An ESSAY, &c.

MEN, in delineating the divine attri⯑butes, have too generally blended with them all their own imperfections. Their ſeveral, ſeparate intereſts, and contradictory paſ⯑ſions, have led them, even under the character of the One God, to repreſent to us almoſt as many dif⯑ferent gods, as impeached the wiſdom, diſgraced the worſhip, and ſullied all the glory of the antient Greeks and Romans. Nay, the ſame perſons, in their very Harmonies, have repreſented one attri⯑bute, as a flat contradiction to another. Blind and preſumptuous creatures! It is well for your⯑ſelves, that your jarring ſyſtems cannot at all af⯑fect the real character of the Supreme Being. To the joy of the whole univerſe, whatever you have ſaid, and whatever you may ſtill ſay, God is the ſame yeſterday, to-day, and for ever.

But, ſhould it be ſtill aſked, To what cauſes are we to aſcribe the monſtrous miſrepreſentations of the Deity which daily occur? After what has been ſaid above, I need only reply, Is not the cauſe quite obvious? Or, if deſired to explain myſelf more particularly, I would obſerve, That men, [2] inſtead of ſeriouſly conſulting the works and will of God, and hence inferring what his perfections are, have, on the contrary, regarded only their own tempers and inclinations, and, to vindicate all the follies and impieties ariſing from theſe, have endeavoured to perſuade the world, that the peerleſs Jehovah is altogether ſuch a one as them⯑ſelves. As men have been interchangeably actuated with different malignant paſſions, they have pro⯑portionably repreſented to themſelves a God, who would be pleaſed with ſuch worſhippers. And thus have they, at different times, endeavoured to di⯑veſt him of his moſt honourable perfections: they have repeatedly, indeed, been ſo glaringly incon⯑ſiſtent with themſelves, as to adore him, in the ſame breath, as the Father of all mercies, and as a Being without any mercy at all, that is, a reprobating God.

But, of all the perfections of the ever bleſſed God, his juſtice has perhaps, in general, been the leaſt underſtood. However, under no other cha⯑racteriſtic whatever, has he been ſo ſhockingly miſrepreſented and blaſphemed. The juſtice of God, indeed, has been frequently deſcribed in ſuch a light, as ſuppoſed him diſpoſſeſſed of every endearing excellency, as declared him not the Friend and Father, but the mercileſs Tyrant of the univerſe, and as led us to think upon his holy name, not with hope, confidence, and joy. but with all the trembling horrors of deſpair. Men, in vindicating what they called the Juſtice of God, have too often loſt fight of his goodneſs; nay, have en⯑tertained and propagated ſuch ideas of juſtice, as abſolutely militated againſt the poſſibility of good⯑neſs, and as forbad us to conſider him as at all merciful, gracious, compaſſionate, forbearing, and long-ſuffering. This has been always the caſe, [3] when juſtice has been repreſented as an eſſential obligation, or unchangeable diſpoſition in the Su⯑preme Being, to puniſh every the leaſt offence, iniquity, tranſgreſſion, or ſin, in every rational creature, or, when by ſaying, that ‘God was juſt,’ it was meant, that, ‘there was no for⯑giveneſs with him, without an equivalent ſatis⯑faction.’ But, the bare mention of ſuch an idea of juſtice, muſt, I ſhould think, convince every rational being, that it is falſe. It muſt be plainly ſeen, that juſtice, in this light, or, rather in this darkneſs, is only another term for rigour, for in⯑flexible rigour, and implacable ſeverity; a cha⯑racter that we deteſt even in man, and which we cannot therefore apply to the infinitely adorable God, without being guilty of the moſt outrageous impiety. It muſt, I ſay, plainly be ſeen, that if juſtice ſignified rigour, God could not be juſt and good, at the ſame time: for the one is as contrary to the other, as light is to darkneſs. This will be evident, from the univerſally allowed acceptation of the terms.

In the firſt place then, goodneſs implies, it is well known, that benefits are beſtowed without the proſpect of any return. But rigour implies, as the proverb goes, that nothing is done for nothing. Again, the goodneſs of God implies, that he is not ſtrict to mark our iniquities. But rigour, if this could be ſuppoſed to be one of his attributes, muſt make him puniſh, with exact weight and meaſure, every failing, not excepting the ſmalleſt, of which any being is guilty. Hence, then, it is obvious, that thoſe who underſtand, by the juſtice of God, his unchangeable diſpoſition not to pardon the leaſt violation of his laws, without an equivalent ſatisfaction, inaſmuch as they thus declare, that [4] there is no forgiveneſs with him, expreſsly de⯑clare, at the ſame time, that he is neither mer⯑ciful, nor good. Nor do they at all alter the caſe, by ſuppoſing that he will accept that debt from another, which the delinquent himſelf is not able to pay; for, this is ſtill ſuppoſing, that there is no forgiveneſs with him, or that there is no goodneſs with him, for a good being muſt have forgiveneſs in himſelf. Accordingly, we never aſcribe for⯑giveneſs, or goodneſs, to the man, who inſiſts upon the whole of his debt, and who will never be ſatisfied until the whole is paid, though he ſhould conſent. at the ſame time, to accept this debt from another beſides the perſon who owes it; for, by accepting it even from another, he has all he could demand, and all he could form any pre⯑tenſions to have a right to receive. Nor do we ever aſcribe any merit or praiſe to ſuch a man; theſe are due only to him who paid the debt, not at all to him who received it to the full, though from the hand of a third perſon: Surely, then, we cannot compare the ever bleſſed God to ſuch a man; we cannot diveſt him of goodneſs; we cannot repreſent him in a light that would fix a reproach upon any of his imperfect creatures. We cannot ſuppoſe, that there is any goodneſs or mercy in the univerſe, if not with him, the foun⯑tain of the whole. We cannot ſuppoſe, that any of his creatures are more benevolently diſ⯑poſed than the great Creator. We muſt ſuppoſe that, if there be any love, any tenderneſs, or com⯑paſſion, in any being whatever, theſe muſt reſide, in their infinite fullneſs, in the Almighty and ever⯑laſting God. Rigour, therefore, cannot be one of his attributes. His juſtice muſt be ſuch, as ren⯑ders him the object of our moſt delightful con⯑templations, [5] and as is conſiſtent, therefore, with all his other moſt glorious perfections. This, I ſhall now endeavour to ſhew, is not only the doc⯑trine of reaſon, but is likewiſe deducible from the whole volume of ſcripture.

To this purpoſe, then, a fine field for ſatisfying all our enquiries is opened to us in the eighteenth chapter of the book of Geneſis, which, from the twentieth to the end of the thirty-ſecond verſe, ex⯑preſsly treats of the juſtice of God. The LORD ſaid, to Abraham, becauſe the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their ſin is very grievous; I will go down now, and ſee whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me, and if not, I will know ^*.—And Abraham drew near, and ſaid, Wilt thou alſo deſtroy the righ⯑teous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou alſo deſtroy and not ſpare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee, to do after this manner, to ſlay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous ſhould be as the wicked, that be far from thee: SHALL NOT THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH DO RIGHT? And the Lord ſaid, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ſpare all the place for their ſakes. And Abraham anſwered and ſaid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to ſpeak unto the LORD, who am but duſt and aſhes. Peradventure, there ſhall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou deſtroy all the city for lack of five? And he ſaid, If I find there forty and five, I will not deſtroy it. And he ſpake unto him yet again, and ſaid, Peradventure there ſhall be forty found there. And he ſaid, I will not do it for forty's [6] ſake. And he ſaid unto him, O let not the LORD be angry, and I will ſpeak: Peradventure there ſhall thirty be found there. And he ſaid, I will not do it if I find thirty there. And he ſaid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to ſpeak unto the LORD: Per⯑adventure there ſhall be twenty found there. And he ſaid, I will not deſtroy it for twenty's ſake. And he ſaid, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will ſpeak yet but this once: Peradventure ten ſhall be found there. And he ſaid, I will not deſtroy it for ten's ſake.

Now, there is not a ſingle circumſtance in this hiſtory, which can lead us to conclude, that the Juſtice of God is repugnant to his merey, but only that it eſſentially belongs to him, as a juſt being, to make a diſtinction between the righteous and the wicked, and not to deſtroy the innocent with the guilty. Abraham intreated God not to puniſh, but to ſpare, to ſpare even the guilty, if it ſhould ſeem good to his infinite wiſdom, or, if they were found to be paſt hopes, to be incorrigibly hardened and impenitent, to vindicate his juſtice, by ſend⯑ing redemption to the righteous. Nor did the LORD threaten to deſtroy Sodom and Gomor⯑rah, becauſe the inhabitants were imperfect crea⯑tures, or becauſe they had fallen into involuntary errors, or becauſe that, though they might be then penitent, they had formerly been wicked; but be⯑cauſe that they were totally depraved, becauſe they had irreclaimably given themſelves up to the fouleſt vices that could be perpetrated or invented, and that no means of ſalvation that were offered them, could work a reformation in them, ‘And the Lord ſaid, becauſe the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and becauſe their ſin is very grievous, I will ſee whether they have done ac⯑cording [7] to the cry of it that is come unto me.’ From which it may be concluded, that, if their ſins had not been of the deepeſt dye, and ſuch as admitted of no ſort of extenuation; and had they not reſolved to continue in them too, againſt all poſſible means of conviction, God would ſtill have been gracious to them, and granted them a ſpace for repentance. We learn accordingly, that, after the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had been greatly corrupted, ſentence was not ſuddenly exe⯑cuted againſt them, but that Lot, on the contrary, was ſent to ſojourn among them, to reprove them for their impieties, and to admoniſh and perſuade them, if poſſible, to repent and live: and it was not until they had rejected theſe means of grace, abuſed the divine forbearance and long-ſuffering, waxed ſtill worſe and worſe, and wholly given them⯑ſelves up to work all iniquity with greedineſs, that the impending judgments of God were let looſe upon them. In his whole conduct towards this people, his juſtice did not at all interfere with his mercy, his juſtice did not hinder the calls of grace and reconciliation for a longtime to take place; his mercy was extended towards them until the farther extenſion of it could be of no uſe to them; indeed until mercy and goodneſs to other nations rendered their deſtruction neceſſary. Abraham, therefore, did not addreſs God, ſaying, that his juſtice re⯑quired immediate vengeance upon all his adverſa⯑ries, or that his juſtice was irreconcileable with his pardoning, or forbearing to puniſh, any criminal^*, but that his juſtice could not ſuffer any evil to be⯑fal [8] the righteous. ‘Abraham drew near and ſaid, Wilt thou alſo deſtroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou alſo deſtroy, and not ſpare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee, to do after this manner: and, that the righteous ſhould be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?’ Here, the line of juſtice is exactly drawn. And it has not, we ſee, the leaſt reſpect to any kind of implacability in the Divine Mind, nor does it ſuppoſe that God cannot freely pardon the truly penitent, in perfect conſiſ⯑tency with the full exerciſe of his juſtice, but is wholly confined to this rule, that God will make a proper diſtinction between the righteous and the wicked, and that he will puniſh none more than their iniquities deſerve. In other words, the Juſ⯑tice of God ſignifies that he is a being of abſolute and unchangeable rectitude, and that there is not the moſt diſtant ſhadow of any kind of injuſtice with him; or, as Moſes deſcribes him, cloathed with this attribute, that, he is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, juſt and right is he. But here it ſhould be particularly obſerved, (when we ſay that the Juſtice of God ſignifies that there is no injuſtice with him) that forgiveneſs of ſin is not to be included in our idea of injuſtice: for, if it was, what ſhould become of the whole univerſe of dependant beings? God chargeth his very an⯑gels with folly; and as to the rational beings in this world, what man is he, that liveth and ſinneth not? If God was, therefore, ſtrict to mark our iniqui⯑ties, or if his juſtice and pardoning mercy were at variance, miſery muſt inevitably be the portion [9] of the whole human race. But, it is our comfort, that God is not ſtrict to mark our iniquities, that he delighteth not in the death of a ſinner, that he is gracious, forbearing, and long-ſuffering towards us, and not willing that any ſhould periſh. It is our comfort that his juſtice is in no reſpect repug⯑nant to his goodneſs, that his juſtice freely admit⯑teth of the infinite riches of his grace, that his juſ⯑tice does not at all imply, that he is an inflexibly ri⯑gorous judge, but only, that, ‘he will make a pro⯑per diſtinction between the righteous and the wicked, that he will not puniſh the wicked more than their iniquities deſerve, that he will not diſ⯑appoint the hopes, nor fruſtrate the expectations that he has raiſed in his creatures, and that he is no reſpecter of perſons.’

In the firſt place, ‘The Juſtice of God implies, that he will make a proper diſtinction between the righteous and the wicked.’ That the righ⯑teous ſhould be as the wicked, that be far from God? Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? It would be obviouſly wrong to ſlay the righteous with the wicked, or to put the wicked on a level with the righteous: and it would be more wrong ſtill, it would be truly diabolical, to prefer any of the wicked to any of the righteous, and, merely to diſplay his power, to introduce any of the wicked to a place of happineſs, and to conſign any of the righteous to a place of miſery. God, therefore, as a juſt being, cannot admit the wicked to the joys of the righteous; a diſtinction muſt take place, and a diſtinction among the righteous themſelves, according as they ſeverally have been more or leſs obedient to his voice. But, then, it can be no injuſtice to the righteous, to grant the wicked a ſpace for repentance; nay, to bear long [10] with them, to ſee if they will turn from their evil ways, and to give them peace and reconciliation, when influenced by that wiſdom which deſcended from above, and following the innate dictates of their own minds, they truly ſeek the Lord and find him. If this was injuſtice, the righteous themſelves could have no hope; for they have not been al⯑ways found perfect before God, they could, there⯑fore, only look, in this caſe, for a leſs degree of puniſhment than would be inflicted on the wicked. But all the ends of juſtice muſt, it is obvious, be completely anſwered, by rewarding the righteous, according to their ſincere though imperfect obe⯑dience, and by puniſhing the wicked, only when their puniſhment becomes neceſſary, when they become reprobate to every good work; when, therefore, farther forbearance towards them, not being ſufficient to reform them, could be of no uſe to themſelves, and might be cruelty to the reſt of the creation.

Secondly, ‘The Juſtice of God implies, that, he will not puniſh the wicked more than their iniquities deſerve.’ This is obvious, at firſt view: for, ſtrict juſtice can never exceed in its ſentence the proportion of guilt in any offender. God, therefore, as a juſt being, cannot puniſh us for what we could not do, nor for what we could not avoid doing, nor for any iniquities of others, to which we were no way acceſſary, nor conſenting. On the contrary, as the moſt juſt of all beings, he may be long-ſuffering towards us, and delay his judgments until the ruin of the inno⯑cent would be the conſequence of any farther de⯑lay; and, as the moſt holy of all beings, he may likewiſe graciouſly accept the returning penitent. How infinitely injurious is it to his juſtice, there⯑fore, even to inſinuate, that he will inflict endleſs [11] torments upon a very great majority of his crea⯑tures, for a crime that was committed before they exiſted, ſix thouſand years before many of them exiſted, and that there are millions of infants in hell not a ſpan long? I cannot ſo much as mention this doctrine of devils without the utmoſt horror. Nor ſhould I mention it at all, it reflects ſuch diſhonour and reproach upon the children of men, to ſuppoſe that any individual of them is capable of believing it, was it not known that there are ſtill ſome who zealouſly maintain and propagate it. Let ſuch en⯑joy their ſentiments, if they can. But, while rea⯑ſon and revelation have any influence upon the human mind, their God will be conſidered as a fictitious being, the work of a bewildered imagina⯑tion, and as ſuch will be diſcarded out of the world.

But, thirdly, ‘The Juſtice of God requires, that he will not diſappoint the hopes, nor fruſtrate the expectations which he has raiſed in his creatures.’ Juſtice, even among mankind, requires, that we ſhould perform all our obligations to the full; that, if we have made any promiſes, we ſhould keep them, that, if we have cheriſhed any particular confidence in us, if we have even encouraged of⯑fenders to hope for our favour, we ſhould not cruelly deceive them. Therefore the Juſtice of God requires, that he will fulfil all thoſe expecta⯑tions which we are emboldened to form of his goodneſs. Though Juſtice could not oblige him to promiſe immortality to thoſe who never deſerved it; yet juſtice enſures immortality to the righteous after it is promiſed; and juſtice enſures pardon to the truly penitent, after they are once encouraged to hope for it at the throne of grace. Juſtice, there⯑fore, muſt ſatify thoſe deſires of living beyond the [12] grave, which for ever animate us, muſt crown us with unfading glory and honour, if we live up to the terms of the bleſſed goſpel, muſt give us at all times free acceſs to the throne of mercy, and crown all our ſincere though imperfect endeavours, to humble ourſelves before God, and to ſerve him in ſpirit and in truth, with all thoſe rewards that are repreſented to us in the ſacred treaſury of his word. The apoſtle, therefore, ſays, ‘God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love;’ ſigni⯑fying, that after God has encouraged us, by a pa⯑tient continuance in well doing, to ſeek for glory, honour, and immortality, he cannot, conſiſtently with his juſtice, diſappoint the hopes of his faithful ſervants.

But, laſtly, ‘The Juſtice of God requires, that he ſhould be no reſpecter of perſons.’ Juſtice, in the diſtribution of gifts or rewards, can only conſider the worthineſs or unworthineſs of any par⯑ticular perſon, cannot reſpect any one man in pre⯑ference to any other man of exactly the ſame pre⯑tenſions to favour. In the court of juſtice, the rich and the poor, the bond and the free, the prince and the peaſant, muſt be upon the ſame common level. In the court of juſtice, there can be no taking of bribes, nor diſtinction of country, fect, or party. And, here, the good that we would have done but could not. muſt ſet us in the ſame light with thoſe, who had the opportunity and abi⯑lity, as well as the will to do the ſame good. God, therefore as a juſt being▪ can have no favou⯑rites among his children, independently of their devotedneſs to his ſervice. He cannot reſpect their perſons, nor be biaſſed by pompous appear⯑ances: but as he has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon the face of the whole earth, [13] whether you be Jew or Greek, ruler or ſubject, maſter or ſervant, born in the firſt or in the laſt ages of the world, it makes no difference in his eye. The only difference that he can make muſt ariſe from the different circumſtances in which mankind have been placed. But, this difference he muſt make as no reſpecter of perſons. He can⯑not require brick where there was no ſtraw. He can only require a benevolent heart, where there is neither ſilver nor gold: and, he cannot judge thoſe by the law, who had not the law, nor thoſe by the goſpel who had not the goſpel. Where he has given ten talents, though there he muſt be ex⯑pected to look for the improvement of ten; yet, where he has given only five talents, he can only look for the improvement of five; and, where he has given only two talents, he can only look for the improvement of two. In ſhort, the equally, ſincere and upright in his ſervice, all the advan⯑tages or diſadvantages of their ſituation being con⯑ſidered, muſt be equally acceptable with him, and equally rewarded by him.

Having thus endeavoured to give the reader right apprehenſions of the divine juſtice, and ſuch as repreſent the great God to us, not in a forbid⯑ding, but in an amiable and endearing light, I ſhall now proceed to ſhew that the juſtice of God is, and muſt be ſuch as I have here deſcribed it.

This I ſhall, firſt, endeavour to ſhew, upon the principles of reaſon, from his other perfections; and, ſecondly, from the ſcriptural account of his dealings with the children of men.

There can, then, it is obvious, in the firſt place, be no temptation to injuſtice, but from depen⯑dency or want, or from motives of benefitting our⯑ſelves at the expence of others. God, therefore, [14] being ſupremely exalted above all principalities and powers, the fountain of all being, the Lord of the whole creation, and poſſeſſing in himſelf an infi⯑nite and independant fullneſs of all poſſible bliſs, and it being impoſſible that he can derive any be⯑nefit from the oppreſſion, or total extinction of any, or of all his creatures: God, therefore, I ſay, cannot poſſibly do an unjuſt thing. As all men in common are equally his own offspring, ſo far he can make no diſtinction between them, but every one man muſt be as much the object of his care and bounty as every other man. And, as he could have no poſſible motive to create any being, but to make that being happy, he therefore cannot poſſibly take pleaſure in the miſery of any creature, nor ſuffer any creature to labour under oppreſſion without ſufficient reaſon, unleſs it be its own fault, or he ſhould know perplexed and cloudy circum⯑ſtances to be neceſſarily conducive to improve it in knowledge, virtue, and happineſs. Farther, as the infinite mind muſt delight in thoſe perfections in others which he exerciſeth himſelf, muſt love his own image in his creatures, muſt approve of the grateful and upright heart, muſt conſequently diſ⯑approve of the profane and diſobedient wretch; he muſt, therefore, make a proper diſtinction be⯑tween the righteous and the wicked, muſt crown the righteous with greater or with leſſer dignity and glory, according to their ſeveral attainments in ho⯑lineſs and perfection, and muſt debar the wicked of the joys of the righteous. But, that the juſtice of God, at the ſame time, is in no caſe repugnant to his mercy, is demonſtrable from our own exiſ⯑tence, from the numberleſs unceaſing bleſſings which we daily receive, and from the animating hopes, we are taught to entertain, of more enlarged [15] communications of the divine favour in a future ſcene. We know, that we have all ſinned againſt him, and that if he ſhould ſtrictly deal with us after our tranſgreſſions, or determine not to pardon any of our treſpaſſes againſt him, we muſt long ago have been conſumed. We know, therefore, that his juſtice and mercy are not at variance, that his juſtice is conſiſtent with his patience, forbear⯑ance, and long-ſuffering, that his juſtice can be ſlow to puniſh, and ready to pardon, and that it can ſpare the guilty themſelves, until they have repeatedly rebelled againſt the divine laws, thrown off the divine government entirely, and rejected all thoſe means of conviction and ſalvation, that could be reaſonably extended towards them, or be reaſonably expected from infinite benevolence. Once more, as the only end of deferring puniſh⯑ment can be the reformation of the offender, and as we have a reliſh for, and are taught to look for⯑ward to a future and everlaſting ſtate of happineſs, upon our ſincere though imperfect endeavours to ſerve God; God, therefore, becauſe ſo great, ſo glorious, and independant a ſovereign, could have no poſſible motives to mock the creatures of his power, but certainly intendeth us for ſuch a ſtate, and certainly will introduce us to ſuch a ſtate, if we make the beſt preparations in our power for it. Thoſe hopes of the righteous, theſe longings after immortality, which his infinite goodneſs, without any claim or merit on our part, originally infuſed into the ſoul, his infinite juſtice muſt fully ſatisfy. He cannot, as the univerſal Father, and the all-ſufficient God, diſappoint any of thoſe expectations which he has raiſed in his rational creatures. His juſtice, I ſay, muſt complete thoſe views, and, if we live up to the dictates of his wiſdom, ſatisfy [16] thoſe boundleſs deſires with which his adorable and infinite goodneſs has inſpired us.

Theſe are the ſentiments of reaſon upon this ſubject: and, in perfect harmony with theſe, are the hiſtory of God's dealings with the children of men from the beginning of the world, and the plain declaration of his revealed will, which are recorded for our inſtruction in the holy ſcriptures. The firſt man, Adam, experienced no kind of re⯑pugnancy between the divine juſtice and the divine mercy. It was ſaid even to Cain, after he was very wroth, and his countenance fell—If thou doeſt well ſhalt thou not be accepted? Nay, the juſtice, which afterwards puniſhed him for his great wicked⯑neſs, admitted of the extenſion of mercy, upon his repentance; and his puniſhment ſeems to have been purpoſely calculated to lead him to repen⯑tance. The doctrine, which I have been endea⯑vouring to eſtabliſh is ſtill farther confirmed, from the hiſtory of David, Manaſſeh, and many other remarkable delinquents. But, as it would be an endleſs work, ſo it does not ſeem neceſſary to examine the divine diſpenſations towards each individual, whoſe virtues, or vices, or whoſe virtues and vices together, are held up to our obſervation in the ſcriptures. The hiſ⯑tory of the antediluvian world, the whole hiſ⯑tory of the Jews, from the beginning to end, the hiſtory of Nineveh and Babylon, and Tyre and Sidon, and the deplorable ſtate of the world, when the man Chriſt Jeſus revealed all the riches of God's grace to his moſt abandoned off⯑ſpring, are all to my purpoſe. To my purpoſe likewiſe are the innate ſentiments of the human mind, as theſe are ſucceſſively repreſented to us in the ſcriptures. ‘Doth God pervert judgment, ſays Bildad, or doth the Almighty pervert juſtice?’ [17] Meaning, that God could not do an unjuſt thing. ‘Is it good unto thee,’ ſays Job, ‘that thou ſhould'ſt oppreſs? that thou ſhould deſpiſe the work of thine hands? and ſhine upon the council of the wicked? He is excellent—in plenty of juſtice,’ ſays Elihu; ‘he will not afflict,’ but ac⯑cording to wiſdom and equity; ‘and he ſhall judge the world in righteouſneſs,’ ſays the Pſalmiſt, not meaning with rigour, but without injuſtice; ‘he ſhall miniſter judgment to the people in upright⯑neſs, The LORD alſo will be a refuge for the oppreſſed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name, will put their truſt in thee; for thou, LORD, haſt not forſaken them that ſeek thee.’ Again, the Pſalmiſt ſays, ‘Juſtice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne; mercy and truth ſhall go before thy face.’ In like manner, God is repreſented, by the prophet Jeremiah, as proclaiming his own character, ‘I am the LORD, who exerciſe loving kindneſs, judgment, and righteouſneſs in the earth; for in theſe things I delight, ſaith the LORD.’ Here, loving-kindneſs can evidently bear no oppoſition to righteouſneſs or juſtice, though God will make a diſtinction between the righteous and the wicked, and inflict tremendous puniſhments upon the in⯑corrigibly wicked, according to the preceding and following verſes. This is alſo the ſentiment of Eliphaz, when he ſays. ‘Shall mortal man be more juſt than his Maker?’ Farther, the ideas which I endeavoured to convey of the impartial juſtice of God, are likewiſe uniformly handed down to us by the ſacred penmen. ‘He accepteth not the perſons of princes, nor re gardeth the rich more than the poor,’ Job xxxiv. 19. ‘Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O [18] children of Iſrael, ſaith the LORD.’ ‘Of a truth I perceive, ſays Peter, that God is no re⯑ſpecter of perſons.’ Paul repeatedly ſays the ſame thing, and aſks the Romans, ‘Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not alſo the God of the Gentiles? Yea, of the Gentiles alſo.’ Again, that the Juſtice of God implies, that he will fulfil thoſe expectations which he has raiſed in his crea⯑tures, is likewiſe expreſsly aſſerted in the ſcrip⯑tures. ‘I will not leave thee,’ ſaid he to Jacob, ‘until I have done that which I have ſpoken to thee of.’ ‘Thy councils of old are faithfulneſs and truth, Iſa. xxv. 1.’ ‘All the promiſes of God in him, are yea. and in him amen, unto the glory of God, 2 Cor. i. 20.’ ‘The LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, Deute⯑ron. vii. 9.’

More teſtimonies from the ſacred writings will come in our way as we proceed. At preſent we ſee that the ſcriptural accounts of the Juſtice of God, do not, any more than the poſitive deduc⯑tions of Reaſon, repreſent him in a forbidding, but, on the contrary, in an endearing light, en⯑courage our truſt and confidence in him, and lead us, if we love him, and keep his commandments, to caſt all our cares and burthens upon him. If we ſearch the ſcriptures from beginning to end, we ſhall not meet with a ſingle paſſage, which informs us, that he cannot pardon the leaſt tranſgreſſion without a proportionable recompence, but, on the contrary, that he knoweth our frame, and remem⯑bereth that we are duſt, that he will not, therefore, make a rigorous enquiry into our paſt tranſgreſſions, but that, if we turn unto him, he will turn unto us, and that, if the wicked man turneth away from his wickedneſs which he has committed, He [19] will abundantly pardon, and ſave his ſoul alive. In the ſcriptures, the Juſtice of God is no where re⯑preſented as the cauſe of confuſion and terror to the righteous, but as their ſtrong hold and ſecurity, that they ſhall never be moved. Thus we have al⯑ready ſeen, that Abraham underſtood it, when he pleaded for the people of Sodom, and expreſſed his confidence in God, as the Righteous judge of all the earth. He did not mean, in any part of his ad⯑dreſs, that thoſe righteous perſons for whom he pleaded, had never ſinned in thought, word, or deed. He only ſuppoſed that their hearts were right towards God for the preſent, and that, of whatever imperfections they had been guilty in time paſt, they were now ſincerely devoted to his ſervice. Upon this foundation, he preſumes that it would be unjuſt in God to involve them in the ſame deſtruction with the inflexibly impenitent. To the ſame purpoſe Jehoſaphat inſtructed the judges of Iſrael.—‘There is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor reſpect of perſons, nor taking of gifts:’ by which he did not mean that the judges ſhould puniſh, with the utmoſt rigour, every miſ⯑demeanor in thoſe delinquents that ſhould come before them, but only that they ſhould not be biaſ⯑ſed, by any rewards, to wink at the oppreſſion of the innocent, or to patronize the evil-doer. Be⯑ſides, we are repeatedly told, that God delighteth not in the death of a ſinner, but rather that he ſhould turn from his wickedneſs and live: which could not be the caſe, if the Juſtice of God was at all repug⯑nant to his mercy. Nay, when God himſelf ap⯑peals to his juſtice, he not only ſhews that it was tempered with mercy, but that it was wholly regu⯑lated by the moſt tender, boundleſs mercy. ‘Judge, I pray you,’ ſays he, ‘between me and my [20] vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?’ Where he ſignifies, that the glory of his juſtice, conſiſts in kindneſs and compaſſions, and in applying every reaſonable means that can be offered for the reco⯑very and ſalvation of his back-ſliding people. Words cannot more ſtrongly expreſs this ſentiment than we find it in Ezekiel xviii. 25. ‘Hear now, O houſe of Iſrael, is not my way equal?’ The way, or diſpenſation of God referred to here, is that the children ſhould not bear the iniquities of the fathers, that the ſoul which ſinned alone ſhould die, and that God has not any pleaſure at all that the wicked ſhould die, but rather that they ſhould turn from their evil ways and live. Are not my ways equal? Am not I juſt? when, inſtead of pu⯑niſhing one for the iniquities of another, or rigo⯑rouſly marking every iniquity committed againſt my authority, I am even willing to pardon all the tranſgreſſions, however enormous and inexcuſable, of the truly penitent. But, as full a proof as can be given, that no implacability is to be included in our ideas of the divine juſtice, is to be drawn from the directions that are given us for our own con⯑duct. We learn, then, that to pleaſe God, we muſt not only do juſtly, but likewiſe love mercy, and exerciſe forgiveneſs. Now, here it is evident, that if, to do juſtly, was to puniſh with rigour every offence committed againſt us, then, if we would pleaſe God by doing juſtly, we could cxerciſe no mercy or forgiveneſs. Doing juſtly, therefore, can only ſignify, that we do no violence ourſelves, that we ſhould deprive no fellow-creatures of their rights and privileges, but do unto all others as we would that they ſhould do unto us. And, in this light we are to view the divine juſtice; it is ſlow to wrath, [21] and keepeth the door of mercy for ever open to the penitent. ‘Becauſe God is LORD of all,’ as the author of the Book of Wiſdom ſays, ‘it maketh him to be gracious to all.’ And this grace is without reſpect of perſons. He regardeth not the high more than the low, but, as the Apo⯑ſtle Peter ſays, ‘In every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteouſneſs, is accepted with him,’ It is not, till after repeated trials, and men have been guilty of the moſt daring impieties, and become totally abandoned, that his judgments take place. He is not ſpeedy in executing ſen⯑tence upon them, but chaſteneth them by little and little, that they might fly from the wrath to come. And, when he comes forth to judg⯑ment, we are told, and may be aſſured, that every mouth ſhall be ſtopped, and that none ſhall be able to accuſe him of unrighteouſneſs. ‘He will judge the world in righteouſneſs, and the people with equity.’ When this grand and important day arrives, ſalvation and glory, and honour and power, ſhall be aſcribed unto the Lord our God, for his true and righteous judgments; and, it will then be found, beyond all queſtion, I dare ſay, that God inflicteth puniſhment even upon the incor⯑rigibly wicked, not becauſe his juſtice cannot par⯑don, but becauſe mercy to the univerſe renders their puniſhment neceſſary, and becauſe too, per⯑haps, there can be no way, conſiſtent with infinite wiſdom, of making the wicked happy. Beſides, God, in puniſhing the wicked, will eminently diſ⯑play his juſtice, in proportioning the puniſhment of every particular criminal, to his leſſer or greater degree of impenitency and hardneſs of heart. Thoſe, that have ſinned without law, ſhall alſo periſh without law; and while ſome are beaten [22] with many ſtripes, others, comparatively ſpeaking, ſhall be beaten with few ſtripes. ‘With the judg⯑ment they judge, they ſhall be judged; and with the meaſure they mete, it ſhall be meaſured to them again.’ The ſame juſtice alſo will diſplay itſelf in rewarding the righteous. To ſome it will be ſaid. Come up hither. He, that ſoweth ſparingly, ſhall reap alſo ſparingly; and he that ſoweth boun⯑tifully, ſhall reap alſo bountifully. While all ſhall be exempted from every labour, pain, and ſorrow, the joy of ſome ſhall tranſcendantly exceed that of others. ‘They that be wiſe ſhall ſhine as the bright⯑neſs of the firmament; and they that have turned many to righteouſneſs, and have been righteous themſelves, as the ſtars for ever.’ The Juſtice of God, will pardon all their infirmities, and all their tranſgreſſions, of which they have re⯑pented, that is, from which they have turned away; and, according to the works of righ⯑teouſneſs, which they have done, he will divide to each his portion. His goodneſs has promiſed this. His juſtice therefore will bring it to paſs. Yes, Though we have ſinned, yet if we have forſaken our ſins, acquired a new heart, and a new ſpirit, and approved ourſelves holy in all manner of con⯑verſation and godlineſs; if, in preference to all the honours, and riches, and pleaſures of the world, we have, by a patient continuance in well-doing, ſought for glory and honour, and immortality, then, notwithſtanding thoſe doings that have not been good, and which we have ſeriouſly amended, God will grant us all we want, all the riches of eternal life. He is not unrighteous, as we have already af⯑firmed with the apoſtle, to forget our labour of love. He is faithful in all his promiſes, and cannot diſ⯑appoint thoſe hopes, nor fruſtrate thoſe noble ex⯑pectations which he has raiſed. Nay, he will not [23] only not fruſtrate thoſe expectations, not only give us the victory over death and the grave, and intro⯑duce us to happineſs, but, eye has not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God has prepared for them that love him. Thy righteouſneſs, O Lord, is an everlaſting righteouſneſs, and thy law is the truth. The heavens ſhall declare his righteouſneſs; for God is judge himſelf. Lord God of Iſrael, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepeſt covenant and mercy with thy ſer⯑vants, that walk before thee with all their hearts.

Such are the notions which reaſon and ſcripture, clearly, I think, lead us to form of the divine juſ⯑tice. A great variety of objections, however, it will poſſibly be ſaid, may ſtill be urged againſt it. With all my heart, ſay I, if the objections will go upon the ſame ground upon which I have endea⯑voured to tread, that is, if reaſon and ſcripture be the teſtimonies to which they appeal. But the moſt common objection to this doctrine, or the moſt common argument by which the contrary doctrine is ſupported, is nothing more than an impertinent quotation from the apoſtle Paul. A man riſes up, and harangues to me, upon a multitude of unin⯑telligibles, aſcribes certain random, arbitrary de⯑crees to the infinitely wiſe governor of the univerſe, then deſcribes his juſtice to be ſuch as I have ſhewn muſt be an abſolute bar to mercy, and after work⯑ing himſelf into a tolerable heat, by much ſpeak⯑ing, Who art thou, ſays he, that replieſt againſt God? Now, to ſuch a reaſoner I have only to ſay, Infal⯑lible Sir! though thou art a God to thyſelf, thou art not my God. But farther, it cannot be ſeriouſly objected to the doctrine I have been vindicating, ‘that the wicked frequently bear rule in this life, [24] and that their eyes ſtand out with fatneſs; while the righteous are afflicted, and mourn, and ſome⯑times go down to the grave, labouring under the rod of oppreſſion and ſorrow.’ This, I ſay, can⯑not be ſeriouſly objected; becauſe this is the very nature of a ſtate of trial. Beſides, amply to ſatisfy us upon this head, it is enough to ſay, that all theſe things will be ſet right on a future day, and that, for every ſuffering, into which we have fallen for righteouſneſs ſake, or for the trial of our faith, we ſhall be infinitely recompenced at the reſurrec⯑tion of the juſt. Beſides, we are often in our proſ⯑perity, too apt to forget God; but adverſity natu⯑rally leads us to the rock that is higher than we. The Pſalmiſt, therefore, ſaid, that it was good for him to have been afflicted, becauſe that before he was afflicted, he went aſtray. Solomon ſays to the ſame purpoſe, ‘My ſon, deſpiſe not the chaſ⯑tening of the Lord, neither be weary of his cor⯑rection; for whom the Lord loveth he chaſten⯑eth, even as a father the ſon in whom he de⯑lighteth.’ And, our own experience teſtifies, that ſcenes of ſorrow naturally humble the mind, arreſt our wandering deſires, and diſſipated thoughts, admoniſh us of our follies and tranſ⯑greſſions, and point out to us our true duty and happineſs, and our only refuge from every cala⯑mity. It would be unneceſſary, I hope, to make a formal reply to many other equally frivolous ob⯑jections, which the reader can anſwer as ſoon as they occur. I ſhall now, therefore, only conclude with ſome obvious reflections, which naturally ariſe from what has been ſaid.

I would obſerve, firſt of all, that the Juſtice of God, as I have here endeavoured to repreſent it, is, like all his other perfections, glorious. It is not [25] ſtrict to mark our iniquities. It admitteth of grace and reconciliation. It is founded on mercy and goodneſs. It is a ſecurity to the righteous, that they ſhall never be moved. And it is a pledge to the truly penitent of their future crown. It is, therefore, endearing, and adorable, our refuge in difficulties, our hope in trouble, our haven of reſt from all the ſtorms of life, and our tower of de⯑fence againſt every enemy, while we incline our hearts unto the law, and to the teſtimonies ^*.

But, ſecondly, we ſhould learn, from this de⯑ſcription of the divine juſtice, what ought to be the rules of juſtice among men. It ſhould have no likeneſs, we ſee, to that narrow, unfeeling, vin⯑dictive ſpirit, which actuates the prieſtly magiſtrate, when the trembling wretch, who wanted a morſel of bread, is brought before him. It ſhould exert its ſtrength againſt tyranny and oppreſſion, againſt villainy in power. And, if it ſhould not be allowed, to pull down the deſpotic monarch from his throne, and ſhould at the ſame time, moſt inconſiſtently, and unmercifully, wave its heavy ſcourge over the neceſſitous delinquent, it ſhould not, however, [26] tranſgreſs the boundaries of plain equity. But, it is manifeſtly unjuſt, it is moſt cruel, and iniqui⯑tous, to put the life of one man upon a level with the property of another, to murder the fellow⯑creature who, though wantonly, and muſt unjuſ⯑tifiably, and wickedly, hath made inroads upon the property of his neighbour This is puniſhing beyond the utmoſt ſtretch of rigour, and much more beyond the line of juſtice ^* And, the di⯑vine juſtice is ſo far from bearing any kind of ſimilitude to this, that it is, we have ſeen, entirely contrary to it. The divine juſtice is ſlow to pu⯑niſh even ſinners according to their deſerts, is for⯑bearing and long-ſuffering towards them, at firſt only puniſheth them with the accuſations of con⯑ſcience, to try to reform them, time after time, uſeth every poſſible means to bring them back to their duty and obedience; and, if they will re⯑form, ceaſe to do evil, and learn to do well, is [27] ready to blot out all their iniquities, to receive them into favour, and to admit them to the riches of eternal life. We ſhould, therefore, to copy af⯑ter the divine juſtice, proportion our mode of pu⯑niſhment to the offence that is committed; we ſhould aim at the reformation of the ſinner, and endeavour to make his ſituation ſuch, as will both anſwer this end, and at the ſame time repay ſociety for the wrongs he has done. Or, while we do juſtly towards all, and injure no man in body or eſtate, we ſhould likewiſe ſhew mercy to the guilty, and forgive them when they repent^*

But, thirdly, from the view that we have here taken of the divine juſtice, we may ſee that there was none occaſion for that infinite ſatisfaction for ſin, which, among many other ſtrange inventions, the buſy children of men have found out, and ſtill confidently proclaim to the world. The divine [28] juſtice is ſurrounded with mercy. The divine juſtice, therefore, is fully ſatisfied with the refor⯑mation of the offender. The divine juſtice ſitteth upon a throne of grace, to which every contrite ſinner has free acceſs, has always free acceſs. And if mercy was not to be obtained thence, where elſe could it poſſibly be found? Could any other being, could all the other beings, in the univerſe, over⯑power the infinite mind? Could any other being be more benevolent than he? Or, indeed, dare any other being preſume to direct him, to al⯑ter the purpoſe he had formed? But there was not any occaſion for any other being to attempt this. God was of himſelf eternally diſpoſed to have mercy upon us, and was never willing that any ſhould pe⯑riſh, but that all ſhould come to repentance and eternal life. Nay, ſo far was he from being ir⯑reconcileable to his creatures, or from demanding an infinite ſatisfaction for every ſin, that he, of his own will, gave us his only begotten ſon, to aſſure us, that, upon our ſincere repentance, all our ſins ſhould be blotted out, and that, upon our renewed obedience, we ſhould be made partakers of eternal life. ‘God ſo loved the world, that he gave us his only begotten ſon, that whoever believeth in him, might not periſh, but have everlaſting life.’ Or, this is his covenant with us, Repent, and live ye, and turn unto me, and I will turn unto you. The bleſſed Chriſt has ſealed, or ratified to us, this covenant with his own blood, that is, by his death and reſurrection. The everlaſting Jehovah, has raiſed Chriſt from the dead, to aſſure us, that he has ſent him, and that he will, conſequently, fulfil, to the truly penitent, all thoſe promiſes of pardon, peace, and love, and everlaſting ſalvation [29] in the heavens, which are given to us in his holy word^*

[30] But, finally, the doctrine we have been conſi⯑dering can afford no kind of encouragement to the ſinner. On the contrary, the goodneſs, for⯑bearance, and long-ſuffering of God, ſhould, above all things, lead him to repentance. Beſides, though God is gracious, ſlow to anger, and ready to for⯑give, yet he will at laſt take vengeance upon his ad⯑verſaries, upon thoſe who deſpiſed his grace, and rejected all the offers of his mercy. This he hath repeatedly, and ſolemnly declared, There is no peace, ſaith my God, to the wicked: and, all the workers of iniquity ſhall be deſtroyed ^* Since theſe, then, are his declarations, ſince judgment will be his work, we may aſſure ourſelves that infinite mercy will render judgment neceſſary, and that infinite goodneſs will execute all the threatenings denounced againſt the finally impenitent. And, oh, what an aggravation of the wretchedneſs of the ſinners doom will it be, that infinite mercy itſelf could not ſave him!

Let us think of this; and as we know not what a day or a night may bring forth, let us now, in the accepted time, ſeek the Lord while he may be found, deſire his favour better than life, and run with pleaſure in the way of all his commandments; that we may hereafter receive thoſe crowns which [31] he has promiſed and prepared for thoſe that love him, that we may drink for ever at the river of his pleaſure.

Praiſe our God, all ye his ſervants, and ye that fear him, both ſmall, and great.

Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour to him.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: let the ſea roar and the fulneſs thereof; let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then ſhall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: HE SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD WITH RIGH⯑TEOUSNESS, AND THE PEOPLE WITH HIS TRUTH.