SB C T. V II. Thecennterf'eiteftnherentGrace. 337 fowe might be themore inexcufable : For when men havenot lived according to chat which the light of nature would havedireted them to, their condemnation will bevery jut, themfelves being Judges , and their own confciences bearing witneffe to it. Whentherefore men live in Fitch hnnes as Nature condemneth fuchare uncleanneffe , unjull dealings, lying and forfwearing; they donot need c 1- tees his LaW , nor Posh Gofpel to condemn them ; they have that in their own hearts whichwill accufe and overthrow them.' The Apoftle many times provokech to Duty by this , r. Cor. t c. 14. Dash not even nature teach thee? Oh how often may even Chriftansbe feverely rebuked ? Doth not evenNature teach thee, that toLye , Steal , commit Adultery , are horrid fins ? How then canti thou this tiróng bond in which Natural light bath eyed thee ? To be condemned , becaufewe donot believe in Chril , would not be unlefeChrif had been propounded to us : we:need fupernaturall revelation to fome duties ; but the Duties enjoyned by Nature , they oblige an , though no Scripture had been written , no Minders did inform us ; though none Ibould bidus fulfill them. Thou haft a Dolor or Teacher in thy own breath, which condemneth thee for what thou doeh, therefore art thou greatly inex- cufable. Thirdly, Clod leaveth thefeproflicalimprefons upon ate, that fo what is good ;,Thaewharis may be honoured and praifed, what is evill may be matter of flame and reproach. good may be It is anexcellent thing to confider, That the things ofpiety, and jufice, and all honoured. goodneffe , have a remarkable reverence in the hearts of all men. Who would not be thought to bepious to be jut , to be righteous? Now how could there come tohave fuch Authority amongti men, if there were not fomething in Na. cure to approve it? Sowickednefe, that is condemned and cenfured by all mankinde : Now no man is willing to be thought an ungodly man, an unjultmans and whence is all this , but fill from thiswork of theLawwritten inmens hearts? Hence are thofe rules , Omnispeccans eft ignorans, and Nemopoteff vollemaleas», qua' maim?), Evill is forward to come in Goodnefesclothes, elfe it couldnot be embraced byany man. Thismakes muchto jutiifie the nature of what is good and right; for all men, though never fo favage or barbarous, they do adore it in the generali , though in the particular they have greatly mi- (taken. Fourthly , 7b1e Law is written in menshearts , that fo kingdoms and common. 4. That king= wealths, and allhumanefocietiesmay bepreferved : For ifthere Were not Dilates domes and- about God and eighteoulnefl'e, Kingdòmes would prefently be turned into rob- Common. belies , and horrid conf'uftons. We admire , and that jufly, the providence of wealth, may God in bounding the waters, that they do not overwhelm the earth: but much epreferved, more admirable is Gods power inpreferving humanefocieties, that men are not Wolvesand Tygers, committingallbloody outrages. What is the esuleof this? No outwardpower or frength fo much, as an inbred apprehention about a God, and a throngconvilion of the confcience, what is righteous and jut to be done ; And therefore whenfoeverthis hedge is brokendown, the very flood- gates ofall wickednelfe is prefently Jet open; and blefed be God, that hash put fuch a bridle in the mouth of Man, who by fume hath made himfelf fo bruitith. Fifthly, God barb left theft Jarredremnants insis , that theremight deaground 1. That there of converfson and regeneration: Forhowfòever we are laid to be dead in finne , might be a and our hearts are compared to (tones , and we refembled to bruit beats s ground afean- yet that is in refpeéiofany attire capacityor ability todo what is good , other- verhon. wife God dealeth withus in a way of reafon and argument, anfwerable to thofe Natural Diaateswithin. Thus whenPaul preached of Temperance, righteouf- nefe , and the world tocome , Felix trembled, becaufe there were fome princi. plea ofreafonwithinhimaflenting to thofe Truths whichPal preached. Indeed Xx the
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