Serm. LXXXII. Sovereignty ofGod. 62I by they debafed the efteem of God, and did (hew they had unworthy thoughts of him, Rom. t. zt, z3. When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations. Andchangedtheglory of the incorruptible God in- to an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds andfourfooted hafts, and creeping things. Hereby they denyed the glorious Excellency of the Divine Na- ture ; that is, that he is a Spirit, and fo incapable of being reprefented by any material or fenfible Image. Secondly, I come nocv to fpeak of the Sovereignty and Dominion of God. In which I (hall thew, Firfi, What we are to underfland by the Sovereignty and Dominion of God. By thefe we mean the full and abfolute Right and Title and Authority which God hath to, and over all his Creatures, as his Creatures, and made by him. And this Right refults from the Effe&s of that Goodnefs, and Power, and Wif- dom whereby all things are and were made ; from whence there doth accrue to God a Sovereign Right and Title to all his Creatures, and a full and abfolute Au- thority over them ; that is, filch a Right and Authority which doth not depend upon any Superior, nor is fubjel and accountable to any for any thing that he does to any of his Creatures. And this is that which is call'd fummum imperium, becaufe there is no power above it to check or controll it, and therefore there can be no greater than this. And it is abfolute, becaufe all the Creatures have what they have-from God, and all depend upon his Goodnefs, and therefore they owe all poffible Duty and perpetual Subjection fo long as they continue in Being, becaufe it is folely by his Power and Goodnefs, that they continue; and therefore whatever Right or Title any one can pretend to any Perlon or Thing, that God bath to all things, in Deo omnes tituli amniajura concurrunt. So that Sovereignty and Dominion fignífies a full Right and Title and Propriety in all his Creatures, and an abfolute Authority over them, to govern them and difpofe.of them, and deal with them in any way he pleafeth, thatis not contrary to his effential Dignity and Perfeéìion, or repugnant to the Natural State and Condition of the Creature. And for our better underfianding of this, and the preventing of Miftakes which Men are apt to fall into about the Sovereignty of God, I will Phew, I. Wherein it doth not confift. And, II. Wherein it doth confift. I. Wherein it doth not confift. a. Not in a Right to gratifie. and delight himfelf in the extream Mifery of in- nocent and undeferving Creatures ; I fay, not in a right ; for the right that God bath in his Creatures is founded in the Benefits he hath conferred upon them, and the Obligation they have to him upon that account. Now there's none, who becaufe he bath done a Benefit, can have, by virtue of that, aright to do a grea- ter Evil than the Good which he bath done amounts to ; and I think it next to madnefs, to doubt whether Extreme and Eternal Mifery be not a greater Evil, than flmple Being is a Good. I know they call it phy/cal goodnefs ; but I do not underftand how any thing is the better for being call'd by a hard Name. For what can there be that is good or deferable in Being, when it only ferves to be a foundation of the greateft and moft fatting Mifery t and we may fafely fay, that the juftGod will never challenge more than an equitable right. God doth not claim any fuch fovereignty to himfelf, as to crufh and opprefs innocent Creatures without a caufe, and to make them miferable without a provocation. And be- caufe it teems Tome have b,een very apt to entertain fuch groundlefs Jealoufiesand unworthy Thoughts of God, he hath given us his Oath to afiure us of the con- trary. As 'I live, faith the Lord, I have no pleafure in the death of a !inner, but rather that he fhould turn and live. So far is he from taking Pleafure in the mi- fery and ruin of innocent Creatures, that in cafe of fin and provocation, he would be much rather pleafed, if finners would, byRepentance, avoid and efcape hisJuftice, than that they fhould fall under it. The good God cannot be glori- fied or pleafed in doing Evil to any, whereJuftice doth not require it ; nothing -is further from infinite Goodnefs than to rejoice in Evil. We account him aTy- . rant
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