QUESTION I. 257 to obey it ; for the demands of a law must be limited by the powers of the subject, and cannot exceed it. To this I might answer. I. That the demands, of a law must not exceed the powers of an innocent and new -made creature, just as he comes . from the hand of God ; but when he has some way or other ruined and enfeebled, perverted or broken his original powers, or brought an evil bias into them, may not the law of God still continue to demand such obedience, which he has not a present sufficiency of power to yield or perform ? Or I might perhaps better answer thus : II. That the law of our Maker in its de- mands must be limited by the original, absolute and natural power of the creature to perform it, which was then also morally and practically sufficient for the purpose : but when a race of beings, by their own folly, have so perverted and discomposed these natural faculties, that they have not an immediate, proxi- mate and practical power to perform the law of God, this does not destroy nor abate the commands of the law of our Maker : But they stand in full perfectionof authority and demand, since the natural powers are still continued, though our perverse incli- nations, which is indeed our moral impotence, are continually carrying us to disobey these commands. Shall it be said again, ,though we break the laws of our Maker so frequently, .yet he knows the weakness of our frame, and he pities and pardons infirm and feeble creatures, where there is any desire to please him, though their disobedience be very frequent. But in answer to this, I would say,first, It' is the new covenant, or covenant of grace, which holds forth God- as pitying and pardoning his sinful creatures; not the law of cre- ation or innocence, by which all men are condemned for sin. Secondly, I would enquire, did God make such creatures so infirm and feeble in their original state, as that they should so frequently and continually offend their Maker, and want forgive- ness ? Did he give them such a law to govern their actions, as should never, never be fulfilled by any one of them, but should be daily and constantly broken by them ; and that the new-made creature should want daily and continual pardon ? Would a God, who adjusts the proportions of all things in infinite wisdom, give a law to his creatures which is so disproportionate totheir original powers, that even in the state of their creation they are almost under some sort of necessity of breaking it, and stand in need of daily and repeated forgiveness? Does not all this view of things give us abundant conviction that mankind is now a degenerate being, and not suchas it was created by that wise, that righteous, and that merciful God who made it ? If those who are most unwilling to acknowledge this uni- versal and early depravation of man, would look into themselves daily, and observe all the sinful and irregular turns of their owa VOL. IV. I{
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