4.

in and sup with him," upon the fruits of my grace, in their Christian perfection; and he shall sup with me upon the fruits of my glory, in their angelical and heavenly maturity.

Hear this encouraging Gospel: "Ask, and you shall have; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. If any of you, [believers] lack wisdom-indwelling wisdom, [Christ the wisdom and the power of God dwelling in his heart by faith,] let him ask of God, who giveth to all men, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask [as a believer] in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed: for let not that man think that he shall receive" the thing which he thus asketh. "But whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. For all things [commanded and promised] are possible to him that believeth." He who has commanded us to be perfect "in love, as our heavenly Father is perfect," and he who has promised "speedily to avenge his elect, who cry to him night and day;" he will speedily avenge you of your grand adversary, indwelling sin. He will say to you, "According to thy faith, be it done unto thee; for he is able to do far exceedingly abundantly, far above all that we can ask or think, and of his fulness we may all receive grace for grace"-we may all witness the gracious fulfilment of all the promises, which he has graciously made, that by "them we might be partakers of the Divine nature," so far as it can be communicated to mortals in this world. You see that, with men, what you look for is impossible but you show yourselves believers: take God into the account, and you will soon experience, that "with God all things are possible." Nor forget the omnipotent Advocate whom you have with him. Behold! he lifts his once pierced hands, and says, "Father, sanctify them through [thy loving] truth, that they may be perfected in love:" and showing to you the fountain of atoning blood, and purifying water, whence flow the streams which cleanse and gladden the hearts of believers, he says, " Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name—whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Ask, then, that your joy may be full." If I try your faith by a little delay: if I hide my face for a moment, it is only to gather you with everlasting kindness. "A woman, when she is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish for joy. Now ye have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." In that day ye shall ask me no question, for you shall not have my bodily presence. But my urim and thummim will be with you; and the "Spirit of truth will himself lead you into all [Christian] truth."

In the meantime be hope against hope."

O for a firm and lasting faith,

To credit all the Almighty saith,
To embrace the promise of his Son,
And feel the Comforter our own!

not afraid to give glory to God by "believing in
Stagger not "at the promise [of the Father and

the Son] through unbelief:" but trust the power and faithfulness of your Creator and Redeemer, till your Sanctifier has fixed his abode in your heart. Wait at mercy's door, as the lame beggar did at the beautiful gate of the temple. "Peter fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look to us: and he gave heed to them, expecting to receive some. thing of them." Do so too: give heed to the Father in the Son, who says, "Look unto me and be ye saved." Expect to receive "the one thing now needful" for you,-a fulness of the sanctifying Spirit: and though your patience may be tried, it shall not be disappointed. The faith and power, which, at Peter's word, gave the poor cripple a perfect soundness in the presence of all the wondering Jews, will give you, at Christ's word, a perfect soundness of heart in the presence of all your adversaries.

Faith-mighty faith, the promise sees,

And looks to that alone,
Laughs at impossibilities,

And cries, "It shall be done!"

Faith asks impossibilities;

Impossibilities are given:

And I-e'en I, from sin shall cease,

Shall live on earth the life of heaven.

Faith always "works by love,"-by love of desire at least; making us ardently pray for what we believe to be eminently desirable. And if Christian perfection appears so to you, you might perhaps express your earnest desire of it in some such words as these :-How long, Lord, shall my soul, thy spiritual temple, be a den of thieves, or a house of merchandise? How long shall vain thoughts profane it, as the buyers and sellers profaned thy temple made with human hands ? How long shall evil tempers lodge within me? How long shall unbelief, formality, hypocrisy, envy, hankering after sensual pleasure, indifference to spiritual delights, and backwardness to painful or ignominious duty, harbour there? How long shall these sheep and doves, yea, these goats and serpents, defile my breast, which should be pure as the holy of holies? How long shall they hinder me from being one of the worshippers whom thou seekest,- -one of those who worship thee in spirit and in truth? O help me to take away these cages of unclean birds. "Suddenly come to thy temple." Turn out all that offends the eyes of thy purity; and destroy all that keeps me out of "the rest which remains for thy Christian people :" so shall I keep a Spiritual Sabbath,—a Christian jubilee to the God of my life. So shall I witness my share in the oil of joy with which thou anointest perfect Christians above their fellow believers; I stand in need of that oil, Lord: my lamp burns dim: sometimes it seems to be even gone out, as that of the foolish virgins; it is more like "a smoking flax” than “a burning and shining light." O! quench it not: raise it to a flame. Thou knowest that I do believe in thee. The trembling hand of my faith holds thee; and though I have ten thousand times grieved thy pardoning love, thine everlasting arm is still under me, to redeem my life from destruction; while thy right hand is over me, to crown me with mercies and loving kindness. But, alas! I am neither sufficiently thankful for thy present mercies, nor sufficiently athirst for thy future favours. Hence I feel an aching void in my soul, being conscious that

I have not attained the heights of grace described in thy word, and enjoyed by thy holiest servants. Their deep experiences, the diligence and ardour with which they did thy will; the patience and fortitude with which they endured the cross, reproach me, and convince me of my manifold wants. I want "power from on high;" I want the penetrating, lasting "unction of the Holy One." I want to have my vessel (my capacious heart) full of oil, which makes the countenance of wise virgins cheerful. I want a lamp of heavenly illumination, and a fire of Divine love, burning day and night in my breast, as the typical lamps did in the temple, and the sacred fire on the altar; I want a full appli cation of the blood which cleanses from all sin, and a strong faith in thy sanctifying word,—a faith by which thou mayest dwell in my heart, as the unwavering hope of glory, and the fixed object of my love. I want the internal oracle,-thy still, small voice, together with urim and thummim,*" the new name which none knoweth but he that receiveth it." In a word, Lord, I want a plenitude of thy Spirit, the full promise of the Father, and the rivers which flow from the inmost souls of the believers, who have gone on to the perfection of their dispensation. I do believe that thou canst and wilt thus "baptize me with the Holy Ghost and with fire:" help my unbelief: confirm and increase my faith, with regard to this important baptism. Lord, I have need to be thus baptized of thee, and I am straitened till this baptism is accomplished. By thy baptisms of tears in the manger-of water in Jordan-of sweat in Gethsemane of blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke, and flaming wrath on Calvary, baptize— O, baptize my soul, and make as full an end of the original sin which I have from Adam, as thy last baptism made of the likeness of sinful flesh, which thou hadst from a daughter of Eve. Some of thy people look at death for full salvation from sin; but, at thy command, Lord, I look unto thee. "Say to my soul, I am thy salvation:" and let me feel with my heart, as well as see with my understanding, that thou canst save from sin to the uttermost, all that come to God through thee. I am tired of forms, professions, and orthodox notions; so far as they are not pipes or channels to convey life, light, and love to my dead, dark, and stony heart. Neither the plain letter of thy Gospel, nor the sweet foretastes and transient illuminations of thy Spirit, can satisfy the large desires of my faith. Give me thine abiding Spirit, that he may continually shed abroad thy love in my soul. Come, O Lord, with that blessed Spirit: come thou, and thy Father, in that holy Comforter,-come to make your abode with me; or I shall go meekly mourning to my grave. Blessed mourning! Lord, increase it. I had rather wait in tears for thy fulness than wantonly waste the fragments of thy spiritual bounties, or feed with Laodicean contentment upon the tainted manna of my former experiences. Righteous Father, "I hunger and thirst after thy righteousness:" send thy Holy Spirit of promise to fill me therewith, to sanctify me throughout, and to "seal me centrally to the day of eternal redemption" and finished salvation. "Not for works of righteousness which I have done, but of thy mercy," for Christ's sake, "save thou me by the complete washing of regeneration, and the full renewing of the Holy Ghost." And in order to this, pour out of thy Spirit; shed it

* Two Hebrew words, which mean lights and perfections.

abundantly on me till the fountain of living water abundantly spring up in my soul, and I can say, in the full sense of the words, that thou "livest in me, that my life is hid with thee in God, and that my spirit is returned to him that gave it; to thee, the first and the last,-my author and my end, my God and my all!"

SECTION XX.

An address to perfect Christians.

YE have not sung the preceding hymns in vain, O ye men of God, who have mixed faith with your evangelical requests. The God, who says, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it;" the gracious God who declares, "Blessed are they that hunger after righteousness, for they shall be filled;" that faithful, covenant-keeping God has now filled you with all "righteousness, peace, and joy in believing." The brightness of Christ's appearing has destroyed the indwelling "man of sin." He who had slain the lion and the bear (he who had already done so great things for you) has now crowned all his blessings by slaying the Goliath within. Aspiring, unbelieving self is fallen before the victorious Son of David. "The quick and powerful word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, has pierced even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit." The carnal mind is cut off: the circumcision of the heart, through the Spirit, has fully taken place in your breasts; and now "that mind is in you which was also in Christ Jesus; ye are spiritually minded:" loving God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourselves, "ye are full of goodness, ye keep the commandments," ye observe the law of liberty, ye fulfil the law of Christ. Of him ye have "learned to be meek and lowly in heart." Ye have fully "taken his yoke upon you;" in so doing ye have found a sweet, abiding rest unto your souls; and from blessed experience ye can say, "Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden is light. His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies." The beatitudes are sensibly yours: and the charity, described by St. Paul, has the same place in your breasts which the tables of the law had in the ark of the covenant. Ye are the living temples of the trinity: the ⚫ Father is your life; the Son your light; the Spirit your love; ye are truly baptized into the mystery of God, ye continue to "drink into one spirit," and thus ye enjoy the grace of both sacraments. There is an end of your Lo here! and Lo there! The kingdom of God is now established within you. Christ's "righteousness, peace, and joy” are rooted in your breasts "by the Holy Ghost given unto you," as an abiding guide, and indwelling comforter. Your introverted eye of faith looks at God, who gently "guides you with his eye" into all the truth necessary to make you "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." Simplicity of intention keeps darkness out of your mind, and purity of affection keeps wrong fires out of your breast: by the former, ye are without guile; by the latter, ye are without envy. Your VOL. II.

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passive will instantly melts into the will of God; and on all occasions you meekly say, "Not my will, O Father, but thine be done " Thus ye are always ready to suffer what you are called to suffer. Your active will evermore says, "Speak, Lord; thy servant heareth: what wouldst thou have me to do? It is my meat and drink to do the will of my heavenly Father!" Thus are ye always ready to do whatsoever ye are convinced that God calls you to do; and "whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat, or drink, or do any thing else, ye do all to the glory of God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; rejoicing evermore; praying without ceasing; in every thing giving thanks;" solemnly looking for and hasting unto the hour of your dissolution, and the "day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved," and your soul, being clothed with a celestial body, shall be able to do celestial services to the God of your life.

In this blessed state of Christian perfection the holy "anointing, which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, unless it be as the same anointing teacheth." Agreeably, therefore, to that anointing, which teaches by a variety of means, which formerly taught a prophet by an ass, and daily instructs God's children by the ant, I shall venture to set before you some important directions which the Holy Ghost has already suggested to your pure minds: " for I would not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance," and giving you some hints, which it is safe for you frequently to meditate upon.

I. Adam, ye know, lost his human perfection in paradise; Satan lost his angelic perfection in heaven; the devil thrust sore at Christ in the wilderness, to throw him down from his mediatorial perfection: and St. Paul, in the same epistles where he professes not only Christian, but apostolic perfection also, (Phil. iii, 15; 1 Cor. ii, 6; 2 Cor. xii, 11,) informs us that he continued to "run for the crown of heavenly perfection" like a man who might not only lose his crown of Christian perfection, but become a reprobate, and be cast away, 1 Cor. ix, 25, 27. And, therefore, "so run ye also, that no man take your crown" of Christian perfection in this world, and that ye may obtain your crown of angelic perfection in the world to come. Still keep your body under. Still guard your senses. Still watch your own heart, and, "steadfast in the faith, still resist the devil that he may flee from you;" remembering that if Christ himself, as Son of man, had con. ferred with flesh and blood, refused to deny himself, and avoided taking up his cross, he had lost his perfection, and sealed up our original apostasy.

"We do not find," says Mr. Wesley, in his Plain Account of Christian Perfection, “any general state described in Scripture, from which a man cannot draw back to sin. If there were any state wherein this is impossible, it would be that of those who are sanctified, who are fathers in Christ, who rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks.' But it is not impossible for these to draw back. They who are sanctified may yet fall and perish, Heb. x, 29. Even fathers in Christ' need that warning, Love not the world'