three times, once to describe the character of God, and twice to describe a moral goal to be pursued by the disciples of Christ. In Matthew v. 45, the example of the God of Nature, who does good to all men whether good or bad, is set before His children on earth for their imitation; and in verse 48 our Lord adds, "ye therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." He means that just in proportion as we treat men not according to their deserts but on the principle of doing them good we approach the goal of human excellence, and the pattern set before us by the action of God Himself. Similarly, in Matthew xix. 21, Christ says, "if thou desirest to be perfect, go, sell thy possessions and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." In each of these passages the word rendered perfect describes the goal of human excellence; this being looked at from one particular point of view.

In John xvii. 23, we have the derived verb Teletów. Christ prays that His followers "may be men perfected into one": ἵνα ὦσι τετελειωμένοι εἰς ἕν. He here sets before them unity to be attained by full development of the individual. All defects of character tend towards discord. Christ prays that His disciples may become so mature as to be one harmonious whole. In John iv. 34, v. 36, xvii. 4, the same word denotes the work of Christ, complete or to be completed: e.g. "having completed the work which Thou gavest Me in order that I might do it." So Paul desired, in Acts xx. 24, to complete his course. In John xix. 28 it denotes the fulfilment of prophecy; and in Luke ii. 43 the conclusion of the appointed days of the feast.

In 1 Corinthians ii. 6 St. Paul says that, although to the Corinthians he did not use persuasive words of human wisdom, he nevertheless does "speak wisdom among the full-grown": év Toîs Teλeíois. But he adds in chapter iii. 1, "and I, brethren, was not able to speak to you as to

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spiritual men but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. With milk I fed you, not with meat for ye were not able to bear it." We have here again the contrast, noted above, of babes and full-grown men. The immaturity of the persons referred to, which revealed itself in their contentions, unfitted them to comprehend the deep things of God.

In Philippians iii. 12 St. Paul disclaims perfection: "Not that I have already obtained, or am already perfected; but I pursue, if I may also lay hold of that for which I have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus." In other words, the goal is still before him but he is pressing on towards it. On the other hand, in verse 15, putting himself among the men in Christ, or those who claim to be such, he says, "let us, so many as be perfect, be of this mind." That St. Paul here puts himself among the full grown and a few verses earlier disowns full growth, proves that with him the word Texecos did not describe one definite stage of spiritual development.

In Colossians i. 28 St. Paul declares the aim of his apostolic activity to be to "present every man perfect in Christ." And in chapter iv. 12 he describes Epaphras as agonising in prayer on behalf of the Christians at Coloss in order that they "may stand perfect and fully-assured in every will of God." In each case, the word denotes that full development of character in his flock which ought to be the aim of every Christian pastor. In Ephesians iv. 13, already quoted, the aim of the Christian pastorate is said to be the growth of each member of the Church "into a fullgrown man" in contrast to the instability of childhood. In these passages, the word perfect describes, not actual attainment, but a moral and spiritual goal to be kept in view and pursued.

In Galatians iii. 3, we have the cognate verb èTITEλéîobe (derived however not from Téλelos, perfect, but from réλos, an end), denoting progress towards a goal in contrast to the

The Apostle asks, “having

commencement of a course. begun by the agency of the Spirit, are ye now being led to the goal by means of the flesh," i.e. by something pertaining to the bodily life? The same contrast is found again in Philippians i. 6: "He who hath begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." In 2 Corinthians viii. 6 the same words are used in reference to the collection of money for the poor Christians at Jerusalem. In chapter vii. 1 St. Paul urges his readers to cleanse themselves "from all defilement of flesh or spirit, accomplishing holiness in the fear of God." He desires in them a realisation of the conception of holiness. Similarly, in the tabernacle or temple the priests, as we read in Hebrews ix. 6, accomplish (i.e. perform) the sacrifices.

In close agreement with the use of the same word elsewhere in the New Testament, we read in James i. 4, "let endurance have its perfect work, in order that ye may be perfect and entire, (Téλeɩɩ kaì óλóêλŋpoɩ,) in nothing lacking" i.e. bear up bravely under all hardship in order that in you such endurance of hardship may produce its full outworking, and in order that so ye may attain full moral and spiritual growth, and lack no essential element of character. In chapter iii. 2 we read, "if any one do not fail in word, he is a perfect (or full-grown) man (téλeios ȧvýp) able to rein in also the whole body." The writer means that speech is an absolute test and measure of character; that he who is unblameable there has attained the goal of moral discipline.

In James ii. 22 we read that Abraham's faith received its perfection from works: ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη. We have here the same word already found in John iv. 34, v. 36, xvii. 4, 23, xix. 28, Luke ii. 43, Acts xx. 24. The writer means that in the offering of Isaac Abraham's inward faith attained its goal by outward manifestation. This language is the more appropriate because this outward

manifestation always reacts in strengthening the inward disposition from which it springs.

The same verb is found in an important group of passages in the First Epistle of John. In 1 John ii. 5 the writer declares that any one who professes to know Christ and yet does not keep His commandments is a liar; and adds, by way of contrast, "But whoever keeps His word, in this man truly is the love of God perfected": TETEλEίWTAI. A question at once arises whether the writer refers to God's love towards man or to man's love towards God. The former meaning of this phrase is indisputably found in chapter iv. 9: "in this was manifested the love of God in our case, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world in order that we may live through Him." The latter meaning is found in chapter ii. 15: "if any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." This ambiguity reminds us that between these two manifestations of love there is close connection. "We love because He first loved us." Man's love to God and all spiritual love of man to man are a reflection and appropriation of God's love to man. Since God's love to man is the source of all Christian love, and in the absence of any indication otherwise, it is perhaps better here so to understand the phrase. But the practical difference is slight.

The same phrase, love perfected, meets us again in 1 John iv. 12. In verse 10 the writer says, "in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins." To this historical manifestation he adds a practical moral inference: "if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." He goes on to say that if we do so, in us dwells the unseen God and His love is perfected in us. It is most easy to understand the love of God in verse 12 in the same sense as in verse 9, viz. the love manifested in the mission of His Son to save man. This Divine love works out in us its full tendency in

moving us to love our fellows. It does this by moving us to love Him who first loved us, and then to love those for whom He gave His Son to die. Thus in the believer's love for his fellow-men the essential love of God, manifested historically in Christ, finds its full manifestation, and thus attains its goal.

In verse 16 the writer asserts, after a similar assertion in verse 8, that "God is love"; and adds that he who dwells in love, i.e. who has love for his inward environment, dwells in God and God dwells in him. He then goes on to say in verse 17, "in this (mutual indwelling), love is perfected with us, in order that we may have boldness in the day of judgment." It is needless to give here to the word is perfected any other meaning than that already found in verse 12 and in chapter ii. 5. The eternal love manifested in the historic mission and death of the Son of God finds in the mutual indwelling of God and man its full outworking and manifestation. In this sense it is perfected in them, just as Abraham's faith was perfected in the offering of Isaac. And the aim of this manifestation is that in the day of judgment those who in this evil world are like God may have holy boldness. The love thus perfected is in verse 18 called perfect love: ý тeλeía ȧyáжη. The man who is still afraid of future punishment has not received. this full outworking of God's love towards him: où TETEλείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ.

The teaching of the whole chapter is that God designs His servants to love one another, love being the normal relation of man to man, that to this end He revealed, in the historic mission of His only begotten Son, the love which is His own essential nature, that where this manifested love has its unhindered course it evokes in man not only love to God but love to our fellow-men, and that where this mutual love of man to man is not found there the manifested love of God has not its complete manifesta