_To Mr. A――――._
_Boston, Sept. 23, 1740._
_My dear Brother A――――_,
I Thank you for your letter: May the LORD enable me to send you an
answer of peace. _Sinless perfection_, I think, is unattainable in
this life. Shew me a man that could ever justly say, “I am perfect.”
It is enough if we can say so, when we bow down our heads and give up
the ghost. _Indwelling sin_ remains till death, even in the regenerate,
as the article of the church expresses it.――There is no man that
liveth and sinneth not in thought, word, and deed: However, to affirm
such a thing as perfection, and to deny _final perseverance_, what an
absurdity is this? To be incapable of sinning, and capable of being
finally damned, is a contradiction in terms. From such doctrine may I
ever turn away! Labour, dear Mr. _A._ to be holy, even as GOD is holy;
but do not look for complete perfection here below. What is this, but
in effect to vacate the righteousness of CHRIST? I hear many amongst
you who begun in the spirit, are now ending in the flesh. CHRIST hath
freely justified them, _i. e._ entitled them to all his merits, and
yet they must do so and so to keep themselves in a justified state.
Alas, this is sorry divinity; I have not so learned CHRIST. No, his
gifts and callings are without repentance. Whom he loves, he loves to
the end. Work I will, but not to keep myself in a justified state. My
LORD hath secured that; but I will work to shew my gratitude for his
putting me into a justified state. O that all would study the covenant
of grace. Dear Mr. _A._ I feel that I love you, and I find myself
carried out to write in this manner. My LORD blesses me with all
spiritual blessings; he causes me to rejoice in his salvation. I pray
him to carry on his work in _London_, and to keep his church from
errors; but there must be a sifting as well as a gathering time. It is
meet that such offences should come. All shall work together for good
to those who are _called after GOD’s purpose_: They shall finally be
saved. This much comforts, dear Brother _A――――_,
Your affectionate brother in CHRIST,
_G. W._