- 4 Of Man'1 Origit1al Righter;u.fneft. State I. be morally independent on God, in its aCtions and powers, 1han ' it can be natura11y independent on him. A cr&a· ' ture, a~ a creature, rnpft acknowledge the Creator's will as its fupreme law; for as it cannot be without him, fo it mufi not be but for ,him, .and. according to his will: yet no law obliges, until it be revealed. And hence it follows, that there w,a.s a law, which man as a rational ·creature, wets fubjeeted to in his creation; and that this law was reveal.ed to him. God tnade man upright, fays the ' text. This prefuppofeth a law to which he was con– formed in his creation; as when ·any thing is made re– gular, or according to rule, of neceffi~y the rule itfelf is prefuppofed. \\Thence we may gather, that this law was no other than the eternal, indifpenfible law of righteouf– nefs, obferved in all points by the Second /!dam; oppofw ed by the carnal .mind ; fome noti.ons of which remain yet among the P~gam, who .having not the !arw, are a law unto themft!vh, Ram. ii. I 4· In a word; this Jaw is the very fame which was afterwards fummed up in the ten com1JlandmentJ; and promulgate on Mount Sinai to the lfraf'Jitu, called by us the Moral Law: and man's righte6ufnefs confified in conformity to t~is Jaw or rule. · More particularly, there is a twofold conformity requir– ed of a man, a conformity of t?e powers of his foul to the law, which you may call habitual righteoufnefs; and a (;Ohformity of aJl his acrions tO it, which is actual righte~ oufnefs. Now, God made ~an habitually righteo~s ; man was to make himfelf atl:uapy righteous: the former was the !lock God put into his hand-; the latter, the im– provement he thoold have made of it. The ftlm of what I have faid is, That the righteoufr.efs \vherein TT!an was created; was tbe conformity of all the facHlties , and powers of his foul to the moral }aw. This is what W<;: caH. original righteO\lfnefs, which man was 'origina-lly en– dued ' with. \Ve may take it up i~ t~efe three things. · Firfl, Man's, nnderHanding was a lamp of light. He had perfeCt knowledge' of the Jaw, amd of his· duty ac~ cordingly: he was tnade aft.er God's iina·ge, and confer flUently could not want knowledge, which is a part- th,ere· of, Col. iii. 1o. The 1le<tu man is re 11ewc' d in kmwledge, , . trfter t.&e image of him that creat ed !·im. And indee:d thl$.
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