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.