Cor. 4. 16. 2. The perfect Man is made pertaker of every Grace Moral Philosophers have observed a Concatenation of all moral Virtues that they are inseparable where one is indeed there are all of them There cannot be truly any Vertue in any man where any one Vice is allowed to be predominant 'T is a great truth concerning the Graces of the Spirit that they are all linked together There is no Grace insincerity in that man who ordinarily and presumptuously does what he knows to be evil in God's sight and willingly suffers tho it be but one Iniquity to have the dominion over him The Spirit of God works like himself and all Grace he works where he works any The Stone or Kernel of the Fruit tree has vertually the whole Tree in it and if it be sown in the Ground a Tree with Leaves and Fruit at length grows up from it We read of the seed of God 1 John 3. 9. and this Seed vertually has all Grace in it And this Seed does remain and Grace of every sort as there is occasion in some degree or other is produced into act and exercise In the perfect man's breast plate or if you will in his breast there is Faith and Love and Righteousness It is Hope that is his Helmet It is Humility that is both his Cloathing and Ornament and Zeal is not so much one single Grace as an high degree of all The Spirit of the Lord dwels in the perfect man and where the Spirit is and abides all his Graces are with him This is plainly intimated John 1. 16. Of his fulness we all have received and grace for grace There are several Interpretations of these Words but the truest is this Of Christ's fulness all sincere believers have received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace answerable to every grace that is in Christ himself as the Child receives Limb for Limb from the Parent How truly Rich and Happy is he who has no Grace wanting and what a satisfaction is it to perceive plainly in himself that every Grace is growing 3. The perfect man prises all the promises of the New Covenant and esteems himself highly favoured in being Heir unto them all Hypocritical Professors and Wicked Men may put a value upon some promises as when the Lord promises to bless in the City and in the Field to bless in the fruit of the Body and of the Cattle and of the Ground to bless in the Basket and in the Store Deut. 28. 3 4 5. when he promises length of days and long life and that peace shall be added Prov. 3. 2. Nay one that is ungodly designing to die the death of the Righteous may put a value upon the promises of deliverance from the wrath to come and from eternal condemnation But the perfect man though he sets an estimate upon any Blessing which God has promised and values Temporal Mercies and Salvation from the Vengeance of eternal Fire Yet there are also other kind of promises he gladly embraces as the promise of an heart to know the Lord. Jer. 24. 7. I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return to me with their whole heart That promise also of an heart circumcised to love God is much valued and rested on by the perfect man Deut. 30. 6. 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 mayst live So is that promise Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols I will cleanse you There is good reason that the promises of sanctification should be look'd upon as exceeding great and precious for by these the perfect man is made a partaker of the divine nature and escapes the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. 4. The perfect man hath a respect unto all God's commandments he does not chuse some and pass by others but readily receives every precept Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments He looks upon every Law with an eye to the Authority of the Lawgiver who has a right to rule him and has power to save and destroy John 4. 12. He looks upon the Law delivered on Mount Sinai as in force upon Mount Zion and that by faith the law is established Rom. 3. 31. The Apostle's manner of Expression carries in it a strong motive to Obedience 1 Thess 4. 2. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus Commands are given by his Authority who is Lord of all and Obedience is urged for his sake who himself has obeyed and suffered for us and who is so ready to strengthen us to obey and to make what we do acceptable The perfect man has his eye upon God and Christ and cannot find in his Heart to cast any Command of theirs behind his Back that 's his perpetual wish that 's his daily groan Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes Oh let me not wander from thy Commandments Psal 119. 5 10. Whereas the unsound Professor is not reconciled to every Command nor indeed to any Though his Obedience seem exact in many respects yet offending in one point or other he is guilty of violating the whole law James 2. 10. His partial Obedience to the Commands shews he is not sincere in keeping any one of them If any were kept upon a right ground then every one of the Precepts would be kept upon the same ground 5. The perfect man keeps judgment and does righteousness at all times Psal 106. 3. He sticks to the Lord's testimonies and cleaves to the Lord himself with an unshaken purpose of heart even in times of great Apostacy and falling away He will not leave the Ship of the Church and put to shore when a storm of Persecution arises 't is better to be in the Vessel where Christ is though the Tempest be never so fierce and sore than trust to a sinful compliance with the men of the World The perfect man's goodness is not like the morning Cloud and the early Dew that goes away but his Righteousness is like a River Labitur labetur in omne volubilis aevum It holds on its course and keeps running continually He shews himself a Disciple indeed by still following his Master and abiding in his word John 8. 31. If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed 6. The perfect man wishes and longs for a sinless perfection He really and earnestly desires to be as good as the Law would have him to be every whit as Righteous as the Commandment requires and when through Infirmity he breaks the Law he is troubled When the Apostle says This we wish were
your perfection 2 Cor. 13. 9. Certainly his Charity began at home and he wish'd his own perfection also These longings after unspotted Purity and to do the will of God on earth as it 's done heaven God observes and is well pleased with David did not build the Temple yet the Lord tells him he did well in that it was in his heart to do it 2 Chron. 6. 8. What was in heart to do God reckons as done and well done Abraham did not actually Sacrifice his Son Isaac yet 't is said again and again that he offered him up Heb. 11. 17. The Will for the Deed is accepted The perfect man's Will to be every way perfect is very well taken The more there is of a willing Mind the more there is of a perfect Heart 1 Chron. 28. 9. In the second place I am to shew wherein the perfection of the perfect man lies it lies in his being upright I have described him in part already but I shall farther give you the perfect man's Character by setting him forth in his uprightness This uprightness does not only include Integrity in opposition to Partiality but it includes Truth and Power in opposition to Shew and Form for Form wants the principal Dimension of Uprightness which is Depth and Substance I shall tell you in several particulars how the Scripture represents the upright man Let Conscience diligently mark the representation that you may discern whether you are upright or otherwise 1. The upright man acknowledges his sin without allowed guile He has no secret regard to any iniquity so as to connive at it himself so as to refuse to acknowledge it to God He freely and ingenuously confesses to the Lord the worst he knows of himself and while he thus declares his Sin and dislikes it and himself for it God covers it and no longer imputes it to him Psal 32. 1. 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whâ—se sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile Holy Job was censured by his Friends as unsound in his Religion but by many Arguments he vindicates his uprightness Job 31. And among the rest by this ver 33. That he had not covered his transgression like Adam by hiding his iniquity in his bosom To excuse Sin is inexcusable to defend Sin How offensive is it unto God! The upright man in his Repentance exposes his Sin with its many Aggravations till it appears as it is out of measure sinful and concludes it beyond measure hateful He is ready to speak all he knows amiss in himself and that which he sees not he desires may be detected that he may be cleansed from it Search me O God says upright David and see if there be any evil way in me Psal 139. 23 24. He was sensible of the wickedness of his Heart and begs that God would create in him a clean one and because of the deceitfulness of his Heart he prays that a right spirit might be renewed within him Psal 51. 10. 2. The upright man keeps himself from that sin which in a special manner may be called his iniquity He is so well acquainted with himself as well to know and much to observe what Sin or Sins do most easily beset him and he sets the strongest guard against those Corruptions which he takes notice that naturally he is most strongly addicted to Psal 18. 23. I was also upright before him and I kept my self from my iniquity The upright man who is naturally inclined to Covetousness watches and prays against the love of worldly wealth as that which is the root of all evil If his Constitution inclines him to impure Lusts he endeavours to prevent or to quench these hellish sparks at first kindling and to possess his heart as well as vessel in sanctification and honour If he be of an hasty Temper what pains does he take to keep Passion under and to be adorned with the meekness and gentleness of Christ He is an upright man who because God has been so often displeased by it can banish and hate that which was once a darling sin 3. The upright man is a lover of the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Cant. 1. 4. Draw me we will run after thee we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more than wine the upright love thee The upright man is what he is by the Grace of Christ that Grace made his Heart a good and honest one which naturally was no better than the Hearts of others and even now he cannot stand in Law because of his many Faults and Failings were it not for Jesus the Mediator his very uprightness could never be accepted He has his all from Christ he does all by his strength and what he does is through him acceptable to God Well may his love to the Lord be strong to whom his Obligations are vastly great His love to Christ is not in Word and Tongue only but in Deed and in Truth Love to Christ constrains him to live to him that died for him 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. and rather than be separated from Christ and from his love he resolves by the glorious Spirit 's aid to part with the most desirable outward Comforts and with Life it self It was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an uncorrupt and fervent love to the Lord Jesus which made the Apostle full of earnest expectation and hope that in nothing he should be ashamed and very willing that Christ should be magnified in his body whether it were by life or death Phil. 1. 20. 4. The upright man walks before God in truth He sets himself before God unto whose pure and piercing eye the inmost secrets of his Heart are open and naked and he is sensible the Lord can take no pleasure in him without sincerity 1 Chron. 29. 17. I know O my God that thou triest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness The upright man sets God before himself also Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved The Psalmist studied to approve himself to God who always observed him and he stays himself on God's everlasting arm and strength that he might be upheld against all Temptation and Opposition and be kept immoveable in Well-doing Upright Hezekiah walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart and did that which was good in his sight Isa 38. 3. His heart was in what he did and he had the Heart-searcher's Approbation and his Conscience giving a Testimony for him he has confidence towards God An upright man may be influenced by the fear of punishment They were the Friends of Christ to whom he speaks thus Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do but I will forewarn you whom you shall fear fear him which after he hath killed hath power to
Life Tho his Life on Earth is far from being a noxious and hurtful Vapour yet 't is a vapour which appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Jam. 4. 14. The Bodies of the Just must be brought down into the Grave as well as the Bodies of others that mankind and best of men may have a sensible Document how hateful Sin is to God upon all that have sinned death passes Rom. 5. 12. Tho the Bodies of the Saints are Members of Christ and Instruments of Righteousness to Holiness and the Temples of the Holy Ghost himself yet these Temples must be demolished and cast to the ground and for a while turned under it and after they have been so long imprisoned in the Grave how glorious will be the strength and love of Christ their Lord and Head in rescuing his Members all of them from under Death's Dominion and in totally abolishing Death it self and how will the power of the Spirit be manifested in rearing up his Temples out of the Dust and in making them so transcendently glorious and likewise so firm and durable that they shall stand and abide unto eternity Rom. 8. 11. If the spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you 5. Death puts an end to all that Corruption which remains in the upright Man Sin was the Parent of Death and at Death sin it self is totally destroyed The mortal and corruptible Body of the Saint shall at length put on Incorruption and Immortality but the body of Sin is annihilated and shall be no more he shall never complain of any evil present with him nor be troubled with any the least lustings of the flesh against the Spirit How contrary and offensive to the new Nature were the remainders of the old Man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts But at Death the upright man when he puts off his earthly Tabernacle does quite put off the old Man not the least Member of that Body can remain unmortified and in what glorious perfection does he put on the Lord Jesus Christ He is perfecting Holiness while he lives 2 Cor. 7. 1. which intimates that at Death his Work and Labour to cleanse himself will be at an end and Holiness will be perfected And how beautiful and glorious will his separate Soul be in it s perfected and unspotted Purity In the fifth place The end of the perfect and upright man is remarkable as well as himself for his end is Peace The Scripture is true concerning him Eccl. 7. 1. The day of his death is better than the day of his birth He was born into a wicked and a wretched World but Death sends him to an everlasting Habitation of Bliss and Life and Glory His dying day may well be the joyfullest day that ever he lived because the last moment of his time is his entrance into a blessed Eternity He is indeed a Son of Peace and Death should not disturb it 1. The perfect and upright man dies in peace with God He is reconciled to God by the death of his Son How sure is Salvation upon such a Reconciliation The Enmity between God and him being slain by the Cross of Christ Eph. 2. 16. the Value and Virtue of Christ's Crucifixion must needs make Peace that is lasting The middle Wall of Partition that is thrown down shall never be reared up again The upright man's Sins are all removed from him as far as the East is from the West Psalm 103. 12. and he may as well imagine the two Poles that are so far distant should meet together as fear that any of his Sins which are not imputed to him should again be laid unto his charge Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died Neither at Death nor Judgment shall any of their Sins be found against them that are upright A Covenant of Peace is made with them more firm than the strongest Hills and Mountains Isaiah 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee nor the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy upon thee 2 The perfect and upright man dieth in peace with others If all things are to be done with charity 1 Cor. 16. 14 then dying must be in Charity likewise How can he dye in the love of God whose heart is full of malice and hatred to his Brother I remember what that blessed Martyr Bradford said at his Death I ask all the World forgiveness and I forgive all the World there was a great deal of Judgment and Grace in this Expression The World had dealt very hardly with him and was so furious as to burn him with Fire yet he forgave the Injury Thus the Protomartyr Stephen of old from his heart forgave his Persecutors and his last Prayer was for them that God would not lay their Sin and blood-guiltiness to their charge Acts 7. 60. When the heart is emptied of Wrath and Bitterness and desire of Revenge whatever Injuries have been received when peace has been pursued and there has been an universal Love to all Saints and in Obedience to Christ's Command it has been extended even to despightful Enemies here is a comfortable evidence of Peace with God and of an interest in his Love Forgive says Christ and you your selves shall be forgiven 3. The perfect and upright Man when he comes to dye has reason and good ground to have peace within himself I dare not affirm That every good Man concludes his Days with this Peace The Letters of Mr. Paul Bains discover a great measure of Grace and Holiness and an excellent Spirit in him yet he professes himself a great Stranger to the Sweetness of Religion and the Joys of the Holy Ghost that disconsolate humour of Melancholly possibly might be one reason of it Nay when he came to dye his Death-bed was uncomfortable and sadness remained upon his Spirit till he entred into the Joy of his Lord. Yet I am sure there is sufficient ground for peace within the perfect Man For Christ died that Death might be unstung and that Believers might not be terrified at it but triumph over it Through Death he destroyed the Devil as he had the Power of Death that is to make Death terrible and consequently deliver them who through the fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage Heb. 2. 14 15. What a most desirable way of dying is this when Conscience has great Peace being purged and healed by the Blood of Christ When the God of Love and Peace speaks Peace to the departing Soul by his comforting Spirit And a Saint can say with righteous Simeon of old Luke 1. 29 30. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart