such exceeding goodness and mercy. It should cause us greatly to detest our sins, which lie under so heinous an aggravation; to be deeply displeased with our selves, who have so unworthily committed them.

5. It should therefore render us wary and vigilant against the commission of any sin; that is, of incurring the guilt of so enormous ingratitude and baseness; making us cautious of doing like those, of whom it is confessed in Nehemiah, They did eat, and were filled, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness: nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy laws behind their back.

6. It should also breed and nourish in us faith and hope in God. For what reason can we have to distrust of so great goodness; that he will refuse to help us in our need; that he will fail in accomplishment of his promises; that he will withhold what is convenient for us? It

assured that all God's dispensations do aim and tend to our good.

9. It should also, in gratitude toward God, and imitation of him, engage us to be good, kind, and bountiful, placable, and apt to forgive; meek and gentle, pitiful, and affectionate toward our brethren; to be good and merciful, as our heavenly Father is merciful and benign even toward the wicked and ungrateful; to be kind unto one another, full of bowels, forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us.

10. Lastly, we ought to have an especial care of perverting this excellent truth by mistakes and vain presumptions; that we do not turn the grace of God into wantonness, or occasion of licentious practice. Because God is very good and merciful, we must not to conceive him to be fond, or slack, or careless; that he is apt to indulge us in sin, or connive at our presumptuous transgression of his laws. No; έπεται τῷ ἀγαθῷ. ἢ ἀγαθὸν

temptation can we have to despair of mercy, if we heartily repent of our misdoings, and sincerely endeavour to please him?*

7. It should upon the same account excite us to a free and constant exercise of all devotions. For why should we be shy or fearful of entering into so friendly and favourable a presence? why should we be backward from having (upon any occasion or need) a recourse to him, who is so willing, so desirous, so ready to do us good? what should hinder us from delighting in oblations of blessing and praise unto him?

8. It ought to render us submissive, patient, and contented under God's hand of correction or trial, as knowing that it cannot be without very just causes that such goodness seemeth displeased with us; that we are the chief causes of our suffering or our want; so that we can have no good cause to repine or complain: for, Wherefore doth the living man complain? since a man (suffers) for the punishment of his sins; since it is our sins that withhold good things from us; since also we, considering this attribute, may be

consequent upon goodness even as such, as Clemens Alexandrinus saith;) God, even as he is good, cannot but detest that which is opposite and prejudicial to goodness; he cannot but maintain the honour and interest thereof; he cannot, he will not, endure us to dishonour him, to wrong our neighbour, to spoil ourselves. As he is a sure friend to us as his creatures, so he is an implacable enemy to us as impenitent rebels and apostates from our duty. The wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. As he is infinitely benign, so he is also perfectly holy, and of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with him. The foolish shall not stand in his sight; he hateth all workers of iniquity. His face is against them that do evil. Finally, as God is gracious to all such as are capable of his love, and qualified for his mercy; so he is an impartial and upright Judge, who will deal with men according to their deserts, according to the tenor of his laws and ordinances; according to his immutable decree and word: so that as we have great reason to

* Luke vi. 35, 36; 1 John iii. iii. 13; Eph. iv. 32.

Psal. xi. 5; Hab. i. 13;

16; Coloss. y Jude 4. Psal. v. 4,5;

trust and hope in him, so we have no true ground to presume upon him, vainly to trifle, or insolently to dally with him. But I leave this point to be further improved by your meditations.

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through thy grace be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honour and praise of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

SERMON LXX.

NO RESPECT OF PERSONS WITH GOD.

ROM. ii. 11. For there is no respect of persons with God.

It is an ordinary conceit, grounded on a superficial view of things, that Almighty God dispenseth his gifts with great inequality, and dealeth very partially with men; being lavish in his bounty to some, but sparing therein to others; slack and indulgent in calling some to account, but rigorous and severe in judgment toward others.

Which imagination often hath influence upon the affections and the actions of men; so that hence some men do highly presume, others are much discouraged: some are apt to boast themselves special darlings and favourites of Heaven; others are tempted to complain of their being quite deserted, or neglected thereby. But whoever more carefully will observe things, and weigh them with good conisderation, shall find this to be a great mistake; and that in truth God distributeth his favours with very equal measures: he poiseth the scales of justice with a most even hand; so that reasonably no man should be exalted, no man should be dejected in mind, upon account of any considerable difference in God's regard towards him and other persons; the which is clearly discovered by God, or merely dependeth on his will and providence.

The advantages which one man hath above another, being estimated morally,

in reference to solid felicity and content, are indeed none; or are not absolutely made by God, but framed by men unto themselves. For

God is indifferently affected toward persons as such nakedly and privately considered; or as divested of moral conditions, qualifications, and actions: he is in his dealing, whether as benefactor or judge, purely considereth the reason and exigency of things, the intrinsic worth of persons, the real merits of each cause; he maketh no arbitrary or groundless descriminations; he neither loveth and favoureth, nor loatheth and discountenanceth any person unaccountably: he doth utterly disclaim partiality, or respect of persons, as a calumnious aspersion on him, and a scandal to his providence.

Such in holy scriptures he representeth himself, upon various occasions; declaring his perfect impartiality, and that nothing beside the right and reason of cases doth sway with him; all other considerations being impertinent and insignificant to him. For instance,

It is declared, that he hath no partial respect to nations; for the piety of Job, an Edomite; of Melchisedeck, a Canaanite; of Jethro, a Midianite; were very pleasing to him: he favourably did hear the prayers and accept the alms of Cornelius, a Roman soldier; whereupon St. Peter made this general reflection: Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

He is declared not to regard the external profession of true religion, but real practice according to it: He rendereth (saith St. Paul) to every man according to his deeds-tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for (addeth the apostle, assigning the reason of this proceeding) there is no respect of persons with God.

He is said not to respect faces, or any exterior appearances, however specious in

• (Rom. x. 12; iii. 29.) dActs x. 34, 35. • (Gal. v. 6; vi. 15; iii. 28;) Col. iii. 11; Rom. ii. 6, 9, 10, 11; (x. 12; iii. 29.)

the eye of the world; according to that saying of God to Samuel, at the choice of David before his brethren: Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance; but the Lord looketh on the heart."

It is expressed, that he hath no respect to the outward estate or worldly rank and dignity of men; but that princes and peasants, masters and servants, the honourable or wealthy, and the mean or poor, are of equal consideration with him: He (saith Job) accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of his hands; and St. Paul biddeth masters to deal fairly with their servants, knowing (saith he) that your Master is also in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

We are taught, that he doth not regard even the most sacred offices, or more worthy accomplishments of men, in prejudice to the verity of things, or equity of the case; for hence St. Paul maintaineth his resolute behaviour toward those great pillars of religion, St. Peter and St. James: Of those who seemed to be somewhat, whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person.

It is frequently inculcated, that he hath no consideration of any gifts, of sacrifices, of services presented to him with sinister intent, to compound for sin, or excuse from duty, to pervert justice, or palliate wrong; according to that [declaration of Moses, The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward; and that] charge of king Jehoshaphat to his Judges, Let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed, and do it; for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. and, Do not think (saith the Hebrew Wise Man) to corrupt (him) with gifts; for such he will not receive; and trust not to unrighteous sacrifices; for the Lord is

judge, and with him is no respect of persons.1

In fine, it is often generally declared, that God impartially dispenseth recompenses, in just proportion, according to the deeds of men: He (saith St. Paul) that doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons: And if (saith St. Peter) ye call upon the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.TM

There is nothing more frequently asserted, or more seriously urged in holy scripture than this point, that God will judge and deal with men, not according to his absolute, antecedent affections, but according to their own works, or the tenor of their practice, duly scanned and estimated by the rules of justice; so that the really better man will certainly prove the happier, and the worse man shall be the more wretched: He will reward every man (saith our Lord) κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ, according to his practice: Every one (saith St. Paul) shall receive the things done in his body, πρὸς τὰ ἔργα, suitably (in just proportion) to his works ; and each man shall receive ἴδιον μισθὸν, his own wages according to his own labour; and then praise (or a due taxation) shall be to every man from God: Behold (saith he in the Revelation) I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to recompense each man ὡς τὸ αὐτοῦ ἔργον ἔσται, ας his work shall be."

Wherefore by sacred testimonies it is abundantly manifest, that impartiality is a divine attribute and perfection of God; the which (for our greater satisfaction and further illustration of the point) may be also evinced by divers arguments, some proving that it must be so, others, showing that it is so; some inferring it a priori, from the prime, most avowed attributes of God's nature, and from his relations to men; others arguing it a posteriori, from principal instances of God's proceedings and providential dispensations toward men.

Of the first sort are these :

1. God is impartial, because he is perfectly wise, and thence doth truly estimate persons and things.

Wisdom doth look evenly, with a free and pure (an indifferent and uncorrupt) eye upon all things; apprehending and esteeming each as it is in itself; making no distinction where it findeth none; not preferring one thing before another, without ground of difference in them. It doth not fix a valuation on its objects, but acknowledgeth it, and taketh it for such as it is in themselves.

him to affect things as they are and deserve; to esteem and love that which is indeed worthy and lovely; to despise and dislike that which is despicable and odious; to have no opinion or affection toward a person, abstracted from all qualifications; such an one being no special object of a wise and just either esteem or contempt, love or hatred.

As these causes are always inseparably connected (for what is justness, but a disposition of will to follow, without deflection, the dictates of wisdom?) so the effect must necessarily follow; according to numberless testimonies in scripture, importing, that The righteous Lord loveth righteousness; but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth: The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous

accountable prejudice. No person can seem amiable or odious to him, who is not in himself truly such.

This argument is often used in scripture; and to assure us of this truth it is there frequently affirmed, that God doth search the hearts, doth try the spirits, doth weigh the actions of men: The Lord (said Hannah) is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed: All the ways of man (saith Solomon) are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirit: His eyes (saith the Psalmist) behold, his eyelids try the children of men: and, O Lord of hosts (saith Jeremiah), that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart-Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: [I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.]

2. God cannot be partial, because he is perfectly righteous, just, and holy. This reason adjoined to the former doth make up a complete demonstration: for partiality doth proceed either from blindness of mind, or from perverseness of will; he, therefore, who hath both an axact knowledge of things and a perfect rectitude of will, can nowise be partial; the one enabling him to judge, the other disposing

• 1 Sam. ii. 3; Prov. xvi. 2; Psal. xi. 4; Jer. xi. 20; xx. 12; xxxii. 19; xvii. 10.

that do evil.

3. God is impartial, because he is infinitely great and potent; whence all creatures are in the same degree inferior, at the same distance remote from him; all are equally at his discretion and disposal; he hath no need of any: what, therefore, should incline him to regard one before another, excepting only goodness, wherein he delighteth? So the Wise Man discourseth: He that is Lord of all shall fear no man's person, neither shall he stand in awe of any man's greatness; for he hath made the small and great, and careth for all alike. So Moses did imply: The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons."

4. God is impartial, because he is immensely good and benign; both intensively in the degree, and extensively as to the objects of his goodness; so that he favoureth all equally, because all thoroughly, so far as may well be, according to their condition and capacity; whence if there be any difference or defect, the ground thereof is not in his nature or will, but in the different qualifications of creatures.

There is a double goodness or love of God: one absolute, preceding all regard to personal qualities or deeds; the other conditionate, and consequent on special regards: in both these, God is impartial; for the first is general and unconfined, according to that of the Psalmist, The Lord is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works; and those sayings in the gospel, He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil: He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good; and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. The second is grounded on special reasons of the case, and adapted to the rules of justice demanding it; according whereto, The Lord is rich (in mercy) toward all that call upon him. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him, and preserveth all them that love him."

In the first there is no difference; in the second the difference is made by ourselves, being founded in our voluntary demeanour.

5. God is impartial toward all persons, because he hath the same (natural and original) relations toward all.

1. He is the maker and father of all; according to that of the prophet, Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? and that of the apostle, There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all: he therefore hath the same parental kindness toward all, the same tenderness for the good of each; he is not capable of that imperfection which is observable in some parents, to be fond and indulgent to some children above others; but in his affection the rich and poor (as the Wise Man saith) do meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.

Hence the same holy man did infer, that he was obliged to deal fairly with his own servants, for that God in judgment would consider their case no less than his, upon this account, for, Did not he

Psal. cxlv. 9, 16; Luke vi. 35; Matt. v. 45.
Rom. x. 12; Psal. cxlv. 18; xxxiv. 15;

cxlv. 19, 20; xxxiv. 9; xxxiii. 18.

'Mal. ii. 10; Ephes. iv. 6.

Prov. xxii. 2.

Job xxxi. 13, 14, 15.

* Job xxxiv. 19.

that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

Hence the Wise Man, who imitated Solomon, did argue an equality of gracious providence toward all: He hath made the small and the great, and careth for all alike."

2. God is the common Lord of all; and therefore is concerned to protect all with the like care, to govern all with the same equity.

Hence St. Paul gathereth, that God is indifferently willing to show mercy and dispense blessings to all people; to confer the means of salvation, and to accept pious endeavours, without distinction of Jew or Gentile: Is he (saith he) the God of the Jews only? Is it not also of the Gentiles? And, There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Hence the same apostle doth urge masters to be just and kind to their servants; for that God, as the common Master, hath an equal respect to both, knowing that your Master also is in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with him.

3. God is the Saviour of all; desiring and designing that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; being willing that no man should perish, but that all should come to repentance.d

Wherefore out of philanthropy and love to mankind, he sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world; to give himself a ransom for all men, to taste death for every man.

And what greater instance could there be of perfect impartiality?

So by reasons from the principal attributes and relations of God, his impartiality may be deduced: the same also may be declared from his proceedings and dealings with men. For,

1. God hath proposed to all men indifferently the same terms and conditions of obtaining his love and favour, of en