ESSAY V. 181 of natural conscience under a sense of guilt, seem to be an im- pression from the God of nature on the mind of man, that sin deserves punishment, because the law ofa God broken, requires some reparation of honour*. On this account we ought to reflect on ourselves as the more miserable and helpless, in our guilty state, becausewe are utterly incapable to make any atonement for our own sins, or to repair the dishonour that bath been done to God's holy law and his authority thereby. We must look uponour circumstances there- fore as hopeless in ourselves, and acknowledge that all our hope is in the free grace and mercy of God. Evesy mouth must be stoppedon this account, and all the world lieat the foot of God as guilty before him, as justly exposed to his indignation, and un- able to procure his favour ; Rom. iii. 19. III. The great God saw it also impossible to bring sinners near to himself, and make them partakers of his favour and hap- piness, without a change of their corrupt natures, an entire altera- tion of their vicious affections, and an universal turn of heart from sin td God. In our present fallen and sinful state, God beheld our hearts so averse to all that is holy and divine, that wecould never be fit for converse with him, or the enjoyment of him as a God of holiness, without being renewed after his image and like- ness, and possessed of a sincere love to him. And he also beheld these guilty sinful creatures utterly inca- pable of recovering themselves to his image by a change of their natures, and by a thorough conversion of their hearts from sin, and the creature, to God and holiness : So that this is another obstacle in the sight of God to our reconciliation, and whichwe of ourselves cannot surmount. In the same manner in order to our recovery, we mutt look upon ourselves in our fallen state, as unfit for correspondence with God, incapable ofenjoying hap- piness in his presence, by reason of the opposition of our will to his holiness, and to our duty, we must be sensible of the great carnalityof our affections cleaving to earthly things, and to the tempting vanities of this life, chusing them for our portion and our happiness instead of God. And we must be . acquainted also how weak and feeble all * This is so univer+al in all ages among the considerate part of mankind, that the heathens themselves, in their own circumstances, thought a "Nemesis" or vindictive indignation of God would attend on sinners. Acts xxviii. 4. They thought Sr. Paul was a murderer, and therefore vengeance followed him. And " this set them upon various and foolish inventions, to make atonement for sin: Nor is it to be supposed that the craft of priests atone, could no easily and so universally have imposed on the nations their self- punishments, and their ex- pensive sacrifices of atonement, if there had not been something in the natural consciences of mankind, which told them they wanted an 'atonement for sin. And in this respect the workings of natural conscience should be encouraged, and kept awake, and sensible of the wrath of God, which sin deserves, and that toad will require some satisfaction to his injured law and government. Vos., III. L
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