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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.