Not to make long work of that which is capable of a speedy despatch : By " virtue and godliness," Mr B. understands that uni- versal righteousness and holiness which the law requires ; by " perfec- tion " in it, an absolute, complete answerableness to the law in that righteousness and holiness, both as to the matter wherein they con- sist and the manner how they are to be performed ; " that Christians may attain" expresses a power that is reducible into act. So that the " intention" of God and the ministers is not that they should be pressing on towai'ds perfection, Avhich it is confessed we are to do whilst we live in this world, but actually in this life to bring them to an enjoyment of it. In this sense we deny that any man in this life " may attain to perfection of virtue and godliness;" for, —
1. All our works are done out of faith, 1 Tim. i. 5, Gal. v. 6. Now, this faith is the faith of the forgiveness of sins by Christ, and that purifieth the heart, Acts xv. 8, 9; but the works that proceed from faith for the forgiveness of sins by Christ cannot be perfect absolutely in themselves, because in the very rise of them they expect perfection and completeness from another.
2. Such as is the cause, such is the effect; but the principle or cause of the saints' obedience in this life is imperfect : so therefore is their obedience. That our sanctification is imperfect in this life, the apostle witncsseth, 2 Cor. iv. 16; 1 Cor. xiii. 9.
572 VINDICI^ EVANGELICiE.
3. Where there is flesh and Spirit there is not perfection, for the flesh is contrary to the Spirit, from whence our perfection must pro- ceed, if we have any; but there is flesh and Spirit in all believers whilst they live in this world, Gal. v. 17; Rom. vii. 15.
4. They that are not without sin are not absolutely perfect, for to be perfect is to have no sin; but the saints in this life are not without sin, 1 John i. 8, Matt. vi. 12, James iii. 2, Eccles. vii. 20, Isa. Ixiv. 6. But to what end should I multiply arguments and tes- timonies to this purpose? If all the saints of God have acknow- ledged themselves sinners all their days, always deprecated the jus- tice of God, and appealed to mercy in their trial before God, — if all our perfection be by the blood of Christ, and we are justified not by the works of the law but by grace, — this pharisaical figment may be rejected as the foolish imagination of men ignorant of the righteous- ness of God, and of him who is the end of the law for righteous- ness to them that do believe.
But take " perfection " as it is often used in the Scripture, and ascribed to men of whom yet many great and eminent failings are recorded (which, certainly, were inconsistent with perfection abso- lutely considered), and so it denotes two things, — 1. Sincerity, in opposition to hypocrisy; and, 2. Universality as to all the parts of obedience, in opposition to partiality and halving with God. So we say perfection is not only attainable by the saints of God, but is in every one of them. But this is not such a perfection as consists in a point, which if it deflects from it ceases to be perfection, but such a condition as admits of several degrees, all lying in a tendency to that perfection spoken of; and the men of this perfection are said to be " perfect " or "upright " in the Scripture, Ps. xxxvii. 14, cxix. 1, etc.
Not, then, to insist on all the places mentioned by Mr B. in par- ticular, they may all be referred to four heads: — 1. Such as men- tion an unhlamahleness before God in Christ, which argues a perfec- tion in Christ, but only a sincerity in us; or, 2. Such as mention a perfection in " fieri," but not in " facto esse," as we speak, — a press- ing towards perfection, but not Si perfectio7i obtained, or here obtain- able ; or, 3. A comparative perfection in respect of others ; or, 4. A jyeifection of sincerity accompanied with universality of obedience, consistent with indwelling sin and many transgressions. The appli- cation of the several places mentioned to these rules is easy, and lies at hand for any that will take the pains to consider them. He pro- ceeds:—
Q. If works he so necessary to salvation, as you have before showed from, the Scripture, how cometh it to pass that Paul saith, " We are justified by faith without works?" Meant he to exclude all good works whatsoever, or only those of the law ? How doth he explain hitnself?
A. Rom. iii. 28, "We are justified by fivith, without the deeds of the law."
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Ans. 1. How and in what sense works are necessary to salva- tion hath been declared, and therefore I remit the reader to its proper place.
2. A full handling of the doctrine of justification was waived before, and therefore I shall not here take it up, but content my- self with a brief removal of Mr B.'s attempts to deface it. I say, then, —