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Title: Standards of Life and Service
Author: Howard, Thomas Henry, 1849-1923
Language: English
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STANDARDS
OF
LIFE AND SERVICE
BY
COMMISSIONER T. H. HOWARD
THE SALVATION ARMY BOOK DEPARTMENT
LONDON: 79 & 81 Fortess Road, N.W.
MELBOURNE: 69 Bourke Street
NEW YORK: 120 West Fourteenth Street
TORONTO: Albert Street
CAPE TOWN: Loop Street
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., LTD.
4 STATIONERS' HALL COURT, LONDON, E.C.
1909
THE SALVATION ARMY PRINTING WORKS,
ST. ALBANS
PREFACE
The following pages contain reports of addresses delivered by
Commissioner Howard, of our International Headquarters, during an
important series of Holiness Meetings held in the Congress Hall,
London, principally in 1908. Those Meetings were widely used by God,
and at my request the Commissioner has revised the shorthand reports of
his words for this volume. We now send forth his messages in the hope
of still further extending their usefulness.
Christianity is a present-day call to a good life. If it be anything
less than that, it is really not worth troubling about. It is, of
course, rich in holy memories, and venerable in its association with
all that is true and best in the past. But it is not only ancient in
its origin and triumphs--it is intensely modern in its touch with human
need, and in its demand that the spirit of righteousness should be the
controlling force in human life--in the common life of to-day. It is
the aim of the following addresses to bring that truth home to us, and
to help us to go direct to JESUS CHRIST Himself for power to respond to
that claim.
Cast in popular form, as was necessary for meeting such occasions as
those which called them forth, these addresses do not attempt any
comprehensive statements of the philosophy of Holiness. Anything of
that kind, no matter how successful, would have been the undoing of the
whole effort. Nevertheless, the diligent reader will, I think, find
underlying these practical counsels certain valuable principles. In
particular, he will find implied, when not actually expressed, an
important distinction between the work of God in the justifying and
purifying of the soul, and the work of man in walking in obedience to
the laws of God. It is that obedience I am thinking of when I say that
Christianity is a demand for righteousness. It is that obedience we
mean when we talk of Holiness--in its practical aspects.
One of the dangers to which all deeply spiritual teaching is open, is a
kind of antinomianism--a species of religious bargaining between the
soul and God; and that is a thing which is, of course, totally alien to
His will, and completely ruinous to true progress. The process of such
thought is something like this: 'Christ has performed for me a work of
infinite love and merit. If I confess and deplore evil, I may claim
pardon for it and purifying from its guilt by faith in the Divine
Sacrifice made for me. That will ease my burdened soul and free me from
apprehension as to future peril--peril which would otherwise have
proved very real. As to temptation to further evil, I must watch
against it; but if by chance or evil impulse, or even wilful choice, I
fall into it, let me not be too deeply concerned. I can easily obtain
again what I have obtained before.'
Now, that is not only a false position, but it involves an extremely
dangerous error--an error which in practice is ultimately destructive
of real faith. Salvation--indeed, all spiritual experience, is entered
into by faith, of course; but it can only be maintained by hearty,
determined obedience on our part. Christ has died for us, but He has
not obeyed for us. The 'new heart' is by faith in Him--but the new life
can only be lived by watchful and often painful obedience to the law of
love. 'I counsel thee to buy of Me', saith He that walketh in the midst
of the seven golden candlesticks, 'white raiment that thou mayest be
clothed'; and 'Blessed', He says also, 'is he that watcheth, and
_keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked_'. Paul prayed for the saints
of his day 'that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith'; but he
prayed also that they 'might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
_being fruitful in every good work_, strengthened _with all might_
unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness'.
It is towards standards for this life of rightly living that
Commissioner Howard is working in the following chapters. May the
blessing of the great Standard-Bearer rest upon his words, and give the
light and grace which He alone can afford to every reader.
BRAMWELL BOOTH.
THE SALVATION ARMY,
LONDON, _April, 1909_.
FOREWORD
I wish that these Addresses could, in their present form, be marked by
those personal experiences which made the thoughts so alive to me when
the words were uttered in public Meetings. If the flashes of light, the
intensity of conviction, and the sense of Divine help which were mine
when speaking, could be reproduced in cold type, the impression upon
the readers would be much more effective. That may not be fully
possible, but I pray that in His own way God may use the book to the
helping of many souls in the things which make for Holiness and happy
service.
T. H. H.
_Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth unfathomed no man knows;
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
Inly I sigh for Thy repose:
My heart is pained, nor can it be
At rest till it finds rest in Thee._
_Is there a thing beneath the sun
That strives with Thee my heart to share?
Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Lord of every motion there!
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it hath found repose in Thee._
_Oh, hide this self from me, that I
No more, but Christ in me, may live;
My vile affections crucify,
Nor let one darling lust survive!
In all things nothing may I see,
Nothing desire or seek, but Thee!_
_Each moment draw from earth away
My heart, that lowly waits Thy call:
Speak to my inmost soul, and say,
'I am thy Lord, thy God, thy All!'
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice,
To share Thy cross be all my choice._
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE v
FOREWORD ix
I. GOD'S CALL 1
II. CONSECRATION COMPLETE 8
III. DIVINE FELLOWSHIP 15
IV. FINDING GOD 23
V. THE DOCTRINE ADORNED 31
VI. SURENESS 40
VII. THE PATHWAY OF THE HOLY 49
VIII. CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONSEQUENCES 58
IX. BOUND TO THE ALTAR 68
X. WHY SHOULD I? 77
XI. JUDGED BY FRUIT 87
XII. PERPETUAL COVENANTS 95
XIII. THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT 104
XIV. LOST EARNINGS 113
XV. FIGHTING HOLINESS 123
XVI. SANCTIFIED COMMONPLACES 132
XVII. SPIRITUAL GROWTH 141
XVIII. THE INWARD LAWS 151
XIX. WORRY VERSUS PEACE 159
XX. AN APPEAL AND A RESPONSE 168
'WE believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be "wholly
sanctified", and that their "whole spirit and soul and body" may
"be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ".
That is to say, we believe that after conversion there remain in
the heart of the believer inclinations to evil, or roots of
bitterness, which, unless overpowered by Divine grace, produce
actual sin; but that these evil tendencies can be entirely taken
away by the Spirit of God, and the whole heart, thus cleansed from
everything contrary to the will of God, or entirely sanctified,
will then produce the fruit of the Spirit only. And we believe that
persons thus entirely sanctified may, by the power of God, be kept
unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.'--_The Doctrines of The
Salvation Army._
STANDARDS OF LIFE AND SERVICE
I
God's Call
_'What manner of persons ought ye to be?'_ (2 Peter iii. 11.)
_'As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.'_ (1
Peter i. 15, 16.)
When we set up standards for life and character we must be quite clear
that our teaching fits in with God's purpose as revealed towards His
people. Therefore, when we enforce the doctrine of personal Holiness,
there is no reason more weighty than that which Peter gives us in the
verses quoted, namely, that God calls us to Holiness.
The statement I have read seems to me to show that _it is a mistake to
suppose that personal Holiness is left optional_. Many people go to
Meetings, and, when they are shown the teachings of the Bible about
Holiness, they recognize that it is a state of being cleansed, filled
with the love of God, and kept by the indwelling Holy Ghost. They see
it as a very desirable thing and a possible experience. But, somehow or
other, they sit and listen, come and go, and seem to have the idea that
it is quite left to themselves whether they should obey the call and
claim this blessing or not.
Some talk as if there were two roads to Heaven; I mean the sinning and
repenting life; falling down and getting up again; persevering in their
journey with just enough religion to make them want to save their souls
from going to Hell, in contradistinction to the experience of the
saintly man or woman who says, 'By God's help I am going to live a life
without sin! I am going to have my heart fully sanctified, and walk in
the will of God.'
Some, I am afraid, even go so far as to deliberately say, 'Holiness is
a very good thing if you want it; but I am not quite prepared for this,
or to give up this, that, and the other. I think I shall get on very
well as I am. If _you_ want the blessing I am glad to see you go in for
it.'
That is what I mean when I talk about people regarding the matter as if
it were optional; and I like these words of Peter's because they show
us a direct command: 'Be ye holy, for I am holy'. They fit in also with
the other injunction: 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,
and touch not the unclean thing'.
It is a grand and glorious privilege to have a clean heart; to have God
Almighty coming and taking full possession of you; and to have His Holy
Spirit day by day, filling your heart with love and keeping you in
Divine fellowship. But I want you also to realize that it is a binding
duty upon every follower of Jesus Christ to seek to become holy.
I think it was John Wesley who said something to the effect that
professing Christians who had not got the blessing of a clean heart, or
were not earnestly seeking to be delivered from sin, could not
consistently be regarded as Christians at all. I do not put it as
strongly as that; but I do, from deep conviction, say this to you, that
every Salvationist, and other persons who, in Meetings of this kind,
are taught that the will of God is that they shall be delivered from
all sin, that they shall live a life of purity and Holiness, that they
shall walk in the enjoyment of a Full Salvation, and yet are not
willing to follow the light, and do what they know God wants them to
do, are probably heart-backsliders, and in a fair way to backslide
altogether.
I tell you, God has called you, not unto uncleanness, not to remain in
a state of impurity, but to Holiness; and he that despiseth that
calling despiseth not man, but God. Therefore, I beg of you not to
imagine that, with clear light as to your duty, and the possibility of
Full Salvation, you can either take it or leave it, and yet remain in
the favour of God.
Then these verses are very useful because they _set the standard for
our personal spiritual condition_. Need I explain what I mean by this?
Let your minds turn to weights and measures, and you will see my
meaning exactly. If you went to a draper's shop, and asked for so many
yards of material, you would not be satisfied by his guessing the
quantity--you would want it measured by the yard-stick, the proper
standard of measurement. So with weights. If you ask for so many pounds
of sugar or potatoes, it would not be for the shopman to say to you,
'Will that do for you? Put another in? All right! Will that do?' You
would say, 'Please weigh them properly according to standard'.
Now it seems to me that in spiritual character we must have something
by which we can measure and compare ourselves, and Peter gives us just
such a standard when he says, 'As He which hath called you is holy, so
be ye holy'. The standard is the character of God.
If Peter had said, 'As He is almighty, so be ye almighty', or, 'As He
is infallible, so be ye infallible', then at once you would know that
the standard was altogether out of your reach, and could not be
realized. But, if you are a Christian at all, your inmost conviction
tells you that to be holy is a reasonable requirement, and the law of
consistency endorses it.
As you study your Bibles you will find many references to this standard
of conformity with the Divine character, and will quickly see that
nothing short of that can satisfy. It is not only the standard that
exists in the Divine mind, but the world rightly expects that we, as
Christian men and women, shall be holy. I know the world is very often
disappointed, and that, unfortunately, the failures of some so-called
Christian people are used as an excuse for disregarding the claims of
God, but the world is right in expecting us to live holy lives.
That passage of Peter's contains a significant reminder in the
sentence, 'Be ye holy in all manner of conversation'. Now, that word,
'conversation', has a much broader meaning in old English than the
sense attached to our common use of it, generally limiting the word to
mean intercourse between each other by speech. Here it really means the
whole manner of living.
To me it is a matter of unspeakable joy to think that there is no right
association, no duty, and no proper relationship in life that cannot be
wholly sanctified and have God's smile upon it. Your eatings and
drinkings, your speakings, your workings, your dressings, your
courtings and marriages, also many other things, such as business and
recreation, can all be sanctified, and the functions performed in
harmony with the profession of Holiness and the maintenance of a clean
heart.
But do not miss _the true inwardness of this command_: 'Be ye holy, for
I am holy'. It is this--we cannot live up to the true standard, we
cannot fulfil life's obligation, without a sanctified heart.
The General very frequently says, with reference to the failures of
certain classes of people who call themselves Christians, that they
make the mistake of supposing that they can keep the holy law of God
with an unholy heart. The thing is absolutely impossible, and I should
only be deluding you if I told you otherwise.
We sometimes say that in Heaven there is, and ever will be, an
unwavering fulfilment of the highest will of God. But what secures that
condition in Heaven? Do you think it is the absence of a personal
Devil? Not only that--although the hope of it counts for a good deal
with some of us. Do you think it is the absence of wicked surroundings
and temptations from evil men and women? Not only that. Do you think it
is the possession of things that produce unfailing pleasure and
satisfaction? Not only that. It is just the fact that every heart is
confirmed in its perfect acceptance of the Father's will, and is in the
fullest conformity with the holy law of a holy God. There are many
other things that go to make up Heaven, but without that there can be
no Heaven at all.
Did you repeat the Lord's Prayer this morning? If so, you came to that
little sentence, 'Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven'.
Now, I ask you, do you really mean that? Do you honestly want that for
yourselves? Because, unless you can put yourselves in line with that
petition, unless there is a compliance with these words of Peter's, 'Be
ye holy, for I am holy', you can never get that prayer answered.
II
Consecration Complete
_'Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.'_ (Romans xii. 1.)
Surely, amongst those who love God and desire His Kingdom to come,
there can be no difference of opinion with regard to the duty of
whole-hearted consecration to the service of God.
The rightness of God's claims is beyond dispute among His own people;
and so it ought to be recognized as our absolute duty to yield fully to
those claims. The feeling of every professed servant of Christ ought to
be, nay, surely is, 'I am not my own; I am bought with a price: I
should "therefore glorify God in my body and soul, which are God's"'.
Whilst, however, in so many words all this is acknowledged, when it
comes to practically facing the question, with its personal
responsibility, how few there are who respond to the claims of the
Master, rendering Him that out-and-out devotion of which we hear and
speak.
Of a consecration that consists in attending Holiness Meetings, singing
hymns, and uniting in prayers full of the most sublime sentiment, we
have an abundance. With eyes closed and hands upraised, many vow that
henceforth they will live, not unto themselves, but unto Him who died
for them, and rose again; but when the Meetings are over, the
surroundings changed, and the actual duty presents itself, how much of
this consecration is found to be mere sentiment, for 'as the early
cloud and morning dew' so it passeth!
1. Now, let it be understood that _real consecration is a practical
thing_. I have a saying, which cannot be repeated too often--'that
which I give away I no longer have'. If we can only persuade people to
recognize that truth, and make their consecration on these lines,
something practical will follow.
Men like to say, 'I am the Lord's!' but when the Lord wants to make
practical use of His own, Oh, what backwardness to obey! What slowness
of speech on the part of the tongue that was professedly given to the
Lord! What weariness of body will sometimes be found when that body is
demanded by the Master for some special service! A dumb devil seems to
take possession of the tongue, and the fear of man brings a snare, and
all this often results in a shameful compromise. The fact is, much of
the popular consecration means, 'Everything in general and nothing in
particular'--mere words, clouds without water, leaves without
fruit--and the world is little better for the vows that have been made.
We may want to follow Jesus without denying ourselves; but He says
plainly that we cannot. If any man will deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow Christ, he, and he only, shall be a true
disciple.
Real, true consecration is a plain, matter-of-fact piece of business;
sublime, not so much because of the character of the work it does, as
because of the constraining love that is the motive and the results
flowing from it. The beautiful halo and glamour clinging round our vows
and prayers and songs during a Meeting, are gratifying to our senses;
but real consecration manifests itself in hard, self-denying labour,
when no eye but His sees; often, perhaps, when no heart but His
appreciates, and no voice but His commends. The halo no longer seen,
the glamour no longer felt, the soul steps forward and meets its duty,
and, in the strength of God, does it: that is the consecration which
tells for God and the Kingdom.
2. Let us also understand that _real consecration is an 'all-round'
thing_. Many recognize the claims of God in great things, but are not
so particular in the ordinary matters of everyday life.
I recall a young man, who, in private Meetings, and on the platform,
would go into rhapsodies as he spoke of his love for a perishing world,
and his intense desire to be sent on some great mission. I spoke to him
of the hundreds of recklessly godless men with whom he daily associated
at his work, and who lived round about his house, and asked him what he
did in reference to these. Need I tell you how suddenly this man
collapsed? He did not think that consecration meant such a commonplace
thing as being faithful in the ordinary duties and walks of life, for I
had inquired as to what happened when the men gathered for meals or
conversation in the intervals of work.
Does it seem to some of you an evidence of entire consecration that we
stand on platforms and lead Meetings, or are doing some work which
draws other eyes towards us in appreciation of--what is
deemed--untiring devotion? Well, I trust that the appearance does not
go beyond the spirit of the business; but I tell you, the real test
lies elsewhere. It shows itself in such an abandonment to God and the
interests of the Kingdom, that no duty is felt too small or trifling.
The man is not found saying, 'I'll do _this_', or 'I won't do _that_',
and '_that_ doesn't matter'; but whatsoever his hand findeth to do, he
does with his might, and does it unto the Lord.
Be not deceived, my friends. Consecration in great things will not
atone for neglect in smaller and more trifling matters, and that only
is a perfect consecration which is real and all round in its
application. In little things and great things self is to be denied,
ignored, and God and His glory to be the one end from attaining which
the consecrated soul never swerves.
Let this be faced at the commencement, and it will save endless
controversy later on. It is because so many do not take all this in at
the beginning, that disappointments come, and very often breakdowns.
Let your consecration take in all time and circumstances, and remember
that the soul's responsibility is only limited by its opportunities.
'All for Jesus' should mean 'nothing left out'.
3. _Whole-hearted consecration is a joyous thing._ I don't know how the
delusion has become so popular that entire devotion to the service of
God means melancholy and sadness, and irksome duties and burdens. It
may have only come by a roundabout road, but it is a doctrine of the
Devil, who is a liar from the beginning, and the fully consecrated soul
hurls the lie back to its father, proclaiming, with a heart full of
gladness, 'I delight to do Thy will, my God'; 'My meat and my drink is
to do the will of my Father', and 'His fruit is sweet to my taste'.
Singleness of purpose and simplicity of intention soon clear discontent
and unhappiness out of a man's heart. When the soul has cut loose from
all self-considerations, and has put an end to such wretched questions
as, 'Will it pay to follow the Master?' or such thoughts as, 'If I give
myself fully to God, perhaps I shall have to suffer the loss of many
things I hold dear; people will be down upon me, and chaff me, and,
perhaps, persecute me; and, besides, I really do want to make a little
money for myself and my family, and I must not be righteous over-much';
when, I say, men or women have cast aside all such thoughts, and come
to the determination to live for God and for God alone, then indeed are
they freed from many things which cause sadness and bitterness. It is
the double-minded who are strangers to true lasting joy and peace.
The great sorrows of most lives spring from disappointed ambitions,
covetousness, or from love of praise, fear of man, or similar things;
but when this life of selfishness is crucified, and a man is alive only
unto God, none can deprive him of that which he most values. Whilst
others may be saying, 'We know thy poverty', he hears the Lord say,
'But thou art rich'. Christ has been revealed to him as a living
Friend, and though by the outward eye he sees Him not, 'yet believing,
he rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory'.
Do you remember what John said about that white stone which will be
given to him that overcometh? It had 'written in it a new name which no
man knoweth save he who receiveth it'. The joy of whole-hearted service
for God is like that; no man really understands it save he who
possesses it, but of its reality thousands daily testify.
Are you fully consecrated? Not after the fashion we spoke of at the
beginning, but practically, and in a whole-hearted, all-round way? Have
you settled it to go all lengths for God? If not, 'I beseech you, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies--yourselves--a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service'.
III
Divine Fellowship
_'That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also
may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.'_. (1 John i. 3.)
My mind and heart have been dwelling upon that sweet word 'fellowship'.
We all know what it means in ordinary social intercourse--it means
acquaintance, friendship, communion of spirit, interchange of thought
and feeling. But I want you to see that all this marks the fellowship
prevailing between the Lord and His sanctified saints.
There is a chorus we sometimes sing, which expresses something of what
I mean:--
_Friendship with Jesus,_
Fellowship Divine;
Oh, what blessed, sweet communion,
Jesus is a Friend of mine!_
I have been reflecting on this principle as it works itself out in the
current everyday life of the sanctified. I will not now try to exhaust
all the wonderful things in the vision which has come to me in relation
to this matter, for I really could not explain to you all that has been
in my mind and heart, but the thing has come to me somewhat in this
fashion:--
1. First of all, I have thought of the _fellowship of Salvation_. That
may sound rather low down for a Holiness Meeting, and yet that is just
where true fellowship began, so far as I was concerned. There had to be
a co-operation, a uniting of God and myself before my soul could be
saved at all. Two words were in my mind--'He' and 'I'; He doing His
part, and I doing my part. His heart; my heart; His approaches to me by
the power and influence of His Holy Spirit; my approaches to Him. Jesus
died; I believed. He called; I answered. He gave; I accepted. I
trusted, and Jesus saved me.
I want you to see what I mean, because it was that union of the Lord
Jesus Christ and my own heart which brought life, and light, and peace
to my soul. My Salvation life began at that point, and I was able to
say, as we often sing:--
_'Tis done, the great transaction's done,
I am my Lord's, and He is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on,
Charmed to confess the Voice Divine._
2. Then, pursuing this line, my reflection brings me up to this: there
is a _fellowship of love_. 'He loved me, and He gave Himself for me'.
We love Him because He first loved us. So, you see, our relationship
has been built up, and is to be built up, upon that double plank. It is
all in that. I do not suppose there is anybody in this Hall who does
not know something of the power of love. You not only know the power of
loving, but the sweetness of being loved. I am not quite sure which is
the better side of the two, but they are two beautiful sides of
fellowship.
Do we not see it in our family life? At any rate, I do. I can speak for
myself in this matter because my family always has been a very
affectionate one, and this loving and expressing our love to one
another has brought us very close together. I think about the children.
I go back to the time when they were little, and remember how they
would climb upon my knee, and how they used to press their little faces
against mine, and their little hearts, as it were, against my breast;
and how, with more feeling than their words could express, they used to
say, Dadda, papa, father, you _are_ a dear! I _do_ love you!' You
would readily imagine what I should say back to them.
It has been just the same with my wife. She has sweetened my life very
much with her expressions of love. She has done it by responding to my
appeals, and by sharing my sorrows and joys. And I have no doubt that
were she here to speak for herself, she would say she has equally felt
the force and sweetness of my expressions of affection during the many
years we have loved and lived together.
I have only told you these things because I want you to see that the
fellowship of love is just as real between the Lord Jesus Christ and
the soul that is set upon Him, as it is in these sacred human
relationships.
3. Then there is the _fellowship of service_. Now, it follows that, if
we are fully saved, we are and we should be workers together with God,
not simply going out on 'our own', as you young people say sometimes,
trying to do people good; but really, if it is as it ought to be, your
relations are expressed in those words, 'We are workers together with
God'.
There are several particulars about that fellowship of service which I
want you to note. For instance, there is _the union of purpose_. You
cannot have fellowship with God in service without a union of purpose.
Are you in for that? Perhaps it may give my words a closer application
if I glance at two or three references: 'For this purpose was the Son
of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil'. Are
you in union with Him for that purpose? There is the reason round about
us, plain and visible enough.
Take another: 'To this end came I into the world that I might bear
witness of the truth'. Are you in union with Him in that
witness-bearing? I assure you there is a great need of it.
Take still another: 'As the Father hath sent Me, even so'--that is a
very powerful little link--'even so send I you'. There is not only the
sender and the one sent, but the same purpose in both minds.
There is _the unity of effort_; that is, being yoked together for the
work. It is a beautiful thing to be yoked with loving comrades in
service, so that when there is a difficulty to face, some burden to be
carried, or something to be moved, then you can go in for a good pull,
a strong pull, and a pull all together. But this fellowship with Christ
really means having Jesus Christ as a yoke-fellow in your work for God;
that as you are not your own, you are not left to yourselves, but find
that He is yoked up with you, and when the pull comes it is pulling
together--He pulls and you pull.
4. Then this service sometimes goes so far as to become _the fellowship
of suffering_. Jesus Christ could only redeem men by the sacrifice of
Himself. There was no other way, and if He had not done that man would
not have been redeemed, and the whole world would have remained under
the ban of condemnation and without hope. It is on the same track that
we must work out our union with Him in the service of God and humanity.
When I was meditating on this Divine union a picture imaged itself
before my mind. The scene was a prison in Rome, where was seated a
prisoner for Christ's sake; his name was Paul. During a visit to Rome
they showed me the place where this was supposed to have occurred.
There is Paul, in this prison-cell, writing a letter which he wants to
send by one who, having visited him in prison, is now returning to his
own people at Philippi.
The prisoner is reviewing his life. He writes that he was well-born, a
Hebrew of the Hebrews, and that he became very zealous, and persecuted
the Christians until the Lord met him and converted him. He went on,
'But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea,
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.... That
I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.' And on the
same page of his letter Paul says: 'Brethren, be followers together of
me'. It is one of the plainest things which the Bible and Christian
history confirm, that the union of service does very often include the
fellowship of suffering.
5. The last feature of this relationship which I want to name is
_fellowship of victory and glory_. Thank God, we are in for that
fellowship!
We all know that a great victory will crown our Blessed Lord's
sacrificial life and service; that the great Victor over death and the
grave shall not only see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied,
but as He sits upon His throne there will be many crowns of glory. But
the blessedness of that knowledge is the fact that if we suffer with
Christ we are also to reign with Him--glorified together--not only
workers and victors, but 'more than conquerors'. We are to sit down
among that company who are able to say that they overcame by the Blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. We may have to go on
with the service and suffering, but we know that we shall be
transformed into His blessed likeness, and be sharers of His glory.
Salvation, love, service, victory, glory! These are the things which we
share with our Lord, and that is what I mean by Divine fellowship.
I do not think, however, I can leave this soul-entrancing vision of
fellowship without specially indicating how men may enter into it. How
shall I do this? By reading to you these words from the First Epistle
of John: 'This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and
declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth. 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.' Who shall participate in the
joy of this experience? The people who walk in the light; the people
who are cleansed from all sin in the Blood of Jesus.
IV
Finding God
'_Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all
your heart._' (Jeremiah xxix. 13.)
The words of Jeremiah in their relation to God are very appropriate for
men and women in whose hearts there is any longing after personal
Holiness. Look at them: 'Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall
search for Me with all your heart'. I like this word, because it turns
our minds to the true and only source of light and life and power. We
speak of seeking and getting the blessing; but, in reality, the object
is to find God, and that deliverance and blessing which can be secured
only from Him.
In our prayers and songs we express a great fact when we say, 'Thy
gifts, alas! cannot suffice unless Thyself be given'.
_Less than Thyself, Oh, do not give,
In might Thyself within me live,
Come, all Thou hast and art._
I want to make it plain that Holiness is an aspect of religion in which
the personality of God is very real. We must find God, and have Him
possessing and dwelling within us if we are to live the life and do the
work which Full Salvation implies. To realize this Divine union is as
essential as to experience the forgiveness of sin. We must know God as
well as worship Him, and the text I have read indicates to us that _the
discovery of a personal God belongs to the heart_: 'Ye shall seek Me,
and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart'.
God's power displayed in Nature may be perceived by the eye, the ear,
and other organs of the senses. On the lines of the Psalmist, we may
walk out at night, and consider the heavens the work of His fingers,
and exclaim, 'All Thy works praise Thee'; 'The heavens declare the
glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork'. The mind also
by reflection and deduction may clothe the Creator with attributes or
qualities of character, such as Almighty skill and benevolence; but
'spiritual things are spiritually discerned'; and it is only when God
reveals Himself to the heart that He is truly known as a personal
Father, Friend, and Saviour.
To the formal religionist or the casual dealer in pious phrases and
occasional prayers, these revelations do not come. It is when the heart
is set upon finding God that realizing faith makes--
_The clouds disperse, the shadows fly,
The invisible appears in sight,
And God is seen by mortal eye._
We urge men and women to thus seek God, because He alone can meet their
need; He alone can save after the fashion that they need a Saviour; He
alone, having forgiven, can break the power of sin, and cleanse from
natural impurity.
But the real trouble with some is that they do not seek Full Salvation
with that full purpose of heart which the prophet's words imply. In a
sense they want the blessing, but I fear they do not want it enough to
make them put their whole heart into seeking God's sanctifying power.
Turn to the Garden of Gethsemane, on that final night when certain men
came to take Jesus. When they fain would have included and taken
others, His words, you remember, were, '_If ye seek Me, let these go
their way_'. Now, may I not reasonably apply these words to some who
regularly attend our Meetings, but do not obtain the blessing? You are
holding on to things about which it requires no stretch of imagination
to hear Christ say, 'If ye seek Me, let _these_ go their way'. He
desires to be your Saviour and Sanctifier, but cannot until you drop
the things which hinder and which come between you and Him.
Some of these things may not be positively evil in themselves, but they
are associated with things which are evil or questionable; doubtful
pursuits, questionable friendships or conduct. Do you care enough about
God and Holiness to drop all such? Some have not done so up to the
present, and it is about these very things which hinder that Jesus says
to you, 'If ye seek _Me_, let these things go'.
Then, again, some have not found God as a perfect Sanctifier, because
their minds are not fully made up as to the lines of service and duty.
The general meaning of our various topics may be put thus, 'Holiness,
and what comes out of it'. Not simply spiritual blessings as an inward
experience, but a gift to be lived out in daily toil and effort to
spread the Kingdom. We must have that or our teaching will be rightly
regarded as 'goody-goody', and be of little real use.
A very fine young woman, on the occasion of my visit to a certain town,
offered herself as a Candidate for Army Officership. Hearing that the
case did not mature, I inquired a little later, from an Officer who had
seen her, what the difficulty was, and he repeated to me the
explanation she had given him: 'Well, Colonel, I have changed my mind;
I have left The Army and become a Christian'. That seems a strange
putting of the position; but I fear that it was with her, as with some
of you who have sought to dodge the cross, escape the toil, and evade
the testimony, the sacrifice, and the service which are indispensable
to the maintenance of Holiness. Instead of trying to escape from duty
as it is revealed to us from day to day, our hearts should be tuned up
to the idea in the song, which says--
_For thee delightfully employ
What e'er Thy bounteous grace hath given;
And run my course with even joy,
And closely walk with Thee to Heaven._
The central thought of Jeremiah's text is beautifully illustrated in
the Parable of the Lost Piece of Silver. Look at this woman's anxious
concern and corresponding action; she lights the candle--that is,
uses what light she has; she sweeps the house--turns everything over;
she searches diligently--keeps at it, not giving up at the first
disappointment. Observe also the effect upon herself when her search
is successful. Full of satisfaction she calls in her neighbours and
friends--'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had
lost'. Loud in her testimony, she delights in making her blessing
known. You see, this woman so valued the piece of silver, that she gave
herself up to the search for it, and nothing satisfied her until she
found it. When men appreciate the importance of having a clean heart
and the blessing of God like that, they will not seek long without
result.
There are two or three things implied in this whole-hearted search
after God which need to be emphasized. Of these I will name, first,
_intensity of desire_. There are blessings that come like God's rain
and sunshine, sought or unsought; but no man ever got a clean heart who
did not badly want it; and if God is to sanctify and keep you in the
enjoyment of the blessing, your heart will have to be moved by strong
desire.
Jesus put it clearly when He talked about 'hungering and thirsting'.
Even prayer, without strong desire, does not accomplish much. 'What
things soever ye _desire_'; it is that which gives intensity to your
prayers, as well as 'believing that ye receive'. The Psalmist's words
are equally fitting--'As the hart panteth after the water brooks'--as
the hunted deer longs for the stream--'so panteth my soul after Thee, O
God'. That means more than a contention for the doctrine, more than a
sentimental admiration of Holiness. It implies the deep stirrings of
conviction, the heart moved by strong cravings, the crying out, 'Oh,
that I might find Him whom my soul desireth'!
This whole-hearted seeking the blessing also implies _fullness of
intention_. How often I have spoken of the relation of the will; the
choice, the setting of the mind in strong purpose, the decision--'I
ought, I must, I will secure God's sanctifying blessing'; all this
counts for much. People speak of their desires and hopes, but how slow
they are to make up their minds that, at all costs, they will seek and
find a Saviour, by whose power they shall be fully delivered, and kept
in purity and fellowship with God. I like those Bible words about
'sincerity', 'following the Lord fully', 'cleaving unto Him with full
purpose of heart', for it is to people in that state of mind that God
reveals Himself.
Finally, _compliance with God's conditions_ is included in whole-heartedly
seeking Holiness. The revealed conditions of entire Sanctification have
often been stated, but may be repeated once more: a turning from all
things known to be evil or doubtful; a full surrender and dedication of
ourselves to God's service; and a simple trust in the all-cleansing
Blood of Jesus Christ.
The real tests are different with different people, but all who seek
this blessing must face God's conditions, and pay the price by
complying with them, not only as I have stated the conditions in
general terms, but as the Holy Spirit reveals them to each one
personally. To one it is, 'Do this', to another 'Do that'; 'Give up
this', or 'Give up that'; 'Trust Me for this', 'Trust Me for that'. But
all who cast themselves fully into God's hands, letting Him have His
own way with them, shall find the truth of Jeremiah's message, 'Ye
shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart'.
V
The Doctrine Adorned
'_But shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of
God our Saviour in all things._' (Titus ii. 10.)
Those of us who are specially interested in this great work often seek
for plans by which the knowledge and enjoyment of a Full Salvation may
be extended. I think I have found a good plan for helping the Kingdom
forward, and I see it in this little sentence which Paul wrote to
Titus: 'That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all
things'.
When I say that is a plan for spreading Salvation, I mean simply this:
as there is nothing which commends an apple-tree so much as the sight
of the ripened fruit hanging from the branches, so nothing sets people
longing for Holiness like the living exhibition of it.
First of all, I want you to see the force of that little word 'adorn'.
In speaking about adornment we usually mean something more than
necessary dress. The word in our minds usually expresses the idea of
clothing or covering, with the addition of decorations or ornaments.
If you fathers and mothers ask your boy or girl the meaning of the
word, they will probably turn to the dictionary, and tell you something
like this: 'To "adorn" is to set off to advantage, to add to the
attractiveness, to beautify, to decorate as with ornaments'. Now that
is exactly what the Apostle meant, and the application is that you and
I must set off to advantage, add to the attractiveness of the Gospel
which we profess to believe.
Jesus Christ meant that when He said, 'Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works'--and be so influenced that they
shall 'glorify your Father which is in Heaven'. That also was the idea
in Paul's mind in that verse to the Philippians, 'Shine as lights', or
luminaries, 'in the world'.
Will you also look at that word 'doctrine'? It is not an acceptable
word at public meetings, generally implying some system of theology,
some stated creed, some definition of religious belief. But whilst that
may be the general application, the Apostle had no such idea in his
mind when he wrote these words.
He was now writing about persons many of whom were of very humble
position, servants in the houses of the ungodly, often mere slaves in
some pagan household. They had never heard about formulated creeds or
theologies, but they did understand the duty of living up to their
profession. They knew the importance of showing in their daily lives
the power of the things which they believed, and thus commending their
religious faith and teaching to all observers.
There are people who know very little of what you call 'the body of
doctrine', who yet in all simplicity hold the truth of God, and live up
to it. Tens of thousands have crossed the River who could never give
you a definition of any doctrine; but they accepted the simple truths
in their hearts, were ornaments to their profession, and are now in
Glory.
Now take the two words together--'adorn' and 'doctrine'--and then you
will see your duty.
There are many doctrines to which this duty of adorning may be made to
apply. I might talk to you about the doctrine relating to God's
government, and bring in _the truth about His good guiding providence_.
We profess to believe in that. But the question is, Does your regular
practice, your daily trust, your hourly following and accepting what
God's providence sends you, adorn the doctrine?
Then I might also speak to you about _the doctrine of prayer and its
result_. Surely you believe that God 'hears and answers prayer'. But
can you say that your life of faith and victory is such that all who
know you believe it, because they see you living a life of faith and
victory such as can only come to the men and women whose prayers God
does answer? That is, do you adorn the doctrine?
For the present purpose, however, I want to apply the principle to _the
doctrine of Holiness_. The great object of these Addresses is to help
men and women into the enjoyment of the blessing of Holiness. We hear
about that; sing about that; most of you believe in it, and some of you
proclaim it; but do you know what is really wanted? It is that you
shall so manifest the spirit of Holiness, give such illustrations of it
as to adorn the truth, and make people around you say, 'We are bound to
believe the doctrine when we look at these people, for _they live the
blessing_'.
You cannot but know what we teach as the doctrine of Holiness. Our
trumpet has no uncertain sound. We not only talk about the pardoning
mercy of God, but about the all-cleansing Blood of Jesus Christ. We not
only point out how the rebel can be transformed into a child, but we
show how a man's heart can be made pure, and his nature renewed by the
indwelling Spirit. Delivered from the love of sin and from its
pollution in his heart, he can be kept from sin and sinning, and be
enabled to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in everything
to give thanks.
A clean heart, filled with love, possessed and directed by the Holy
Ghost--that is the experience which we call Holiness, and the truth
which we are exhorted to adorn.
Only think what a recommendation of the doctrine it would be if you all
adorned the truth, and showed in your daily lives the power to live in
that Holiness and righteousness of which I am speaking.
I am not now asking whether you have an intelligent comprehension of
the doctrine, or that you should say what is possible, and what is not.
Some of you could probably define the blessing as well as I can; but
your duty is not simply to define or defend or explain Holiness, but to
adorn the teaching, give exhibitions of it, make everybody see what it
means in living flesh and blood amidst the hurly-burly of life.
1. And now, what are the means by which you and I can fulfil this
exhortation of Paul? First, you can adorn the doctrine by _personal
testimony_. Personal testimony, coming from the heart, is always good
and helpful; that is, to be able to say about any definite experience,
'Oh, glory! He has done it for me!' But this is especially valuable
about a clean heart, and in relation to a Full Salvation.
When I was a boy I sometimes heard the doctrine of Entire
Sanctification discussed over pipes and ale; but those discussions,
which were merely theological disputes, had little or no relation to
the personal experience of the people who were debating and contending
and losing their tempers over the doctrine, and so it made no
impression on me. Years after, my own heart was awakened, and desires
arose in my soul. I began to search for the truth about it, and to
listen for references to it, and most of all to rejoice if I could find
or hear a clear testimony about it, for then I saw the possibility of
the blessing for myself.
I frequently throw my Meetings open for testimony, because I know the
helpful power of such words. Sometimes the wording may be a little
upside down, or some qualifying term be left out, or some exaggerating
word put in; but in spite of all, great is the power of testimony to
encourage other hearts.
I fear, however, that many people are silent who ought to speak, and I
touch some very closely when I say that owing to this silence the power
of your experience has declined and become like a faded flower or a
moth-eaten garment, and then when you would fain speak you find the
assurance about the blessing has waned. My word, therefore, to you is,
first of all get the blessing, then at every suitable opportunity,
profess it openly and boldly for God, and by your happy testimony you
will adorn the doctrine of Holiness.
2. Again, you can adorn the doctrine by your _consistent living_. To
profess one thing and practise another is a blot on the profession, and
a despicable thing. What I may call mere Meeting piety, platform or
parlour Holiness, will not stand the weather. It is too much like the
painted sparrows sold as canaries--the paint comes off and the real
nature of the bird is revealed. For instance, how can you ornament the
truth if, after testifying here, you go out to gossip and slander and
injure your neighbour? The word lived out is more powerful than its
mere repetition. The teaching may be good and powerful, the testimony
still more so; but the evidence of the life and spirit is the most
powerful of all.
I heard somebody tell a story about a man who was too pious to shave
himself on Sunday, and yet he was pretty keen during the other six days
trying, in his business, to 'shave' other people. I hope you are not
among that sort.
If you want to adorn this doctrine, there must be the beauties of a
happy, consistent character and life, otherwise it goes for nothing.
I do not ask the adornment of education, nor the polish of culture,
so-called; neither do I ask a sanctimonious attitude; I only claim from
you professors of the blessing the beauties of grace in your personal
character and conduct. The endorsement of the lip by the life is only
equalled by the discount to the teaching caused by some inconsistent
action or unfaithfulness in the teacher or professor. An angry word,
even a flash of the eye, has been known to take the point off some
well-given talk or testimony. A lack of kindly consideration, which
looks like selfish indulgence, is not easily atoned for, even by
illuminating speeches. As one has said, 'The words ever go to the level
of the life--up or down'.
Talking about Holiness has small effect unless it is to be seen in your
disposition, in your ordinary life, in your loving consideration for
other people, or in your patient endurance of injury, real or
imaginary. Without that your profession of Holiness is mere talk
without adorning.
3. You must also adorn the doctrine by your _zeal for God and souls_.
Holiness means the possession of the Christ-spirit, the passion for
saving others, with reasonable efforts to secure what you seek.
When God sanctifies your soul He makes a great inward light; the
purpose is not to be your own selfish enjoyment, but that you may be
better qualified as a minister of blessing and Salvation to the poor
dark souls around you. The love of souls is an essential feature of
inward Holiness, and if this is exhibited in practical effort you will
adorn your profession and compel people to believe in your doctrine.
There is just one other word of importance in that verse, 'that they
may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour'. I mean the word, 'Saviour'.
I am so glad that is there to meet those who say, 'Ah! you talk about
adornments, but I am distressed because I see so many things about me
that disfigure and discredit the doctrine'. You feel that you need a
power which can give deliverance from the worldly spirit, the light and
frivolous disposition, bad tempers, resentments, and other selfish and
sinful things which hold you more or less in bondage; but in that
beautiful word, 'Saviour', you have a pledge, a guarantee that it can
be made all right, for He is able to deliver you and save you fully.
VI
Sureness
'_The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance for ever._' (Isaiah xxxii. 17.)
One reason why I glory in teaching Full Salvation is that it includes a
religion of certainty. It brings a man to a place of sureness as to his
religious relationships. A soul just awakened to a sense of
responsibility is naturally full of wonderment and anxiety, and this
must be disposed of. So that when we speak of a man obtaining
Salvation, we say 'he found peace'.
Doubt is torment, and torment is the opposite of peace. The soul cannot
rest if it is perpetually on the string. To enjoy religion the mind
must be settled about the main facts of the case; there must be a
feeling of sureness as to one's acceptance with God and His approval of
our spiritual condition.
We have a wily old Devil to deal with, and I believe that nothing gives
him more malicious delight than to get sincere souls into the bondage
of fear as to their state and standing. I believe many sincere souls
hesitate to claim the blessing, and say they have it, because they are
afraid of deluding themselves or deceiving others by their testimonies.
Afraid to do right for fear of doing wrong, they go on, sometimes
happy, sometimes sad, falling into discouragement and doubt, and
allowing the Devil to get an advantage over them in this respect.
Now, we cannot dispute the fact that in the experiences of good people
there are many points of difference. Temptations, surroundings,
position, and work are the cause of these differences. But in the midst
of all, there is the possibility and blessed privilege of being sure
about one's own rightness before God.
I saw a reference the other day to Charles Spurgeon's method of
treating this matter. He showed how disturbing and distressing it would
be if, in our domestic life, we had elements of uncertainty such as
many people have in regard to their spiritual relationships.
After quoting the old verse:--
_'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love the Lord or no,
Am I His or am I not?_
Mr. Spurgeon made a humorous parody of the verse by making it read:--
_'Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love my wife or no,
Am I hers or am I not?_
Uncertainty about our religious condition is quite as unsatisfactory as
any doubt about our most sacred domestic relationships. Sureness is
vital to peace, and the truly sanctified soul will live in the region
of certainty, Divine things and Divine revelations becoming definite
and real to him. Temptations to doubt and fear will arise; but, in
spite of them, those who are sanctified realize that the Blood cleanses
and the Holy Spirit dwells within.
I will not ask whether you have any religion or not, because most of
you are professors of religion, but I do ask, Has your religion got
this element of 'sureness' in it? We must settle that point. You may
say, 'If I am to be sure, I must have evidence'. Quite so. We will,
therefore, glance together at several things about which you can either
say, 'It is so', or 'It is not so', and thus arrive at a reasonable
conclusion as to where you are. I will classify the evidence in this
way:--
First, there is the testimony of one's own consciousness, or one's own
spirit, as Paul puts it.
Second, there is the testimony of the Spirit of God--the Holy Ghost.
Third, there will be the results manifest to ourselves and to others;
effects which testify just as reliably as the hanging fruit indicates
the character and condition of any particular tree.
1. By the first class of evidence I do not mean a set of fanciful
sensations, or frames of feeling, but such an exercise of our judgment,
when we examine the facts before us, as will enable us to come to a
sound and reasonable conclusion.
_The witness of one's own spirit_ is largely a matter of consciousness
and faith, and it works like this: 'I am not only conscious of God's
revealed claims upon me, and my own duty to Him; but, as far as I
understand, I have put myself in line with what He wants me to be and
do. For instance, I am told that whilst God will sanctify me I am able
to sanctify myself. I therefore ask, "Have I so far co-operated with
Him as to come out and separate myself from evil?" If I am right I can
say, "Yes, I have"; and as a further evidence of my sincerity I seek to
abstain from all appearance of evil.'
I am also commanded to present myself for practical and joyful service,
and I am told that I must believe such a sacrifice is acceptable
because whatever touches the Divine altar is holy. Now, I can be quite
sure as to my compliance with these demands, and my willingness to live
as a sanctified soul ought to live. I know whether or not in these
things I have done my part; and, if I know that I have, I can then
reasonably trust God or reckon on Him to do His part. That is what Paul
calls 'a good conscience toward God', and there is no presumption in
such a conclusion.
If we turn to John's Epistle we shall see how plainly he puts the truth
about assurance. 'If', says the Apostle, 'our heart condemn us, God is
greater than our heart, and knoweth all things'; but 'if our heart
condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God'. Without this
conscious sincerity it is useless to pray for the blessing, for God
cannot sanctify us whilst we are clinging to any known wrong or
compounding with some doubtful habit or folly. If, on the other hand,
we are conscious that we have no reserves, and accept by faith the
cleansing Blood as the cure for our heart's plague, we may with all
reasonableness say, 'I have the testimony of my own spirit'.
2. Let us look at the second class of evidence, namely, _the testimony
of the Spirit of God_--the assurance of the Holy Ghost.
If we are to be quite certain about the important things in relation to
the soul, we must have the expression of God's mind and approval.
Nothing is made clearer in the Apostolic writings than the fact that it
is our blessed privilege to have this Divine testimony. Paul not only
tells us that 'the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God', but speaks of the marvellous manifestations of
God in saved souls in subsequent revelations: 'We have received the
Spirit, which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God.'
On first thought we might say, perhaps, that the gift would speak for
itself. But the Lord goes beyond that by giving us not only the
blessing itself, but also the Spirit to assure us that we have got the
blessing. John is on the same line when he says repeatedly about those
spiritual blessings, 'we know', 'we know that we know', and the secret
of sureness is made clear, 'we know by the Spirit which He hath given
unto us'.
When we speak of the witness of the Spirit, either to our conversion or
our sanctification, we do not mean some audible voice or some
miraculous demonstration, but an inwrought conviction as to the
correctness of our words when, in all sincerity, and to the glory of
God, we profess to have arrived at a certain point, or obtained a
certain blessing. It is a conviction which removes doubt, and satisfies
the soul on the question. The mode of this--the way in which the Holy
Ghost does it--may be quite beyond our comprehension; but the fact is
there, as far beyond dispute as with the assurance of the blind man,
who said, 'This one thing I know, that whereas once I was blind, now I
see'.
3. Then I also used the word _'results', as indicating a class of
evidence_ without which all other professed experiences are but passing
sentiments and sensations. In the character and life there must be
results in the shape of those holy fruits of which I have so frequently
spoken.
In a sense often described, and well understood, every child of God
becomes at conversion the temple of the Holy Ghost; we are born of the
Spirit; enlightened by the Spirit; our spiritual life is sustained by
the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are therefore manifest in a
greater or lesser degree, but the advantage to the entirely sanctified
is that not only is the fruit-bearing power increased, but fruits of an
opposite character are absent. In other words, the fully sanctified man
is 'filled with the Spirit'. The fruits of righteousness, which are by
Jesus Christ, are abundant in him.
To illustrate my meaning, take one passage relating to that spiritual
fruit described by the word _love_. 'We know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love the brethren.' Now, of course, that
comes into operation at conversion; but in the fully sanctified this is
love without admixture, pure love, without any feeling opposed to love.
We can soon test ourselves. Think of love in the forgiveness of injury;
the love which 'thinketh no evil', 'envieth not', the love which
'worketh no ill to his neighbour'. Where does grudge-bearing,
backbiting, or uncharitableness come in? Pride, passion,
self-assertion, and such things belong not to the results of
sanctification; the opposites are found in those who bring forth
'fruits unto Holiness'.
I heard a good woman quote a passage with an application of her own
which is true in point of fact, even if not the precise meaning of the
original writer. 'Great peace have they which love Thy law, and nothing
shall offend them.' She meant, literally, that, however she might be
pained by the words or actions of those about her, she would not be
'offended'. This is a pretty high class of result, for nothing is more
common than the readiness to take offence. But this refusal to take
offence is, with the other fruits, clear proof that the heart and life
are sanctified. So I might work out this law of results. These samples
will, however, indicate my line of teaching.
Now, coming back to my thought at the beginning--the necessity for
'Sureness' in regard to religion, and especially in the experience of
Holiness--let me ask, Where are we found? Have the testings confirmed
that certainty of heart, or have my words disturbed self-satisfaction?
Do not be afraid of facing the direct issue. If you have the evidences
referred to, then be sure to go about proclaiming what God has done.
But if not, then this unsatisfied and unsatisfactory condition cannot
be persisted in when the Fountain which cleanses is open for all, and
when the Holy Spirit is here to apply the Blood, and to take full
possession of every soul. Let this be the hour when you come to the
altar round which the cleansing stream so freely flows.
VII
The Pathway of the Holy
'_ An highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way
of holiness._' (Isaiah xxxv. 8.)
One would think that Isaiah was speaking of two separate roads, for his
prophetic eye sees 'a highway and a way' along which the course of
God's people runs.
Perhaps we may interpret the prophet's distinction as referring to the
higher and lower paths along some of the roadways in the Holy City; but
he makes it quite plain that the course of the truly godly may be
correctly described as 'The way of Holiness'.
Nobody here would like to say there are two separate roads to Heaven,
but as we note the lives and experiences of many Christian professors
it really does appear that there are two levels on which they run their
various religious courses--one the lower, the other the higher path;
one lying oft in shadow, the other up in the open sunshine of Heaven;
one largely a profession of faith and repeated religious observances,
the other full of rich experiences and realizations of God's favour and
spiritual gifts.
Some people appear to step up and down according to seasons and
inclinations, when, for instance, Holiness Conventions and Higher Life
Conferences are on or off--like the man we heard testifying, who
thanked God that he had had no ins and outs, but admitted many ups and
downs. We want to help you to walk in what Isaiah calls 'The way of
Holiness', or in modern terms, the pathway of the holy.
There are _three things about a way_. There is a beginning; a finishing
place; and the course between the two points.
This pathway of the holy may be said to have its beginning at the
cleansing Fountain; it finishes, if it finishes at all, amid the
glories of the Heavenly World; but between these two points lies the
road which must be trodden, the journey which has to be made.
We often dwell upon that moment where the soul, by an act of submission
and trust, enters upon the highway, or 'gets the blessing', as we say;
but Holiness is, after all, a state, _a continuous experience_, a set
course or way in life where the will of the Lord is supreme, and the
full-hearted love of God is the great moving force. It is in that
course and along that path that you and I ought to travel continually.
We like testimonies from any who are in the way, but we appreciate
and are helped still more by the words of those who have walked on
in patient faith and obedience for long periods. Reading lately the
life of William Bramwell, I was encouraged by his testimony as to
obtaining the blessing of Holiness and its enjoyment for many long
years. But I was the more delighted to find his words supported by his
acquaintances, who bore testimony that Bramwell adorned the doctrine so
beautifully. Of himself this good man said, 'The Lord came suddenly to
His temple, and I had an immediate evidence that this was the blessing;
my soul was then all wonder, love, and praise. It is now twenty-six
years ago--I have walked in that liberty ever since.' You see, he _went
on_ in the way of Holiness because it had become his way of life.
One who was closely associated with this man said, 'I knew him
intimately for twenty years. I lived in the same house with him in his
seasons of relaxation as well as occupation, but never saw him in such
a temper that I could reprove. His soul was like a spring, continually
overflowing with the most amiable, benevolent emotion. In his last
years, in particular, he was like a shock of corn fully ripe and fit
for the heavenly garner, or like a beautiful tree whose vigorous and
luxuriant branches were weighted with a diversity of the richest
fruit.' Bramwell trod consistently the pathway of the holy, a worthy
successor of Enoch, who 'walked with God', and was translated after
receiving the testimony that his way pleased God.
I would like to refer to several features of this pathway of the holy
which appeal strongly to me.
1. The way of Holiness is a _pathway of the purified_. The prophet
intimates plainly that nothing unclean can pass that way. The hearts of
men and women who are to walk there must be washed from their moral
defilements. I heard of a good man who said, 'Many years ago the Lord
took me out of the mire; some years after, He took the mire out of me'.
I think you quite understand his meaning. Sin is a foul, slimy, miry
thing, defiling whoever it touches. This must be purged away if you are
to walk in the way of Holiness; and it can only be purged by the 'Blood
of Jesus Christ which cleanseth us from all sin'.
2. The way of Holiness is _a pathway of light and learning_. It is a
way of advancing knowledge. There is a point where the path commences,
when one knows for the first time that the Blood cleanses, and the Holy
Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in the heart; but each succeeding
step brings fuller light, and things unknown are revealed.
Familiar intercourse with God brings deeper realizations and knowledge
of Divine and spiritual things, so that yours does indeed become the
path of the just 'which shineth more and more unto the perfect day'. As
a result, your own heart is enlarged, your spiritual capacities
increased, and, growing in grace, you advance in knowledge and favour
with God. Those who walk this pathway are they to whom the Lord
whispers His secrets, and whose souls He fills with heavenly delights.
Oh, that we could induce you to step up from the lower to this higher
and better pathway!
Let me give you a note from the personal experience of another of God's
saints who walked the higher way, one who habitually lived on that
level, and who expressed himself thus: 'Let me say that my spiritual
life is no longer like a leaky suction pump, half the time dry, and
affording scanty water only by desperate tugging of the handle, but it
is like an artesian well of water springing up unto everlasting life.
The Scriptures are sweeter than honey. Prayer and praise are a delight,
and it is like Paradise regained; the glory of Christ has become the
all-absorbing passion of my soul.'
The sanctified life is not only a lengthening of the spiritual
experience, but a growth or advance in the knowledge of Divine
realities.
3. Then, further, the way of Holiness is _a path of duty_, not a
pathway of ease and indulgence. We can never leave this practical
thought out, whatever our topic may be, for Holiness and hard work are
inseparable. The eyes being open to see the need, the hand is ever
ready to take up its task; and the labour of love being the sweetest of
all occupations, work for God and souls becomes a delight.
He who is too holy to work for others will soon step to the lower path.
The willing soul will ever be crying, 'Lord, what wilt Thou have me to
do?' and the answer will come, 'Do this, do that, come here, go there'.
The way of Holiness is not free from temptation and suffering; but,
thank God, it can be _the way of victory and safety_.
Even the ordinary workaday life is full of circumstances which try and
tempt and test you. The more you struggle towards living in God's way
the more the Devil will attack you. The path which the holy Saviour
trod was the way of the cross, and they who follow Him must share the
cross-bearing. The ultimate crown is for the overcomer, and not for the
untempted one.
_Christ leads us through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He who into God's Kingdom comes
Must enter by this door._
There is no crown without a previous cross; but with trials and
temptations comes the way of escape and victory, 'these light
afflictions ... work out an exceeding weight of glory'. The Book says,
'All who will live godly ... shall suffer persecution'. And this will
be specially so with those who openly profess and live on the lines of
a Full Salvation.
Here is a page from the personal experience of one who was determined
to walk the King's highway:--
'Perfect love', he says, 'will not go long untested. For a time I was
not called to suffer distinctly for Christ from that hostile spirit
which nailed Him to the cross. The lion, however, was not dead, but
asleep, and presently he awoke and glared at me. My soul was calm as a
summer's evening. When it pleased the Blessed Master that I should
suffer reproach and vilification for my testimony, then it was that the
river of joy which flows from the Throne flowed through my heart as
never before. It was a new experience--a quintessence of joy. The
shouts of burning martyrs were no longer a mystery. I stagger no more
at the account of the saints who took joyfully the spoiling of their
goods. My soul is bathed in an ocean of balm and ineffable joy.'
4. But I spoke also of _the safety_ of the way of Holiness. I must
speak of that more fully another time, but what I mean is this: So long
as you have the remains of sin in your heart you are exposed to a
double danger--the enemy without and the responding traitor within. One
reason why religion is so unsatisfactory to some people is that they
persist in walking on the low level where doubts often spoil their
worship and the allurements of the world pull very hard, and its siren
song makes discord in their hallelujahs. It is, of course, possible to
backslide from any level; but, believe me, the prospect of stability is
infinitely greater if you get a clean heart, and determine to walk in
the pathway of the holy.
In closing, let me quote a short prayer. David cried: 'Search me, O
God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: see if there be
any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting'. If, in
sincerity and simplicity of intention to follow Christ fully, you offer
that prayer, God will not only lead you along the way, but to the Home
of the holy.
There are, however, two little notes which you should compare in this
connexion. One refers to the passage now before us, 'The way of
Holiness'. It is said, 'The unclean shall not pass over it'. The other
refers to Heaven, and says, 'There shall in no wise enter any thing
that defileth or maketh a lie'. By connecting these two you see that
you need to be not only led along the heavenly way, but to be made fit
for the heavenly courts; and David's prayer, sincerely offered, brings
that fitness--that purity of heart which sees God and delights in the
completion of His holy will.
VIII
Circumstances and Consequences
'_And fears shall be in the way._' (Ecclesiastes xii. 5.)
The man who wrote these words was specially emphasizing the importance
of settling one's relationships to the great Creator before the coming
of days when infirmities increase, and decay of natural powers sets in.
The practical outcome of that thought is, that postponement only adds
to one's difficulties when the battle really has to be fought.
Amongst those difficulties the sacred writer places that natural
foreboding, physical shrinking and hesitation which paralyse men when,
after lives spent in sin and selfish indulgence, they desire to make
their peace with God; for, says he, 'They shall be afraid of that which
is high, and _fears shall be in the way_'. The imaginary obstacles
which arise in people's minds, seeming to make holy living impossible,
are varied in character, but I see that many are influenced by fears
and feelings concerning things which I class under the headings of
'Circumstances and Consequences'.
How often, when giving earnest advice, one gets the response, 'My
circumstances are against me', 'Placed as I am, it cannot be', or 'The
consequences are too serious', 'The price of the blessing is too high'.
Even with persons who have no doubt as to the possibility of a clean
heart and sanctification of life, these thoughts operate; and we find
the fear of circumstances hindering one, and the fear of consequences
influencing another, so that they are held back from definitely seeking
the blessing. True, in many instances, the idea is a delusion, a snare
of the Devil, by which souls are kept out of God's Full Salvation; but,
there is the fact--'fears are in the way'.
Fear is like a great magnifying-glass; or one of those mirrors which
give a distorted image of things reflected in them. This effect is
often produced in persons both as regards their own circumstances and
the consequences of following the leadings of God's Spirit.
You may remember how Bunyan, in his 'Pilgrim's Progress', represents
Christian desiring to enter the House Beautiful, but suddenly he espied
two lions in the way, and was almost frightened out of his purpose
until some one told him that, if he went boldly on, and kept in the
middle of the path, he need not fear, seeing the lions were securely
chained. What an illustration of the quaking fears which hinder
definite action in regard to spiritual blessings!
1. A few words as to _circumstances_ may be helpful to some one. Let
me, however, first make one thing clear. With some people circumstances
exist which are insurmountable barriers; there are positions in the
world which could not be held by a fully sanctified person any more
than fire can be carried in a man's bosom and he not be burned;
situations involving the practice of evil or resulting in gain through
the unjust sufferings of others. Such positions must be given up, if
men wish to enjoy God's sanctifying power. I am not, however, dealing
now with such positions or the circumstances connected with them; I am
referring to circumstances or conditions of life which are lawful in
themselves and in the light of the Word of God, but which may present
difficulties and involve serious trial to those determined to live
purely and serve God faithfully.
The fear in some instances is that if they obtain the blessing the
strain of temptation would be such as to render a fall probable. 'I
could not _keep_ the blessing if I got it'; 'If I could change my
position, or surroundings, or connexions, then I would take the
necessary steps'. These are words we frequently hear. A married man or
woman says, 'Ah! if only I were single, then I could live a life of
full consecration'. With equal seriousness the single person says, 'Ah!
if only I were married, then the life of purity and Holiness would be
possible to me'. The mother, fearful about the strain which the care of
the children brings, often speaks in the same way. So it is with
business relationships and many other matters in which the
circumstances are presented as things making Holiness an impossibility.
When I was a young man in business I yearned for a position in which I
could be separate from all worldly entanglements, so that I could
obtain and enjoy the blessing. But, do you know, since I have been a
Salvation Army Officer, I have often been tempted to think that the
sanctified life is easier in the circumstances of commercial life, and
that if I was so placed the spiritual things would be more appreciated,
and I should be able to live nearer to God. You see, it is the same old
temptation, 'My circumstances, my conditions of life, my work, my
home', and the fear of these things often becomes a snare.
That is a pathetic picture which the Psalmist gives us of these poor
Jews by the waters of Babylon, who, when urged to sing the songs of
Zion, answered, 'How shall we sing the Lord's songs in a strange land?'
Is not that the feeling which bursts from many lips and many more
hearts, 'How can you expect _me_, in _my_ circumstances, to get
sanctified and live a holy life?'
But is not that just the point where the triumph of faith comes in? It
is there that we see the value of those exceeding great and precious
promises by which you are to become a partaker of the Divine nature,
and on which your faith is to build. 'As thy days, so shall thy
strength be'; 'My God shall supply all your need'; and that includes
your need in cleansing, your need in keeping, and your need in blessing
adapted to your circumstances. Remember, the Lord is the Master of
circumstances, and you must put yours into His hands, and trust Him not
only to sanctify you wholly, but to preserve you blameless unto the
end. You must trust God to make you equal to your circumstances.
2. But there is that second class of anxious persons to whom I
referred: those who are held back by _the fear of consequences_.
Oh, what crowds of enlightened souls might be walking triumphantly
along the King's highway, who are yet tramping on amidst doubts and
fears and frequent condemnation, all because they dread the pressure of
God's claims upon them, and fear the consequences of making a
whole-hearted surrender to Him.
There is another point of view about which I must speak a word in
passing. When looking at the consequences of fully yielding to God's
claims, and perhaps trembling and hesitating, do you ever think of the
results of holding back what you know God wants? Do not forget that
there are some consequences of saying 'No' to the Lord. When a child
knows his father's wish, but, in answer to a reasonable request, says,
'No', you call it disobedience. Is it not a still more serious thing to
be disobedient in the presence of more than a father's love? You must
count the cost of that, when resisting the light and influence of God's
Spirit.
Surely, you will not choose to be numbered among those who 'knew their
Lord's will, but did it not'. In the Gospel story such were 'beaten
with many stripes'; that means stripes of loss, stripes of pain,
stripes of sorrow, perhaps even stripes of death. If we are to suffer,
let it be the result of following Him, rather than the consequence of
denying our Lord.
Now, I do not want to mislead anybody, for, of course, there are
consequences of surrender and determination to live the holy life; but,
unfortunately, these fearful ones look at the wrong side of the list.
They think of the separateness from the world involved in a life of
Holiness; they think of the cold shoulder which some, even Christian
friends, would give them; they think of the toil after souls which the
sanctified must maintain; of the money that they may have to give; of
the partnership in Christ's sufferings, and other self-denying
expressions of devotion to God and the Kingdom. 'Oh, I shall have to
wear uniform!' or 'go to the Open-Air', or 'perhaps become an Army
Officer', and, as an Officer, 'may have to leave my native land'. The
enemy holds these and many similar things before the eyes of a
convicted soul, very often magnifying the facts until the word
difficulty is changed to impossibility, and, like the young ruler of
the Gospel story, they 'go away sorrowful'.
A man came across London to be present at one of our Thursday Meetings.
When spoken to by an Officer, he admitted the force of all that had
been said, but he found an insurmountable difficulty in his business as
a shopkeeper. He saw that the goods on his shelves and sold over the
counter were mixed, including what he realized to be bad and damaging
to many others. His heart was full of conviction and desire, but
anxiety about his wife and family prevented him closing down, while his
conscience prevented him selling a business which he knew had wrong and
doubtful things connected with it. 'What is wrong for me', he said,
'would be wrong for another'; and so he could not pay the price, and,
like the young ruler referred to, he has gone away sorrowful.
In the Meeting of the following week a man came to the table seeking
the blessing, and he cried out aloud, 'O Lord, give me a clean heart!
Take the malice out which I have had towards these two persons! O Lord,
I will go straight to them, and confess, and ask them to forgive me!'
Needless to add, the blessing came, and, rejoicing, he went off to his
home, fifty miles out of London, to fulfil his word. The contrast
between this and the man previously mentioned teaches its own lesson.
Now, it is quite right that seekers of Full Salvation should _look at
the cost, and count it well_; but, Oh, that they would also think of
the tremendous balance of joy and peace and blessing which more than
makes up for what has to be borne or done or given up! Instead of dim
twilight, or hazy doubts or forebodings, the sunshine of the Divine
Presence makes all things bright and gladsome. Instead of depending for
light and peace on 'suns' which 'go down' and 'moons' which 'withdraw'
themselves, the fully sanctified man finds that God has become his
'everlasting light, and the days of his mourning are ended'. As I have
said, there will be sacrifice, but there also will be satisfaction;
and, as with the mother in regard to her new-born babe, the fully saved
soul forgets the suffering and the sacrifice which has been made.
Sometimes we are tempted to look at sacrifice apart from love. I heard
Mr. Bramwell Booth say in a Meeting, 'Sacrifice is the flower of love';
and you know full well that things which are otherwise impossible
become comparatively easy to true love and faith. Men do not talk about
sacrifices when they realize that they have received more--much
more--than that which they gave up.
When I hear people dwelling on how much they have given up for God, I
begin to wonder whether those self-denying ones have realized the joy
and satisfaction which God wants to give to the fully consecrated
heart. If they have, it is strange for them to talk of rushlight
sacrifices whilst they are bathed in the sunlight of the Divine
Presence.
Sometimes distressing consequences do follow surrender and faith, but
are there not also glorious consequences in the form of joy in the
seasons of sorrow, light and guidance in the hours of perplexity,
Divine approval and communion when others misunderstand and shun us?
Surely the knowledge of this leads me to cry, 'O my Lord, let me have
the blessing with all its consequences!'
Oh, my friends, whilst counting the cost, look at both sides of God's
gift, the crown as well as the cross; the delight as well as the
denial; the heavenly sunshine as well as the earthly shadows; and the
great, glorious, everlasting reward in eternity. When you have looked
at all these things, make your choice; and, having chosen aright, 'hold
fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown'.
IX
Bound to the Altar
'_Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar._'
(Psalm cxviii. 27.)
Periodically in our Halls we have had what we call Altar Services. At
such times, and more especially during the Self-Denial and Harvest
Festival efforts, Soldiers, friends, and others who are interested in
God's work are invited to come forward with gifts of money to lay upon
the special table which, for that occasion, serves the purpose of an
altar. Those who have been present at these Meetings will not need to
be told that the 'gift' is irrevocable. The giver cannot honestly get
it back--it has been deliberately parted with.
That is a very definite thing _done_, and it illustrates the central
idea of the verse which I have read to you.
Some time ago I went with The General to Stockholm, where the Swedish
Officers were gathered together for their annual Congress. At the close
of the Councils I asked an Officer how he liked the Meetings, and what
the result would be. He replied, 'Commissioner, it's just like this. It
is as if The General during these days builded an altar, and to-night
we all climbed upon that altar offering ourselves a sacrifice unto God,
and the fire came down and sanctified the offering.'
_The true worship and service of God_--it need not be told--_involves
sacrifice_. If any one here feels that religion is all a question of
how much he can get out of God by saying so many prayers or offering so
many donations, he has a totally wrong conception of what it is. I know
that there are many who regard their vows to God very lightly. They
seem to think they can get through their religion without much
self-denial. Religion of that sort, however, is worth nothing either to
those who possess it or to the Lord whom they profess to serve. Without
self-sacrifice, without self-denial, religion comes to nothing, or, at
any rate, amounts to very little.
I do not desire that you should imitate the senseless practices
prevailing in some countries, where the people are allowed to build
their hopes of Salvation upon penance and self-torture. And yet we are
sometimes put to shame by the things we hear and see.
A short time ago I received a letter from a young Officer in India.
After describing some pleasing scenes, he said, 'One sees some awful
things out here. I saw a man the other day literally walking upon
nails. It made me shiver. He imagined that by this he could save his
soul. With what passion I wished that man could only understand that
other nails were pierced in other feet for him! But you see how in
earnest the people here are about their religion, and in all these
things they are seeking for Salvation.'
There are not many who are prepared to do what that poor Indian devotee
did. They are a long way off that. But unless they are prepared to
include sacrifice in their religion, they are not on the lines either
of their Lord's example or their Lord's words. The cross, the
following, the denial of self, the Calvary path, cannot be excluded
from the life of Christ's follower.
Whilst true service must always be a spiritual thing, do not imagine it
is something merely 'in the mind'. I have heard it talked about in the
same way as a doctor talked to a poor lad who had his thumb crushed in
a machine.
'Don't shout, my poor boy', he said. 'Don't you know I feel it as truly
as you do?'
'Perhaps so,' replied the boy; 'but you feels it in your mind, and I
feels it in my thumb!'
Sacrifice is often talked about by some people who feel it perhaps as
much as the doctor felt the crushed thumb, being largely a matter of
sympathy, without the actual hurting.
This matter of sacrifice indicates a certain principle, a certain state
of mind, which _expresses itself in two ways_. It is either a giving up
of things which are against God's will, or the contribution of
something which is valuable, to be surrendered or used in His service.
Shall I not say that sacrifice represents the heart saying, on the one
hand, 'I will come out, and be separate, and touch not the unclean
thing'? and, on the other hand, 'What shall I render unto the Lord for
all His benefits toward me?' Not only singing, 'Where He leads I will
follow', 'Lord, I make a full surrender', but actually spending and
being spent for Him.
I need not dwell at any great length upon the word 'altar'. I referred
to the table in our Altar Services as the place of gifts. It is also
the place of dedication, and the place of sacrifice. Thank God, it has
been so to many, as well as the mercy-seat, where God has sealed the
acceptance of the offering presented to Him.
How often have we been reminded of that altar of sacrifice in the shape
of the accursed cross, where the Saviour made atonement for our sins!
And it is in reality at that altar we bow when we sincerely sing--
_Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!_
Not only 'demands' the sacrifice, but 'shall have my soul, my life, my
all'.
_But what does the binding of the sacrifice to the altar mean?_ The
phrase is very significant.
The horns were the corner posts, and sometimes the worshipper
presenting a living creature would tether it with a cord to the altar's
horn, so that the gift could be used either for sacrifice or service.
In both cases the figure of speech seems to imply the possibility of
the consecration being reversed by the withdrawal of the offering, or
broken by its loss, the sacrifice slipping off or away from the altar,
or being loosened by the person who had presented the offering.
The Psalmist therefore urges those to whom he is speaking to maintain
their consecration, and to see to it that their sacrifice is not taken
off the altar after being put on. These corner posts were not there for
ornament, but for use, and the cords were intended to hold the
sacrifice to the altar, so that it could not be snatched away.
Here is my Bible. If I turned away, and anybody were so minded, it
would be easy to make off with it while my back was turned. But if I
had some cord, and, by crossing it transversely from corner to corner,
tied the Book to the table, that would make it secure. It was thus that
the sacrifices were bound to the Jewish altar.
What I want to emphasize by this is, that those who come with gifts and
dedications should bind themselves in terms of unalterable covenant.
They should stand to their consecration when loss or pain or temptation
come, as come they will in one form or another. It is just here where
so many fail--they do not really maintain their sacrifice. That is to
say, having made a consecration they do not stand to it. The offering
has been made, but it has been taken back again; the vow has been
registered, but not paid; the promise has been made, but not fulfilled;
the consecration has been broken or reversed.
Take that wonderful scene in the life of Abraham. At the command of God
he erected an altar, cut the sacrifice in pieces, and laid it there.
Then Abraham waited for the coming of the fire. Before the fire came,
or anything happened, the vultures, those unclean birds, were circling
around his head, and around the altar, trying to defile the sacrifice
or snatch it away or devour it. The story says that when the birds came
down Abraham drove them away, and he stood to his covenant until the
fire came. The vultures of temptation will circle around you. They will
try to frighten you, and to remove the sacrifice wholly or partially,
or to defile it in some way. Your business then is to drive them away,
to bind and rebind the sacrifice to God's altar.
In the days of Queen Mary, a girl-martyr refused, when pressure was
brought upon her, to deny her Lord and renounce her faith. She was
condemned and taken to the seashore. There she was bound to a stake
near the low tide line, and, as the incoming waters gathered round her
feet, one of her persecutors rode out and offered to spare her life if
she would renounce her faith and turn her back upon her Lord.
The waters rose to her waist, and he rode out again, and, when half
unconscious, she was dragged out, and urged to recant. Refusing to do
this, the girl was again bound to the stake.
When the waters reached her shoulders the offer was repeated. To one
and all she replied something like this: 'No, I will not draw back! I
will not deny my Lord!' And as the rising tide came in she bowed her
head, and poured her soul out unto death rather than deny her Master.
She bound her sacrifice to the altar, and died in the faith.
Some of those who hear my words are disappointed and sad at heart, for
they have gone back on Jesus Christ; not perhaps to save their lives,
but for a mere trifle. Why these neglected vows? Why these defiled
sacrifices? Why these broken consecrations? If they were ever really
put on the altar they were not, I am afraid, bound there. Impulse,
sentiment, desire, intention may have induced the offering, but it was
not bound with 'cords of submission, cords of determination'.
Companionships, some secret indulgence, some selfish pleasure, some act
of reversal, carried off the sacrifice.
Alas! how many have never seriously and sincerely approached the Divine
altar to make the full surrender of themselves to God. The love of sin,
the selfish gratifications which are so precious to them, have kept
them back, though often convicted about their duty.
But the act of dedication is very simple, and can be made or renewed
now. While we bow before God around the altar of consecration, bring
yourselves and the sacrifice again and put it on that altar in an
unchangeable covenant, and with a simple faith that will bring from God
that holy fire which makes it possible to maintain it there for ever.
_A willing sacrifice at last
Myself to Thee I give;
The weary, painful strife is past--
I die that I may live._
_I yield Thee all my hallowed powers,
Thine only will I be,
Contented if I may but know
Thou giv'st Thyself to me._
X
'Why Should I?'
'_Thou saidst, What advantage will it be? What profit shall I have, if
I be cleansed from my sin? I will answer thee, and thy companions with
thee._' (Job xxxv. 3, 4.)
In reading these words I have no wish to enter into the controversy
between Job and his friends as to the relationship of physical
suffering to sin, but to emphasize a certain mental attitude which they
indicate, and which often expresses itself in relation to other things.
The human mind is so constituted that men will not commit themselves to
a course suggested by another unless it is proved to be worth their
while. When we want to move people to do that which does not at the
moment fit in with their desires, we have to urge motives upon their
consideration. Very few actions are performed without there being some
personal motive. It seems born in us to ask, 'Is it worth while? Why
should I do, or go and accept what I do not want?' and so we hang back
until some motive carries our judgment or feelings.
We find the same attitude in men's minds towards Salvation and those
spiritual blessings and conditions of life in which the Lord wants men
to live. The immediate gratification of the flesh, or love of selfish
indulgence, lies in the opposite direction to the Altar of
Consecration; so that when the call to surrender and Holiness comes,
naturally, and at once, the cry springs up, 'Why should I? Where is the
advantage? What profit shall I have?' It seems, therefore, absolutely
necessary to find some personal motives by which to urge people to be
saved, or seek a clean heart, and pursue those lines of sacred duty to
which redeemed men should be consecrated.
Speaking from personal experience, I would say that whilst soul-saving
is hard work, it appears equally difficult to persuade professors of
religion to definitely seek deliverance from inward sin, and to attain
those spiritual realizations which we speak of as 'Full Salvation' or
'The Blessing of Holiness'. As evidence of this difficulty, I may point
to the state of soul and spiritual experience in which even some of you
are now found: receiving light and instruction about Holiness, but
continuing unsanctified; singing of the Cleansing Blood, but yet
remaining uncleansed by it; praying, 'Baptize me with the Holy Ghost',
and yet resisting His gracious leadings to the higher life of Holiness.
In one of my Meetings my subject was 'Out-and-Out Consecration'. I was
attracted by a man who seemed intensely interested. I spoke with him
afterwards, when he said, 'I was much pleased with your address--I
entirely approve of the sentiments you expressed'. And yet I could not
induce the man to give himself to God. Thus we have to seek for motives
by which to move the hearts of people in this vital matter.
1. Let me again set before you those motives which should lead you to
seek the blessing. I place first among them the fact which Paul stated
thus, 'This is the will of God, even your sanctification'. I put this
first because the highest motive stimulating the soul of the child of
God should be _the knowledge of his Father's will_. One would think
that to know God's will should be enough to provoke the determination
to do it. To hear the Father's voice should stir the heart in
responsive desire and effort.
We had a little daughter who, before she went to Heaven, was the joy of
our hearts and the light of our home. The child had a passion for
cleanliness, and as the evening hour came on, she gave the maid no
peace until she was washed and dressed in clean clothes. Then, running
to her mother, she would ask, 'Mamma, am I clean, clean enough for
father?' Soon after my return from business, the child would climb on
my knee, put a little hand on each side of my face, to compel me to
look at her, and then ask, 'Am I clean, papa, am I clean?' Nothing
would delight that child more than for me to say, 'Yes, my darling, you
are clean, even clean enough for father'.
Let us ask ourselves, 'What does the will of God count for with us? We
know what He wants, and the claims of gratitude and sincere regard for
His glory should influence our attitude, and lead us to say, 'Lo! I
come to do Thy will, O my God!'
_He wills that I should holy be:
That Holiness I long to feel;
That full, Divine conformity
To all my Saviour's righteous will._
2. A second motive to Holiness may be found in _the urgent need of the
people around us_. We all know something of God's plan for saving the
world. It is, broadly speaking, on the line of using one man to save
another. Co-operation on this line is rightly expected from all
professing Christians.
Personally, I hold that professors of religion who are not moved by a
concern for the souls of others, and a willingness to use all possible
efforts to seek their Salvation, can hardly claim to be properly saved
themselves. The need of saved men and women to act on these lines of
consecrated effort is, indeed, very great, and the knowledge of this
fact should urge us to the fullest consecration. But we need to see
more clearly that unless we exhibit in our own characters and lives the
true fruits of Holiness, we shall either fail in our own consecration,
or our influence will be greatly reduced.
What do you think will be the effect of a man's words about the
Christian's 'separateness', and about Christ being the satisfying
portion of the human heart, if people see him seeking satisfaction with
the multitude that go to do evil? How will the world be influenced by
Christian talkers who sacrifice honour, truth, and perhaps honesty, in
their daily associations? How often people's tongues are tied, when
they ought to speak and act? They are half paralysed through a sense of
their personal inconsistency.
Holiness is not only the inspiration to holy effort; it is a necessary
qualification. The power of a holy life is the best evidence of what
God can do. Platform and Meeting-Holiness, or glass-case sanctity, are
feeble when compared with the exhibition of the blessing in daily
association. Therefore, 'Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven'.
These words indicate my meaning when I urge you to seek and maintain
the blessing of Holiness in the interests of those around you. Holy
lives are the most convincing sermons and testimonies. We often say
'Holiness is power'; and I am sure that you need all the power which
can be obtained to influence the world around for God and Salvation.
3. Then, as a last motive to stimulate you in the pursuit of Holiness,
I will name _self-interest_. That may seem rather a low-down motive,
seeing that Holiness, which is perfect love, is the extreme opposite of
that selfishness which is the essence or root of all sin. It seems like
a paradox or contradiction to say that self-denial can harmonize with
enjoyment; and yet it is true. A man does advance his highest interests
and truest well-being when he submits to the sanctifying conditions of
the Holy Ghost; for what the world counts loss, he finds to be gain.
I would point out that we find God Himself appealing to men just at
that point of self-interest. What a chapter is that fifty-fifth of
Isaiah, beginning, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters', and so on, the second verse finishing, 'Eat ye that which is
good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness'. As much as to say,
'You will find it worth while to come into right relations with Me'.
There is no doubt that people are moved when they properly understand
the fact which Paul set forth in the words: 'Godliness is profitable
unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of
that which is to come'; 'Godliness with contentment is great gain'. And
I want you to see that to have the blessing of Full Salvation will be
worth your while, because it will meet the deep needs of your
individual life.
If I am asked to define what you must be in order that your religious
life may be happy and successful, I would state the case thus.
First, you need to be in right and happy relationship with God. There
must be no enmity there; no clouds in that sky; no closed doors between
you and your Heavenly Father. Salvation does nothing for you if it does
not bring that.
Second, you need to be delivered from those inward evils which have
darkened your mind, polluted your soul, and will be like roots of
bitterness springing up to trouble you if they are not removed.
Third, you want power to live up to your own ideals; that is, up to the
standards of life upon which your consecrated heart will be set. You do
not want to be in the position of the man who exclaims, 'The good that
I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do'. You want
power to live 'unspotted from the world', to walk in Divine fellowship,
to triumph over temptation, and to have victory and success in your
service. These are the things you must have to meet your deepest need,
and they are all secured to you in the blessing of Holiness which we
urge you to seek.
Believe me, nothing spoils a man's happiness so much as sin in the
heart, and nothing helps in human happiness so much as a holy,
sanctified condition. You see the supreme advantage when you remember
the open fellowship possible to the fully sanctified; the perfect peace
in which God keeps the man whose mind is stayed on Him; the perfect
love which casteth out fear, and the joy unspeakable and full of glory
realized by one filled with the Holy Ghost.
On the other hand, how much unhappiness and disappointment is caused by
the remains of sin in the heart! Look, for instance, at ill-tempers and
their effect. You may have found a certain amount of gratification in
letting your temper display itself; you have 'spoken your mind', and so
forth, and, perhaps, caused pain to somebody in so doing; but you know
how unhappy and humiliated you have been upon reflection.
Take also the case of the envious man. We all know that it is wrong to
be envious; but who is the chief sufferer? Why, the envious man
himself. So with grumbling and discontent: it is very unpleasant for
those around; but how unhappy are the grumblers themselves! Similarly
with pride; it may be very self-satisfying, until one sees somebody
better, or something which cuts one out; then comes disappointment. And
so I might go on with other illustrations, but I have said enough to
show what I mean.
Now look at these motives which I have named; they all appeal to you in
regard to Holiness. It is the will of God concerning you. It is
desirable and necessary to give your religion power with those around
you. It is also to your own happiness and interest to get your nature
sanctified and your own heart and mind and life brought into harmony
with God. To those whose experience includes the enjoyment of the
blessing, I say let these motives influence you in maintaining the
conditions. And to those who have not got the blessing, let these
motives constrain you to seek the blessing without delay.
_Lord, my will I here present Thee
Gladly, now no longer mine;
Let no evil thing prevent me
Blending it with Thine.
Lord, my life I lay before Thee,
Hear this hour the sacred vow!
All Thine own I now restore Thee,
Thine for ever now._
XI
Judged by Fruit
'_A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit.
For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they
grapes._' (Luke vi. 43, 44.)
Jesus Christ, in the few sentences quoted, indicates the true secret or
principle of holy living. They show that holy living works from the
heart of things--beginning within--to the outside.
Many judge their religion the other way about. They take up religious
duties, attend religious Meetings, sing hymns, say prayers, put on what
may be called the outward things of religion. Perhaps they adopt a
dress, make a profession, or assume a religious manner, and hope to
grow good in the process. But really it does not work out that way. I
do not say that the things are not good. Far from that; but what I want
to make plain is this: in none of these things does the secret of true
religion lie, and you will be a failure if you rely upon the outward
form.
You have the secret, the principle of religion, in the words of Jesus:
'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh'. You see, that which is in will come out, and you
cannot bring out that which is not in.
In these words Jesus tries to enforce a great truth in human life, by
showing how the principle works out in the action of a tree. Nature
cannot teach us everything about God, nor everything about religion;
but Nature does supply us with a great many beautiful illustrations.
Jesus makes use of one when He says, 'Of thorns men do not gather figs,
nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. Every tree is known by his
own fruit.' You see, not only is the fruit according to the tree, but
the quality of the tree is to be judged according to its fruits.
That is the way by which ordinary people identify a tree. There are
some who are highly skilled in forestry, who can tell you all about a
tree by looking at the bark or the leaves or the blossoms, or even by
its general appearance. But we cannot all do that. I have sometimes
stood in a company, and listened to an argument as to what kind a
particular tree really was. But no arguments are required when the
fruit hangs on the branches. Everybody can tell the apple tree then,
and knows what a pear or a plum tree is when they see the fruit hanging
upon it. You can see the bearing of this upon personal religion and
character. By our fruit, then, we shall be known and judged.
In the fifth chapter of Galatians you will find a commentary upon this
natural law. Shall we read it? 'Now the works of the flesh'--the fruit
of the flesh, if you like to put it that way--'are manifest, which are
these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance', or self-control. The two sets
of verses taken together not only show in detail a cluster of virtues
which are like luscious fruit in a beautiful garden, but also a cluster
of evils, which are like poisoned berries upon the roadside bushes.
The contrast between the two clusters indicates how great is the
difference when one is changed from being a proud, fleshly, corrupt man
into a clean, holy, spiritual person; but the contrast also marks the
grace of God as the transforming power. No matter what change was
wrought in you at conversion, you cannot properly call yourselves fully
sanctified until the transformation is complete; that is, until you are
delivered from the works or fruit of the flesh, and produce the fruit
of the Spirit, and by your fruits you shall be known. Profession of
Holiness without appropriate fruit is no good. That would be just like
the tree to which the Saviour turned on one occasion when He found
nothing but leaves.
Let me put the matter very simply, but very definitely. Here is a man,
we will suppose, who says, 'I am saved'. That is good. I like to hear
men who are able to stand up and say, 'I am saved'. But if in that
man's dealings with those around him he tells lies--black ones or white
ones--well, then it is obvious that the man still needs Salvation.
Here is another who stands up and says, 'I have a clean heart'. That is
a testimony in which I glory. But if you see that man's bodily
appetites master him, or see him fall into uncleanness of speech or of
act, you know very well what even those who want to be charitable will
say, 'Either that man fails to understand the meaning of the words he
uses, or his profession of Holiness is a false one'.
Another person says, 'I love God with all my heart'--or as many do say,
'There is nothing between my soul and God'. But if you see the same
person running after those things which he knows God is against,
however charitable you may feel, you cannot help judging by what he
does rather than by what he says.
One may stand up and speak about being sanctified; but if his actions
indicate in some form or another that he is jealous, or ill-tempered,
or selfish, everybody will say, 'No matter what that person may say
about himself, testimony or no testimony, profession or no profession,
he still needs the blessing of Full Salvation!'
Let me, by an illustration or two, help you to see what I mean--the
fruits of the sanctified heart.
A university professor was afflicted with an ungovernable temper. One
day he went to the house of a relative with a view to adjusting some
property matters in dispute. Now, the man to whom he went not only made
unjust claims, but put forth these claims in a way to provoke his
Christian relative to anger. He did it on purpose; he was determined to
show that this man's religion made him no different from the people
round about him. As a consequence, high words arose, and the professor
left the house in a rage, slamming the door behind him.
When he got into the street calm reflection came, and in the place of
anger and bitterness a sense of humiliation and shame and defeat. He
went straight home, up to his room, fastened the door, got down on his
knees, and spent the night pleading that God would not only forgive him
for his display of temper, but would deliver him from those angry
passions which made him such a discredit to his profession of religion.
As morning dawned, peace came to his soul, the power of the Holy Ghost
fell upon him, and a sense of deliverance pervaded his whole being.
He went to the house of his relative, and found him at breakfast. With
deep humility, and in the presence of the family, he confessed his sin,
said not a word about provocation, and only pleaded that they would
forgive him for his display of anger. Thirty years subsequent to this
that professor, who became famous as a man of God, stated that no
temptation or provocation received had ever stirred the emotion of evil
temper within him since that memorable night. He had been delivered.
Instead of the fruit of the flesh, there grew the fruit of the Spirit.
Take the case of a certain mother with several unconverted children.
She was a fretting, chafing woman, and by her impatience,
fault-finding, and nagging she fretted and vexed the whole family. When
she got the blessing she became so even in her disposition that she was
kept in such 'perfect peace' that, by the power of the Holy Ghost, the
domestic circle became like a little heaven below.
Resentful and revengeful persons are so changed that the spirit of
forgiveness and forbearance which they exhibit in their lives is the
admiration of all who know them. Self-seeking Christians are made into
self-sacrificing, cross-bearing saints and soldiers, where formerly
they would only be content if they were having their own way.
Now, what does this mean? This: that such open professors of religion
as we are must justify our profession by bringing forth fruit unto
Holiness. If the condition of your mind and heart, if the state of your
disposition (I will put it that way) is not such as brings forth this
fruit, you must earnestly and sincerely ask the Lord to cleanse and
sanctify and anoint you with the Holy Ghost, so that instead of
bringing forth the fruit of the flesh, everybody shall see displayed
and exhibited by you the fruit of the Spirit.
Do not say the standard is too high, for it is simply a case of your
experience being too low. We want the whole thing not 'levelled down',
but 'levelled up'. Let God take full possession of you; let the Divine
power be exerted upon your particular difficulty; and seek to be wholly
anointed with that Holy Spirit who can not only cleanse, but keep you,
making you fruitful in every good word and work.
XII
Perpetual Covenants
'_Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant
that shall not be forgotten._' (Jeremiah 1. 5.)
We find in our Meetings persons who are perplexed by the doctrinal
statements about Holiness or entire Sanctification and equivalent
terms. Some take our words to mean more than we intend; others think
the statements imply less than we mean; some put the standard too high,
whilst others put it altogether too low.
At the close of a recent Meeting a gentleman said to me, 'I greatly
enjoyed your address, but I am sure you will never get people to follow
that line, because you advocate an abnormal life. It cannot be lived.'
Equally I find men who in an indefinite way imagine that high states of
emotion dispense with standards of morality such as truth, honour, and
rectitude in business. And it is with great difficulty that we make the
Bible standard plainly understood.
I think, however, that very few are perplexed as to what we mean by the
consecration side of Holiness. There is, in all who are moderately well
instructed in Bible truth, a living sense of God's claims, a
recognition of what I may call the law of consistency, and a feeling
that, as a matter of duty, we really ought to yield to those claims,
and devote ourselves to doing His will. That is what Jeremiah meant
when he called upon the people to join themselves unto the Lord in '_a
perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten_'.
We all recognize how right it is for buildings to be dedicated to God's
service; we call them the houses of God. We also see the rightness of
contributing gifts to help God's cause; and yet men and women are so
slow to fully and definitely join themselves unto the Lord, that is, to
put the sacred mark upon their entire lives, and recognize their duty
in spending their lives for God alone. They are slow to regard their
bodily, mental, and other powers and faculties as belonging to God, and
slower still in yielding their hearts in supreme love to Him who loved
them, and gave Himself for them.
I am often puzzled as to why religious people who, in their business
life, are regularly making covenants and contracts, either for labour
or material, should so fail to follow on similar lines in their
relations to God. My duty called me lately to examine a contract, and I
found the basis expressed in terms like these: 'This is an agreement
between So-and-so in the first part and So-and-so in the second part'.
And then on each side there were pledges and responsibilities and
commitments; finally, the contract was 'signed, sealed, and delivered'
by the two contracting parties. Now, that illustrates precisely what is
meant by a covenant with the Lord. He, on the one part, and we on the
other part, uniting for a common purpose, and each undertaking definite
responsibilities to secure the purpose desired.
Mind, this covenanting with God is not a case of bargaining. I know
that it pays to be on right relationships with God, and to do His will;
but do not forget--He settles and dictates the terms, our part is to
comply and surrender.
Moses puts this in a simple but beautiful way to his people when he
said, '_Thou hast avouched_ the Lord this day to be thy God, and to
walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and
His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice: and _the Lord hath
avouched_ thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised
thee, and that thou shouldst keep all His commandments'. The appeal of
the Apostle is also familiar to us all, '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'.
Jesus always kept this before His disciples. He certainly talked of
daily cross-bearing, and following and confessing Him before the world;
but He was careful to say to them, 'There is no man that hath left
house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom
of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present
time, and in the world to come life everlasting'.
Our songs and prayers are full of the same ideas, and we are again face
to face with the appeal expressed by Jeremiah: 'Come, let us join
ourselves unto the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten'. Now, there are certain features of this covenant-making
that I should like to look at.
1. To begin with, _it is to be an inward act, a thing of the heart_.
I believe in outward tokens of religious life and feeling, such as
standing up, raising the hand, coming to the table, and similar modes
of testimony; but if any of these outward acts are mere forms, they are
next to useless. The heart must be in it if the covenant is to be
properly made and maintained.
One frequently hears it said, 'Ah, yes, I do it in my heart. I can get
the blessing in my seat or at home quietly. I do not believe in this
public line of declaration, and this parade of one's sacred
experiences'. Well, I believe, in both the inward and the outward. If,
however, we cannot have both, by all means let us have the covenant
made in sincerity of heart, for without that the whole thing is in
vain.
We may learn much from an old Hebrew custom referred to in the
twenty-first chapter of Exodus, which shows that the Jewish people
understood the nature of true devotion. Under the Mosaic law a
bondservant could only be held by his master for six years; in the
seventh he was 'to go out free for nothing'. But if the servant came to
his master, and said, 'I don't want to go; I love you; I will not go
out free; I will serve you for ever', the master would reply, 'If you
really mean that, let us have it settled, and settled in public'. The
master would then bring the servant to the judges to register the
agreement, and would also take him to the doorpost, and with an awl
bore a hole through the man's ear, fastening him to the post. This was
the sign of a perpetual covenant, and everybody who saw it knew that
the man's self-surrender to his master was real, binding, and
permanent.
We have no such ceremony in our public Meetings, but we can have the
definite declaration, 'I love Thee, O Lord, and I will serve Thee; and
here and now I bind myself in an everlasting covenant to serve Thee for
ever'.
2. Then, again, a true covenant is _a deed which commits you to active
and definite service_. Some covenant-makings are largely sentimental; a
kind of religious IOU or promise to pay, and I fear some are treated as
the Irishman treated his responsibility when, having signed a
promissory note for a debt, he exclaimed, 'Thank God, that is done
with!'
The vows and covenant-making which God wants are those which will be
followed by something practical. The states of emotion and high
spiritual contemplation are right in so far as they assist men to
realize the presence of God and Divine things; but to answer their
purpose they must carry men out to activity and self-denying service
for God and those around them. The highest type of religion is a
combination of the experimental and the practical, the inward and the
outward, the personal and the relative. Our consecration must include
what God can get out of us as well as what we obtain from Him.
I found a parable the other day in a legend of the Greek Church which
is worth repeating. That Church has two favourite saints--St.
Cassianus, the type of monastic asceticism, and St. Nicholas, the type
of genial, active, unselfish, laborious Christianity. St. Cassianus
enters Heaven, and Christ says to him, 'What hast thou seen on earth,
Cassianus?' 'I saw', he answered, 'a peasant floundering with his wagon
in a marsh'. 'Didst thou help him?' 'No.' 'Why not?' 'I was coming
before Thee,' said St. Cassianus, 'and I was afraid of soiling my white
robes'.
Just then St. Nicholas enters Heaven, all covered with mud and mire.
'Why so stained and soiled, St. Nicholas?' said the Lord. 'I saw a
peasant floundering in a marsh,' said St. Nicholas, 'and I put my
shoulder to the wheel, and helped him out'. 'Blessed art thou',
answered the Lord. 'Thou didst well; thou didst better than Cassianus.'
And He blessed St. Nicholas with fourfold approval. The moral is so
obvious that I need not labour the application of my parable.
3. Let me also impress upon you that _covenant-making must be a
believing act_. That is to say, when you come up to the altar of
consecration, and say, 'Here I give my all to Thee', you must believe
that if you are good for your word the Lord is also good for His. So
that what you give, God accepts; what you claim, God gives. That may
appear a very simple way of putting the faith that saves and
sanctifies, but in all its simplicity it is true, for 'He is faithful
who hath promised'.
4. Then comes the all-important _necessity of standing to your
consecration at all costs_. 'Let us join ourselves to the Lord in a
perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.' God wants men and
women who stand to their covenant; who, having made their pledges and
promises, are not turned aside by difficulties or temptations, but say
and mean, as we sing sometimes--
_High Heaven, that heard the solemn vow,
That vow renewed shall daily hear,
Till in life's latest hour I bow,
And bless in death a bond so dear._
In the Book of Judges there is the story of a man named Jephthah. He
made a vow, and when the test came he found it involved the sacrifice
of one who was all the world to him--his daughter, and she was his only
child. Jephthah rent his clothes, and almost broke his heart; and, no
doubt, everybody expected him to set aside his vow; but, no, he stood
to it, declaring, 'I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot
go back'. There are some, thank God, who equally stand to their
covenants with Him; but, alas! that so many open their mouths, and sing
and say words of consecration, but when the temptation comes they do
not stand to their vows.
Of all the people who hinder the cause of Jesus Christ, I think the
most lamentable cases are those who go back upon their Lord. Having
spoken, they do not fulfil their word; having vowed, they do not
perform their vows. They lack that decision which can be expressed in
the words, 'I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of His
people', and I want to urge all such to join with those of us who,
bowing before the Divine altar, renew our covenant, resolving by His
grace to bind ourselves in perpetual devotion and service.
_Take my poor heart, and let it be
For ever closed to all but Thee;
Seal Thou my breast, and I shall wear
The pledge of love for ever there._
XIII
The Baptism of the Spirit
'_And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind.... And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost._' (Acts ii.
2, 4.)
The Holy Ghost is the active force in all spiritual life. It is,
therefore, important that we should realize the close connexion between
the experience of Holiness and that 'Promise of the Father' for which
the early disciples were to wait. All followers of Jesus should
realize, as truly as the disciples did on that historic day, that their
day of Pentecost has fully come, and each of us should be able to say,
'Not only was the Holy Ghost outpoured upon the waiting host in that
Jewish centre, but Pentecost has come to my heart. The Spirit of the
living God has come to me.'
Now, whatever manifestations of the Holy Ghost there might have been in
Old Testament times--and without question there were some wonderful
displays--the age in which we live is the dispensation of the Holy
Ghost for us. Our Lord said that He should come to convince the world
of sin, and to produce many other mighty effects.
To my mind, that Pentecostal event was like the launching of God's
great campaign for the evangelization of the world. The world without
the Holy Ghost would be as dark, spiritually, as the material world was
in the beginning before the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters,
and God said, 'Let there be light'.
Going over Peter's sermon on that occasion, we find him quoting Joel's
very wonderful prophecy, claiming its fulfilment that day. And amongst
all the glorious truths that have been proclaimed in our own time,
there is none grander than that God will dwell with men--yea, the
Spirit of God will dwell _in_ men.
You cannot read your Bibles, nor look through the books of human
experience, without seeing that God's great purpose in the outpouring
of the Spirit was the setting up of His Kingdom upon the earth. And we
see that as the Son of God humbled Himself to earth's poverty,
ignominy, and death, to redeem men, so the Holy Ghost is sent to be the
great operating force in leading the world back to God. The hope of the
world is in the presence of the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ.
_It is so in relation to the individual soul._ The Holy Ghost stands at
the door of the Kingdom of God, either to bar the entrance or to fit
the soul to enter. You remember the Saviour's words to Nicodemus,
'Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God'. There is, and can be, no entrance without conversion.
'No man', says Paul, 'can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.' And
when some would have put outward religion or the profession of it in
the place of this conversion, the deciding point was stated in
unmistakable terms: 'If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is
none of His.' The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of
Health, the Spirit of Love, the Spirit of Power, and there would be no
hope for the human soul or the individual life apart from His gracious
presence and influence.
This matter cannot be explained in terms of ordinary language, but it
is none the less real and definite in human experience. To Nicodemus,
Jesus said, 'The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit'. The Spirit, like
the wind, is mysterious in movement, uncontrolled by human restriction,
and yet its influences are all-pervading. The courses of the wind are
to be discerned by the effects; equally so will the Spirit's
operations; mysterious, unfettered, unexplainable these operations may
be, but the effects are discernible in ourselves and others.
Analysing the purpose of God in the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, _we
see its application to ourselves in several ways_.
There is the rectification of our own hearts, the revealing of Divine
things within us, the transforming of our characters. All these are
indications of the Holy Ghost's work in ourselves; and then comes the
power to help and bless and save others, God making us channels of
blessing, and instruments by which His Kingdom can be extended.
In this connexion there are two sayings of Jesus, which, although the
figure is changed, come up together in my mind. The first is in the
story of the woman at the well in Samaria. The Saviour said to her what
is very applicable to you, 'Whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life'.
Later, on the last day of the feast, Jesus said, 'He that believeth on
Me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water'. Do you see what
those two sayings of Jesus set before us? The one shows how the Baptism
of the Spirit provides the inward spring, the inward supply, bubbling
up within, fresh, clean, sweet, and vitalizing like a 'fountain ever
springing'; the other indicates the outflow, from us to others, of this
spiritual force and blessing.
Now, you want both the inward spring and the outward flow. Some of you
are very desirous about the second provision: 'Out of you shall flow
rivers of living water'. It is good that you have such desires; but
before you can become a channel through which the vital force can flow
for the Salvation of others, you must yourselves be the subject of the
Spirit's operations within you. Not only as the great Revealer must the
Holy Ghost make Divine things real to you, but as a purifying flame He
must change your nature, purging away the natural corruption and
sinfulness of your heart.
An Eastern legend says that an angel once rested by a fair fountain. In
a favoured hour he infused it with a mysterious power, so that if only
some drops of its water were scattered in a barren plain, a fountain of
sweet water would spring up. Any traveller who henceforth came to the
spring might, after refreshing himself, take some portion from it, and
carry with him the secret of unfailing springs, and suffer no fear of
thirst either for himself or those with him.
We are such travellers, and for us the water which Christ gives is
better than that fabled fountain, for he who carries the precious water
may drop it in places where no spiritual water is, and so bring life
and blessing to the multitudes of needy souls. Oh, note the words, 'The
water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up', and 'out of him shall flow rivers of living water'. This He spake
of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should afterwards receive.
That is a very blessed promise, 'Ye shall receive power after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you'; and yet, so far as we understand the
prevailing experience of Christian people, the promises of power are
very feebly realized, and very slowly acted upon. When we see the
manifest lack of the Holy Ghost in the experience, and ask, 'Why is
this?' we know that the cause may lie in certain easily defined facts.
One reason may be the actual _existence of sin in the heart_--some
hidden or secret wrong. There are numbers in whose hearts there is
something wrong. Is it so with you? Is there some inward love of or
desire for evil? Or the world spirit--is that there? Or anything of a
similar character? Now, before the Holy Ghost can flow into you, to say
nothing of Him flowing through and out of you, these wrong things must
be purged away by the cleansing stream; or, to change the figure, the
purifying flame must
_Burn up the dross of base desire,
And make the mountains flow._
Or the hindrance may lie in a _want of surrender and faith_, without
which the Spirit cannot possess and use us. I am not speaking of some
act of surrender or faith only, but also of that condition which must
be maintained. It is just that neglect or withdrawal which disturbs the
touch with God, and so the connexion is broken. You are all familiar
with the electric switch and the light. You know how slight is the
thing which connects or disconnects the current. A child's finger can
touch a button which will turn on enough electricity to blast a rock or
move the machinery of a great factory.
And so I tell you that little things which are held on to against God's
will switch off the Power. That unwillingness in some hearts to follow
the Lord, and do as He commands, will switch it off; that spirit which
chooses to do this, but won't do that; which says, 'I will go here, but
I won't go there', that sort of thing breaks the connexion.
This comes home very close to some of you, for, alas! it is just there
that your power fails. You must ask yourselves what are the hindrances,
if any, in your hearts and lives? Some of you are weak, wavering,
wobbling, and uncertain. If you look closely you will find the secret
of that in your want of surrender and faith. Do not make a mistake; the
inward experience is closely related to the outward service. God's plan
is first to do the cleansing, and then the filling; first the inward
spring, and then the outward flowing river.
One other important thing. If you have not got the Holy Spirit abiding
within you, _no substitute will meet the need_. Many try to make other
things produce the same effects--religious talking, singing, energetic
service, or the memories of spiritual experiences. These are all very
good, but of themselves they will no more meet the necessities of your
hearts and lives than a picture of a fire will warm the man who spreads
out his hands before it. You must have the real thing--the power of the
Holy Ghost.
Now, the Lord is around and among us, saying, 'Receive ye the Holy
Ghost'; and whether you are an enslaved sinner, or a backslider in
heart; or whether it is the assurance of Salvation, cleansing from sin,
or power for service, which you lack, the Holy Ghost will meet your
particular need. Let God work His will in you, and in Jesus Christ's
name I say, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost'.
_'Tis fire we want, for fire we plead,
Send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need,
Send the fire!
For strength to ever do the right,
For grace to conquer in the fight,
For power to walk the world in white,
Send the fire!_
_To make our weak hearts strong and brave,
Send the fire!
To live a dying world to save,
Send the fire!
Oh, see us on Thy altar lay
Our lives, our all, this very day--
To crown the offering now we pray,
Send the fire!_
XIV
Lost Earnings
'_He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with
holes._' (Haggai i. 6.)
In our Holiness Meetings we often speak of Full Salvation as a blessing
to be obtained, and also a blessing to be retained; but I want now to
turn the truth the other way round, and speak about 'losing the
blessing'. These words of Haggai about the man who lost his earnings
through a faulty bag will serve me as a text, and are very significant.
As a figure of speech, the words are well understood. From the boy who,
by holding a horse, or running errands, earns threepence, and puts it
into a pocket with a hole at the bottom, to the man or woman who puts
the savings of years into a rotten speculation, all know the literal
meaning of Haggai's text, 'He that earneth wages earneth wages to put
it into a bag with holes'.
The central idea is that something gained by hard effort has been lost,
and that the loss was due to the man's own fault. The man had earned
his wages, and then let what he had won by toil slip through holes in
the bag into which he put it. The possibility of this in relation to
spiritual blessings is a danger we are warned against in God's Word,
and the necessity for guarding against such losses is one of the
important lessons to be learned.
This text reminds me of an incident and parable in the Book of Kings.
During the progress of a battle one of the leaders, having captured a
prisoner, called to a subordinate and placed the captive in his care,
to be kept at the risk of his life. Later, the man had to give an
account, and when admitting the loss of the prisoner he said, 'As thy
servant was busy here and there, he was gone'. Alas! there are many
whose spiritual acquisitions have slipped away like that.
The spiritual application of this thought is brought home to us by a
verse in the Epistle to the Hebrews, 'Therefore we ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time
we should let them slip'. If you look in the margin of your Bible, you
will see the words, 'run out as leaking vessels', and in the Revised
Version the words read, 'drift away from them'. You see the idea is,
that unless you are careful you will lose your blessing after having
enjoyed it.
Looking round my audiences I can with fitness use these figures, and
apply the idea to many who, after tears and agonies of heart, secured
the Salvation of their souls, and the heavenly treasure which only the
pardoned sinner knows; but, alas! through the faulty bag, or pocket
with holes, their earnings slipped away, and they are now spiritual
bankrupts, their latter state being worse than the first. Thank God, if
those who have thus lost their Salvation and peace will truly repent
and do their first works, they may again obtain heavenly treasure, and
with it grace and wisdom to prevent the repetition of past follies. Let
others learn and take heed lest they also drift away, as the Apostle
puts it.
My chief purpose, however, relates to those who, though they once _had
the blessing of a clean heart, have lost it_. Their present lack is not
due to their having exhausted their earnings in lawful pursuits, or
because they invested their treasure in sanctified enterprises, but
because they have let the blessing slip; or, turning back to Haggai's
words, they have been as him 'that earneth wages to put it into a bag
with holes'. The experience is a thing of the past. At times they are
tempted to say that they were deluded, and never had the blessing, or
that they were as a man who only dreamed that he had his wages; but
that is not so. The wages were earned, but lost.
So you must not regard your experience as the sensations of a dream.
You had the blessing right enough, and some of you had secured it at no
small sacrifice; but, alas! you let it slip out of your possession, and
you woke up to find it gone.
It is remarkable how many sanctified people have to testify that before
they settled into the regular experience of Full Salvation they lost
the blessing which they had received; in fact, some eminent saints have
recorded repeated experiences of loss before they learned how to carry
themselves and guard against the dangers.
Perhaps here I ought to say definitely, that the Bible does not tell us
of any stage in our heavenward journey at which we can be saved from
the possibility of losing the blessing. This blessed treasure of
perfect purity, peace which passeth all understanding, and joy
unspeakable, is only ours so long as we maintain that entire
consecration and faith which are the conditions on which the blessing
is received. There is no spot where the advice is not necessary--'Keep
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life'.
Paul put it clearly, 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall', and showed how seriously he regarded the matter when he
declared that he had to keep his body under and in hand, lest after
preaching to others he should himself become a castaway.
I have called to mind two remarkable touches of Bunyan, in his
'Pilgrim's Progress'. The first picture shows us Christian, weary with
climbing the Hill Difficulty, turning aside into a pleasant arbour
where he sat down to rest. For the comfort of his own heart he pulled
out his roll of assurance. He also began to examine with great
satisfaction the coat which had been given to him, and 'after pleasing
himself for a while' he fell into a slumber, and in his sleep let the
roll fall from his hand.
Mercifully, Christian was awakened, and hasted along the road. Later,
he got into great temptation, and, desiring to reassure his own heart,
he put his hand into his bosom to find the roll, 'which was his pass to
the Celestial City'; but, to his horror, it was not there! After great
distress Christian remembered his sleeping in the arbour, and painfully
retraced his steps 'bewailing his sinful sleep in the midst of
difficulty'. He reached the place of his loss, and at last espied the
roll which had slipped out of his hand. He secured it once more, and
after giving thanks for his recovery, the Pilgrim betook himself again
to his journey.
Bunyan's other picture of Vain-hope is even more pathetic. The vision
shows the gate of the Celestial City, and the entrance of Christian and
other pilgrims. But when this man, Vain-hope, came up, he had no roll
or certificate, having lost it, if he ever had it; the poor wretch
passed away to 'a door on the side of the hill', which caused the
dreamer to write, 'Then I saw that there is a way to Hell even from the
very gates of Heaven'.
How true, therefore, it is, that at every stage of the heavenward
journey, one has to guard against the loss of that spiritual treasure
which has been secured at such a cost.
I hope you see clearly that the Divine treasure is all right, and the
possibility of its continued enjoyment is not in question. If lost, the
fault is with the bag or carrier of the bag. But by pointing out some
of the holes in the bag through which certain people have lost their
blessing, we may help them and others.
As one hole through which spiritual loss is sustained, let me first
speak of _ignorance_. I do not say that in an unkind way. By ignorance
I mean _lack of knowledge_. You cannot imagine a man putting his wages
into a faulty pocket if he knew there was a hole there.
There are traps and pitfalls for the newly sanctified. Some know of
them; others do not know, and are unprepared for dangers and the
devices of the Devil, who, if he cannot hinder a man getting the
blessing will scheme to rob him of it. For instance, temptations to
doubt are pressed on a soul just entering the path of Holiness: 'Can it
be?' 'Have I been deceiving myself?' 'I thought I should have such and
such sensations; where are the feelings of ecstasy which I expected?'
The uninstructed soul often confuses feelings with assurance,
particularly if in the moment of deliverance some special wave of
feeling swept over the soul. When this wave subsides the sensations are
different, and the soul is tempted to doubt the reality of the
transaction.
Personally, I am always thankful that both in the matter of conversion
and getting a clean heart, the Lord left me to claim the blessing by
naked faith. I had little or no special feelings; I just had to go on
believing. I stepped out, as upon thin air, and found my feet on the
rock.
For lack of knowledge many souls imagine that Holiness will mean
ecstasy, or that the sanctified soul will not feel temptation; and
Satan feeds the anxious thought until sometimes the hand of faith is
unclasped, and the blessing lost for the time being.
Later on the faithful soul learns to hold on, to resist the enemy's
insidious attacks, and understands the meaning of the lines--
_Quick as the apple of the eye
The first approach of sin to feel_.
Again, _unwatchfulness_ is a hole, a danger against which I warn
you. Recently saved people, and those who have recently found Full
Salvation, are tempted to say, 'Glory to God, now I am all right!'
forgetting that, although on the right road, the journey is before
them, and that the rule of the road is, '_As_ ye received the Lord
Jesus, _so_ walk in Him'. Do not forget the relation between those two
little words 'as' and 'so'.
Now the word _unwatchfulness_, or I might change it for _carelessness_,
is a very general term. I will touch upon two or three things in which
it shows itself. Going where Jesus could not go with you; to do that is
like playing with pitch, or with fire. Keeping company with the wrong
people: some of you lose there; treating Meetings and prayer lightly;
resenting little unkindnesses and persecution; carelessness of speech;
gossiping, frivolity, forgetting that whilst the Holy Ghost is a Spirit
of Joy, He is grieved by lightness and frivolous jesting. These are
some of the little holes through which the blessing drops out. You must
watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.
Then, _holding back from testimony_ is a snare into which some of you
have fallen. Listen to me! Some of you have tried to testify, and your
very backwardness and fear have been holes in your bag through which
the blessing has been lost.
May I once more refer to myself. When, during a long course of years, I
have been bold and outspoken about my possession of the blessing of
Full Salvation and my relations to God, sureness and confidence have
filled my heart; but when I have been tempted to modify and hedge and
hesitate in the terms of my testimony, I have had reason to say, 'Is it
so? Where am I?' Apply what I am saying to your own experience, and
judge ye what I say.
_Failure to walk in the light_ has been the cause of many professors of
Holiness losing their blessing. The path of Holiness brings many
surprises and tests. Demands not previously thought of come upon one;
duties not expected are presented; sacrifices are required: Do this, do
that. Let that go. Follow here, go there. I doubt whether any single
day passes which does not bring its test of our consecration. If you
follow the light, you will be safe; but if you refuse it, you will go
under. Disobedience and a spirit of unwillingness knock holes in the
bag. It has been so with some of you, and loss has been the result.
I want to add a word about _personal prayer_ in this connexion, for I
believe many owe their loss to a neglect of that essential. The lack of
prayer shows over-confidence in oneself, and accounts for many falls.
'Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.' This is
indeed a necessary condition of keeping the blessing.
My closing question Is a very straight one. Have you got the blessing
of a clean heart now? If you have had it and lost it, seek it once
more. Make haste to the altar; renew your consecration again, claiming
the blessing, and the Lord will restore you.
XV
Fighting Holiness
'_Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life._' (1 Timothy
vi. 12.)
My object, in announcing 'Fighting Holiness' as my subject, is to make
it quite clear that a Full Salvation does not mean a hot-house
emotionalism or glass-case sanctity, but a vigorous, daring, aggressive
religion, on the lines of the Saviour's words, 'The Kingdom of Heaven
suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force'.
If this text, 'Fight the good fight of faith', means anything at all,
it means you must struggle for the thing you believe in. If you do not
fight for it, the inference is either that you have little love for and
confidence in your cause, or that you are indolent and unfaithful to
that cause.
You say you believe in the rightness of God's claims upon the hearts
and lives of men; you believe in the humiliation and passion of Christ
to redeem men; you believe in the necessity for and possibility of
rescuing human souls from the curse of evil and the eternal penalty of
sin; but, believe me, your faith is vain if you do not stand for, and
labour and fight to enforce, God's claims to proclaim Christ's
redeeming grace, and to deliver men from going down to the pit.
The aspects of personal Holiness set out in terms such as 'perfect
peace' and the 'rest of faith' are frequently before us, and I do not
desire to reduce their value, for it is a blessed truth that 'we which
have believed do enter into rest'. If by the 'rest of faith' is meant
that calm confidence in the power and grace of God by which the
believing and obedient soul is kept in perfect peace, then, all right;
that, however, is very different from the only-believe-and-do-nothing
policy of some people who adopt the phrase. Let there be no mistake
about the fact that every consecrated man must take his place in God's
fighting line.
The story of Mary of Bethany, 'who sat at the Lord's feet, and heard
His word', also appeals to me; but the emphasis is not quite as some
people put it. What Christ commended in Mary was not that she sat at
His feet whilst Martha did all the hard work, but that she had 'chosen
the good part--the one thing needful', which her anxious sister seems
to have overlooked.
There is rest for the struggling soul who finds in Jesus a real
deliverer. There is rest for the soul tossed about on waves of doubt
and fear, who, anchoring in the haven of the Saviour's love, finds
peace in believing. For the faithful but tired servant of Christ who
'works whilst it is called day', for the warrior also who has faced the
enemy and braved the danger, there is rest; but the rest comes after
the working and fighting is over.
I like the words 'fight' and 'fighting', because _they involve taking a
side_, and devoting oneself to secure victory for the side one belongs
to. I heard some one remark the other day, 'God wants fighting saints
as well as kissing saints'; truly the phrase is not without its lesson
for us. This is the very opposite to the attitude known as 'sitting on
the fence', or that wretched fear which seems to possess some professed
followers of Jesus Christ, who, outside a church or religious Meeting,
are afraid to declare themselves for Him.' I am for Jesus Christ, and I
want everybody to know it'; that is the line of the true Soldier.
Oh, how the spirit of compromise curses and hinders the work of God! I
think the man who invented the phrase 'out-and-out consecration' was a
benefactor to the cause, seeing it is such a contradiction of the
half-and-half spirit which characterizes so much religious profession
and service.
When reading the history of the American Civil War, I found instances
of strange fraternizing on the part of the soldiers of contending
armies. Sometimes the soldiers of the North would be on one side of a
river when the Southern troops were on the other side. With the evening
came suspension of hostilities, and under cover of darkness men of one
army would cross over to the enemy's camp to smoke and talk with men
who during the day had sought their destruction. That may have seemed
very fine, from a certain point of view, but is regrettable in
religious warfare. When the Soldiers of Jesus cross over to the Devil's
forces for their pleasure and refreshment, it indicates little devotion
to their King or enthusiasm for His cause.
Why should we be friends with the enemies of our Lord? If we have
sincerely chosen His side, let all compromise cease, and each of us
declare and stand for Him at all costs.
Then this idea of Fighting Holiness implies that _the sanctified
Soldier of Christ is an aggressor in the struggle for his Lord's
supremacy_. He cannot be content with following the line of the least
resistance; he is rather in the spirit of the words already quoted,
'The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force'.
The business of attack in Spiritual Soldier-ship is quite as important
as the protection of your own soul or defence of your position. It may
involve doing violence to your own feelings, and oft-times to the
feelings of others, but you cannot be faithful to your profession
unless willing to attack the Devil's strongholds, and fight evil in its
own entrenchments.
I was much interested a few days ago in the story of a man connected
with a Corps where there has been a marvellous religious awakening. The
man got truly saved, and became a Salvation Soldier. A month later he
was convinced of his need of a clean heart, his chief conviction being
that he ought to become 'a fisher of men'. He went to the mercy-seat,
made his consecration, claimed the blessing and power, and began
fishing for souls. That was a little over a year ago; recently the
results of that man's personal fishing were ascertained, and it was
seen that since his consecration he had personally induced over 300
persons to go to the mercy-seat for Salvation. That is an illustration
of the aggressive spirit included in Fighting Holiness.
We each find our own particular difficulties with which we should
grapple, and the enemies whom we ought to attack; but, speaking
generally, I point to the evil influences which are around us, cursing
the people, the victims, alas! being multiplied by those who fatten on
the woes and vices and even ruin of their fellows. These influences
must be resisted, the fiends of Hell in human form must be grappled
with, and 'the prey be taken from the mighty'. People must be aroused
from their indifference and selfishness; the cold-blooded carelessness
and worldliness of formal religionists must be assailed as well as help
rendered to those who are ready to perish. Our fighting programme must
include all this, if we are to be consistent professors of holy
consecration to God and His Kingdom.
Then, further, I recognize that _personal spiritual conflicts are
included in Fighting Holiness_. That is to say, our battles and
victories relate not only to resistance of the Devil and the rescue of
his captives, but in the varying phases of personal experiences we have
to fight this good fight of faith.
Spiritual conflicts often have much mystery connected with them. If the
fact had not been recorded, that Christ was tempted in all points like
as we are, and learned obedience in the things which He suffered, we
should wonder whether some of our struggles of faith were not the
result of personal sin. We know, however, that there may be much
temptation without either contracting the guilt or stain of sin.
It is true that spiritual conflicts are all the more dangerous for
those who have not yet found deliverance from their own unsanctified
passions and tendencies. A heart in which such things as pride and evil
desire, lust, worldly ambition, and ill-tempers remain, is like a
citadel in which traitors lurk to respond to the call of outward
enemies. But when the heart is sanctified, and we are equipped with the
armour of which Paul wrote to the Ephesians, the attacks of the enemy
can be continually resisted.
I cannot cover the area of spiritual conflict. As varied as our
characters are our temptations, and with all the changes in
circumstances and physical or mental condition come enticements to
evil. We have never taught that Holiness of heart means freedom from
temptation. In one form or another temptation will come to the holiest
of us, and the fight of faith has to be sustained even up to the very
gates of Heaven.
The fully consecrated soul has not only to resist the temptations to
positive sin, but must manifest its victory in the patient endurance of
physical ills and the trials of life; and that apostolic note of
triumph is also a word of guidance, 'This is the victory which
overcometh ... even your faith'.
Human nature, even with the best of us, is a marvellous combination. We
have nerves which sometimes vibrate like the wires of a highly-strung
harp. Mental clouds at times seem to shut the sun out of the conditions
of life, and dark shadows stretch across or along the pathway. Some of
us have dispositions which, whilst capable of exquisite pleasure, also
expose us to the most acute pain and disappointment. Then comes the
temptation to charge against our spiritual condition weaknesses which
are purely physical. To resist such temptations is indeed the fight of
faith.
Physical depression comes upon some people until, for the time being,
life is a burden and death would be a relief. Measured by their bodily
and mental sensations, their experience is sometimes like a stretch of
arid desert, and in such hours the enemy assails the mind with
difficulties and suggestions to doubt, which can only be conquered by
steady confidence in the love and wisdom and prevailing grace of the
living God. That is the good fight of faith.
I hope that what I have said will not discourage any soul. Remember, if
we are fully given up to God, and seeking to realize His will for us,
we are not fighting a losing battle; 'He that is with us is greater
than they that be against us'. The provision of Divine Grace is such
that, in spite of enemies and dangers, our life can be one of victory;
we can be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. The victor's
palm and the overcomer's crown will more than compensate for the
self-denial and loss of things which the world counts gain.
Many of you know the story of a certain Indian conqueror who, in his
onward march, came to a temple containing a specially sacred idol. This
he was proceeding to destroy, when the priests and others pleaded with
him, and offered a large sum of money if he would only spare that idol;
but, refusing the bribe, the conqueror demolished the image, and found
within it the treasures of the temple, which for safety had been hidden
there. There are many things which we may lose by fighting our battles
faithfully, but the heavenly treasure will more than make up for it
all.
'Be thou faithful unto death' is a strong exhortation; but that which
makes it a positive inspiration to loving and enduring service and
fighting is the added sentence, 'I will give thee a crown of life'.
XVI
Sanctified Commonplaces
'_In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness
unto the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls
before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be
holiness unto the Lord of hosts._' (Zechariah xiv. 20, 21.)
What I have to say may not strike some of you as setting forth any very
high or exalted truth, but I am satisfied as to its being a very
important matter. I want to talk to you about the sanctification of the
commonplace things in life.
However desirable it may seem, you cannot always be sitting at the
Master's feet in that contemplative, ecstatic mood sometimes attributed
to Mary. Like Martha, we have to do a good deal of serving. Whether we
are _encumbered_ by 'much serving' is a separate question; but if we
are to fulfil the Divine tasks we have to do a great deal of serving as
well as praying and trusting. I may quote, with slight alteration, two
lines of a poem:--
_Who sleeps and dreams that life is beauty,
Will wake to find that life is duty_.
How true that is in practical life many of us know full well.
The most attractive manifestation of God's power is seen in the fact
that He stoops to touch men at the points of their daily need. It is
that aspect of the grace of God--the meeting your need in the daily
battle of life--which makes it so supremely precious. In the same way,
when we, who profess to be followers and imitators of our Heavenly
Father, and to regulate our conduct by the principles of holy living,
bring these principles to bear upon the ordinary relationships of life,
we are most accepted in our witness for Jesus Christ, and exert the
best, the most effective influence upon others.
These are the thoughts that have been in my mind, and which have led me
to the subject upon which I wish to speak: the sanctification of the
commonplace things. My thoughts arise from reading this passage in the
Book of Zechariah: 'In that day shall there be upon the bells of the
horses, _Holiness unto the Lord_; and the pots in the Lord's house
shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem
and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts'.
Now, when we look at these things, these pots and pans and horses and
bridles and things of that sort, having to do with our daily toil, our
cooking and eating, our work at home and in the streets, and compare
them with the glories of the Temple, the golden candlesticks, the
golden vessels, the High Priest's wonderful garments, his breastplate,
and, not least, with the Ark of the Covenant, we feel they are very
commonplace things. And yet, you see, according to this statement the
same stamp of holiness is to be put upon them all. Even the most
commonplace of them comes within the scope of this Divine sanctity, and
there is to be in relation to each of them this sacredness, this
sanctification: 'Holiness unto the Lord', is the stamp for all alike.
As an illustration of how _Jesus did great things by the use of the
commonplace_, look at that narrative of the marriage in Cana of
Galilee. We should probably never have heard of this marriage but for
our Lord's miracle; and yet, apart from His Divine power, the process
of turning the water into wine and transforming the character of the
entire feast, that event was, indeed, a very common one.
Look, first of all, at these clay pots--common enough--jars and jugs,
standing in a corner, or perhaps standing out on the veranda, near
where the Saviour was sitting. These pots are easily broken, and no
great value is attached to them. If Christ had intended to do this
great thing you would have imagined that He would have called for the
best vessels in the house; but He did nothing of the kind. He took the
very meanest vessel of the whole household, and He consecrated and
sanctified it to His Divine use.
Look at the water--that is common enough. Wine is costly, but water is
cheap; it is thrown about, slopped about, and the pails containing it
are often upset because easily filled again. Ordinarily speaking, water
is one of the commonest of the commonplace necessaries of life. And yet
that water was sanctified for a display of the Divine power.
Then there are the servants--never a scarcity in the East, where often
there are three to do one man's work. Christ did not call the master of
the house to stand near and observe Him, or say, 'Ye highly-placed
guests, come and see'. He left the head people, as we should say, and
took the common servants. 'Fill up the jars; draw it out; carry it to
the governor; pass it round', was His simple command. And the water was
turned into wine. Some one has poetically said, 'The modest water saw
its Lord, and blushed'; but it was more than that, for His was the best
wine of the feast.
Christ, you see, sanctified commonplace things and persons to display
His benevolence and power. Make some practical use of them in regard to
your own lives.
It is hardly needful for me to point out that life is very largely made
up of commonplaces--commonplace engagements, commonplace relationships,
and commonplace duties. There are some who are a little better off than
others, but even such people have common things to do before they get
through the routine of life. With some of us it is altogether
so--commonplace in the home, commonplace in the situation, commonplace
in the workshop, commonplace in the office, commonplace in what we do
for our living, and commonplace in the persons with whom we are
associated. Nothing great or dignified about it. It is indeed a case of
'the trivial round, the common task'.
But, whether you are a business man or a road-sweeper, you can live the
sanctified life.
Some of you may be heads of houses or domestic servants, horse-drivers
or laundry-workers, factory hands or the owners of factories; but
whatever you are, as followers of Jesus Christ, God wants you to put
this label upon each and every section of your life--'Holiness unto the
Lord'. He wants you also to conduct yourselves in every way consistent
with that thought. The pots and the pans, and the bridles of the
horses, and whatever we may have to do, must be labelled with that.
'Commissioner, can a man have a clean heart and drive a cab?' a man
recently asked me. 'Of course, he can,' I replied, 'and if you come
with me I will show you how to do it'.
Why, the way in which we use these things is to be a part of our
consecrated service to God. It does not sound very lofty, but that is
just where the highest exhibition of Holiness can be given to the
world. It is not what you do--that may seem very important or may be
very trivial; but it is the manner of doing it and the motive behind it
which is the main thing.
You have all heard the story of the servant-girl who had got the
blessing, and who, when asked how she knew she had it, said that she
knew it because she 'now swept under the mats'. What a very simple
thing, and yet the blessing of Holiness just shows itself in that.
Sweeping round the mat and in the middle of the room only is not
'Holiness'. The girl was quite right; she knew that the sanctifying
Grace of God had made a change in her, because she wanted to clean
where dirt would not have been seen even if left there.
How beautiful the lines of George Herbert, where, after speaking of
doing things 'for Christ's sake', he says:--
_A servant with this clause
Makes drudgery divine;
Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws
Makes that and the action fine._
The fact that you do your work in the spirit of your religion
sanctifies your lives. It transforms them from secular to sacred. Your
work and your worship spring from the same motive, and those who see
this treat you and your work with respect. The Scripture puts it
beautifully in speaking of the Apostles, 'The people took knowledge of
them that they had been with Jesus'.
Observe carefully how Zechariah combines the great and the commonplace.
He says not only that the pots in the Lord's house shall be as sacred
as the bowls before the altar, but that every pot and pan in the city
shall be sanctified. The great point to be learned is that the Holiness
of the home is to be as the Holiness of the Temple. The dedication
which makes the bowls before the altar holy is also to sanctify the
pots of the household, and the bells and trappings of the horses; the
label which was written upon the priest's forehead, 'Holiness unto the
Lord', is to be stamped upon the common things, in the street, in the
shop, in the house--in fact, upon everything.
Get rid for ever of the idea that the affairs of human life are divided
into things secular and things sacred; that business is separate from
religion, and religion separate from business; that the consecration of
certain hours to Meetings, to Bible-reading, or to religious work, is a
different sort of thing from the devotion of other hours to labour, or
eating, or physical necessities. Now, such a division may exist with
some, but it cannot be allowed to exist in the lives of those who
profess to have consecrated themselves to God.
In that case there is only _one label for everything_. For the meanest
act, the commonest duty, the personal and private habits, there is only
one motive, 'Holiness unto the Lord'. God's will, God's honour, God's
service--these are on the labels. And--
_The trivial round, the common task,
Will furnish all we ought to ask,
Room to deny ourselves--a road
To bring us daily nearer God._
Some have not got there yet. They have not made a dedication such as
Zechariah spoke of, one which governs the whole life, the big and the
little, the work and the worship, their associations and pleasures and
methods of business. There are things in their daily work and personal
habits, little indulgences or selfishnesses, to which that label,
'Holiness unto the Lord', cannot be attached.
Oh, I beseech you, make no distinctions. Let there be no reserves.
Body, soul, spirit, as we sometimes sing, lay upon the altar.
Consecrate yourselves to your Lord in simplicity and sincerity, with a
simple faith that God will baptize you, and give you His Holy Spirit to
maintain this consecration.
_What e'er pursuits my time employ,
One thought shall fill my soul with joy;
That silent, secret thought shall be
That all my hopes are fixed on Thee._
XVII
Spiritual Growth
'_Thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring whose waters
fail not._' (Isaiah lviii. 11.)
'_Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ._' (2 Peter iii. 18.)
The truths of the Bible exist in counterpart, having at least two
aspects, each of which must be considered in relation to the other, if
their full meaning is to be understood. That is a very necessary
statement in regard to the aspect of truth which we emphasize under the
general heading of 'Spiritual Growth', or 'Growth in the Divine Life'.
On the one hand, we know that spiritual experience is marked by certain
crises which are in some cases like earthquakes or tidal waves; whilst,
on the other hand, the law of progression must be in constant
operation.
We speak of conversion as a crisis, because a man in a moment 'passes
from death unto life'; or, in the Saviour's words, is 'born again'.
Whatever happens before or after, there must be that definite change
before any man can enter the Kingdom of God. Then, happily, many have
experienced another crisis which we speak of as 'getting a clean
heart'. This happens when an enlightened soul fully and absolutely
consecrates itself to God, and, by faith, claims and realizes that 'the
Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin'. A man may be a long
time, in coming to that point; but, sooner or later, he must reach and
pass it if he is to secure that 'holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord'.
But whilst no amount of improvement in moral character can dispense
with the crises referred to, we cannot rightly magnify the definite
transactions at conversion or cleansing, or any other remarkable point
of religious life, to the detraction of spiritual growth. Each aspect
of the truth, as I have already said, is the counterpart of the other,
and must be viewed in its natural perspective.
People sometimes express themselves in exaggerated language as regards
both aspects of truth. A lady friend, referring to a young person of
beautiful disposition, said to me, 'Ah, you see, in her case there is
no need of conversion. She was born sanctified like her mother.' Quite
a false notion. But it is equally foolish for persons to exclaim, 'I
am converted, and a child of God; now I am all right'; or, 'Now I have
got a clean heart; it is all done'. As a matter of fact, there is no
more important principle to be cultivated than the law of progression
or advance in the Divine life. That principle is certainly in perfect
harmony with Scripture teaching, and is expressed in Peter's
exhortation, 'Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ'.
Paul's words about 'growing up unto Him in all things which is the head
even Christ', express the same thought; whilst John shows the ascending
grades of spiritual experience in directing his words to 'little
children', 'young men', and 'fathers'. These grades are not measured by
years, but by progress in spiritual life and vigour and personal
knowledge of God.
The Bible contains many figures illustrating this idea of growth or
progress, whether applied to character or service. For example, it
refers to the garden as a place where things grow, and thus illustrates
the garden of the soul; to the development of a building in course of
erection, 'all fitly framed together' and growing; to the growth of a
fortune by wise investment, in the use of talents, two becoming four,
five becoming ten, and so forth. The growth of the human body is also
referred to, with its limbs, muscles, and parts developing with the
head; and the growth of the student, as exemplified in the text, 'Add
to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and
to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity'.
Then the ideas associated with a garden or the field are also used as
illustrations. The Bible parables from nature are very significant and
powerful. They embrace the vine and its branches, the sower and the
seed, the lily among thorns, the trees planted by the rivers of water;
and thus the facts of the spiritual realm are made clear to us.
I often speak of _the garden of the soul_. If I widen the figure, and
apply it to our personal character and general make-up, we shall see
the similitude of a garden which is a place where all sorts of things
grow; things related to the body, and to the mind, and to life
generally.
The gardener studies his ground, and the possible products and
available seed. He seeks to get rid of the weeds and briers and
poisonous plants, in order that the desired products may grow to
perfection. So the ground of our hearts and characters must be purged
from the weeds and hindering things which grow with the affections and
disposition generally. Evil things flourish apace in the garden of
human nature; but if they are removed, sanctified seed may be sown, and
holy plants may be cultivated.
The Bible also speaks of God's saints as being in '_the garden of the
Lord_', as trees which His right hand planted, or growing from seed
which He has sown, blossoming as the rose, fragrant as the honeysuckle
and almond, and bringing forth the fruits of righteousness to the glory
of His name. But whether you look at your souls as a garden, from which
evil plants are to be removed, and in which the plants of God's grace
are to flourish instead, or regard yourselves as trees in God's garden,
the ideas are always connected with growth, enlargement, and
productiveness.
Isaiah gives an illustration which is in striking contrast. Speaking of
God's idea concerning His saints, he says, 'Thou shalt be like a
watered garden, and a spring whose waters fail not'; but he supplies
another picture of those 'who forsake the Lord' after having known Him,
God saying to them, 'Ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a
garden that hath no water'. Let us look well at ourselves, and find out
to which class we belong.
The religion of Jesus Christ is pre-eminently good because it marks
things of evil growth as things to be rooted out, and it produces
qualities in the soul and character which are Christ-like, such as
love, forgiveness of injuries, patience, devotion, and self-sacrifice
for the good of others. These are all things which grow, and must grow,
if we are to be as God wants us to be. Cleansing from evil things we
must definitely seek and secure; but growth in grace and peace and
Divine knowledge, and skill in service, must be sought and cultivated
by us continually.
It may help our understanding of this truth if we study carefully the
process in the growth of a good tree. If there is satisfactory
development, three things in the tree will be discovered; namely,
growth in the root, growth in the branches, and growth in the form of
flowers and fruit.
1. I said _growth in the root_. This means that the tree must strike
deep, deeper, and deeper still, so as to get an increasingly firm grip
on the earth below, from which it draws much of its support. Without
this the tree will fall of its own top-weight, or be uprooted by the
storms which will rage about it. So, in the individual soul and
character there must, below the surface, be a deepening and spreading
and gripping of the spiritual forces and principles and realizations,
those hidden connexions with the Divine Unseen without which one cannot
stand before the storms and scorching tests of life.
One of the sacred writers speaks of a section of God's people in
trouble, and in danger of being wiped out, but reveals God's purpose
for them in these words, 'They shall yet again take root downward, and
bear fruit upward'. It is not difficult to grasp the principle
illustrated; we must cultivate _a religion with roots_, otherwise our
experience will be superficial and shallow, and, like the seed in the
parable, with no depth of earth, and having little root, will
ultimately become dried up.
This really means growth in secret, growth out of sight, and reminds us
of the beautiful words of Jesus: 'When thou prayest, enter into thy
closet; and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is
in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall Himself reward
thee openly'. There are many kinds of prayer, but here is one that
helps growth in the very roots of our religion. It fits in with the
Psalmist's word, 'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty'.
2. I also spoke of _growth in the branches_. It is easy to understand
what the growth of trunk and branches means in a tree; it grows higher,
develops strength, and reaches out farther. It means the same when
applied to growth in grace and character; getting power to grow
stronger in resisting evil and standing for the right; stronger to say
'Yes' and 'No'; stronger to discharge our duty, and to endure hardness
as good soldiers of Christ. Equally it means reaching out, stretching
farther, and extending our efforts to reach and help and bless.
The banyan tree of the East affords us an apt illustration in this
connexion. Its stem shoots up, its branches dip, touch the earth, and
take root, repeating the process of extension until a great area is
covered, and crowds may shelter beneath it. In like manner the extent
of one's influence may at first be small, and the circle affected by
our power be limited; but if it is wisely used and cultivated, it will
stretch and grow, reaching farther and farther, and touching new people
with new power and blessing.
You know the old preacher's reproach to the people who sang, 'Oh, for a
thousand tongues!' and yet would not use the one they each possessed to
witness for their Lord. I knew a man who wanted to go to China as a
missionary, who would not testify for Christ in the neighbourhood where
he lived. That meant declension, not growth. Growth comes by using the
grace, stretching out and reaching forth; the power increases by reason
of use.
3. Finally, there is _growth in the form of flowers and fruit_. God
no more intended His creatures to be barren and unfruitful in religion,
than He intended plants to fail in bloom and fruit. How perfectly clear
Jesus makes this in His Parable of the Vine and the Branches! Of the
branch which abideth in the Vine He says that when purged it shall
experience a certain progression. Observe the order, 'bear fruit--more
fruit--much fruit', and 'fruit which shall remain'. Let us ask
ourselves to which of these stages we have attained, and go on
earnestly to a fuller fruitfulness.
If I had space to speak of the various kinds of Nature's growth, I
should point out how some fruit is for human food, such as apples,
oranges, grain, and vegetables. Some blossoms are for beauty and
fragrance, and in other cases flowers and fruit appear to be chiefly
for seed purposes; but with almost every plant and tree the best
feature is its reproductive power; that is, fruit is produced whose
seed is in itself, and so multiplies its own kind.
Is not that what God wants with us? Beauty and grace and gratification,
certainly, for we must adorn the doctrine; but your sanctified fruit
must have the seed in itself, which drops and takes root, and
reproduces itself in the world around you. Remember my last word,
'Herein is your Father glorified that ye bear much fruit'; fruit now
and fruit always; so that, like the trees planted by rivers of water,
you shall 'bring forth fruit even in old age'.
_Oh, help us, Lord, throughout our time
To test ourselves, by help divine,
To see what fruit we bear;
What promise are we making Thee,
As ripened souls we wish to be,
When harvest home draws near._
XVIII
The Inward Laws
'_I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write
them. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more._' (Hebrews x.
16, 17.)
The beginnings of religion lie in the desire to have our sins forgiven,
and to be enabled to avoid doing the wrong things again. It was so with
David when, in the fifty-first Psalm, he not only cried, 'Have mercy
upon me, O God, and blot out my transgressions', but 'Wash me, cleanse
me from my sin'.
Sin is a double evil. On the one hand, it creates a record of
wrongdoing which has to be faced; on the other, it creates a disease in
the moral system and spiritual make-up of a man. This disease creates
desires for the evil thing, and so warps and weakens a man's force of
resistance that when the temptation is presented, the inward craving
asserts itself, and makes the man _want_ to go into the temptation.
To deal with this complex character of sin is a greater problem than
human ingenuity and skill are equal to. God, however, has solved the
problem Himself, and His plan of Salvation is addressed to both aspects
of evil. It includes, first, the forgiveness of sins; and then the
introduction of a new governing force and the power to live according
to the will of God. Both these things are set out in the verses quoted,
although the order of statement is reversed.
Let me use two stories to illustrate the separate points. The one
relates to a little boy who, having done wrong in his home, had been
dealt with by his mother. Referring to it afterwards, the boy said,
'Yes, I knew mother had forgiven me for the wrong; but I saw in her
face, although she did not frown, that she remembered all day what I
did in the morning'. There are many, no doubt, who forgive in that
fashion; but it is not God's way. He says, 'Their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more'. He forgets as well as forgives.
An illustration of the other point came out in the personal testimony
of an eminently religious man who, before his conversion, was addicted
to horse-racing. He said that after his conversion he did not go to the
race-meeting, but very much wanted to do so. Later, when the light came
to him, he got his heart and mind sanctified; and 'Then', said he, 'I
not only did not go, but I had no desires to be there; the Lord had
taken _the want to_ out of my heart'.
It is the knowledge of these two aspects of evil, and of the necessity
for having the double problem dealt with, which causes us to lay such
emphasis upon the 'clean heart' teaching. First, the forgiveness of the
sins; then cleansing from the evil desire, and getting the power to
live the holy life. This is the essence of our Holiness doctrine.
There are, as I have frequently pointed out, other things besides inner
experiences connected with true religion; for instance, we read in this
chapter of its outward tokens, such as witnessing for Christ, holding
fast the profession or confession of our faith without wavering. That
is very important. There is also the association with others who are of
the same mind; 'not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together'.
Combination and outward union seem to be within the Divine plan for
extending religion. Stirring one another up to duty is also emphasized,
'exhorting one another', 'provoking one another to love and good
works'; that is, helping each other in the things which make for the
godly life. All these must be in us and abound, if we are to justify
our religion.
But, after all, _the vital thing about religion is its inward springs
and connexions_; the outer life inspired and regulated by the laws of
God put into our hearts and written in our minds, reproducing
themselves in the activities and relations of daily life.
We would not undervalue the tables of stone, on which God with His own
finger wrote the Commandments, and delivered them to Moses. We would
ever prize the Blessed Bible, with its sacred records of the wonderful
revelations of the Divine mind and purposes concerning men; for, in
producing these, 'holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost'. How much more highly, however, do we value the Spirit of God
writing upon the fleshly tables of the heart, bringing the heart and
mind, not only into the knowledge of God's will, but into harmony with
it, and planting and feeding the living principles which produce the
fruit of good living!
It is worth while to inquire what are the laws which God undertakes
to put into the hearts and minds of His willing children. In this
connexion we think of _the law of submission and obedience_. Religion
begins there. When seeking Salvation, either at the penitent-form or
elsewhere, we went down, submitted ourselves to God, so far as we knew
it, and declared that we would do what He wanted us to do.
We saw, felt, and accepted it as the settled thing for us that His will
should be the governing law; that must go on operating all along life's
way. Continuing to follow Him is as important as beginning to do
so--'If any man will deny himself, let him take up his cross, and
follow Me' That means continued submission to His government and
conditions of service.
In the days of Christ's ministry a large number of people gathered
around Him, but when they saw what was involved, 'they went back from
following Him'. We must see that the surrenders of the sanctified life
are not matters of a moment. There is a supreme moment when
consecration lays its all upon the altar, but every day brings its own
tests even to the most advanced among us. As in Abraham's experience,
the birds of temptation and beasts of prey seek to destroy or defile
the offering, and we have to hold on in our obedience, binding the
sacrifice with fresh cords to the altar.
Now, we must not miss the point of the Apostle's teaching, which is,
that when the law of God is stamped in the heart and mind, the spirit
of the law prevailing within us makes us desire to obey and serve, and
so we are empowered to sustain the claims of the consecrated life.
Then, there is _the law of faith_. It is spoken of in these verses. 'We
are to draw near in the full assurance of faith'; that is, with the
confidence that our approaches will not be in vain, because Christ has
opened the way by His own Blood; and we believe that the provisions are
at our disposal.
Now, faith is a law for the mind as well as for the heart. It is with
the heart that a man 'believeth unto righteousness'; but there must be
an intelligent perception of the facts and of the rightness of the
truth; there must be an apprehension of the reasonableness of God's
requirements before a man will happily submit, obey, and follow.
May I touch upon our own family sorrow in the death of a beloved son
and Officer in India? Before my heart could rest in the will of God as
exhibited in that bereavement, I had to reach the point of believing
that a Father's hand prepared that cup, and that His will is the best,
and His power and grace will make all things work together for good.
The heart cried out in its agonizing pain and sense of loss; but,
trusting in the Divine Love, rest and peace came to my bereaved soul.
And so, all along the consecrated way and line of service, it is when
the law of faith is written in the mind, and becomes a settled
perception or conviction, that the sanctified heart is able to find
rest. 'By grace are ye saved through faith', is true at the beginning;
but equally true is the word, 'Kept by the power of God through faith';
and the principle is that the law in the mind and heart constantly
operates as we tread the appointed path of life and service.
I cannot leave the subject without touching specially upon one among
other important laws which deserve our consideration; _the law of
love_. Paul was quite right when, comparing the various qualities of
Christian character he declared, 'The greatest of these is love'. 'Love
is the bond of perfectness.'
Even submission and sacrifice are acts of joy when it is a case of
love's surrender. The blessedness of service is great when love is the
inspiration of that service, and great is the enduring power of true
God-given love. The human will at best is weak; human supports are like
reeds which bend or break when most needed; intellectual capacity or
natural talents are valuable; but, after all, they only stand for so
much in one's life; but 'love never faileth'. I cannot sufficiently
commend to you this law of love in the heart; but, believe me, it
sweetens life's sorrow, lightens life's burdens, and strengthens our
powers of service and endurance.
How far does our experience harmonize with what has been said about the
nature and conditions of true religion? which is only another way of
presenting the blessing of Holiness. The new and living way of which
the Apostle speaks as opened through the Blood of Jesus, is the only
way to the cleansing fountain and the sanctifying grace. Let his words,
therefore, encourage you to 'enter with boldness', to 'draw near with a
true heart', a heart knowing its need, but believing the promises of
God, and He will meet you and make these inward laws of Holiness and
service your abiding experience.
XIX
Worry _versus_ Peace
'_Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus._' (Philippians iv. 6, 7.)
Before the full bearing and value of these verses can be realized, I
think they require to be read several times over. Even if the sentences
are read through slowly, just as they stand, a deep sense of blessing
and rest steals into the soul; but the more deeply they are considered,
the richer will the words be found. It would be almost correct for me
to call this a New Testament commentary on Isaiah's beautiful verse,
'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee', for the ideas and their relation are very
similar.
If we look at the various phases of this message, we shall see that
they are very important. They imply, first, a perfect surrender or
committal of oneself to God, based on a perfect trust; second, open
access to God; freedom of intercourse; telling Him all about things
which try and burden and distress us. We have also perfect peace; that
is, quietness of spirit, rest of soul, deliverance from inward
conflict, consequent upon God's keeping power through Jesus Christ.
Read carefully this Apostolic message, and observe not only the
different sections, but how they are connected, and how, in their
completeness, they express a most desirable spiritual experience.
Included or connected with Full Salvation are certain blessings to
which we generally refer, such as perfect love and purity, also that
peace to which the Apostle here alludes, as well as a deep, settled
faith in the saving purposes and power of God. But we do not always see
that we may equally include deliverance from that undue anxiety which
we call worry; and yet these verses certainly prescribe a cure for
worry as well as other evils, and it may be helpful for us to look at
that aspect of truth.
Many are tempted to regard this as an ideal condition, something to
long for, and perhaps to aim at; whereas if the teaching of Paul
here--in fact, of the Bible generally--is not a delusion, this is
intended to be a realized experience; and I remind any who say that
Salvation from worry is too high for us, that they have said just the
same when we have talked about a clean heart, and Salvation from sin
and sinning.
A thoughtful author has recently written a book bearing the title of
'Worry, the Disease of the Age'. He takes trouble to show that, owing
to commercial competition, the increased desire for luxurious living,
keeping up appearances, and other developments of modern days, heads of
families and persons in responsible positions do a great deal of
worrying. This writer then goes on to say: 'It is, however, more than a
certainty that true religion is a cure for worry, a preventative of
worry, and is utterly incomparable in its performance of these
functions'. 'The religion which Jesus Christ taught in Galilee', says
the same writer, 'is a casting of one's care upon the Lord, an
acceptance of the ills and lashes of life with a settled faith that God
is too good and wise to err or to be unkind, and that He will make all
things work together for good to them that love Him'.
I know that a state of worry may arise from physical causes. Inflamed
nerves, mental depressions, or hysterical fears, are, in many
instances, quite beyond the control of the sufferer. With others there
is an intense desire to do something or get something done; but I also
know that, as with bad tempers, a good deal is put down to physical and
nervous disorders which ought to be put down to lack of spiritual life
and power.
Now, when I speak of Salvation from worry, I do not mean deliverance
from nervous agitation or shrinking from physical suffering, although I
do not know how to fix a point where God's gracious power is exhausted,
even as regards these things; but 'worry' is that carking care, that
undue anxiety about one's personal affairs which destroys peace of
mind, burdens the heart, and often leads to distrust of God's love and
power. From such things God's grace is sufficient to deliver.
Let me be plain, however, on one point. I think carelessness,
recklessness, and indifference to possible happenings, is wrong. You
hear persons say, 'Oh, never mind; what does it matter? Don't fash or
bother yourself.' But such expressions often spring from pure
selfishness, and sometimes exhibit a sinful disregard for the happiness
of other people. Nothing makes it right to ease yourself at the expense
of others, or to shirk burdens by shifting them to other shoulders.
Some are clever at that, but such action may be positively sinful. On
the other hand, God can deliver us from that anxious care and
foreboding and unrest with which so many good people are afflicted.
Oh, my friends, can you not learn to come to God as the Apostle
directs, making known your requests in 'prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving'? for then 'the peace of God which passeth all
understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ'.
We need far more trust in the providence of our Heavenly Father. What
needless pain we suffer! what agonies of mind we endure! what clouds
hang above and around us! because we do not trust Him in respect of the
circumstances of life.
There are those even who are trusting God to forgive their sins and
save their souls, who yet will not trust Him to carry them through a
difficulty in ordinary life and association, or help them with their
bread and butter. The fact is, they doubt God's personal interposition
in the affairs of men; consequently, their affairs get muddled, and
their hearts and minds are disturbed, often to distraction. No truth is
more plainly taught than that God does interpose. 'In all thy ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.' 'The steps of a good
man are ordered by the Lord.' 'Who is he that shall harm you if ye be
followers of that which is good?' 'No weapon that is formed against
thee shall prosper.'
I know that distrust and doubt can erect all sorts of difficulties, and
perhaps none is more common and specious than what is called by the
sceptical men 'the logic of proportion'. This argument says, 'In a
universe so vast, what is man? As a speck of dust is to a planet, and
as a star is to the vast universe, so is man to the world in which he
lives'. Well, it certainly is not strange that the mind should stagger
at the thought of the Creator of the universe putting His hand to the
management of the details of a human life. And yet God's truth in the
Bible completely wipes out this so-called 'logic of proportion'.
Let us look at a familiar illustration used by our Master of God's
minute care for those who fully trust and follow Him. One able man has
called what I am referring to 'the doctrine of the odd sparrow'.
Matthew records how, on one occasion, Jesus said, 'Are not two sparrows
sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the ground
without your Father'. But, turning to Luke, we find a slight variation
in what Jesus said, 'Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and
not one of them is forgotten before God'. Now, do you see the point of
Luke's putting of it? It is as if the dealer had said to the buyer,
'Look here, you want a farthing's worth of sparrows. Well, you can have
two; but, if you will buy two farthingsworth, I will _throw the odd
one in for nothing_'. Two for a farthing; five for a halfpenny.
But see; of that odd sparrow thrown in as hardly worth counting, Jesus
said, 'Not one of them is forgotten before God. Not one shall fall to
the ground without your Father. Are ye not of more value than many
sparrows?' Now, in the light of that illustration, turn once more to
the Apostolic message, 'Be careful for nothing', and I think you will
find good reason for believing the promise, 'The peace of God shall
keep your hearts through Jesus Christ'.
Before leaving this matter of worry, I suggest that we look well to
find the cause of the trouble; for, alas! it is not unfrequently the
case that care or undue anxiety arises from positive sin in the heart.
Some of you worry in respect of your position in life as compared with
other people's; but are you sure that some of this fratch and distress
does not arise from feelings of envy, or jealousy, or discontent?
Others may worry because of comparative poverty, but is it not often
pride or ambition concerning yourselves or your children, and a desire
to be level with your neighbours, which causes the trouble? You worry,
perhaps, because people cross your purposes and upset your plans and
irritate you needlessly; but is not the secret really that you resent
interference, and want to have your own way? Now, before blaming your
circumstances, I suggest you have a thorough self-examination, for it
may be that the inward trouble is due to unbelief, selfishness,
ambition, pride, or some other form of heart sin, and that evil must be
dealt with before perfect peace can prevail.
May I come very close to you, and ask, Is it not true of some that, far
from being kept by the peace of God which passeth all understanding,
you are in a condition, an attitude of mind, which distinctly hinders
the enjoyment of such a blessing? Some, I fear, have not got even as
far as saying, 'Being justified by faith, I have peace with God'. There
is some sin, some indulgence, which God is against; and as rebellion
and peace are opposed to each other, you cannot have guidance and peace
and spiritual blessings until you cast yourselves at the mercy-seat,
and take Christ as your Saviour.
Again, it may be some point of controversy. Something in regard to your
circumstances, or your consecration, or even your inward condition; you
refuse or hesitate to obey God's call, and follow the light. God has
not left you to yourselves, but the Spirit is grieved by your
unwillingness; and the result is, that you have conflict in your
hearts, clouds in your sky, and failure in your lives.
Take it from me, that you cannot have this deliverance which the
Apostle describes, this keeping power and peace, unless the will of God
is supreme in your heart. Controversy must be given up, the full
surrender made, and then you must trust yourselves and your lives in
God's hands. If this is done, and the Apostolic direction followed,
then you will be able to sing--
_Careless through outward cares I go,
From all distraction free;
My hands are but engaged below,
My heart is still with Thee._
XX
An Appeal and a Response
'_I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who
will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me! And He said, Go._'
(Isaiah vi. 8, 9.)
The incident with which these words are connected was a real mosaic in
sacred history. You have the record of a vision which was not a dream
but a revelation--a panorama of actualities. The background of this
vision might well absorb our attention. The temple and the glory which
filled it; the throne and Him who sat thereon; the seraphim, with their
wings and ascriptions of Holiness. The atmosphere was, indeed, electric
with the presence of God and the angelic host.
Isaiah, the solitary human figure in the scene, was overawed with the
glorious majesty of the Divine character; shame at the revelation of
his own impurity overwhelmed him. He rightly felt that he was a blot
upon this temple scene, but the Divine touch of the living fire
transformed him, and prepared him for that which was to follow.
Analyse this conversation, and you see three things standing in a most
natural order:--
First. An Appeal sounds out: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for
Us?'
Second. A Response is made to that Appeal: 'Here am I; send me'.
Third. A Commission was given: 'And He said, "Go"'.
Now this conversation was not only important and imperative as regards
Isaiah and his circumstances, but in its application to ourselves and
our surroundings. I think we shall get some blessing and inspiration
for duty if we consider the three facts as they stand.
1. _The nature of the appeal was a very simple one._ The Lord wanted a
suitable representative to stand for Him among a sinful, backslidden
people.
Isaiah was already supposed to fill that position--at any rate, on
special occasions; but he was so much like the people themselves that
in the ordinary way his religion had little weight with them. No doubt
he felt the honour and privilege of being a prophet when a special
message had to be sent, but he hardly realized the high purpose of his
mission, and maybe his cry, 'Here am I; send me', was a pleading for
another chance to better represent His Lord.
The same appeal, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' is
sounded in our ears to-day. There are certain aspects which I would
like you to note. _It was an appeal based upon a great need._ Then,
as now, the people were without God; indifferent to His claims, few
of them with any experimental knowledge of His Salvation, and,
consequently, having no hope in the world. And in these respects God
wanted a man who would arouse the people, assert His claims, and lead
them back to His service.
Believe me, the world's need to-day is a deep and terrible one. I need
hardly enlarge upon it. You know it, because samples of it are at your
door and around you. But do not forget that the deepest need of the
people lies in their lack of knowledge of God and that Salvation which,
after all, is the panacea for human woe.
We live in days when the practical aspects of religion are most
emphasized. The social conditions and physical needs of the poor people
are regarded as affording a sphere for Christ-like effort quite as much
as is the preaching of the Gospel. Bread, not creed; relief as well as
pity; material improvements in place of missions and Gospel addresses
and such-like are demanded on every hand. God forbid, however, that the
doing of these things should be regarded as quite sufficient.
There are humanitarian considerations, and we must not ignore them.
Squalor, poverty, debauchery, harlotry, oppression, war, and ignorance
are existing evils which must have attention. We must not be so taken
up with the souls as to neglect the temporal, social, and physical
needs of our fellows. But the deepest wail of want and woe which comes
from the world is not to be met by bread, or sovereigns, or sanitation,
or education, or more equal conditions of life. It is the absence of
God and eternal hope which gives the deepest and most sorrowful tone to
the world's bitter cry.
This was also _an appeal for human help_. I do not know why God has so
tied Himself up as He has, but it is a fact. Although angels are
available, and the direct operations of His Spirit would be almighty,
His plan is to get His will made known by one man telling another. Men
to save men; men to help men; that seems to be God's method, and He
appeals now, as before, 'Who will go for Us?'
2. The second point I named was _the response to the Divine appeal_:
'Here am I; send me'. Cannot that be repeated in various directions
among us? Thank God for the responses already made, and but for which
dark and hopeless, indeed, would be human hearts and places which have
been illuminated by the light of God's Salvation. But, Oh, for more
ready and larger responses to the appeal which is ever sounding in our
ears!
Isaiah's response was a _voluntary_ one. Some people are like the horse
whom his owner said had only two faults; one, that he 'took such a lot
of catching', and the other that 'he would not work when he was
caught'. Others have to be disciplined and broken by trouble before
they fall in line with God's will. But why should not every one who
names our Lord's name cry out with a ready spirit, 'Here am I, Lord;
send me'?
This was also _a response without conditions_; or, as we put it, an
unreserved surrender, an unconditional consecration. It is a matter to
rejoice over when men and women express willingness to do any service,
but it is infinitely better when, coming up to the Divine altar, they
say, 'Here am I, Lord; have your own way; do as you will with me;
anything for Jesus--anywhere for Thee'. Have you got there yet? If not,
let that be the advance which you make now, without further bargaining
and reserves.
But _this response came from a heart qualified to make it good_. Ah!
that is the secret of all successful service. Isaiah, cleansed,
sanctified, and touched with Divine Fire, was a different person from
the one who lay grovelling in the dust, and crying, 'Woe is me!' Up to
that moment he was too much like those around him; but now, touched,
baptized, and qualified, he was fit to be God's witness and agent.
That just touches the point where some of you are lacking. You need
this cleansing, this 'unction of the Holy One', or you need it afresh
in the face of the world's crying need. You hold back, you stumble and
often fail; but why? The answer is, you need just what Isaiah got to
qualify him for his mission. You must get this so as to be able to
respond to God's appeal as he did.
3. Then I also spoke of the _Divine commission which followed the
response_. Observe the process, 'Who will go?' 'Here am I.' '_And He
said, Go_'. That is still the line upon which our Lord acts in sending
out His representatives.
We sometimes dwell upon the 'Come's' of the Bible, quoting the Divine
invitations for the encouragement of hesitating souls. May we not with
equal force quote the 'Go's' of the Book as indicating the will of God
concerning our duty?
You remember the Lord's 'Go' to Moses, when, appearing to him in the
burning bush, God set out His plan for Israel's deliverance: 'I will
send thee to bring My people out'. In the same manner the Lord gave
Joshua his marching orders to 'Go over Jordan, and possess the land'.
Paul had a similar experience when the Lord bade him rise and receive
his commission to go to the Gentiles.
Christ's Parable of the Great Feast strikes the same note when the
liberal host sent out his servants, saying, 'Go out into the highways
and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled'.
But the grand chord was sounded out by our Risen Lord when He said to
His disciples, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to
every creature'. That is the commission given to us.
During successive years I have, on behalf of The General, had the
privilege of commissioning from our International Training Homes
batches of 400 or 500 young men and women who have been trained to be
Officers of The Salvation Army. That is a grand annual contribution
towards the world's Salvation. But the word comes not only to the
leaders of God's hosts, but to every Soldier and follower of Jesus
Christ who is consecrated to His service.
_The Lord's 'Go' means different things to different people._ To some,
the Divine finger points one way; perhaps to a distant field, where
millions lie in the darkness of heathendom, or to Army Officership
somewhere. To others it points to spheres of testimony and work near at
hand. The kinds of places and labour are varied, but the purpose is the
same, and all who go out in obedience in God's name will find His
almighty power behind them and blessings in their train.
I cannot direct you in detail, but in general terms I can say, _Go
where you know God wants you_. Where the streams of sin are sweeping
the people down to damnation and dark despair--go there. Where the poor
people are being ruined by that cup which not only curses now, but at
the last 'biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder'--go there.
Where struggling souls are crying for sympathy and help--go there.
Where the youth of our land are being polluted by depraved men and
women among whom they earn their daily bread--go there. Where God seems
unknown, or His claims unheeded for lack of living witnesses--go there.
Go where you may lift up your voice for your Master; go where a helping
hand or kindly words can minister comfort to depressed and hopeless
hearts.
_Hark! for the Master calls,
Child, I have need of thee;
Man in thy pride of strength,
Youth in thy beauteous glee,
Aged and young, and rich and poor,
Trifles and toys no more pursue;
The world is wide, and time is short;
There's work for all to do._
These thoughts have revived in my memory Scott's poem in which he
records an ancient custom found amongst the traditions of Scottish
history. A chieftain desired to summon his clansmen to war in great
urgency. The shrill blast of the bugle called together his immediate
followers, but those at a distance must be summoned by other means.
Before sending out a swift and trusty messenger, the priest was called
and certain rites which had been observed from time immemorial
performed.
A cross was constructed from the branches of the yew tree, and then
held aloft by the priest, whilst he pronounced awful curses on the men
who, at the sight of the signal, failed to obey the summons of their
chief. The cross was then held in the fire until it blazed, was again
uplifted and fresh curses added; then it was plunged in the blood of a
newly-slain sacrifice, and, smoking and reeking with gore, the charred
and bloody cross was given into the hands of a swift messenger, who
leaping away as an arrow sped from a bow, flies along the
mountain-path, and, holding the crimson sign before the eyes of the
clansmen, names the place of assembly, and passes the signal on
throughout the borders.
I have no yew-tree cross, no bleeding sacrifice visible to outward
eyes, but before the eyes of your souls, I lift up the cross of
Calvary, charred by the fires of sin, and reeking with the Blood of the
Divine Victim, and in God's name I charge you to go forth to rescue the
needy souls of men.
_See the brazen hosts of Hell
Art and power employing,
More than human tongue can tell
Blood-bought souls destroying;
Hark! from ruin's ghastly road
Victims groan beneath their load,
Forward, O ye sons of God,
And dare or die for Jesus._
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No. 2.--A School of the Prophets. A Sketch of Training Home Life. By
ONE OF THE SCHOLARS.
No. 3.--Our War in South Africa. By Commissioner RAILTON.
No. 4.--The Warrior's Daily Portion.--I. By Brigadier EILEEN DOUGLAS.
No. 5.--The Way of Holiness. By Colonel S. L. BRENGLE.
No. 6.--Kingdom-Makers in Shelter, Street, and Slum. By Brigadier
MARGARET ALLEN.
No. 7.--Three Coronations. By Colonel MILDRED DUFF.
No. 8.--The Life of Oberlin. By Commissioner W. ELWIN OLIPHANT.
No. 9.--Farmer Abbott. By Brigadier MARGARET ALLEN.
No. 10.--The Warrior's Daily Portion.--II. By Brigadier EILEEN DOUGLAS.
No. 11.--The Life of Hedwig von Haartman. By Colonel MILDRED DUFF.
No. 12.--The Life of Gerhard Tersteegen. By Commissioner W. ELWIN
OLIPHANT.
No. 13.--The Life of Colonel Weerasooriya. By Commissioner
BOOTH-TUCKER.
No. 14.--Bernard of Clairvaux. By Brigadier MARGARET ALLEN.
No. 15.--Harvests of the East. By Brigadier MARGARET ALLEN.
No. 16.--A Kindled Flame. By Brigadier MARGARET ALLEN.
* * * * *
_Order from THE MANAGER, Publishing Department,
79 & 81 Fortess Road, London, N.W._
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