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SERMON

XII.

The Chriftian Perfection.

MATTHEW V. 48.

Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

TH

XII.

HESE words were spoken by SER M. our Saviour in his fermon upon the mount, in which he exhorts his disciples to imitate the perfec tion of God in their practice, as the great pattern of goodness and truth. He means his perfection in the moral attributes and character, his holiness, righteous justice, mercy, and faithfulness, in which all rational creatures are in fome degree capable of imitating him. For as to his natural attributes, his power, wisdom, knowledge, and the like, they are beyond our imitation. Not that we are to imagine, that we can ever be fo perfect as God is in his moral character; but that there is a perfection fuitable to our nature and circumftances, which we

may

SERM.

XII.

may arrive at, and which we are obliged to endeavour after.

And is it poffible then, that we who åre fuch frail and finful creatures, can ever come to perfection? Is it poffible, that we who have fuch strong vicious habits, and are accustomed to do evil; that we who are fo ignorant, and have fuch deep rooted prejudices, can ever hope to arrive at moral perfection? This indeed is difficult to be imagined, but it is not beyond the power of the Spirit of our God. That we may then form to ourselves a right notion of this perfection we are capable of, and be excited to acquire it, I fhall in the following dif courfe, endeavour

I. To confider perfection in general.
And then

II. Represent to you that perfection
under the gospel, to which chrifti-
ans may poffibly attain.

I. Then, I am to confider perfection in general. Now the perfection of any reasonable being confifts chiefly, in the. intenseness or strength of its rational powers, and the rectitude of its acting.

In

XII.

In the intensity of the rational powers SER M. no creature can be abfolutely perfect; for fuch a perfection must be infinite, because that which admits of any farther degree of perfection can never be absolutely perfect but there may be an abfolute rectitude of moral acting, without an abfolute perfection in the faculties. And hence, God only can be abfolutely perfect in both thefe, as he is infinite in his moral and natural attributes. He is the fountain of all perfection, the original pattern from which all the creatures borrow what is excellent in their nature. There is a certain perfection that is fuitable to every being according to its rank and circumstances. Infinite perfection becomes the Creator of all things; and finite perfection, in various degrees, is fuitable to the feveral orders of intelligence among the creatures. And there are fome of them that very much refemble the original pattern, both in their powers and their acting. Thus angels, those miniftring fpirits of God, of whom we read often in the fcriptures, are defcribed as most perfect creatures; of far fuperior wisdom, knowledge, and power, and as acting in the most exact manner, accord

XII.

SER M. according to the will of their great Creator. And their perfection is as great as their finite nature will admit of. And in general, it must be faid, that all the creatures of God, when they come first from his hand are perfect, with regard to the purposes for which he made them. Some of thefe purposes require greater faculties, and a more excellent nature; and for others a lower degree is fufficient but from the wifdom of God, we may conclude, that they were all at first perfect in their several orders. Those of them which are rational, and endowed with moral powers, may lofe their perfection, or fall from it by an abuse of their liberty; they may debafe the excellency of their nature, and incur the divine difpleasure. Accordingly we find that fome of the angels, thofe exalted fpirits, fell from their original rectitude, and are now degraded to a state in which they live monuments of God's displeasure, and examples of his justice.

With regard to man, who is placed in a middle order, between the highest of rational beings and the brute creation, we find that he was at first created in a perfect manner after the image of God,

pure

XII.

pure and innocent. By the image ofS ER M. God, we are to understand our rational nature; the faculties of the foul, that capacity for holiness and purity by which man was distinguished, and made fuperior to the animal world. Through the abuse of his liberty by fin, he fell indeed from that perfection, and reduced himfelf to his present state. Yet ftill we find there are some remains of the image of God in the foul, fome lineaments of its original perfection. perfection. For reason and knowledge, when untainted with the prejudices arifing from vice and evil ha bits, and also our moral fentiments, do ftill bear a strong likeness of the divine nature and perfections. And from what we are now, we may conjecture what our nature was when it was first formed, and as yet untainted.

We are now then in an imperfect state; occafioned by our fall from our primitive rectitude, by fin having, as the apoftle fays, entered into the world. And we find, that fome of the fages among the heathens, were very fenfible of the general depravation; but what was the cause of it they could not certainly discover. And they endeavoured

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