Gods Arraignment of Hypocrites, Religious tract 1 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Of Gods Iuſtice in generall.
THe ſecond part of Gods holines, Iuſtice.is his Iuſtice, contained in the conſequent part of the ſentence, and is diſtributed into two adiuncts; Power, and Order. Power, in that God will be ſure to iudge: and Order, in that he will take no haſtie courſes, whereby all ſhould be done in confuſion. Excellent is our God; for firſt beeing a God almightie, he is able to doe what he pleaſeth with his creature: but ſecondly obſerue his order, and eueryevery one ſhall confeſſe that he is a God of excellent wiſdome: for things done in good method, ſtoppe the mouthes of all. Two men that put on armour, and like bulls of Baſan, puſh the one at the other, are not diſcommended for their power and ſtrength; but that beeing men, they wanted wiſdome to vſe their ſtrength aright; and that is, that they kept no good order: and therefore ſuch execution of iuſtice as this, is condemned: ſo that if our gratious King had no more arguments but this one, in forbidding all Duells, it were ſufficient: for graunt the exerciſe, the power of iuſtice; yet where is this order and good method, that the Lord would hauehave obſerued of all his ſeruants.
Ariſtotle hath vnfolded vntounto vsus in his Ethicks, fiue intellectuall vertues, which if they concurre not in all our actions, they will prooue exceedingly defectiue. Firſt intelligence, which giues information of the cauſe, and the reaſons of it: ſecondly ſcience, which diſpoſeth of eueryevery neceſſarie truth in thoſe reaſons, ſo that thereby he ſhall iudge his cauſe to be good or bad: for, vt intellectus habet ſe ad verum & ad falſum, ſic voluntas ad bonum vel malum: the vnderſtanding goes before and iudges of truth and falſhood, and the will follows after, and embraceth good or euill: the third vertue, is ſapience, ſeeing how he may diduct and draw out of the truths of ſcience, other neceſſarie truths which could not appeare but by the diſcourſe of this third vertue: the fourth prudence, which is the fourth perfection of our actions, when we doe all the former in good and comely order: the fifth Art, the higheſt degree of perfection, when I doe all nimbly and very skilfully in knowing, in iudging, diſcourſing, & applying. Theſe men may hauehave the three firſt vertues, but they are altogether deſtitute of the two laſt: they may know that their cauſe is good, and that both of them hath reaſon to complaine of iniurie: for braue ſpirits can not reſt without mutuall prouocations: ſecondly, they may know that diſgrace of their perſons is their ſhame, and the loſſe of their good name (which they eſteem better then the moſt pretious oyntment that they inioy) to be ſuch an iniurie, that it can deſerue no leſſe then ſome kind of trial: and ſo in the third place, diſcourſe of it, and conclude that therefore they will hauehave iuſtice executed, that they may bee reuenged for their wrongs: but alas, when they come to apply all this their former knowledge, they want prudence, and ſo leap ouer the liſts of iuſtice, and breaking good order, ſpoile the exerciſe of all artes. For firſt, they breake the rule of diuinitie, in ſinning againſt God by murther: the rule of ethickes, for fortitude and manhood is abuſed: the rule of politickes, for the commonwealth is iniured by loſſe of ſuch perſons as might hauehave been his pillars: the rule of nature complaines, that would hauehave himſelfe preſerued in all his ſubiects. Indeed ſpecial nature, for the good of generall nature, will ſeeme to croſſe himſelfe: the fire will deſcend, and the water will aſcend, before they will ſuffer ſuch a ſtranger as vacuitie to poſſeſſe any place among them: So indeed nature would neuerbe offended, if they would ſhed their blood for their countrie: Nature will make the hand to offer it ſelfe to be cut off, before the head receiue the blowe: becauſe nature is wiſe in order, knowing that the head is to be preferred before any other member, becauſe it hath in it the greateſt part of life. The people can tell Dauid, thou art better then ten thouſand of vsus; and therefore no matter if we be all cut off to ſaue thy life.
Bleſſed is that kingdome, that is not onelyonly powerfull in iuſtice, but that keeps good order in the execution. Indeed many may ſay, I will reprooue thee; but alas, how few ſay, I will ſet thine offences in order before thee. Many lie in priſon for a ſic volo, ſic iubeo, ſtat pro ratione voluntas: authoritie vrged by violence of paſſion, ſpoyles all Magiſtrates. Ariſtotle ſaies, that the law ought to be like the primum ſenſorium, which is foreign; ſo the law muſt ſauour of no qualitie, but his owne; for then would it neuer iudge aright. And as the lawe is, ſo ought the Magiſtrate to be; voide of all his owne paſſions: let the law rule him, as he meanes to rule the people, and then ſhould all be done in good order; and we ſhould not heare theſe lamentable complaints; I am in priſon, but I knowe not for what cauſe; and the Magiſtrate ſaies, I ſhall lie there vntil my bones rotte. For the mercies of God, let vsus be mooued betimes, as well to ſet mens ſinnes in order, as vſe our power in reproouing of them, leſt the Lord come and handle vsus moſt roughly, in the power of his iuſtice, for this moſt hainous offence committed in diuiding iuſtice againſt it ſelfe. So then the diſtribution lets vsus ſee, that the power of God is neuer without his wiſedome; but that the Lord workes in all things, intelligenter, ſcienter, ſapienter, prudenter, artificiosè; plainly, truely, wiſely, prudently, and skilfully.
The power of Gods iuſtice is laid downe in theſe words, I will reprooue thee: firſt, the cauſe, I, the Lord, which in the firſt verſe ſtyled my ſelfe, the God of Gods, euen the Lord from heauen; in compariſon aboue all, and in dominion ouer all, without compariſon: therefore a mightie iuſtice that hath ſo great a cauſe. Secondly, from the ſpecies or kind of it, a reproofe; therfore vindicatiue, and reuenging iuſtice, ſtronger then remuneratiue or rewarding iuſtice; for here appeares ira, furor, excandeſcentia; anger, a diſpleaſure of ſhort continuance; furie, a ſhort madneſſe; the third an inueterate hatred, that alwaies ſmoakes againſt ſinne, that kindles hote coales, hinc ira ex candore, fierineſſe full of brightneſſe. Thirdly, the obiect (thee;) the ſinne and the perſon, I am out of louelove with both: and therefore will I diſcouer thy ſinne, which I know thou aboue all men mayeſt not endure to heare of. Secondly, what thou thy ſelfe art both in deceiuing and beeing deceiued, ſhal plainly be knowne: therefore moſt powerfull iuſtice, whoſe cauſe is Iehouah; nature, vengeance; obiect, the moſt ſecret ſinne, and moſt deceitfull perſon, free from all the iudgement ſeats of men.