moral impurity The Command is the Rule of our Holiness and if so then the perfection of our Holiness must consist in our being commensurate to that Rule and whatsoever is contraty to Holiness is impurity and consequently in what degree soever we come short of this measure it is by reason of a moral deficiency in us with respect to this Rule and that can proceed from nothing but sinful imperfection which must needs render us so far impure Now the Holy God who loves Holiness cannot be well pleased with any thing that he seeth in us that is of another tincture He may and doth love our persons in Christ which love of his is unchangeable and nothing in us shall ever be able to separate us from it He also loveth his Graces which are in us they being the fruits of his own Holy Spirit and so far as they are exercised by us so far he smells a sweet savour in the Services that we do But for all this so far as we come short by reason of sin in us and the mixture of it with any thing that we engage in so far is there something in us which is not grateful to him according to Heb. 1. 13. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity Which must needs intend a look of approbation for his Infinite Omniscience cannot but behold it so as to know it And certainly it concerns us not to rest or be satisfied so long as there remains any thing in us which is ingrateful to this Holy God which there will be so long as we abide short of sinless perfection 2. That sincere Christians are commanded to grow in Grace This is a Gospel precept enjoyned us by the Spirit of God 2 Pet. 3. â—8 But grow in Grace Now this command presumes that there is truth and uprightness in us that there is a new principle of Holiness infused into us for we must have Grace in us before we can grow in it Where there is not life there cannot be growth there must be a beginning in order to a progress and as this is a duty of all new Converts in whom the Seeds of all the Graces of the Spirit are sown as 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby It is no less expected of all Gods people in this life to whatsoever degree they have already attained and the reason is because they are not yet arrived at perfection so the Apostle argueth Phil. 3. 12. Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus So that though sincerity be accepted in Christ yet we are not to rest in it but to labour after more strength more victory over corruption more holiness and when we have reached to any further degree in this than we had before we are not now to sit still but to aspire after more and more and not to cease till it comes to be perfect This use we are directed to make of the promises 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And if it be enquired how long we are to pursue this business we are told Eph. 4. 13. Till we all come unâ—o a perfect man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Now the reason of the imperfection of Grace is the remains of sin in us and it is by the decrease of that in us that our Grace grows 3. That all the short comings in regard of his people are displeasing to God True they do not shut them out of his favour for as he hath accepted them in Christ as to their persons so he hath cast the robe of his Righteousness over them under which he hath covered all their obliquities and therefore as a Judge he sees no iniquity in them Numb 23. 21. He hath seen no iniquity in Jacob nor perverseness in Israel But yet as they have their failings by reason of that sin which remaineth in them so by these follies of theirs they do sometimes stir up his anger as he is their father and he discovers it in some awful effects of it we read 2 Sam. 11. ult The thing which David did displeased the Lord and we see how severely he treated him Chap. 12. For these follies of theirs it is that they are so often corrected and that sometimes with severity for these it is that so many afflictions are brought upon them in the course of Gods Providence who hath assured us that he doth not afflict willingly Lam. 3. 33. And on this account holy men have so often complained of the bitter sense they have had of his anger Psal 28. 3 4. There is no soundess in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me And see Psal 32. 3 4. 88. 7. c. And though God doth not always chide for every defect that he discovers in his Children for then their Spirit would fail since there is nothing they do which hath not this short coming in it whereas he knows our frame and remembers we are but dust Psal 103. 14. Yet even these unavoidable infirmities which attend upon the best duties that ever we do are things which he takes no pleasure in and that he animadverts not upon them is because of his pity Psal 103. 13. Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him 4. There is a Sacrifice of Atonement appointed even for these defects The Sacrifices of old were Typical and had a spiritual aim which was to be apprehended in them and it is certain that where there was required by the Ceremonial Law a Sacrifice of Expiation it signified that there had been something which was offensive to God for which there must be a satisfaction made to him there must be something to reconcile him if ever the person hoped to have him Atoned to him but for which there had been no need of such a Sacrifice Whatsoever therefore required such a Sacrifice to be offered up for it must needs intimate that it had some ill thing adhering to it that was offensive to God and must be removed Now the very duties that Gods people do wherein they do sincerely serve him and express the greatest endeavour after holiness in them must have the vertue of Christs oblation applyed to them for the expiation of the defects that accompany them this was aimed at in that Levitical Law Levit. 16. 33. He shall make an Atonement for the holy Sanctuary and he shall make an Atonement for the Tabernacle of the Congregation and for the Altar and he shall make an Atonement for the
thee This is the fittest posture to pray in and God is ready to hear such in their Souls distress that cry unto him for his help David puts both together Psal 6. 8 9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping the Lord hath heard my supplication It is good to come unto God in such a case and make an argument of it as he did Isa 38. 14. Oh Lord I am oppressed undertake for me 3. Let the Children of God nourish this spirit in them A Spirit of mourning and of supplication is the proper Evangelical Spirit it is therefore one of the properties that belong to them whom Christ hath pronounced blessed Mat. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Nor is it only proper in our first returning to God but you will have occasion to use it as long as you live while you carry about with you a body of death you will never be without occasion for bitter mourning and lamentation you will see reason to go softly all your days and as long as Sin stirs in you and leads you into Captivity you will need the pity and help of God the vertue and efficacy of the fountain to derive fresh supplies of pardon and healing to you and therefore prayer is a duty that you cannot do without and no prayer is acceptable to God but what proceeds from such a spirit 4. Be we here directed what to pray for and endeavour to promote in others We ought to seek and use means for the Salvation of Sinners and peculiarly for those to whom we are tied by the bonds of near relation and if ever they be saved they must repair to this fountain for it and if they so do and succeed it must be with mourning and supplication Let us then use means to bring them to this by shewing them their need and shewing them where their help is and how it is alone to be obtained and let us bring them to God and ask for them this grace and if we see them brought into distress and made to enquire how they may find redress let us nourish this in them and not go about to suppress or stifle it 5. This calls all those on whom God hath poured such a Spirit to Thankfulness to him for it Hath God given us truly to mourn and pray by reason of Sin he hath done us an unconceivable kindness there is no greater token of his Everlasting Love it saith that he hath been laying a foundation for eternal life in us these tears and these cries have solid consolation in them they are his gift and he gave them to us that so he might bring us to himself and put us into the way of blessedness Let this then be one thing for which we praise him and let this nourish and strengthen such a frame in us to consider that eternal joy is secured to it for we are assured in Psal 126. 5 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him FINIS Rather than this Page should stand Empty the Reader may be gratified with the last Clause of Dr. Thomas Goodwin's Exposition of the Revelation which is as followeth AND for the JEWS Call which is conjunct with this Killing Rising of the Witnesses As it depends not upon ordinary Means to effect it so there are like to be no Preparations at all unto it until it comes as there are not for Things extraordinary but a Nation shall bring forth in a Day as the Prophet speaks And so in the very Year before it there will be no more outward Appearrances or Probabilities of it than there are now or than there have been many hundred Years since And therefore our Faith need not be put off from this by the seeing as yet no Stirrings or Motions at all unto it or towards it And the Truth is both the Killing and Rising of the Witnesses and also the Calling of the JEWS may fall out sooner than we are aware of Evangelical Perfection OR How far the Gospel requires Believers to Aspire after being compleatly Perfect As it was Delivered on a Lecture at Boston on June 10th 1694. By Samuel Willard Teacher of a Church in Boston MATH V. 48. Be ye therefore perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect IN this Chapter with the two following an account is given of the substance or heads of a Sermon which Christ preached to his Disciples in the audience of a multitude soon after he had called them The matters contained in this fifth Chapter may be reduced to three heads 1. He points the way to true Blessedness by describing the subjects of it in several distinguishing Characters of them and declaring wherein theâ— appear to be really happy Verse 3. to 13 2. He lays open the Office and Duty oâ— such as would approve themselves to be faithful and edifying Ministers of the Gospel to Verse 17. 3. He asserts the great usefulness of the Moral Law under the Gospel assuring us that his design was not to Abolish but Establish it and thereupon proceeds to Vindicate the true sense of it from the corrupt and false glosses of the Jewish Doctors to the end of the Chapter In which he insists upon severaâ— Articles which had been more especially depraved by them and the words of our Text are an Exhortation which he draws from the whole foregoing discourse though I know there are some who needlesly restrain it to the next foregoing duty of expressing our cordial love to our enemies in opposition to the Doctrine of the Scribes who taught that we should love our neighbour and hate our enemy I know the words are expressed in the Future tense Ye shall be perfect but yet they are noâ— to bâ— understood Promissorily as some do interpret them but Preceptively as an injunctâ—on laid upon us And we have several like instances in this Chapter yea it is frequenâ— in all languages to use the Future for the Imperative You shall do thus or so intending require or command you so to do In the words besides thâ— Illation therefore which refers to the foregoing discourse there â—e two parts 1. A duty enjoyned Be ye perfect The â—bject of this command are Christs Disciples â—rse 1. The thing required is perfection which what it is will be afterward considerâ— 2. The Pattern which is set before us to â—llow in our essayes after this perfection â—â— your Father which is in heaven is perfect So â—at here the Divine perfection is proposed to â—â— for our imitation and an argument is used â—o urge it from the consideration of that relaâ—ion which he bears to us he is our Father in â—eaven and Children are apt to take after â—heir Parents Hence that 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy â—â— all manner of conversation because it is
writâ—en be ye Holy for I am Holy Here is not an â—quality intended but a similitude together with such a measure as the Creature is capable â—f attaining unto for the greatest perfections â—f the most excellent Creatures are imperfeâ—â—ions compared with God Nor are all the Divine Perfections here intended there are â—hose that are by Divines called Incommunicable â—hich we are to admire but not to aspire afâ—er and there are those which are said to be Communicable Namely such whereof there may be an Image oâ—â—dark representation iâ— us and these aâ—â—here aimed at These perfections consist in that Holiness and Righteousness whiâ—â— are required in the Moral Law uâ—â— to which we are enabled by the Sanctificatioâ— of the Spirit the Graces whereof in us arâ— called the Image of God by which we imitate him in his Holiness and Righteousness That the Duty here required is Evangelical therein appears because Christ enjoynâ—th â—â— on his Disciples and such as can call God then Father by vertue of the Adoption which wâ— are told cometh in upon believing Gal. 3. 26 For we are the Children of God through faith iâ— Jesus Christ The only matter of difficulty before us is to know what is the perfection intended by Christ in this precept and which he requiretâ— and expecteth that all those who approvâ— themselves to be his Disciples should be alwayâ— aspiring after And that which makes it thâ— more difficult is because the word is variously used in the Scriptures and differently applieâ— by Expositors to this Text. The word signifyeth that which hath attained its end and because when a thing hath so done it haâ—â— reached its perfection according to its capacity it is Metonymically used for it and so one thaâ— is adult or grown up to his full Stature is said to be a perfect man Eph. 4. 13. And theâ— whose Grace is arrived to its fulness in Glory are called Just men made perfect Heb. 12. 23. Divines distinguish perfection into Legal and Evangelical which is a true distinction if taken in a sound sense but is warâ—â— to be understood They tell us also that there is a perfection of parts which is called Integrality and so an infant is a perfect man because he hath all the parts which belong to that Speciâ—â— and of Degrees when these parts are compleated and come to the just measure which nature aspired unto They speak also of a Relative or Comparative perfection when though a thing be in it self defective yet when it is compared with another of its own kind it doth very much exceed or go beyond it and that which is Absolute which is when it is improved to its utmost capacity they observe that perfection is sometimes used for Sincerity in opposition to Hypocrisy when a man not only professeth Godliness but is the man he pretends to be such an one is sound or perfect whereas the other is unsound and so imperfect Now all these distinctions have their foundation in the word of God nor without distinguishing can we be able to reconcile those Texts which assert the present perfection of the people of God even in this life with those that do deny any here to be perfect which would else be contradictions whereas we are assured that the spirit of God doth not contradict himself in his word Now though it be â—â—sily granted on all hands that Christ â—quires Sincerity or an Upright Heart of â—s yea and Integrity too or a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be expressed to all his Commands and he will accept of such sincerity and integrity at the hands of his people in these duties which they perform in faith seeking for their acceptance in Christ in which respect I suppose Evangelical Obedienâ—â— doth mainly differ from that which is Legaâ— and God is pleased with it when he rejects the other yet how far absolute perfection is comprized in the precept here given by Christ is a matter of doubt and debate among many There are and those not a few who with greatest confidence do assert that God doth not expect or require of his people under the Gospel Covenant that perfection in their Obedience to him which he did under the Covenant of Works but hath abated of the strictness of the Command and if we do our best there is no more required of us Which assertion though I believe that many who use it do mean well and intend nothing else in it than is acknowledged by all the Orthodox yet it is a very unsafe assertion in the letter of it and is one foundation on which the Papists do build their Doctrines of mens merits and works of supererogation yea and many Protestants do also introduce that absurd and dangerous notion of making our Obedience to be of the matter of our Justification because being upon a New Covenant account we do fulfil the Obedience that is in it required of us and so by that Covenant it bespeaks our Justification Loose Professors also are hurt by this opinion they think they are sincere and because of this indulgence are too negligent in their duty and fail in that true Repentance which they ought every day to be in the renewed exercises of It may then be of present use to discuss this Case viz. Quest Whether that Personal Perfection which God requires of his people under the Covenant of Grace be the same for kind and degree with that which was required in the Covenant of Works or any thing short of it A. For the more distinct opening and reâ—olving this important Case let these things â—e observed 1. That the question is not concerning Unconâ—erted Ones who are under the outward Dispensaâ—ion of the Gospel but those that are under Grace â— e. those that are truly Converted to God â—ouching the former of these it is to be well â—bserved that notwithstanding the offer they â—ave made to them and standing which they â—ave under the Covenant and Promises exhiâ—ited by the Gospel to men in which life and Salvation is hypothetically promised unto them and invitations are urged upon them to entertain it on the terms proposed yet before such time as they have actually embraced the offered Grace they are truly under the Law as a Covenant of Works and because they are so it demands of them personal perfection both habitual and actual and that on paiâ— of death for we are told in Gal. 3. 10. Aâ— many as are of the works of the Law are undâ—â— the Curse for it is written Cursed is every 〈◊〉 that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Hence as of old God gave the Moral Law a new Sanction on Mount Sinai with thundrings and lightnings and great terrors as we are informed Exod. 19 20 So to make way foâ— the veiled Gospel which was afterwards giveâ— to Moses and by him to Israel in those Ordâ—nances or Ceremonial Institutions which werâ— delivered to him so under the Gospel tâ— those