1, 2, &c., Acts
xiv. 17, and xvii. 27, 28; Rom. i. 18-21, and ii. 12, 14, 15; 2 Cor. v.
1: in which places it is plain, 1. That the book of the creature is able
(without the scriptures, or divine revelations) to make known to man
much of God, his invisible Godhead and attributes, Psalm xix. 1, 2, &c.;
Acts xiv. 17, and xvii. 27, 28; yea, so far as to leave them without
excuse, Rom. i. 18-21. 2. That there remained so much natural light in
the minds even of the heathens, as to render them capable of instruction
by the creature in the invisible things of God; yea, and that they
actually in some measure did know God, and because they walked not up to
this knowledge, were plagued, Rom. i. 18-21, 24, &c. 3. That the work of
the law (though not the right ground, manner, and end of that work,
which is the blessing of the new covenant, Jer. xxxi. 33; Heb. viii. 10)
was materially written in some measure in their hearts. Partly because
they did by nature without the law the things contained in the law, so
being a law to themselves, Rom. ii. 14, 15; partly, because they by
nature forbore some of those sins which were forbidden in the law, and
were practised by some that had the law, as 2 Cor. v. 1; and partly,
because according to the good and bad they did, &c., their conscience
did accuse or excuse, Rom. ii. 15. Now conscience doth not accuse or
excuse but according to some rule, principle, or law of God, (which is
above the conscience,) or at least so supposed to be. And they had no
law but the imperfect characters thereof in their own hearts, which were
not quite obliterated by the fall. Now so far as this light of nature
after the fall, is a true relic of the light of nature before the fall,
that which is according to this light may be counted of divine right in
matters of religion, which is the next thing to be proved.

For the second, how it may be proved that what things in religion are
evident by, or consonant to this true light of nature, are of divine
right. Thus briefly,

1. Because that knowledge which by the light of nature Gentiles have of
the invisible things of God, is a beam of divine light, as the apostle,
speaking of the Gentiles' light of nature, saith, That which may be
known of God is manifest in them--for God hath showed it to them. For
the invisible things, &c., Rom. i. 19, 20. God himself is the Fountain
and Author of the true light of nature; hence some not unfitly call it
the divine light of nature, n