CHAPTER II. 339 proposed to men, the natural law of innocency, which is usually called the moral law, not only with all its precepts, but with its penalties too, abides in force, and is by no means abolished : It stands perpetually in full power, and is written in the heart of man by nature ; Rom. ii. 14, 15. to command every man to fulfil the precepts of it perfectly, as well as to condemn every . man whodoes not perfectly fulfil them : And the only way of his release from this condemnation, is, by his acceptance of the dis- pensation; or the covenant of grace, by repentance and trust in the divine mercy. Thus though, every man enjoys the common blessings of life, and by God's long suffering is invited to repen- tance, and is put under some general and external proposals or encouragements of the covenant of grace, yet lie lies under the sentence and curse of the broken covenant of works, till he stands intitled to the blessings of the covenant of grace, by his own ac cep tepee of it. VI. Let it be yet further observed, that reason and the law of nature, riot only dictate our duty where revelation is silent, but the whole moral law in the precepts of- it, was taken into every dispensation of the gospel, as a part of it, to be the con- stant and everlasting rule ofman's duty ; for this law partly arises from thé relation of creatures to the God who made them, and partly from the mutual relation of creatures to each other, and therefore it is unchangeable. And a perfect obedience to all the commands of it, is required under the dispensation of grace, as well as in the law of innocency or covenant of works; for ifper- fect obedience were not.required, then imperfection would not be sinful. VII. You will say then, what is the difference between the two covenants ? I answer here, onegreat difference lies in this, that under the law of innocencyor covenant of works, the perfection of our own personal works of obedience,answering the demands of the law, was to have been our justifying righteousness, and was the only condition of obtaining the blessing promised; that is, immortality and eternal life ; and nothing short of this perfection was acceptedof God : Nolaw canjustify those who are under it, unless it is perfectly obeyed. I-Iere was no pardon of sin pro- vided, nor any encouragement or promise given to repentance. But, in all the dispensations of the covenant of grace, though perfect obedience to the moral law be still required, and this law continue to condemn those who break it, yet, for the sake of the Mediator, and of what he was to do and suffer, this condemning sentence is taken off, or reversedby the mercy', of God in this new covenant : our sins against every law, and all our imper- fections of duty are pardoned, and our souls are accepted of God unto salvation, if we accept of and submit to the dispensation of . grace ; thatis, ifwe return to God in a wayof humble repentance Y2
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