SEAM. XXV.] ERRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ. JUSTICE, &C. 417 curse pronounced upon them ; Mat. xxiii. 3. Woe unto sou scribes and pharisees,. hypocrites : for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumnain, and hare omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, andfaith. Judgment in that place may signify commutative and distributive justice ; all manner of exercise of righteous- ness towards their fellow-creatures. Under a pretence ofserving God better than your neighbours, and crowd- ing his temple with your presence, and his altar with sa- crifices andgifts, ye abandon common justice, ye neglect the righteousness due to your fellow -creatures. There is a woe denounced upon you, and my Father will inflict the curse, for lie hates robbery for burnt-ofering; Is. lxi. 8. Nor will the God of heaven excuse you from paying your dues to men on earth, under pretence of paying honours or sacrifices to him. There are many other threatenings in the New Testa- ment written against those that neglect justice, and pro- nounced by the apostles in the name and authority of Christ, their exalted Lord. The covetous and extorti- oners, those that take away the right of their fellow-crea- tures, are shut out from the heavenly blessedness ; 1 Cor, vi. 10. " Know ye not, says the apostle, that none of these shall inherit the kingdom of God ?" As much as to say, it is so very obvious a thing, that an unjust man can never enter into heaven, whatsoever pretence he makes, that I may appeal to the meanest capacity, ye all know it. God will repay vengeance to them that do wrong to their neighbours, whether they be great or mean, for there is no respect of persons with him. Col. iii. 25. II. Consider Christ as a pattern ofjustice and righte- ousness. Look to the example of our Lord Jesus ; you see him, who was the sovereign Magistrate and Lord of all, who could distribute crowns and kingdoms to men, submitting himself to commutative justice among crea- tures. Behold the son of God, who was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the delight ofhis soul before the crea- tion ; behold him stooping down to our world, and taking flesh and blood upon him to become our brother, that he might shew us how we ought to love our brethren. It was an unparalleled instance of divine love that Christ has given us, when he came down from heaven t9 become VOL. I. 2 E
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