ties. In trust of his mercy take you in hand to purge the leaven of sin, that corrupteth and soureth the sweetness of our life before God; that ye may be as new and fresh dough, void of all sour leaven of wickedness ; so shall ye show yourselves to be sweet bread to God, that he may have his delight in you." Hom.on the Resur.

that

All the preceding Arguments support our sense of the IXth and XVth Articles; and if Mr. Hill urge, our church contradicts herself, and sometimes pleads for Christian Imperfection and a Death-purgatory; we reply, that, supposing the charge were well-grounded, yet we ought rather to follow her, when she soberly follows scripture, than when she hastily follows incon-sistent Augustine. But we would rather hope, that when she speaks of human depravity in a manner which seems to bear hard upon the preceding quotations, it is either when she speaks of human depravity in general, or when she inculcates the perfection of Humility; or when she opposes the feigned Perfection of those whom she ironically calls "proud, just, perfect, and holy Pharisees." Hom, on the Misery of Man.-From these and the like words, therefore, we have as much reason to conclude, that she renounces true Christian Holiness ; as to infer, that she decries true Christian Perfection. Besides, the delusion of those Pharisees, who have missed a perfection of Evangelical Righteousness and Humility, and have attained a perfection of Self-righteousness and Pride, is so horrible and so diametrically opposite to the spirit of Christianity, that our Reformers deserve to be excused, if they have sometimes opposed that error in an unguarded manner; especially as they have so clearly and so frequently asserted the glorious liberty of God's children.

I shall close this Vindication of the Church of England with some remarks upon her "Martyrs," whom Mr. Hill produces also in his Creed, to keep the doctrine of Christian Imperfection in countenance.

1. If any of our Martyrs, speaking of his converted, renewed, and sanctified state, said, "I am all sin," or

words to that purpose, he spoke the words of unguarded humility, rather than the words of evangelical soberness: For a man may have grace and zeal enough to burn for one truth, without having time and prudence enough properly to investigate and state every truth.

2. In our state of weakness, the very Perfection of Humility may betray an injudicious Martyr into the use of expressions which seem to clash with the glorious liberty of God's children; just as an excessive love for our friends may betray us into an injudicious and teasing officiousness.

3. When a Martyr considers himself in his fallen state in Adam, or in his former state of disobedience, he may say, "I am all sin," in the very same sense in which St. Paul said, 'I am the chief of sinners.' But allow him time to explain himself, and he will soon give you to understand that he rejoices in the testimony of a good conscience, purged from dead works to serve the living God;' and that, far from harbouring any sin in himself, he is determined to strive against sin in others; resisting unto blood.' And is not such a disposition as this, one of the highest steps in the ladder of Christian Perfection?

4. Hence it appears, that the unguarded expressions of our Martyrs were levelled at Pharisaic Pride, or at Absolute Perfection, and not at Christian Perfection. Like some pious Calvinists in our days, they embraced Christian Perfection in deed, whilst, through misapprehension, they disclaimed it in word. And therefore their speeches against the glorious liberty of God's children, shew only, that Christian Perfection is a perfection of humility and love, and not a perfection of wisdom and knowledge.

5. If it can be proved that any of those, who rank among our martyrs, died full of indwelling sin, I will not scruple to say, that he died a bigot and not a martyr; for to die full of indwelling sin is to die full of secret obstinacy and uncharitableness; and St. Paul declares, that were an apostle himself to give his body to be burned' in such a disposition, it would profit him nothing.'

6. As many brave Englishmen have laid down their lives in the field of battle, to defend their country against the French, without being properly acquainted with the liberties and boundaries of the British empire; so many Protestants have laid down their lives in Smithfield, to defend their religion against the Papists, without being acquainted with all the landmarks, which divide the land of spiritual Israel from that of the Philistines, and Perfect Christianity from Antinomian dotages.

7. The Jews can produce their Martyrs as well as the Protestants. The Maccabees, for example, died entirely satisfied with the Mosaic Covenant, and strangers to the transcendent glory of the Christian Dispensation. But is this a sufficient reason for preferring Judaism to Christianity?—Yes, if Mr. Hill be in the right, when he decries the doctrine of Perfect Faith and Perfect Love, and imposes upon us the doctrine of a Death-purgatory, because some good men formerly died without having clear views of the doctrine of Christian Perfection; though, like men who eat honey in the dark, they tasted its sweetness, and delightfully experienced its power.

8. To conclude: I am persuaded, that, were all our Reformers and Martyrs alive, none of them would object to this argument, which sums up the doctrine of the Church of England with respect to Purgatory: "If death cleanseth us from indwelling sin, it is not Christ's blood applied by the Spirit through faith. But the only purgatory wherein we [Christian men] trust to be saved, is the death and blood of Christ, which, if we apprehend it with a true and steadfast faith, purgeth and cleanseth us from all our sins. The blood of Christ,' says St. John, hath cleansed us from all sin.'" Hom. on Prayer, Part III.-Therefore, the doctrine, that "Death, &c., cleanseth us from all indwelling sin," or the doctrine of a Death-purgatory, is as contrary to the doctrine of our church, as to that of St. John.

SECTION V.

Mr. Hill intimates that the Apostles were Imperfectionists-St. Peter and St. James, far from pleading for a Death-purgatory, stand up for Christian Perfection.

WHEN Mr. Hill has so unadvisedly brought the Church of England against us, it is not surprising to see him press four apostles, "Peter, Paul, James, and John," into the field to "cut up," (as he calls it,) “root and branch, my favourite doctrine of perfection." Never were these holy men set upon a more unholy piece of work. Methinks I hear them say, Let Mr. Hill rank us with the Gibeonites: Let him make ushewers of wood' to the congregation for But let him not set us upon cutting up root and branch the lovely and fruitful tree of Christian Perfection. Happily for that rare tree, Mr. Hill only produces the names of the apostolic woodmen, while we produce their are, and shew that they lay it at the root of Antinomianism ;—a deadly tree this, which is, to our favourite tree, what the fatal tree in Paradise was to the tree of life. Mr. Hill appeals first to Peter; let then Peter first answer for himself.

ever:

1. Where does that apostle plead for Christian Imperfection, and a Death-purgatory? Is it where he says?' As He, who has called you is holy: So he ye HOLY IN ALL manner of conversation :-Seeing you have purified your souls, &c., love one another with a PURE HEART FERVENTLY :-Christ left us an example, that ye should follow his steps; who did no sinwho bare our sins, that we, being DEAD TO SIN, should live to righteousness: Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin.-The God of all grace, &c., after that ye have suffered awhile, make you PERFECT.' Had Peter been against our doctrine, is it probable that he VOL. IV. M

would thus have excited believers to attain Perfection; wishing it them, as we wish our flocks the peace of God which passes all understanding?'

If that apostle pleads not for the necessary In.. dwelling of Sin in his first Epistle, doth he do it in the second? Is it where he says, that Exceeding great aud precious promises are given us, that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the pollution that is in the world through lust?' Is there Indwelling Sin in the Divine Nature? And can those people, whose hearts are still full of sin and indwelling corruption, be said to have escaped the pollution that is in the world through lust?' Might not a man whose lungs are still full of dangerous ulcers, be said with as much propriety to have escaped thre misery that is in the world through consumptions ?— Is it where St. Peter describes Christian Perfection, and exhorts believers to attain it, or to rise higher in it, by adding with all diligence to faith, virtue-to virtue, knowledge, temperance-patience-godlinessbrotherly kindness-and charity,' the key of the arch, and the bond of perfection?-Is it where he states the difference between Fallen Believers, Weak Believers, and Perfect Christians; hinting, that the First LACK these things,' i. e., Christian graces; that' these things ARE in' the Second: And that they' ABOUND' in the Third ? Or is it where he bids us be diligent that we may be found of God in peace, without spot and blameless ?' For my part, I do not see here the shadow of a plea for the root of every evil in the hearts of believers till they die, any more than for the fruit of adultery, murder, and incest, in their lives till they go hence.

But what principally strikes us in Mr. Hill's appeal to St. Peter is, that although Peter was naturally led by his subject to speak of the necessary indwelling of sin in our hearts during the term of life, if that doctrine had been true; yet he does not so much as drop one hint about it. The design of his First Epistle was, undoubtedly, to confirm believers, under the fiery trials