Oh! my brethren, try to believe heartily this great doctrine of a particular Providence! Look not back to the creation of the world, and to the working out of men’s redemption in Judea, or forward to the Judgment Day, as though GOD were only working and manifesting Himself there and then. GOD is everywhere and is active everywhere; He is here now; He is marking how we conduct ourselves in this house; He is looking into the very depths of our hearts and minds, and noting whatsoever lurks there. This night He will be about our beds; to-morrow about our paths; always spying out all our ways. Of every thought, of every word, of every deed of ours, He will at once note the intent and the measure. Of all that is done in His fear and service, He will record that it is “righteous worship;” of all else that it is “idolatry,” the setting up of some person or some thing as more worthy to be loved or feared than He is. Every undertaking, every endurance, all safety and all danger, all wisdom and all folly, will be watched and allowed or overruled according as we deserve or deserve not to be dealt with in love by a present GOD. Oh! if we felt this, how easy would it be to avoid taking thought for temporal things! how full would be our minds of GOD! how should we breathe as in His presence, and listen for His guidance, and trust in His providence! And then how determined would be our service of Him! We should not talk of expediency; we should not invent excuses; we should not do evil that good may come, or avoid good that we may escape unpleasant circumstances. No! GOD would be indeed GOD; religion would be the one thing needful; we should hope for what it promised, and fear what it threatened. The allurements of the world, the offers of pleasure, riches, power, honour, would be scorned as childish toys idly held out to sage and sober men. The scoffs, the sneers, the threats, the persecutions of the world would be nothing cared for—they would be as the impotent threats of chained madmen. Serve God or mammon? Who would be in doubt which to do, who would shrink from or fail in the service, if GOD were only thus palpably present? Having thus set GOD before us, how zealously should we serve Him, how confidently should we rest on Him!