XIII. God is most just. This attribute differs but little from that of holiness, though sometimes they are thus distinguished; as holiness is the contrariety, or opposition of his nature to sin, justice is an eternal and visible display thereof; and, in particular, when God is said to be just, he is considered as the governor of the world; and therefore when he appears in the glory of his justice, he bears the character of a judge; accordingly it is said concerning him, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. xviii. 25. and he is said, without respect of persons, to judge according to every man’s work, 1 Pet. i. 17. Now the justice of God is sometimes taken for his faithfulness, which is a doing justice to his word; but this will be more particularly considered, when we speak of him as abundant in truth. But, according to the most common and known sense of the word, it is taken either for his disposing, or his distributive justice; the former is that whereby his holiness shines forth in all the dispensations of his providence, as all his ways are equal, of what kind soever they be; the latter, to wit, his distributive justice, consists either in rewarding or punishing, and so is styled either remunerative or vindictive; in these two respects, we shall more particularly consider this attribute.
1. The justice of God, as giving rewards to his creatures; this he may be said to do, without supposing the persons, who are the subjects thereof, to have done any thing by which they have merited them: we often find, in scripture, that the heavenly glory is set forth as a reward, Mat. x. 41, 42. and 1 Cor. iii. 14. and it is called, a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give at that day, 2 Tim. iv. 8. to wit, when he appears, in the glory of his justice, to judge the world in righteousness; and it is also said, that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense to his people who are troubled, rest, when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven, 2 Thess. i. 6. 7. But, for the understanding such like expressions, I humbly conceive, that they import the necessary and inseparable connexion that there is between grace wrought in us, and glory conferred upon us: it is called, indeed, a reward, or a crown of righteousness, to encourage us to duty; but, without supposing that, what we do has any thing meritorious in it. If we ourselves are less than the least of all God’s mercies, then the best actions put forth by us must be so, for the action cannot have more honour ascribed to it than the agent; or if, as our Saviour says, when we have done all, we must say, we are unprofitable servants, Luke xvii. 10. and that sincerely, and not in a way of compliment, as some Popish writers understand it, consistently with their doctrine of the merit of good works, we must conclude that it is a reward not of debt, but of grace; and therefore the word is taken in a less proper sense. It is not a bestowing a blessing purchased by us, but for us; Christ is the purchaser, we are the receivers; it is strictly and properly the reward of his merit, but, in its application, the gift of his grace.
2. There is his vindictive justice, whereby he punishes sin, as an injury offered to his divine perfections, an affront to his sovereignty, a reflection on his holiness, and a violation of his law, for which he demands satisfaction, and inflicts punishment, proportioned to the nature of the crime, which he continues to do, till satisfaction be given: this is called, his visiting iniquity, Deut. v. 9. or visiting for it, Jer. v. 9. and it is also called, his setting his face against a person, and cutting him off from amongst his people, Lev. xvii. 10. and when he does this, his wrath is compared to flames of fire; it is called, The fire of his jealousy, Zeph. i. 18. and they, who are the objects hereof, are said to fall into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire, Heb. x. 31. compared with chap. xii. 29.
But that we may farther consider how God glorifies this perfection, and thereby shews his infinite hatred of sin, we may observe,
(1.) An eminent instance thereof in his inflicting that punishment that was due to our sins, on the person of Christ our Surety. It was, indeed, the highest act of condescending grace that he was willing to be charged with, or to have the iniquity of his people laid upon him; but it was the greatest display of vindictive justice, that he was accordingly punished for it, as he is said to be made sin for us, who knew no sin, 2 Cor. v. 21. and accordingly God gives a commission to the sword of his justice, to awake and exert itself, in an uncommon manner, against him, the man his fellow, Zech. xiii. 7. In this instance, satisfaction is not only demanded, but fully given, in which it differs from all the other displays of vindictive justice; but of this, more will be considered under some following answers.[[60]]
(2.) The vindictive justice of God punishes sin in the persons of finally impenitent sinners in hell, where a demand of satisfaction is perpetually made, but can never be given, which is the reason of the eternity of the punishment inflicted, which is called, everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thes. i. 9. this we shall also have occasion to insist on more largely, under a following an answer.[[61]]
In these two instances, punishment is taken in a strict and proper sense: but there is, indeed, another sense, in which many evils are inflicted for sins committed, which, though frequently called punishments, yet the word is taken in a less proper sense, to wit, when believers, who are justified upon the account of the satisfaction which Christ has given for their sins, are said to be punished for them; as when it is said, Thou, our God, hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, Ezra ix. 13. and if his children forsake my law, and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes; nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, Psal. lxxxix. 30-31. and the prophet, speaking of some, for whom God would execute judgment, and be favourable to them in the end, so that they should behold his righteousness; yet he represents them, as bearing the indignation of the Lord, because they had sinned against him, Micah vii. 9. And, as these evils are exceedingly afflictive, being oftentimes attended with a sad apprehension and fear of the wrath of God; so they are called punishments, because sin is the cause of them: yet they differ from punishment in its most proper sense, as but now mentioned, in that, though justice inflicts evils on them for sin, yet it doth not herein demand satisfaction, for that is supposed to have been given, inasmuch as they are considered as justified; and, to speak with reverence, it is not agreeable to the nature of justice to demand satisfaction twice. Nevertheless, it is one thing for God really to demand it, and another thing for believers to apprehend or conclude that such a demand is made; this they may often do, as questioning whether they are believers, or in a justified state: however, God’s design, in these afflictive dispensations, is to humble them greatly, and shew them the demerit of sin, whatever he determines shall be the consequence thereof.
Moreover, the persons, who are the subjects of this punishment, are considered not as enemies, but as children, and therefore the objects of his love, at the same time that his hand is heavy upon them; for which reason some have called them castigatory punishments, agreeably to what the apostle saith, Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth; and that herein he dealeth with them as with sons, Heb. xii. 6, 7.
From what has been said, concerning the justice of God in rewarding or punishing, we may infer,
1. Since the heavenly blessedness is called a reward, to denote its connexion with grace and duty, let no one presumptuously expect one without the other: the crown is not to be put upon the head of any one, but him that runs the Christian race; and it is a certain truth, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, chap. xii. 14.