The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

4. Fallen man can by no means come to know this way, but by Revelation. It is true, the moral Law, is so far a Rule of Obedience under the Gospel, that all the Duties required in it are to be attended by us, Tit. 2. 11, 12. And the natural light in men, is capable of being improved to discover and approve the truth & equity of these moral precepts: but it cannot discern the Evangelical use of them; or how they are serviceable to mens salvation according to the New-Covenant; they can have but a legal notion of them; but the grace to do them acceptably, must come from Christ, and that the acceptance hereof must be through him, this is above natures reach; and then, the Gospel Articles, of the Incarnation of the Son of God of the Redemption wrought out by him, of his merit and satisfaction, Justification by the Imputation of his Righteousness, &c. The natural man hath no resentment of these, and if God had not revealed them, they had never been known; and the reason is because fallen mans salvation is not a thing necessarily argued from the being of God, but was merely arbitrary with him. Mans fall had put him into the hand of revenging Justice, and it was at Gods liberty whether he would save him or no; till then he pleased to tell him of it, it was impossible he should ever know of it; for his will is the supreme cause. Besides, the way in which this salvation is brought about, is so ⟨p. 449⟩admirable, that no Creature could ever have conjectured it, that the Eternal Son of God should become man, that he should be humbled to death, and by his stripes we should be healed. Doubtless Satan thought there was no possible way to recover us: and when God revealed this purpose of his the Angels of light were surprised at it; & those Cherubims are gazing with admiration on the Mercy Sea•.

4. Fallen man can by no means come to know this way, but by Revelation. It is true, the moral Law, is so far a Rule of Obedience under the Gospel, that all the Duties required in it are to be attended by us, Tit. 2. 11, 12. And the natural light in men, is capable of being improved to discover and approve the truth & equity of these moral precepts: but it cannot discern the Evangelical use of them; or how they are serviceable to mens salvation according to the New-Covenant; they can have but a legal notion of them; but the grace to do them acceptably, must come from Christ, and that the acceptance hereof must be through him, this is above natures reach; and then, the Gospel Articles, of the Incarnation of the Son of God of the Redemption wrought out by him, of his merit and satisfaction, Justification by the Imputation of his Righteousness, &c. The natural man hath no resentment of these, and if God had not revealed them, they had never been known; and the reason is because fallen mans salvation is not a thing necessarily argued from the being of God, but was meerly arbitrary with him. Mans fall had put him into the hand of revenging Justice, and it was at Gods liberty whether he would save him or no; till then he pleased to tell him of it, it was impossible he should ever know of it; for his will is the supream cause. Besides, the way in which this salvation is brought about, is so