A Practical Treatise Upon Christian Perfection

Christian Perfection will, perhaps, seem to the common reader to imply some state of life which every one need not aspire after; that it is made up of such strictness, retirements, and particularities of devotion, as are neither necessary nor practicable by the generality of Christians.

But I must answer for myself, that I know of only one common Christianity, which is to be the common means of salvation to all men.

If the writers upon Christian Perfection have fancied to themselves some peculiar degrees of piety, or extraordinary devotions which they call by that name, they have not done religion much service, by making Christian Perfection to consist in anything, but the right performance of our necessary duties.

This is the perfection which this Treatise endeavours to recommend; a perfection that does not consist in any singular state or condition of life, or in any particular set of duties, but in the holy and religious conduct of ourselves in every state of life.