DE U T. XXXII. 4.

.fuft and Right is be צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר הוּא

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W think a little of him that made us, we

THEN we poor Mortals fet our felves to

must not think to comprehend him who is incomprehenfible, but only to apprehend him as incomprehenfible; neither are we to think upon him by framing any Notions or Idea's of him, but by abftracting every Thing of Imperfection from him, and by afcribing every Perfection to him: So that whatfoever right Reafon faith is an abfolute Perfection in it felf, Religion places it in its moft abfolute Perfection in God. Now there is nothing in the World more unanimously brought into the Circle of Perfections by the Light of Reafon and the Confent of Nations, than Juftice, it being indeed the very Perfection of all Perfections, and that without which there could be no Perfection in the World. Hence it is, that I having undertaken to discover the whole Constellation of God's glorious Attributes before you, muft not, dare not, hide this fo glittering a Star, fo glorious a Perfection, from you; but fhall endeavour to fhew you, that that God whom you and I profefs to worship on Earth, and defire to enjoy in Heaven, is a Rock, his Work is perfect, &c.

I shall

I fhall not ftand upon any Critical Division, but deduce this Practical Obfervation from the Words, That

The Great God is a Just God.

The Truth of this Truth, Truth it felf hath manifefted unto us almost in every Leaf, yea, Line, of his facred Will; fo that a Man may run and read this great Truth as in Capital Letters, The Great God is a moft Just God, Job xxxvii. 23. c. xxxiv. 17. Pfal. xi. 7.

I. What is it to be Juft? FII: How?

III. Wherein is he Juft?

1. What is it for God to be Juft? Juftice is that Attribute whereby we apprehend God as infinitely Juft and Righteous in himself and to all his Creatures, fo as to order all Things, and to reward all Perfons according to the ftricteft Rules of Equity and Juftice. For you must know, that according to the Twofold Apprehenfion we may have of God, we may likewife apprehend a Twofold Juftice in him: For we may apprehend God, either as God and the chiefeft Good, or elfe as the Judge of all the Earth. As he is God, fo he orders and difpofes of all Things in the World most Juftly and Righteously, he having moft Juftly, Wifely, Perfectly, and Righteoufly, given Being unto all' Things, and as Juftly, Wifely, Perfectly, and Righteously, continueth all Things in their Beings; and this is that which we call his Difpenfing Juftice. But then, as he is the fupreme Judge of all the World, fo he giveth to every Creature moft exactly according to its Defert: So that no

D 4

Vice

Vice fhall go unpunished, nor any Virtue unrewarded; but every Creature fhall receive of God moft exactly according to what it hath deferved from him; and this is what we call his Distributing or Rewarding Juftice.

2. How is this Juftice in God? Or, How is God thus Juft? God is moft Perfectly and Com pleatly Juft and Righteous, in, of, and from himfelf, as no Perfon in the World is befides him felf. Adam was Righteous, by having a perfect Tendency to Righteoufnefs implanted in him; the Saints are Righteous thro' Faith in Chrift Jefus: But God is Righteous, infinitely Juft and Righteous in and of himself, in his own Nature and Effence; fo that the very Nature of God is of it felf Righteous, yea, is Righteousness it felf: So that if it was poffible for him to ceafe to be Righteous, it would be poffible for him to cease to Be, Righteoufnefs being included in the very Effence, and fo in the Notion of a Deity. Men may cease to be Righteous, and yet be Men ftill, as Sinners be Angels may ceafe to be Righteous, and yet be Angels ftill, as Devils be But it is impoffible for God to ceafe to be Righ teous, and yet be God ftill, Righteoufnefs being of the very Nature, yea, it felf the very Nature and Effence of God; and therefore not at all to be feparated from him.

3. Wherein is he Juft?

1. In his Will. He is fo Juft in his Will, as to will nothing but what is Juft, his Will indeed being the very Rule of all Juftice in the World fo that God doth not will any Thing becaufe 'tis Juft, but therefore is a Thing Just because God wills it, who worketh all Things according to the

Coun

Counsel of his own Will, Eph. i. 11. It is Juftice in us to act according to God's Word; but 'tis Juftice in God to act according to his own Will. He hath prefcribed Laws to us, but never yet tied himfelf to the Obfervance of his own Laws. He made the Scriptures for us, not for himself to walk by his own Divine Will being both the Fountain and Rule of all Juftice, both in himfelf and his Creatures too; fo that fhould he be pleafed, that we should act juft contrary to what he hath commanded in his Ho ly Scriptures, it would then be as much our Duty to act contrary, as now it is to act accor ding to them. As Abraham, when commanded to kill his Son, though it was an Act abfolutely forbidden by the Law of God, yet he adjudged it to be Juft and Righteous, and therefore with out any Scruple fets about it; Why? But be cause he understood it was the special Will of God, and therefore to be obeyed, tho' never fo contrary to the Laws he had enjoined for his Creatures Actions; his Will being not only always Juft, but the very Rule of all Juftice in the World: So that it is as impoffible for him to be Unjuft and Unrighteous in his Will, as it is impoffible for him to will what he doth not will. And therefore only because God wills it, any Thing is Juft and Righteous; his revealed Will being the Rule of his Creatures, and his fecret Will the Rule of his own Actions, and fo his Will ftill the Rule of both.

2. In his Word. And this neceffarily follows from the former. For the Word of God is no thing else but the Will of God revealed. And therefore if he be fo Righteous in his Will, he cannot but be as Righteous in his Word too.

A Man

A Man often fpeaks with his Mouth, what he doth not think or will in his Heart; but fo doth not God, but his Will and his Word always go together: And as a Thing is therefore Juft because God wills it, fo it is therefore True because He speaks it: And therefore the Scriptures being the Word, and fo the Will of God, they cannot but be moft Juft and Righteous in every Part and Paffage of them. It being the Will of God to enact them for the Rule of our Faith and Manners, it cannot but be our Duty to believe and live according to them: Every Hiftory, Promife, Threatening, &c. being juft

and true.

3. In his Works. For as God never Speaks but what he Thinks, fo he never doth but what he both Thinks and Wills. But his Juftice principally appears,

1. In his Difpenfations towards us. There is nothing God does to us, but he thereby manifefteth the Righteoufnefs there is in himself, Pfal. cxlv. 17. So that let us be advanced from Difgrace to Honour, or brought down from Honour to Difgrace; let us be puff'd up with Plenty, or pinch'd with Poverty; griev'd with Sickness, or blefs'd with Health; let us keep or let aslofe what we do at prefent enjoy; let what will befal us or happen to us; we may ftill fubfcribe, The Lord is Righteous, &c. But you may Object, What! Do we not fee by daily Experience, how Virtue is punished, and Vice rewarded? Doth not God oft lift up the Worft of Men to the Pinacle of Honour, and caft down the Beft into Reproaches and Contempt? May we not often fee Sinners honoured,