CHAPTER 11.

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION XPLAINED.

Eph. 4. 13. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Phil. 3. 15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God will reveal even this unto you." 1 Cor. 2. 6." We speak wisdom among them that are perfect." Heb. 6. 1." Let us go on unto perfection." 2 Cor. 13. 11. "Finally, brethren, farewell, Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the god of love and peace shall be with you." 1 Pet. 5. 10. "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you-"

Christian perfection, according to those passages here adduced, implies an established faith in Christ. None of our own works can make any part of this perfection. It admits of no self confidence; but it consists in an entire confidence in Jesus, and a firm reliance on him, that he will save the world from all sin. If we have the perfect faith of the son of God, this true witness within us, will bring into living exercise a perfect belief in Christ; by which perfection of the believer, is to be understood an established belief, clean of every doubt. This is belief without any condemning alloy of unbelief or doubt. Therefore, perfect in its nature, of course he who enjoys it, is a perfect christian in a certain qualiti ed sense of the word. And although, all men, saints and sinners, are very imperfect in their own works, and commit sin more or less, still a real full grown Christian in faith, has a belief in Christ perfectly suited to the

interest he has in the glorious saviour of the whole world. Now the righteousness, or perfection of the believer, is not imputed to him through his own works, but through faith which works by love," The just shall live by faith." Rom. 4. 6. "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God impute th righteousness without works." Read this whole chapter to the Romans, and you will find that righteousness was imputed to Abraham through faith, through which also, he received that grace of assurance that Christ should be heir of the world, and he staggered not through unbelief, but faithfully believed God, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. In Abraham's belief on the promises of God, there was no mixture of doubts and unbelief to make the good man stagger; No, his belief in this respect, was perfect as ours should also be. If we are blessed with father Abraham, we must believe as he believed. For, as long as any have doubts and scruples, in their way, they will stagger through unbelief, they have not yet arrived to christian perfection.

In the apostolic day, it was considered that the man of God, who labored in word and doctrine, should be made perfect in faith, before he should attempt to teach others. The man of God must have his belief in Christ perfectly undefiled by any doubts of the truth of the doctrine he preaches. And then he will be thoroughly furnished, to exhort the people to believe his doctrine, and also to give an answer to those, who ask a reason of his hope. But on the other hand, how can a man with a clear conscience, exhort his hearers to believe what he himself doubts the truth of? And how can such a doubting preacher give suitable answers, without betraying his own hypocrisy in attempting to preach what he himselt does not believe. We will suppose the following questions ought to be asked. Sir, do you think we all ought to firmly believe what you have been preaching to us. He must reply yes. What if we all doubt your doctrine?" He that doubteth is damned." "He that believeth not shall be damned." Sir, do you believe firmly, what you have

declared to us? Ans. I hope I do. Have you no doubts on your own mind concerning the truth? O yes, I have frequent doubts. Now reader, if you were to hear a dialogue like this, under the same circumstances, what would naturally be your reflections? I can tell you mine at once. If the hearers are damned for doubting and disbelieving what they heard, they must still have their doubting preacher's society and even fellowship in damnation. Like preachers, like hearers.

Without faith, no man can be justified, either in preaching or in hearing the truth. Unless we believe the truth when we happento or do preach it, it is not a Christian work; It is like Saul among the prophets; and he who hears and does not believe, can be no christian. Doubt excludes belief, and true belief excludes all doubt. No man can both believe and also doubt the truth, we cannot serve two masters thus. A perfect believer in Christ has arrived to christian perfection in faith. And to be a real christian is to be perfect in our belief. It is to have faith sufficient to believe, not only that Christ is the son of God, but also that he is the saviour of the whole world, beyond a scruple or a doubt. It was thus the apostles believed, therefore, in the first Ep. of John we read, "I hat which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. That which we have heard and seen, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the father, and with his son Jesus Christ.

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the son to be the saviour of the world. And we know that the son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his son Jesus Christ, this is the true God and eternal life." Such a state of divine assurance, is a state of christian perfection.

Now can any one honestly say, that the apostles doubted the truth of what they preached? Can any per

son have the temerity to sav the apostles entertained any doubts of Christ the son's being the saviour of the world, and of his being sent to effect this great salvation of all? They declare they know these things which they testify to be true.

The apostles wished all to whom they preached, to be perfected and established in belief of the truth which they taught. However, John says, (when, I think, alluding to works) "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Hence it will follow that christian-perfection, relates to a perfect belief in the truth, and not to perfection of our own works, and yet some or many of our works may bear witness before the world that we have the most perfect confidence in Christ, and in the universality of his great salvation. The Apostle Paul insinuates that in our coming to this perfection, we must come to the unity of all the parts of humanity in our faith, according to the measure of the stature, of the fulness of Christ. And in another place he says, all the family in heaven and earth is named of or in Christ. Hence it will follow, if we truly believe in him through the perfection of faith we shall believe the full measure and stature of his salvation, which embraces the whole world of mankind. In a word, that we should believe him to be a perfect saviour of all that die in Adam. Our belief could not be perfect, if it only embraced an idea of an imperfect partial saviour. We must have one whole faith in one whole saviour. And that redeemer is Christ the son of God. A right belief in Christ amounts to Christian perfection. But not a belief cloged with fearful doubts. He that has this perfect belief in Christ, has a perfect witness in himself, a sure word of prophecy, a light shining in a dark place, by which he knows his redeemer lives, and because he lives, men shall live also as bers of his mystic body. And although the christian sees himself a fallible creature, yet he sees Jesus a perfect and infallible saviour; "he marks the perfect man and beholds the upright in Jesus Christ the son of God." On this perfect son of God the christian wholly relies

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with unshaken confidence. And this reliance is the perfection of the christian religion, wherever it takes root in the heart of man; and will finally lead to a perfect day of glory, when time shall be no more, when that which is perfect in a temporal view, shall be done away by something superior in eternity.