622 The ifdem, Glory, and vol, I rant and a Monfler of Men, and of a devilifh temper, that can do fo ; and we cannot do a greater Injury to the good God, than to paint him out after fuch a horrid and deformed manner. z. The Sovereignty of God doth not confifi in impofing Laws upon his Crea- tures, which are impoffible either to be_ underflood or obferved by them. For this would not only be contrary to the dignity of the Divine Nature, but con= tradid the Nature of a reafonable Creature, which, inreafon, cannot beobliged by any Power to impoffibilities. 3. The Sovereignty of God doth not conuft in a liberty to tempt Men to Evil, or by any inevitable Decree to neceffitate them to fm, or effectually to procure the fins of Men, and to punifh them for them. For as this would be contray to the Holinefs, and Juftice, and Goodnefs of God ; fo to the nature of a reafonable Creature, who cannot be guilty or deferve Punithment for what it cannot help. And men cannot eafily have a blackerthought of God, than to imagine that he bath, from all Eternity, carried on a fecret Defign to circumvent the greateft part of men into deftruction, and underhand to draw Men into a Plot againft Heaven, that by this unworthy practice he may raife a Revenue of Glory to his Juftice. There's no generous and good man, but would fpit in that Man's Face that íhould charge him with fuch a Defign ; and if they who are but very drops of goodnefs, in comparifon of God, the infinite Ocean of Goodnefs, would take it for fuch a Reproach ; (hall we attribute that to the bell Being in the World, which we would deteft and abominate in our felves ? II. . Wherein the Sovereignty ofGod doth confift. I. In a right todifpofe of, and deal with his Creatures in any way that doth not contradiét the Efiential Perfections of God, and thenatural Condition of the Creature. z. In a right to impofe what Laws he pleafeth upon his Creatures, whether natural and reafonable ; or pofitive, of Tryal of Obedience, provided they con- tradiét not the Nature of God or of the Creature. 3. In a right to inflict due and delèrved Punifhment in cafe of provocation. 4. In a right to affliet any of his Creatures, fo the Evil he inflicts be fhort of the Benefits he hath conferred on them ; yea, and farther, in a right when he pleafeth toannihilate the Creature, and turn it out of Being, if it fhould fo feem good to him, tho' that Creature have not offended him ; becaufe what he gave was his own, and he may without injury take it away again when he pleafeth. In thefe the Sovereignty of God confifts, and if there be any thing elfe that can be reconciled with the effential Perfections of God. Secondly, For the Proof and Confirmation of this.. This is univerfally acknov ledg'd by the Heathens, that God is theLord andSovereign of the World, and of all Creatures. Hence Plato calls him zr v 'Privnwv ñ µóvice ; and Tully, omnium re- rum Dominum, Lordof all ; and this the Scripture doth every whereattribute to him, calling him Lord of all, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords ; to which we may refer all thofe Doxologies, in which Power, and Dominion, and Authority are afcribed to God. I will'only mention that eminent Confef:ion of Nebuchad- nezzar a great King, who, when his Underftanding came to bim, was forced to acknowledge that God mas the moll high, Dan. 4. 34, 35. I infer, Firli, Negatively we cannot, from the Sovereignty of God, infer a right-to do any thing that is unfuitable to the Perfection of his Nature ; and conlequently that we are to reft fatisfied with fuch a Notion of Dominion and Sovereignty in God, as doth not plainly, and directly contradict all the Notions that we have of ,ultice and Goodnefs : nay it would be little Is than a horrid and dreadful Blaf phemy, to fay that God can, out of his Sovereign Will and Pleafure, do any thing that contradicts the Nature of God, and the effential Perfections of the Deity ; or to imagine that the Pleafure and Will ofthe Holy, and Jun, and Good God is not always regulated and determined by the effential and indifpenfible Laws of Goodnefs, and Holinefs, and Righteoufnefs. Secondly, Pofitively ; we may infer from the Sovereignty and Dominion of God, a. That
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