.enc. ml LAW AND THE GOSPEL.- moral, i. e. drawn from the nature of God and the creature ; or they are positive, i. e. such as are appoint- ed,merely by the will of God, for particular purposes, and in particular seasons or circumstances. Again, moral laws are either such as belong to all man- kind in general, whether innocent or sinful, or they are such as belong only to sinful and fallen man. Noe,- none of all these sorts of laws can save sinful mankind. Let.us prove it thus : 1. Moral laws, such as oblige all mankind in general, are contained in a due love to God and man ; but fallen man can never be saved or justified by this law, because all these moral laws of God require perfect obedience, and cannot justify us without it. God is a most holy, a most wise, and righteous God, a most perfect being ; and the relation between God and creatures, requires the creature should honour him, and obey him in per- fection, and withoutany defect. The moral law did require this perfection in the state of innocence ; and, as it is taken into the constitutionof the gospel, it does not diminish its requirements : It still requires perfection of obedience in all instances of thought, word, and deed, and that without defect oi, intermission. The gospel cloth not abate or lessen the requirements of the law, but it chews a way to relieve us when we have broken it, or cannot fulfil it, and the reasons are plain. If the law did not now require perfection of obedi- ence, but only sincere imperfect obedience, then the creature, if he were but sincere and honest, would have fulfilled the law, though he were not perfectly holy. And then imperfection of obedience would have been, as it were, established by the law, if it could obtain sal- vation for fallen man. Then also the imperfections of obedience to the law, would not have been sin ; for if they were, they could not have made.up a saving righteousness. The gospel is a constitution. of grace, which accepts of less obedience from man than the law requires, and pardons the imperfect obeyer for the sake of Christ the Mediator; but still the law requires perfection, which mankind cannot pay. Now that man cannot .pay it, is 6
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