CXL. fo much as reason about it, he lays down this as a SERM." To this head likewife belong all thofe texts which xix. 7. 2. There are likewife other texts, which remove the contrary, viz. injuftice and unrighteoufnefs, at the greatest distance from GOD, as being moft contrary to his nature and perfection. Deut. xxxii. 4. "A GOD of truth, and without iniquity." 2 Chron. "There is no iniquity with the LORD our "GOD, nor accepting of perfons, nor taking of gifts." Job viii. 3. "Doth GoD pervert judg"ment? 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 "fhould 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, furely GoD will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment." Rom. ix. 14. "What fhall we fay then? is there unrighteousness "with GOD? GOD forbid." Secondly, there are other texts which speak more particularly of the juftice and righteoufnefs of GOD in 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 exercife to good men; but there is a day a coming, when all things fhall be fet ftrait, and every man fhall receive the just SERM. juft reward of his deeds, when the juftice of GoD CXL. 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 reve"lation of the righteous judgment of God." The righteousness 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 righteousness 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 justice of God in punishing the w cked and ungodly; "fo that a man fhall fay, verily there is a reward "for the righteous, verily there is a God that judg"eth the world." Now the righteoufnefs of this vengeance of GOD, which God will take upon finners, is further fet 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 juftly deserved the punishment, that fhall come upon them, Rom. i. 32. "Who knowing the judgment of GOD, dixiwMar 9, 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 heinoufness of mens fins, fo as the leffer or greater fins fhall be punished with more or less severity. 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 "tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of SER M. 66 29 judgment, than for them." Mat. xi. 20, 21. and Luke xii. 47, 48. There you have different degrees of punishment threatened, proportionable 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 stripes, 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 66 by angels was steadfast, and every tranfgreffion and "difobedience received a juft recompence of reward, "how shall we escape ?" &c. And so, Heb. x. 28, 29. "He that defpifed Mofes his law, died without mercy under two or three witneffes; of how "much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, fhall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot "the fon of GOD?" &c. ་ II. The righteousness of this judgment is further fet forth to us in fcripture by the impartiality of it. Hither belong all thofe texts, which remove from GOD that powоania, that refpect of perfons, which is fo incident to human tribunals. Now refpect of perfons is in diftribution of justice, and hath regard to fome external qualities or circumstances of the perfons, which do not appertain to the merit of the caufe, and upon account of thofe circumstances, CXL. CXL. SERM. to deal unequally with thofe, whofe 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, befides the pure merits of the caufe; I fay to deal thus in the diftribution of justice, is refpect of perfons. Otherwife in matters of mere grace and favour respect of perfons hath no place, according to that common rule of divines, woowoλnfía locum non habet in gratuitis, fed in debitis. Now this the fcripture every where fpeaks of, as a thing very far from GoD, Deut. x. 17. "The LORD your God is the God of gods, and "LORD of lords, a great Gon, a mighty and a “terrible, which regardeth not perfons, nor taketh rewards." 2 Chron. xix. 7. "There is no iniquity with the LORD our GOD, nor refpect of perfons, nor taking of gifts." Job. xxxiv. 18, 19. Is it fit to fay to a king, thou art wicked? or to "princes, ye are ungodly? how much lefs to him that "accepteth not the perfon of princes, nor regard"eth the rich more than the poor? for they are all "the work of his hands." Rom. ii. 6. "Who will "render to every man according to his deeds: for "there is no refpect of perfons with God." Acts x. 34, 35. "Of a truth I perceive that God is no refpecter of perfons: but in every nation he that 6: feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accept"ed with him." Eph. vi. 8, 9. The apostle there preffeth the duties of fervants, to mafters, from this confideration, that whatfoever good thing any CXL. "man doth, the fame fhall he receive of the LORD, SER M. "whether he be bond or free;" and at the 9th ver. "Ye mafters, do the fame thing unto them, for bearing threatning; knowing that your mafter "alfo is in heaven, neither is there respect of per"fons with him." He maketh this likewise an argument, why men fhould not opprefs and deal deceitfully one with another, Col. iii. 25. "But he "that doth wrong, fhall receive for the wrong "which he hath done; and there is no refpect of perfons." And in general, St. Peter urgeth this confideration upon all men to deter them from fin in any kind, 1 Peter i. 17. "And if ye call on the father, who without refpect of perfons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of "your fojourning here in fear." 66 And befides that the fcripture doth remove this at the greatest distance from GOD, it gives us also feveral inftances of the impartiality of the divine juftice, that it is not to be perverted and turned aside by any of thofe extrinfecal confiderations which commonly sway with men; it is not to be prevailed with and overcome by flattery and entreaties, Mat. vii. 21, 22. "Not every one that faith unto me LORD, LORD, "fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that "doth the will of my father which is in heaven," &c. The divine juftice is not to be impofed upon by good words, and external fhews, and falfe profeffions; fo neither by any external relation to him; "for many fhall come from the caft, and from "the weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, "and Jacob, in the kingdom of GOD, but the "children of the kingdom fhall be caft out into ut"ter darkness." And |