l of God, as Adam did
in paradise. Hence the best of men may say from the heart,

"Every moment, Lord, I need
The merit of thy death,"

for innumerable violations of the Adamic, as well as the angelic law. It
is well, therefore, for us, that we are not now under these, but under the
law of love. "Love is [now] the fulfilling of the law," which is given to
fallen man. This is now, with respect to us, "the perfect law." But even
against this, through the present weakness of our understanding, we are
continually liable to transgress. Therefore every man living needs the
blood of atonement; or he could not stand before God.

"What is, then, the perfection of which man is capable while he dwells in
a corruptible body? It is the complying with that kind command, 'My son,
give me thy heart.' It is the 'loving the Lord his God with all his heart,
and with all his soul, and with all his mind.' This is the sum of
Christian perfection: it is all comprised in that one word, _love_. The
first branch of it is the love of God; and, as he that loves God loves his
brother also, it is inseparably connected with the second, 'Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself;' thou shalt love every man as thy own soul,
as Christ loved us. 'On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets:' these contain the whole of Christian perfection.

"Another view of this is given us in those words of the great apostle,
'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.' For, although
this immediately and directly refers to the humility of our Lord, yet it
may be taken in a far more extensive sense, so as to include the whole
disposition of his mind, all his affections, all his tempers, both toward
God and man. Now, it is certain that, as there was no evil affection in
him, so no good affection or temper was wanting; so that 'whatsoever
things are holy, whatsoever things are lovely,' are all included in 'the
mind that was in Christ Jesus.'

"St. Paul, when writing to the Galatians, places perfection in yet another
view. It is the one undivided _fruit of the Spirit_, which he describes
thus: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, fidelity, [so the word should be translated here,]
meekness, temperance.' What a glorious constellation of grace is here!
Now, suppose all these things to be knit together in one, to be united
together in the soul of a believer,--this is Christian perfection