Observations Natural and Moral, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Whether we may exceede the rule of righteouſneſſe in well doing or not?
Eccleſ. 7.16. Be not righteous overmuch.
A Man cannot exceed in juſtice which is the compend of all vertues, and it ſignifieth to give every one his owne; if we take right for that which is partly right or rectum mathematicum, Vertues in themſelves cannot be ſayd to be more or leſſe.there can bee nothing more right. Vertues in themſelves are not more or leſſe, but if yee will conſider them as they are in this or that ſubject, and not in their abſolute or greateſt perfections, Vertues in this or that ſubject may beſayd to be more or leſſe.then they may be ſayd to be more or leſſe. Example: if we will reſpect religion in it ſelfe, here we cannot be too religious, for religion in it ſelfe is oppoſite to all defectes in religion. Hope in reſpect of the inward forme of it, looketh directly towards God, wee cannot exceede here, although we may come ſhort: but reſpecting the matter which is hoped for, and weighing all circumſtances, a man may preſume or deſpaire, as he who hopeth, foreign .what he hopeth, and when he hopeth. So in religion, there is foreign , and foreign , atheiſme and ſuperſtition are both defects in religion, but in the true worſhip of God we cannot exceede.
So in juſtice, as it is juſtice we cannot exceede; but yet when we reſpect the circumſtances, as the perſons to whom we doe juſtice, How a man may exceed injuſtice.when we doe juſtice, or where, we may exceed or come ſhort. Prov. 17.17. theſe two are equally abhominable before the Lord, to let the wicked goe free, and condemne the juſt; to condemne the juſt is the exceſſe, and to ſpare the wicked is the defect in juſtice. So Levit. 19.15. Yee ſhall not reſpect the perſon of the poore for his poverty, this is the exceſſe, nor honour the perſon of the mighty for his riches, this is the defect. 1 King. 20.42. Becauſe thou haſt let goe out of thine. hand virum deſtructionis, that is, a man whom I appainted to deſtruction, or virum retis mei, the man of my net, foreign Deſtr… … rete.that is, the may whom I catched in my net and delivered unto thee that he ſhould not eſcape; now when Achab let Benhadad goe free, this was a defect in juſtice.
David had many worthy captaines, Simile. if he had given to the moſt worthy for his worthineſſe 8. and to the meaneſt of his worthies but 4. this had beene equality in diſtributive juſtice: but if hee had diven them both 8. here he had failed alſo in exceſſe, for he had given the one more than he deſerved, and here hee ſhould have beene nimium juſtus.
But the Lord of the vineyard gave a penny alike to all theſe who wrought in his vineyard, Object. to theſe who came at the fixt houre, the ninth houre, and at the eleventh houre, Matth. 20. this might ſeeme not to bee equall juſtice.
This was not diſtributive juſtice but commutative, Anſw. for he that was the Lord of the vineyard ſaid, Did not I agree with you for a penny? So in commutative juſtice if a man ſhould not give fifty for that which is worth an hundred pounds, he faileth in the defect, and if hee ſhould have give two hundreth pounds for it, Liberality hath no place in commutative juſtice.then hee ſhould faile in the exceſſe, for liberality hath no place in commutative juſtice in buying and ſelling, hee who giveth more then the thing is worth to the ſeller, he is not nimium … for he wrongeth the commonwealth and doth hurt to himſelfe.
But when he taketh hurt to himſelfe he doth no man wrong, quia iniuria non fit velenti. Object.
Yet notwithſtanding this is not good commutative juſtice in reſpect of liberality this may be a good action, but conſider it as it is commutative juſtice, it is the ſinne in exceſſe; becauſe it keepeth not medium rei.
When the Preacher ſaith then, What is means by being righteous overmuch.Be not righteous overmuch, it is to be underſtood alſo in reſpect of mens conceit who thinke themſelves too iuſt; for verſ. 20. the Preacher ſaith, there is none iuſt in the earth, who doth good and ſinneth not.
The way to reduce too much righteouſneſſe to the medium is to reduce it to the Law of God, which is the onelyonly rule of perfection to all vertues. The philoſophers hold that the way to reduce extreames is to bring them to the midſt, as they make mediceritie the midſt to the two extreames, Mediocritas eſt privatio exceſſus & defectus.but mediocritie being but a privation it cannot be the rule of any vertue.
The concluſion of this is, Concluſion. The onelyonly rule and ſquare of juſtice is the golden rule of the Law, and if we cleave to it, we ſhall never decline to the right hand nor to the left, Ioſh. 1.