Lessons in holiness

Preface

Lessons in Holiness is a book designed for the edification and comfort of the confessors cf Jesus Christ our Lord, in the blessing of Full Salvation.

John Fletcher, the divinely-anointed advocate and defender of the doctrine of Holiness, of the last century, once wrote to a friend as follows: "I want you to write me what you think of the Life of Faith, and whether you breathe it without interruption ; whether you never leave that rich palace, Christ, to return to that dungeon, self; what your feelings are when faith is at its lowest ebb, and when it acts most powerfully. I should be glad, also, if you would answer these questions : What sense have you of the nearness of Christ ? What degree of fellowship with the souls nearest your heart ? What particular intimations of the will ol God, in intricate affairs and material steps? And whether you can reconcile the Life of Faith with one wrong temper in the heart ?^* These queries of Mr. Fletcher had been entirely forgotten, until this work was nearly completed ; but they form a very fair index of its plan. But it is far removed from pretension as a system of casuistry ; and only gives some of the teachings of Grace, Nature, Reason, and Experience, on important points in the inner and outer walk of Purity.

It was judged proper to give some room to a statement of the doctrine of Holiness. This, it is confidently hoped, will make the book useful to seekers of the great blessing, and to those who are beginners in presenting doctrine to others.

A comparatively small treatise has all along been contemplated. This has necessitated considerable condensation of thought ; and much land could not be surveyed at all. If anywhere this is a matter of regret, it is in Part Third, which is, no doubt, incomplete. It was especially desirable to insert a section on the doubly-important point of ** Aggres-

PREFACE. O

sion;" but at a late day this was found to be very impracticable.

Lessons in Holiness is not an elucidation of the creed of any sect, as such. Its quotations are much more Biblical than otherwise. Nevertheless, the credit for many of the doctrines and views given, belongs, of necessity, to the penetration as well as the sanctity of others who have walked in the way.

It is not presumed that all the friends of Holiness will accept every thought that is presented. Too many distinct points of precept and experience are given, to command unvarying consent. But in whatever there is not an agreement to agree, let there be an agreement to disagree.

The composition of this work has been performed amid many disadvantages. This has interfered somewhat with the unity of the order pursued.

Many thanks to our ^^full brother," William R. Mathews, by whose love this publication is made possible. And all glory to our Common Lord, by whose grace everything has been performed !

PART I.— The Plan of Holiness

I. The Term, .... Page 9 II. God is Holy, .... 10

III. The Divine Call to Holiness, . 11

IV. Sin, and Sins — Sin a Quality — An Act, 14-18 V. Primary Salvation— Conversion — Primary Conditions— Conviction — Repentance — Faith — Forgiveness — Adoption

The New Birth, . . . 18-26

VI. Initial Cleansing, . . 26-31

VII. Discovery of In bred Sin — The Law, 31-36 VIII. Mistaken Blessings, . . 37

IX. Erroneous Efforts — Covering Depravity with the Spirit — Depravity in Layers — ^Sanctification in Spots — The Doctrine of Gradualism — Zinzendorfism, . 38-46 X. Self-San ctification— Death to Sin— Consecration — None at Conversion — The Office of Faith, . . . 46-58

XI, Divine Sanctification — Adamic and Christian Purity Contrasted — The Positive Element of Entire Sanctification, 58-61 XII. The Second Work Scriptural— The Doctrine of Christ— Of Paul, . . 61-65

PAET II.— The Way of Holiness.

XIII. The Witnessing, . . . 66-71

XIV. Confession — Grounds and Necessity of It — Confess Christ Our Sanctification — Confess the Work Wrought — Confess Experiences, .... 71-75

Table Of Contents

XV. Faith as a Factor in Experience —

Special Faith, . . . 76-80

XVI. Nature and Grace — Relations of the Body— Of the Mind— Spiritual Discerning— Individuality— Idiosyncrasy — Eccentricity, . . . 80-91

PART III.— The Work of Holiness. XXIX

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.

XXXIII.

The Church — Its Constitution — Forms of its Existence— Practical Hints, .... 195-202 Holiness Organization — Bands — County and General Associations —Bands of Workers, . . 203-206

Beneficence— Festivals and Fairs, 206-212 Holiness Laborers — The Pastor — Evangelists — Women as Teachers and Leaders — And Laymen general^ — Qualifications of Laborers — Going out in Companies, 212-216 The Holiness Meeting — Weekly — Special — Camp-Meetings — Secularities — The Teaching and the Preaching — The Conduct of Meetings — The Altar— Silent Worship — Music — Tests — Waiting for God vs. Human Activities — Concluding Note, . . . . 216-224 cssons ill HofincsSf

Part I. The Plan Of Holiness

t—THE TERM.

HOLINESS is wholeness. It is completeness or perfection of quality and quantity. No part is lacking, and no part lacks. Nor does anything foreign to the integrity of the substance either inhere or adhere. It is purity, perfect and entire.

Holiness pertains to life— to responsible life. The term is only secondarily applicable to material things. An apple may be perfect, but we speak of it as good, rather than holy. The altar was holy, but this was simply because it was devoted. The body is holy, only as coimected with a holy heart.

Holiness, therefore, belongs to the realm of the spiritual. It is purity, completion, wholeness, perfection of spiritual quality ; and is shown in purity, completion, wholeness, perfection of moral action.

2.— GOD IS HOLY.

§0D, the head of all being, is holy. No element of his character is more clearly and emphatically revealed than this. He says he is holy. (Lev. xi. 44.) The angels of his presence declare him to be holy. (Isa. vi. 3.) The prophets of his ordaining say he is holy. (Isa. xxix. 23; Jer. li. 5.) And all the saints of earth, having daily fellowship with him, gratefully acknowledge that he is holy.

Holiness is an attribute of God. It was not made, nor can it cease to be, but is underived and eternal. It lies in the very fountain of the Divine.

Abstractly, w^e could conceive of a love without holiness, but not holiness without the principle of love ; yet, in the character of the Almighty, they are scarcely distinguishable from each other, and not separable. Nor can we march in between holiness and the other moral attributes of God. His works of love, goodness, justice and truth, are modes of holiness, or holiness in motion. We look upward, and behold holiness creating, holiness sustaining and keeping, holiness ruling, holiness leading, holiness filling, holiness blessing and satisfying, the saved sons and daughters of men. *' God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness." (Psa. xlvii. 8.) Praises to his name forever !

THE CALL TO HOLINESS. 11

3.— THE DIVINE CALL TO HOLINESS.

tT the beginning God said : '^ Let us make man __ in our image, after our likeness. ^^ (Gen. i. 26.) This was done for the purposes of fellowship. He intended to become the head of a great social compact, on earth, with these higher intelligences as members of it ; and that they might be so, they were stamped with God-likeness. As sentient beings, intelligent and capable of dominion, man was created in a finite correspondence with the Infinite ; but, after all, the most signal resemblance was in spiritual perfections. God was holy ; he made man holy. This constituted fitness for membership in the family of earth, and the great society of the universe. The Pure One of heaven and the pure ones below, could meet together on the common basis of purity and spiritual affinity. There was no fear in creation ^s morning, for perfect love and perfect holiness kept out fear.

But through disobedience, unholiness came into the world, and its great shadow fell as a blight on the God-man community. Fellowship was at an end, and the Garden love-castle was too pure to remain the resting-place of rebellious men. Yet the call to holiness has never been abated, nor the scheme of heart-twining abandoned. God is un-

12 3.ESSONS IN HOLINESS.

changed, and therefore he provided a plan of reconstruction in hoHness, that we all might be brought to himself. It is not Utopian, but eminently practical. Many believe it is a failure ; and many more, professedly disciples, but half believe it, and rest in lassitude or opposition. But, *^ we which have beheved do enter into rest.'^

The remedy for unholiness is as heaven-high as it is heaven-born. It is the gift of the Son of God. It is the atonement of his precious blood. In him is holiness for all Adam^s children — holiness of heart, and then heaven forever !

God has written and j)ublished a Book, the object of which is to point out Christ, the sovereign remedy for sin and unholiness, and to induce each and every one to be without sin and holy. In its first general division, he says : ^' I am the Lord your God ; ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be liolyy (Lev. xi. 44; see also xix. 2, and XX. 7.) This was the command to his chosen nation, he giving it in his proper name, as their ^^Adonai'^ (Lord), or ruler. To the Israehtes, this call was of universal obligation ; so much so, that the high priest, in his representative character, was to wear an inscription on his forehead: ^^ Holiness to the Lord,^^ It was enforced in the prophetic division of The Book — not only for all the children of Jacob, but for every place in their lives — in these

THE CALL TO HOLINESS. 13

very trenchant words : ** In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses" — in the places of travel and commerce — ^^ Holiness unto the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar; yea, every pot in Jerusalem" — all the preparation of their daily food — ** shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts." (Zech. xiv. 20, 2L)

Next, the divine, beneficent arrangement broad-* ens out to reach and include all mankind. For o\ *^Tyre" — a representative of the Gentile nationsit was said: ** And her merchandise and her hir^ shall be. Holiness to the Lord; it shall not be treasured nor laid up ; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently^ and for durable clothing." (Isa. xxiii. 18.)

Then, in the last general division of the Divine Chart, we have a reiteration of the demand for a universal holiness, in an apostolic address to the general church : ''As he which hath called you is holy, so Be Ye Holy in all manner of conversation (rather, ''all manner of living"); because it is written. Be ye holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter i. 15, 16.) And this : " Follow peace with all men, and Holiness (R. Ver., "the sanctification") without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. xii. 14.)

Nothing can take the place of holiness. Giant intellect, nor the lack of it ; beautiful and symmetrical culture, nor the lack of it ; great wealth, position or power, nor the lack of them ; nor a]l these together, are sufficient qualification for fellowship with the Lord, or even rightly to dwell with men. Nothing short of holiness answers human designs and human ends. Nothing less will open the great gate of heaven.

Every estimate of the Gospel appears faulty and shabby, that does not unfold from it a universal offer for a universal spiritual renovation, by which, here on earth, all that is impure is cast out, and the very Spirit of Holiness, the Holy Ghost, comes in, to fill everything, to sway everything, and to stay forever !

^IN is the opposite of holiness — nothing more and ^ nothing less. It is always, in some way, a lack of spiritual soundness. It is an element utterly foreign to the original character and life of man. In its two-fold nature, as internal enmity to God and disobedience to law, sin is the only thing between humanity, on the one side, and God, holiness, and heaven, on the other.

SIX, AND SINS. 15

It is necessary to iinderstund this double nature, just mentioned. And, first —

SIN IS PUKELY A STATE, A QUALITY.

It is the root, and essence, and substance of spiritual impurity or corruption, or badness of heart. It is the primal cause of transgression, the fountain of all unholy activities ; but it must not be confounded with these activities, nor any one of them. In this sense, the apostle uses the word in one of his definitions : *^A11 unrighteousness^^— unright-wiseness — **is sin.^^ (1 John v. 17.) And thus, also, in the remarkable passage : ''The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.'^ (1 John i. 7.) John the Baptist confined the word strictly to its generic meaning, and not at all to transgression, when, with pointing finger and strong emphasis, he said : *' Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world !^^ ( John i. 29.) And then Paul uses the word, '' sin,'^ in precisely the same sense, of elementary antagonism to holiness. He says : ** Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.'^ (Rom. vi. 11.) Look at other passages in the Gentile apostle^s writings, for the same meaning applied to the word here considered. He also calls the quality of unholiness, *' the body of sin,^^ '' our old man,^^ the '* carnal mind,^^ and *' an evil heart of unbelief. ^^

Theologians describe it as ^* sin,^^ ^* original sin," * * depravity, " * * unrigh teousness. ^ ^ Notably, also, it is termed ^^ inbred sin.^^ This is, because it is coexistent with birth. We receive it, rather than cause it ; it is what we are, and not what we become. The old creed well says : *' Original sin is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam."

As sin exists in us, at the first, without our act, consent, or foresight, we are not chargeable nor charged with it. It is never set down against us, until the means of its eradication are presented, and they are deliberately rejected. And then, rather, we are not charged with sin, but with the act of rejection.

In the second place —

SIN IS AN ACT, A TRANSGRESSION.

It is an overt rebellion against God and his law. It is something done, effected, or permitted, by a responsible agent, and, of necessity^ through a movement of the will. Men sin ; and they do so because they wish, and will to sin.

A sin is any act for which God blames the actor. It is something that entails guilt, and always implies a penalty, an infliction of punishment.

There is a sense in which mistakes, and the results of infirmities, are sins. Of their relation to

SIN, AND SINS. 17

the law it is not here necessary to be very expUcit. With the Christian, at least, they are not the bearers of guilt to the soul.

The sin of the heart, as first defined, is the prime cause of every sin that is committed. The inner corruption is the parent of all transgression. It is the force that moves the will. The circumstances and temptations of life, be they within the body, or beyond it, are but the occasions of rebellious movement ; '' For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.^^ (Matt. xv. 19.)

In the Scriptures, the term ^^ sin,^Mn the singular number, agrees with the first definition, of an unholy quality, unless, from the connection in which it is found, it necessarily refers to an act, a single transgression. But the plural term, *' sins,'^ always refers to acts alone. And on a proper understanding of the difi*erent uses of these terms, will frequently depend a clear perception of inspired truth.

The atonement for our sins, and all their terrible guilt, is precisely the same as for sin, unholiness. The blood of Jesus is intended to cover them all, is amply sufiicient, and nothing else is offered for the purpose. Let no one look one step beyond it !

But the modes of ridding the soul of " sin^' and ** sins '' are different. The first is by a divine act of cleansing, while the latter is by an equally divine 2 act of forgiveness. Both are equally necess ary , but they are not identical. Yet we do not forget, that with forgiveness there is what the Scriptures term" the ** washing of regeneration,^' by which the pollution of a life of sin is cleansed away .

5.— PRIMARY SALVATION— CONVERSION.

igl ON VERSION is the gateway to our spiritual ^ inheritance. The child, without the responsibility of moral action, is already a subjeci of grace ; as Jesus saith : ^* Of such is the kingdom of heaven. '' (Matt. xix. 14.) But men and women have sinned, and each one must come to the Lord through the appointed door ; for to them Jesus saith : *^ Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. '' (Matt, xviii. 3.) —

PREPARATOBY CONDITIONS.

1. Conviction, This is an act of God. It is an impartation of light and knowledge, concerning sin, guilt, and punishment. It usually deals more with sin as an act than a state. Conviction is an approach to the intellect ; but it is also much more

PRIMAKY SALVATION. 19

and deeper than this. As it is the work of the Holy Spirit, it is a spiritual work, and is often a deep and stinging impression on the guilty soul.

2. Repentance, This follows conviction, and is a human act, in answer to the divine illumination. It is a deep sorrow for sins committed, and a genuine forsaking of sinful practices. Confession is a phase as well as an outgrowth of repentance. The Scriptural call is : " Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts iii. 19.) No one has divine authority to neglect the ancient doctrine of repentance, and no one can truly repent without divine assistance. And, thank God ! such assistance is promised to the sincere soul.

3. Faith, Repentance properly culminates in faith. Indeed, it may sometimes be a little difficult to discern where one ends and the other begins. As repentance is a turning away from sin, so faith is a turning to the Lord, for forgiveness and salvation. The two are brought together thus, by the pen of inspiration : ^^ Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.^' (Acts xx. 21.) Faith is far beyond mere belief. It is an utter forsaking of self-help or self-salvation, and an utter casting of the soul on Jesus. It is an act of committal, trust, to him who has invited all men unto himself. But faith itself is crowned by belief— a belief that Christ both receives and forgives the sinner. '^For by grace are ye saved, through faith." (Eph. ii. 8.)

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

Forgiveness is the first real element in the conversion of the soul. It is an act of sovereignty, conditioned on faith in the atonement.

Let us look a moment. The Lord forgives. The Psalmist says that he ^' forgiveth all thine iniquities." (Psa. ciii. 3.) The loved disciple renders it thus: *^If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." (1 John i. 9.) That is, he actually forgives. There is nothing mythical about it. A new fact in the souPs history has taken place, and all its sins are removed, as well as all their guilt, whether they be thoughts, words, deeds, or duties neglected. There is no half-way work about the matter. To repent of one sin only, if this were possible, would not bring the forgiveness of that sin, nor of any other ; but a perfect repentance of every sin, either known or forgotten, followed by a simple act of faith, brings the most complete forgiveness imaginable. Praise God for it !

We have sometimes been grieved at the inexact expressions of holiness people, which give a slight coloring to the charge, that they contemplate the completion of forgiveness, or the forgiveness of

PRIMARY SALVATION. 21

some sins that remained after conversion, in entire sanctification. But no one with a proper understanding of the Scriptures will teach anything like this. Nor have we ever known such a doctrine to be seriously taught. ** Our God,^^ says the prophet, " will abundantly pardon. '^ (Isa. Iv. 7.)

And what a blessing ! A great burden is lifted from the soul. He who was a sinner, is now innocent — as innocent as the new-born babe. He who was guilty before the transgressed Law, is now jus- ];ified fully, and set free.

ADOPTION.

Immediately with justification, or forgiveness, a second fact in the work of conversion is recorded. This is adoption. He who was an enemy of God, becomes his friend ; and he also immediately discovers, what he had before found it difficult really to apprehend, that God is his friend. He who was a stranger and a foreigner, is now natm*alized, and becomes a *^ fellow-citizen with^the saints and of the household of God.^' (Eph. ii. 19.) He is adopted into the family of heaven, and has a new name — even that of the Father — stamped on his forehead. (Rev. xiv. 1.) He whose promised inheritance was a dwelling-place ^^ with everlasting burnings'' (Isa. xxxiu. 14), suddenly finds himself an heir to a vast estate. *^ If children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ'^ (Rom. viii. 17), "to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven.^' (1 Peter i. 4.) Alleluia !

To be more explicit : adoption is purely a legal act. It is a transfer of guardianship and fatherly title. They who, as our Lord says, **are of your father, the deviP^ (John viii. 44), become, in law, the children of God, so that our Lord says of them : '^ One is your Father, which is in heaven.'' (Matt. xxiii. 9.)

THE NEW BIRTH.

But to adopt a '^hoodlum'' into a good family would not make him a true child of that family. Not by any means. And exactly similar would be the case, were God simply to adopt a child of sin into the family of heaven. Therefore, with the new legal relation, he gives us an active principle of grace — a new spiritual life — called regeneration, or the new birth. We are born of God. ^t the very moment the papers of adoption are signed on both sides, sealed, and passed, by which we enter into the house of God as his child, we are made such in very deed — "being born again; not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. '' (1 Peter i. 23.) Paul says : " God hath sent forth the Spirit of his

PRIMARY SALVATION. 23^

Son'^ — the very spirit of sonship — '* into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father !'^ (Gal. iv. 6.) That is, the God-life, or God-nature, is breathed into us, and we become a '^ new creature.'^ We have what among men is termed a ''blood-relationship ;^^ God is our real and proper father (Father), by a spiritually generative act ; and we are possessed of exactly the same feeling or consciousness, the same spirit (Spirit), toward the Father, in our degree^ that possesses the Eternal Son, so that we naturally and spontaneously exclaim : '' Abba, Father !'' How beautiful, how grand, to him who first enjoys it ! How blessed, whenever it is enjoyed !

The '' Spirit of adoption'^ is the Witness of adoption. '' The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.'^ (Rom. viii. 16.)

It should be plainly noticed, that the new birth is perfect. It could not well be otherwise, if it exists at all. It was not ; it now is. It is a clearly accomplished thing. It is the culminating fact in a real conversion ; but it is the very first grade of a real religious life, and as such, is precisely what it purports to be — nothing more, and nothing less. It does not claim or imply the eradication of the '* old man,^^ but the birth of the new. It does not claim or imply the maturity of the new man, but simply his advent and existence. The true doctrine of holiness is often met by what its enemies consider to be a crushing statement : *' God never does a half- work ; he always does a perfect work.'^ This is not true, in either nature or grace. Every halfgrown ear of corn, and every immature Christian, is a clear refutation of the argument. But in its Intended application to regeneration, w^e fully accept it. No one is partially born of the Spirit, but is perfectly regenerated, or not at all.

Begeneration implies that every variety of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is implanted. What these are, we find recorded, as follows : ^^ The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith (fidelity). Meekness, Temperance: against such there is no law.'^ (Gal. v.) And further : ^' God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'' (2 Tim. i. 7.) What more in number and kind can imagination picture, as belonging to the child of God ? Nothing, absolutely nothing, either in earth or heaven. He has every spiritual sense and appetite that is desirable. Moreover, the spiritual fruit of the regenerate, although existing in connection with the '' carnal mind,'' and manifestly immature, is, nevertheless, perfect, whole, or complete in its kind. It is unmixed with the existing carnality. It is holy. It is holy in the sense that it cannot be more so. Nor will any one for a

PRIMARY SALVATION. 25

moment doubt or question this, when he remembers that the '' born-again grace ^^ is an emanation of the Divine Life.

Forgiveness is a judicial act. It is done for us. The merit of the Savior^ s death is accepted instead of the transgressor^ s punishment. But regeneration is done in us. In point of order, it doubtless follows forgiveness ; but there is no intervening time. He who is forgiven is also regenerated. And by regeneration, forgiveness is retained and its fruits made secure. Living and active grace is imparted to the soul.

Many professors of Christianity believe that they can do almost anything not glaringly sinful, and still be the children of God. Some of them think the ordinary professor may sin, and that it is only ** holiness people ^^ who are held to a strict accountability of life. These are serious mistakes. To sin is to disobey God ; and disobedience has no promise but condemnation and wrath. No Scripture is one whit plainer and more forceful than this : ^^ He that committeth sin is of the devil.'' And this : ^^ Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.^' (1 Johniii. 8, 9.)

Such, then, is the two-fold work — the outer and inner — that comprises conversion. Is it not grand and wonderful ? Is it not a high state, and a high estate ? Most certainly. No wonder that Heaven^s

26 IiESSO:NS IN HOLINESS.

battlements are standing-places for rejoicing angels, when erring men turn to their God and live. Let His Name be magnified forever !

VL— INITIAL CLEANSING.

BUT is there no sanctification or cleansing in conversion ? Certainly there is. The AVord of God clearly reveals it, although it does not dwell at length on the subject.

Take what is said concerning the Corinthians. They did not receive the highest praise, for they were ^* carnal. ^^ (1 Cor. iii. 1.) Yet they were ^* babes in Christ ;^^ that is, converted, regenerated. And in the same epistle, Paul says of them : *^ But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jestis, and by the Spirit of our God.^^ (1 Cor. vi. 11.) ^his is clearly to the point. It cannot refer merely to a very few in the body, who may have remained faithful to God, and gone on to perfection ; but is a general remark, and as such is necessarily applicable to aU the ** babes in Christ ^^ in Corinth.

In exhorting the Israehtes to turn from their sins and the mere forms of outward worship to God,

INITIAL. CLEANSING. 27

the son of Amoz say§ : ^^Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doing from before your eyes.'' (Isa. i. 16.) It was not a cessation from sinning and forgiveness only that were required; nor was final sanctification in order; but the ** evil of their doing'' must be put away.