A Sermon on John 7· 19. Bur fa- a Legal Perf~aion, it nei ther is, nor can be, attained in this Life :, and that upon Two Accounts. Firjl, Becaufe of the infinite Exaanefs and Holinefs of tke Law it is not at· rained. Secondly, Becaufe of the Corruption of our Natures it cannot be atta;ned. Firjl, The Law of God is infinitely Spiritual, and obligeth us not . only to the Per. formanee of the Euernal Duties of Obedience, but requires alfo the abfolute Perfe8:ion of the inward Difpofitions; not only that our Love of Gcd .be fi ncere and cordial but that it mutt be intenft: an~ perfeEt to the highefi I?eg ree ; th us, Dcur. 6. 5. Tho~ jhalt lov& the Lord thy God wttb all thy Heart, anJ wah all thy Soul, and with all thy Might. The Law and Covenant ofWorks exatl: a Perfection of Degrees in our Love and Obedience, as well as of Parts: h muft not only be fincere, bur compleat; it noc only tries our Obedience by the Touchftone, hut weighs it in the Balance, and givti ns no Grains of Allowance. Now is there any Man upon Earth that fo loves God or obeys him, that it is not poflible he fhould love him more, or obr;y him beuer ? 1 Do not fome Chrifiians exceed others in their Grace and HolinefS? And might not all exceed themfelves if they wOuld? The Law gives no Allowance for any Failings. And therefore if thou canlt loVe God more, and ferve him better, than thou doft 1 thou art not a Fulfiller of the Law, but a Tranfgrdfor ofir. Hence Sr. JJuflin in his Confeflions bath a Pious Meditadon, Woe to Olir commendable Life, if tbou, Lord, feuing thy Mercy ajidr, foouldfl cxamif}& it according to the jlriil Rules of Jujlicr, and the Law. Secondly, Becaufe ofthe Corruption of our Natures this Legal Perfe£\ion cannot be attained in this Life: For we are wtally depraved in every Power and Faculty of out Souls; and every Imagination of the Thoughts of our Heans is only Evil continually. Our Underftandiogs are darkned with the thick Mifts of Ignorance and Error our Wills are perverted, and !land at a profell'ed Contradiaion to the Holy Will of'God, our Affe8ions are become impure and fenfual , our Hearts hard and infcnfible, our Confcie~ces feared and fiupid, and our Carnal Minds are Enmhy againft God; For they neither are fubje[l to tbe Law of God, neither indeed can be, as the J\ pofile .fpeaks, Rom. 8. 7· Now where there is this Corruption of Nature how ctn rherc pofflbly be Perfeflion of Life? For who can bring a clean Thing our of an Unclean? Nor one. And although this Corruption be healed by rcgem:raring Grace, yet it is bea\ed but in Part. In the very bell the Flefh !lilllufterh again!l the Spirit, and the Law oft he Members warreth againft the Law of the Mind, fo · that they cannot do the Things which they would, as the Apo!lle fadly complains, Rom. 7· Yea, let me add this too, That if Corruption were perfeEl:ly rooted our of the: Heart of any, and fuch an extraordinary Meafure offan£lifying Grace conferred upon them, as might inable them to perfOrm whatfoever rhe Law of God required, and that to the lafi: Degree of inrenfe Love and Zeal, yet would nor this rh~i r perf~:a Obedience amount unto a Legal Righteoufoefs. The Reafon is, becaule the Law of Works being given to Man in his pure and upright Eftate, when he had a connatural Power of his own to obey ir, requires Obedience ro be performed only by his own Strength, and allows not the Auxiliaries of Divine and Supernatural Grace to inable bim. If therefore we {hould grant, (which yer we deny,) that through fame exrraordinary Affi!laoce vouchfafed to fome particular Man he fhould ptlfdlly fu lfil tbe whole Law, yet this a£1:ual Obedience 1 becaufe it procttd ~ not fH>m Ouginal Kigh· teoufnefs, and the Reflitude of his Nature wherewi1h he was at firft 'enJowed, would not at all avail him to the obtaining of Ju!lificarion, accord ing to the Terms {i f rhe Covenant of Works. For God requires not only Paymt:nt of the Debt of Ohedience which we owe unto him, but alfo that this Payment he made our uf the Srock of thofe Abilities which he beftowt:d up0n our Nature in our firfi: Creation. Now although it fbould be poffible for any Man to pay off rhe Debts of Nature, wirh the Treafures of Grace recei ved from Chrifr, yet this would not fatisfie the Obligation of the Law, fince in the firft Covenant it was agreed between God ar:d Man that Pay· ment fhould be made out of another Stock,-viz. the Power and Free~will of ancoi· rupred Nature. . . We are thetefore under a Twofold Irnpoflibiliry of being ju!lified bv the Law. Firft, Becaute our Obedience can never in this Life arrain abfulute P;;rfeflion 1 but frill thetewill be Faults and Flaws in it from the Mixture of that Corruption which !\ill in part remains in the beft and holieft, who th~refore ought daily ro pray, not out
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