DISC. III.] LAW AHD THE GOSPEL. 171 giving life, and righteousness, in short, that we may more easily apply the words in readingwhat follows, and . so proceed to the next observation. Observ. II. God would have appointed the justifica- tion of fallen man to have been by some law of his giving, if any law could have given such a poor sinful perishing creature justification, or a title to eternal life. And the reasons for it may be these : 1. Because God is not wont to change his methods of government, where he sees them effectual to attain the . ends of that government. He is an unchangeable God, and doth not need second thoughts to mend his own. first contrivances or to change his conduct towards man, unless the case of his creatures and the nature of things require it. The lawwhich was given at first to . man in Paradise, and in innocency, had continued the same instrument of the government of God, if the case. offallen man had not required an alteration. But God was not willing all mankind, who were condemned by the law, should be utterly ruined, and perish in their folly; and therefore he changed his dispensation. The law could not give life, because it required more than fallen man could perform ; and therefore, through the weakness of man's fallen and corrupted nature, the law became incapable of justifying man ; i. e. it was weak to justify man by. reason _of the flesh, and to pro-, nounce a sentence of. righteousness or justification on him, because he was a feeble, guilty, disobedient creature. He had sinned already, and his passions and fleshly ap- petites were too strong for his reason, and are rising up continually against the commands of the law, and therefore God brought in the gospel, and gave a promise to our first parents as "soon as they fell, and made his gospel as well as his law, the instrument of governing his fallen creature man. There is forgiveness uuth thee, that thou mayest be feared; Ps. cxxx. 4. i. e. that there may be piety and religion maintained in the world. 2. If the law couldhave given life to fallen man, righte- ousness or justificationshould have been by the law, that God might magnify this original law, and make it' ho- nourable. This would have shewn it was not only alaw fit to govern innocent man, but to recover fallen man too: The law bath a great glory in it, in that it is the 5
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