"Even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Do not such declarations as these prove that it was Christ's object to have a Church of redeemed sinners, and to have them perfect?

Th. Yes. But when? These texts, and many others like them, lead me to look forward to the complete deliverance from sin of every believer; but not in this world. Christ has

begun the work of redemption long ago, and is carrying it on with a steady progress; and when it is completed, the world will stand no longer. As this world was made to be a suitable place for that work, when that work shall have been completed, this world will pass away. And as the work in general is progressive, so with each individual; it begins in his regeneration; it is carried on through sanctification of the Spirit, by means of various scenes and trials, and imperfections, while he continues in this world, till he is ripened for heaven; and then his soul leaves this sin-polluted body, and goes to join the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven. Christ's object will be attained, in his own time; but it is wholly gratuitous for you to say it shall be done instantaneously, or in a less time than the whole duration of this mortal life.

CHAPTER LXX.

The

Confident. I allege the promises of the new covenant. old covenant was the moral law, which required perfect holi ness as the condition of justification. The new covenant re quires perfect holiness, but makes faith the condition. And the great distinction between these two covenants is, that what the old requires, the new promises. "For example, the first covenant requires of the creature perfect and perpetual holi

ness.

The new covenant promises to the believer perfect and perpetual holiness." In support of my views I refer to the following passages: "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they

continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God; and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest; for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Th. This appears to promise the conversion of the Jews at the millennium; but says nothing about their being made perfectly holy in this life.

Con. Take it in connection with other passages: "And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and of their children after them; and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart, also, will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

Th. These also appear to be promises of the future conversion of the Jewish nation, and their return to their own land, where they shall live during the millennium, in great quietness and prosperity. I see nothing which can be construed into a promise of perfect holiness, unless it is the phrase, "to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." And that you know was required by Philip of the eunuch in order to be baptized: "If thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest."

Con. He professed perfect love. And that is "the most natural form of Christian experience." And I think it is the form it would usually assume, if young converts were not perverted by wrong instruction.

Th. It is not strange, perhaps, that young converts should think they are completely delivered from sin; and then, when they find out that they are not, should go to the other extreme, and think they have not been converted. But that an

old Christian, who has had time to learn how changeable his own heart is, should imagine he is free from sin, is not easy to explain.

Con. Do you deny my argument from the new covenant? Th. I deny your application of it. If it proves that any Christians are perfect in this world, it proves that all are. For none are Christians but those who believe in Christ; and it is the first act of faith which gives them an interest in the cov.enant of grace. This covenant promises them persevering grace, and a final deliverance from all sin. If it promises also a complete deliverance now, it promises the same to all. Your notion of a part believing in Christ for justification only, and obtaining that, while they struggle on in hopeless bondage to their own sinful propensities; while another part believe in Christ for complete deliverance, and obtain it, is a figment of your own, for which you have given no evidence that I have

seen.

Con. I quote the apostle to the Thessalonians: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

Th. This appears to mean all the Thessalonians. And if it applies to other churches, it doubtless includes all their truly pious members, and not a select few. But we have not found, in fact, in ancient or modern times, that Christians have been perfect in this life. And the most eminent saints have been the farthest from any such apprehension respecting themselves. This was doubtless a prayer for their perseverance, and final victory; which does apply to all Christians.

Con. The church covenants, upon which members are received, make all candidates for admission promise to walk in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless. Why should they promise perfect obedience, if it is not expected of them?

Th. I think, if you will examine into this matter, you will find that these covenants came into use, when your views of this subject would have been regarded, if they had been known, as the grossest heresy; and that they have never been understood by the churches as promising perfection, but only sincere and persevering obedience. They were adopted by men who acknowledged the duty of perfect obedience, but who were deeply sensible that they should come short, and need forgiveness day by day. If their language implies what you claim, perhaps it needs amendment. But certainly its use ought not to be pleaded against the understanding and intention of those who adopted it. That does not accord with my ideas of

honesty. If you claim to be perfect, you ought to be honest in your arguments, and not resort to tricks and deception.

In

Con. You cannot say I have used any tricks and deception. Th. I think you have, in misrepresenting the sentiments of your opponents. You cannot make the excuse of ignorance, for you once studied them, and professed to embrace them. your book you represent us as affirming that we ought "to put up that identical prayer, (of the apostle for the Thessafonians,) with the certain expectation of not receiving the blessing which we desire of him." I think you must know better. We do expect that all expressed in that prayer will be accomplished in ourselves, and our fellow Christians, in Christ's own due time; and that at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, not one will be wanting. I have found it extremely difficult to read your book, because of the frequent occurrence of similar acts of injustice. You represent us as holding that perfection is a duty, and that we ought to aim at it, and then regarding it as unattainable; and you argue at length to show the absurdity of aiming to perform that which is regarded as impracticable. But you know that this is not a fair representation. You represent us as not holding that Christ has made adequate provision for the complete deliverance of his people from their sins, when you know that we believe he has, and will carry it out ultimately, though not instantaneously. You represent us as attempting to comfort the young convert, and encourage him to remain under the influence of inward corruptions, regarding them as evidences of his Christian character. Now this is a gross misrepresentation. We should, indeed, regard it as a dark mark against him, if he discovered no deficiencies in himself from day to day. But we do not direct him to live contented in them, by any means; but to repent of them, and seek their pardon through Christ, and to pray against them, and crucify them. I cannot think such injustice towards those you oppose, is evidence of your own perfection, or of the rectitude of your cause.

Con. Well, what do you regard as evidence of the truth of your doctrine of imperfection?

Th. The experience of the most eminent Christians in all ages, is one item of proof. Few men are usually thought to have attained to so high a degree of spirituality and eminent holiness as David Brainerd. But he saw many imperfections in himself. Edwards says of him: "He was deeply affected almost continually with his great defects in religion; with his vast distance from that spirituality and holy frame of mind that became him; with his ignorance, pride, deadness, unsteadiness, and barrenness!" Again, "He was a mourner for sin all his

days.

He did not, after he received comfort, and full satisfaction of the forgiveness of all his sins, and the safety of his state, forget his past sins, the sins of his youth, that were committed before his conversion; but the remembrance of them, from time to time, revived in his heart, with renewed grief. And his present sins, that he daily found in himself, were an occasion of daily, sensible, and deep sorrow of heart."

But though I mention David Brainerd, I refer chiefly to the Scripture saints, such as have the testimony of the Holy Spirit to their superior excellence. Noah is declared "perfect," but

he came short of sinless obedience. Abraham was the father of the faithful, and is declared the friend of God; but some of his sins are on record. Job is pronounced a perfect and an upright man; and it is said "there is none like him in the earth;" yet he came short in the day of trial, and was deeply humbled in view of his short comings. He thought the conceit of sinless perfection was a proof of the contrary; and said, "if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." Moses was the meekest of men, but he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, and was excluded from Canaan for his sin. David is styled the man after God's own heart; but some great defects are recorded of him.

If we come to the New Testament saints, we shall find the same kind of experience. Some of them were eminent for holiness, but not entirely without sin. John was the beloved disciple, yet he showed a wrong spirit when he proposed calling down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans. He therefore spoke his own experience, as well as that of other Christians, when he said, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Peter was an eminent saint and apostle; but Peter has faults recorded of him, after, as well as before, the day of Pentecost. Paul "was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles;" but Paul makes mention of "sin which doth so easily beset us," as though he was not yet completely delivered from it. And he needed "a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations" he had received; which would not have been necessary for a man who had attained sinless perfection.

It is not according to the analogy of the other works of God, that the work of sanctification should be completed at once. The natural man is born a helpless infant; he gains strength and stature by degrees, and takes many years to attain the growth of a perfect man. The new man, in like manner, though born at once, does not attain perfection at once. He is first a babe in Christ, and he grows by slow degrees, as he is fed by