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law of our Melchisedec: and therefore they do not prove that all be. lievers remain full of indwelling sin till death. If Mr. Hill reply, that "the many offences, of which St. James speaks, are voluntary offences, and therefore real breaches of the law of liberty;" I answer, that this genuine sense of the words, taken in connection with the context, confirms our doctrine of Christian perfection, and our opposition to Antinomianism; and I prove it thus :

The text and context run thus:-"My brethren, be not many mas. ters; [i. e. lord it not over one another;] knowing that we [who do so] shall receive the greater condemnation" if we do not learn humility. "I say we, because I would not have you think that God our Judge is a respecter of persons, and will spare an apostle, who breaks the law of liberty and does not repent, any more than he would spare you. For if I represented God as a partial Judge, Judas' greater condemnation would prove me mistaken. And I insist the more upon this awful doctrine, because in many things we offend all,' especially in word, till we are made perfect in love, that love which is the fulfilling of the law,' and enables us to keep our tongue as it were with a bridle' all the day long." If Mr. Hill ask, by what means I can show that this is really St. James' meaning; I reply, By that plain rule of divinity and criticism, which bids us take the beginning of a verse in connection with the end. And if we do this here, we find the doctrine of Chris. tian perfection in this very text, thus:-"We shall receive the greater damnation" if we do not repent and cease to "be many masters; for in many things we from time to time offend all," especially by our words, till we are perfected in love. "If any man offend not in word, the same is, what each of us should be, a perfect man, and able also to bridle his whole body," James iii, 1, 2. So certain, therefore, as there are men able to bridle their tongue, and their whole bodies, there are men perfect in the body, perfect before death, according to the doctrine contained in this controverted passage of St. James.

"But St. James says also, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, James iv, 5.”

I reply, 1. It is usual for modest teachers to rank themselves with the persons, of whom they say something disagreeable: and this they do to take away the harshness of their doctrine, and to make way for the severity of their charges. Thus Peter writes: "The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquet. ings, and abominable idolatries;" though it is evident that Peter, a poor, industrious, godly Jew, never "walked in abominable idolatries, working the will of the Gentiles." Now the same delicacy of charity, which made St. Peter rank himself with heathens, who walked in drunkenness, whoredom, and gross idolatry, makes St. James rank himself with the carnal Christians, who are possessed by an envious spirit.

2. Nay, St. James himself, using the same figure of speech, says, "The tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, &c; therewith curse we men, who are made after the similitude of God." But would it be reasonable to infer from these words that his tongue was still "full of deadly poison," and that he therewith continued to curse his neighbour? Therefore all that is implied in his words about envy, is that, till

we are made perfect in the "charity which envieth not, and is not puffed up, the spirit that is in us lusteth to envy" and pride. And that we, who have not yet attained Christian perfection, need not be always envious and proud, is evident from the very next words, "But he giveth more grace, wherefore he says, God resisteth the proud, envious man, but giveth grace to the humble resist the devil and he will flee from you: purify your hearts, ye double minded: be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness." So severe was St. James to those adulterers and adulteresses, those genteel believers, who stopped short of Christian perfection, loved the world, and envied one another! Therefore, to press him into the service of Solifidianism, is as rash an attempt as to call his epistle an epistle of straw, worthy of being committed to the flames: and (if the preceding remarks are just) Mr. Hill is as much mistaken, when he appeals to St. James, as when he quotes St. Peter, in defence of Christian imperfection.

SECTION VI.

St. Paul preached Christian perfection, and professed to have attained il-A view of the different sorts of perfection which belong to the different dispensations of grace and glory-The holy child Jesus' imperfection in knowledge and suffering, and his growing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man, were entirely consistent with his perfection of humble love.

ST. PAUL'S name appears upon Mr. Hill's list of witnesses against Christian perfection; but it is without the apostle's consent: for Peter and James did not plead more strenuously for the glorious liberty of God's children, than St. Paul. Nay, he professed to have attained it, and addressed fathers in Christ as persons that were partakers of it together with himself. "We speak wisdom," says he, "among them that are perfect," 1 Cor. ii, 6. "Let us, as many as be perfect, be thus

minded," Phil: iii, 15.

Nor did St. Paul fancy that Christian perfection was to be confined to the apostolic order: for he wanted all believers to be like him in this respect. Hence it is, that he exhorted the Corinthians "to perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. vii, 1; to be perfect, 2 Cor. xiii, 11; to be perfectly joined together in the same mind," 1 Cor. i, 10; and showed them the perfect, or "more excellent way," 1 Cor. xiii. He told the Ephesians, that "God gave pastors for the perfecting of the saints, till all come in the unity of the faith,-unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv, 12, 13. He "taught every man, &c, that he might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," Col. i, 28. He wanted the Colossians fully to "put on charity, which is the bond of perfection, that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God," Col. iii, 14; iv, 12. He would have "the man of God to be perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work," 2 Tim. iii, 27. He exhorted his converts, "whether they did eat, drink, or do any thing else, to do all to the glory of God, and

in the name of the Lord Jesus; rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in every thing giving thanks;" that is, he exhorted them to walk according to the strictest rules of Christian perfection. He blamed the Hebrews for being still such "as have need of milk, and not of strong meat;" observing that "strong meat, so tɛλɛiwv, belongeth to them that are perfect, even to them who by reason of use, [or experience,] have their [spiritual] senses exercised to discern both good and evil," Heb. v, 12, &c. He begins the next chapter by exhorting them to "go on to perfection;" intimating that if they do not, they may insensibly fall away, "put the Son of God to open shame, and not be renewed again to repentance." And he concludes the whole epistle by a pathetic wish that "the God of peace would make them perfect in every good work to do his will." Hence it appears that it would not be less unreasonable to set St. Paul upon "crucifying Christ afresh,” than to make him attack Christ's well-known doctrine, "Be ye [morally] perfect, [according to your narrow capacity and bounded power,] even as your heavenly Father is [morally] perfect" [in his infinite na ture, and boundless Godhead,] Matt. v, 48.

Mr. Hill will probably attempt to set all these scriptures aside, by saying that nothing can be more absurd than to represent Paul as a perfectionist, because he says himself, "Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect," Phil. iii, 12. But some remarks upon the different sorts of perfection, and upon the peculiar perfection which the apostle said he had not yet attained, will easily solve this difficulty.

Mr. Hill is too well acquainted with divinity, not to know that absolute perfection belongs to God alone; and that Christ himself, with respect to his humanity, fell and still falls short of infinite perfection. Omniscience, and a wisdom admitting of no growth, are essential to absolute perfection: but the man Christ was not omniscient; for he did not know the day of judgment: nor was his wisdom infinite; for he grew in wisdom. Nay, his happiness is not yet absolute; for it daily increases as he sees his seed, and is more and more satisfied. God alone is supremely perfect all beings are imperfect, when they are compared to him; and though all his works were perfect in their places, yet, as he gave them different degrees of perfection, they which have inferior degrees of goodness, may be said to be imperfect in comparison of them which are endued with superior degrees of excellence. Thus archangels are perfect as archangels, but imperfect in comparison of Jesus Christ. Angels are perfect as angels, but imperfect in compari. son of archangels. Enoch, Elijah, and the saints who arose with our Lord, are perfect as glorified saints; and, in comparison of them, the departed "spirits of just men made perfect" continue in a state of im perfection for the risen saints are glorified in body and soul; but the mouldered bodies of departed saints, not having yet felt "the power of Christ's resurrection," are still under the power of corruption. Imperfect as St. Paul and St. John are now, in comparison of Enoch, Elijah, and the twenty-four elders so often mentioned by St. John; yet they are far more perfect than when they were pressed down by a corrupti. ble body, under which they "groaned, being burdened:" for the disembodied spirits of "just men made perfect" are more perfect than the

most perfect Christians, who are yet in a "body dead because of sin.” And, as among rich men, some are richer than others; or among tall men, some are taller than others; so among perfect Christians, some are more perfect than others.

According to the gradation which belongs to all the works of God; and according to the doctrine of the dispensations of Divine grace; the least perfect of all perfect Christians, is more perfect than the most perfect Jew; yea, than John the Baptist, whose dispensation linked together Judaism and Christianity. Or, to speak the language of our Lord, "He that is least in the [Christian] kingdom of God, is greater than John;" though John himself was "the greatest born of a woman” under any preceding dispensation. By the same rule, he that is perfect under the Jewish dispensation, is more perfect than he that is only perfect according to the dispensation of the Gentiles.

The standard of these different perfections is fixed in the Scriptures. "To fear God and work righteousness," that is, to do to others as we would be done to, from the principle of the fear of God, is the standard of a Gentile's perfection. The standard of a Jew's perfection, with respect to morality, may be seen in Deut. xxvii, 14-26, and in Psa. xv. And, with respect to devotion, it is fixed in Psalm cxix.. The whole of this perfection is thus summed up by Micah :-"O Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

The perfection of infant Christianity, which is called, in the Scriptures, "the baptism of John," is thus described by John and by Christ: -"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none, &c. If thou wilt be perfect, sell what thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me. If any man come to me and hate not [i. e. is not willing for my sake to leave] his father and mother, his wife and children, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

With respect to adult perfect Christianity, which is consequent upon the baptism of the Holy Ghost, administered by Christ himself, its perfection is described in the sermon on the mount; in 1 Cor. xiiì; and in all those parts of the epistles where the apostles exhort believers to walk agreeably to "the glorious liberty of God's children."

The perfection of disembodied spirits is thus described by a voice from heaven:- -"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: even so, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours, [not from their sins; this they did before death,] and their works follow them." And the complete perfection of glorified saints is thus described by St. John and St. Paul :-" They shall live and reign with Christ in a city wherein there is no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it, and the city hath no need of the sun to shine in it, for the glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And there shall be no curse but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads, and they shall reign for ever and ever" in glorified bodies. For "this corruptible body shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a natural

body, it is raised a spiritual body: as is the heavenly Adam, such are they also that are heavenly and as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God:" but the spiritual, i. e. the glorified body shall inherit the heavenly Canaan.

Persons, whose orthodoxy consists in obstinately refusing to peep over the wall of prejudice, will probably say that these observations upon the different sorts and degrees of perfection are "novel chimeras," and that I multiply perfections, as I do justifications, "inventing them by the dozen." To this I answer, that we advance nothing but what, we hope, recommends itself to the candour of those who have a regard for reason and revelation.

1. REASON tells us that all God's works are perfect in their places; and that, some having a higher place than others upon the scale of beings, they are of consequence more perfect. If Mr. Hill will not believe it, we appeal to his banker, and ask, if there is not an essential difference between the metallic perfection of brass, that of silver, and that of gold? We appeal to his jeweller, and ask if the perfection of an agate is not inferior to that of an emerald-the perfection of a ruby to that of a diamond; and if some diamonds cannot be said to be more perfect than others? We appeal to his gardener, and ask if a blackberry is not inferior to a strawberry, a strawberry to a nectarine, and a nectarine to a pineapple and if, nevertheless, those various fruits have not each their perfection? Nay, we will venture to ask his under gardener, if the perfection of the fruit does not imply the perfection of the blossom; if the perfection of the blossom does not presuppose that of the bud; and if a bud, whose perfection is destroyed by the frost in March, is likely to produce perfect blossoms in May, and perfect fruit in October?

Should the fear of becoming a perfectionist make Mr. Hill refuse his assent to these obvious truths, we will address him as a master of arts, a gentleman who is versed in natural philosophy, as well as in Calvinism. Is it absurd to say that some just men rise progressively from the perfection of a lower, to the perfection of a higher dispensation in the spiritual world? Do we not see a similar promotion, even among the basest classes of animals in the natural world? Consider that beautiful insect, which exults to display its crown, and expand its wings in the sun. Will you not say that it is a perfect butterfly? Nevertheless, three weeks ago it was a perfect aurelia, quietly sleeping in its silken tomb. Some months before, it was a perfect silkworm, busily preparing itself for another state of existence, by spinning and weaving its shroud. And had you seen it a year ago, you would have seen nothing but a perfect egg. Thus, in one year, it has experienced three grand changes, which may be called metamorphoses, births, or conversions. Each change was perfect in its kind: and, nevertheless, the last is as far superior to the first, as a beautiful, flying butterfly exceeds a black, crawling worm; and such a worm, the invisible seed of life, that lies dormant in the diminutive egg of an insect.

2. SCRIPTURE and experience do not support our doctrine of the dif ference of perfections, less than reason and philosophy. We read, Gen. vi. 9, that "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation." We read also, Job i, 1, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose

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