SPEI. V.j THE tIAPPINEs5 OP SEPARATE SPIRITS. 434 as imperfection in heaven ? Is it not said to be a perfect state ? Now if the spirits above be always growing in ex- cellency and holiness, then they are always defective and eternally imperfect which is very hard to suppose con- cerning the saints in glory, and contrary to the very expression and letter of my text. The answer to this is very easy, to all that will give their reason leave to exercise itself upon just ideas, and to think and argue beyond the chime of words. Perfection; as I told you before, is not to be taken here in an absolute, burin a,comparative sense : Nothing is absolutely perfect hut God ; and in comparison of God, the highest and most exalted of all creatures is, and will be eternally imperfect and defective : " The hea- vens are not pure in his sight, and he charges his angels with folly ;" Job iv. 18. Even the man Christ Jesus shall for ever fall shórt of the perfection of the divine nature to which he is united, and in this sense will be im- perfect for ever. But where any creature has attained to such exalted degrees ofexcellency as are far superior to what others have. attained, it is the custom of the scripture to call them perfect, and that with a design to do honour to their character : So Noah ` was ajust man, and perfect in his generation ;" Gen. vi. 9. Job also has this honour done him, he was " perfect and upright;" Job i. 1. And -the saints on earth are called perfect in many parts of the word of God, even while they are here on earth, and have many defects and imperfections. So though it be literally true, that the saints ih heaven are continually imperfect in comparison of God and Christ, and of what they themselves shall further attain ; yet the scripture; which delights to do honour to them, causes rather to call them perfect, because of the sublime degree of ex- celléncies they possess above their fellow-saints on earth : And it is not fit for us to degrade them in our common language by the diminishing and abasing names of defect and imperfection, "though their present perfection and excellency admits of everlasting increase. If any man, after he has read this treatise thus far, and has duly weighed all the former arguments, Can 'see force enough in this last objection to baffle or destroy them all, or can find terror enough 'in 'the mere-soundof
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