68 Chap.i 7. Why the moral Lawwets written. Intrgduá. Queft. Anfiv. Mat.t3.t, Gen.3.q. Hab, t.16. Rom.r,xz. CHAP. XVII. - uefiions about theLaw. T. Why it was written by Mofes, Peeing it was writtenbefore in Mens hearts. How the light ofNature became Dim , three camps ofit : it was deferred in tbree relay. Why the Law wasgiven at tbis rime. Why only ro the Jews. All thefourparts ofa Law are in the Law written. 1. The A. "2` The Manner. 3. The Rewards. 4. Punifhments. 2. Whether any can keep the Law. How God is jufi' in requiring that which we cannot perform. An additiònabout power of keeping the Law Evangelical. Adam loll his ability , not efcienter, but meritorie. God always gives , or is ready togive powerto do whathe require's ifwe be not wanting to oar (elves. HowChrifl bath fulfilled the Law , how we keep it by Faith. . 3. Why Godpromifes life to the ketping of the Law, ifwe cannot keep ir. XTOW here aqueftión may bemade. If the Law of ?dotes were thus written in jr their hearts before, to what end was it given them, or what needed God after- wards to have written it in Tables ofStone ? We anfwer, the reafon was, becaufe the former Law though it were whole in paradife, yet afterwardsby Adams fall, it was broken into Pharos and fragments, all to pieces ; and afterward every piece was broken fmailer and fmaller,fo as the light of Naturethereby grew dimmer and dimmer. And therefore left it fhould be clean put out, becaufe the writing in the heart would not be fufficient but daily decayed , it was neceffary that it fhould bewritten in Tables of Stone , and fet before the eyes of all; that by daily viewing it, itmight be brought,again into their hearts. If it bequeftioned again, how it carne to pafs , that thefe Laws of Naturewere blotted out,aadhow the light thereofcame to be dimmer and dimme7? we anfwer, that the reafons are three. z. Bccaufe Men did what they could, to blot it out themfelves. Noluerunt intelli- gere,Men would not underftand : and thereafon why they wouldbe fo ignorant was, becaufe when they had done ill , and communed with their own hearts, they found prefently an accufer in them ; fo that not daring tolook intothemfelves , when they haddone ill, they would not be checked ; and as St. Augufline faith,fain funrfugitivi a cordibuaLuis, they became fugitives from their ownhearts. Therefore to cure this evil, it was expedient, when they hadput it out oftheir hearts, that the Law fhould be written, to be ever in their fight, that thereby it might be brought back again into their hearts, andefagerant, from whence theyhad driven it. z. Becaufe as Chrift faid, there cameá Superfeminator, another Sower, the Devil, who fowed Tares (falfe principles) in their hearts , as Eritis dii cognofcentes bonum er maims, ye íttall be as Gods knowing good and evil, and ' a>s& . 5,fñ,,roo'arear: Bonitos eftquod prodefl, that is tobecounted good , that doth us good, and the like. Now thefe Tares overgrowing and overmaflering the good When:, it was fit that the good Seed fhould be fown again : and that it might not becorrupted again , it was neceffary that the LawMould be delivered in Tables of Stone, to remain ever to be looked upon, and not forgotten. 3. Thirdly, God inflified thepunithment of blindnefs upon them, as St. Atáguftine faith , Lege infatigabili/joargitDeus pænalescaricatos piper illicitascupiditates, when Men went after their own lufts , and negtefted the light of Nature which God had written in their hearts, and would not cherifh it, it pleated God to fend upon them the Spirit of(lumber and giddinefs. And thus having fpoken oftheir knowledge, let us now fee their praEtife. And by this, theydeferved the lofsof the light ofNature, three ways. I. In refpeEt ofGod. Becaufe, whatfoever things or Arts they invented, or what. foever elfe they understood, they attributed not toGod , but to their own induflry, facrificing to their own nets, as theProphet. And as Sr. Paul, profeffing themfelves to be wife,and therefore (as he faith) theybecame fools, and had thereward oftheir folly,. God gave them up. z. Again, whereas the goodnefs of every AEtion fhould be for theend , all their AElionswere either for a wrong end, ornone at all. As the Epicures end was for plea. fore 1
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=