still; if you look back; if you even seem to come short. “Walk before me, and be thou perfect.”

A Christian endeavours to realize this, and the thoughts of God are with him; not only frequently but pleasantly, and indeed they are frequent because they are pleasant. Therefore he can say with David, “How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake I am still with thee.”