A SHORT DISSERTATION ON Matt. xix. 21. If thou wilt be perfect, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Occafioned by Dr STEBBING's unjust and groundless reflexion on the author, with regard to this text, in his Vifitation Charge, delivered to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Wilts. A SHORT DISSERTATION ΟΝ Matt. xix. 21. If thou wilt be perfect, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou fhalt have treasure in heaven :" and come and follow me. N order to judge rightly of the fense and meaning of our Lord in these words, I think, three things must be enquired into, as previous to it. viz. Firft, wherein human perfection confifts; if thou wilt be perfect. Secondly, who are the poor; give to the poor. Thirdly, whether, and how far chufing extream poverty, by divefting our felves of all property in worldly goods, in order to make those that are poor not fo, or less so, be neceffary to human perfection; if thou wilt be perfect, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, &c. First, I am to enquire wherein human perfection confifts. The perfection of any intelligent being, I think, confifts in his being perfectly perfectly fubject in mind and action to the law of his nature; that is, to that law or rule of affection and action which is fuitable to and refults from his make, and conftitution, his circumftances and relations, and which that creature ought in reafon to be subject to, and be governed by. And, as that intelligent being called man is a compound, confifting partly of understanding, of appetite, of affection, &c: fo the perfection of man confists in a perfect fubmiffion of the whole compofition to the law of his nature, or to that law which in reafon he ought to be governed by. When the various appetites and paffions that take place in man are conftantly and uniformly directed to, and placed upon, their proper objects; when each and every of these are kept in due bounds, one not indulged to the fuppreffing of another; when the fprings of action in man, viz. felfishness and benevolence, hope and fear, and the like, are duly ballanced, fo as that one has not the afcendant over the others; and, when all thefe, together with the principle of activity or felf-motion, are wholly fubject to that principle of intelligence which is likewife a part of the human constitution, and which was intended to guide and direct the whole; then, fuch a creature may be faid to be perfect, according to the meafure and degree of his nature, as he is perfectly fubject to the law of it, or to fuch a law as in reafon fuch a compound, creature ought to be fubject to, and be governed by. |