The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Ver. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place.] He is πανοφθαλμος, all-eye: and his providence like a well drawn picture, that vieweth all that come into the room. I know thy works, and thy labour; Rev 2:2 not thy works only, but thy labour in doing them. And as for the offender, though he think to hide himself from God, by hiding God from himself, yet God is nearer to him than the bark is to the tree; "for in him all things subsist," Col 1:17 "and move"; - understand Act 17:28 it to be the mind's motions also. And this the very heathen saw by nature's rush candle. a For Thales Milesius being asked, Whether the gods knew not when a man doth ought amiss? Yea, said he, if he do but think amiss. Deus intimior nobis intimo nostro, saith another, God is nearer to us, than we are to ourselves. b Repletively he is everywhere, though inclusively nowhere. Nusquam est, et ubique est. As for the world, it is to him as "a sea of glass"; Rev 4:6 corpus diaphanum - a clear transparent body; he sees through it.

Beholding the evil and the good.] The evil are first mentioned, because they make question of this truth. But what saith a worthy divine, yet alive: Think not that he who is invisible cannot see; God, like the optic virtue in the eye, sees all, and is seen of none. No man needs a window in his breast (as the heathen Momus wished), for God to look in at; every man before God is all window. Job 34:22 The eyes of Christ are "as a flaming fire." Rev 1:14 And the school of nature teacheth that the fiery eye needs no outward light, that sees extra mittendo, by sending out a ray, &c.

a Vide Sen. Ep. ad Lucil. 34.

b Interest animis nostris et cogitationibus. - Sen.

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