348 t'IIRISTIAFt MORALITY. a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every kited should bow for he deserved it at the hands of his Father, and his Father distributed rewards equal to his desert. Rewarding justice again appears glorious, in that God the Father communicates unto us the rewards of the sufferings of his own Son. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, because the blood ofJesus Christ, his Son, has paid for all our fol-' lies and ùnrighteousness ; 1 John i. 9. Faithful andjust to his Son, that he may not go without the rewards of his sufferings Faithful and just to us, because it was in our name and stead that the Son suffered. But not to insist upon this longer, com- mutative justice is abundantly enforced also by many considera- tions drawn from the booksof theOld Testament, as well as from the gospel of Christ. Ifwe consult the moral statutes ofGod, which were given to the Jews, we shall find them full of righteousness. These statutes are of everlasting force, and their divine solemnity should impress our consciences. That which is altogetherjust shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live and inherit the land : And thejudges and officers shall judge the people with righteousjudgment, and shall shew no respect to persons, nor take agift to pervert justice Deut. xvi. 18, 19, 20. Ye shall not steal, nor dealfalsely, nor lie to one another. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, nor rob him. The wages ofhim that is hired shall not abide with thee all night untilthe morning. Ye shall do no unrighteousness injudg- ment, in weight, or ill measure, just balances andjust weights shall ye have; I am the Lord your God; Lev. xix. 12, &c. Afalse balance is an abomination to the Lord ; but a just weight is hisde- light ; Prov. xi. 1. To dojustice andjudgment is moreacceptable to the Lordthan sacrifice; Prov. iii. 15. Woeto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong, who uses his neighbour's service without wages, andgiveth him notfor his zc'ork; Jer. xxii. 13. Remove not the ancient land-marks, nor enter into thefield o`thefatherless: for their Redeemer is mighty, and heshallplead their cause with thee ; Prov. xxiii. 10, 11. If we review therecords ofthe Jewish history, we shall find the cruel and the covetous, the tyrant and the oppressor, made terrible examples of the vengeance of God against unrighteous- ness.. Surveytheplaguesof Egypt, and the dreadful desolations of that fruitful country, with the destruction of the first-born by the midnight pestilence, and the armies of Pharaoh drowned in the Red sea, and you may read there the wrathof God against the unrighteousness of men, written indreadful characters. They treated the race of Israel with cruelty and sore oppression ; they destroyed their male-children, and provoked God to bring swift destruction upon themselves.. Behold Adonibezek, king
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=