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Gospel, to terminate in an eternal connection with Him in the world that is to come; that where Christ is, there they may be also. But this, through divine blessing, will be made the subject for a future Discourse.

DISCOURSE XIII.

2 TIM. III. 17.

That the Man of God may be perfect.

BY the word perfection, when applied to man, can be understood only that degree of advancement towards it, of which so frail a creature is capable. In the strict and proper sense of the word, perfection belongeth to God only; perfection in that sense implying a total absence of all possible imperfection. To any man then who attempts to justify himself, on the ground of his own perfection thus considered, it should be said, in the language of Eliphaz to self-sufficient Job; "What is man that " he should be clean? and he that is born “of a woman, that he should be righte"ous?

"ous? behold God putteth no trust in "his saints, yea the Heavens are not "clean in his sight."

Still man, frail as he is by nature, is called on in Scripture to aim at perfection. "Walk before me," said God to Abram, "and be thou perfect." "Be ye perfect," said Christ to his Disciples, " even as your "Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Language meant to be understood with a peculiar reference to the frail state of the party to which it was addressed.

In a certain sense then, man may still become perfect in the eyes of his Maker. For though his natural powers have been miserably disordered by the Fall, they are so far restored by divine grace, as to enable him (if not wanting to himself) to perform a service acceptable to God, according to the conditions of the Covenant under which he is placed.

To describe Christian perfection in an absolute sense, it must be represented to be the perfect consummation of all Christian graces and spiritual attainments. All, therefore, that can be understood by it, in its reference to fallen man, is that de

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gree of perfection, to which, in his present state of imperfection, he may be capable of attaining. He is consequently called upon to grow in grace, to be continually going forward in the way of godliness, and to persevere in that way unto the end. But growth in grace, it must be observed, is not glory, but only the gradual advancement towards it. At the same time, it is no small degree of perfection to have proceeded so far, as to be fully sensible of our own imperfection *. To keep God's commandments in the letter is one thing. By divine assistance to keep them acceptably through Jesus Christ is another. Were less than this intended under the Christian Covenant, the Gospel would not be an holy institution. On the other hand, were more than this to be understood, in conformity with the first of the preceding positions, all mankind must inevitably be lost.

Such is the qualified sense, in which the Apostle is to be understood, where he

"Multum in hâc vitâ ille profecit, qui quàm longè "sit a perfectione justitiæ proficiendo cognovit." AUSTIN. says

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says that "the Scripture was given by in❝spiration of God, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may "be perfect."

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A certain kind of perfection then is expected from man, even in his present fallen condition, as necessary to qualify him for the salvation that has been in mercy provided for him. Hence it follows that the life of a Christian must be a continued progress from one degree of spiri tual attainment to another, till he arrives at that state of evangelical holiness, "with" out which," we are told, "no man shall see the Lord.”

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Hence it is that we find so much said by the Apostles, on the progressive improvement of their respective disciples in holiness, with a strength of expression, and earnestness of entreaty, sufficient to shew the importance which they attached to a subject, which they so repeatedly enforced; considering, as they unquestionably did, a continued advancement in graces and virtues to be essential to the Christian character, and the most unequi

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