N03467:140
Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…
Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal salvation, viz. I. Justification by faith alone. II. Pressing into the Kingdom of God. III. Ruth's resolution. IV. The justice of God in the damnation of sinners. V. The excellency of Jesus Christ. : Delivered at Northampton, chiefly at the time of the late wonderful pouring out of the spirit of God there. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the Church of Christ in Northampton. ; [Three lines from Deuteronomy]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 1738
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And the Scheme of the old Law's being abrogated, and a new Law introduced, won't help at all in this difficulty; for an imperfect Righteousness cannot answer the Law of God that we are under, whither that be an old one or a new one; for every Law requires perfect Obedience to it self: Every Rule whatsoever requires perfect conformity to it self; 'tis a Contradiction to suppose otherwise; for to say, that there is a Law that don't require perfect Obedience to it self, is to say that there is a Law that don't require all that it requires. That Law that now forbids Sin, is certainly the Law that we are now under, (let that be an old one, or a new one;) or else it is not sin: That which is not forbidden, and is the Breach of no Law, is no Sin: But if we are now forbidden to commit Sin, then 'tis by a Law that we are now under, for surely we are neither under the forbiddings, nor commandings of a Law that we are not under. Therefore if all Sin is now forbidden, then we are now under a Law that requires perfect Obedience; and therefore nothing can be accepted as a Righteousness in the sight of our Judge, but perfect Righteousness So that our Judge cannot justify us, unless he sees a perfect Righteousness, some way belonging, to us, […] performed by our selves, or by another, and justly and duly reckoned to our Account.
And the Scheme of the old Law's being abrogated, and a new Law introduced, won't help at all in this difficulty; for an imperfect Righteousness cannot answer the Law of God that we are under, whither that be an old one or a new one; for every Law requires perfect Obedience to it self: Every Rule whatsoever requires perfect conformity to it self; 'tis a Contradiction to suppose otherwise; for to say, that there is a Law that don't require perfect Obedience to it self, is to say that there is a Law that don't require all that it requires. That Law that now forbids Sin, is certainly the Law that we are now under, (let that be an old one, or a new one;) or else it is not sin: That which is not forbidden, and is the Breach of no Law, is no Sin: But if we are now forbidden to commit Sin, then 'tis by a Law that we are now under, for surely we are neither under the forbiddings, nor commandings of a Law that we are not under. Therefore if all Sin is now forbidden, then we are now under a Law that requires perfect Obedience; and therefore nothing can be accepted as a Righteousness in the sight of our Judge, but perfect Righteousness So that our Judge cannot justify us, unless he sees a perfect Righteousness, some way belonging, to us, 〈…〉 performed by our selves, or by another, and justly and duly reckon'd to our Account.