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SERMON LXX.

NO RESPECT OF PERSONS WITH GOD.

LXX.

ROM. ii. 11.

For there is no refpect of perfons with God.

SERM. 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 fome, but fparing therein to others; flack and indulgent in calling fome to account, but rigorous and severe in judgment toward others.

Which imagination often hath influence upon the affections and the actions of men; fo that hence fome men do Pf. lxxiii. 6. highly prefume, others are much difcouraged: fome are apt to boast themfelves fpecial darlings and favourites of Heaven; others are tempted to complain of their being quite deferted, or neglected thereby.

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But whoever more carefully will obferve things, and weigh them with good confideration, shall find this to be a great mistake; and that in truth God diftributeth his favours with very equal measures: he poifeth the scales of justice with a most even hand; so that reasonably no man Job xxxi. 6. fhould be exalted, no man fhould be dejected in mind, upon account of any confiderable difference in God's regard towards him, and other perfons; the which is clearly difcovered by God, or merely dependeth on his will and providence.

The advantages, which one man hath above another, SERM. being estimated morally, in reference to folid felicity and LXX. content, are indeed none; or are not abfolutely made by God, but framed by men unto themselves. For,

God is indifferently affected toward perfons as fuch, nakedly and privately confidered; or as divefted of moral conditions, qualifications, and actions: he in his dealing, whether as benefactor or judge, purely confidereth the reason and exigency of things, the intrinfic worth of perfons, the real merits of each cause; he maketh no arbitrary or groundless difcriminations; he neither loveth and favoureth, nor loatheth and discountenanceth any person.. unaccountably: he doth utterly disclaim partiality, or respect of perfons, as a calumnious afperfion on him, and a fcandal to his providence.

Such in holy Scriptures he representeth himself, upon various occafions; declaring his perfect impartiality, and that nothing beside the right and reafon of cafes doth fway with him; all other confiderations being impertinent and infignificant to him. For instance,

It is declared, that he hath no partial refpect to nations; (Rom. x. 12. iii. 29.) for the piety of Job, an Edomite; of Melchifedeck, a Canaanite; of Jethro, à Midianite; were very pleafing to him he favourably did hear the prayers and accept the alms of Cornelius, a Roman foldier; whereupon St. Peter made this general reflection: Of a truth I perceive A&s x. 34, that God is no refpecter of perfons; but in every nation he 35. that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted

with him.

Rom. ii.

He is declared not to regard the external profeffion of true religion, but real practice according to it: He ren- (Gal. v. 6. dereth, faith St. Paul, to every man according to his vi. 15. iii. 28.) deeds-tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that Col. iii. 11. doeth evil, of the Jew firft, and alfo of the Gentile ; but 6, 9, 10, 11. glory, honour, and peace to every man that worketh good, to (x. 12. iii. the Jew firft, and alfo to the Gentile: for, addeth the Apostle, affigning the reafon of this proceeding, there is no respect of perfons with God.

He is faid not to respect faces, or any exterior appear

29.)

SERM. ances, however fpecious in the eye of the world; acLXX. cording to that faying of God to Samuel, at the choice of 1 Sam. xvi. David before his brethren; Look not on his countenance, or

7.

on the height of his fiature, because I have refused him : for the Lord feeth not as man feeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance; but the Lord looketh on the heart.

It is expreffed, that he hath no refpect to the outward estate or worldly rank and dignity of men; but that princes and peasants, masters and fervants, the honourable or wealthy, and the mean or poor, are of equal confiderJob xxxiv. ation with him; He, faith Job, accepteth not the persons of Wild. vi. 7. princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of his hands; and St. Paul biddeth Eph. vi. 9. mafters to deal fairly with their fervants, knowing, faith 23. iv. 1. he, that your Mafter is also in heaven; neither is there refpect of perfons with him.

19.

Coloff. iii.

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We are taught, that he doth not regard even the most facred 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 refolute behaviour toward those great pillars of religion, St. Peter and St. Gal. ii. 6. James; Of thofe who feemed to be fomewhat, whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepleth no man's perfon.

It is frequently inculcated, that he hath no confideration of any gifts, of facrifices, of services presented to him with sinister intent, to compound for fin, or excuse from duty, to pervert juftice, or palliate wrong; according Deut. x. 17. to that [declaration of Mofes, The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not perfons, nor taketh reward; 2 Chron. 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 perfons, nor taking of gifts. And, Do not think, faith the Hebrew wife man, to corrupt (him) with gifts; for fuch he will not receive; and truft not to unrighteous facri"fices; for the Lord is judge, and with him is no respect Amos v. of perfons.

xix. 7.

Ecclus.

xxxv. 12.

(Ifa.i.3. lxi. 8. lxvi. 3.

Prov. xv. 8.

xxi. 27.

21, 22.

Jer. vi. 20. Mic. vi. 7, 8. Hof. vi. 6.) Rom. ii. 11.

In fine, it is often generally declared, that God impar- SERM. tially dispenseth recompenfes, in just proportion, accord- LXX. ing to the deeds of men: He, faith St. Paul, that doeth Col. iii. 25. wrong, fhall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of perfons: And if, faith St. Peter, ye 1 Pet. i. 17. call upon the Father, who without refpect of perfons judgeth according to every man's work, pafs the time of your fojourning here in fear.

27.

2 Cor. v. 1o.

(Jer. xvii.,

There is nothing more frequently afferted, 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 fcanned and estimated by the rules of juftice; fo that the really better man will certainly prove the happier, and the worse man fhall be the more wretched: He will reward every man, Matth. xvi. faith our Lord, xatà τηv wρäkiv avtoũ, according to his prac-om. ii. 6. tice: Every one, faith St. Paul, fhall receive the things done Rey. ii.: in his body, wpòs тà pya, fuitably (in juft proportion) to his 23. xx. 12. works; and each man shall receive dov podov, his own 1 Cor. iii. 8. wages according to his own labour; and then praise (or ato. due taxation) fhall be to every man from God: Behold, xxxii. 19. faith he in the Revelation, I come quickly, and my reward 1 Cor. iv. 5. is with me, to recompenfe euch man ὡς τὸ αὐτοῦ ἔργον ἔσται, as his work fhall be. Wherefore by facred testimonies it is abundantly mani-ixás. feft, that impartiality is a divine attribute and perfection of God; the which (for our greater fatisfaction, and farther illustration of the point) may be alfo evinced by divers arguments, fome proving that it must be fo, others fhewing that it is fo; fome inferring it a priori, from the prime, moft avowed attributes of God's nature, and from his relations to men; others arguing it a pofteriori, from principal instances of God's proceedings and providential dispenfations toward men.

Of the first fort are these :

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

Wisdom doth look evenly, with a free and pure. (an in

Pf. lxii. 12.)

Rev. xxii.

12.

Αποδέναι

SERM. different and uncorrupt) eye upon all things; apprehendLXX. ing and efteeming each as it is in itself; making no diftinction 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 fuch as it is in themfelves.

1 Sam. ii.

3.

Prov. xvi.

2.

Wherefore God cannot have any blind affection or fondness toward any perfon grounded on no reason, or upon any unaccountable prejudice. No perfon can seem amiable or odious to him, who is not in himself truly fuch.

This argument is often used in Scripture; and to affure us of this truth, it is there frequently affirmed, that God doth fearch 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, faith Solomon, are clean in his own eyes; but the Pfal. xi. 4. Lord weigheth the fpirits: His eyes, faith the Pfalmift, Jer. xi. 20. behold, his eyelids try the children of men: And, O Lord of hosts, faith Jeremiah, that judgeft righteously, that triest Jer. xxxii. the reins and the heartThine eyes are open upon all the ways of the fons of men, to give every one according to his Jer. xvii. 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.]

XX. 12.

19. T

10.

2. God cannot be partial, because he is perfectly righteous, juft, and holy. This reafon adjoined to the former doth make up a complete demonftration: for partiality doth proceed either from blindnefs of mind, or from perversenefs of will; he, therefore, who hath both an exact knowledge of things, and a perfect rectitude of will, can nowife be partial; the one enabling him to judge, the other difpofing him to affect things as they are and deferve; 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; fuch an one being no fpecial object of a wife and just either esteem or contempt, love or hatred.

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