those controverfies which concern my sub-ject, it was with no other design, than to guard and fortify my reader against the ill influence of several errors, with which they abound. I decline all useless speculations, and labour wholly to restore religion to its native strength and beauty; so that I think this objection will not touch me, who do not propofe to write a learned, but à useful book. If any man be apprehenfive, that'tis impossible to affert the doctrine of Perfection, without looking a little too favourably towards Pelagianism or Enthusiasm, or fomething of this kind; I do here affure such a one, that I advance no Perfection that raises men above the use or need of means, or invites them to neglect the word, prayer, or Sacraments, or is raised on any other foundation than the gospel of Christ. I revive not Pelagianism, nor clash with St Austin; I need not those conceffions which he makes | Cæleftius in the close of his book de Perfectione fuftitiæ. I am perfuaded that the strength of nature is too flight a foundation to build Perfection on: I contend for freedom from no other sin than actual, voluntary, and deliberate: and let concupifcence, or any unavoidable distemper, or diforder of our nature, be what it will, all that I aim at here is, the reducing, not extirpating it. And finally, how earnestly foever I exhort exhort to Perfection, I can very well content my self with St. Austin's notion of it, namely, that it is nothing else, but a daily progress towards that pure and unspotted holiness, which we shall attain to in another life. Thus, I think, I have fufficiently guarded this following discourse against the mifapprehenfions and jealoufies of all, who have any ferious concern for religion, how much foever they may be swayed by fome particular opinions. But after all, I do not expect that it should meet with a very obliging reception from a great part of the world. Many there are, who will ever openly rally and ridicule all attempts of this kind: and there are others, who will fecretly flight and inwardly despise them, as the vain and fond projects of well-meaning indeed, but very weak and unexperienced mortals. But this moves me little; these men are generally too much strangers to fincerity, to be competent judges of Perfection: nor do I wonder, if the corrupt and vicious part of mankind be infected with as much malice and envy against extraordinary goodness, as fome are againft power and greatness. The consciousness of much baseness and corruption in one's self, is apt to make one strive to bring down all men to the fame level, and to believe that there is nothing of Perfection in the world, but only a groundless or hypocritical pretenfion to it. This is an opinion that ill men greedily embrace, because it gives them fome kind of peace, security, and confidence; whereas the contrary opinion, as it would be apt to make them ashamed of their prefent state, so would it make them fearful and apprehenfive of their future one. I write not therefore to fuch as these, nor can be much concerned what censure they pass on a design, against which they have an inveterate and obstinate aversion. The method I observe in this treatise is : in the first fection, I consider Perfection more generally in the fecond, the feveral parts of it; and in the last, the obstacles and impediments of our attaining it. In the two first sections, I always first fix and explain the notion of that state of virtue which I difcourse of. Next I proceed to the fruits or advantages of it; and in the last place prescribe the method by which it may be attained, SECT. : SECT. I. Of Religious Perfection in general. CHAP. Ι. Perfection a confirmed habit of holiness. This notion conformable to reason and fcripture. The nature of an habit confidered, according to four properties of it. : M OST disputes and controverfies arife from false and mistaken notions of the matter under debate; and so I could fhew it has happened here. Therefore, to prevent miftakes, and cut off all occafions of contention (which serves only to defeat the influence and fuccefs of practical difcourses) I think it neceffary to begin here with a plain account what it is I mean by Religious Perfection. Religion is nothing else, but the purifying and refining nature by grace, the raising and exalting our faculties and capacities by wisdom and virtue. Religious Perfec B tion, tion, therefore, is nothing else but the moral accomplishment of human nature, fuch a maturity of virtue as man in this life is capable of; Converfion begins, Perfection confummates the habit of righteousness: in the one, religion is, as it were, in its infancy; in the other, in its ftrength and manhood; fo that Perfection, in short, is nothing elfe, but a ripe and settled habit of true holiness. According to this notion of religious Perfection, he is a perfect man, whose mind is pure and vigorous, and his body tame and obsequious; whofe faith is firm and steady, his love ardent and exalted, and his hope full of affurance; whose religion has in it that ardour and conftancy, and his foul that tranquillity and pleafure, which bespeaks him a child of the light, and of the day, a partaker of the Divine Nature, and raised above the corruption which is in the world through luft. 1 This account of religious Perfection is fo natural and easy, that I I fancy no man will demand a proof of it; nor should I go about one, were it not to serve some further ends than the mere confirmation of it. It has manifeftly the countenance both of reason and fcripture ; and how contradictory foever fome ancient and latter schemes of Perfection seem to be, or really are, to one another; yet do they all agree in effect |