Thirdly, It may be the Rule of the Law whereby the sinner is to be tried, is not so strict, but that in the case of such sins as he is guilty of, it may admit of a favourable Interpretation; or that the good that he hath done, may be laid in the balance against his Evil, and so some relief be obtained that way. But the matter is quite otherwise; There is no good Action of a sinner, though it were perfectly good, that can lye in the balance with, or compensate the evil of the least sin committed. For all good is due on another account, though no guilt were incurred. And the payment of money that a man owes, that he hath borrowed, makes no satisfaction for what he hath stole; no more will our duties compensate for our sins. Nor is there any good Action of a sinner, but it hath evil and guilt enough attending it, to render it self unacceptable; so that men may well cease from thoughts of their supererogation. Besides where there is any one sin, if all the good in the world might be supposed to be in the same person, yet in the indispensable ⟨p. 53⟩order of our dependence on God, nothing of that good could come into consideration, until the guilt of that sin were answered for unto the utmost. Now the penalty of every sin, being the eternal ruin of the sinner, all his supposed good can stand him in little stead. And for the Law it self, it is an issue of the Holiness, Righteousness, and Wisdom of God; so that there is not any evil, so great or small, but is forb den in it, and condemned by it. Hereupon David so states this whole matter, Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into Judgement with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. That is, if things are to be tried out and determined by the Law, no sinner can obtain acquitment; as Paul declares the sense of that place to be, Rom. 3. 20. Gal. 2. 16. but yet,
Thirdly, It may be the Rule of the Law whereby the sinner is to be tryed, is not so strict, but that in the case of such sins as he is guilty of, it may admit of a favourable Interpretation; or that the good that he hath done, may be laid in the ballance against his Evil, and so some relief be obtained that way. But the matter is quite otherwise; There is no good Action of a sinner, though it were perfectly good, that can lye in the ballance with, or compensate the evil of the least sin committed. For all good is due on another account, though no guilt were incurred. And the payment of money that a man owes, that he hath borrowed, makes no satisfaction for what he hath stole; no more will our duties compensate for our sins. Nor is there any good Action of a sinner, but it hath evil and guilt enough attending it, to render it self unacceptable; so that men may well cease from thoughts of their supererrogation. Besides where there is any one sin, if all the good in the world might be supposed to be in the same person, yet in the indispensible ⟨p. 53⟩order of our dependance on God, nothing of that good could come into consideration, until the guilt of that sin were answered for unto the utmost. Now the penalty of every sin, being the eternal ruine of the sinner, all his supposed good can stand him in little stead. And for the Law it self, it is an issue of the Holiness, Righteousness, and Wisdom of God; so that there is not any evil, so great or small, but is forb dden in it, and condemned by it. Hereupon David so states this whole matter, Psal. 143. 2. Enter not into Judgement with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. That is, if things are to be tryed out and determined by the Law, no sinner can obtain acquitment; as Paul declares the sense of that place to be, Rom. 3. 20. Gal. 2. 16. but yet,
