The bright virtue is a particular term used by Confucius. The highest point of his teaching is to develop the "bright virtue," which is the conscience of man. Thus, what James mentions is very close to Confucius's teaching, and that teaching is to develop, to promote, the conscience, the bright virtue, by the natural man, the self. What James says is a mixture. The virtues of his perfection are not produced by God as our supply but are produced by the cultivation of the natural "bright virtue."
James stresses making oneself perfect in living a pious life but not in fulfilling God's eternal economy (1:4; 3:2). I do not believe that James knew anything about God's eternal economy. He knew only how to be pious, how to be godly, how to fear God, how to behave righteously, how to be perfect, and how to be upright. He did not mention anything to give even a hint that he knew the eternal economy of God. The function of his kind of perfection cannot serve the fulfillment of the eternal economy of God.
The function of the Christian perfection stressed by James was also for benefiting others.
It was also for glorifying God. In his sense, glorifying God is to have good behavior among men.
In an upcoming message, we want to go on to see the positive side of the genuine Christian perfection revealed in the entire divine revelation of the New Testament. This is in contrast to the Christian perfection stressed by James.