and consequently injustice: Suppose a King or Father so far above his subject or son, as that all his disobedience would no way hurt or damnify him: yet it would injure him; because the father hath Right to the sons obedience (and love,) and Juri• denegatio est injuria. So that I confess that God cannot possibly give us anything by Commutative Justice, in a strict and proper •ence; because we can so give him nothing in commutation: But I see not but that by sin, man sinneth against proper Justice, in not giving God his Own or Due, to his Injury, though not to his damage. But I confess the term Commutative nothing mutual Right, is improper; and their distinction of Commutative and distributive Justice is narrow, ambiguous, inept, and therefore •eedeth and not endeth Controversies: The true distribution of Justice is from the three Grand Moral Relations, Dominii, Imperii & Beneficii vel Amicitiae. 1. God hath the true proper Right of Propriety in us, and to our service: 2. He hath a proper Right of Imperium Rule, and so to our obedience: 3. By his Goodness, Love and Benefits, he hath a proper Right to our greatest Love and Gratitude. And he that sinneth denieth God all these, and so doth violate proper Justice, denying him that to which he hath Right.
But to return to Vasquez, having said, That our Merit and Satisfaction can be no benefit to God, nor our sin his damage, nec ulla inaequalitas inter ipsum & nos constituta est, quae sit objectum injustitiae propr•ae, he addeth that his punishments are no parts of commutative justice in resarciendis & vindicandis injuriis, because here is no reparation of damage, as Thom. 2. 2. q. 108. art. 2.
And Cap. 5. he proceedeth to prove his doctrine, from the Condition of God and the Creature, we being as Children and slaves, absolutely his own; therefore there can be no proper justice between us: And he cometh to the great objection, that As free, our Actions are our own, and so may merit of Justice: and answereth No: because the Value of our works to which the Reward is given dependeth on Gods grace, which he freely giveth and conserveth to us, though as▪ free the actions are of us as Causes: And because that Liberty is only a fundamentum of merit, but giveth not the work its Value (or worth;) therefore we cannot make God our Debtor, by any meritorious work of which he himself is the author and Cause.
and consequently injustice: Suppose a King or Father so far above his subject or son, as that all his disobedience would no way hurt or damnifie him: yet it would injure him; because the father hath Right to the sons obedience (and love,) and Juri• denegatio est injuria. So that I confess that God cannot possibly give us anything by Commutative Justice, in a strict and proper •ence; because we can so give him nothing in commutation: But I see not but that by sin, man sinneth against proper Justice, in not giving God his Own or Due, to his Injury, though not to his damage. But I confess the term Commutative nothing mutual Right, is improper; and their distinction of Commutative and distributive Justice is narrow, ambiguous, inep•, and therefore •eedeth and not endeth Controversies: The true distribution of Justice is from the three Grand Moral Relations, Dominii, Imperii & Beneficii vel Amicitiae. 1. God hath the true proper Right of Propriety in us, and to our service: 2. He hath a proper Right of Imperium Rule, and so to our obedience: 3. By his Goodness, Love and Benefits, he hath a proper Right to our greatest Love and Gratitude. And he that sinneth denyeth God all these, and so doth violate proper Justice, denying him that to which he hath Right.
But to return to Vasquez, having said, That our Merit and Satisfaction can be no benefit to God, nor our sin his damage, nec ulla inaequalitas inter ipsum & nos constituta est, quae sit objectum injustitiae propr•ae, he addeth that his punishments are no parts of commutative justice in resarciendis & vindicandis injuriis, because here is no reparation of damage, as Thom. 2. 2. q. 108. art. 2.
And Cap. 5. he proceedeth to prove his doctrine, from the Condition of God and the Creature, we being as Children and slaves, absolutely his own; therefore there can be no proper justice between us: And he cometh to the great objection, that As free, our Actions are our own, and so may merit of Justice: and answereth No: because the Value of our works to which the Reward is given dependeth on Gods grace, which he freely giveth and conserveth to us, though as▪ free the actions are of us as Causes: And because that Liberty is only a fundamentum of merit, but giveth not the work its Value (or worth;) therefore we cannot make God our Debtor, by any meritorious work of which he himself is the author and Cause.
