The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-04-20
CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.

The Rev. d. G. Ridgway delivered the
third sermon of the series on sanctifcation,
on Sunday morning last, at the Elkton nj.
f. Church.
Text: l Thes. 5:23-And tie cery tod Of
peace sonctty yoa 'cholly.
Having in our previous dscourses en-
deavored to show what is the doctrine of
Christian Perfection, as taught by the
church, and recognizing in it condition
of glorious exaltation above the average of
Christian life $50 called we proceed to
discuss the question of its attainability in
the present life; a question that has its OPP
ponents as we'll as its affirmants.
We contend that holiness, perfect love,
or Christian perfection is attainable in the
present life, because
|. 1t is commanded by God Himself
In Leviticus e0:7, we read "Sanctify your
selves therefore. and be We holy; for | am
the Lord your God" And in Matt. 5:4S,
BE ye therefore perfect even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect
Notice that in these passages the address
is to individuals personal and not official.
and that these individuals lin the first place
Israel, in the second, Christ's disciples, }
are already occupying a chosen and spe.
cially favored relation to God-have left
the world and come out from the mass of
human life and beings.
II. Christians are exhorted to its &C
quirement. In Romans 1871, 81 beseech
you brethren that We present
your bodies living sacrifice, holy, accept
able unto God;" 2 Cor. IL, "Let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness . {.
perfecting holiness ;" &C., and in Heb 81, ,
Let us go on to perfection"
These exhortations are likewise address
ed not to sinners nor to the world in general,
but to g BRETHREN to fellow Christians, -
to those in whom the foundation OF "re-
pentance" and faith !" is already laid
III. 1t is promised Of God as one of the
beattudes of later and more glorious dis.
pensatiop. In Eek. 1925 we read, Then
will | sprinkle clean water upon you and
ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness
and all your idols will cleanse YOU"
IN. Conditions for its attainment are
laid down. | John 1:7,9: but if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth
us from all sim ''If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and Just to . cleanse US
from all unrighteousness.'
Y. Its bestowment upon others prayed
for by both Christ and the Apostles. The
whole of that wonderful prayer of our
Saviour, recorded in the eth of John, pre-
sents this idea; and in the 18th verse he
explicitly says {" pray not that Thou
shouldst take them out of the world, but
that Thou Shouldst keep them from the
evil " and in the 18th verse, as though in
further explanation, "sanctify them and
then the language of our text, especially
in the light of the latter part of the same
l.. a., 4 IL.
ties desires that the Thessaonian Chris
tianS might attain to this exalted position.
VI. 1t is declared to be a prerequisite
to seeing God Heb. 1874: "Follow q.
holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord"
Lastly. Provision is made for it in the
economy of the divine plan. The blood"
is to "cleanse from all SIM the 80 Word :,
is to be the agent of sanctitication; and the
Holy Ghost the sanctitier" All the
agencies of the Divine power. the atone
ment, and the new and fuller baptism are
subsidized of God to this one great end.
Indeed, Gods plan ever since the fall, so
far as we can comprehend it, seems to have
had in view this one great end to raise up
for Himself "holy people,
First an individual is called, then the
family of the offspring of this one, then
a nation, His chosen Israel. and then in the
widening development of His plan under
the Christian dispensation not one nation,
but all who become the "seed Of Abra-
ham y by faith, that new Israel of God by
and through kinship with our Lord Jesus
Christ, are called to holiness.
The conclusion we reach is this
If commanded of God, and unattainable,
God is unjust.
If we are exhOrted to il by hoIy man hv