The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 508

i:

X. Perfect in Parts, Imperfect in Degrees. "

And

the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." ;

—

Thess. V. 23.

The

Scriptural doctrine that sanctification is a gradual process

perfected only in death must be maintained clearly and soberly in opposition to the Perfectionist, who says that saints may wholly sanctified" in this life; secondly, to those who deny the implanting of inherent holy dispositions in God's children. jftrsf,

be

"

It

should be noticed, therefore, that Sacred Scripture distin-

guishes sanctification imperfect in degrees, and sanctification per-

A normal infant, tho small, is a perfect human being. Of course it must grow, but it has all the parts of the human body. The mental faculties can not be examined, but the bodily members are obviously /^/y>^/ and complete. The head may not be covered with hair, various members may be still incomplete, but that does not impair its perfection; in a small beginning the constituent Hence the child is called perparts and members are all present. fect in parts.

fect in parts.

Yet growth.

it is

It

not perfect in degrees,

must grow and increase

i.e., it

has not attained

its full

And

this is

in every respect.

a slow and imperceptible progress. A garment fitting perfectly at night is never too small in the morning. One night's growth is imperceptible.

Yet we grow and increase; and

the body changes constantly.

And

hour and the subse-

until death's

this increase

quent decrease of old age affect all the parts equally. It never happens that a child's arm grows, but not his leg. that his neck expands, while the head remains small. This gradual increase is

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