nirea VI. Of S'anRi uation, 97 great duties to God, and their neighbour, are wor- thy of death ; and by their confciences accufing or excufing them, according to the prat ïce of them, Rom. i. 32 and ii. 14, 15. Our confciences are in- formed by the common light of natural reafon, that it isjuft with God to require us to perform thefe du- ties, that we may avoid his wrath, and enjoy his fa- ¡lour. And we cannot find any better way than this to obtain happinefs, or to fir up ourfelves to duty, without divine revelation. Yet,becaufe our owncon- fciences teftify, that we often fail in theperformance of thofe duties, we are inclined by felf-love to per- fuade ourfeives, that our fincere endeavok;rs to do the belt we can, (hall be fufficient toprocure the fa- vour of God, and pardon for all our failings. Thus we fee, that our perfuafion of falvation by the con- dition of fincere obedience, bath its original from our corrupt natural reafon, and is part of the wif- dom of this world. It is none of the wifdoín of God 0' in a myfery, that hidden wifdom which Godor- g' dained before the world to our glory :" it is none mf thofe things of the Spirit of God, which " have " not entered into the heart of man," and which the " natural man cannot receive; for they are fool- 6' if inefs to him ; neither can he know them, for they are fpiritually difcerned," t Cor. ii. 6, 7, 9, 14. It is none of " the foolifhnefs of preaching, ;' whereby it pleafed God to fave them that believe," t Cor. i. 21. And though we have a better way re- vealed to us in the gofpel for the enjoyment of the favour of God, and holinefs itfelf, and all falvation, without any procuring condition of works, by the free gift of God's grace through faith in Chrif; yet it is very difficult to perfuade men out ofa way they are naturally addiaed to, and that hath forefalled and captivated their judgements, and is bred in their bone, and therefore cannot eafily be gotten out of the flefh. Moft of thofe that live under the hearing and profefiìon of the gofpel, are not brought to hate N
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