ÓBLlGATION OF VIM MORAL LAW. 14, 15: which must be thus explained. When the Gentiles who have not the written law cire admonished by nature and their own. bonsciences to do things contained in the written law, their hearts and reasoningpincers area natural law to themselves, which shews or discovers the work of thewritten law or ten commands impressed ón their hearts; theirvery consciences bearingwitnessfor or against themselves,. andaccusing orexcusing them, according as they have obeyed or broke that natural law within them. The second general head of my discourse leads me to prove that thismoral law is of universal and perpetual obligation to all mankind, even through all nations and all Ages. The will of God their Maker concerning their conduct being revealed to them, or laid within the reach oftheir knowledge as I said be- fore, becomes a law or ruleOf life to men. Now this moral law is so far discovered to all, whether Jews, Gentiles, or christians, both by the light of reason, and by the writings of the Old and New Testament, and thus it becomes an Universallaw which re- quires the obedience of all mankind. And as it hath universal authority over all men, so its obligation isperpetual and everlast- ing ; there cannot be any dissolutionof it, nor a release from its commands or requirements which will appear ifweconsider the following reasons': L "It is a lawwhich arises from the very existence of God and the natureof man :" It springs from the very relation of such creatures to their Maker and to one another. Every creature mustowe its all to him that made, t; and thereforeall its powers ought to be employed so as to bring somehonóur to:itsMaker God, He isthe supreme Lord and Ruler, and he ought to be reverenced and obeyed : He is all-wise and almighty, he ought to be feared and worshipped : Ile is inhimself the most excellent of beings as well as merciful And kind to us, and the spring ofall our present comforts and our future hopes ; he ought therefore to he loved above all things, and to be'addressed with prayer and praise : nor can it ever' be said that à creature is under no obliga- tion to love and Obey, to fear and worship his Creator, or torender what is due to his fellow-creatures, even according to bis utmost powers. If . GQ This law is so far wrought into the very nature of man as a reasonable creature; that on awakened conscience will the greatest part of mankind. 2. The written law was a more peculiar favour of God given to the Jewish nation; the natural law lies within the reach of all men whose consciences are not grossly blinded or hardened by sin. 3, The natural law contains nothing but moral precepts or rules of life to men as intelligent, sensible, and sociable creatures; the written lais includes in it something ceremonial, that is, the seventh day, sabbath, and other modes of expression peculiar to the Jewish state and people. But the grand requirements and the design of both these are the same, as appears in many scriptures, especially. .unt. ii. 14, 15,
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