A51848:288
Several discourses tending to promote peace & holiness among Christians to which are added,…
Several discourses tending to promote peace & holiness among Christians to which are added, three other distinct sermons / by Dr. Manton.
London: printed for Jonathan Robinson, 1685
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.
1. We have a perfect God; Matth. 5. 48. Be ye perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. God's Perfection is our Copy, and that is […], and we are required to imitate him; and therefore we must not set Bounds to our Holiness, and say, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther; when we are come never so far, yet this is not like God. The force of this Rule is not taken off, because 'tis limited to one Perfection in the Divine Nature in the Evangelist Luke; for he readeth, instead of being perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, Be ye merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful, Luke 6. 36. that is a special way of Christian Perfection; but God's Children must aim at the Perfection ⟨p. 169⟩of all Virtues. Not only love to Enemies; as Mercy is one of the Divine Perfections which we ought to imitate, so is Holiness, Veracity, and Wisdom, 1 Pet. 1. 15, 16. Surely this direction was given in the Gospel to some purpose, or not: if not, then Christ spoke words in vain; if to some purpose, we are obliged to Perfection: though we cannot fully obtain it in this life, we must still aim at more, and come more near to it. And having God for our Pattern, we should always set him before our Eyes, as he is represented to us in his Word, and his Son Jesus Christ, the express Image of his Person, to be imitated by us.
1. We have a perfect God; Matth. 5. 48. Be ye perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. God's Perfection is our Copy, and that is 〈…〉, and we are required to imitate him; and therefore we must not set Bounds to our Holiness, and say, Hith•rto shalt thou come, and no farther; when we are come never so far, yet this is not like God. The force of this Rule is not taken off, because 'tis limited to one Perfection in the Divine Nature in the Evangelist Luke; for he readeth, instead of being perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, Be ye merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful, Luke 6. 36. that is a special way of Christian Perfection; but God's Children must aim at the Perfection