The old paths: a treatise on sanctification

Front matter

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Chapter I. What Does Christianity Propose To Accomplish In The Nature Of Man?

In answering this question, we propose to show: 1st. To change that nature so that it is as easy to love and submit to God's government as it was before averse it. That this change is denominated in the Bible conversion, the new birth, regeneration, a new heart, being a new creature, justification — such are called believers. They are said to be clean, pure children of adoption, sanctified; they are said to be in Christ, children of God, etc.

The position we assume, and in these pages shall attempt to vindicate is, that all these expressions are descriptive of every newly converted sinner, and that therefore they are as clean, pure, sanctified and holy as it is possible for man in a mortal state to be. They may from that moment grow in knowledge and in gracious favor with God till the end of life, and, indeed, through all eternity, but this will make them no more clean or pure.

Underlying this controversey , is the principle of God's moral ability, growing out of his relations to mankind, in view of the arrangement of grace devised in infinite wisdom and love for his salvation.

We do not mean the ability of God as displayed in the creation of worlds, involving the absolute government of unintelligent matter which had no will, and therefore no element of resistance, but in view of his scheme of salvation what it is consistent for himself to do.

The question is: Is God limited in his power to change human nature into sympathy with himself as to numbers or in degree, and if so, by what ?

We answer, first, as to numbers, that he is as able to save and make holy the whole adult race, as to thus change and save a single one of its members.

In the discussion respecting the limited or partial salvation of men, making it depend upon God's foreknowledge, decrees or corresponding predetermination, has resulted in erroneous conclusions, from the fact that it has overlooked the vital question or principle upon which the whole argument rests. This requires that it was absolutely indispensable that God should have become incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, and accomplish all he did in order to make it possible that one sinner could be converted, and that God could consistent with the infallibility of his word or law. whose voice is: "• The soul that sinneth, it shall die," to bring that sinner to a condition of reconciliation with his own views, feelings and government; and thus was established the pi'inciple by which he could also bring every other sinner into the same gracious harmony with himself ; that is, all sinners placed in the same circumstances, or as members of a common, fallen race.

Of course, this does not include fallen angels, and we doubt whether it included our first parents, for whose acts there were no extenuating circumstances — who had no want of balance, growing out of physical, moral or mental weakness, such as they have transmitted to all their offspring. Paul tells us that the woman was deceived, but the man was not — he offers no excuse for his sin, but audaciously answers his maker: '^ The woman did give me, and I did eat.'' That his oflfepring were thus infected is obvious from such expressions as these: '* The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." ** I was born in sin and shapen in iniquity."

Every man now has his weakness, and which is his *' besetting sin." Hence, as God permitted this race to come into existence with such inherited moral inability, it is easy to see that it might be made the grounds for doing for them what he could not do consistently for their original progenitors. The promise was made to the seed of the woman, not to the woman herself, or to Adam himself. Indeed, there is not an intimation in the whole Bible by which we may even infer the salvation of Adam or Eve.

We read the history of Abel offering sacrifice unto God, but not of Adam. Indeed, it seems that if it were possible for God to save the rebel Adam, it were also just as possible and consistent for him to save the rebel angels,

** who kept not their first estate; " and that he ha^ not done the latter, leaves us to infer not only that he could not, but also equally that he could not convert and save the first human sinners, Adam and Eve, who kept not their first estate. Bnt aside from this, the great principle is established that " God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that belie veth in Jesus." Thus justice is vindicated, and God is able, that is, consistent with himself, his word an4 government, to " impute to an unjust sinner his faith for righteousness," which makes him as sinless and holy as though he had never sinned; and do we not see that this principle embraces every sinner as much as any who has faith in Jesus ? This provision of grace to our race is not only therefore as extensive as that race, but able to make every member of that race as holy as God is holy, according to the command: "Be ye holy, for I am holy; " and if it were not possible for man to be made thus holy, is it not folly, or worse, on the part of God requiring of man what is impossible; and may not every man take up and reiterate the charge of the unprofitable servant? "Thou 2 art an austere man; thou takest up that thou laiclst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow." But instead of this being true, it is declared positively that his ability is also without limit in the direction of an entire change of nature.

"He is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.'^ What we understand the Scriptures to teach in regard to a man's being made "holy, as God requires/' is, that he must first become a penitent sinner, feeling he is lost without Christ, and not only consenting, but also humbly and heartily praying to be saved from guilt through his name, and become conscious that his praj^er is heard and answered.

This change begets in the pardoned culprit such feelings and views toward God, who up to this time had been considered his enemy, but now his dearest friend. We say the knowledge of this change is so great and powerful that it gives strength to resist all temptations, come from whatever source, to displease this God who has thus manifested to him such love and mercy. This is precisely such strength as would result if a man who had forfeited his life and estate by the flagrant violation of the laws of his country toward a third person, who mercifully and freely comes forward, redeems and restores to him both. Would such a man ever do an act to displease such a friend? Would he have the least disposition to do so ? Would it be necessary for any other change to be wrought in his nature, only a knowledge of this gracious and magnanimous interference in order to secure his affection and undeviating fidelity ? What temptation would be sufficiently powerful to induce him to speak any word or do any act which would injure the feelings of such a friend — especially would not this be impossible immediately on leaving the criminal court before whose bar he had been arraigned to answer for his crimes ? We can easily conceive how, in the lapse of time, and especially if the intercourse between these two had been broken off" by being removed at a great distance from each other, coldness might ensue, and gradually the wishes, feelings and injunctions of his friend become unheeded mid forgotten; but if he had coiitiiuied to reside in the vicinity of his benefactor, and also to be the continued recipient of his favors, and also that this friend had th*^ ability and disposition to confer upon him every favor he needed, and had promised all this, would not this have the eflFect to increase the attachment of the latter ?

Now, to carry out the illustrar tion, we will suppose that the condition upon which this friend proposed to confer any and all of these benefits was, that the man receiving them should never remove out of the vicinity of his friend, but to remain and trust him for the fulfillment of his gracious promises; and do we not see that had he complied with this condition, it would seem almost impossible for him to ofiend such a friend; and also that the very act of removing, or thoughts of it, from this vicinity, would, in itself, be a grievous wrong, committed against this friend — indeed, a crime nothing less than infidelity. Now, by ceasing to hold communication, the moral distance becomes equal to the territorial, and under such circumstances the wanderer finds himself acting without regard to the injunctions, wishes and feelings of him who had been, and still was, his best friend, but who had now put himself beyond the reach of further friendship or favor. So is it with the sinner, who has forfeited all claim to the favor of God, and all right to eternal life. He came to God in the name of Jesus, a true penitent, and heartily prayed for pardon, who heard and granted his request. The man was happy, and now the injunction was: ** Abide in me, and ye shall bring forth much fruit, so shall ye be my disciple." The manifestation of such love and mercy captivates and charms, and gives strength to do just what God requires. Such a man exclaims: '* Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee." That this is the true idea, is shown by such passages as this: ''As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God," which also shows clearly that there is an important sense in which penitent sinners are in Christ's favor; and as long as he thus abides in him, there is no power on earth or hell which is either able to induce him to sin, or to pluck him out of God's hand. Hence it is said: ''He that is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

While he therefore remains thus born of God, and by common consent this is his conversion or justification, he is holy and spotless from sin and its contaminating effects and consequences. But do we not perceive that the man himself may remove his cause out of the hands of Christ, which all children do when they commit the first known and deliberate transOTession asrainst God, as well as all adult Christians by doing the same, and by this estrano^ement thev are ao-ain sinners: and as they thus recede from Christ, " the true light,'* they become involved in moral darkness. To such, says Jesus: "If the light in you become darkness, how great is that darkness." But as long as such abide in Christ, is it not clear that the wicked one toucheth them not, and who are therefore " as holj^ as God is holy," and as "perfect as their Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Peter speaks thus concerning this condition of the new birth: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, which is the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Hence we see that the seed whicli remaineth in those who are born again, and which abideth forever, is the word of God, rendering it impossible in such a state to commit sin, in the proper sense of that term. This is still further explained by Jesus, thus: "Now ye are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you; abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me; I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you; herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.'' We have in these plain teachings of Jesus and the apostles, a condition of Christian experience which is the highest, most holy and perfect, possible, and in which it is impossible to commit sin. Lot us briefly analyze its elements. We remark in the first place, that it presents a standard of holiness and purity the most complete and perfect, and which therefore admits of no increase; except it be that class who are in Christ as true penitents and who have consecrated themselves to the service of God for life, and who are earnestly praying for pardon and assimilation to Christ's image and thus have commenced to bear fruit. The express instruction providing for these, is this: *' Every branch in me that beareth fruit, the Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.'' This purging will be accomplished when God, according to their faith, receives, pardons and sanctifies them, after which they are prepared to ''bring forth more fruit." Another remark is, that as this instruction embrac'es all who are m Christ, both penitent and pardoned sinners, and as they are thus in Christ at the commencement of their Christian career, therefore on the authority of Jesus they are then in the highest state of holiness and Christian purity which it is possible to attain, and to maintain which makes them one with Jesus as he is one with his Father. According to these instructions we learn that Christ's disciples are in him not as a mere form, but vitally, **as the branch is in the vine;" not by a mere heartless profession, or a round of ritualism, but hi as close sympathy as he is with the Father — as a branch is in the the vine so that it bears fruit.

They are clean through the words which Jesus had sp 3ken unto them. This word was the incorruptible seed. While this seed remained in them, they could not sin, or while they thus abided in Christ and his love abided in them, as his Father's love abided in him.

We are taught from these relations that if there was perfect love between Jesus and his Father, it was the same between him and his disciples. If there was perfect purity and fidelity between Jesus and his Father, the same existed between him and his disciples. If

Jesus had perfect faith in his Father, so had these disciples in him. "If ye abide in me, and ask anything in my name, I will do it."

Again, their joy was full; no joy could be more perfect than this. They glorified the Father, which they could not have done with a corrupt heart. They were not only his disciples, but Christ had loved them as the Father had loved him; here was perfect love. " If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." The commandment of Jesus, upon which hangs all the law and the prophets, is: " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.'' Another of these commandments is: "Abide in me. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you; if ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." " I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me; I pray for them; I pray* not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they arc thine, and all mine are thine, and all thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are." " I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world; sanctify them through thy truth; as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world, and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou hast given me I have given them, that they may be one, I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know tliat thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me, and I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them/^ Christ had given them Ms word^ and thej^- had kept it; they had not preferred the words of men. His word remained in them; through these words of Jesus they were clean. They had known surely that Christ came from the Father; they believed God had sent him. He prayed for them because they belonged to God, and he was glorified in them. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are one. No more sin, depravity, unholiness, carnal mindedness, impurity, uncleanness, or love of the world, existed between these saints and Jesus than between him and his Father. Christ prayed that they might be made perfect in one, for the reason just assigned: ''That the world might know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved me, as I have loved them. I pray that thou shouldst keep them from the evil that is in the world.^' They were not only justified, but glorified. "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them.^' This made them perfectly one with Christ. " That they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that I have loved them as thou hast loved me.'^

The idea here is that there is as uninterrupted love existing between Christ and his saints as that between him and his Father, and of course must be perfect. But it may be said that these saints, thus newly chosen to be Christ^s disciples, were not pure; they still were partially depraved; they still had the carnal mind; were still unholy, impure and unclean, because Christ prayed that they might be sanctified, and as sanctification means to make an unholy heart holy, or an imperfect one perfect, an unclean one clean, or in other words, to do for a saint what justification leaves undone.

Well, if sanctification does mean this, then Jesus must have had an unholy, impure, imperfect, unclean, and a partially depraved heart, because he uses this term in the same comiection as applicable to himself : '* For their sakes I sanctify myself. '^ Now, as Jesus had no such heart as this, therefore the word sanctification has no such meaning, but must have one which admits of such an application; and that it has, we shall shortly attempt to show.

The idea that the depravity returns to a sanctified heart by the commission of a sin — we mean the known and deliberate violation of the law of God, for nothing else is a sin; but this is a reversion of the order, the fact being that the return of this depravity, caused by taking his heart out of Christ^s keeping, makes it possible for such a heart to commit sin; for it is impossible for him thus to sin while he remains in Christ, and his word (the seed) remains in him, embracing his warnings, threateniugs, injunctions, promises and consequences of turning away from the living God, must first be removed from the heart. Such a heart may sin under the most aggravating circumstances, even to " count the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and (thus") do despite to the spirit of

Treatise on Saxctiffcation, 3 {

grace." The elements of such a fall are, first, darkness, a gradual failure to desire the spirituality of the law of God, and to see "the exceeding sinfulness of sin; " and lastly, to lose his strength to resist temptation, and again "does the wicked one eflfectually touch him,'' and has brought him in captivity to his will. The seven other unclean spirits have returned and again dwell in the house which was sanctified, swept and garnished. He is in the condition of the branch which has ceased to bear fruit — is thenceforth good for nothing but to be " cast forth and trodden under the foot of men.'' " The last state of that man is worse than the first." But the most prominent feature of this uncleanness which ensues to the man, who "like the sow that was washed, but has returned again to her wallowing in the mire," is that of a perfect loss of strength; such are represented as being "twice dead, plucked up by the roots."

A sinner has no more strength to extricate himself from his moral, sinful impurity, than has a dead man power to bring himself to life. "He is dead in trespasses and in sins." And his only hope is thus amiouuced: ''For when we were without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly.'- "And a^ many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name.'' The depravity of the human heart is often so involved in mystery by the use of unscriptural and ambiguous terms and figures, that the impression as to its nature, if definite at all, is that it is something in a man as an abstraction — a being, not essentiallj^ connected with his physical, mental, or moral constitution — but the ideas the Scripture conveys in regard to it are, that Christ is the light, "The son of righteousness," whose example and precept clearly points out the right and the wrong of every question which can possibly arise among mankind. If a man walk in this light, " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth him from all sin, " but if he recedes from it, he becomes involved in darkness: "If the light in you becomes darkness how great is that darkness." Christ is his strength: " We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" (final salvation), but if he loses his faith, he puts himself beyond the reach of that power to save and that light to illuminate, Christ is his wisdom, but if he leaves Christ^s school, he ceases to learn of him, ^' who was meek and lowly in heart, " and as a natural consequence he becomes, in heart, proud and haughty — which lesson he prefers to learn of men, adopting their teachings instead of Christ's.

Christ is his sanctification; which consists in being kept from the evil that is in the world, by^ the power of God. Thus is " his vessel preserved in sanctification and in honor."

But if he ceases to abide in Christy and his word ceases to abide in him, he becomes again unsanctified and unclean, which is the result of his backsliding in heart and life from God, and not at all because he did not become more pure than he was at his conversion.

His thoughts, motives and feelings become unclean, unsanctified, the result of which is his words and actions, the fruit of the corrupt tree, its natural manifestations, are unclean and corrupt.

What is more clearly and certainly taught 3 by these infallible doctrines of Christ himself, than that these disciples whom he had chosen were models of Christian perfection and purity, between whom and Jesus there was no more unsauctified and imperfect moral nature existing than between him and God his Father ? *' They are one as we are one.'' "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my love.''

Here we are presented with the picture of the church as Jesus formed it, and which was not confined to the disciples, but included the saints of all ages. "I pray not for these alone, but for all them also who shall believe in me through their word, that they all may be one as we are one."

It must be distinctly understood, therefore, that this was the condition of the puritj^ of all believers when first chosen to be Christ's disciples. "I have chosen them out of the world; " " Chosen throusfh sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth." Such, therefore, is their purity, and such will it forever remain, unless they cease to abide in Christ.

CHAPTER 11.

THE MEANING OF THE WORD SANCTIFICATION.

We may remark that the greatest source of error, with which the world has been cursed, is to be attributed either to the wrong definition of words, or to none at all; and the error we are attempting to expose is a prominent example of the wrong definition of the word ^'sanctification,'' and if such is the fact, the erroneous doctrine predicated upon it has no respectable existence.

We have already shown from the application of the word *' sanctification" to Jesus Christ, that it cannot mean to make an unholy thing or being holy, or an impure one pure. Such a definition is modern, invented by theologians who needed it to teach or prove their preconceived error of unbelieving believers, or sinful Christians. It must be remembered that before a commentary or theological dictionary existed in our world, this word was used in the inspired word of God by the Holy Ghost to teach a certain truth, and of course that truth can only be ascertained by the application of the word in those passages in which it occurs; and of course any other, or human definition which conveys any other idea than is here found, has no authority, and must be rejected. For instance, if it be contended that the word '* sanctification " means to make an unclean thing or being clean, or to cleanse away moral impurity, we object, because Jesus says: " For their sakes I sanctify myself," and we leave the contestant for this definition to teach his doctrine of the defilement and impurity of the Holy Jesus, if he pleases.

The Bible definition we give of the word sanctification, is not only in perfect harmony with this application to Jesus, but also in every other passage to the things and beings to which it is applied. We say, therefore, that the word signifies to keep or preserve in a state of purity, that which has already been purified, by having been washed and cleansed by water — the blood of beasts, or the blood of Christ, or by any other process. In a modified sense, it sometimes is used simply to declare things or beings to be in a state of purity.

We remark, in the first place, that sanctification admits of no degrees, and is never used in a limited sense, designating degrees of cleanness or purity. If a thing or being has the least degree of uncleanness or defilement, it is unsanctified.

We see that the word describes something Jesus did for himself, and then prays that the Father would do that same thing for those who believed in him, who were already in him and were one with him, as he was one witli the Father. They had already been made perfect^ — crucified to the world and the world unto them — they were not of the world, even as he was not, whom also he had glorified. They were, therefore, clean through the words which Jesus had spoken unto them, and consequently had nothing from which to be cleansed. But, nevertheless, they could still be sanctified; for whom and for which Jesus prayed, ** Sanctify them through thy truth,'' and means to keep or preserve them in this condition. Hence also the prayer, "Keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me." Thou hast promised to ^'keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee, for he trusteth ill thee." Fulfill the promise, therefore; keep those clean, and from the evil that is in the world, who believe in me and thee. " For their sakes I sanctify myself," though Jesus could not purify himself from moral defilement, j^et he could keep himself pure, "unspotted and separate from sinners." He could preserve his pure being so that "No guile was found in him," so that the Eternal Father might pronounce the sublime encomium upon him — "Because thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hence the force and propriety of the expression: "For their sakes I sanctify myself." If I become corrupt and fall, as did the first Adam, even those who now believe in me cannot be saved; if I fall down and worship Satan as the first Adam did, by obeying him rather than God, universal ruin will be the result; but for their sakes I keep myself pure — " I sanctify myself."