Can the natural law be wiped out of a man’s heart?

It seems that the natural law can be wiped out of a man’s heart (possit aboleri a corde hominis):

Objection 1:  The Gloss on Romans 2:14 (“When the Gentiles, who do not have the Law, etc.”) says, “The law of justice, which sin had erased, is written in the inner man who is made new through grace.”  But the law of justice is the same as the law of nature.  Therefore, the law of nature can be erased (potest deleri).

Objection 2:  The law of grace is more efficacious than the law of nature.  But the law of grace is erased through sin.  Therefore, a fortiori, the law of nature can be erased.

Objection 3:  What is established by the law is proposed as being just.  But there are many things established by men contrary to the law of nature.  Therefore, the law of nature can be wiped out of the hearts of men.

But contrary to this:  In Confessiones 2 Augustine says, “Your law, was written in the hearts of men, and no sort of wickedness erases it.”  But the law written in the hearts of men is the natural law.  Therefore, the natural law cannot be erased.

I respond:  As was explained above (a. 4-5), the natural law contains in the first place certain very general precepts that are known to everyone, but it also contains certain secondary, and more particular, precepts that are like conclusions lying in the neighborhood of the principles.
Thus, as far as the universal principles are concerned, the natural law cannot in any way be erased entirely from the hearts of men.  However, it is erased with respect to particular actions insofar as reason is impeded from applying a universal principle to a particular action because of sense desire or some other passion, as was explained above (q. 77, a. 2).
However, as far as the other, i.e., secondary, precepts are concerned, the natural law can be erased from the hearts of men, either (a) because of bad arguments, in the same way that errors occur in speculative matters with respect to necessary conclusions, or (b) because of depraved customs and corrupt habits—in the way that, as the Apostle points out in Romans 1:24ff., theft or even vices contrary to nature are not thought of as sins by some people.

Reply to objection 1:  Sin erases the law of nature in particular cases, but not in general, except perhaps with respect to the secondary precepts of the law of nature in the way that has been explained.

Reply to objection 2:  Even if grace is more efficacious than nature, nature is nonetheless more essential to

man and thus more permanent.

Reply to objection 3:  This argument has to do with the secondary precepts of the law of nature.  Some lawmakers have made certain statutes, which are wicked, contrary to these precepts.