A12184:321
An exposition of the third chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the…
An exposition of the third chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians also two sermons of Christian watchfulness. The first upon Luke 12 37. The second upon Revel. 16.15. An exposition of part of the second chapter of the Epistle to the Philip. A sermon upon Mal. 4. 2.3. By the late reverend divine Richard Sibbes, D.D. master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Gray's-Inn.An exposition of the third chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians also two sermons of Christian watchfulnesse. The first upon Luke 12 37. The second upon Revel. 16.15. An exposition of part of the second chapter of the Epistle to the Philipp. A sermon upon Mal. 4. 2.3. By the late reverend divine Richard Sibbes, D.D. master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Grayes-Inne.
London: printed by T. Cotes and John Dawson for Peter Cole, 1639
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
VERS. 12. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.
IT is a correction of the Apostle; he formerly spake of his desire, choice, and esteem of Christs death and resurrection, and the force thereof he found in him: Now lest secret insinuating proud conceits might arise, either in himself or in them, concerning ⟨p. 123⟩his holiness, he crosses them with a Not as, showing that the best estate of Gods children in this world is imperfect: there is ever some thing to do or suffer, some lust to conquer, or some grace to strengthen.
IT is a correction of the Apostle; hee formerly spake of his desire, choice, and esteeme of Christs death and resurrection, and the force thereof hee found in him: Now lest secret insinuating proud conceits might arise, either in himselfe or in them, concerning ⟨p. 123⟩his holinesse, hee crosses them with a Not as, shewing that the best estate of Gods children in this world is imperfect: there is ever some thing to doe or suffer, some lust to conquer, or some grace to strengthen.
There is no absolute perfection but only in God himself, yet in Christians there is a kind of derivative spiritual perfection, which consisteth chiefly in the parts: a Christian hath this perfection, he hath all grace in some measure; we have no other perfection, no not so much as perfectio viae, though the Papists say they have it, indeed we are so far from it, that never could Christian keep the rules of nature; much less can we attain to the perfection of obedience to the law, for by it we are all cursed: nay in Christ none attains to evangelical perfection of grace so as thereby we can be justified, as by a work of our own, for our righteousness is but in part; and this perfectio viae, which they boast of so much, differs not from their perfectio finis, no more than love to a man raised by good report of him, differeth from love caused by the good I find in him, by personal communicating with him; and this is only in degrees in nature, they are the same love.