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Torf. 8.

bered no more; for they cease to commit fin, being born of the feed of God. If by fin here, he means, as he feems to do, deliberate or prefumptuous fin; I do not think any established Church, whether Protef tant or Popifh, teaches otherwife. Mr. Barclay goes very methodically to Apol. (f) work, and firft fets down the state of the queftion; then confutes thofe that differ from him; answers their objections out of fcripture; and, laftly, establishes his own doctrine. As to the Perfection which he afferts, he lets us know, that it is to be derived from the Spirit of Chrift; that it confifts not in an impoffibility of finning, but a poffibility of not finning; and that this perfect man is capable of daily growth and improvement. When to this I have added, that he speaks all along of that which we call wilful fin, as appears from his defcription of it; for he calls it iniquity, wickedness, impurity, the fervice of Satan, and attributes fuch effects to it as belong not at all to what we call fins of infirmity; when, I fay, this is added to render the fenfe clear, I can readily fubfcribe to him: for, I know no fuch doctrines in our Church as thofe which he there opposes; namely, that the regene rate are to live in fin, and that their good works are impure and finful. But then, he either mistakes the main point in debate,

or prudently declines: for the question is not, whether good men may live in mortal or wilful fin, but whether good men are not fubject to frailties and infirmities, which are indeed fins, tho' not imputable under the covenant of grace? Whether the Quakers are not in this point Pelagians, I do not now enquire; because if they be, they are already confidered. Two things there are in Mr. Barclay's ftate of the question, which I cannot fo well approve of; the one is, that he expreffes himself fo injudiciously about the growth and improvement of his perfect man, that he feems to forget the difference the fcriptures make between babes and full grown men in Chrift, and to place Perfection fo low in reference to pofitive righteousness or virtue, as if it confifted in negative on-ly or ceafing from fin. The other is, that tho' he does not peremptorily affirm a ftate of impeccability attainable in this life; yet he seems inclinable to believe it, and imagines it countenanced by 1 John iii. 9. But he ought to have confidered, that whatever impeccability may be inferred from that text, it is attributed, not to fome extraordinary perfons, but to all, whofoever they be, that are born of God; but this is out of my way. All that I am to obferve upon the whole is, that thefe men place Perfection especially in

refraining

refraining from fin: I advance higher, and place it in a well-fettled habit of righte oufnefs. And I believe they will be as little diffatisfied with me for this, as I am with them, for afferting the perfect man freed from fin. For, as Mr. Barclay expreffes himself, I think he has in reality no adverfaries but Antinomians and Ranters.

As to that Perfection which is magnified by mystical writers, fome of them have only darkened and obfcured the plain fenfe of the gospel, by figurative and unintelligible terms. Thofe of them, which write with more life and heat than other men ordinarily do, recommend nothing but that holiness which begins in the fear, and is confummate in the love of God; which enlightens the mind, purifies the heart, and fixes and unites man to his foveraign good, that is, God: and I am fure I fhall not differ with these.

There are, I confess, almost innumerable fayings of the fathers, which sufficiently teftify how little friends they were to Perfection, in such a notion of it as is too generally embraced in the Church of Rome. The primitive spirit breathed nothing but humility: it was a profeffed enemy to all felf-confidence and arrogance, to fupererogation and merit; and it invited men carneftly to reflect upon the

fins and flips of life, and on that oppofition which the law of the body maintains against the law of the mind, in fome degree or other, in the best men. This confideration forced the bishop of Condome to that plain and honeft confeffion; Itaque Juftitia noftra, licet per charitatis infufionem fit vera, &c. Tho' our righteousness, because of that love which the Spirit Sheds abroad in our heart, be fincere and real; yet it is not abfolute and confummate, becaufe of the oppofition of concupifcenfe: fo that it is an indifpenfable duty of Chriftianity, to be perpetually bewailing the errors of life: Wherefore we are obliged humbly to confefs with St. Auftin, that our righteouf nefs in this life confifts rather in the pardon of our fins, than in the perfection of our virtues. All this is undoubtedly true, but concerns not me: I never dream of any man's paffing the course of life without fin: nor do I contend for fuch a Perfection as St. Auftin calls abfolute, which will admit of no increafe, and is exempt from defects and errors. Tho' on the other hand, I confefs, I cannot but think, fome carry this matter too far; and while they labour to abate the pride and confidence of man, give too much encouragement to negligence and prefumption. I cannot fee how frequent relapfes into deliberate acts of wickedness can confift with a well-fettled

tled and established babit of goodness. The heat of difpute in fome, and a fort of implicite faith for their authority in others, has produced many unwary expreffions, and I doubt very unfound and pernicious notions about this matter.

CHA P. III.

Several inferences deduced from the true notion of Perfection. With a plain method bow perfons may judge of their present State. The difference between the extraordinary primitive converfions, and those which may be expected in our days, with a remark about infused habits.

H

AVING in the two former chapters fixed the notion of religious Perfec tion, and proved it confonant to reafon and fcripture; and not fo only, but also made it appear, that it is countenanced by the unanimous confent of all, who have ever handled this fubject: I have nothing now to do, but by way of inference to reprefent the advantages we may reap from

it.

1. It is from hence plain, that Perfection must not be placed in fantastick fpeculations or voluntary obfervances, but in the folid and useful uirtues of the gospel; in

the

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