37S THE HAPPINESS OP SEPARATE SPIRITS. [DISC. I1, various nations, and from all ages, and joined together in the heavenly Jerusalem, the family of God above. I shall proceed now to the second thing I proposed. SECTION II. Of theirperfection in knowledge, holiness, andjoy. The second enquiry is this, wherein consists the per- fection at which these spirits are arrived ? The word perfect cannot be taken here in its most ex- tensive, absolute, and sublime sense, for in that sense it can belong only to God ; he is and must be the sum and centre of all perfection for ever : all excellency and all blessedness in a supreme degree meet in him; none besides him can pretend to absolute perfection. Nor is the, word used here in its most sublime sense, in which it may be applied to a creature ; for when the spirits ofjust men are made ever so perfect, the blessed soul of our Lord Jesus Christ will be more perfect than they; for in all things he must have the pre eminence; Col. i. 18. Perfection is therefore taken in a comparative sense here, as in many other ['laces ofscripture. So, St. Paul calls those' christians on earth perfect, who are advanced in knowledge and christianity. far above their fellows; as in i Cor: ii. )6. I speak wisdomamongthem that are per- fect. Phil. iii. 15. Let .as many as are perfect be thus minded. So that blessed souls above are only perfect in a comparative sense.; They are advanced in every ex- cellencyof nature, and every divine privilege, far above all their fellow-saints here .on earth. I desire.it also to be observed here, that The word perfection doth not generally imply another sort of character than what a man possessed before; but a far more exalted degreeof the same character which he was before possessed of. The perfection then of the spirits of the just in hea- ven, is a glorious and transcendant degree of those spi- ritual and heavenly qualifications and blessings which they enjoyed. here onearth in a lower measure; implying also, a freedom from all the defects and disorders to which they were here exposed; and which are inconsis- ..tent.with their present felicity.
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