Treatise of Divinity, Book 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
AThird vertue in God is Justice, by which God in all things wils that which is just; or it is the Attribute whereby*Justiti… est …ua De… in se justus est, & extra se constanti voluntate suum cuique …ribuit. Wen… linus. God is just in and of himselfe, and exerciseth justice toward all creatures, and giveth every one his due, Esay 45. 21. Psal. 11. 7. Gen. 18. 25. Zeph. 3. 5. Rom. 2. 6, 7. 1 Pet. 1. 17. 2 Thess. 1. 6, 7. 2 Tim. 4. 8. 1 John 1. 9. & 2. 29. Justice in man is a setled will to doe right in every thing to every person, so God hath a setled will to doe right. Shall not the Judge of all the world doe right? Genes. 18. 25.and are not my waies equall? God stiles himselfe by this title, and gives himselfe this Attribute Zep…. 3. 5.
Gods justice is twofold.
1. Disposing,Justitia disp… nens, qua Deu… univ…rsa & …ingula jus…o ordine disp…it & gu…ernat. by which as a most free Lord and supream Monarch of all he disposeth all things in his actions according to the rule of equity, and imposeth most just Lawes upon his creatures, commanding and forbidding onelyonly that which is fit for them in right reason to doe and forbear.
2. Distributive,Deut. 32. 4. Psalm 11. 7. & 48. 11. & 145. 17. which renders to every one according to his worke without respect of persons. Psal. 62. 12. I…b 34. 11, 19. Prov. 24. 12. Jerem. 32. 19. Ezek. 7. 27. Matth. 16. 27. Deut. 16. 17.1 Pet. 1. 17. Rom. 2. from th… 6. to the 12. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Col. 3. 25. Rev. 22. 12. 2 Chron. 19. 7. Acts 10. 34. Ephes. 6. 9. Gal. 2. 6. and this distributive justice is also twofold, praemii, & paenae, of reward and punishment.
1. Of reward, when God bountifully rewards the obedience of the creature with a free reward, 2 Thess. 1. 5, 7. Matth. 10. 41, 42. Marke 9. 41.Justitia Distribuens est gratiae v…l irae: illa …st … v…untas praestandi promiss…s is…a volunt… implendi comminati…nes, Wendelinus. Matth. 19. 29. God assigns fit rewards for wel and evill doing. God bestowes this reward not onelyonly on the godly, both by heaping divers mercies on them in this life, and by the fulnesse of glory and felicity in the life to come, but also on the wicked, whose morall actions he rewards with t…mporary rewards in this world, as the obedience of Jehu, the repentance of Ahab.
2. Of punishment, by which he appointeth to the delinquent creature the equall punishment of eternall death for the least sinne, Gen. 2. 17. Rom. 6. 23 which death is begun in this life, in divers kindes of miseri…s and punishments, which for the most part are proportionable to their sinnes, Genes. 3. 17. & 20. 18. but is perfected in the life to come, when the full wrath of God is powred upon it,Rom. 1. 18. John 3. 36. 2 Thess. 1. 6.
This justice is so essentiall*Gods justice is not a quality or accident in him, but his very natu…e, essentiall to him. to God, immutable, and (as I may so speake) inexorable, that he cannot remit the creatures sinne, nor free them from punishment, unlesse his justice be satisfied; God can not dispence against himselfe, because sinnes doe hurt the inward vertue of God, and the rule of righteousnes, the integrity therefore and perfection of God can not stand,A man may be a man and yet be unjust; but God can not be God, and be unjust. if he satisfie not that; yet through his bounty and goodnesse he hath found out a way by which due satisfaction may be given thereunto, viz. by Christ, who hath borne a punishment equivalent to our sinnes, for us.
The Scripture proves the justice of God,
1. Affirmatively, when it cals him just, a revenger, holy, right, and extols his justice, Exod. 9. 27. Psal. 11. 7. Jerem. 12. 1.
2. Negatively, when it removes from him injustice and iniquity,Ge…h. loc. com…un. respect of persons, and receiving of gifts, and also all the causes and effects of injustice, Deut. 32. 4. & 10. 17. Dan. 9. 14. Job 8. 3.
3 Affectively, when it Attributes to him zeale, anger, fury, Exod. 20. 5. & 32. 10. Num. 11. 10. which are not in God such passions as they be in us, but an act of the immutable justice.
4 Symbolically, when it cals him a consuming fire, Deut. 4, 24. compares him to an angry Lyon, an armed Souldier. Esay 38. 13.
5 Effectively, when it affirmes that he renders to every one according to his workes, 1 Sam. 26. 23.
Gods justice comprehends his righteousnesse and truth; he is just in words and deeds.
Gods justice*The righteou…nesse of God is taken divers wa…es in Scripture, sometimes for the essentiall Attribute of G…d, sometimes for the righteousnesse of faith, which is called the righteousn…sse of God, because it is such a righteousnesse as God doth app…ove, of and with which we may appeale boldly in his presence; againe, righteousnesse is taken for his truth and faithfulnesse in promises. David praies God to do good to him for his righteousnesse, he means his faithfulnesse in his promises. See Mr Bu…howes on Matth. 5. 6. is considered foure waies.
1 As he is free Lord of all, and so his decrees are just, Rom. 9. 13, 14.
2 As he is God of all, and so the common workes of preserving both the good and bad are just, 1 Tim. 4. 14. Matth. 5. 45.
3 As a Father in Christ, and so he is just in performing his promises, and infu…ing his grace, and in bestowing the justice of his Sonne, 1 John 1. 5.
4 As Judge of all the world, and so his justice is not onelyonly distributive but corrective.
His justice is,
1 Impartiall; he will not spare
1 Multitudes, all Sodome and Gomorrha, and the old world perished.
2 Great ones, the excellency or greatnesse of any creature will not exempt it from punishment; the Angels and Adam fell, he spared not the Angels but threw them into hell. Adam was cast out of Paradise for one sinne.
3 Neernesse; the Jewes, Gods people formerly, are now cast off; Moses and David were punished.
2 Generall, it extends to a mans posterity; God will visit the iniquity of fathers upon their children.
3 Inexorable, no sinners can escape unpunished; the sinnes of the godly are punished in their surety Christ, and they are afflicted in this life. God is justice it selfe, justice is essentiall to him, his will is the rule of justice, a thing is just because he willeth it, and not he willeth it because its just. He will right the wrongs of his children, 2 Thess. 1. 6, 7, 8. He can not be corrupted nor bribed.
Gods justice comprehendeth two things under it.
1 Equity, in that he directs men equally and requites them equally, commanding all and onelyonly good things, such as they in reason ought to doe, promising and threatning fit and due recompences of their obedience and disobedince.
2 Truth, whereby he declareth nothing to them but as the thing is, and fidelity whereby he fulfilleth all that he hath spoken.
The Arminians urge, how can God in justice command a man by his word the performance of that which cannot be done by him without the inward helpe of the Spirit, and yet in the meane time God denies this inward grace unto him?
God may without blemish to his justice command man to performe his duty, although he have now no strength to doe it, because once he had strength, and he hath now lost it.
It reproves such as live in sinne,Consectaries from Gods justice. Exod. 34. 17. Psalm 5. 5. Gal. 6. 6. if God be mercifull that he may be feared, much more is he just that he may be feared. 2. We must take heed of justifying the wicked; we should be just in our actions to man, in buying and selling, in rewarding and punishing, Magistrates, Ministers, Masters, Parents should be just. We should not murmur at Gods disposing justice in making us poore,… Chron. 2. 5. Nehem. 9. 33. Psal. 119. 137. Dan. 9. 7. Rom. 3. 16. and should yeeld to his directing justice, obeying his Commandements seem they never so unreasonable. We should get Christs righteousnesse to satisfie Gods justice for us, and to justifie us.
The consideration of Gods justice should affright us from hypocrisie, sinning in secret, keeping bosome sinnes. It ministers comfort to the godly, who are wronged by the wicked, they shall have an upright and just Judge, who will uphold them in a good cause, Psalm 33. 24.
It may serve to exhort us to glorifie Gods justice, both in fulfilling of his promises, and punishing wicked men, Psal. 7. 18. & 51. 15.Rev. 19. 1.
4 God is True.
Truth or veracity is, by which God is true as in himselfe, so in his sayings and deeds.John 14. 6. God is aet…rna veritas & vera aetern…as. He revealeth himselfe to his creature such a one as indeed he is.
Reall truth, or the truth of things, is a property of them by which they are the same indeed which they seem.If God (said one) were to be corporeall, he would have light for his body, and truth for his soule, Truth is originally from God, the first Ide…, rule, or standard of truth is Gods will, which is veritas Dei. Whereby he is what he is, essentially, simply, immutably: by which he wils all things to be what indeed they are, and knows them to be such as they are most certainly. Veritas rei, entitatis, whereby things are such as God would have them to be, and so are true and good. It is an agreement betwixt the being and appearance of things. It is double, 1. Essentiall, or of the very substance of things. 2. Accidentall, of the qualities and actions of things; and this, as it is referred to the reasonable creature (for such truth can be no where but in it) is inward and outward according as the actions are.
Inward truth of understanding is an agreement betwixt its conceite of things, and the things themselves, contrary whereto is errour, or misjudging, and of the will contrary to hypocrisie and dissimulation.
Outward, 1. of word which is Logicall when I speake as the thing is; morall when I speake as I conceive the thing to be; and also in the matter of promises, when I mean as I say, and hold still that meaning till I have actually made good my words.
2 Of deeds, when they are such in the intention and meaning of my mind, as in the outward pretence, and are agreeable to the promises I have made.
God is true in all these respects.
1. His essence is reall and true, he is a God indeed, not in imagination alone; the Scripture calls God the true God; to know thee, saith our Saviour Christ, the onelyonly true God, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, not a bare conceit of our own head, or fiction. He hath not an imaginary and counterfeit, but a very reall being; he is indeed such he saith he is;An Idoll is nothing in the world. for that which gives being to other things, must needs it selfe be in very deed. The other supposed Gods alone in name and in fancy of the worshippers, …ut he is.
2 He hath a true, not an erroneous conceite of things, lie knows all things most exactly; he is indeed a willer of true goodnesse.
3 He speaks nothing but as the thing is, and as he doth conceive it.Matth 24. 35. He meanes what he promiseth, and doth what he meanes,John 17. 17. the Lord dissembleth not with men. He is true in his Word,Which truth of God in his promises may be referred to justice, because it is just to performe what thou hast promised. and his whole Word, whether narrations, promises, threats, visions, or predictions; what he telleth it is as he telleth it; what he promiseth or threatneth to doe, he intendeth, and will performe, Psalm 89. 33, 34. Deut. 7. 9. 2. Cor. 1. 20. Promissa tua sunt; & suis falli timeat, cum promittit veritas? Aug. Confes…. l. 12. c. 1.
4 God is true in his workes, they are not done counterfeitly,2 Tim. 4. 8. as those of the Devill, but truely, Psalm 145. 17. Revel. 15. 3.
The Scripture proves the truth of God, 1. essentially, when it affirmes God to be true in his workes, Deut. 32. 4. Psalm 25. 10. Revel. 15. 3. & 16. 7. 2 In his words, which is proved both affirmatively, John 17. 17. 2 Sam. 7. 28. and negatively, Num. 23. 19. 1 Sam. 15. 29. Heb. 6. 18.
Reas. 1. All lying and fashood ariseth from weaknesse*If I speake falshood out of errour and mistake, I am weake; if wilfully, I am wicked. If I keep not promise, it is either because I cannot, and then I am weake: or will not, then I am wicked; therefore God cannot possibly lie. 1 Kings 22. 23. Ezek. 14. 9. and imperfection or wickednesse, neither of which is in God, seeing to be God is to be perfect and absolute. He is the Lord God of truth, Psalm 34. 5. his sonne is truth, John 14. 6. his holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, John 17. 6. the Gospell is the word of truth, Col. 1. 5. God is the chiefe and first truth, the Authour of truth, truth is in him essentially and immutably, Psalm 100. 5. onelyonly true, Rom. 3. 4. This distinguisheth him from false Gods, 2 Chron. 15. 3. John 17. 3. God is worthy to be trusted, honoured, and esteemed, ergo most true. Where it is said, God seduced the Prophets, it is not so understood, as if God inspired a false prophesie and an errour, but that he delivered them to the divell to be seduced.
1. It serves to reprove the wicked,Consectaries from Gods truth. who believe not threats; and the weake Christians who in temptations and desertions doubt of promises.
2 It exhorts us to desire the manifesting of this truth, Psalm 43. 3. we should be true like God, Zach 8. 16. in our words and deeds,Ephes. 4. 25. keepe our vowes with God, and promises with men. God loves truth, as in himselfe, so in his creatures; but abhors dissimulation and hypocrisie, Prov. 12. 22.
The true Church is the pillar of truth, Gods Word the word of truth, Psalm 19. 9. We should therefore believe Gods Word, and depend upon his promise, seem it never so unlikely or impossible,Heb. 20. 23. give him the glory of his truth; he that believeth setteth to his Seale that God is true, he that believeth not maketh God a lyar. Will you receive the testimony of men, and will you not much more receive the testimony of God? He that believeth Gods promises, will surely doe the things to which the Lord by promises encourageth him. He that believes the threats will forbeare the thing which God by his threats seekes to deter him from.
This is matter of solid comfort for all the true children of God, if he be faithfull they must be happy.
Truth is that vertue of the wil by which it is moved to goodnesse for Gods sake, when the thing moving us to be good, is Gods Commandement, and the end whereat we aime is the glorifying and pleasing of God, then we serve God in truth.
5. God is Faithfull. 1 Cor. 19. 18. Rev. 19. 11.
First, in himselfe, by an uncreated faithfulnesse.
Secondly, in his decrees. Esay 14. 24, 27.
Thirdly, in all his waies and workes. Psal. 145. 17.
1 Of creation, 1 Pet. 4. ult.
2 Of Redemption, Heb. 2. 17.
3 Of Justification, John 1. 19.
4 Of protection and preservation of his Church, Rev. 19. 11.
Fourthly, in all his words and speeches.
1 His Commandements are the rule of truth and faithfulnesse to us, Psal. 19. 9.
2 His predictions are all faithfully accomplished many thousand yeeres after, as Christs incarnation in the fulnesse of time, so Gen. 49. 10.
3 His menaces are most faithfull.
4 His promises, Exod. 12. 41. Heb. 10. 23.
There is a difference between faithfulnesse in the Creator and in the creature.
1 This is the ocean and full fountaine from whence all faithfulnesse and truth in men and Angels issue.
2 This is the rule and measure of that, and the neerer it comes to this, the more compleat it is.
3 It is unchangeable in him; the Angels that fell were faithfull, but soon changed, so Adam.
4 It is in God in most high perfection.
Reasons.
1 Because of his most just and righteous nature, whose most righteous will is the rule of all his waies, Psal. 145. 17.
2 He is most perfect and unchangeable in perfection.
3 Because of his most pure and holy affection.
4 There is no imperfection in him to hinder his faithfulnesse.
Gods faithfulnesse is the ground of all true Religion.
1 We must ground all the doctrine of faith, all the Articles of faith, all our judgement and opinion in matters of faith upon this faithfulnesse of God, and this by holding fast all the faithfull word, Titus 1. 9. Rom. 3. 4.
2 All our obedience of faith must be grounded on this, John 3. 33. Heb. 11. 11. & 10. 23. Zeph. 3. 5. Heb. 6. 30.
3 All our prayers of faith must be grounded on Gods faithfulnesse, Dan. 9. 16. 1 John 1. 9. 1 Pet. 4. 19, 31. Psalm 1. 5.
4 All sound profession of faith must be grounded on this, Gen. 17. 1. Psal. 91. 4.
5 All true perseverance in the faith, 1 Cor. 1. 8. & 10. 13. Psalm 91. 4.
We must be faithfull:
1 To God,Consectaries from Gods faithfulnesse. by being faithfull in his Covenant, as the Psalmist speaketh.
2 To men for Gods sake in our severall places, in friendship as David and Jonathan.
Moses and Christ were faithfull, the Apostle saith in Stewards it is required that they be found faithfull,Heb. …. 15. 1 Cor. 4. 1. Titus 2. 10.Heb. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 4. 10. Ephes. 6. 21. Col. 4. 7, 9. 1 Sam. 3. 20. 2 Sam. 2. 35. Nebem. 13. 13. 1 Tim. 3. 11. Faithfulnesse is required and commended in all sorts of men.
Reasons.
The welfare and prosperity of all estates dependeth upon mans fidelity and faithfulnesse, it will be impossible for any good to be done amongst men if each in his person and place be not faithfull; this therefore is required of all men.
Faithfulnesse is that vertue by which a man is carefull to performe constantly and in truth all those duties to which either his place or promise,What faithfulnesse is. or both, do bind him. Or, it is that vertue by which a man is as good as his word, when one doth speake good, and is indeed as good as in speech, this is faithfulnesse. It hath two parts: 1. the agreement of his meaning with his words at the time that he speaketh, when he purposeth to doe according as he speaketh. 2 The agreement of his actions with his words and meaning, when he continues constant in his purpose till he have done what in him lies to effect it; as it is said of B…az, that when he had said the thing, he would not be quiet untill he had brought it to passe. A promise is the proper subject of faithfulnesse, in the well making and welkeeping of that standeth fidelity.