&c. is used; without shewing the connection, or settling the real meaning of any one of them. They also attempt to treat the subject analogically; and talk flippantly about perfect buds, perfect flowers, perfect trees, &c. &c. They have also their perfect child, perfect man, perfect angel, &c. &c. I confess I have often been perplexed, dissatisfied, unedified, and concluded that I either could not understand them, or that they did not understand themselves. A general indefinite, declamatory exhibition, without point, has appeared to me, and, as far as I can learn, to many others, the real aspect of an hour's effort.

Attributing the defect, however, to my own ignorance, and desiring to be corrected, and come to some point on the subject, I set myself down to peruse Mr. Wesley's Plain account of Christian Perfection.' But alas! to my great disappointment, I found 'confusion worse confounded.' He defines Christian Perfection to be, "the loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. This implies, (says he) that no wrong temper, none contrary to love, remains in the soul: and that all the thoughts, words and actions, are govern. ed by pure love." Well, thought I, if this be a proper definition of Christian Perfection, I wonder what more than this, does the moral law require. I wondered if Adam before his fall could do more than this-if Saints and Angels in heaven-yea, if the 'man Christ Jesus' himself, while on earth, could do more than what is implied in this definition. This must surely be an absolute or sinless perfection; and this is what the same author must mean when he further asserts, that "it is only of grown Christians it can be affirmed, they are in such a sense perfect, as to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers." It is further implied in being a perfect Christian,-that all inwurd sin is undoubtedly, taken away." Yet, he admits that such a character, a perfect christian, freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers, is nevertheless not freed from "infirmities, ignorance, and mistake." But maintains, that "where every word and action springs from love, a mistake is not properly a sin. However, it cannot, (he says) bear the rigor of God's justice, but needs the atoning blood." And again; "Every one may mistake as long as he lives: a mistake in opinion may occasion a mistake in practice: every such mistake is a transgression of the perfect law: therefore, every such mistake, were it not for the blood of atonement, would expose to eternal damnation. It follows, that the most perfect have continual need of the merits of Christ, even for their actual transgressions." Here, this perfect Christian, freed from all inward sin-all evil thoughts, &c. is not however freed from "mistake;" but this "mistake is not properly a sin;"

notwithstanding it is acknowledged to be "a transgression of the perfect law," and "would expose to eternal damnation, were it not for the blood of atonement." Here, if I mistake not, is the prototype of all the jargon, and confusion of modern preachers on this subject. If any man can harmonize these inconsistencies and contradictions he has, I confess, more theological acumen than the writer. He can try it if he choose; but we turn to a more sure word of prophecy.

The simple question now before us is this: Do any saints ever attain perfection in this life? By perfection I mean perfect holiness; by perfect holiness I mean, a perfect conformity of the heart and conduct to the revealed law of God. This implies the keeping "all the com mandments of God at all times, without the least breach of them, in disposition, inclination, thought, affection, word, or conversation." Perfect holiness consists in having the heart wholly possest by the love of God, without the mixture of any inferior or baser passion. Itimplies that the subject of it be free from 'each evil working of the heart, each depraved cogitation of the mind, each embryo purpose of wickedness, each malignant feeling, each rising of impatience, each fretful act of repining against the course of God's providence, each want of cheerful acquiescence in his purposes, each defect even of love to him as our maker and benefactor.' This you may call Christian Perfection. But to free the subject from all ambiguity, I prefer to call it perfect Holiness. Now that any mere man, since the fall, did ever at tain to this perfection in this life, I do not believe. Adam, before the fall, was able to keep perfectly all God's commandments; but no mere man since the fall was ever able to do it. The Lord Jesus Christ was both able, and also did perfectly keep the commandments of God; but he was more than mere man, being both God and man in one person. The saints hereafter in heaven, being made perfect themselves, shall be enabled perfectly to obey God in all that he shall require of them. But that saints on earth, do not attain to this perfection, we firmly believe, for the following reasons:

1. Because the best of saints, in this life, are but partially renewed; that is, are not entirely freed from "the old man," the remains of flesh and corruption, which rebel and war against the spirit, and "the new man" within. Gal. v. 17. They are not freed from every thing mentioned in the above definition of perfect holiness; which we presume, will not be controverted.

2. Because the scripture testimony is express and pointed in support of our position. "For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not." Eccl. vii. 20. "For there is no man that sin neth not." I. Kings viii. 46. "If we say that we have no sin, we de

ceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." I. John i. 8. "If I say, I am perfect, it shall prove me perverse." Job ix. 20. "I have seen an end of all perfection." Ps. cxix. 96.

3. Because the scriptures record the sins of the most holy men that ever lived: instance the dissimulation of both Abraham, and Isaac, respecting their wives; (Gen. xx. 2: xxvi. 7.) Jacob's lie to his father; (Gen. xxvii. 24.) Moses's unadvised speech. Ps. cvi. 33. Instance also, Noah's drunkenness; Lot's incest; David's murder and adultery, the impatience of Job and Jeremiah, in cursing their birthday; Peter's denial of his master with cursing and swearing, and his dissimulation afterwards, before the Jews; the contention of Paul and Barnabas. From such instances as these, of persons who were filled with the Holy host, and endued with such a great measure of grace, not excelled by any we read of in the scriptures, or any history, we may safely conclude, that if they were not perfect, without sin, (for surely their aberrations were not mistakes merely) then no saints, in this life, have ever attained to a state of sinless perfection, or perfect holiness.

What then, it may be enquired, is that perfection spoken of, concerning, and ascribed to the saints in the scipture? I answer, it is not to be understood of absolute perfection and freedom from all sinş for the reasons already given, which prove the contrary. But it is to be understood of sincerity, and uprightness of intention, motive, and conduct. So the word perfect, is often rendered sincere, upright, in the marginal reading. And no more is to be understood than what is generally termed, by good writers, an evangelical perfection; or, at furthest, a comparative perfection: thus God testifieth of Job, there is none like him in the earth, a perfect man; that is: none so perfect as he is none like him, a perfect and upright man. His perfection consisted in his uprightness and sincerity. And it was no more than this that Hezekiah plead before God when he said, "Remember I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart." For the scripture, as we have seen, notes the sin of both these men afterwards; so that it is clearly evident they were not absolutely perfect, The Apostle Paul asserts, in Phil. iii. 15, that himself and other Christians were perfect: yet he had before, in v. 12, 13, acknowledged that he was not perfect. In this there is no contradiction, if we refer to the distinction just made; understanding the perfection which he had attained, and of which he speaks, in v. 15, to be no more than evangelical perfection; and that which he had not attained, in v. 12 to be understood of absolute perfection; to which no saints do attain in this life, and to which if any do pretend, it is owing to their ignoVOL. II. 7

rance of themselves, of God and of the spirituality and extent of his law, by which is the knowledge of sin.

Curiosity, if nothing else, would prompt us to hear how one of our modern, loose declaimers on perfection, would preach from this text; "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." Matt. xix. 21. This item, in their perfection creed, I have never heard them touch; no, not even quote, much less adopt themselves, or inculcate upon others. A pretty tough requisition. perhaps, for some of our modern perfectionists who through ignorance, infirmity, or mistake, can quote more scripture, than they can understand. CLELAND.

SPECIMEN OF WELCH PREACHING.

At a meeting of ministers at Bristol, the Rev. Mr.-invited several of his brethren to sup with him. Among them was the minister officiating at the Welch meeting house in that city—he was an entire stranger to all the company, and silently attentive to the general conversation of his brethren. The subject on which they were discoursing was the different strains of public preaching.

The

When several had given their opinion, and had mentioned some individuals as good preachers, and such as were models as to style of composition, &c. Mr.-turned to the Welch stranger and solicited his opinion. He said he felt it a privilege to be silent when such men were discoursing, but that he felt it a duty to comply with their request.-"But," said he, "if I must give my opinion, I should say that ye have no good preachers in England. A welchman would set fire to the world while you were lighting your match. whole company requested the good man to give them some specimen of the style and manner of preaching in Wales. "Specimen," said he, “I cannot give you; if John Elias were here, he would give you a specimen indeed. I cannot do justice to the Welch language? Your poor meagre language would spoil it? It is not capable of expressing those ideas which a Welchman can conceive? I cannot give you a specimen in English without spoiling it."-The interest of the company was increased, and nothing would do but something of a specimen. "Well," said the Welchman, "if you must have a piece, I must try; but I don't know what to give you—I recollect a piece of Christmas Evans. He was preaching on the depravity of man by sin-of his recovery by the death of Christ, and he said: "Brethren, if I were to represent to you in a figure, the condition of man as a sinner, and the means of recovery by the cross of

Jesus Christ, I should represent it in this way. Suppose a large grave-yard surrounded by a high wall, with only one entrance, which is by a large iron gate, which is fast bolted.-Within these walls are thousands and tens of thousands of human beings, of all ages and of all classes, by one epidemic disease bending to the gravethe grave yawns to swallow them, and they must all die. There is no balm to relieve them-no physician there-they must perish. This is the condition of man as a sinner-all have sinned, and the soul that sinneth, it must die. While man was in this deplorable state, Mercy, the darling attribute of Deity, came down and stood at the gate, looking at the scene and wept over it, exclaiming, "Oh that I might enter-I would bind up their wounds-I would relieve their sorrows-I would save their souls?"-While mercy stood weeping at the gate, an embassy of angels, commissioned from the Court of Heaven to some other world, passing over, paused at the sight-and Heaven forgave that pause-and seeing mercy standing there, they cried, "Mercy, mercy, can you not enter? Can you look upon that scene and not pity? Can you pity and not relieve?” Mercy replied, "I can see"-and in her tears she added, "I can pity, but I cannot relieve."—"Why can you not enter?"-"Oh!” said mercy, "Justice has barred the gate against me, and I cannot, must not unbar it." At this moment, Justice himself appeared, as it were to watch the gate. The angels enquired of him, "Why will you not let merey in?" Justice replied, "My law is broken, and it must be honored. Die they or Justice must!" At this, there appeared a form among the angelic band like unto the Son of God, who addressing himself to Justice, said, "What are thy demands?" Justice replied, "My terms are stern and rigid-I must have sickess for their health—I must have ignominy for their honor-I must have death for their life. Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” "Justice" said the Son of God, "I accept thy terms. On me be this wrong, and let Mercy enter." "When," said Justice, "will you perform this promise?" The Son of God replied, "Four thousand years hence, upon the hill of Calvary, without the gates of Jerusalem, I will perform it in my own person." The deed was prepared, and signed in the presence of the angels of God-Justice was satisfied, and Mercy entered, preaching salvation in the name of Jesus.The deed was committed to the patriarchs, by them to the kings of Israel and the prophets; by them it was preserved till Daniel's se venty weeks were accomplished; then at the appointed time, Justice appeared on the bill of Calvary, and Mercy presented to him the important deed. "Where," said Justice, "is the Son of God?”