P ?'he Gafpc1-My/7ery Direct. V1. was made knovvn to Adam at his firft creation, as the means of continuing the happy life that was then beftowed upon him ; and it would have been etfeaual for this end, if he had not tranfgreí%d in the forbidden fruit. But, when he had once brought himfelf and his pofterity under the terrible fentence, a' Thou Ihalt furely die, Gen. ii. t 7.";all that know.. ledge of God, or his law, that before wrought for continuance of life, was turned by that turfing fen- tenet the contraryway, to work for his death, even for the death of his foul in fin, as well as for the death of his body ; and therefore it quickly moved him to hide himfelf from God as an enemy. It was as if God (hould fay, " All the light andknowledge as that thou haft, (ball not be able to continue thy as life or reflore it ; but it {hall rather tend to thy as death." Therefore, while we continue in our na- tural Rate, under the firft Adam's guilt and curie, the knowledge of the law, yea, and all fuch know- ledge of God and his attributes as natural men may attain to, muff, needs be in like manner accurfed to us. And feeing man did not ufe his natural know- ledge and wifdom aright, God is refolved to revenge the abufe of it, by giving us falvation in a way con- trary to it, that feemeth foolifhnefs to the natural man : and wholly to abolifh the way of living by a- ny of our works, or by any wifdom or knowledge that we can attain unto. " For it is written, I will as deftroy the wifdom of the wife, and will bring to as nothing the underftancling of the prudent. Hath a' not God made foolifh the wtifdom of this world l ac for, after that, in the wifdom of God, the world as by wifdom knew not God, it pleafed God, by the as foolifhnefs of preaching, to fave them that believe," t Cor. i. 10, 2o, 21. Hence we mayconclude, that no truth known by the light of nature, can be an effec- tual principle or motive to work holinefs in m; and gofpel principles and motives are but abufed,;when they are applied to a legal way of falvation.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=