212 THE LAW AND THE 4108PEL. will make after those days, I will put my laws into their mind, andwrite them in their hearts. Object. But is it a righteous thingwith God to give mana lawwhich cannot be fulfilled, or perfectly obeyed by him ? Answ, 1. It is righteous to give innocent man a law, which at first he was well able to fulfil ; and this law continues in its force and de- mands, though man hath lost his innocency, and by his wilful crimes hath rendered himself unable to fulfil this law. The sin of the creature, and his own renderinghimselfunable to fulfil his Maker's law, doth not make void the lawof his Maker, and abolish its commands. Simile. Suppose a servant hath an order from his master to carry a message to his neighbour, if instead of going into the neighbour'shouse whither he was sent, he goes into an alehouse or taysrn, there drowns his senses and his natural powers in liquor, that he hath so weakened himself, that he can neither walk nor speak ; he can neither go to the place where he was sent, nor deliver his message: I would ask, doth his master's command cease, or is his command abolished? and is his autho- rity at an end in this instance, because his servant hath rendered himself incapable of fulfilling it, either with his feet or his tongue ? This would be an easy way to cancel a master's laws and commands, if the wickedness of a servant could have this effect. Now apply this to the case between God and man, and see whether God may not be justified in continuinghis law in its per- fection of demands, though manhath lost or weakenedhis power to obey. Surely the moral law of God stands in force, requiring perfect obedience both of men and devils, and all intelligent beings, how feebleand impotent soever they have made themselves by their own crimes : For it is a law that arises from the natureof God and the creature, and from the relationthatis between them ; and therefore it is an everlasting taw. Answ. 2. But God is still farther to bejustified in this mat- ter ; for though man bath weakenedhimself by his fall, he bath not utterly lost his natural powers, his natural ability of obeying thelaw. He has an understanding, he hasa freedom ofwill, to zhoose good and refuse evil ; but his will is soobstinately bent upon sin, vanityand folly ; and his passions are grown so head- strong, that he will not give himself the trouble to subdue them : He willingly lets thembear him away fromGod : He is unwilling to obey; and this is called a moral inability. Now God may require such duties by Isis law, as through the weakness of the flesh, and the strength ofappetite and passion in this frail state, man is morally or immediately unable to perform, though be hath a remote or natural power. An infinitely holy God cannot but command that we should never sin, never transgress the rule of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=