. 2 48 An humble Enquiry into t!)e 1-iifiniteWifdom ofGod ahiding with him. It is not indeed as yet pretended by ma– ·J:.ly~ that theJirfl jiN w~s a ~eer tranfient Act, that no w-ry 'Vltlated our Nature, or 1mpa1red the Power, Faculty or Prin– ciple of Obedience in us. A wound they fay, a difea[e, a weaknefs it brought upon us, and r~ndred us leg,al!J obnoxi– ous unto Death temporal, ·which .we were naturally liable unto before . Wherefore ie is not faid that men can return unto that perfeCl Obedioice which the Law required; but that they can comply with, and perform that which the :::::.-Gofpel requiretl1 in the room . thereof For, they feem to fuppofe that the Gofpel is not much mo~e bur an acc.ommoda– tionof the Rule of Obedience unto our prefent -Reafon and A– bilities, with (ome motives U{lto it, and an example for it in the perfonal Obedience and fuffering ofChrifl:. For where– as man forfook the Law of Obedience firfi prefcrited unto him, and fell into various incapacities of obferving it, God · did not_, as they fuppofe, provide in and by the Gofpel a Righteoufnefs whereby the Law might be fulfilled, and ef~ fectual Grace to raife up the Nature of man unto the perfor– mance of acceptable Obedience ; but only brings ·d'-' Jf.n the L aw and the Rule of it into a compliance unto our weakned, - difeafed,depraveJ Nature; than which if any thing cap be fpo- - ken more cl~!honourably of the Gofpel,I know it not. However this pretended Power of returning unto fome kind of Obe- . c}ience, but not that which was required ofm in our primi- ' tive condition, is no way fufficient unto our Refl:auration, as is evident unto all. . { 2. As mancculcl not effect his ovrn recovery, fo he woulcl not attempt it. For he was ±alien into t hat condition where- . in, in the principles of~ll his moral Operations,' he was at . enmity aga nfl God; and whatever did befall him, he would chufe to continne in his fl:ate ofApo!lacy. For he was wllo~ly alienated from the life of God. He likes it not, as that which
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