1g4 Ot parmonvOf Mt Zíbínc2fttributel Chap.' 5 the quality of Sins,but of Sinners,that excepts them from Pardon. Chrifl is thegoldenAltar in Heaven for penitent Believers to flie to, fromwhence God will never pluck any one to deftroy him. 5. From hence we may learn, how abfolute a ne- ceffity there is for our coming to Chrifl for Juftificati- on. There are but two ways of appearing before the Righteous and Supreme Judg : f. In Innocence and finlefs Obedience; or, a. By the Rìghteoufnefsof Chrifl. The one is by the Law, the other by Grace. And thefe two can never becompound- ed; for he that pleads Innocence, in that difdaims Fa- vour,and he that fues for Favour, acknowledges Guilt. Now thefirfl cannot be performed by us. For entire Obedience to the Law fuppofes the integrity ofour na- tures,therebeing alloral impoffibility that theFaculties once corrupted fhould act regularly : But Man is ftain'cl with OriginalSin from his Conception. And the form o.fthe Law runs univerfally, Curfed is every one that o- beys not in all things which are written in theBookofthe Law to do them. Inthefe Scales one evil work prepon- derates a thoufand good. IfaMan wereguilty but of one fingle Error, his entire Obedience afterwards could not fave him ; for that being always due to the Law,,. thepayment of it cannot difcount for the former Debt. So that wecannot in any degreebe juflifiedby the Law;. for there is no middle between tranfgrefïing, and not tranfgreffing it. He that breaksone Article in a Cove- nant, cuts offhis claim toany benefit by it. Briefly, the Law Juflifies only thePerfe, and con- demnswithout diflin ionall that are Guilty.. So that topretend Juflificationby the works ofit is as unreafo- nable,as for a man toproduce in Court the Bond which obliges him to his Creditor, in teflimony that.he owns him.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=