may bring on him heavy judgments or chaflifements from the Lord; "For this caufe many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep," verfe 30. Judg ment, I fay, fignifies fometimes fatherly judgments or chaftifements: and thus it is to be underflood, 1 Peter iv. 17. The time is come that JUDGMENT muft begin at the houfe of God." And in this fenfe efpecially I conceive Judgment to be meant in the text, "I will fing of mercy and of JUDGMENT." So that by Judgment here we are to underftand all the hardfhips and forrows of a believer's lot, whether punitive or probative; that is, whether for the punishment of his fins, or the probation of his graces all penal difpenfations for his correction, or whatever difpenfations make for his trial: all adver fity, fufferings, and diftreffes, of whatfoever kind.

Now, if you afk more particularly what thefe judgments are? I think they may be all reduced to thefe four ordinary words, 1. The judgment of affliction. 2. The judgment of temptation. 3. The judgment of defertion. 4. The judgment of fin itself, which may be fo called, when a man is left to fall into it for the punishment of other fins. I am not yet come to fhew how thefe, or any of thefe, may afford matter of a fong; I am as yet telling you what are the judgments they may meet withal. And,

1. The judgment of affliction. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, even their outward afflictions: fometimes they are afflicted in their bodies, with ficknefs; fometimes in their eftate, with poverty; fometimes in their name, with reproach; fometimes in their relations, either by the graceleffnefs of their relations, or by their death; if they were gracious, then they are afflicted with grief that they have loft them; if they were gracelefs, then they are afflicted with fear left they be gone to hell; if they know not whether they died in Chrift or not, they are afflicted with perplexity, because they know not what is become of them: fometimes they are afflicted in their families, with this and the other crofs, and diforder, and confufion; fometimes in their neighbours and brethren, whether wicked or godly, from whom they may have trials of many forts;

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fometimes in their caufe they maintain, and for confcience fake, they may be perfecuted and haraffed; "If any man will live godly in this world, he must suffer perfecution through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God." There is a neceffity for it; for the believer here is like the tribe of Manasseh, half on this fide Jordan, in the land of the Amorites; and half on the other fide, in the holy land: I mean, he hath both corruption and grace, and hence a neceffity of affliction and fuffering; for if he hath any good in him, the devil will furely gnafh at him, and endeavour, if he can, to devour him; and if he hath evil in him, he muft look that God will afflict him. But,

2. There is the judgment of temptation, that the children of God fometimes meet with, even the fiery darts of the devil: for the Lord fees fit fometimes to let Satan loofe on his people; who will not be wanting to improve any liberty granted to him, with his uttermoft power and policy, as we fee in the cafe of Job. It is ftrange to read how Chrift was tempted of the devil, Mat. iv. 3,-10. And after that, let none think strange, that the followers of Chrift may be tempted to deny their fonfhip; tempted to doubt of God's care; tempted to deftroy themfelves; yea, tempted to worship the devil: for," In all thefe things he was tempted like as we are, yet without fin; and in that he himself, tho' he finned not, yet fuffered, being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted." The children of grace may be tempted to Atheism, and to doubt of the being of a God; tempted to blafphemy and horrible things, that they dare not tell for a world. It is faid by the Spoufe, Song ii. 4. "He brought me to the banqueting houfe, and his banner over me was love." Why, what is the meaning of a banner in a banqueting-houfe? A banner is rather for a battle: But indeed, Sirs, here the banquet and the banner go together; for the battle many times follows the banquet. It may be, Satan and corruption are fleeping, as it were now; but I affure you, they are not dead: while ye have fin, ye fhall have temptations to fin; fo long as there is a finger of the believer

out of heaven, the devil will be ftriking at it. If temptations have not affaulted you already fince the facrament, as I fear they have, yet be fure the Philiftines will be upon you,

3. There is the judgment of defertion, which is yet forer than any of the former; "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." Sometimes the believer comes under the fad lofs of the light of God's countenance, and the fenfe of his love; and may lofe his gracious comfortable prefence very fuddenly, even when he is just opening the door of his heart, as it were, to let him in; I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone," Cant, v. 6. Sometimes he lofes that comfortable prefence very unworthily, even in a fit of drousiness and spiritual fecurity, as in that fame fifth of the Song, verfe 3, Sometimes he loses it very long; "I fought him, but I found him not; I called on him, but he gave me no answer," I went from duty to duty, from ordinance to ordinance, and yet not fo much as a word or a look from him. In this cafe, it cannot but be a very melancholy time with the believer, when he goes mourning without the fun, faying,

O that I knew where I might find him! O that it were with me as in months paft!" Especially if he knows that he hath not loft that prefence by fovereignty on the Lord's part, but finfully on his part; and that he hath finned him away. How ill went it with Asaph, when he was forced to fay, "I remembred God, and was troubled," Pfalm lxxvii. 3. Why? he remembred his own unkindnefs and ingratitude, that provoked the Lord to be gone. O! it is not eafy to comfort the foul in this cafe. This foul-defertion is ordinarily attended with the want of life for the performance of duty; "Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, fo that I am not able not look up," Pfalm xl. 12. His spiritual ftrength was fo worn away, that he was neither able to pray nor praise; or do any duty with liveliness or activity: In this cafe, the foul cannot pray with life or power; it cannot hear with joy or profit; it cannot meditate with any delight or fpirituality; it cannot act with any freedom or liberty; it cannot fuffer for God with any

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zeal, patience, boldness, or refolution. O what a judg ment is defertion! In this cafe, the foul is filled fome. times with fearful apprehenfions of the wrath of God, and everlafting vengeance; though believers be fecured again this, by the oath of God, the blood of Chrift, and the feal of the Spirit; yet, under unbelief, temptation, and desertion, they may have fearful apprehenfions of it, and that for their correction for their fins; for, though he pardon their iniquity, he will take vengeance on their inventions. Here the believer may be afraid of terrible judgments; "My flefh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments," Pfal. cxix. 120. He may fometimes be afraid, left God lay open the filthinefs and wickednefs of his heart to the world, and make him a reproach and a fcandal to the godly and the wicked; this made the Pialmift pray, "O make me not the reproach of the foolish: let none that fear thy name be ashamed for my fake." Sometimes he may be afraid left God ftrike him fuddenly with a vifiole and fignal judgment, and take him off the ftage in a terrible manner; hence fays David, "Take me not away in thy wrath." Sometimes he may be afraid left he be the Jonas that hath raised, or may raise the storm of God's wrath against the family, the congregation, the church, the land where he lives: the apprehenfions of this nature may be grievous, perplexing, and create a multitude of thoughts. within him; yea, in this deserted cafe, he may be filled with the terrors of God, and the arrows of the Almighty drinketh up his fpirit, Job vi. 4. They may be brought to that pass, that the forrows of hell compafs them about, fo as they choofe ftrangling and death rather than life; and yet all this may be in a way of fatherly judgment, for the punishment of their fins; as David's bones were broken for his murder and adultery: though fometimes he hath done it in fovereignty; yet the terrors of the Lord may bring them the length of distraction; " While I fuffer thy terrors, I am diftracted," Pfal. lxxxviii. 15. O what a florm is this! Desertion may come to a great height, and bring along with it dreadful ftorms. of fear, terror, and diftraction. It may be, your moun tain is flanding strong, believer; but look to yourself,

and beware of God-provoking fins, for he may hide his face, and then be fure ye fhall be troubled. Many, under fenfible enjoyments, are like a man in a meadow, the fun fhining upon him, and, or ever he is aware, the mist comes about him, and he knows not where he is. There may come a milt about your foul, that you will hardly know where you are, or where you have been, or whether your former experiences have been any thing but a dream. However, this is one of the judgments that the people of God may

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3. There is the judgment of fin, which is worst of all, and hath the nature of a judgment; when God lets the man fall into one fin, for the punishment of another, as he may do even with his own, when his fatherly anger burns hotly against them; this is the faddeft judgment and fevereft chaftifement that, I think, a child of God can meet with and it would feem that David's adultery was thus, in part, chaftifed, by letting him fall into murder; and Peter's pride and felfconfidence, by letting him fall into a threefold denial of his Lord and Mafter; and thus he may do, till the time of restoring their fouls, which he hath determined, fball come. O how ill, how dreadfully ill does it go with the children of God, when they are brought to that pitiful complaint, " O Lord, why haft thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our hearts from thy fear!" Ifaiah lxiii. 17. And when led captive by fin, Satan, and an evil heart; by the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life. Thus I have told you fome of thefe judgments that the people of God may meet with.

2dly, Now the fecond queftion upon this head, was, What it is in or about judgment, that may afford matter of finging, or of a fong of praife? And now, fome may be thinking, O Sir, thefe judgments you have been fpeaking of, are just the things that mar all my finging, and it will be ftrange, if there be any matter of finging, notwithstanding of thefe; for if these be the judgments, what can be the fong or ground of finging, when they afford fuch ground of fighing and

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