Part I. Chap. r. X. The Law of Nature is not annull'd by Revelation added thereto. of the Light, not of the Strength of Nature. For no one ever did the things contain'd in the Law by the meer Strength of Nature. But whofoever has perform'd the Same, has perform'd it by the Guidance and Af fiftance of the Holy Spirit. For it is not reasonably to be doubted, but All the truly Pious among the Gentiles, who did or do the things contain'd in the Law, were and are guided and affifted by the Spirit of GOD, as being under the Grace, tho' not under the Light of the Gofpel; and as being alfo indu'd with an impli cit, tho' not explicit Faith; that is, as being Ready to have embraced Chrift with Faith, had the Gospel been preach'd to them. So that without doubt, according to the Divine Equity, they fhall be reckond among Those who are of Faith, and fo will have a Right to Eternal Life, namely by the Grace of the Gospel, or by Virtue of that Covenant, which prefently after the 'Fall God made with Adam, the Common Father of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews and Chriftians. And thus much for the Law of Nature, in refpect of Thofe who fhall be judg'd Only thereby. It remains to fay fomewhat in the last place concerning the Law of Nature, in refpect of Those who withal enjoy the Light of Revelation. For it is to be obferv'd, that the Obligation of the Law of Nature can never be abolish'd; but that Such as enjoy the Light of Revelation, are by that means more strictly Bound to the Obfervance of the Law of Nature. As to the First, that the Obligation of the Law of Nature can never ceafe or be abolish'd is evident from hence, that the Ob ligation of any Reveal'd Law do's neceffarily depend on the Obligation of the Law of Nature, particularly on that Natural Dictate or Precept, that We ought in All things to obey God. For inftance, I am perfwaded and verily believe, that I am oblig'd to believe and obey the Gospel, becaufe that in the first place Reason teaches me, that I ought to believe and obey the Word of God; and in the fecond place, Reafon having duly weigh'd all the Arguments to that purpofe, and being duly convinced thereby, teaches me moreover, that the Gospel is the Part I. XI. the Word of God. Wherefore fince the Obligation of any Reveal'd Law do's neceffarily depend or is founded Chap. 1. on the Obligation of the Law of Nature; it follows, that the Obligation of the Law of Nature ceafing or being taken away, together with it must ceafe or be took away the Obligation of any Reveal'd Law. And therefore it is altogether to be granted, that the Obligation of the Law of Nature can never ceafe or be taken away, but that it do's really and actually remain, even fince the Revelation of the Law of Mofes and of the Gospel. As to the latter part of the Obfervation mention'd in the foregoing Paragraph, viz. that Men by enjoyingly bound to obthe additional Light of Revelation are more ftrictly bound ferve the Law of Nature, by the to obferve the Precepts of the Law of Nature; it ap- Revelation we en pears from hence, that it is Confeft that the Moral Law joy withal. deliver'd by Mofes was therefore given by God, that it might as it were interpret or explain and revive the Law of Nature, which by that time was much obfcur'd and difregarded thro' the Corruption of Mankind. And Chrift exprefly teaches us, that he came not to destroy, but fulfil the Law, Matth. 5. 17. which is allow'd to be chiefly meant of the Moral Law; and therefore is likewife to be understood of the Law of Nature, foraf much as the Moral Law was reveal'd by God to interpret or explain the Law of Nature. In fhort, Christ fulfill'd or perfected the Law of Nature, in like manner as he did the Moral Law, viz. by more clearly explaining the Precepts of the Law of Nature than they were before; by fencing and enforcing them with the Addition of more ftrict Precepts; and laftly by giving Men the frongeft Influence or Motives to obferve them, viz. Great and Certain Promises of infinite Reward for their Obfervance of them; and on the other hand plainly denouncing great and certain Mifery as the Punishment for their Not obferving them; and withal promifing and giving them the Affiftance of his Holy Spirit. What has been faid concerning the Obligation of the Law of Nature still remaining in Force under the Gofpel, is altogether agreeable to St Paul's Doctrin, 1 Cor. 5. 1, 2, For there he plainly teaches, that What was not Law B 2 ful Part I. Chap. I, XII. ligation of the Law much against the Libertines. ful by the Law of Nature to the Gentiles, was like wife by no means Lawful to Chriftians by or under the Gofpel. Whence he very much Blames the Corinthians that among them, tho' now become Chriftians, there fhould be One who bad married his Father's Wife, forafmuch as it was fuch Fornication as was not so much as nam'd amongst the Gentiles, 1e. was such as the very Heathen, by the bare Light of Reason or Law of Nature, were taught to abstain from and even abhor. This perpetual Obligation of the Law of Nature I The perpetual Ob take the more Notice of, because it makes not a little of Nature makes against the peftilential Doctrins of Libertines of all Ill Doctrins of Sorts and Times, as well Such as were formerly call'd Gnofticks, as Such as are now adays call'd Antinomians. For it appears from what has been faid, that thefe Soris of Men do quite corrupt the Doctrin of the Gospel, and render themselves unworthy to be call'd Christians, whilft they Falfely and Wickedly affert, that by the Grace of the Gofpel Chriftians are freed from the Ob fervation of the Moral Law, whether as known to them by the Natural Light of Reafon, or more clearly explain'd by Divine Revelation. For on the contrary it is manifeft from the Sacred Writings of the New Teftament, that the Grace of the Gospel do's confift, nos in This that the Gospel frees Men from the Obfervance of the Moral Law, whether more obscurely hinted by the Dictates of Natural Reason, or more clearly made known by Divine Revelation, but in This that the Go: fpel do's afford to true Believers Strength fufficient to enable them to fulfil the Royal Law, as St James fpeaks Chap. 2. 8. or as St Paul expreffes it, Gal. 6. 2. to fulfil the Law of Christ, that is, the Law of Nature, or which comes to the fame, the Moral Law, as fulfill'd or perfected by Christ. XIII. The Clofe. And this is fufficient to the Design of this Treatife, to have spoken of the Law of Nature, which was in Being and took Place together with the Being of the First Man Adam, and fo was before any Covenant which God made with Man, and therefore according to its Natural Order was Firft to be spoken of. I proceed now now to speak of the feveral Covenants which God made with Man, and first of the Firft, or of that Covenant which God made with Man before the Fall, CHA P. II. Of the Covenant of Eternal Life, which GOD made with Man before the Fall, and which may well be call'd the First Covenant of Grace. Go Part I. Chap. 1. I. Goodness,that Man ral one, viz. Eter OD, as being most entirely at Freedom to difpofe It is owing meerof All that is Good according to his Pleafure, for ly to the Divine afmuch as All Good originally flows from him, might is created to a therefore, if he had so pleased, have created Man only more noble End to a meer Natural End, or to no Better an End than than a meer Natu which he might have been Able to attain by meer Na. nal Life, or Hea venly Blifs. tural Strength. But the fame free infinite Goodness, which moved God to make Man, moved him also to defign this his Creature to a more Noble End, than a meer Natural one; namely that Man fhould be partaker both of Grace in this Life, and of Glory in the Life to come. II. That Man might Life, God was Covenant with him Wherefore, fince (as is afore obferv'd Chap. 1. §. 8.) Eternal Life or Glory is of fo tranfcendent a Worth, become capable to as to be infinitely more than an adequate Reward of attain Eternal the most perfect Obedience confider'd only in it felf, pleas'd of his meer and therefore can't he properly and ftrictly due to any Grace to make a Merits of any Creature: for this Reafon it pleafed God in his State of inof his meer Grace or free Favour, to enter into Covenant tegrity. with Man for Eternal Life, that fo What Man could never of Right deferue by the Law of Nature, tho' ob ferv'd with the most abfolute or entire Obedience, that he might become Worthy of by means of the Cove. nant then Graciously made with Him, if not broken by him. III. The Tenour of the The Nature or Tenour of this Covenant is Rightly to be esteem'd This, viz, that Man fhould thereby be faid Covenant. bound, with all the Strength or Abilities of Human Nature, confider'd as both Perfect then in its Own Kind, and Part I. Chap. 2. IV. The faid Cove plain'd. and moreover endued with the Grace of Supernatural Affistance of the Holy Spirit, to perform a Perfect and Entire Obedience to the Will of God however made known to him, and more particularly to the Command of Not eating of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, with the Promife of Eternal Life if he kept the faid Covenant, but with the Threat of certain Death if he did not keep it. For the Better understanding of this Covenant, it is nant further Ex-requifite to take further Notice of, and more fully to explain fome Particulars, only Briefly mention'd in the foregoing Description or Account of the faid Covenant. Wherefore V. The Law of Na State of Man's In Rule of Life. 1ft. It is to be obferv'd, that the Law of Nature was ture was in the not abolish'd by this Covenant being made, but still retegrity the Chief main'd the Chief Rule of Life, there being no other Law given whereby Man was to order his Life. There was added a pofitive Command, i. e. a Command which was not founded in the Nature of things, and fo could not be difcover'd by the Natural Light of Reafon, but was pofited or ordain'd of God's Arbitrary but Just Will and Power. Namely fuch was the Command, Not to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Besides which there are, I think, plainly enough recorded in Gen. 2. two other pofitive or exprefs Commands given of God before the Fall, viz. That of a Man's leaving his Father and Mother, and cleaving to his Wife, Gen. 2. 24. and That of God's bleffing the Seventh day, and fanctifying it, Gen.2.3. For by God's Sanctifying the Seventh day, can in Reason be underftood Only his Appointing or exprefly Commanding the Seventh day to be fanctify'd or kept Holy. And the Command of a Man's cleaving to his Wife is exprefly afcrib'd to God himself by our Saviour, Matth. 19. 4,5. He which made them at the Beginning, i.e. God, made them Male and Female: And (N. B.) Jaid, For this caufe fhall a Man leave Father &c. See more of this in the Note (e) to my Paraph. on Gen. 2. 24. But VI. The Covenant 2ly. It is to be obferv'd, that to the Command of Not before the Fall had eating the Forbidden Fruit, the Covenant, I am speak |