an acceptable worship: accordingly, there remains nothing for him, but to await the just wrath of God. For what can man deserve by his iniquities, but that the most righteous God should shut him out from his mercy; and after this every evil must follow. But we ought not from this to conclude, that God has no pity, and no mercy upon mankind in their misery. And again, we cannot suppose, that man of himself can merit divine mercy, otherwise we must conclude, that in God there is no justice; or that his mercy is blind, and therefore the righteous and the wicked are both alike to him. Such a supposition respecting God is awful. But through what means man is made a partaker of the mercy of God, we shall afterwards point out. The following words contain the testimony of the Holy Scriptures on this subject: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them." Gal. iii. .10."Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil.” Rom. ii. 8, 9.

XVII.

Means ought to be sought after, in order to avoid the wrath of God.

But it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of

the living God; and hence we ought to search af ter means to reconcile God to us, and to avoid the punishment which we have merited.

The diseased searches for a physician, he that is fallen into misery for a deliverer, and the guilty for a mediator; but as we have formerly shewn, that mankind are without strength, and in the greatest misery, and guilty before God, so, that man must be desperately and inexpressibly hardened, who would refuse to seek means of deliverance from his most miserable condition, and still more who should refuse to accept of them, were they offered to him. Though there actually have been, and still are such persons, (which is but another strong proof of the corruption of human nature,) who do not reflect on their helpless state, and though altogether miserable, do not think of the need which they have of a Redeemer; yet, dreading such a hardened state of heart, we, by the assistance of sound reason and the word of God, ought to be convinced that the healthy need not a physician, but the sick; and ought to fear, lest the following words be applicable to us:-" Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. iii. 17.

XVIII.

What opinion we should entertain concerning the law and repentance, as separate from the gospel.

The means of reconciliation with God, and of recovery out of our natural state, the reason of man cannot devise.

All that has as yet been said, is sufficiently evident to our reason; and he must be very wicked, indeed, who would attempt to call it in question. But when this same reason begins to try by what means it were possible to reconcile God to man, and to deliver the human race out of the misery into which they are fallen; then it immediately begins to halt and to fail us. It is capable of conceiving the goodness of God to be inexhaustible, and that there should exist such means; but it is unable to attain to the knowledge of what they are. It It appears, that we are incapable of imagining more than two sorts of means, 1st, The fulfilling of the divine law; and, 2d, Repentance. But these means, in the case of the unregenerate man, are of no avail; and hence they are a weak refuge. For, in regard to the first, the fulfilling of the divine law, this certainly would be effectual, if we could really continue constantly in doing good, and never transgress against the eternal law of God. But, as we have above

shewn, that every one sinneth continually in thoughts, words, or deeds, and that there is not, and never did exist, any mere man who never had been a servant of sin; so it is evident, that this means is ineffectual. to reconcile God to us, and to present us justified before his judgment seat. In the very same sense we hear the wise apostle Paul declaring, in a number of passages, that" by the works of the law no flesh living shall be justified:" Gal. ii. 16, "That the righteousness of God without the law is manifested:" Rom. iii. 21. And in Psalm cxliii. David pleads, "Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." However, we ought not to conclude from hence, (as some have done from the doctrines of Paul,) that it is altogether unneces sary to do good, and to attempt to keep the divine law; God forbid: (but we shall speak more particularly of this in its own place.) Neither ought we to suppose, that we are able, by our own doings, to justify ourselves before God.

Secondly, Repentance might perhaps seem fit to become the hope of the guilty and the comfort of the sinner; but it is not so. Because, though it were admitted that repentance could reconcile God, that is, a real repentance, accompanied by the utmost abhorrence of sin, and a firm

66

resolution not to return to the same sins again : yet, can weak and corrupt man, who is every hour led into sin by his wicked passions, repent in this way? He has not such an abhorrence of sin as that great evil deserves, for having excited the displeasure of the eternal God. And suppose that this even could take place, and that man would strive to the utmost to avoid sin, after having been convinced of its evil, yet, we drink in iniquity like water, and" according to St Paul's words, " are sold unto sin;" yea, these workings of sin continue through our whole lives. What hope then is to be placed in repentance, and how can it ever reconcile God to man? I do not here speak of evangelical or Christian repentance; it is of another kind, and I know how effective it is; this shall be pointed out hereafter; but I speak here of such repentance as a man might be supposed to have without the blessings of the Gospel.

Such sentiments are very consonant with the reason of man; and the Holy Scriptures more particularly put us in remembrance, that man of himself has not sufficient power to reconcile God, and that he every moment provokes him to anger. "For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin," Rom. iii. 9; that is, that all mankind are fallen into