Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

man, and one that feared God with all his boufe, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. But peradventure fome may imagine, that there is fomething fingular and extraordinary in these eminent perfons, which we must never hope to equal; but must be content to follow them at a vast distance. Well, let this be fo; what have we to fay to whole churches animated by the fame fpirit of zeal? what are we to think of the churches of Macedonia, whofe charity St. Paul thus magnifies, 2 Cor. viii. 2, 3. In a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality. For to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themfelves. And St. Paul declares himfelf perfuaded of the Romans, that they were full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, Rom. xv. 14. And of the Corinthians he teftifies, that they were inriched in every thing, and came behind in no gift. 1 Cor. i. 5, 6. That they did abound in all things, in faith, in diligence, &c. 2 Cor. viii. 7. I will ftop here; 'tis in vain to heap up more inftances: I have faid enough to fhew, that vigour and fervency in the fervice of God, is no miraculous gift, no extraordinary prerogative of fome peculiar favourite of heaven, but the natural and infeparable property of a well-confirmed babit of holiness.

Laftly;

Laftly; Is conftancy and steadiness the property of an habit? it is an undoubted property of perfection too. In fcripture good men are every-where reprefented as Standing faft in the faith, ftedfaft and unmoveable in the works of God; holding faft their integrity in one word, as conftantly following after righteoufnefs, and maintaining a good confcience towards God and man. And fo natural is this to one habitually good, that St. John affirms of fuch a one, that he cannot fin, 1 John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God, doth not commit fin, for his feed remaineth in him, and he cannot fin, becaufe he is born of God. Accordingly, Job is faid to have feared God, and efchewed evil, which must be underffood of the conftant courfe of his life. Zachary and Elizabeth are faid to be righ teous, walking in all the commandments of God blameless, Luke i. 6. Enoch, Noah, Devid, and other excellent perfons, who are pronounced by God righteous, and juft, and perfect, are faid in fcripture, to walk with God, to ferve him with a perfect heart with a full purpose of heart to cleave to him, and the like. And this is that conftancy which Chriftians are often exhorted to; watch ye, ftand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be ftrong, I Cor. xvi. 13. And of which the firft followers of our Lord left us fuch remarkable examples. The difciples are

faid

faid to have been continually in the temple bleffing and praifing God, Luke xxiv. And the firft Chriftians are faid to have continued ftedfaftly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers, Acts ii. 42.

Thus I think I have fufficiently cleared my notion of Perfection from feripture : nor need I multiply more texts, to prove what I think no man can doubt of, unless he mistake the main defign and end of the gofpel; which is to raife and exalt us to a fteady babit of holiness: The end of the commandment, faith St. Paul, 1 Tim. i. 5. is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good confcience, and of faith unfeigned. This is the utmoft Perfection man is capable of, to have his mind enlightened, and his heart purified; and to be informed, acted, and influenced by faith and love, as by a vital principle; and all this is effential to habitual goodness.

If any one defire further light or fatiffaction in this matter, let him read the eighth chapter to the Romans, and he will foon acknowledge, that he there finds the fubftance of what I have hitherto advanced. There, though the word itself be not found, the thing called Perfection is described in all the ftrength and beauty, in all the pleafure and advantages of it: there the difciple of Jefus is reprefented

as

as one, who walks not after the flesh, but after the spirit; as one, whom the law of the spirit of life in Chrift Jefus has fet free from the law of fin and death; one, who

eve, does not mind or relish the things of the flesh, but the things of the Spirit; one, in whom the Spirit of Chrift dwells: he does not stand at the door, and knock; he does not make a tranfient vifit; but here he reigns, and rules, and inhabits: one finally, in whom the body is dead because of fin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. And the refult of all this is the joy and confidence, the fecurity and tranfport that becomes the child of God. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye bave received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with our fpirit, that we are the chil dren of God; and if children, then heirs, beirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift. And now 'tis no wonder, if the perfect man long for the revelation of the glory of the fons of God; if he cry out in rapture, If God be for me, who can be against me? who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? who shall feparate me from the love of Chrift? and fo on. If any one would fee the perfect man defcribed in fewer words, he needs but caft his eye on Rom. vi. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. СНАР.

CHA P. II.

This notion of Perfection countenanced by all parties, however different in their expreffions. Some short reflections upon what the Pelagians, the Papifts, the Quakers, and the mystical writers, have faid concerning Perfection.

A

FTER I have fhewed that this notion of Perfection is warranted by reafon and fcripture; I fee not why I fhould be folicitous whether it do or do not very clash with the opinions of men. But the truth is, if we examine not so much the expreffions and words, as the fenfe and meaning of all parties about this matter, we fhall find them well enough agreed in it at the bottom. And 'tis no wonder, if (notwithstanding several incidental disputes) they fhould yet agree in the main: fince the experience of mankind does eafily teach us what fort of Perfection human nature is capable of; and what can, or cannot actually be attained by man. The Pelagians did not contend for an angelical Perfection, nor St. Austin deny fuch a one as was truly fuitable to man: the one could not be fo far a ftranger to human nature, as to exempt it in reality from thofe errors and defects which the beft of men complain of, C

and

[merged small][ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »