Images de page
PDF
ePub

Toef. 8.

bered no more; for they cease to commit fin, being born of the feed of God. If by fin here, he means, as he seems to do, deliberate or presumptuous sin; I do not think any established Church, whether Proteftant or Popish, teaches otherwise. Mr. Barclay (f) goes very methodically to Apol. work, and first fets down the state of the question; then confutes those that differ from him; answers their objections out of fcripture; and, lastly, establishes his own doctrine. As to the Perfection which he asserts, he lets us know, that it is to be derived from the Spirit of Chrift; that it consists not in an impoffibility of finning, but a poffibility of not finning; and that this perfect man is capable of daily growth and improvement. When to this I have added, that he speaks all along of that which we call wilful fin, as appears from his description of it; for he calls it iniquity, wickedness, impurity, the fervice of Satan, and attributes such effects to it as belong not at all to what we call fins of infirmity; when, I say, this is added to render the sense clear, I can readily fubscribe to him: for, I know no such doctrines in our Church as those which he there opposes; namely, that the regenerate are to live in fin, and that their good works are impure and finful. But then, he either mistakes the main point in debate,

or prudently declines: for the question is not, whether good men may live in mortal or wilful fin, but whether good men are not subject to frailties and infirmities, which are indeed fins, tho' not imputable under the covenant of grace? Whether the Quakers are not in this point Pelagians, I do not now enquire; because if they be, they are already confidered. Two things there are in Mr. Barclay's state of the question, which I cannot so well approve of; the one is, that he expresses himself so injudicioufly about the growth and improvement of his perfect man, that he leems to forget the difference the fcriptures make between babes and full grown men in Chrift, and to place Perfection fo low in reference to positive righteousness or virtue, as if it confifted in negative on-ly or ceasing from fin. The other is, that tho he does not peremptorily affirm a state of impeccability attainable in this life; yet he seems inclinable to believe it, and imagines it countenanced by 1 John iii. 9. But he ought to have considered, that whatever impeccability may be inferred from that text, it is attributed, not to fome extraordinary persons, but to all, whofoever they be, that are born of God; but this is out of my way. All that I am to observe upon the whole is, that

these men place Perfection especially in refraining

refraining from fin: I advance higher, and place it in a well-fettled habit of righteousness. And I believe they will be as little dissatisfied with me for this, as I am with them, for asserting the perfect man freed from fin. For, as Mr. Barclay expresses himself, I think he has in reality no adversaries but Antinomians and Ranters.

As to that Perfection which is magnified by mystical writers, some of them have only darkened and obfcured the plain sense of the gospel, by figurative and unintelligible terms. Those of them, which write with more life and heat than other men ordinarily do, recommend nothing but that holiness which begins in the fear, and is consummate in the love of God; which enlightens the mind, purifies the heart, and fixes and unites man to his foveraign good, that is, God: and I am sure I shall not differ with these.

There are, I confefs, almost innumerable sayings of the fathers, which sufficiently testify how little friends they were to Perfection, in such a notion of it as is too generally embraced in the Church of Rome. The primitive spirit breathed nothing but humility: it was a professed enemy to all felf-confidence and arrogance, to supererogation and merit; and it invited men earnestly to reflect upon the fins and flips of life, and on that oppofition which the law of the body maintains against the law of the mind, in some degree or other, in the best men. This confideration forced the bishop of Condome to that plain and honest confeffion; Itaque Justitia noftra, licet per charitatis infufionem fit vera, &c. Tho our righteousness, because of that love which the Spirit sheds abroad in our heart, be fincere and real; yet it is not abfolute and confummate, because of the oppofition of concupifcenfe: fo that it is an indispensable duty of Chriftianity, to be perpetually bewailing the errors of life: Wherefore we are obliged humbly to confess with St. Austin, that our righteousness in this life consists rather in the pardon of our fins, than in the perfection of our virtues. All this is undoubtedly true, but concerns not me: I never dream of any man's paffing the course of life without fin: nor do I contend for such a Perfection as St. Austin calls abfolute, which will admit of no increase, and is exempt from defects and errors. Tho' on the other hand, I confefs, I cannot but think, some carry this matter too far; and while they labour to abate the pride and confidence of man, give too much encouragement to negligence and presumption. I cannot see how frequent relapses into deliberate acts of wickedness can confift with a well-fettled tled and established habit of goodness. The heat of difpute in some, and a fort of implicite faith for their authority in others, has produced many unwary expressions, and I doubt very unfound and pernicious notions about this matter.

CHAP. III.

Several inferences deduced from the true notion of Perfection. With a plain method how perfons may judge of their present State. The difference between the extraordinary primitive converfions, and those which may be expected in our days, with a remark about infused habits.

[ocr errors]

AVING in the two former chapters fixed the notion of religious Perfection, and proved it consonant to reason and fcripture; and not so only, but also made it appear, that it is countenanced by the unanimous confent of all, who have ever handled this subject: I have nothing now to do, but by way of inference to represent the advantages we may reap from

it.

1. It is from hence plain, that Perfection must not be placed in fantastick speculations or voluntary observances, but in the solid and useful virtues of the gospel; in

the

« PrécédentContinuer »