Imatges de pàgina
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cused by any earthly fovereign, mafter, or parent; nor can it be expected to be fo by the fupreme Lord and judge of all.

The apostle James argues this cafe more particularly, James ii. 10. "Whosoever shall keep the "whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is 86 guilty of all. For he that faid, Do not commit "adultery; faid also, Do not kill. Now if thou "commit no adultery, yet if thou kill,thou art be<< come a tranfgreffor of the law."

We are by no means, however, to infer from this, that all crimes and neglects are equal, and will be punished with equal feverity; for it is the doctrine of the fcriptures, as well as of reason, that there is a difference in offences, and fome are spoken of with much more indignation than others; in the fame manner, as more ftrefs is laid upon fome virtues than others. Undoubtedly, therefore, a difference will be made between even wilful offences of any kind, and univerfal profligacy of character and conduct. If a state of perfectly exact retribution be naturally impoffible, we may, however, conclude, that in the future life there will be a near approach to it; and that the proper reward of christians will be affigned to those only who fincerely endeavour to do the whole will of God, without diftinction or referve.

For the fame reason no bounds are fet to our attainments in virtue, but we are required to aim at

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the highest degrees of perfection, "to cleanse our"felves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and "to perfect holiness in the fear of God;" 2 Cor. vii. 1. "to ftand perfect and complete in all the "will of God;" Col. iv. 12. " to abstain from all appearance of evil," 1 Theff. v. 22. and to propose to ourselves the imitation of the all-perfect God himself. This was exprefsly inculcated by our Saviour, Matt. v. 28.

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"Be ye perfect, even

heaven is perfect;" by "Be ye followers of

as your Father who is in the apostle Paul, Eph. v. 1. "God, as dear children;" and the apoftle Peter, 1 Pet. i. 15. "As he that has called you is holy; "fo be ye holy in all manner of conversation; For "it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy," referring to Lev. xi. 2. xix. 2. xx. 7.

Thefe precepts appear, at firft view, to be very ftrict; and confidering the imperfections of human nature, to be unreafonably fevere; but confidering that, in all cafes, fufficient allowance is made for every natural defect, for whatever is confiftent with a fincere endeavour to do the whole will of God, there is the greatest wisdom and propriety in these exhortations.

Had any particular pitch of virtue been defined, upon our arrival at which we had been encouraged to be fatisfied with ourselves, without attempting any thing farther; many perfons, abounding in conceit and prefumption only, would foon have

arrogated

arrogated to themfelves that character, and have been dupes to the most fatal delufion and self-conceit. We even fee that abfolute perfection has been pretended to by many.

Befides, fince moral character is a thing which, in its own nature, admits of no precise boundary, but advances, by infenfible degrees, from the most extreme profligacy, to fuch purity and excellence as only the divine being himself is capable of; and fince it is effential to a genuine good difpofition to wifh the attainment of the greatest degrees of excellence, there would have been an impropriety in moral precepts of any other kind. The man whose chief study it is to recommend himself to God, by a conformity to his whole will, cannot but be fenfible, that whatever his attainments are, or may be, there will ftill be fomething more that he might, and ought to have done; his moral difcernment [being improved by the greater attention which he will continually give to his character and conduct.

Indeed, this is the cafe with all inferior arts of various kinds, as well as this great art of life. What poet or painter ever thought his piece abfolutely faultlefs and perfect, with whatever admiration it might be confidered by others: and could he remove all the blemishes he now fees in it, he would ftill, by more attention to it, discover more. Now, for the fame reason, this must neceffarily be the case

with every man whofe object is to excel in virtue, and who ftudies propriety and perfection of moral character.

The apostle Paul difcovers this juft difcernment in his own cafe, Phil. iii.. 13. "Brethren, I "count not myfelf to have apprehended: but "this one thing I do, forgetting thofe things "which are behind, and reaching forth unto those "things which are before, I prefs toward the "mark, for the prize of the high calling of God "in Chrift Jefus. Let us therefore, as many as "be perfect, be thus minded." He, and other apoftles, give many excellent precepts to this purpofe, to thofe chriftians to whom they wrote. 2 Pet. i. 5. "And befides this, giving all dili66 gence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, "knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and "to temperance, patience; and to patience, god"linefs; and to godlinefs, brotherly kindness; "and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these "things be in you, and abound, they make you "that ye fhall neither be barren, nor unfruitful "in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift."

It is agreeable to the fame general maxim, that perfeverance till death is abfolutely required of all who expect the rewards of the gofpel; and a backflider at any period, is always reprefented as even in a worfe condition than one who had never known the right way; fince the knowledge he had of the excellence

excellence of it ought to have been an additional motive with him to continue in it.

To this purpofe the divine being addreffes the children of Ifrael by Ezekiel, ch. xviii. 24. "When the righteous turneth away from his ❝righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and

doth according to all the abominations that the "wicked man doth, fhall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done fhall not be men"tioned in his trefpafs that he hath trefpaffed,

and in his fin that he hath finned, in them shall <he die." It is alfo our Saviour's doctrine, John viii. 31. That "That if we continue in his word, then 66 are we his difciples indeed." The aggravation of apoftacy is particularly pointed out by the apostle Peter, 2 Pet. ii. 20. "If after they have escaped "the pollutions of the world, through the know

ledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ, they 66 are again entangled therein, and overcome; the "latter end is worfe with them than the beginning. "For it had been better for them not to have "known the way of righteoufnefs, than after "they have known it, to turn from the holy com"mandment delivered unto them."

On this account the apoftles urge their fellowchristians to conftancy in the profeffion of the gofpel, viz. left they fhould lofe their reward, and enhance their future condemnation.

Let us not be weary in well-doing

Gal. vi. 9.

for in due

"feafon

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