From the editorial writings of the late:
Editor Of "The Earnest Christian", Author Of "Fishers Of Men," Etc.
From the editorial writings of the late:
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CHAPTER 2 -- Holiness Not Understood
Difference of opinion as to meaning, not recognized in Job, in Christ, His warning to His disciples, Wesley, Whitefield defamed, professors of holiness condone popular sins, slavery, secretism, persecution of holy men, false standard, not absolute perfection
CHAPTER 3 -- Nature Of Holiness
Edwards on holiness of God, of man derived, not the result of refinement, or discipline, being not doing, Christ's order reversed, Wesley's "Almost Christian," retrogression
CHAPTER 4 -- Properties Of Holiness
Negative characteristics, intolerant of false worship, consideration of Scriptures commonly held to teach necessity of sin
CHAPTER 5 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Deliverance From Pride
Roman Catholic teaching, purity without pride, pride in children, denominational pride
CHAPTER 6 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Unselfishness
Selfishness, self-love, regulated, selfishness sanctioned by pew renting, church fairs, enabled by grace to take a stand against these, holiness and selfishness cannot dwell together
CHAPTER 7 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Control Of Appetites
Holiness precludes unlawful and inordinate indulgence, saves from depraved appetites, tobacco, opium, spirits, holiness gives deliverance
CHAPTER 8 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Love
Holiness frees from hatred, hostility, prejudice, envy
CHAPTER 9 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Hatred Of Sin
Slavery condoned by spurious holiness, also popular sins, true holiness recognizes, hates, opposes sin in self, others, is aggressive, will ensure persecution, and enable one to stand
CHAPTER 10 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Honesty In Business
Justice done in business, no advantage taken because of lack of knowledge or because of position
CHAPTER 11 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Impartiality
Brotherhood of man recognized, in free seats in churches, in giving respect to character, not rank or wealth
CHAPTER 12 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Love To God
This is supreme, shown by desires to please Him, to know His will revealed in the Bible, in nature, by supporting only those who preach truth, by obedience to all His commands, by a Spirit of devotion, by praises
CHAPTER 13 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Trust In God
For grace, in emergencies, for temporal help in trials
CHAPTER 14 -- Attributes Of Holiness -- Love To Man
Interest in others, especially in brethren in Christ, shown by early Christians, not an indiscriminate love, love to enemies
CHAPTER 15 -- Joy
Not of earthly origin, undervalued, scripture instances, and teaching, also of Wesley, Edwards, and hymns, essential
CHAPTER 16 -- Examples Of Holiness
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Job
CHAPTER 17 -- Limits Of Sanctification
Sin in any form incapable of sanctification, money worship, pride, the drama, the attempt, a cause of corruption to the church
CHAPTER 18 -- A Present Experience
Not placed in the future, present deliverance possible
CHAPTER 19 -- How Obtained
Determination, independence, self-sacrifice, "sanctify yourselves," confession, trust
CHAPTER 20 --How Retained
Respect to scriptural teachings, things to be done, kept by power and love of God
CHAPTER 21 -- How Lost
Yielding to temptation, relationship of him who has lost holiness, doubts, unbelief, experience of Fletcher, can one lose holiness without losing justification, degrees of holiness
CHAPTER 22 -- Professing Holiness
Necessity, be definite, unfounded professions, lack in professors, not temperate, conformed to the world in dress, humility, profess holiness if you have it, a false holiness, Methodist Discipline condemns
CHAPTER 23 -- A Powerless Profession
Want of usefulness, seek perfect love, confess your lack
CHAPTER 24 -- Kinds Of Holiness
True holiness, characteristics, aristocratic, fanatical, covetous holiness
CHAPTER 25 -- Defective Holiness
Ineffective because defective, in spirituality, loyalty to church rather than to God, early church, Luther, Wesley
CHAPTER 26 -- False Holiness
Based on false assumption, and teachings, sanctification a change not only in relation but in nature, teaching of 1 Thess. 23-4
CHAPTER 27 -- A Fighting Holiness -- Sanctification In Streaks
Holiness not quarrelsome, not compromising, but unyielding to evil, sanctified in streaks
CHAPTER 28 -- Holiness Before The Lord
Scripture warning of counterfeits, marks of the genuine
CHAPTER 29 -- Promoting Holiness
Reasons for little done, how it may be done, face the truth, point out inconsistencies in professed Christians, knowledge of the doctrine, baptized by the Holy Ghost
CHAPTER 30 -- Holiness Opposed
In the Church, reasons
CHAPTER 31 -- Justification And Entire Sanctification Discriminated
Explanation of 1 Cor. 1, 2, and chapter following, degrees of sanctification, true works of grace,
definiteness, holiness, entire sanctification, perfect love
CHAPTER 32 -- Perfection
Prejudice against the term, New Testament use, meaning, progressive perfection, not perfect by faith, perfection not sanctification, not sought by prayer alone. Apostolic example, perfect service, always necessarily imperfect in some things, perfect love not cross, unkind
CHAPTER 33 -- Dead To Sin
Lack of this death in professors of holiness shown by fear to speak against popular sin, lack of love, self will, crucifixion to sin, how obtained, results
CHAPTER 34 -- Roots Of Bitterness
Troublesome things in pulpit and church
CHAPTER 35 -- Be Ye Holy
God's command, importance, features examined, effects on life, possibility of obedience
CHAPTER 36 -- Be Ye Holy
Importance of the question, provision made for holiness, the word of God
CHAPTER 37 -- The Carnal Mind
Consideration of Greek words rendered "mind," the carnal mind set on things earthly, sanctification turns the affections heavenward
CHAPTER 38 -- Seeking Holiness
Omit the "if," put off the old, separation to God, the work of faith, the result, dying daily, feeling not evidence, the refining fire
The words sanctification and holiness, as used in the Bible, mean the same thing. The same Greek word, hagiasmos, is translated in our Bible, sometimes by the word, holiness, and sometimes by the word, sanctification. The same is true of the word translated sometimes holy, and sometimes saint. The original is one and the same word.
1. Holiness implies, in common with a state of justification, or pardon, victory over outward sin. A person that is holy does not commit sin. This is also true of one who lives justified before God. "For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law, but under grace." That is, grace has the mastery over you. In the struggle between grace and sin, grace triumphs.
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin."-- 1 John 3:9
But, "Sin is the transgression of the law." So that he who imagines that he enjoys the blessing of holiness, and yet does what God in his word forbids, or neglects to do what he commands, is deceived. His so-called faith is fatal presumption.
2. Holiness is a state. It does not consist of a repetition of good acts, but is the gracious condition of the soul which prompts to the performance of all good actions. It is the pure fountain from which pure water continually flows.
Proof: "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." -- I Peter 1:16.
This does not say, Do holy things, but BE HOLY.
"To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness." - I Thess. 3:13
It is the heart that is to be established; then the habits will be right, of course. These texts show that holiness is a state, and not merely good habits, much less simply a relation.
3. Holiness implies deliverance from all wrong dispositions, tempers and desires; and from all inclination to indulge those that are right, in an unlawful manner, or to an inordinate degree. There are dispositions of the soul that are wrong in themselves, such as anger, pride, and covetousness. From all wrong tempers a holy person is so far delivered that be not only does not yield to them, but he does not feel them. Other desires become sinful only when indulged in an unlawful manner, or to an inordinate degree. Our Saviour hungered. In this he did not sin, but he would have sinned, if he had yielded to the temptations of Satan to satisfy His hunger in an unlawful manner. Enoch walked with God, and begat sons and daughters. In a holy person all his powers of body and mind are brought into harmony with the will of God.
"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." -- I Thess. 5:23.
This prayer teaches:
1. That the body is so far sanctified as to be blameless. For it must be so,
before it can be preserved in that state. Hence, when the victim of the use of
tobacco, or of strong drink, is sanctified, his body undergoes such a change,
through the power of the Spirit of God, that he no longer feels the terrible
cravings for indulgences, which were fast hastening him on to destruction.
2. The affections, passions, desires, and propensities are so subdued that
they are the occasion of good, and not of harm.
3. The intellect, the judgment, the will and the imagination, are made pure and holy in all their exercises.
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." -- II Cor. 7:1.
Here we see that holiness is opposed to all filthiness, either of body or mind. It removes from soul and body everything that defiles.
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." -- Rom. 8:12, 13.
He that does not live after the flesh, does not bring forth the works of the flesh.
These are: "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditious, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: . . . they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." -- Gal. 5 :19-21.
They who are holy are led by the Spirit, and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, which is:
"Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." -- Gal. 5:22, 23.
4. Holiness is distinct from justification, and subsequent to it. When one is
converted, he is so far made holy that he has victory over sin. But sin
remains, though it does not reign.
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." -- I Cor. 3:1.
These persons were "brethren," "babes in Christ." Therefore they were justified, they were not sinners, or backsliders, yet they were carnal -- not yet made holy. A celebrated minister of the Gospel, suddenly attacked by disease, was recommended to drink brandy. He took a small quantity, and being unused to it, its effects were painfully visible. He was drunk, yet not a drunkard. So these believers were carnal -- there were divisions among them, as is too often the case, over the respective merits of their favorite preachers -- yet they were not carnally minded. In the main, their lives were in accordance with the precept of the Gospel.
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." -- I Thess. 5:23.
"So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." -- I Thess. 1:7.
"Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." -- Heb. 6:1.
Do not these plain passages abundantly sustain all we have said as to the
nature of holiness?
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." -- Heb. 12:14.
"To see God," is to be in His presence, to enjoy the bliss He alone can impart. So that, unless he "Follows peace with all men and holiness," no one, no matter what his church or his creed, can stand before the throne of God.
"These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." -- Rev. 7:14.
But "white robes" are the emblem of purity (Rev. 19:8).
"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." -- Ps. 24:3, 4.
God's holy place is heaven. But only those who are pure in heart, and clean in life shall dwell there.
2. Holiness is indispensable to present happiness. The unholy person cannot be happy. He may enjoy pleasure; but pleasure is not happiness. People seek after pleasure because the are unhappy. The pleasures of the world are short-lived and unsatisfactory. But he who is holy has a never-failing spring of enjoyment within.
"In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." -- I Peter 1:8.
"The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous." -- Ps. 118:15.
3. Holiness is essential to usefulness. Unholy men may spread Christianity, but they pervert it as they spread. it. Their "riches are corrupted," and they corrupt Christianity when employed for its support. Perhaps no man ever devoted so much wealth for the spread of the Gospel as Constantine; and no one ever did so much to corrupt it. An impure channel will foul the purest water. Colored glass imparts its own hue to the light that passes through it. A holy soul alone is qualified to lead others into holiness.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." -- Ps. 51:10-13.
One may, without a clean heart, or the joy of salvation, convert people to the church, but it is to be feared that few of them will be found to be converted to the Lord.
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." -- Acts 2:4,41.
"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." -- I Cor. 4:20.
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God." -- Lev. 20:7.
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." -- I Pet. 1:15.
God never commands that which is impossible. To affirm that he does is blasphemous. It would make him out a tyrant.
2. To sanctify the soul or make it holy, is God's work. If this can be proved, then it follows that holiness is possible. With Him things are easy that are impossible for men.
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh. And I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you, an cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them." Ezek. 36:25-27.
Here God says He will do the work, and do it thoroughly.
1. He will cleanse -- not from some, -- but from ALL idols, and from ALL
filthiness.
2. He will give a new heart and a new spirit.
3. He will cause us to walk in His statutes and judgments. He will impart the spirit of obedience, and with it the power to obey.
"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." -- John 17:17.
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. " -- I Thess. 5:23.
These passages plainly imply that it is God's work to make believers holy.
3. Some have attained to holiness.
"Enoch walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years."
-- Gen. 5:21, 22. "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." -- Gen. 6:9. "Job was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." -- Job 1:1.
1. Giving one's self fully to God. All of time, talent, property, reputation influence, yea life itself, must be handed over to God to be His for ever.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." -- Rom. 12:1.
"For I am the Lord your God; ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy: for I am holy." -- Lev. 11:44.
That is, set yourselves apart for God's service, and he will make you holy.
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall save it." -- Matt. 16:25.
2. Confession of all sin actual or inbred.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -- I John 1:9.
If we confess our actual sins he is faithful and just to forgive us. If we confess our inbred sins he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
3. Faith in Christ as our sanctifier.
"God put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." -- Acts 15:9.
"That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." -- Acts 26:18.
But beware that your so-called faith is not presumption. Otherwise you may become a self-conceited Pharisee, instead of a humble, meek, holy follower of Jesus.
"How can ye believe which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only." -- John 5:44.
In both these passages faith is spoken of as the medium through which sanctification is received.
Reader, what do you think of these passages of Scripture that we have brought before you? Do they not show you the necessity and the attainability of holiness? Do you live in this state of grace? If so, thank God, and press forward. If not, make no delay to obtain it. You have too much at stake to live without it a single day. Resolve that you will be holy. Ask God to search you. If, in the light of the Spirit, you see, as is often the case, that you are not justified, have the courage and honesty to confess your condition. If in a backslidden state you seek for holiness, you will, in all probability, take up with something short of reality.
Be thorough! Confess as fully as the word and the Spirit of God direct. Give yourself up without the least reserve to obey the Lord in everything. Look to Jesus as your present Saviour from all sin. Plead His promises. Rely upon His grace to save you to the uttermost. Thus you shall soon feel the sanctifying power the Spirit of God all through soul and body. You will then, in your daily life, have your fruit unto holiness; and the witness of the Spirit will be given, to assure you of your present gracious state, and to give you a pledge of untold glories to be enjoyed in the world to come.
"Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." -- I Cor. 2:12
"Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil?" -- Job 1:8.
But even his friends labored to convince him that he was a wicked man. Eliphaz
says to him,
"They that plough iniquity and sow wickedness, reap the same." -- Job 4:8.
Bildad takes up the accusation and reminds him that
"The hypocrite's hope shall perish." -- Job 8:13
Zophar asks him,
"Should thy lies make men hold their peace?" -- Job 11:3
And even Elihu exclaims,
"What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water? Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men." -- Job 34:7-8.
This was the opinion which his friends had of him, as expressed to his face.
Of course the judgment of his enemies was much more unfavorable.
Our Saviour exemplified holiness in its most
perfect form. In His life, His conversation His spirit, and in all His actions
He was holiness personified. He gave the most unmistakable proofs of
disinterested love to all mankind. Yet the popular verdict concerning Him was,
"Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." -- Matt. 11:19.
"If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?" -- Matt. 10:25
From that day down to the present, holiness in the disciples of Christ has been recognized by but few, even of those who call themselves Christians. John Wesley stated clearly, defended ably, and exemplified in his life the doctrine of holiness. Whitefield for burning zeal, and simple devotion to the cause of Christ, has not had a superior since the days of St. Paul; yet the Rev. Sidney Smith, a clergyman of the same church as that to which Wesley and Whitefield belonged, and a writer of great celebrity, but expressed the estimate in which they were held by their fellow clergymen, when he said: "They were men of considerable talent; they observed the common decorums of life; they did not run naked into the streets or pretend to the prophetical character; and therefore they were not committed to Newgate. They preached with great energy to weak people, who first stared, then listened -- then believed -- then felt the inward feeling of grace, and became as foolish as their teachers could possibly wish them to be; -- in short, folly ran its ancient course; -- and human nature evinced itself to be what it always has been, under similar circumstances. The great and permanent cause, therefore, of Methodism, is the cause which has given birth to fanaticism in all ages -- the facility of mingling human errors with the fundamental truths of religion."
In our day we see that which we deem
essential to holiness purposely omitted in instructions upon this subject.
Popular sins are, to say the least, silently tolerated. During the war of the
rebellion, [Civil War] in a popular meeting for the promotion of holiness, in
the city of New York, Rev. D. F. Newton thanked the Lord for President
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. He was at once called to order for
introducing a topic calculated to disturb the harmony of the meeting. There
are many works on the subject of holiness, written in the days of slave-holding
to circulate among slave-holders, and not a word to be found in them condemning
the practice. The same spirit which led to silence respecting the sin of
slave-holding in the days when all the popular churches welcomed slave-holders
to their communion, today utterly ignores the existence of sins which God's
word plainly condemns; but which the leading churches openly tolerate. That
which encourages what God forbids is not holiness. The name of a thing does
not give it its nature.
There is a powerful secret society, spreading
itself throughout the country, composed largely of unbelievers, to which,
however, many ministers and church-members belong. This society is thoroughly
anti-Christian in its character. To pray in the lodge in the name of Christ is
declared by the highest Masonic authority, to be a violation of the fundamental
principles of Masonry. The members bind themselves by the most horrid oaths to
submit to be murdered, and to conceal, and even commit murder under certain
circumstances. Of these facts any intelligent person can easily satisfy
himself beyond the shadow of a doubt. Yet in many meetings held for the
promotion of holiness, to point out these hindrances to the work of holiness
would be considered impertinent and fanatical.
Again the persecution to which the saints of God
have always been subjected shows that holiness is not recognized when seen.
The word declares,
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." -- II Tim. 3:12
This persecution varies in its form with the prevailing spirit of the age. But whatever shape it assumes, persecution never assigns as its reason, the godliness of its victims. Their obstinacy, or contumacy, or disloyalty, or heresy is assigned as the cause of their sufferings. Christ was put to death as an impostor. Luther was excommunicated as a heretic, and Wesley and Whitefield were hunted as fanatics. Their persecutors were the professed children of God, and they believed it to be a zeal for holiness which instigated their opposition to those who furnished bright examples of holiness in their lives.
On the other hand, there are those who make
holiness comprise attributes which are entirely beyond the reach of a human
being in our present condition. They give a meaning to the term which the
Scriptures do not warrant. According to their standard, a holy person cannot
make a mistake in judgment, either through ignorance or misapprehension. He
must not only do right as he understands it, but do right as they understand
it, under all circumstances. They measure others by their own infallibility.
They make no allowance for lack of judgment or for imperfect training. He who
professes holiness, must be according to their views, beyond the reach of
unfriendly criticism. In addition to all this, he must never fall. Should he
ever afterward manifest any disposition contrary to his profession, it is then
assumed that all along he was either deceived or hypocritical. If he lost
holiness, the conclusion is not only that he never had holiness, but that no
one ever did or ever will! In short holiness is pronounced unattainable because
some who appeared once to have attained it did not persevere to the end.
Thus a false standard of holiness is raised, and
then holiness is declared to be an impossibility, because no one is found to
come up to this imaginary standard. We are told to aim our arrow at the sun,
and then are ridiculed because we fall short of the mark. The moral
perfections of God are presented as our standard, and then we are gravely told
that we cannot attain it
"Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" -- Ex. 15:11. "There is none Holy as the Lord." -- I Sam. 2:2. "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." -- Ps. 145:17. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." -- Isa. 6:3.
This is the nature of the God we worship.
Holiness in man is derived. It is not original,
nor innate. It is the image of God's holiness. It resembles His holiness,
though it falls infinitely short of it. A tumbler of water taken from the
ocean, possesses the same chemical properties as that which remains, though it
has not the sublimity, or grandeur, or power of the ocean; so a holy man
possesses in a limited degree, the hatred of sin, the sincerity, the veracity,
the justice, the love, the goodness, and all the other virtues which constitute
in all their fullness the holiness of God.
"Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." -- Eph. 4:24.
"What then," says John Wesley, "is that holiness, which is the only
qualification for glory? In Christ Jesus;" (that is according to the Christian
Institution, whatever be the case of the heathen world,) "neither circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision." It first, through the energy of God,
worketh love to God and all mankind; and by this love, every holy and heavenly
temper -- in particular lowliness, meekness, gentleness, temperance, and
long-suffering. It is neither circumcision -- the attending on all the
Christian ordinances, nor uncircumcision -- the fulfilling of all heathen
morality, -- but the keeping the commandments of God; particularly this: "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself;"
in a word, holiness is having the mind that was in Christ, and walking as
Christ walked."
No matter how much refinement or self-government
a man may acquire by discipline, self-control is not true holiness. Some of
the old heathen philosophers lived according to the most rigid rules of
morality.
Here is found one fault of much that is taught
for holiness in these days. It strives to make men do better, without telling
them how to be better. It lays great stress upon their doing holy things,
without insisting upon their being holy. The practical part of Christianity is
required of men, without their being taught that they must have its inward
experience. The order that Christ established is reversed. The effort is
perseveringly put forth to make an evil tree bring forth good fruit. The
person whom Wesley describes as an "almost Christian" would, according to the
modern theology, be readily accepted as in the enjoyment of holiness. Wesley
himself, before he was, according to his own statement, converted to God, might
sit as the model for the modern saint. He gave largely; he was strict in his
devotional exercises, and denied himself very rigidly, that he might have to
give to the poor. Said a popular Methodist preacher from the pulpit in our
hearing: "I thank God the time has come when men's piety is estimated, not by
what they profess, but by what they give." In the middle ages warriors, whose
hands were red with blood, who had plundered cities by the score, and laid
whole countries waste, endeavored to atone for their crimes, by building
magnificent cathedrals; and these were accepted by the priesthood as acts and
evidences of piety. We are going back to the theology of the tenth century.
In the largest denomination of the land, their chief Theological Seminary for
the instruction of the future preachers of the church, was built and endowed by
one who is notorious as a stock gambler, and whose business transactions are
condemned by even the lax, Wall Street morality. In the next largest
denomination, the most popular female college was, in like manner, built and
endowed by one of the heaviest brewers of the country. The influence of these
illustrious examples, is felt in almost every country church. Property
controls the pew, and property controls the pulpit. Mammon is the chief
minister in Christ's kingdom. The affairs of the church are conducted upon the
same business principles as those which control other successful corporations.
Experimental piety is branded as fanaticism, which in the poor is not to be
endured, and in the rich is only tolerated as a necessary evil.
All this comes from the efforts to build a
Christian character with self as the foundation. The seeming success is but a
splendid failure. The glittering structure will not stand the first flash of
the fires of eternity.
A holy nature comes from God. -- Wesley
expresses the true sentiment when he sings:
"I want thy life, thy purity, Thy righteousness
brought in."
It must be "brought in" to the heart by power
divine; it is not there by nature. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven
hid in the meal."
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." -- Ex. 20:3.
It was not enough to worship the true God-this, Solomon did, even in his
backslidden state; but no false god must be worshipped. Of the ten
commandments, nine contain negative provisions. They tell us what we shall not
do. Nine prohibitions in the Ten Commandments, and but two positive precepts!
From this we might infer that God sees that there is much greater difficulty in
keeping us from doing wrong, than there is in leading us, in other respects, to
do right. "Herod heard John gladly and did many things," but he would not put
away the woman with whom be was unlawfully living.
"Cease to do evil; learn to do well" (Isa.
1:16), is God's order. To require this, makes trouble. The Romans never
scrupled to add another go to their Pantheon. They would readily have admitted
Christ to that honor. But when the uncompromising Apostles demanded that their
false gods should first be dethroned, Christ was rejected, and his disciples
thrown to the wild beasts and to the flames. It was not the purity. so much
as the intolerance of Christianity, that stirred up the fierce opposition which
it encountered. The martyrs would have avoided their fate, if in addition to
worshipping Christ they would have consented to worship Jupiter and Minerva.
But they not only maintained that Christianity was true, but that it was
exclusively true. They not only preached that, "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved;" but that "he that believeth not shall be damned."
They were bold to declare, "Neither is there salvation in any other." No
terrors could induce them to join in the cry, "Great is Diana of the
Ephesians," or swear by the image of Csar. It was this opposition to all that
was false, that brought them into trouble wherever they went.
In general, then, holiness implies deliverance
from sin. It is the opposite of sin, as light is of darkness.
The Bible teaches us the possibility of having
every wrong propensity of the soul destroyed. We are aware that some passages
look, at the first view, as though the continuance of sin in the soul was
unavoidable. Let us give the more prominent of these a careful and candid
examination. The first to which we call attention is found in I Kings 8:46.
-- " If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not.)" In the
original Hebrew, the word that is translated "sinneth," is in the future tense.
"This tense," says Stuart, in his Hebrew Grammar, page 207, designates all
those shades of meaning which we express in English by the auxiliaries may,
can, must, might, could, should, would," etc. Thus "We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden." -- Gen. 3:2. The term "may eat,." is, in the
original, in the future tense. So, also,
"That they may fear thee." -- I Kings 8:40.
The phrase, "may fear," is in the future tense in the Hebrew. The same is true of the phrase, "may know," in the forty-third verse, "That all the people of the earth may know thy name." Hence, a literal translation of the forty-sixth verse would read: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that may not sin.)" This teaches, not that every man does actually and necessarily sin, but that every one is liable to sin. It is possible that he may, but not necessary that he should sin. So, also, the supposition, "if they sin," implies that they might sin, or they might not. It expresses a contingency that could not exist if sin were unavoidable. That they might not sin, is clearly implied in the declaration that if they did, God would be angry with them, and deliver them into the hands of their enemies, so that they should be carried into captivity. But as this was not necessary, it follows that it was not necessary that they should sin.
Most of the above remarks will apply to the
passage found in Eccl. 7:20,-"For there is not a just man upon earth that
doeth good and sinneth not." The word, "sinneth," is, in the original, in the
future tense, and should also be rendered, "may sin." This passage teaches the
doctrine that runs all through the Bible, that we are never secure from the
danger of falling. In our best estate, when grace has done the most for us, we
have great need to "watch that we enter not into temptation," to "keep our
bodies under, and bring them into subjection," lest we should "become
castaways."
"Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin." -- Prov. 20:9
"Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded." -- James 4:8
In this way alone can God's command be met. -
"O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved." -- Jer. 4:14.
"If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me; if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." -- Job 9:20
"Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil." -- Job 1:8 "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." -- Job 14:4
"Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips." -- Isa. 6:5
"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isa. 64:6
"I am carnal, sold under sin." -- Rom. 7: 14
2. As a converted sinner: "But when the commandment. came" to my comprehension, "sin revive, and I died;" my hopes perished.
3. As a believer in Christ: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Now, "being made
free from sin," and become truly the "servant of God," he had his
"fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."
That the Apostle, in the above passage, refers to
himself prior to his conversion, is the opinion of President Edwards, a
Congregationalist divine, who for learning and piety, and philosophical acumen,
never had a superior in this country; who says: "The Apostle Paul, speaking of
what he was naturally, says, 'I am carnal, sold under sin."'
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8
"if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." -- I John 1:9
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." -- Mark 7: 21-24.
"Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin." I John 3:9
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." -- I John 1:7
True holiness will save one from sins that are popular, just as readily as from those that are disgraceful. It is the work of the Spirit. With God, the standard of right does not vary. Selfish considerations lead men to tolerate, sometimes one sin, and sometimes another. A few years ago, many of the advocates of holiness had nothing to say against the sin of slave-holding. The Church gained by it in numbers and resources. How, many take no decided stand against pride and worldly conformity. They have not a word to utter in condemnation of conspiracies of the strong against the weak. But those who really aim at being right with God, turn from every thing which He has forbidden, even though it is encouraged by the Church.
Holiness implies deliverance from pride. A
holy person cannot feel proud. A holy Church cannot indulge in pride. Pride
cannot dwell in a holy soul.
"Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer." -- Ps. 101:5
"Be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble." -- I Peter 5:5
"The poor have the Gospel preached to them." -- Matt. 11:5.
"Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." -- Matt. 1:21
This, then, is the grand peculiarity of the disciples of Christ, they are a
saved people. By nature they are no better than others. Grace makes them to
differ. And the grand distinction is found in what they are saved from. There
are dispositions and appetites which in themselves are sinful. They answer no
good purpose. They were not a part of man's nature at the beginning. They
result from the fall. No one is sanctified wholly till he is saved from these
depraved dispositions and appetites.
Holiness implies deliverance from selfishness. A
selfish person cannot, at the same time, be a holy person. Selfishness is that
disposition which prompts us to seek our own interests or our own gratification
without due regard to the rights or happiness of others. The second great
commandment is,
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." -- Matt. 19:19
This certainly supposes that we are, within proper limits, to love ourselves.
The Scriptures not only allow, but command us, to have a due regard for our own
happiness. Every promise of the Bible is based upon the principle that it is
right for us, within proper limitations, to pursue our own welfare. Abraham,
in going out from his father's house,
"Looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." -- Heb. 11:10
Moses, in giving up the treasures and honors of Egypt, "had respect to the
recompense of reward." -- Heb. 11:26
But this principle so proper in itself must be
carefully regulated and kept within the bounds which God has prescribed or it
becomes sinful and pernicious. Self-love takes into account the whole of our
existence for time and for eternity. Selfishness looks at present interest and
present gratification. Self-love has due respect for the happiness of others;
selfishness inclines us to seek our own gratification without regard to the
duties which we owe, either to God or to our neighbor. Self-love is a
principle which God gave man for his own preservation: selfishness is the
sinful substitute which man at the fall adopted. The one is the alcohol which
maddens: the other is the corn that gives strength and the delicious grape that
gives health to man.
There is scarcely a crime which man commits, or a
sin of which he is guilty, which does not originate in selfishness. It is the
bitter fountain in which every corrupt stream has its source. It is the evil
tree which bears every manner of pernicious fruit. It is a vice that is never
satisfied; it grows by what it feeds upon. The more it is gratified, the more
inordinate are its cravings. It becomes most intense when there is least
apology for its existence. It has the utmost tenacity of life, and never dies
a natural death. It can be slain, only by the Sword of the Spirit -- it can be
destroyed only by the fire of the Holy Ghost. It can wear out the strongest
constitution, but it is never worn out itself. It exists under a thousand
different forms, and in every state of society. The most refined, and the most
highly educated, are as much under its influence as the most ignorant and
uncultivated.
Popular churches sanction and foster this selfish
spirit, in selling, or renting the seats in their houses of worship. The rich
man, if saved from selfishness, would not want, on account of his riches,
better accommodations in the house of God, than his poorer brother. The rich
and the poor would meet together as brethren, feeling that the Lord is the
Maker of us all.
Every effort to raise money for religious or
benevolent purposes by means of fairs, festivals, or similar contrivances, is
an appeal to selfishness. Thus the sanction of the Church is given to a
corrupt principle which underlies all wickedness and saps the very foundation
of the Christian character. It fosters that for the extirpation of which it
should put forth its mightiest energies.
Years ago, when we were first brought into the
experience of the blessing of holiness, and began to realize something of its
importance, we saw clearly that the enjoyment of this grace could never become
general in a church, so long as pews were rented, and fairs held for the
benefit of the finances of the church. We took our stand firmly against all
these appeals to selfishness, as standing in the way of the great work of the
Church of Christ -- the spreading of Scriptural holiness throughout the land.
Holiness and Selfishness cannot dwell together.
When the Spirit was poured out, upon the opening of the Christian dispensation,
the selfish spirit was utterly rooted out,
"And all that believed had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Acts 2:44, 45.
Whether this is, or is not, to be regarded as a model for Christians, in all
ages, to follow, it is certainly a specimen of the spirit which Christian
holiness is to produce. It is an extirpation of the selfish principle.
To this end are such precepts and declarations as
these:
"Let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." -- Phil. 2:3, 4. "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." -- Rom. 14:7 "But to do good and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." -- Heb. 13:1 "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." -- Gal. 6:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." -- Col. 3:2
"I know," says the Apostle, "both how to be abased, and I know how to abound, every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry; both to abound and to suffer need." -- Phil. 4:12.
The Saviour, when he was hungry after having fasted forty days, would not
obtain bread in the manner suggested by the devil. We should follow this
example. No matter how strong may be the cravings of appetite, or to what
straits we may be reduced, we should remember that there is something more to
be considered than simply whether what is presented will assuage hunger, or
satisfy thirst. Have I the right to it? Can I obtain the right on conditions
with which I may lawfully comply? Esau did not steal, but he sold his
birthright to obtain means to gratify his hunger. Many do the same today. The
bodily appetites clamor for indulgence. Satan offers to gratify them on
condition of some service rendered to him, -- as breaking the Sabbath, catering
to the vices of others, preaching the Gospel in such a manner as to throw out
of sight the cross and the self-denial. A holy person will suffer the pangs of
hunger before he will obtain his bread by any of these methods. If he will not
resort to these means to keep from starving, of course he will not for any
other purpose.
True holiness will give one such control over his
appetites that he will not indulge them in an inordinate degree. He eats to
live, but does not live to eat. His tastes are simple and natural. His wants
are easily satisfied. He who spends large sums of money to gratify his own
pampered tastes, while so many are perishing of want, may be orthodox and
polite, but he is not holy. No matter though he can afford to be "clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fare sumptuously every day," yet he sees
representatives of Christ in the destitute around him, and he denies himself of
luxuries that he may minister to their necessities. Church festivals, to raise
money, are open to this, among other objections. They educate the people to
make self-gratification a stronger motive to action than duty to God, and to
our fellow men. They assume that Christians will do more for their stomachs'
sake than they will for conscience' sake. They take it for granted that they
care more for their own sensual enjoyment, than they do for the claims of God,
or the sufferings of their fellow men.
True holiness saves those who enjoy it from all
unnatural, depraved appetites which have been formed by a course of sinful
indulgence. Such is man's depravity that he forms appetites at which his
physical nature at first revolts. After a time the indulgence of these
appetites is attended with momentary enjoyment. Such is the use of opium,
tobacco and ardent spirits. No one likes them at first. They frequently make
beginners sick. But they stimulate the nervous system, and create an
excitement which affords a certain degree of pleasure. When this excitement
passes off, it is followed by a corresponding degree of languor and depression.
This soon becomes so insupportable that the stimulant must be had at any cost.
An appetite is formed that the victims will gratify at the expense of every
thing which men hold dear. Property, friends, reputation, standing, health,
and even life itself are sacrificed to gratify an appetite which brutalizes and
enslaves. The only safe course is to avoid the beginning. But for those who
sincerely repent of their wickedness in forming and feeding such an appetite,
God provides a remedy. The promise,
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," -- I John 1:9
covers this ground. The appetite for either of the stimulants named, cannot be
godly -- this no one contends. It cannot be indifferent, -- it is of too
positive a character. It is an unrighteousness, -- both its nature and its
effects proclaim this. That it is true of the appetite for opium and the
appetite for ardent spirits is generally conceded. No one will maintain that a
drunkard is holy.
"This ye know, that no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God." -- I Cor. 10:6
But an habitual tobacco user is as clearly condemned by the Scriptures, as is
the one who habitually uses ardent spirits as a beverage. His habit involves,
of necessity, personal filthiness. But we are commanded to cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh, and of the Spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of the Lord. We readily admit that the works of holiness may be begun in
the heart of a person who uses tobacco. But it cannot go on and this habit
continue. One or the other will cease. He will cease to advance in holiness,
or he will abandon his unholy habits. No person can perfect holiness without
cleansing himself from all filthiness of the flesh, as well as of the Spirit.
Again, we are commanded to eat and drink to the
glory of God (I Cor. 10:31). We do this when we eat temperately, and such
things as do not injure us or others. But it is a fact, as clearly established
as any fact can be, that the habitual use of tobacco breaks down the nervous
system, and brings on many diseases. No man,. immoderately addicted to the
use of tobacco, can retain his mental vigor, and his bodily soundness, as he
could without it. No one, seeing a professed Christian smoking or chewing,
will think any more highly of the Christian religion on that account. It is an
act, to say the least, in which God is not glorified.
No man has the right to spend the Lord's money in
this way. It is God who gives the power to get wealth. It should be used to
advance His cause, -- to make men better, -- to relieve their wants and
instruct them in the way of life. A Christian man cannot spend his money as he
wills, but must use it as the Lord wills.
But there is little use in multiplying words on
this subject. Those who are really in earnest to gain Heaven, and who are
willing to meet the conditions of salvation, cannot fail to see the necessity
of denying themselves of the gratification of an appetite formed in sin, the
indulgence of which can do no good, but must eventually result in much harm.
Those who make religion a mere matter of convenience, or fashion, would not be
convinced any way, and it would do no good if they were. It is useless to talk
against idols, to men who are joined to their idols. But to those who have
formed this appetite, and wish to be delivered from it, we say holiness will do
it. Seek earnestly to be delivered from bondage to your animal nature, and you
shall be delivered. You will become spiritual by becoming holy.
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." -- Rom. 8:14.
"Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it." -- I Thess. 5:24.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others Do not even the publican so? Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." -- Matt. 5:43-48
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." -- I Thess. 5:23
The God of peace never gives the spirit of war. Whoever He sanctifies is made
partaker of His peace. All animosities are buried. -- Old enmities are
forgotten. If you are thus made holy, you will forgive those who have wronged
you. And what is still harder, you forgive those whom you have wronged.
Instead of attempting to justify yourself by making them appear, both to
yourself and others, as bad as possible, you take the blame to yourself, and
confess it, and make everything right as far as it is in your power to do so.
While you are by no means cowardly, you are no longer full of fight. You do
not avail yourself of every opportunity to assail others when it can apparently
be done to advantage. You do not strive for the mastery over others. If they
assail you the assault is not returned. You do not return railing for railing,
but contrariwise, blessing.
A holy person is saved from that
modification of hatred usually denominated prejudice. It matters not whether
it be individual, sectarian, or national, holiness removes it from the heart.
At a camp-meeting which we attended, a young lady at the opening of the
meeting, made a clear profession of holiness. She was active, but not forward.
The light shone clearly, and she welcomed the light. In a short time she was
among the most earnest seekers of a clean heart. She felt right in every
particular but one. She had a prejudice against her stepmother, whom she had
said she never would like. -- But when the blessing came, it removed this
feeling entirely. There was none of it left. She was willing to reciprocate
the love which had been proffered her from one whom she ought to love.
A young man who had warmly espoused the Southern
cause, and served in the Southern army, became convicted for the blessing of
holiness from reading some numbers of THE EARNEST CHRISTIAN, which
providentially fell into his hands. He sought and found full salvation through
the blood of the Lamb. At a large, outdoor meeting, where hundreds were
assembled, he felt called to confess what God had done for him. Among other
things he said that holiness took away all prejudice against the Yankees. This
was said, not only a the risk of his personal popularity, but at the risk of
his life. But he had to make and stand by the declaration.
At one of our large meetings in Western New York,
a stranger arose and said he was a preacher from the central part of the State.
He said he had heard a great many things against this people, but was
determined to know about them for himself. Such was the prejudice that he did
not dare to let his nearest friends -- not even his wife -- know where he was
going. "But," said he, "I am satisfied that God is with you. If any Christian
comes among you, he is sure to love you. If he would keep up his prejudices,
he must stay away and hate you."
Another modification of hatred is envy. This is
a malignant feeling toward others because of their prosperity. It manifests
itself in little things -- such as detracting from the merits of others; making
efforts to impair their reputation; attributing their success to anything that
looks plausible, rather than to their own good conduct. This spirit is often
manifested among professed Christians, ministers not excepted. They cannot
bear to hear their rival well spoken of. But holiness takes this feeling away.
We can rejoice with those that do rejoice.
Many are not saved from their enmities, because
they do not want to be. They hold on to their prejudices as they would to life
itself. Yet they profess holiness. Such persons are evidently deceived.
There can be no mistake in the matter. They need to have the Lord circumcise
their hearts. They are holding on to that which will work their ruin. "A
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." If grace does not root out malice,
malice will kill out grace. The two cannot live together.
"But now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, filthy communication out of your mouth." -- Col. 3:8
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." -- Prov. 8:13 "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." -- Ps. 97:10
"I hate every false way." -- Ps. 119:104.
And again,
"I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love. -- Ps. 119:113
So Bunyan truly says, "Where the grace of God is in the heart it shows itself
by inclining the soul to abhor sin."
He hates sin in others. No matter with what
talents, or accomplishments, or position it may be joined, he abhors it
utterly. The popularity of the sinner does not mitigate the repugnance which
he feels on account of his sins. There is no malice in his hatred, but the
holy soul feels an instinctive aversion to sin, no matter how polished may be
its appearance.
"Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies." -- Ps. 1.39:21, 22
This does not imply angry, malevolent feelings, but a settled aversion of soul
toward the haters of God. As to his chosen companions, the Psalmist says,
"I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts." -- Ps. 119:63
"Let him that heareth say, Come." -- Rev. 22:17
"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." -- Matt. 12:30
But unless one feels a hatred to sin he will not make war upon sin. A man who
goes to the bar and drinks water, while his friend drinks whiskey may be
personally temperate; but he certainly cannot be a very warm advocate of
temperance. It was when Paul saw that the city was wholly given, to idolatry
that his spirit was stirred within him, and he preached to them the true and
living God. Luther would never have been a reformer, had not his indignation
been aroused against the sinful practices of the Church. He made war upon the
sale of indulgences because he hated the sins that were thus encouraged. One
who sees little or no harm in pride will not insist upon humility. He who
thinks that a conspiracy of the strong against the weak, the union of believers
with unbelievers, cemented by the most awful oaths and penalties, is a matter
of so little importance as not to be worthy to be looked into, will not oppose
secret societies with any earnestness.
So of sin in all its manifestations; until
it is seen to be "exceeding sinful," and hateful, no vigorous effort will be
made for its overthrow. Revivals will dwindle down into periodical efforts to
promote the interests of each particular sect, and the converts, instead of
being made happy in God, will become at best only the zealous proselytes of the
favorite opinion.
Hatred of sin will necessarily expose a person to
persecution. It cannot be otherwise. Satan will never surrender without a
struggle. If he is attacked he will attack in turn. He will return blow for
blow. He has no scruples and feels no pity. No lie, if only it is clothed
with probability, will be too great or glaring for him to employ. No character
can be too well established for him to assail. When he cannot use violence he
will make the most of defamation; of all the arts of which he is a most
consummate master. He is ever the relentless enemy of all good. Hence the
Apostle declares,
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." II Tim. 3:12
This is a general declaration. It applies to all time and all places. It must hold good as long as holiness is opposed to sin. No degree of wisdom or prudence can enable one to escape this consequence of a godly life. If you have met with no persecution it is an alarming symptom. It shows that there is an essential element wanting in your religious experience. You do not hate sin.
Hatred to sin secures the comfort of the Holy
Ghost. There is no joy like that which He imparts.
"A peace to sensual minds unknown, A joy
unspeakable."
With this in the heart one can go through any
thing that in the Providence of God he is called upon to suffer or endure.
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Yet many professed Christians know
nothing about this joy. They have never felt it themselves and when they
witness it in others it looks to them like fanaticism or wild-fire. The reason
they have never felt it is, they have never been sufficiently given up to God
to obey Him in every thing, to secure the comfort of the Holy Ghost.
"Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." -- Ps. 45:7
Heb. 1:9. To be "anointed with the oil of gladness" it is not enough to love
righteousness. If you stop there you will not receive it. You must go a step
farther and become a partaker of so much of the divine holiness as will make
you hate wickedness. Then, when you take your stand against it; when you meet,
unmovable as a rock, the billows of wickedness, God will pour up on you the oil
of gladness to that degree that you will not heed the sufferings you will
endure for your fidelity to Christ. You will have the martyr
spirit.
Hatred to sin will enable you to stand true to
God under all circumstances. You will not backslide. As long as sin looks
odious you will not embrace it. While you fight sin in real earnest, because
it is sin against God, you will not become its friend. It is the half-hearted
renunciation of sin which causes so many to fall away. Lot, in Sodom,
maintained his integrity because
"in seeing and hearing, he vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." -- II Pet. 2:8
"in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord." -- Eph. 6:6
"So whosoever of you he be, that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" -- Luke 14:3
was not spoken to those only who have not much to forsake. It applies with
equal force to the prince as to the pauper.
In proportion as we become holy we become
partakers of the mind that was in Christ. A holy person will not claim, and
accept any privilege in the house of God which is conceded to him on account of
his wealth, but is denied to his poor but equally deserving brother, To him
there is a depth of meaning in the words of our Saviour;
"How can ye believe which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" -- John 5:44
He is "a companion" -- an equal -- "of all them that fear God," (Ps. 119: 6),
and he does not accept any honor bestowed upon him on account of the superior
worldly advantages he may enjoy.
Consequently a holy person should not buy or
rent a seat in a house of worship. To do this would be to give his sanction to
a practice which shuts the poor out of the house of God, and which introduces
into the Church an aristocracy based on money.
Christ says,
"The poor have the Gospel preached to them." -- Matt. 11:5
This is the standing miracle of the Gospel. False religions seek their
votaries among the rich and powerful. The Gospel was made for the poor. It is
adapted to their capacities and their wants. If the rich receive it they must
come down to a level with the poor. They must lay aside their "gold and pearls
and costly array" and be clothed upon with humility. In all ages the greatest
triumphs of the Gospel have been won among the poor. Paul, writing to the
saints at Corinth, one of the proudest cities of his times, said,
"Ye see your calling; brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are." -- I Cor. 1:26-28.
"suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." -- Heb. 11:25
Job says, "The cause which I knew not I searched out." He did not accept the
popular voice as his verdict. He examined carefully, weighed impartially the
evidence, and gave a just decision.
"Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor." -- Lev. 19:15
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." -- Matt. 22:37
A failure here involves failure everywhere. Who is pleased with professions of
love when convinced that the affection is wanting? So Christ assures us that
acts of devotion are unutterably loathsome unless they spring from love.
"So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." -- Rev. 3:16
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." -- I John 5:3
"O how I love thy Law! it is my meditation all the day." -- Ps. 119:97
And again,
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways." -- Ps. 119:11, 14, 15.
This is the language of one who loves God. He studies the Bible -- not as a
literary critic, but with a sincere desire to know the will of God concerning
him. There was never a saint who did not love the word of God. The knowledge
that a holy person desires above all other, is a knowledge of God's will. So
he studies the sacred writings -- not to establish a doctrine or to prove a
disputed point; but to really find out what God requires of him. He would not
pervert it, nor make it bend to his convenience or his prejudices. But let one
lose the love of God out of his heart, and the relish for the Bible is g one.
It is generally neglected. If read, as it may be when the light becomes
darkness, it is that its meaning may be perverted so as to form an excuse for
an unholy life. There are many now, as in the Apostle's day, "who handle the
word of God deceitfully."
A holy person has his ear open to the voice
of God in the soul. There is a still, small voice, that one who loves God does
not fail to hear. He who formed the ear can speak to the ear. In many things
respecting which the word of God is silent, or speaks only in general terms, we
need specific directions by the Holy Spirit.
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God." -- Rom. 8:14
If we love God, we delight to hear Him speak to us. Even if reproof is given,
we rejoice to hear it. We are glad to listen even to the warnings that our
Heavenly Father gives. But his voice of approbation compensates a thousand
times for any hardships we may have undergone, or any sacrifices we may have
made. In whatever way God speaks, or whatever may be the import of His
message, He always finds in those who love Him attentive listeners. They are
so thankful for the condescension showed that they listen with the utmost
reverence and attention. In their hearts they say, "Speak, Lord, for thy
servant heareth."
The truly devout also take delight in
ascertaining the will of God as shown in the physical laws by which our bodies
and other material substances are governed. A lover of God is likely to be a
lover of nature.
If we love God we have a high relish for that
preaching and that reading which most plainly discloses, and most strongly
enforces the will of God. We try those who say they are apostles. It was to
embodied spirits, -- to preachers and teachers of the Gospel -- that the
Apostle refers when he says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God:" for he assigns as a reason,
"because many false prophets are gone out into the world." -- I John 4:1
We shall hear and support preachers -- not because they are talented or
eloquent -- but because they speak the word of God faithfully. This will be to
us of prime importance. No amount of polished oratory will be accepted as a
substitute for fidelity to God. A holy person cannot give encouragement to
compromisers and trimmers. He cannot bid them God-speed who bring another
Gospel. He does not help false prophets -- no matter though they may belong to
his own denomination -- by giving them his presence and his money. This,
again, will make trouble. But holiness, in a sinful world, has always been a
troublesome thing. It is so because it is holiness.
Again, if we love God we shall manifest it
by unquestioning obedience to all His commands. There can be no real love to
God without the spirit of obedience. Our Saviour makes obedience the test of
love.
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." -- John 14:21
This is clear and conclusive. Professions of love to God, when attended by
manifest disobedience to His commands, show how easy it is to be deceived.
Christ cannot be mistaken; but the most intelligent among us may be very much
out of the way, especially in the opinion which we entertain of our own state
of grace. We are safe only as we measure ourselves by the standard which God
gives. And He repeatedly gives obedience as the test of love.
We must have respect to all of His commands.
It will not do for us to make choice of those which it is fashionable to obey,
and disregard those that are commonly disregarded. Such a course would prove
that we are the slaves of fashion, instead of being the servants of God. This
was what brought upon the Pharisees the severest denunciations the Saviour ever
uttered.
Finally, he who loves God has a spirit of
devotion. He loves the worship of God, secret, social and, public. The saints
have always been a praying people. They talk a great deal to God. If they
cannot use the enticing words of man's wisdom, they can plead before the throne
with "groanings that cannot be uttered," and their prayers avail. They know
that they have the things they ask for. They love the mercy-seat. Those who
have been mighty on earth for God, were mighty in prayer. David was a valiant
warrior