in the soul by a simple act of faith, consequently in an instant.
Some thoughts came to my mind this morning concerning Chris_tian perfection and the manner and time of receiving it, and I believe it may be useful to write them down.
1. By perfection I mean the humble, gentle, patient love of God and our neighbor, ruling our habits, attitudes, words, and actions.
I do not include an impossibility of falling from it, either in part or in whole. Therefore, I retract several expressions in our hymns that partly express, partly imply, such an impossibility.
And I do not fight for the use of the term sinless, though I do not object against it.
2. As to the manner, I believe that this perfection is always accomplished in the soul by a simple act of faith, consequently in an instant.
But I believe a gradual work both precedes and follows that instant.
3. As to the time, I believe that this instant of perfection is generally the instant of death, the moment before the soul leaves the body.
But I believe that it may be ten, twenty, or forty years before.
I believe that it is usually many years after justification; however, perfection may be within five years or five months after justification. I know of no conclusive argument to the contrary.
If it must be many years after justification, I would be glad to know how many. Pretium quotus arroget annus? (How many years give sanction to our lines?) And how many days or months, or even years, can anyone allow to be between perfection and death? How far from justification must it be and how near to death?
London, January 27, 1767