1. The justice of God, as giving rewards to his creatures; this he may be said to do, without supposing the persons, who are the subjects thereof, to have done any thing by which they have merited them: we often find, in scripture, that the heavenly glory is set forth as a reward, Mat. x. 41, 42. and 1 Cor. iii. 14. and it is called, _a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give at that day_, 2 Tim. iv. 8. to wit, when he appears, in the glory of his justice, to judge the world in righteousness; and it is also said, that it is _a righteous thing with God to recompense to his people who are troubled, rest, when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven_, 2 Thess. i. 6. 7. But, for the understanding such like expressions, I humbly conceive, that they import the necessary and inseparable connexion that there is between grace wrought in us, and glory conferred upon us: it is called, indeed, a reward, or a crown of righteousness, to encourage us to duty; but, without supposing that, what we do has any thing meritorious in it. If we ourselves are less than the least of all God’s mercies, then the best actions put forth by us must be so, for the action cannot have more honour ascribed to it than the agent; or if, as our Saviour says, when _we have done all, we must say, we are unprofitable servants_, Luke xvii. 10. and that sincerely, and not in a way of compliment, as some Popish writers understand it, consistently with their doctrine of the merit of good works, we must conclude that it is a reward not of debt, but of grace; and therefore the word is taken in a less proper sense. It is not a bestowing a blessing purchased by us, but for us; Christ is the purchaser, we are the receivers; it is strictly and properly the reward of his merit, but, in its application, the gift of his grace. 2. There is his vindictive justice, whereby he punishes sin, as an injury offered to his divine perfections, an affront to his sovereignty, a reflection on his holiness, and a violation of his law, for which he demands satisfaction, and inflicts punishment, proportioned to the nature of the crime, which he continues to do, till satisfaction be given: this is called, _his visiting iniquity_, Deut. v. 9. or _visiting for it_, Jer. v. 9. and it is also called, his _setting his face against_ a person, and _cutting him off from amongst his people_, Lev. xvii. 10. and when he does this, his wrath is compared to flames of fire; it is called, _The fire of his jealousy_, Zeph. i. 18. and they, who are the objects hereof, are said to _fall into the hands of the living God_, who is a _consuming fire_, Heb. x. 31. compared with chap. xii. 29. But that we may farther consider how God glorifies this perfection, and thereby shews his infinite hatred of sin, we may observe,