Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the moral law and the covenants, from the…Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the…

The Doctrine already gathered from these words is, that, The Gentiles have a law of Nature written in their hearts: Which law doth consist partly in light and knowledge of speculative principles; and partly in practice and obedience to practical principles. So then from hence we may consider, first, Of the light of Nature, and then secondly, Of the power of Nature; and from both these we may have profitable matter, and also may confute some dangerous errors, which have poisoned too many. I shall begin therefore with the light of Nature, or Reason, and shall endeavour to show the Necessity of it, and yet the Insufficiency of it: It is not such a star that can lead us to Christ.

THe Doctrine already gathered from these words is, that, The Gentiles have a law of Nature written in their hearts: Which law doth consist partly in light and knowledge of speculative principles; and partly in practice and obedience to practicall principles. So then from hence we may consider, first, Of the light of Nature, and then secondly, Of the power of Nature; and from both these we may have profitable matter, and also may confute some dangerous errours, which have poisoned too many. I shall begin therefore with the light of Nature, or Reason, and shall endeavour to shew the Necessity of it, and yet the Insufficiency of it: It is not such a starre that can lead us to Christ.

In the first place take notice, that this light of Nature may be considered in a three-fold respect:

First, As it's a relict or remnant of the image of God: for, howsoever ¹the image of God did primarily consist in righteousness and true holiness; yet secondarily it did also comprehend the powers and faculties of the reasonable soul in the acts thereof: And this later part abideth. It is true, this light of Nature, comparatively to that of faith, is but as a glow-worm to the Sun; yet some light and irradiation it hath. God, when he made man, had so excellently wrought his own image in him, that man could not fall, unless that were also destroyed; as they write of Phidias, who made Alexander's statue, yet had wrought his own picture so artificially in it, that none could break Alexander's statue, but he must also spoil Phidias his image, who was the maker of it: And thus it is in Adams fall, yet there remaineth some