183 / 652
.enc.
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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 without
any
defect.
The
moral
law
did
require
this
perfection
in
the
state
of
innocence
;
and, as
it
is
taken into the
constitution
of
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
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