Ver. 20.

the tribunal of God's justice, dares not stand out in his own justification, but submits himself to the mercy of his Judge, with humble supplications for favour and Job ix. 2, 3. forgiveness: How should man, saith he, be just with God? If he contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. If I would justify myself, mine own mouth would condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it Ver. 30, 31. shall also prove me perverse. If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and that we should come together in judgment.

Ver. 32.

Now if those who are perfect in God's sight are not clear from all sin in their own judgment, and much less are guiltless in the sight of God; then may we safely by perfection understand something short of spotless innocence and consummate holiness. At least such a perfection as this, if it be prescribed as a duty, which of right we ought to perform, yet surely is it not required as a condition, without the performance of which we cannot be saved. If we both could and actually did arrive to such an absolute perfection, we should do no more than we are bound to do, and could not pretend to have gone beyond our duty: but though we neither actually do reach that eminent height of perfection, nor, whilst we are clothed with flesh and blood, are perhaps able to reach it; yet, through the mercies of God and the merits of Christ, we may hope to be saved. But though such a spotless perfection as hath been described is not perhaps with our utmost endeavours to be attained, yet by those frequent commands in scripture, whereby we are required to be perfect, nothing less can be meant, than that we should use our utmost endeavours towards the

compassing this perfection. For it is a wrong notion to think that we are bound to aim at nothing but what we have sure and certain hopes of attaining: that indeed cannot by a just and gracious God be peremptorily required of us, in order to our salvation, which it is not in our power to perform; but that may be the object of our endeavour which we shall never actually compass. As we are commanded to follow Heb.xii.14. peace with all men, though we must despair of ever obtaining what we are always bound to pursue; so are we required to go on to perfection, though, when we have gone as far as in this life we can go, we shall not, after all, come up to it.

The difficulty therefore of arriving at perfection ought not to be urged as an excuse for our not attempting it, but to quicken our care, and to stir up our vigilance, and make us exert our most vigorous endeavours, that we may succeed, as far as it is possible to succeed, in this glorious attempt. We ought in this matter to copy after that example which St.Paul hath set us; he had made as great advances towards heaven as any one, but he did not therefore slacken his course: if he looked back upon what he had been, and considered what he now was, he must needs find that he had gone a great way towards perfection; but, when he considered what he still was, and looked forward to what he ought to be, he could not but acknowledge that he had a great way still to go: he imitates therefore an expert racer, who doth not regard how much ground he hath run over, but how much more remains yet to be run, before he can reach the goal. Not as though I had already attained, saith Phil. iii. 12, he, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if13, that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself

to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The least we can possibly understand by those characters of a perfect man which are given us in the gospel is this; that the image of a perfect Christian is there accurately drawn, that we might have an exact copy, which we ought to write by, though with all our skill and diligence we cannot equal it. Those who have given rules concerning the attainment of any art have always thought it proper to draw the character of a person perfect in that art: they observed, that nothing had ever been done so well by the best artificers but that something might be imagined still better: when therefore they undertook to give the pattern of an accomplished artist, they did not describe one whom they had ever seen or heard or read of; but one, of whom they had only a bare conception in their minds; one, who had all the excellencies united in himself which the best artists had severally been eminent for; one, who was free from all the defects which artists, otherwise excellent in their way, had laboured under; one, in short, who was more perfect than ever any artist had been or would be, and as perfect as could possibly be imagined. And when they drew such a pattern of an accomplished artist as this, they did it not to discourage their scholars from trying to attain to such a degree of excellence which they must despair of ever reaching; but to stir up their emulation, and whet their industry, that, by imitating the best patterns, they might be sure, though not to do so well, yet to do their utmost. If, after all their endeavours to excel, they fell short of that perfect model which

was set before them, yet it was to very good purpose that such an exact copy was set them, because by aiming so high they were secure from sinking very low.

Now if we should suppose, which is the least that possibly can be supposed, that the character of a Christian which is given us in the gospel is not the image of such a Christian as ever was or as ever will be, or as any one needs to be; but that it is the draught of a finished and accomplished saint, proposed as an ensample, by which we ought to form our lives, though we must never hope to equal that copy; yet, even according to this supposition, it will be our duty to summon up all our diligence, and to use our utmost caution, that we may not, through any wilful neglect, fall short of it: though we cannot come up to the beauty of the original, when we have done all we can, yet we must not think ourselves excusable, if we fail of doing what we can where we cannot arrive at the highest top of perfection, we must climb as far as our strength will permit; and, by striving after those highest degrees of excellence, which, after all our striving, are not to be attained, we must take care to rise to those lower degrees which are attainable.

If absolute perfection were the only condition upon which men might hope to be saved, then there would be no room for repentance, which yet is the great and fundamental doctrine of the gospel. But it is matter of unspeakable comfort to an honest sincere Christian, that if at any time, through the prevalence of temptation, he hath swerved from his duty, and departed from the paths of righteousness, yet his case is not quite desperate; there is mercy with God, and there Ps. cxxx. 4. is room for him to recover the divine favour, by a

timely and unfeigned repentance. But then the use which a good Christian, and one who aims at perfection, makes of this doctrine, is, not to be careless of his duty because if he transgresses the law he may repent, but only, to repent when, for want of sufficient care, he hath transgressed. He doth not think of repentance before he sins, to encourage him in sinning; but he flies to it after he hath sinned, to rescue himself from the dominion of sin. His first care is to be perfect, and entirely innocent; and when this fails him, as too often it will fail him, his next aim, which is then his only refuge, is to be sincerely penitent. He is diligent so to order the whole course of his life, as if there were no such thing possible as the reinstating himself in God's favour when he hath once forfeited it by any wilful transgression; but when he finds that he hath justly forfeited it, he then makes haste to reconcile himself to God by a speedy con

version.

No wise man is less careful to direct his steps aright, because if he should slip he may recover his ground; for he considers that there is danger in the fall; that he may not be able quickly to get up again; that after he hath raised himself, he may not go on so fast as he did before; that if he should find no other mischief from falling, yet this is one unavoidable disadvantage, that he loses that time in recovering his ground which had been better employed in advancing forwards. There are few distempers so desperate, but that nature hath provided and art found out some remedy for them; but no man who hath any regard to his health, but will take all the care possible to avoid the disease, though, if it should seize him, he hath a fair prospect of recovery. For, as it is possible he may escape, so is it possible, at the same time,