course on each, as I have been fo long on the former part of this excellent compofition. **

Here is the undoubted character of all the human race, fixing imperfection and finfulness on the best of the kind in this world, and fo concluding all to be liable to fin, and under it. In the words there are two things.

1. A pofition, There is not a juft man upon earth. By the juft man in this text is not meant an evangelically just man, or one juft in respect of parts, though not of degrees; but one who is legally fo, juft in the eye of the law, as having yielded perfect obedience to all its commands: this is plain from the original pointing. Compare Pfal. cxliii. 2. "Enter not into judgment with thy fervant: for in thy fight shall no man living be justified." By this time the man Christ had not appeared on the earth: fo it is meant of mere men. On the earth; to denote that in heaven they are just in that sense, arrived to legal perfection.

2. The explication of it: There is none who doth good, and finneth not. There are fome who do good, as all the godly; but they fin withal, and that daily, for fo the word is to be understood of their using to fin.

The doctrine arifing from the words is,

DOCT. "Legal perfection is not attainable in this life, but the best fin daily. Or, "No mere man, fince the fall, is able, in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God; but doth daily break them, in thought, word, and deed."

In difcourfing from this doctrine, I shall,

* As fome readers may be apt to think, in regard feveral of the following discourses are very short, that they are not fo full as they were de livered, it is neceffary to inform them, that, befides what the author has here said of his intended brevity, he was generally a short preacher, feldom, on ordinary occafions, exceeding half an hour, and that his delivery was somewhat flow. Befides, we have the testimony of his dear friends Meff. Wilfon, Davidson, and Colden, that he generally wrote his fermons as full as he delivered them. See the preface to his fermons on afflictions. And it is believed, that the attentive reader, upon a careful perufal of this last part of the work, will find the feveral fubjects fuffici ently, though briefly, illuftrated, for promoting his beft and moft effential interefts.

I. Shew what is legal perfection, or perfect keeping of the commands.

II. Confider the attainableness of this perfection.

III. Shew how the faints fin daily, and break the commands.

IV. Confirm the point, That perfection is not attainable in this life.

V. Give the reafon of this difpenfation.

VI. Apply.

I. I fhall fhew what is legal perfection, or perfect keeping of the commands. It is a perfect conformity of heart and life to the commands of God; and implies,

1. A perfection of the principle of action, Matth. xxii. 37. "Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." For if the heart and foul be not finlefs and pure, as in innocent Adam and Chrift, but be polluted as our nature is, there can be no perfect keeping of the commands of God. That pollution will ftain all.

2. A perfection of the parts of obedience. No part must be lacking, every command of whatsoever nature must be kept: "For it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. If one be wanting, all is wanting, all is marred. Hence fays James, chap. ii. 10. "Whofoever fhall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

3. A perfection of degrees in every part, Matth. xxii. 37. "Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy foul, and with all thy mind." Sincerity is not enough in the eye of the law. In every thing one must come to the highest pitch, or there is no perfection.

4. A perfection of duration or continuance, Gal. iii. 10. forecited; without apoftafy or defection, continuing to the end; for one bad trip after a courfe of obedience will mar all.

II. Let us confider the attainableness of this perfection.

1. Adam before the fall was able to have kept the commands perfectly; he might have attained it; for "God made him upright," Eccl. vii. 29. That law was the rule of Adam's covenant-obedience; and perfect obedience to it

was the condition of the covenant, which God could not have proposed to him, if he had not given him strength fufficient to perform it.

2. The man Chrift, who was not a mere man, but Godman, was not only able to keep the law perfectly, but actually did fo. He made out what the first Adam failed in, to the falvation of the elect, and in their stead; and this in the whole extent of legal perfection. His obedience was perfect in the principle, Heb. vii. 26. being "holy, harmlefs, undefiled, feparate from finners;" in the parts, Matth. iii. 15. "It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness ;" in the degrees, John xv. 13. " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ;" and in continuance, Phil. ii. 8. "He became obedient unto death."

3. The faints in heaven are able, and do actually perfectly obey whatever God's will to them is: fo that though in this life they do not attain it, yet in the life to come all the children of God fhall attain perfection, Heb. xii. 23. where mention is made of "the fpirits of juft men made perfect ;" and there they shall be fully freed from, fin, and all poffibility of finning.

4. But fince Adam fell, no mere man is able, while in this life, either of himself, or by virtue of any grace now given, to keep the commands perfectly. Of himfelf he cannot do it; neither is there any measure of grace given to any in this life, whereby they may be enabled to do it: For " in many things we offend all," Jam. iii. 2. This inability is owing to the remains of corruption that cleaves to every one of them in this mortal state, Rom. vii. 23.; and from which they ardently long to be delivered, ver. 24. And there is no promife of grace given in the word, whereby believers may be enabled to keep the commands of God perfectly; nor would it be confiftent with the nature of fpiritual growth, which is manifeftly, like the natural, gradual; and it is certain that the faints do not arrive at their full ftature, till they come to the mansions of blifs, 1 Theff. iii. 13,

III. I fhall fhew how the faints fin daily, and break the commands. And here I fhall confider,

1. How many ways the commands may be broken. 2. In what respect the faints fin daily.

3. How these failures of theirs break the commands.

First, I am to fhew how many ways the commands may be broken. They may be broken three ways, in deeds, words, and thoughts.

1. In deeds, done contrary to the command of God, or not done, though required. God's commands are the rule of men's outward life and converfation; and whatever we do or omit contrary to the law, is our fin, whether it be public, private, or secret, Pfal. xiv. 2, 3.

2. In words, either fpeaking what we ought not, or not speaking what we ought, or fpeaking what we ought, but not in the manner commanded. (The fame is to be faid of actions or deeds.) God's commands are a rule to our tongues, and tell us what to speak, how to speak, and what not to speak ; and by regardleffness of the rule, the tongue is "a fire, a world of iniquity," Jam. iii. 6.

3. In thoughts. Here God's law goes beyond men's laws as to the whole kind; for our thoughts are open to God, who is omniscient, as words or actions are equally open to him, Heb. iv. 13. and liable to his law. For fays Chrift, "Whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart," Matth. v. And fo one may fin by thinking what he ought not, by omitting of good thoughts, and by not managing good thoughts, in the manner required by the law.

Secondly, I fhall fhew in what refpect the faints fin daily, in thought word, and deed.

1. Negatively not that the faints fall into grofs fins daily, against the letter of the law, either in thought, word, or deed. God will difown thofe for faints, who entertain vile thoughts daily, fwear daily, lie daily, do unjust things, or neglect his worship daily, Gal. v. 19.-21. "Now the works of the flesh are manifeft, which are thefe, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lafciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders, drunkennefs, revellings, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I have alfo told you in time past, that they which do fuch things fhall not inherit the kingdom of God." Such fpots are not the fpots of God's people. Christ's dwelling by his spirit in them, the breaking of the reign of fin in them by the power of divine grace, and their habitual tenderness and watchfulness, hold them off that way of life. But,

2. Pofitively. Befides that faints may be surprised into

grofs fins in thought, word, and deed, fometimes by inadvertency, weakness, and violence of temptation, which is the burden of their fouls, they fin every day in thought, word, and deed, when they keep the ftricteft watch, and have moft of the divine affiftance. What day paffes, if without vile thoughts, yet without vain ones; without idle words, if without mischievous words; when there is not fomething done or undone, which God's law condemns, though perhaps the world cannot quarrel them? Besides, what good thought is thought, good word spoken, or good deed done by them, which the holy law will not fpy a flaw in, as to the manner of its performance?

Thirdly, I am to fhew how thefe failures of theirs break the commands, while they fincerely endeavour to obey them. Why, the moral law is the eternal rule of righteousness, and in whatever state the creature be, he is bound to obey his Creator, whether in a state of nature or grace, glory, or damnation. And though perfection be not attainable in this life, yet it is the faints duty, as well as that of others, Matth. v. ult. "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." So every coming fhort of that perfection is their fin, needing to be taken away by Chrift's blood.

And thus men daily break the commands of God in thought word and deed; which is the only poffible way of tranfgreffing the divine law; and our doing fo in thefe refpects fhews the equity of that charge which the Lord has against every man," Behold thou haft done evil, as thou couldft," Jer. iii. 5,

IV. I shall now confirm the point, That perfection is not attainable in this life.

1. The fcripture attests, that there is no man without fin, 1 Kings viii. 46. "For there is no man that finneth not :" and that "in many things we offend all," Jam. iii. 2. If any fet up for it in himself, the Spirit of God fays he deceives himself, 1 John i. 8. See an unanfwerable queftion, Prov. xx. 9. "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my fin?

2. The best have a corrupt as well as a gracious principle, making the spiritual combat, never ending till death give the separating stroke, Gal. v. 17. "For the flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are