1.:;o 111an unable to recover himfelf. State II. life, live in perfect obedience to tbe law of God ; and ohly ;:1t the hour of death entertain a vain thought; or pronounce ~n idle wmd : that idle word or vain thong.ht, woqid b~ot ou,t aU thy former Jighteoufnefs, and ruin thee; lilan~ely, in 1 this way, in which thou art fetking to recover ' thyfelf. Now, fuch is the obedience thou muft perform, if thou· wouldfl recover thyfeff in the way ()f the Jaw. Bn.t, · tho' thou ihouldli thus obey ; the law flakes thee cown in the– fiate of \Vrath, till another demand of it be fatisfied, viz. Second6'• Thou rnufl pa.Y 'Uh~at thou. o<r.uejl. · It is undi– niable thou art a finner ; and whatever thou mayf1 be in time to come, jufhce muft be f.ttisfi ed for thy Gn already c'cmmited. The bono:Jr of the law muit be maintained, by ~by fuffering the detotHiced wrat1,1. It may be thou hall changed thy courfe of life, or art now refolved to do . it, and fet about the keeping of the comhJands of God : but what hafl thou doric~ or what wilt t1l0u do, with the old debt? Yo~.;r obedience to God, tho' it _were perfeCt~ is a debt due to hir:1, for the time wherein it is performed; and· , can no more fatisfy for former fins, 1han a tenant', pay– ing the current year's rent, can f:atisfy the mafter for all bygones. Can the paying of new debts a!=q.nit a man from old accounts ? Ntl.y, deceive not yourftlves, you will fird· thefe laid up in Jlore rwit,~ Gt;d, aJJd foaled up amot;og hi.r t.rtt;(ure.r, Deut. xxxii. 34· I~ remains then, that eitbe~ thou mu.rt bear that wrath, to whtch fqr thy fin thou art hable, , according t0 the law; or el(e, thou mufl: acknowledge thcu , canft not bear it, and thereupon have receurfe to the Surety, the Lord Jefus Chri{L Let .me now afk thee, An thou ab!e to fatisfy the juftice of God ? Canfi thou pay thy own debt? Surely not: for feeing he is an infinite God, whom ·thon h<!ft offended ; the pnnifhment, being fuited to the quality . of the offi~nce, mu!t be infinite. But fo it is, thy punifli– ment ot fufferinf:S for fi.ncannot be ir.!1nite in value~ feeing th ou art a finite creature: thetefore they muH be infinite. in duration or cE>ntinuance ; tbat is, they muH be eternal" And fo all tl"-y fufferings in this world, are but an ear.neili of :what thou mull: (uffer in the world to come. Now, fioner, if thou can·fi anfwer thefe demands, thou mayft recover thyfelf in tl~ way of the law. But art thew not confcious of thy inability, to doanyof thefethings, m\lch · J,..-- ·' · more
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