But the bare mentioning of all would be impracticable the greatnefs of the mercy of which they may fing! O the greatness of the Author of it, a great God! If we be faved, what does he get? If we be damned, what does he lofe? Yet he fhews mercy. O the greatnefs of the object of it! it is extended towards the chief of finners. O the greatnefs of the effects of it! Hereby great fins are pardoned, great bleffings are conferred; great wrath is averted, and great falvation is obtained: O! how can they but fing of mercy! O the greatnefs of the attendants and companions of it! It makes them fing, not only when they notice the mercy, but the contents, concomitants of it, and what comes along with it: how fweetly will the foul fing, when it can fay, I not only got fuch a mercy, but I faw God in it, and Chrift in it, and the Spirit in it, and heaven in it, and glory in it! O! how fweet, when they confider this favour hath a neceffary connection with heaven! it is a fore-tafle of what I fhall enjoy for ever it is connected with God's everlasting love. And hence,

5. Not only the greatnefs, but the fweetpefs of the mercy makes them fing. And there are two things, among many others, that make it fweet to them, namely, the excellency of the mercy itfelf, and then their relation to it. On the one hand, the excellency of the mercy; "How excellent is thy loving kindness, O Lord! Thy favour is better than life. His mouth is molt fweet," fays the Church: "The words of his mouth are fweeter than honey, or the honey-comb." On the other hand, their relation to the mercy, contributes to the sweetness of it; the more of faith's application, the more fweet. O, fays faith, there is a promfe, and it is mine; there is a pardon, and it is mine; there is a robe of righteoufnefs, and it is mine; there is a crown of glory, and it is mine; there is a God, and he is mine; all is mine, because Chrift is mine. O then he fings of mercy. But,

6. To name no more, The furenefs and firmness of the mercy makes them fing; they are called, "The

fure

fure mercies of David," Ifa.lv. 3. The Septuagint renders it as the apofile does, A&ts xiii. 34. "The holy, jult, and faithful things of David." The mercies of God in Chrift, our myftical David, are his holy, jutt, and faithful things; his holinefs, juftice, and faithfulnefs are concerned to make good and fecure his mercy to them that believe. Hence it is faid of believing penitents, 1 John i. 9. That God is faithful and jult to forgive them their fins. Faithfulnefs hath a respect to God's promife, and juftice a refpect to the price and ranfom paid by Chrift: and God hath bound himself; he is bound by his own faithfulness, on the one hand, he will be faithful to his word of promife; and he is bound by his own juftice on the other hand, which is fully fatisfied in Chrift: he is thus obliged to give out mercy, and fecure it for the believer; this makes it indeed the fure mercies of David; and fo they are eternally fecured, and therefore everlasting mercies. In a word, the thing that makes them fing of mercy is, When they fee the mercy to bear in it the tokens of God's love; when they find fuch a mercy is not only the answer of prayer, but the fruit of God's electing grace; when they fee God's everlafting love to be the fountain from whence it flows, Chrifl's everlafting righteoufnefs the channel in which it runs, and the powerful operation of the Spirit making the effectual conveyance and application of all.-Now, thefe are fome of the mercies, and the things in these mercies, both more ordinary and extraordinary, that are ground of finging: "I will fing of mercy." But to the other part of the fong.

II. The Second thing was, to speak of the judgments that the Lord's people meet with; and what it is in judgment that may be matter of a fong of praife unto God. To fing of mercy is what I understand, may you fay; but how to fing of judgment, I want to know. Here then I would follow the fame method as in the former head, namely, 1. To fpeak of fome of these judgments they may meet with. 2. What it is in judg

judgment, that may be matter of a fong of praise to God.

ift, Now, as to the first of thefe, viz. The judg ments of which they are to fing; in order to clear this, you would know, that the word Judgment hath various fignifications in Scripture; I fhall name fome of thefe.

1. Judgment fometimes fignifies, when spoken with relation to man, Understanding and Equity: fometimes it fignifies Understanding, and a faculty of difcerning, in oppofition to ignorance; "I pray that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge, and in all JUDGMENT," Phillip. i. 9. Sometimes it fignifies Equity, in oppofition to Injuftice; "I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his houfhold after him, that they keep the ways of the Lord, and do justice and JUDGMENT," Gen. xviii. 19. Now, though the doing Judgment thus, and that with an underflanding heart, be one of the ways by which we are to fing the praises of God, and glorify him, of which more afterwards; yet other things are here intended. Therefore,

2. Judgment, when fpoken of with relation to God, fignifies feveral other things; as,

(1.) It fometimes fignifies God's juft and righteous government of the world, particularly by Christ Jefus;

The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all JUDGMENT to the Son," John v. 22. Righteoufness and judgment are the habitation of his throne; and thať both in the iron rod, by which he takes vengeance on his enemies; and in the golden fceptre, by which he rules his own people. And indeed, whatever be intended in the text, this government of Chrift is matter of a fong of praife; "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; the Lord reigns, let the earth be glad." But,

(2.) Judgment fometimes fignifies the rectitude of Chrift's adminiftration, in his reforming the world, and bringing things in order, which fin and Satan had put into confufion; fo may that word be understood, John ix. 34. "For JUDGMENT am I come into this world." And again, "Now is the JUDGMENT of this world; now fhall the prince of this world be caft out." VOL. II. † F

Of

Of this judgment alfo will the believer fing, when the Spirit is come to convince, as of fin and righteoufnels, fo alfo of judgment; "Becaufe the prince of this world is judged." But,

(3) Judgment fometimes fignifies the precepts of the law; as ye know they are frequently called, God's teftimonies and judgments, especially, Pfalm cxix. And when a man learns thefe in a gofpel-way, they are matter of a fong of praife alfo, Palm cxix. 7. "I will praise thee with uprightnefs of heart, when I have learned thy righteous JUDGMENTS." Yea, they delight therein, and fing of these judgments, Pfalm cxix. 54. Thy ftatutes have been my fong in the houfe of my pilgrimage."

(4.) Judgment fometimes fignifies the doctrine of the golpel: I will put my Spirit upon him, and he fhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles," Matth. xii. 18. It is cited out of Isaiah xlii. 1. " He shall fhew judgment to the Gentiles:" That is, He will publifh the gospel; the way and method of falvation, which he came, as a Prophet, to teach and proclaim; as a Priest, to work out; and as a King, to apply; and if we should take judgment in this fenfe, furely all believers fing of judgment, whenever faith is in exercife; for the goffel is the fong of the faints; it is the joyful found, while with joy they draw water out of this well of falvation, Pfal. lxxxix. 15. Ifa. xii. 3.

(5.) It fometimes fignifies the punishment inflicted upon Chrift, when he fubftitute himfelf in our room;

He was taken from prifon and from JUDGMENT:" or, as it may be rendered, and as you will fee in the margin of fome of your Bibles," He was taken awaу BY DISTRESS and judgment;-while it pleafed the Lord to bruise him,” Ifa. liii. 8. 10. O but this infinitely fevere act of juftice and judgment against Christ was an infinite act of mercy towards us! And, as we had perished eternally, if we had not been thus judged and condemned in a Surety; fo this judgment execute upon him, is noble matter of a fong. To fing of judgment, in this fenfe, is one of the fweeteft hymns to the praile of God.

(6.) Judg

(6.) Judgment fometimes fignifies the folemnity of the laft day: "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thoufands of his faints, to execute JUDGMENT upon all," Jude, ver. 14, 15. And tho' it will be a day of terrible vengeance to the wicked, Chriftlefs world, yet the faints may fing of joy; for, the day of their redemption draws near: "When Chrift, who is their life fhall appear, they fhall appear with him in glory. Awake and fing, ye that dwell in the duft."

(7.) Judgment fometimes fignifies the punishment of the wicked in a wrathful manner; and the heavy plagues which he pours out upon any person or people, whether it be fword, famine, peftilence, or any other ftroak; Exod. vi. 6. "I will redeem you from Egypt (fays the God of Ifrael) with a ftretched-out hand, and with great JUDGMENTS:" that is, with great plagues and punishments upon the Egyptians. "The

Lord is known by the JUDGMENTS which he executeth." And fometimes the Lord gives his church and people occafion to fing of judgment in this fenfe, as Ifrael did at the Red-fea, after God had poured out all his plagues upon Pharaoh and upon his proud hoft; on which occafion you have the fong of Mofes, Exod. xv. In this fenfe it is faid, "The righteous fhall rejoice. when he fees the vengeance." Not that he will love to feed his eyes upon the blood and ruin of his fellowcreatures, but rejoice in that God is glorified in the destruction of his enemies, and the falvation of his church and people.

(8.) Judgment fometimes fignifies the chaftifement of the godly for, as there is a wrathful judgment, which God exercifes towards his enemies; fo there is a fatherly judgment, which he exercifes towards his friends. In this fenfe we may understand that word in the inflitution of the facrament, even as it concerns the godly themselves, "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation [or, JUDGMENT], to himself," as the word may be rendered, I Cor. xi. 29. And indeed, as a believer may communicate unworthily, fo his unworthy communicating