be retracted, or to alter his mind about it. His will is the rule of righteousness, and righteousness is the rule of his will. The saints of old were perfectly of this mind: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Gen. 18: 25. And the apostle puts it as a question not to be answered, that if God were unrighteous, "How then shall he Judge the world?" Rom. 3: 6.

Arg. III. It is also apparent, from the constant rule and measure of God's dispensements, which are not done fortuitously, nor rashly, but with deliberation and exact

ness.

"He lays judgment to the rule, and righteousness to the plummet," Isa. 28: 7. He will not punish without a cause, nor more than is deserved. Touching the sins of Sodom, "I will go down," says God, "and see whether they have done, [altogether] according to the cry of it," Gen. 18:21. "He renders to every one according to their deeds," Rom. 2:6. "and gives them [a just] recompence of reward," Heb. 2: 2. "He will not cast away the perfect man, nor help the wicked," Job, 8: 20. Eliphaz puts the question with great confidence, (as well he might,) "Who ever perished being innocent?" Job, 4:7. His righteousness is such, that it even holds his hands until the innocent be out of danger. The angels were straightly commanded, not to begin the execution of God's wrath on the wicked world, "until his servants were marked out,” Rev. 7:3. and when the Lord came to destroy Sodom, he hastens righteous Lot to Zoar, with this only argument, I cannot do any thing until thou be come thither," Gen. 19:22.

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Arg. IV. It is further evidenced, by the laws he hath given unto men; the sum of which is, to do righteously; and the end of them, the good and welfare of the creature. After a thousand years' experience of these, compared with the issue of men's inventions, they are acknowledged to be "right judgments, good statutes, and laws of truth," Neh. What an admirable catalogue have we in Romans 12: 12. and Gal. 5: 22!

9: 3.

1. Of such as concern our duty towards himself immediately, this is the sum; "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," Matt. 4:10. There is nothing more equal and just than to worship and serve him, whose we are: to love and to live to him, from

whom we have our life and breath; especially considering that "his commandments are our life," Deuteronomy, 16: 18, 19.

2. Such as refer more immediately to ourselves, as temperance, chastity, moderation, sobriety, &c. These, as is evident to all, do greatly conduce to our outward welfare, both in point of health, estate, prosperity, &c. And what evil consequents do attend the contraries of those virtues, might be every day's observation; more especially such as relate to our spiritual state and welfare: of which more particularly under the next argument. \

3. Such commands also as respect our duty towards men; as to do justly; to shew mercy; to "follow peace with all men," every one to mind his own business, and not intermeddle with others: so, "to be subject to the powers that be;" and to "pray for those in authority," (the neglect of which duty may be a cause of our disquietment from them, at least it may prove an eclipse of our joyfulness in suffering under them, &c.;) the sum of this kind of duties we have in that standing uncontrollable rule, of "doing to others as we would they should do unto us. On the contrary, there is nothing forbidden but what tends to our hurt; as if it were needful, might be demonstrated by instances innumerable.

4. To this also might be added, the strict injunctions that God hath laid upon the subordinate dispensers of his law; as, namely, " to judge the people with just judgment; not to wrest judgment, nor respect persons," Deut. 16:18, 19. "yea, he curseth them that pervert judgment," chap. 27:19, "and will surely reprove them that accept persons, "Job, 13: 10, &c. And "shall mortal man be more just than God?" chapter 4: 17. Will he, under such penalties, command men to do thus, and not much more do so himself?

Arg. V. Another beam of the righteousness of God, shines forth in his putting the matter of our duty into such a way and method, as renders it more facile, and mostly conduceth to our chief end.

As, 1. "To remember our Creator in the days of our youth," Eccl. 12:12. For the work of conversion, and turning to God, must needs be much easier then, than when habituated in an evil course: for long impenitency

(besides the provocation it is to God,) estranges the mind more from him: makes the spirit more inflexible, and harder to be wrought upon; it multiplies our work, and subtracts our strength: for one accustomed in evil to learn to do well, and for a black-moor to change his skin, are things of a like possibility: it is a very rare and difficult thing for " a man to be born again when he is old."

2. To watch against, and suppress the first motions of sin, and to avoid whatever might be an occasion, or have tendency towards it. And in order thereto, to "take heed to our spirit," Mal. 2: 15. "To keep the heart with all diligence," Prov. 4:23: "To abstain from all appearances of evil," 1 Thess. 5: 22. "To hate the garment spotted by the flesh," Jude, ver. 23. "And to make a covenant with our eyes," as Job did, Job, 31: 1. For the professed practice of some saints is directive to others, and equivalent to a command. To keep an enemy from rising, is much easier than to quell him when he is up; yea, to nip sin when it is young, is the ready way, not only to keep it low, but to kill it; as the continual plucking off buds from a tree or plant, destroys the root.

3. Not to do any thing, the lawfulness whereof is dubious to us; which, as it is a sin in itself, (as every thing is which is not of faith,) Rom. 14: 23, so it tends to obscure to us the true sight of other things, and emboldens to further attempts. Yea, farther, not to mind only the lawfulness of things, but their expediency, 1 Cor. 6: 12, the not heeding of which proves often an occasion of sin to others, whereof we cannot be guiltless. So, likewise, to cherish all motions to good; not to quench the Spirit, 1 Thess. 5: 19. and to hearken, or listen diligently what the Lord God will speak, Exod. 15: 26. who oft-times delivers his mind with "a still and small voice," 1 Kings 19: 12. which doubly obligeth our attention.

4. In his pressing, with so much weight and necessity, those great duties of faith, love, patience, self-denial, &c. (1.) Faith, which consists in submitting to the "righteousness of God," taking hold of his strength, and following the conduct of his wisdom: and in order thereto, shewing us our own sinfulness, weakness, and folly, with the vanity of all created bottoms, which have always failed at the greatest need; and so drawing our hearts to lean on himself only,

in whom alone we have righteousness and strength, Isa. 45: 24. (2.) Love: this is a powerful, active, candid, and obliging principle: it bears all things; thinks no evil; takes all in good part, 1 Cor. 13: 5. makes that both portable and pleasant, which without love, would be both harsh and burdensome. (3.) Patience, and meekness of spirit; these mitigate the dolor of any suffering, and often prevent or allay the storm that is rising. "A soft answer turneth away wrath," Prov. 15:1. Judges 8: 3. It also breeds experience; 1. That any afflictions may be borne through him that strengthens us, 2 Cor. 12:9, 2. That afflictions are all for our profit, Heb. 12:10. 3. That we could not well have been without them, 1 Pet. 1:6, 7. 4. It also gives to understand the Lord's meaning in them, which the noise of tumultuous passions would drown in us. And, as a means to work this patience, the Lord sets before us, 1. That there is a cause of every chastening; and that cause is from ourselves; and therefore no cause to complain. 2. That he afflicts not willingly, but only when there is need, and no more than needs must. 3. That he hath many gracious ends in afflicting: as, (1.) To humble for sin committed; as in Joseph's rough dealing with his brethren, Gen. 42:21. (2.) To purge out dross; as in the case of Manasseh, 2 Chron. 33: 11. 13. and the whole church, Isa. 27: 9. (3.) To prevent sins we should otherwise fall into: thus he kept Paul from being exalted above measure, 2 Cor. 12:7. (4.) To wean us from the world; this he expected from Baruch, Jer. 45: 4, 5. and this effect it had upon Asaph, Psal. 73: 35. (5.) To exercise our graces; as Abraham's great faith, by his various temptations; and Paul was much under infirmities, that he might "magnify the power of Christ," 2 Cor. 12: 9. (6.) By lesser tempt ations, and deliverances from them, we are fitted for greater, and our faith strengthened, both to bear and to get through them; which greater had they come before, might have overturned us.. 4. Self-denial: this is a duty of nearest concernment to us, since we have no enemies so great as self-love, and fleshly lusts to war against our souls. These things considered, will shew that David's conclu sion is right and genuine; "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way," Psal. 25: 8. Even reason itself might tell us (to be sure sanctified rea

son and experience will,) that thus to command and direct, is to lead in the right way; and it highly commends to us the righteousness of God.

Arg. VI. The righteousness of God is farther made out, by his affixing rewards and punishments, to good and evil works respectively, according to what is the proper result and natural product of them: "Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap," Gal. 6: 7. "Every seed shall have its own body," 1 Cor. 15: 38. "He will give to every one according to his ways, and the fruit of his doings," Isa. 3:10, 11. Jer. 32: 19. Holiness hath in it a natural tendency to life and peace: it is a tree of life, Prov. 3:18. Grace and glory grow from the same root: salvation is the end of faith; the flower that grows upon it, 1 Pet. 1:9. "The work of righteousness is peace, and the effect thereof quietness and assurance for ever," Isa. 32: 17. It is sometimes called, "the way of life," Prov. 12:28. Sometimes "the fountain and well-spring of life," Prov. 14: 27. And it tendeth to life," Prow 19:23. For if the root be holy, the branch cannot be otherwise, Romans, 11: 16.

It is so likewise with sin: death follows sin, not only as a punishment for delinquency, but as its natural offspring, Prov. 23: 29. Original corruption is the root; sin the stalk that grows next upon it; and death the finishing, or full corn in the ear, James, 1:14, 15. If there be no justice to revenge sin, sin would be vengeance to itself: "Sinners lie in wait for their own blood," Prov. 1:18. “It is their own wickedness that corrects them," Jer. 2:19. "The way of sin inclineth to death, and its footsteps to the dead: its steps take hold on hell," Prov. 2: 18. and 5:5. Unbelief may be an instance for all; as out of which all sins else are derived: this was the root of Adam's apostacy, Gen. 3. of all that people's rebellions in the wilderness, Numb. 14: 11. of the Jews' rejecting the Messiah, John, 19:7. 12. Faith is that which holds the soul to God, its life and blessedness: unbelief is departing from him, or letting go its hold; the loosing of the knot, upon which the soul falls off of its own accord: and the first step from God sets in a way of death: as a branch breaking off from its stock dies of itself. This was Adam's unbelief: in all men since, it is a refusing to return.