find, that in thofe judgments which have been immediately and miraculously inflicted by God, he hath always made this difference between the righteous and the wicked. In the deluge which he brought upon the old world, the Spirit of God gives this reafon why the judgment was fo univerfal, because all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth; and the reason why he faved Noah and his family was, because in this general corruption of mankind, he alone was righteous; Thee have I feen righteous before me in this generation. So likewife in that miraculous judgment of Korah and his company, when God made a new thing, and the earth opened her mouth to fwallow them up, none perifhed but he and his complices; the reft had warning given them by God to remove from the tents of those wicked Thus you fee that as to the particular cafe in the text, Abraham's reafoning concerning the juftice of God is very firm and concluding. I proceed to the

men.

Second thing, which was that which I principally intended to difcourfe upon, viz. to confider the justice of God in general, in the diftribution of rewards and punishments. And here I cannot but grant, that the best evidence of this is yet wanting. We have clear demonftrations of the power and wifdom, and goodness of God, in this vaft and admirable frame of things which we fee; but we must ftay till the day of judgment for a clear and full manifeftation of the divine juftice; for which reafon the day of judgment is in fcripture called, the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. But in the mean time we may receive fufficient affurance of this, both from natural reason, and from divine revelation.

1. From natural reason, which tells us, that God loves righteousness and hates iniquity, and confequently that it must be agreeable to his nature, to countenance and encourage the one, and to discountenance the other; that is, to give fome publick teftimony of his liking and affection to the one, and of his hatred and dislike of the other; which can

not

not otherwise be done, but by rewards and punish

ments.

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But however the Heathen reafoned about this matter, whatever premifles they laid, they firmly believed the conclufion, that God is juft. Plato lays down this as a certain and undoubted principle, "That God is in no wife unjuft, but as righteous as is poffible; and that we cannot resemble God more, than in this quality and difpofition. So likewife Seneca tells, us, That the Gods are nei"ther capable of receiving an injury, nor of do"ing any thing that is unjult." Antoninus the great Emperor and Philofopher, fpeaking doubtfully, whether good men are extinguished by death, or remain afterwards; "If it be juft, fays he, you may "be fure it is fo; if it be not juft, you may certainly conclude the contrary; for God is juft, and being fo, he will do nothing that is unjuft or unreafonable." And indeed the heathen Philofophers looked upon this as the great fanction of all moral precepts, that God was the witnefs and the avenger of the breach and violation of them, Qui fecus faxit, deus ipfe vindex erit; if any man do contrary to them, God himself will punish it; which fhews, that there is a natural awe upon the minds of men of the divine juftice, which will overtake of fenders either in this world or the other. But this will more clearly appear in the

tr

2d Place, from fcripture, or divine revelation. And those texts which I fhall produce to this purpofe, may be reduced to thefe two heads; either fuch as prove the rectitude of the divine nature, and his jutice in general; or fuch as fpeak more particularly of the justice and equity of his providence in the diftribution of rewards and punishments. I begin, firft, with thofe which declare the rectitude of the divine nature, and the juftice of God in general, and that either by attributing this perfection to him, or by removing the contrary, injuftice and unrighteousness, at the greateft diftance from him.

1. Thofe which attribute this perfection to God. I fhall mention but a few of many, Pfal. cxxix. 4.

The

The Lord is righteous. Dan. ix. 7. O Lord, righteoufness belongeth unto thee. This good men have acknowledged, when they have lain under the hand of God, Ezra ix. 15. O Lord God of Ifrael, thou art righteous. And this the worst of men have been forced to own, when they have been in extremity, Exod. ix. 27. then Pharaoh faid, The Lord is righteous. This hath been likewife acknowledged by those who have lain under the greatest temptation to doubt of it, Jer. xii. 1. Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet, let me talk with thee of thy judgments; wherefore doth the way of the wicked profper? The prophet, notwithstanding he faw the profperous condition of wicked men, and the afflicted ftate of the godly, which feemed hard to be reconciled with the juftice of God's providence: yet, before he would fo much as reafon about it, he lays down this as a certain conclufion, Righteous art thou, O Lord. To this head likewife belong all thofe texts which fpeak of righteousness, as God's dwelling-place, and his throne, of his delight in justice and of the duration and eternity of it, which I need not particularly recite.

2. There are likewife other texts, which remove the contrary, viz, injuftice and unrighteousness at the greatest distance from God, as being most contrary to his nature and perfection. Deut. xxxii. 4. A God of truth, and without iniquity. 2 Chron. xix. 7. There is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor accepting of perfons, nor taking of gifts. Job viii. 3. Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? which is a vehement negation of the thing. Job xxxiv. 10, 11, 12. Far be it from God that he hould do wickedness, and from the Almighty, that he fhould commit iniquity. For the work of a man fhall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, Jurely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. Rom. ix. 14. What shall we fay then? is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Secondly, There are other texts which fpeak more particularly of the justice and righteousness of God in

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the diftribution of rewards and punishments. It is true indeed, the juftice of God doth not conftantly appear in this world in the difpenfations of his providence, because this is a time of patience and forbearance to finners, and of trial and exercise to good men; but there is a day coming, when all things fhall be fet ftraight, and every man fhall receive the just reward of his deeds, when the justice of God fhall be evident to all the world, and every eye fhall fee it, and fhall acknowledge the righteous judgment of God; and this the fcripture moft clearly and exprefly declares unto us; and hence it is, that the day of judgment is called the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The righteoufnefs of God doth not now fo clearly appear, but that there are many clouds over it; but there fhall be a day of revelation, when the righteoufnefs of God fhall be made manifeft to all the world.

The remunerative juftice of God fhall then appear in the rewarding the righteous; and the punitive juftice of God in punishing the wicked and ungodly; fo that a man shall fay, verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth the world.

Now the righteoufnefs of this vengeance of God, which God will take upon finners, is further set forth to us in fcripture, from the equity and impartiality of it.

I. from the equity of it.

1. In that the fins of men have justly deserved the punishment that fhall come upon them, Rom. i. 32. Who knoweth the judgment of God, Sindiwμ a

Oe, the righteous judgment of God, that they which commit fuch things, are worthy of death.

2. In that the judgment of God fhall be proportioned to the degree and heinoufnefs of mens fins, fo as the leffer or greater fins fhall be punished with more or less feverity. So our Saviour threatens to those who continue impenitent under the gospel, and the advantages of it, their cafe fhall be more fad than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of judg

ment,

ment, than for them, Mat. xi. 20, 21. and Luke xii. 47, 48. There you have different degrees of punifhment threatened, proportionably to the aggravations of the fins which men have committed; The fervant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, fhall be beaten with many ftripes: but he that knew it not, but did commit things worthy of fripes, shall be beaten with few ftripes; and fo proportionably of all other aggravations of fins, for to whom much is given, of him fhall much be required; and unto whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. So likewife God will vindicate the contempt of the gofpel more feverely than of the law, because the confirmation of it is clearer, and the falvation offered by it greater. Heb. ii. 2, 3, 4. If the word spoken by Angels was stedfaft, and every tranfgreffion and difobedience received a juft recompence of reward, how hall we efcape? &c. And fo, Heb. x. 28, 29. He that defpifed Mofes his law, died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, fhall he be thought worthy, who bath trodden under foot the Son of God? &c.

II. The righteoufnefs of this judgment is further fet forth to us in fcripture by the impartiality of it. Hitherto belong all thofe texts, which remove from God that προσωποληψία, that refpect of pers fons, which is fo incident to human tribunals. Now refpect of perfons is in diftribution of justice, and hath regard to fome external qualities or circumftances of the perfons, which do not appertain to the merit of the caufe, and upon account of those circumstances, to deal unequally with those, whose cafe is equal; as when two perfons, who are equally guilty of a crime, are brought to their trial, and the one is condemned, and the other acquitted, upon the account of friendship, or relation, or fome other intereft, because one is poor, and the other rich; the one hath powerful friends to intercede for him, the other not; the one brings a gift or bribe, the other not; or upon any other account, besides the pure merits. of the caufe; I fay, to deal N1 2

thu s