SERMON XXXVII. ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. PHIL. iv. 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatfoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on thefe things. AS the excellent characters of the first believers and teachers of Christianity are in general a ftrong recommendation of it to mankind: fo that of St. Paul in particular fhines with distinguished luftre through his whole hiftory; but especially his epiftles, the faithful pictures of his foul. Even in this fhort one to the Philippians, it is furprifing to observe, how great a variety of moft exalted and engaging virtues he fhews. The authority of the apostle is fo perfectly tempered with the condefcenfion of the fellow-Chriftian: the expreffions of his tenderness for thofe to whom he writes are fo indearing and inftructive at the fame time: his acknowledgments of their kindneffes to him, fo equally full of dignity, humility, and difinterestedness his mention of his past perfecutions is fo mild; and of his prefent danger, (for he wrote from a prison) fo cheerful his attention to the fupporting of their courage is so affecting; and his confidence, that both he and they should perfevere and conquer, is fo noble, and yet fo modeft his deliberation, whether life or death be eligible, is fo calm; and his preference to live, even in mifery, for their fakes and that of the gospel, is fo genuinely heroic, yet fully equalled by the : composed compofed and triumphant mention, which he elsewhere makes, of his approaching martyrdom: his zeal for propagating religion is so ardent; yet attended with so deep a concern, that it be indeed true religion: he is fo earneft to guard them, both against a superstitious reliance on outward observances, and a licentious abuse, of the doctrines of faith and grace; fo folicitous to improve them in rational piety, and meek beneficent virtue; fo intent to fix their minds on every thing worthy and amiable, and raise them above every thing gloomy or anxious; his warmth in this glorious cause, is so far from being affected or forced; and every expreffion fo evidently flows from a heart, which cannot help overflowing; that, whoever shall read but this one epiftle with attention and fairness, under all the difadvantages of a tranflation made word for word, and broken into short verses, will feel a strong impreffion on his mind, that the writer of it must have been an uncommonly great and good man; every way deferving of the high rank, which he claims, of a commiffioned fervant of God, and incapable of claiming it falfely. But, befides being thus moved, with the admirable fpirit expreffed, and the fublime precepts diffused, throughout the whole; it will be still a new subject of esteem and wonder, to fee the force and fubftance of them all collected at laft into one brief exhortation; comprehending, in fo narrow a space, the intire compass of virtuous difpofitions, and right behaviour, as is done in the text to which he subjoins with conscious boldness, appealing to all which they had learned and received, and beard and feen of him*, that this had been his own difpofition and behaviour: yet humbly confiders himself as not having already attained or being already perfect, but merely as preffing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God+; and not only uses his own prayers, but begs theirs also, that, through the supply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift, all things may turn to his falvation ‡. We cannot help honouring such a character: but, if we hope to be the better for it, we must alfo imitate it. And therefore let us examine with this view, that description of it which I have read to you. Had the feveral phrafes, used in it, been as nearly as poffible equivalent, and accumulated only to convey the intended meaning more fully fully and ftrongly, this would have been warranted by the example of the great Roman orator, who profeffes to have done the fame thing on a like occafion *. But there is a fuperior accuracy and beauty in the words of the apoftle. Each of them fingly hath a diftinct fenfe: and joined together they form a connected and complete body of duty, as will appear by examining them feparately: which I fhall therefore do in the first place; and then, fecondly, make a general obfervation upon the whole. Truth, always prefent to the mind of God, is the ground of his commands; and, fo far as difcerned by us, is the ground of our obedience. On this accordingly the apoftle here builds, and lays for the foundation of his whole superftructure, Whatfoever things are true: that is, conformable to the clear perceptions of our understandings, the inward feelings of our hearts, the known circumstances of our fituation. Setting out thus, he excludes, in the firft word, from being any part of Christian duty, every thing romantic and vifionary, all refinements of false honour, all enthusiasm of a heated fancy. But he enjoins at the fame time, whatever is reasonable and right; be the practice or notions of the world as contrary to it as they will: whatever the fovereign principle of confcience dictates, though paffions and appetites may draw powerfully another way; whatever the impartial state of any case requires, let vanity or interest make ever so much against it: what we owe to our Maker, no less than what is due to our fellow-creatures: what divine revelation teaches, no less than what human faculties difcover what the future, as well as the prefent condition of our being demands. For our relations to God are as real, and infinitely more important, than to man; those parts of his will which only fcripture makes known, the authority of fcripture being proved, are intitled to equal attention with thofe which reafon dictates of itself: and fuch confequences of our actions, as will follow beyond the grave, are but a fin gle * Nihil enim habet præftantius [natura], nihil quod magis expetat, quam honeftatem, quam laudem, quam dignitatem, quam decus. Hifce ego pluribus nominibus unam rem declarari volo: fed utor, ut quam maxime fignificem, pluribus. Cic. Tufc. Difp. 1. ii. c. 20. See alfo A. Gell. 1. xiii. c. 24. where feveral inftances of this manner of speaking are given, and reafons for it alledged and Cic. De N. D« 1. § 7. and De Fin. 1. ii, c. 4. gle and a short step more diftant, than the visible and daily ones that follow them here. Thefe maxims are the folid basis of proper conduct: the whole creation cannot shake them; and every other scheme of life is built upon the fand, and will crush us under its ruins. God himself proceeds invariably according to the reafon of things; he must therefore expect man to hold it facred; and both the honour of his government and the holiness of his nature ftand engaged, that, fooner or later, every one fhall find his account in obferving this rule, but none in tranfgreffing it. For his righteoufnefs is an everlafting righteoufnefs, and his law is the truth *. The fecond head of the apoftle's injunction is, Whatfoever things are honeft: or rather, as the marginal translation hath it, venerable, intitled to respect for fo the original word in the Greek confeffedly fignifies, as indeed the word honeft itself doth in the Latin tongue, from whence it is derived into ours. : If, pursuant to the former direction, we confider, according to truth, the inward frame of our hearts and minds, we shall perceive, that, as man was created at first in the image of God, fo there still remains in our nature, however defaced by the fall, a fenfe of dignity and worth, which we ought to reverence in ourselves and others. The loweft of men, with reafon, think falfehood and difhonefty beneath them; and the highest, if they condescend to use them, lofe, by so doing, a much truer greatnefs than they retain. Worldly advantages leave the poffeffors of them but just the same men, which they would have been without them. Perfonal accomplishments as often produce wrong conduct, hatred, contempt and mifery, as they do the contrary. At beft, neither the one nor the other can give more than a short-lived and precarious distinction. But fcorn of wickedness, and efteem of our duty, fhewn in practice, this is the valuable pre-eminence, which will continue an ornament to us through every condition of life, through every period of our exiftence; will entitle us to inward veneration, as well as outward regard, and recommend us, not only to fallible beings, but to the unerring fearcher of our hearts, and final rewarder of our deeds. Whoever therefore would obtain a truly honourable character, muft preferve himself above dishonourable actions: and never permit either profit, or pleasure, Pfalm cxix. 142. pleafure, or favour, or power, titular pre-eminences, or popular opinion, to debafe him into doing any thing ill. Keeping up this kind of fuperiority to the height, carries no pride in it, no temptation to pride. For, though a worthyminded man knows every thing to be mean, in comparison of right behaviour; yet he must know too, that his own behaviour is very imperfectly right, even in the fight of men, much ⚫more of God: and were it completely fo, it would still amount to no more than his bounden duty. He will therefore always proceed with great humility, though with great steadiness, in the discharge of his confcience; patiently expecting, what he will certainly find, that many other things, and fome of them very bad ones, will greatly out-fhine, in the eyes of the world, fo plain and unpliant a qualification, as this, of uniform uprightness which yet is indeed beyond all others the respectable one; the only ground of confcious felf-approbation, of mutual efteem and truft, of public order and fafety. For, however common it is become to treat all pretence of principle as mere hypocrify; and both to give with great gaiety, and receive with great complacency, intimations, which one fhould think could do neither fide much credit, as if intèreft or inclination would induce them, or any one, to do almoft any thing; yet fuch general reprefentations are both falfe in themselves, and pernicious to human fociety. The worst of men are not thoroughly bad, without fome mixture of good. But nothing can go farther towards making all men fo, than treating it as an acknowledged point, that they are fo already, and cannot be otherwise. In proportion as this doctrine prevails, no guilt will be out of countenance. Now what the confequences of that must be, is easily discerned; and the prophet hath told us very plainly: Were they afhamed, when they bad committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall-At the time that I vifit them, they shall be caft down, faith the Lord *. Undoubtedly the wickedness of mankind is great: and those in hight ftations have particular opportunities of feeing it in a strong light. But ftill, they, who feel any good qualities in themfelves, cannot juftly think there are none in others. And be there ever fo little probity in the world, it is our moft ferious. interest • Jer. vi, 15. |