4, For between the consideration of this righteousness of God and the actual exercise of it, which must respect somewhat without him, to be made by him, somewhat in his creatures, there must be inter- posed a consideration of the right of God, or that which we call “jus dominii,” a right, power, and liberty of rule or government; for it is not enough that any one be righteous to enable him to act righteously in all that he doth or may do with respect unto others, but, moreover, he must have a right to act in such and those cases wherein he doth so. And this right, which justice supposeth, is or may be twofold:—(1.) Supreme and absolute; (2.) Subordinate. For we speak of justice and right only with respect unto public act- ings, or actings of rule, which belong unto righteousness as it is dis- tributive; for that which is commutative, and may have place in private transactions among private persons, we have here no consi- deration of. Now, for that which is subordinate, it is a right to distribute justice or things equal unto others, according to the direc- tion and by the authority of a superior: and this superior may be either real only, as is a law,—in which sense the law of nature is a superior unto all rulers on the earth, and the respective laws of nations to most; or personal also, which is that which is denied, where any one is acknowledged as a supreme governor. That this right hath no place in God is evident. He hath no greater whereby he may swear, and therefore swears by himself, Heb. vi. 13.
The right, therefore, which God hath to act his righteousnéss, or to act righteously towards others, is supreme and sovereign, aris- ing naturally and necessarily from the relation of all things unto himself ; for hereby,—namely, by their relation unto him as his crea- tures,—they are all placed in an universal, indispensable, and ab- solutely unchangeable dependence on him, according to their natures
« SECT. 4, 5.| | ON THE SUPPOSITION OF SIN AND GRACE. 101
and capacities. The right of God unto rule over us is wholly of another kind and nature than any thing is or can be among the sons of men, that which is paternal having the nearest resemblance of it, but it is not of the same kind; for it doth not arise from the benefits we receive from him, nor hath any respect unto our consent, for he rules over the most against their wills, but depends merely on our relation unto him as his creatures, with the nature, order, and condition of our existence, wherein we are placed by his sovereignty. This in him is unavoidably accompanied with a right to act towards us according to the counsel of his will and the rectitude of his nature. The state and condition, I say, of our being and end, with the rela- tion which we have unto him and to his other works, or the order wherein we are set and placed in the universe, being the product or effect of his power, wisdom, will, and goodness, he hath an unchange- able, sovereign right to deal with us and act towards us according to the infinite, eternal rectitude of hisnature. And as he hath a right so to do, so he cannot do otherwise. Supposing the state and condi- tion wherein we are made and placed, with the nature of our relation unto and dependence on God, and God can act no otherwise towards us but according to what the essential rectitude of his nature doth direct and require; which is the foundation of what we plead in the case before us concerning the necessity of the priesthood of Christ. 5. Secondly, The righteousness of God may be considered with respect unto its exercise, which is so frequently expressed in the Scripture, and whereon depends the rule and government of the world. This supposeth the right of God before declared, as that right itself is no absolute but a relative property of God, supposing the creation of all things, in their nature, order, and mutual respects, according unto his wisdom and by his power. On this supposition it followeth naturally and necessarily, not as a new thing’ in God, but as a natural and necessary respect which his nature and being hath unto all creatures upon their production; for suppose the crea- tion of all things, and it is as natural and essential unto God to be the ruler of them and over them as it is to be God. Now, the exer- cise of the righteousness of God, in pursuit of his right of rule, is either absolute and antecedent, or respective and consequential. As it is absolute and acted antecedently unto the consideration of our obedience or disobedience, so it is put forth and exercised in his laws and promises; for they are acts or effects of righteousness disposing things equally, according to their nature and the will of God. God’s ways are equal. His justice in legislation is universal equity; for all things being created in order by divine wisdom, there arose from thence a rd xpérov, a meetness and condecency, whereunto respect was had in God’s legislation, whereby his law or the commandment
102 NECESSITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST [EXERC. XXIX.