of those who live in the open blaze of divine exhibited benefits? To whom the gospel of God, that bringeth falvation, hath appeared? How inconceivably great muft their obligations be! Bleffings high as heaven, and deep as our helpless miferies, demand no fmall fhare of affection and grateful obedience. We fhall have occafion to refume this idea in the next Section, when treating of the rule of moral government.

§ 10. But what is the real fact with respect to men's improvement of the means they have? Can it be proved that there ever existed a mere man who was as perfect as he had means of being fo? I am confident it cannot. If so, then, here is an incontrovertible ground of perfonal delinquency, culpablenefs, and expofedness to penal evil, the neceffary effect of moral evil. If GOD therefore fhould mark iniquity, and give to every one his due, who could avoid the fate of the wicked and unprofitable fervant?* All are gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Every mouth is stopped, and all the world is become guilty before God.

*Matt. xxv. 30.

SECT.

SECT. II.

Of the RULE of moral Government.

§ 1. The foundation of this rule is the RELATION fubfifting between God and man. § 2. Hence refults the MORAL LAW. § 3. The law refults, not merely from what man now is, but also from the State of original probation in which was placed our progenitor. § 4. The discovery of new relations produces new obligations. $5. Pofitive Laws morally oblige.

$ 1.

THE

HE immediate foundation of that rule which is the great ftandard of moral government over mankind, is the relation fubfifting between the divine Governor and man the governed. But how fhall we afcertain this relation? There seems to be no other fatisfactory method but by fixing the true characters of the beings related, and from thence to deduce the relation itfelf. Let us then obferve:

1. GOD is a being poffeffed of all poffible perfection. He is felf-exiftent, independent, and allsufficient; he is eternal and infinite; he is infinitely benevolent, wife, and powerful; he is infinitely juft, and yet abfolutely fovereign; fo juft, that he wrongeth none, but giveth to every one to the full extent of his true claim; and fo abfolutely fovereign, that he never fails to fecure his own ends, which are ever benevolent and wife.

2. Man is a being abfolutely dependent on GoD for his existence, properties, and real acts; yet he has a capacity of intellect and will, and a power which we call freedom; he is made capable of knowing GOD, and therefore of religion, which belongs to no irrational creature, however fagacious in other refpects; he is made capable of loving God as the fupreme good and fuitable reft of the active principle of volition, a privilege peculiar to moral agents.

3. GOD makes an exhibition of himself and other inferior good things to man, and bestows upon him favours and benefits innumerable. The wants of his body are provided for, and the means of comfort pointed out in the various ways of providence. The wants of the foul are confulted, fo that there is no mental faculty, no principle of affection, but has presented to it a correfponding object. Hence refults,

§ 2. The rule of moral government, which may be called the moral law. This rule, or law, is the immediate or proximate ground of moral obligation the intermediate is the decretive will of GOD which conftituted thofe relations from whence the law refults; and the ultimate is the divine intellect and effence. Hence we fee, that the "moral law" is not a feparate thing, which may be abstractedly confidered without any reference to the characters of GOD and of man, and the confequent relations; but its very existence, its extent and obliging power, bear an exact proportion to characters, and the

relations

relations conftituted by creation, providence, or grace.

§ 3. But it is neceffary to obferve here, That the obliging law results, not merely from what man now is, but also from what the human fyftem was originally. Were not this the cafe, ignorance and the conscious want of the chief good, would be no fault, which would be impious to affert. If GOD had a right to manifeft that he is ftrictly equitable as well as merciful, in his tranfactions with the father of our race; if it was right that men should exift by fucceffion, and that the fon fhould be as the father that begat him; and if the tranfgreffion of a law does not annihilate its authority to oblige; it follows, that all Adam's posterity are bound to be as perfect as he was, according to the objective means afforded. If they have the fame phyfical capacities and powers as he had, and if "the invifible things of God may be known," (and therefore enjoyed,) by the ftupendous monuments of creation and providence, did not the fault lie in their own difpofitions, it is manifeft that they are bound to be perfect as Adam was. And if they have additional difcoveries to what he had, by way of moral means, their obligations must rise in proportion. Hence we are led to another conclufion;

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§ 4. The difcovery of new relations produces new obligations. And these difcoveries are extremely various to various fubjects. To whom much is given, of him much is required. To fome

are given five talents, to others two, and to others one; to every man according to his several ability. As many as have finned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have finned in the law fhall be judged by the law; in the day when God fhall judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift. Thus the rule of moral government is greatly influenced by the different degrees of revelation afforded to the fubject.

§ 5. In addition to that law which arifes from the visible and ftated relation of things, GoD has referved for himself a right to enact, from time to time, pofitive laws, which have no apparent reason of injunction befide the mere will or fovereign authority of the Lawgiver. But the divine authority never enjoins impoffibilities, and as the manifestation of his will is a fufficient reason why we should comply with his requifitions, hence arises our obligation, from moral confiderations, to obey all pofitive commands.*

SECT.

See the fubicct of pofitive laws and inftitutions, with the method of afcertaining what is pofitive and what is moral in the fame command, in Antipadob. Exam. Vol. I. Chap. i. passim. · Sce alio, further obfervations on the Will of God as the rule of moral government in a Difcourfe on the Influence of religious Practice our Inquiries after Truth, p. 13-20, 31. See, moreover, SECT. VII. of this chapter.

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