mise, having no hope, and without God in the world."* This is a forlorn state: better have no souls than graceless souls: better never to have been joined to the living, than not to be united to departed saints, that live in heaven. Alas! how few understand what this means? It would be too tedious to run over the characters of gracious souls, that are members of Christ's mystical body on earth, and so associated in near relation to, and communion with, the glorified spirits above. I shall but briefly glance at these two things in the text, that men are considered as just, and as made perfect. And how are these in unison with the character of all pious persons here on earth? 1. Pious persons are just or righteous, and that in these two respects: as having inherent, and imputed righteousness. (1.) Inherent; and so by consequence, a practical, exercised justice and righteousness: Gen. vi. 9, “Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations; and Noah walked with God;" the goodness of his state produced the goodness of his life. There must be a right principle, or there can never be a right practice : the tree must be good, or there can be no good fruit. Are your hearts renewed? Has sin lost its dominion? Do you square your actions according to Scripture rule? A godly man is called a just man in Scripture;† he is just to God, giving to God the things that are God's; to man the things that are man's; to the soul, to the body, to the world, their dues and no more. Do you make it your business to do "justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God?" Mic. vi. S. + Job. xxvii. 6. Psalm xxxvii. 12. Prov. xxix. 10. 1sa. xxvi. 7 Alas, friends, it is not an assent to truth, a profession of godliness, nor a mere notion that will do, but a saving work on the heart; "a putting on the new man, which after God is created, in righteousness and holiness of truth ;"* and then being righteous before God, as Zechariah and Elizabeth, "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless ;" † and doing "righteousness at all times." This is a being suited and squared to the whole will of God. No man is just, but such a one as makes it his business to be universally upright: so saith the apostle, 1 John iii. 7, "Little children, let no man deceive you, he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." (2.) They are just, or righteous also by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is the "Lord our righteousness;" the author is God alone; "it is God that justifieth;" the efficient cause is free grace, "We are justified freely by his grace," and not our deserts; the meritorious cause is the redemption, which is in Christ; the means of applying Christ's righteousness is faith; receiving this free gift, "We are justified by the faith of Christ."|| By this means it is, that a poor sinner standing at the bar of God, as a guilty malefactor condemned by the law, is cleared and acquitted, and accepted by God as if he had never offended. So that neither Satan, nor conscience, nor law, nor justice, hath any thing to lay to his charge; hence the apostle's challenge, Rom. viii. 33, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" If the judge acquit the prisoner, no matter what the jailor, or fellow prisoners say. This, this is that which all the servants of God own, desire, stand by, and delight in, above Psalm cvi. 3. Eph. iv. 24. Luke i. 6. Jer. xxiii. 6. Rom. viii. 33. iii. 22, 24. Gal. ii. 16. * any inherent righteousness; so Paul must be found in Christ, or he is lost for ever, "Not having" saith he, "mine own righteousness, which is by the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Thus the church is clothed with the sun, that is, the righteousness of Christ; "These are they that have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."t No standing before the holy, righteous, sin-avenging judge, but in a righteousness, commensurate with the demands of infinite justice, and that is Christ's only, who was, and is God equal with the Father, whose deity gives value to his sufferings in the humane nature. O blessed souls that are thus just! These shall enter amongst the just ones. 2. As they are just ones, so they are perfect: and none can come to the spirits made perfect, but such as are in a gospel sense made perfect, even in this world, two ways: by integrity, and by proficiency, and a constant tendency towards perfection. (1.) A believer is in some sense perfect. God bids Abraham, and all his spiritual seed, to walk before him, and to be perfect. Job was perfect and upright; that is, with an evangelical perfection of parts, though defective in point of degree; for he saith," If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse."|| In this sense Paul disclaims perfection, but asserts it as the characteristic of all believers in the former sense; "As many as be perfect, let them be thus minded:"§ and elsewhere, "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect," ¶ that is, serious Christians. Our Lord himself tells us what is requisite to this Phil. iii. 8, 9. Rev. xii. 1. Gen. xvii. 1. § Phil. iii. 12, 15. + Rev. vii. 14. 66 " gospel perfection: Matt. xix. 21, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me:" Mark adds, "Take up the cross. A cheerful, real, universal, perpetual compliance with gospel terms is this gospel perfection; there is an endeavour to resemble Jesus ChristEvery one that is perfect shall be as his Master," | both in character and possession of glory. This is the great business of poor ministers, "warning and teaching every man, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." A child is a perfect man as to the number of bodily members, though defective in size: so the convert hath all the limbs and lineaments of the new creature he hath light in the understanding, rectitude in the will, regularity in the affections, tenderness and faithfulness in the conscience. A gracious soul hath all the graces of the Spirit-faith, love, repentance, the fear of God, and humility; though alas! but in an infe rior degree. I may truly say, that the same grace for kind is in the meanest saint on earth, as is in the most elevated child of God on earth or in heaven, yet not the same measure of grace. The apostle Peter writes to them that have "obtained like precious faith with himself," || and other apostles: like precious, not like glorious; like for quality, not for quantity: there are babes in Christ, as well as strong men: § a child may hold a ring in his hand as well, though not so fast as a strong man. Grace hath its different degrees, and even its ebbings and flowings: but is there truth in the inward parts? Hast thou given the key of thy heart to God? Darest thou set thyself before the heart-searching God, as a glass in the sun, that he may + Col. i. 28. • Mark x. 21. || 2 Pet. i. 1. + Luke vi. 40. look into thee, through thee? Dost thou say as Job, "Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity ?"* and as David, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my heart?" Do you love trying truths, sermons, and + providences, approving your hearts entirely to God, doing all as in his sight, and aiming at his glory? (2.) A proficiency in grace. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Christians are never at the summit in this world; "They go from strength to strength, till every one in Zion appears before God." || It is as natural for a living child to grow, as to breathe. Grace came from above, and like pillars of smoke ascends upwards. Heaven is the Christian's centre; "They that are risen with Christ, seek the things above." § Every thing tends to the perfection of its being, grace much more. The Christian is still short, and would be better; still something is lacking in his faith, hope, love, or patience; it grieves him at his heart, that he can serve God no better, that he hath so many strong corruptions, such distractions in holy duties, such deadness, forgetfulness, or levity of spirits: he is still labouring at the pump to draw out grace, to remove defilement, to rub off spots, to "cleanse away all filthiness both of flesh and spirit, that he may perfect holiness in the fear of God." ¶ The Christian is never right unless with God, never well till he be with God above in his immediate presence: he almost envies the happiness of glorified spirits, and aspires to be as good as they; watching, warring, wrestling, praying, obeying, and acting, if by any means he may "attain . Job xxxi. 6. T2 Cor. vii. 1. + Psalm xxvi. 2. Psalm lxxxiv. 7. cxxxix. 23. |