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"QUEST. Do you affirm that this perfection excludes all infirmities, ignorance, and mistake?

"ANS. I continually affirm quite the contrary, and always have. done so.

"QUEST. But how can every thought, word, and work, be governed by pure love, and the man be subject at the same time to ignorance and mistake?

"ANS. I see no contradiction here: A man may be filled with pure love, and still be liable to mistake.' Indeed, I do not expect to be freed from actual mistakes till this mortal puts on immortality. I be lieve this to be a natural consequence of the soul's dwelling in flesh and blood. For we cannot now think at all, but by the mediation of those bodily organs which have suffered equally with the rest of our frame. And hence we cannot avoid sometimes thinking wrong, till this corruptible shall have put on incorruption."

Mr. Fletcher says :—

"The perfection we preach is nothing but perfect repentance, perfect faith, and perfect love, productive of the gracious tempers which St. Paul himself describes, 1 Cor. xiii.”

Dr. Clarke says :—

"This perfection is the restoration of man to the state of holiness from which he fell, by creating him anew in Christ Jesus, and restoring to him that image and likeness of God which he has lost. A higher meaning than this it cannot have; a lower meaning it must not have. God made him in that degree of perfection which was pleasing to his own infinite wisdom and goodness. Sin defaced this divine image; Jesus came to restore it. Sin must have no triumph; and the Redeemer of mankind must have his glory. But if man be not perfectly saved from all sin, sin does triumph, and Satan exult, because they have done a mischief that Christ either cannot or will not remove. To say he cannot, would be shocking blasphemy against the infinite power and dignity of the great Creator; to say he will not, would be equally such against the infinite benevolence and holiness of his nature. All sin, whether in power, guilt, or defilement, is the work of the devil; and he, Jesus, came to destroy the work of the devil; and as all unrighteousness is sin, so his blood cleanseth from all sin, because it cleanseth from all unrighteousness.

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Many stagger at the term perfection in Christianity; because they think that what is implied in it is inconsistent with a state of probation, and savors of pride and presumption: but we must take good heed how we stagger at any word of God; and much more how we deny or fritter away the meaning of any of his sayings, lest he reprove us, and we be found liars before him. But it may be that the term is rejected because it is not understood. Let us examine its import.

"The word 'perfection,' in reference to any person or thing, signifies that such person or thing is complete or finished; that it has nothing redundant, and is in nothing defective. And hence that observation of

a learned civilian is at once both correct and illustrative, namely, 'We count those things perfect which want nothing requisite for the end whereto they were instituted.' And to be perfect often signifies 'to be blameless, clear, irreproachable;' and, according to the above definition of Hooker, a man may be said to be perfect who answers the end for which God made him; and as God requires every man to love him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and his neighbor as himself, then he is a perfect man that does so; he answers the end for which God made him; and this is more evident from the nature of that love which fills his heart: for as love is the principle of obedience, so he that loves his God with all his powers will obey him with all his powers; and he who loves his neighbor as himself will not only do no injury to him, but, on the contrary, labor to promote his best interests."

Mr. Treffry observes :

"Christianity being the doctrine of Christ, we infer that Christian perfection implies a conformity to the will of Christ, in all that relates. to inward and outward holiness, to the temper of our minds, and the conduct of our lives: or, in other words, it is the full maturity of the Christian principle, and the consistent and uniform exemplification of Christian practice. By the Christian principle, we understand that divine virtue, from which the several graces and fruits of Christianity spring, and by which they are supported and kept in continual operation. Or, in other words, it is that which resembles the germinating power in vegetation, that unfolds itself in buds, blossoms, and fruits, containing within it, as in an embryo state, the rudiments of all true virtue; which, striking deep its roots, though feeble and lowly in its beginnings, silently progressive, and almost insensibly maturing, yet will shortly, even in the bleak and churlish temperature of this world, lift up its head and spread abroad its branches, bearing abundant fruits." "

Again:

"Perfection has a two-fold character; there is a perfection of parts, and a perfection of degrees. A thing is perfect in the former sense, when it possesses all the properties or qualities which are essential to its nature, without any deficiency or redundancy: thus a machine is perfect when it has all its parts, and these parts so admirably disposed as completely to answer the purpose for which it is formed. Thus a human body is perfect when it has all the limbs, muscles, arteries, veins, &c., that belong to a human body, and thus I conceive every Christian believer is perfect, as he is endowed with all the graces of the Spirit, and the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.' And this kind of perfection admits of no increase; any addition would deface the beauty and destroy the harmony of the whole add another wheel to your watches, and the purpose would be defeated for which they are formed: imagine another limb joined to a human body, and it would disfigure rather than beautify it, and retard rather than accelerate its motion. In religion, indeed, the imagination

cannot picture any additional virtue, nor the mind conceive of any new grace to be joined to the Christian character; the feeblest saint is as perfect in this sense as the most established Christian, and the babe as complete as the man. And I greatly question whether the glorified spirits in heaven are more perfect in this view than the saints upon earth; for if old things pass away, and all things become new, when the soul is vitally united to Christ, may we not suppose that the most consummate state of blessedness in the kingdom of God consists in the endless accessions which those graces will receive that adorn the soul in this world?

"Do the spirits of just men made perfect love God with an intense ardor and growing attachment? And is not the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us?' Do not we love him because he first loved us? Do they possess a fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore? And do not we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory?' And return to Zion with singing and everlasting joy upon our heads?"

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"Do they see Christ as he is, and participate his likeness?

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And do not we behold, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, till changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord?" "Do they say with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength, and honor and glory, and blessing?" And do not 'we sing and make melody in our hearts unto the Lord?'

Thee they sing with glory crown'd,

We extol the slaughter'd Lamb,

Lower if our voices sound,

Our subject is the same.

"Far be it from me to assert any thing positively on this subject. It is possible there may be latent powers in the human soul which never can be developed in this world, but which may, in a future state of existence, give birth to new and endless enjoyments; for if this life be only the bud of being,' what finite mind can conceive the glories that will await us, when we blossom with unfading beauty in the garden of paradise?

"Perfection may be considered in reference to its degrees. I do not like this term, as I am conscious it may be abused, but it is the best I can find to express my meaning: it implies the having all the 'fruits of the Spirit' brought to such maturity, as to exclude every opposing principle, and every contrary temper. A man may be perfect in the former sense, and imperfect in the latter: just as a child may be perfect in parts, and imperfect in degrees; he may have all the limbs, and so on, of a human being, but not the strength, the vigor, nor the intellectual endowments of a man. And thus a Christian, who has been recently born of God,' and just introduced into the glorious liberty of the gospel, may have all the graces of Christianity, and yet these may exist in imperfect degrees: for instance, every Christian possesses a confidence in God, a trust in his promises, and a reliance upon his veracity; not the confidence of ignorance, nor of presumption, but the

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genuine offspring of experimental knowledge, for they that know thy name, (saith David,) will put their trust in thee.' But this confidence, though perfect in its principle, is imperfect in its degree. It is sometimes disturbed by doubts, molested by fears, or harassed by anxious cares; but when the soul has attained to maturity in Christian holiness, this confidence is perfect, and doubt, distrust, and fear, cease to exist. And though, in reference to worldly things, the Christian may walk 'in darkness, and have no light,' the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be in the vine, friends may desert him, and foes meditate his ruin, yet 'he shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord' hence he can say with Job, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,' or with the poet,

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"Though waves and storms go o'er my head,

Though health, and strength, and friends be gone,
Though joys be wither'd all, and dead,

Though every comfort be withdrawn ;

On this my steadfast soul relies,

Father, thy mercy never dies.'

Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ loves God, and gives the most indubitable evidence of that love, by keeping God's commandments, and doing the things that please him. But this love, although perfect in its nature, is not in its degree. There may be an undue attachment to the world, an improper fondness for the creature, or an inordinate degree of self-love; but when the Christian has gone on 'unto perfection,' then he loves God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength, and his neighbor as himself.' This love knows no rival; neither the seductions of sin, nor the lures of the world, nor the charms of the creature, can alienate the affections from the sole object that has engrossed them. For such a man, wealth has no value, pleasure no attraction, honor no brilliance, and dignities no splendor: hence he adopts the language of the poet :

'All my treasure is above,
All my riches is thy love;
Whom have I in heaven but thee?

Thou art all in all to me.""

It will be perceived from the above extracts, that our authors use the terms perfection, sanctification, and holiness interchangeably, as having the same signification, when used in the Bible in relation to Christian character and experience.

Sanctification may be represented under two aspects-first as a work, and secondly as a state. As a work, 1, it is present and instantaneous; and 2, permanent and continued. The present work embraces, 1. Cleansing from sin; and 2. Setting apart to a holy use. What we mean by being cleansed from sin, is, being saved from its pollutions, its love, and its power, through an application of the

blood of Christ by the agency and influences of the Holy Ghost. By being set apart to a holy use, we mean being consecrated to the service of God, by the grace and power of God, upon our own voluntary surrender. In this transaction the will of God and the will of the creature harmonize.

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That part of the work which is continued embraces the sustaining influences of the Spirit, defending the soul from the assaults of sin, and inspiring the peculiar feelings and tendencies of a loving, submissive, and devoted mind. In short, whatever of divine influence is necessary to sustain the flame of perfect love, to insure a growth in grace, to impart joy and peace, and to preserve the soul in the hour of temptation. But,

Secondly. Sanctification is a state. The state of sanctification implies, 1. The death of sin. 2. The life of righteousness. 3. Habits of obedience.

After premising these few things, we are prepared to give an answer to the inquiry whether sanctification is instantaneous or gradual. Upon this distinction much depends. We must understand whether we are authorized from the Scriptures to conclude that it is wholly gradual or wholly instantaneous, or partly both gradual and instantaneous, and if so, in what respects is it gradual and in what respects instantaneous, before we can have a rational understanding of the subject, and especially before we shall be prepared to employ the best and most successful efforts for its attainment. Upon this important point Mr. Wesley holds the following language:

"A man may be dying for some time, yet he does not, properly speaking, die, till the instant the soul is separated from the body; and in that instant he lives the life of eternity."

The following passage is quoted by Mr. Fletcher from Mr. Wesley with approbation, and of course is to be regarded as an expression of the views of both of these great lights of the church :—

"Does God work this great work in the soul gradually or instantaneously? Perhaps it may be gradually wrought in some, I mean in this sense,-they do not advert to the particular moment wherein sin ceases to be. But it is infinitely desirable, were it the will of God, that it should be done instantaneously; that the Lord should destroy sin by the breath of his mouth,' in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And so he generally does,-a plain fact, of which there is evidence enough to satisfy any unprejudiced person. Thou therefore look for it every moment. Look for it in the way above described; in all

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