^56 RUIN AND RECOVERY, í&C. any scheme of religion, a man is made holy, he has no new faculties given him, and therefore these natural faculties which he has are sufficient. I answer, If any man be made holy, though he has no new faculties given hirn, yet their vicious pro- pensities are so far subdued or taken away, and the sinful ten- dencies of all his powers are so far changed into that which is virtuous and holy: But it is evident in our present state in this world, that the propensities of the will and affections to that which is evil, are so much superior and prevalent, that I believe, there is no man lives one day without breaking this perfect law of his Maker, in thought word or deed : And therefore, though by reason of his natural faculties he may have a remoteand specu- lative sufficiency of natural power to obey his Maker's law, yet he has no proximate and practical, or moral sufficiency to per- form it, by reason of the perve3se and sinful bias of hiswill.and affections, and the weak influences of understanding, reason and conscience, which are so easily and continually overcome by sinful appetites and inclinations. It should be considered further, that the outward tempts- tions to which mankind are exposed all around them in the pre- sent state, especially in the vigour and perfection of animal life, are evidently too strong to be effectually and constantly resisted and overcome by these enfeebled faculties of reason and consci- ence, while, at the same time, his will and affections, as well as his appetites and passions, have a powerful bias and propensity to yield to the temptation, and commit sin. So that iS we take a full survey of all these circumstances in which mankind are now situated, if we consider their strong propensities to evil within' their own nature, the powerful temptations to evil that surround them without, and the feeble efforts of their guardian powers, reason and conscience, to resist all these oppositions, and to break through all these impediments ; and if we add here to the constant and daily evidence of all this, by the constant and daily sins of mankind, we must be forced to acknowledge, that his moral and practical powers in the present state; are by no means proportionate to the law of God, and to his duties, but vastly inferior to them. Now, would a wise, a just and a merciful God, who is abundant in goodness, have formed such sensible and intellectual creatures orignally by his own hand, in sucha wretched estate, that their powers and capacities should be so much below their duties, that they break his law daily and conti- nually, and it may be said, that whatsoever natural faculties they have, yet they have not a ready and practical sufficiency of power to perform it ? Shall it be objected further, that God cannot require more of man than he has given hirn power to perform, and therefore. his law cannot require perfection, if he has not power perfectly-
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