had already attained to a perfection of it, though he greatly defired it, and preffed after it; but this is reserved to another state, when we shall see no more through a glass darkly, but face to face, and know as we are known'. Faith is another part of fanctification, and fo confiderable a one, that men are faid to be fan&ified by it". This, when unfeigned, true, and genuine, may be said to be perfect; and in that fenfe is opposed to an hypocritical faith, a mere profeffion of it; and which is but a bare affent to things, and but temporary; and in this fense it is faid to be made perfect by works"; that is, to be declared true and genuine, by its working by love to God, Christ, and his people, and by being attended with works of righteoufnefs done from right principles, and with right views: and in fome it is to a greater degree than in others; for though all have like precious faith, as to its nature, object, and use, yet not as to exercise; some are strong in faith, and others weak, but in none is it abfolutely perfect; there are some, va signμata, deficiencies, or things lacking in it to be perfected" : even in Abraham himself it was not perfect, as appears by his acts of unbelief, before hinted at; nor in Peter, a man fo famous for his faith in Chrift, who is complained of by him at a certain time as of little faith; and all the disciples faw reason to use fuch a petition, Lord increase our faith: and in those who may arrive to a full affurance of faith, I greatly question whether it is always in full exercise; even in these may arife fome doubts and hesitations, though they may continue but for a fhort time, which cause some perturbation and uneafinefs in them. Hope, that lively grace, which is in exercise when others are not, yet fometimes is fo reduced as that a man puts his mouth in the duft, if fo be there may be hope; yea fays, my ftrength and my hope are perished from the Lord: and there is always need of the power of the holy Spirit to be afresh exerted, to cause a finner to abound in the exercise of this grace. Love, which is fometimes very ardent and fervent, waxes cold; firft love is left, though not loft; and though it may be made perfect, that is, declared to be true and genuine, yet is not abfolutely perfect, but has its allays. The fame may be observed of patience, humility, and felfdenial, and every other grace. That believers are not compleatly perfect in grace, is evident from their standing in need of fresh fupplies of it: as they are poor and needy, and find themfelves fo, there is a throne of grace provided for them continually to come unto for grace, to help them in time of need; and they are encouraged to expect it from the promife of God, that he will give more grace to the bumble, and fupply all the need of his people, according to his riches in glory by Jefus Chrift. MoreVOL. I. 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 12. Phil. iii. 10-14. over, 3 T b Lam. iii. 18. · 1 John iv. 17. Heb. iv. 16. James iv. 7. Phil. iv. 19. over, this is ftill more evident from the faints difclaiming perfection in the present state; and even fuch who in some sense are said to be perfect; as Job, who expreffes himfelf thus, if I fay I am perfect, it (my mouth) fhall prove me perverfe. David says, he had seen an end of all perfection; which he judged unattainable by him, because of the largeness and spirituality of the law. And the apostle Paul, who had as large a measure of grace as ever any mere man had, yet fays, not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect; and which may be further confirmed from the eager defires and earnest endeavours of the faints after it. 3. Nor are they fo perfect as to be indeficient in the performance of duty : how backward are they oftentimes unto it? none ftir up themselves to diligence in it, but make idle excufes to free them from an attendance on it; faying as the church, I have put off my coat, how fhall I put it on? I have washed my feet, bow fhall I defile them? What, fleepinefs and drow finefs attend them in it! as in the difciples, who could not watch one hour with Chrift; the Spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak: when duties are performed in the best manner, there are fuch defects in them, as that faints are ashamed of them; and fso far from concluding any merit in them, that they judge themselves unprofitable servants on account of them: there is the iniquity of their holy things; fins in their most folemn and religious performances; for the atonement of which, provifion is made in Chrift, their antitypical Aaron, who has bore them, and satisfied for them: in a word, though they are defirous of perfecting holiness in. the fear of God', they come fhort of it. Upon the whole, it may be seen by all this, in what fense the faints are perfect as to their fanctification, and in what fenfe not; they may be faid to be perfect, as they are fincere, and their grace true and genuine, which is the frequent fenfe of the word here ufed. It is faid of Jacob, that he was a plain man, where is the fame word as here; he was an honeft, plain-hearted, fincere man, and in fuch fenfe perfect; as all thofe are, who have received the grace of God in truth; who have the root of the matter in them; whofe faith is unfeigned, whofe hope is without hypocrify, and whofe love is without diffimulation. They are not abfolutely, but comparatively perfect; in comparison of what they were. themselves before converfion; in comparison of what others are who are walking in the vanity of their minds; in comparison of hypocrites, and formal profeffors; in comparison of fuch who are only outwardly righteous before men; and fome are fo in comparison of other real chriftians, having a larger degree of knowledge, faith and experience. They are perfect, not in themselves, but in Chrift, in whom they are fanctified; and who is made unto them fanétifica tion", as well as other things; who has the whole stock and fund of grace and holiness in him for them, from whence they receive grace for grace: so that though they are at prefent imperfectly fanctified, the God of peace will fanctify them wholly; the Spirit of God from Chrift will finish his work of grace and holiness on them at the hour of death, and make them perfectly meet for the enjoyment of the divine presence. 2dly, They may be faid to be perfect with respect to their juftification. We read of perfect men in Chrift, and of the faints being compleat in him, the head of all principality and power, and of their being perfected by him ; all which respects their justification through his righteousness. He has perfectly redeemed them from all fin, and from the curfe and condemnation of the law he is a rock, and this work of his is perfect; it is finished, and an eternal redemption' it is; the efficacy and fruits of it will always continue, and it needs nothing to be added to it. Chrift has made full atonement for the fins of his people; he has bore them all, and took them away; he has put them away by the facrifice of himself; he has finished, and made an end' of them, that they are no more; he has procured an entire pardon of them; God, for Chrift's fake, forgives all trefpaffes; he heals all diseases, and forgives all iniquities; the blood of Christ cleanses from all fin; he has fulfilled the whole law in the room and stead of his people; that requires and demands perfect obedience, and nothing fhort of that will it allow to be a righteousness; but curses such who continue not in all things to do them. Now what the law could not, or men could not do in obedience to the law, through the weakness of the flesh, God has fent his own Son, made under the law, to fulfil it, in the room and stead of his people, that fo it might be fulfilled in them; and accordingly he has fulfilled it, and is the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believes: and thus having brought in a perfect and everlasting righteoufnefs, which is commenfurate to the demands. of law and juftice; whereby juftice is fatisfied, the law magnified and made honourable, and this accepted of God, and imputed to his people; they are compleatly juftified from all fin, and fecure from all wrath and condemnation. They are in this sense so perfect, that no fin is to be seen in them, or found upon them, for they are covered with Chrift's righteousness, out of the fight of avenging juftice. Though God fees all fin in his omnifcience, and chaftizes and corrects for it in his providence; yet in the business of juftification he fees no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverfeness in Ifrael: when the fins of these are fought for, they fhall not be found, because they are pardoned; they are covered with the blood and righteousness of Chrift; they are removed from them to him, and from him, 1 Cor. i. 2, 30. Deut. xxxii. 4. Numb. xxiii. 21. I Thess. v. 23. 3T 2 P Colofs, i. 28. and ii. 10. Heb. x. 14. • Heb. ix. 26. Dan. ix. 24. by by his fatisfaction for them, as far as the east is from the weft; they are caft by the Lord behind his back, and into the depths of the fea, never more to be brought against them to their condemnation: in this fenfe they are perfect, or without blemish, as a word of the fame root fignifies, and is fometimes fo rendered" they are the undefiled in the way, unblameable and irreproveable in the fight of God, without fault before the throne. As to their fanctification, they are like the moon, which has its fpots; but with respect to their justification, they are clear as the fun"; being clothed with the fun of righteousness, and fo without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; they are all fair, and there is no spot in them; they are a perfection of beauty, made perfectly comely, through that comelinefs which Chrift has put upon them; and fo will be prefented to himself, and to his divine Father another day, and at present are ac-ceptable in his fight. Secondly, Another character of truly good men is that of upright: As I have been fo large upon the former, I fhall fay the lefs to this, and the rather, as there is a very great agreement between them; for an upright man is one that has the uprightness or righteousness of Chrift fhewn unto him, and put upon him if there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thoufand, to fhew unto man his uprightness; not the uprightness of the man himself, at least: not his own external righteousness; but either the strict juftice of God requiring fatisfaction for fin; or rather the fatisfactory righteousness of Chrift, the mesfenger and interpreter, one among a thousand". This is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, and is brought near, and shewn unto a fenfible finner, by the bleffed Spirit, who works faith in him to receive it, and to walk in this uprightness. Again, an upright man is one that is upright in beart; who has a. right spirit renewed in him; is an Ifraelite indeed; is right at heart; deals uprightly and fincerely with God and men; draws nigh to God with a true heart, and whose heart agrees with his mouth, and his actions with both he is one: that walks uprightly; that walks by faith in Chrift, as he has received him, and as he has him, also, for an example; he walks according to the rule of the word, and has respect to all the commandments, and walks in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless. If there is any difference between these two words, perfect and upright; the one may defign the inward difpofition of the foul, the fincerity: Cant. vi. 10. * Job xxxiii. 23. ', aμwμ, Sept. in Lev. i. 3. y Ad officium Chrifti propheticum pertinet, ut indicet homini, per verbum externe, per fpiritum interne, rectitudinem fuam: quod intelligi poteft, vel de rectitudine Dei exigentis fatisfactionem pro peccatis, & caftigantis etiam electos fuos propter ea: vel de rectitudine ipfius Chrifti, id est, juftitia fua fatisfactoria, quæ unica falutis noftræ meritoria causa est: vel denique de rectitudine hominis, id eft, praxi fidei & refipifcentiæ. Nihil horum omnium eft, quod fuos Chriftus non doceat. Witfius de Oeconomia Fœderum, 1. 4. c. 3. §. 33. P. 464. 2 Pfal. xi. 2. a Pfal. lxxxiv, 11. fincerity of the heart, and the truth of grace there; and the other, the outward behaviour and conversation agreeable thereunto. I proceed to confider, II. The regard that is to be had to fuch a man: He is to be marked, and obferved, beheld, looked at, and attentively confidered. Mark and obferve how this man came to be perfect and upright; fince, though God made man fo, he finned, and loft his perfection and uprightnefs: feeing that man now is a corrupt and depraved creature, conceived in fin, and shapen in iniquity; there is none righteous and good, no not one; all have finned, and come short of the glory of God. Let it be obferved and remarked then, that the perfect and upright man comes to be fo by the grace of God, by which alone he is what he is; and by receiving grace out of the fulness which is in Chrift, and by the Spirit of God and his grace; for all this is not by might or power of man, but by the spirit and grace of God. Mark and observe such men, and look upon them with wonder and admiration; they are so many inftances of the marvellous lovingkindness of God, of his amazing grace, and wondrous power; they are like Ifaiah and his children, or rather like Chrift and his; they are for figns and wonders; and as Joshua and his fellows, who were men wondered at. It is aftonishing that finful creatures, fo fadly, corrupted, fhould be made perfect and upright. Mark and obferve fuch with great esteem and affection; for if you love God and Christ, you will love those that are begotten of them, and bear their image and likeness as these do: these are the precious fons of Zion; these are the excellent in the earth,, in whom should be all your delight; and the more attentively you view them, the more you will love them. Mark and obferve them as rare and uncommon perfons, which are seldom to be found, and only here and there. Noah was perfect in the age in which he lived, but were there any other? we read of no more. Job was perfect and upright; but then there was none like him in all the earth, and therefore the Lord would have him confidered. There are but few, in all ages, whofe perfons and garments are undefiled, or who are fuch perfect and upright men. Mark and obferve them, fo as to imitate them; be followers of them, fo far as they are followers of Chrift; walk as they do, and as you have them for an example: we should be followers and imitators of them, who through faith and patience have inherited the promises. Obferve their converfation, how becoming the gospel of Chrift it is; how by it they adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour; how by the grace of God they have had it in the world; confider the end of their conversation, which iffues in Christ, and in the glory of his name, and is to the honour of his interest. Take notice of their death, and the iffue of it, and their end: this is not fo generally confidered as it fhould be; the righteous perifheth, and no man layeth › its Ifai..viii. 18. Zech. iii. 8. • Ifai. lvii. 1. a Pfalm xii. 1. |