withal, the influence of it is most sweet and comfortable to those that are under authority; and where it is wanting, that order and relation of superiors and inferiors, which God hath appointed in the societies of men, for their good, tends exceedingly to the damage of both; and, therefore, where God intendeth to continue the peace and welfare of a people, he is liberal in pouring out much of this spirit of judgment on those that sit in judgment. On the contrary, it is for a heavy punishment, when he withdraws his spirit from rulers, and leaves them wholly to the corruption and vanity of their own spirits.

That sit in judgment. To all that are in places of authority and judicature, from the supreme to the lowest magistrate: for this concerns them all, for they be all raised in their subordination, and several places above the people, for the benefit and good of the people, as the stars that be set so high, yet are placed there to be useful and beneficial to the inferior world.

Now, this spirit of judgment comprehends in it both due wisdom and prudence, for the trial and right judging of affairs, and for the discerning betwixt sound and perverse counsel; and withal, a judgment practically good, that cannot be biassed from the straight line of equity and justice by any sinister respect.

Now, seeing the spirit of judgment is from the Lord, (yea, he is this spirit,) it ought to persuade those that sit in judgment, to entreat and pray for this, and to depend upon it, and beware of self-confidence. Trust in the Lord, saith Solomon, and lean not to thine own understanding; if you do, it will prove but a broken reed. And as they that sit in judgment should entreat his spirit by prayer, so generally, all must share with them in this duty, and make supplication for all that are in authority over them, especially in extraordinary times. Truly we have matter of thankfulness, that the Lord hath in some measure inclined the royal heart of our Sovereign to the desires of his people, and ought still to pray that the

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Lord would give the king his judgments; and then, as the Psalmist adds, The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. Psalm ĺxxii. 3. And for this end, let all that wish the public, yea, their own good, pray much for abundance of this spirit of judgment to be conferred on them; your eyes and expectations are upon them. If you would enjoy the lamp, you must pour in oil. This spirit, indeed, you cannot pour upon them, but if you pour out many prayers, you may draw it from above; he will give it, who here promises to be a spirit of judgment.

And strength. Observe the way to be powerful and successful against foreign enemies is, to have religion and justice flourishing at home. And truly, if it please our God to answer the desires of his people at this time, it may so unite the affection and strength of the two kingdoms, (the Lord of hosts being their strength,) as to make them a terror to their enemies, whereas they were become a scorn and derision to them. For your particular, labour to make the Lord your glory, to have Christ made unto you, as the apostle speaks, both wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, which are the glory and beauty of the soul, and redemption from your spiritual enemies. Draw strength from him to fight and prevail against them, till after the short combat of this life, you obtain the crown, and dwell in his presence, where you shall fear no more assaults, neither of sin nor affliction, but shall be for ever happy in the blessed vision of his face. To him be glory, Amen.

SERMON IV.

PREFACE.

EXTERNAL Worship doth openly acknowledge a Deity; but want of inward sense in worship secretly denieth it: The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. It is strange to hear so much noise of religion in the world, and to find so little piety. To present the living God with a carcase of lifeless worship, is to pay him with shells of services, and so to mock him; and it is a more admirable long-suffering in him to defer the punishment of such devotion, than all the other sins in the world. The Egyptian temples were rich and stately fabrics. A stranger, who had looked upon them without, would have imagined some great deity within; but if they entered, (as Lucian says, laughing at them,) nothing was to be seen, but only some ape, or cat, or pied bull, or some other fine god like these. To behold our fair semblance of religion that frequent this house, it would appear that we were all the temples of the Holy Ghost. But whoso could look within us, would find in many of our hearts, lust, pride, avarice, or some such like secret vice adored as a God; and these are they that, while our bodies sit here, do alienate our souls from the service of the eternal God. So that we are either altogether senseless and dead before him, or, if any fit of spiritual motion rise within us, we find it here, and here we leave it, as if it were sacrilege to take it home with us. But did once that spirit of grace breathe savingly upon our souls, we should straight renounce and abhor those base idols, and then all the current of our affection would run more in this channel; our services would then be spiritual, and it would be our heaven upon earth to view God in his sanctuary; and the obtain

ing of the change is, and should be, one main end of this our meeting, and, that it may be the happy effect of it, our recourse must be to the throne of grace by humble prayer, in the name of our mediator, Jesus Christ the righteous.

ISAIAH IX. 1:

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

ADMIRABLE is the worth and depth of Divine Providence! This either we know not, or, at least, seldom remember. While we forget the wonders of Providence, we direct our thoughts to baser objects, and think not on it; and while we forget the depth of Providence, (if at any time we look towards it,) we judge rashly and think amiss of it. If this be true of that general providence whereby God rules the world, it is more true of his special providence towards his church. This is both the most excellent piece of it, and, therefore, best worth the reading, and also the hardest piece, and therefore it requires sobriety in judging; above all other things, he that suddenly judges in this, makes haste to err. To have a right view of it, it must be taken altogether, and not by parcels pieces of rarest artifice, while they are a making, seem little worth, especially to an unskilful eye, which, being completed, command admiration. P. Martyr says well, De Operibus Dei, antequam actum, non est judicandum. There is a time when the daughters of Sion embrace the dunghill, and sit desolate in the streets, as Jeremiah hath it in his Lamentations, iv. 5, and at that same time the voice of Babylon is, I sit as a queen, and shall see no sorrow. Isa. xlvii. All is out of order here. But if we stay a while, we shall see Sion and Babylon appointed to change seats, by the great Master of the world: Come down, (says he,) daughter of Babylon, and sit in the

dust. Isa. xlvii. 1. And here to Sion: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. It is an entire catastrophe; both parties find a notable alteration together; that same hand that exalts the one ruins the other. When the sun rises upon the church, her antipodes must needs be covered with darkness. As we find it in the next verse to the text: Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

The prophet, elevated by the Spirit of God to a view of after ages, as clear as if present, seems here to find his people sitting under the dark mantle of a sad and tedious night, and having long expected the sun's return in vain, before its time, they give over expectation when it is near them, and desperately sell themselves to lie perpetually in the dark. Now, the prophet, as it were, standing awake upon some mountain, perceives the day approaching, and the golden chariots of the morning of deliverance hasting forward, and seems to come speedily with these glad news to a captive people, and sounds this trumpet in their ears, Arise, shine; for thy light is come, &c. The very manner of expression is sudden and rousing, without a copulative, not arise and shine; but, arise, shine, &c.

The words have in them a clear stamp of relation to a low posture and obscure condition; they suppose a people lying or sitting without light. Deep distress is that dark foil that best sets off the lustre of marvellous deliverances; and among many other reasons of the church's vicissitudes, why may not this be one? The Lord is more illustrious in the world by that deep wisdom and great power that shines when he raises and restores her from desperate afflictions, than if he had still preserved her in constant ease. He seems sometimes careless of her condition, and regardless of her groans; but even then is he waiting the most fit time to be gracious, as our prophet speaks. And when it is time, out of the basest estate he brings her