became equal, holy, meet, just, and good. And whereas it was neces- sary that the law of God should be accompanied with promises and threatenings, the eternal rectitude of God’s nature acting righteously in their execution or accomplishment is his truth. Hence truth and righteousness are in the Scripture frequently used to express the same thing.
6. Again, there is a respective righteousness in actions, which also is either of rule or of judgment. First, there is “justitia regiminis,” or the particular righteousness of actual rule. I donot place this [next] as though it were absolutely consequential unto that of legislation before mentioned; for take the righteousness of rule or government in its whole latitude, and it comprehends in it the righteousness of legislation also as a part thereof. For so it is the virtue or power of the nature of God, whereby he guideth all his actions or works in disposing and governing of the things created by him, in their several kinds and orders, according to the rule of his own eternal rectitude - and wisdom; for righteousness of government must consist in an at- tendance unto and observation of some rule. Now, this in God is the absolute righteousness of his nature, with his natural right unto rule over all, in conjunction with his infinitely wise and holy will, which is that unto him which equity or law is unto supreme rulers among men, And therefore God, in the exercise of this righteous- ness, sometimes resolves the faith and obedience of men into his sovereign right over all, Job xl 11, xxxiii. 12, 13, xxxiv. 12-15; Jer. xviiii. 1-6; Isa. xlvy. 9; Rom. ix. 20, xi. 32, 33;—sometimes into the holiness of his nature, Zeph. ii. 5; Ps. xlvii. 8 ;—sometimes into the equity and equality of his ways and works themselves, Ezek. xvii. 25. But there is a particular exercise of this righteous- ness of rule which hath respect unto the law, any law given unto men immediately by God, as confirmed with promises and threaten- ings. The ruling and disposing of the temporal and eternal states or conditions of men, according to the tenor and sentence of the law given unto them, belongeth hereunto. And as this is actually exe- cuted, it is called “justitia judicialis,” or the righteousness of God whereby he distributes rewards and punishments unto his creatures according to their works. Hereof one part consisteth in the punish- ing of sin as it is a transgression of his law; and this is that wherein at present we are concerned, for we say that the righteousness of God, as he is the supreme ruler of the world, doth require necessarily that sin be punished, or the transgression of that law which is the instrument of his rule be avenged.
7. The exercise of this righteousness i in God presupposeth sundry things; as,—
(1.) The creation of all things, in their kind, order, state, and con-
SECT. 6-8.] ON THE SUPPOSITION OF SIN AND GRACE. 103
dition, by a free act of the will and power of God, regulated by his goodness and infinite wisdom: for our God doth whatever he pleaseth ; he worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will.
(2.) In particular, the creation of intelligent, rational creatures in a moral dependence on himself, capable of being ruled by a law, in order unto his glory and their own blessedness. The being and nature of mankind, their rational constitution, their ability for obe- dience, their capacity of eternal blessedness or misery, depend all on a sovereign free act of the will of God.
(3.) The nature of the law given unto these creatures, as the means and instrument of their moral, orderly dependence on God ; whereof the breach of that law would be a disturbance,
(4.) The eternal, natural, unchangeable right that God hath to govern these creatures according to the tenor of that law which he hath so appointed for the instrument of his rule. This is no less ne- cessary unto God than his being.
(5.) The sin of those creatures, which was destructive of all that order of things, which ensued on the creation and giving of the law. For it was so,—[1.] Of the principal end of the creation, which could
be no other but the glory of God from the obedience of his crea-
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tures, preserving all things in the order and state wherein he had, made and placed them; [2.] Of the dependence of the creature on God, which consisted in his moral obedience unto him according to the law; and, [3.] It was introductory of a state of things utterly opposite unto the universal rectitude of the nature of God. Only the right of God to rule the sinning creature unto his own glory abode with him, because it belongs unto him as God. And this re- presents the state of things between God and the sinning creature ; wherein we say, that upon a supposition of all these antecedaneous free acts, and of the necessary continuance of God’s righteousness of rule and judgment, it was necessary that the sinning creature should be punished according to the sentence of the law. Only observe, that I say not that this righteousness of judgment, as to the punitive part or quality of it, is a peculiar nghteousness in God, or an espe- cial virtue in the divine nature, or an especial distinct righteous- ness, which the sthoolmen generally incline unto; for it is only the universal rectitude of the nature of God, sometimes called his right- eousness, sometimes his holiness, sometimes his purity, exercising itself not absolutely, but on the suppositions before laid down.