Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

Object. But God is a merciful God, and he knows we are not able to answer his demands: we hope therefore to be saved, if we do as well as we can, and keep the commands as well as we are able. ⟨p. 122⟩Ans. (1.) Though thou art able to do many things, thou art not able to do one thing aright: thou canst do nothing acceptable to God, being out of Christ, John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. An unrenewed man, as thou art, can do nothing but sin; as we have already evinced. Thy best actions are sin, and so they increase thy debt to justice; how then can it be expected they should lessen it? (2) If God should offer to save men upon condition that they did all they could do, in obedience to his commands: we have ground to think, that these who would betake themselves to that way, should never be saved. For where is the man, that does as well as he can? Who sees not many false steps he has made, which he might have evited? There are so many things to be done, so many temptations to carry us out of the road of duty, and our nature is so very apt to be set on fire of hell; that we would surely fail, even in some point, that is within the compass of our natural abilities. But (3.) Though thou shouldst do all thou art able to do, in vain dost thou hope to be saved in that way. What word of God is this hope of thine founded on? It is neither founded on law nor gospel, and therefore it is but a delusion. It is not founded on the gospel; for the gospel leads the soul out of itself, to Jesus Christ for all: and it establisheth the law, Rom. iii. 31. whereas this hope of yours cannot be established, but on the ruin of the law, which God will magnify and make honourable. And hence it appears, that it is not founded on the law neither. When God set Adam a working for happiness to himself, and his posterity, perfect obedience was the condition required of him; and a curse was denounced in case of disobedience. The law being broken by him, he and his posterity were subjected to the penalty, for sin committed; and withal still bound to perfect obedience: for it is absurd to think that man's sinning and suffering for his sin, should free him from his duty of obedience to his Creator. When Christ came in the room of the elect, to purchase their salvation, the same were the terms. Justice had the elect under arrest: if he minds to deliver them, the terms are known.