To the brook and beyond!

In the “The Salvation Soldier's Armoury” morning reading for October 12th I came across the following verse in 2 Chronicles 30:14 –

“They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.”

This verse is part of the account given concerning the purification, by Hezekiah, of Judaic worship from the influences of Assyrian cults.

I couldn’t help being pulled up by those words ‘Kidron Valley’.

The Kidron Valley runs along the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. It then continues east through the Judean Desert, towards the Dead Sea.

Once a river ran through this valley, but the water was diverted through Hezekiah’s tunnel to supply Jerusalem with water. In the time of Christ a seasonal stream or brook ran through the valley. It is that brook that Albert Orsborn refers to in his song from which this blog drives its name:

“My all is in the Master's hands
For him to bless and break;
Beyond the brook his winepress stands
And thence my way I take,
Resolved the whole of love's demands
To give, for his dear sake.”

In order to get from Gethsemane to the ‘winepress’ of Calvary Jesus had to cross the ‘brook’ of Kidron.

In other words he had to cross the valley into which his forbears had tossed their foreign Gods and broken idols.

This link really spoke to me, how often we, on our pathway towards holiness, hesitate over the worldly debris we have sacrificed. If we want to experience holiness then sacrifice is only part of the journey. Sacrifice must be followed by obedience. For Christ the sacrifice was made when he prayed ‘thy will not mine be done’, but it was obedience, evidenced by the crossing of the brook, that led to our salvation.

Then in my devotions I read the following verses from 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

“3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual
immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that
is holy and honourable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not
know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take
advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already
told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a
holy life.”

Let us make sure that our own sanctification is not corrupted or maybe even invalidated by a longing for the things we have surrendered – let’s make sure that we go ‘beyond the brook… resolved the whole of love’s demands to give, for his dear sake.’ Let there be no lingering, no hesitating, no looking longingly into the waters below, but instead a determined stride towards Calvary and the glory that awaits us there!

Love and prayers A

Holiness Part 6

5. THE FOURTH CONDITION OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS FAITH; that is, the act of simple heart-trust by which the soul commits itself to God and believes that He does now sanctify according to His promises.

‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful [to His own promise] and just [to the suffering and agony of His Son, which purchased the blessing] to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (I John i. 9).

‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you’ (Ezekiel xxxvi. 25).


‘He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make inter cession for them’ (Hebrews vii. 25).

(a) Faith for Sanctification, or Sanctifying Faith, is of the same kind as Saving Faith. Neither new nor stronger faith is necessary, but the same faith exercised for a different object.

(b) Sanctifying Faith involves the intellectual belief that God is able, is willing, and has promised, to sanctify. But it goes beyond this to the heart-trust which believes that God does now sanctify. Thus it is present faith.

(c) Faith for deliverance from sin can manifestly only be exercised when the previous conditions are fully complied with, for without conviction of sin deliverance would not be sought, while any holding back in renunciation or consecration would naturally condemn, and

'If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God’(1 John iii. 21).

(d) Sanctifying Faith speaks somewhat as follows: ‘I do here and now commit myself fully to God; I believe that He receives me, that the Blood of Jesus Christ, according to God’s promise, does now cleanse me from all inward sin, making me pure in heart before Him, and I believe that He will keep that which I now commit to Him.’

(e) The foundation or ground of Sanctifying Faith is God’s promises and His faithfulness-not feelings, upon which many try to base it.

‘Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed’ (John xx. 29).

6. ASSURANCE OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

‘Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God [Sanctification being one of these]’ (I Corinthians ii. 12).

‘Hereby know we that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us’ (I John iii. 24).
‘Hereby we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit’ (I John iv. 13).

Usually assurance is given as soon as faith is exercised, but sometimes faith is tested by assurance being withheld for a time. In such a case the person should maintain his consecration and his faith in God’s promises until the assurance comes, like Abraham, who patiently watched and protected his sacrifices until God rewarded his obedient faith by appearing to him in the form of fire (see Genesis xv.)

7. SANCTIFICATION IS THE WORK OF GOD. Man’s consecration and faith do not sanctify; they are simply conditions upon which God’s sanctifying grace is given.

8. ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION TAKES PLACE INSTANTANEOUSLY — in the same sense that death takes place instantaneously. A man may be dying for some time, but he does not die until the instant his soul is separated from his body; then he lives the life of eternity. So a person may be some time reaching the point of entire freedom from sin, but he is only dead to sin when sin is separated from his soul, and at that instant he lives the full life of love.

9. THE ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED ARE KEPT ONLY BY GOD, who, by His Spirit, dwells within them and produces ever increasingly in their lives His own blessed ‘fruits’ (see Galatians v. 22, 23). They must, however, do their part by continuing their consecration and trust, and by using God’s appointed means for spiritual growth, such as prayer, Bible-reading, testimony, responding to the Spirit’s voice within, and submitting in all things to God.

‘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’ (John xv. 4).

‘That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith’ (Ephesians iii. 17).

‘Being filled with all the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ’ (Philippians i. II).

‘Kept by the power of God through faith’ (I Peter i. 5).

(Taken from the 1922 Doctrine Book complete and unabridged)

Holiness Part 5

Section III.-ITS ATTAINMENT

1. THE BESTOWAL OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION, as with every other gift of God’s grace, IS CONDITIONAL — it depends upon the whole-hearted co-operation of the person to be benefited.

Assuming that conversion has already taken place, the necessary conditions are: Conviction, Renunciation, Consecration, Faith.

2. THE FIRST CONDITION OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS CONVICTION; that is, seeing the need for being made holy.

(a) Conviction for holiness includes: realizing the inward sin that exists; hating it, no matter what form it may assume; believing its removal possible; seeing holiness to be both a duty and a privilege; and earnestly desiring deliverance.

(b) Such conviction is at first brought about by the Holy Spirit, but the soul must voluntarily respond to His promptings by facing its own sinfulness and by wholeheartedly seeking Holiness, if this great blessing is to be obtained.

‘When He is come, He will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment’ (John xvi. 8, R.V.).

(c) Conviction for Holiness leads the soul to realize and to sorrow over-not merely outward acts of sin, but its own inward evils, such as —

• Pride, or an undue sense of one’s own importance, fostered by the consciousness of some real or fancied superiority.
• Vanity, or love of display.
• Selfish Ambition-the craving for position, power, wealth, or dignity, for its own sake.
• Evil Temper, even though curbed and mastered.
• Malice, together with hatred, bitterness, revenge.
• Covetousness, or undue craving for possessions of any kind.
• Lust, or bondage to bodily appetites.
• Sloth, Love of the World, Selfishness, Envy, and want of thorough truthfulness.
• An experience which reveals such evils, or some of them, in all their hideousness, is necessarily painful, as Isaiah found when he exclaimed:—

‘Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts’ (Isaiah vi. 5).

(d) Various means are used by the Holy Spirit to bring about Conviction for Holiness; for example, a fresh vision of God (as with Isaiah), a sense of unrest in the soul, a holy life, a Holiness testimony, the proclaiming of Holiness, a book or article.

(e) True conviction for Holiness is marked by self abasement and humility, and it leads naturally to compliance with the further conditions of Holiness — renunciation, consecration, and faith.

3. THE SECOND CONDITION OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS RENUNCIATION; that is, giving up everything opposed to the will of God.

(a) Renunciation must be forever, and it must be entire, including —

i. All that is known to be wrong.

’Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us’ (Hebrews xii. I).

ii. Everything that seems doubtful, for the Bible shows such to be sinful.

‘Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth’ (Romans xiv. 22).

‘He that doubteth is damned [or condemned]’ (Romans xiv. 23).

(b) Renunciation will include many common habits. For example: —

i. Strong Drink, even in moderation, must be given up, because the practice is wasteful, injurious, and productive of misery, wickedness, and damnation; because the influence of a moderate drinker may lead weaker people to drunkenness; and because the whole spirit of the Bible is against it (see (c) of this paragraph), many passages expressly condemning it.

ii. The use of Tobacco must be abandoned, because the practice is wasteful (of both time and money), injurious (nicotine being a poison), dirty, selfish (causing annoyance to others), unnecessary, contrary to the general teaching of the Bible (see (c) of this paragraph), and at best, doubtful.

iii. Fashionable dress and worldly adornment must be put off, because the practice tends to gratify and to encourage pride; it absorbs time, thought, and money which could be better employed; it is, at best, doubtful; and the general teaching of the Bible is against it (see (c) of this paragraph), several passages particularly condemning it.

‘Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, and of putting on of apparel’ (I Peter iii. 3).

‘Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts’ (Isaiah iii. I6, I7).

‘I will therefore … that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works’ (I Timothy ii. 8-I0).

IV. Any doubtful practice must be left off, whether connected with mind, body, family, business, re creation, dealings with comrades, or anything else.

(c) The Bible clearly sets forth principles which should govern the daily conduct of God’s people, particularly with regard to such renunciations as those just referred to. For example, it teaches that —

i. God’s people should be separate from the world in spirit and conduct.

‘Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty’ (2 Corinthians vi. I7, I8).

ii. Habits which influence others wrongly ought to be given up, even though harmless to those who practise them.

‘But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak… And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? ….Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend’ (I Corinthians viii. 9, 11, I3).

‘It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak’ (Romans xiv. 2I).

iii. Everything, including the exercise of bodily appetites, such as eating and drinking, should be done to the glory of God.

‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God’ (I Corinthians x. 3I).

IV. The body is to be honoured and treated as God’s dwelling-place, and hence should not be polluted or injured.

‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God; and ye are not your own? (r Corinthians vi. 19).

‘If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are’ (I Corinthians iii. 17).

(d) It is but reasonable that seekers after Holiness should completely renounce everything wrong or doubtful. God could only rightly bestow so great a blessing upon those who separate themselves from all that is opposed to Him.

4. THE THIRD CONDITION OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS CONSECRATION; that is, the dedication to God of ourselves and all we possess, to live only to please Him and do His will.

(a) The need for consecration is seen when we remember that, at the Fall, Adam forsook his life of entire consecration to God; he set up, as it were, to be his own master instead of being God’s servant, and started pleasing himself instead of living to please God. All men are, by nature, in the same condition as that to which Adam fell. By consecration a man once again yields himself fully to God to live only to please Him.

(b) Consecration to God must be both entire and real.

i. To be entire it must include the body, with all its members and powers; the mind, with all its faculties; the heart, with all its capacities; also goods, money, family, influence, reputation, time, ability, life, indeed everything.

ii. To be real it must be not in imagination or sentiment merely, but everything must henceforth actually be used as belonging to God and not to ourselves. History has sometimes supplied illustrations of the kind of consecration required. Loyal subjects of a dethroned monarch have placed unreservedly at his disposal themselves, their goods, their families, their lives-in fact, their all-in order to help their sovereign to regain his lost throne. In the same way God’s true-hearted followers now place at His disposal themselves, and all they possess, in order to help Him to regain His rightful throne in the hearts of mankind.

(c) Consecration may, in some respects, be likened both to a sacrifice and to crucifixion.
i. Consecration is like a sacrifice because by it we give ourselves up to God as the animals were given up to Him in olden times, the difference being that ours is a living, not a dead sacrifice.

‘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’ (Romans xii. I).

ii. Consecration is like crucifixion because it involves painful dying to many things very precious to the natural man, such as undue love of self, the admiration of the world, the ownership of goods, inordinate love of kindred and friends, choosing one’s own way.

‘I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me’ (Galatians ii. 20).

‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world’ (Galatians vi. 14).

When once a man’s possessions have been consecrated to God, he will use them, as God directs him, in the way that seems most likely to advance God’s Kingdom, whether this be by selling all that he does not actually need, and devoting the proceeds to God’s cause right away, or by retaining his property and using in God’s service the income which it brings to him.

(d) Renunciation and Consecration differ from each other in that —

• Renunciation means giving up what is against God.
• Consecration means giving up all we have to be used for God.

(e) Consecration, although a condition of sanctification, must not be mistaken for sanctification itself. Consecration is an act done by man before God sanctifies him; sanctification is a work done by God within man after man has done his part.

(Complete and unabridged from the 1922 edition of the Doctrine Book)

Holiness Part 4

3. THE IDEA THAT ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION CANNOT ‘TAKE PLACE UNTIL NEAR OR AT THE TIME OF DEATH IS CONTRARY TO THE TEACHING OF THE BIBLE, for—

(a) The Bible nowhere states or suggests that we cannot be entirely cleansed from sin while in health and strength; all its commands and promises about holiness relate to the present, and it plainly says that we ought to be holy in this life.

‘That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life’ (Luke i. 74, 75).

(b) The Bible nowhere states that the soul’s connection with the body is a hindrance to its entire sanctification, but it shows that the body, with all its appetites, powers, and members, is to be sanctified to God.

‘Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s’ (Corinthians vi. 20).

‘That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body’ (2 Corinthians iv. 10).

‘Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God’ (Romans vi. r3).

(c) The Bible teaches that it is the Blood of Christ, and not ‘the last enemy,’ that cleanses from sin.

‘The blood of Jesus Christ … cleanseth us from all sin’ (I John i. 7).

4. UNBELIEF CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS DUE TO VARIOUS CAUSES, the chief of which are as follows :—

(a) Some conclude that Holiness is impossible because many earnest Christians neither teach it nor believe in it.

To this we answer that it is true the subject is seldom written or spoken about, and that comparatively few enjoy the experience, while many do not believe in it. At the same time our standard must not be the opinions or attainments of men, but the Word of God, which, in many ways, shows Holiness to be possible.

‘We dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise’ (2 Corinthians x. 12).

‘ To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah viii. 20).

(b) It is sometimes claimed that certain Bible passages deny the possibility of Holiness.

To this we answer that the Bible, as a whole, clearly teaches Holiness, and that the passages referred to only seem contrary to such teaching when taken from their context.

Examples of such passages are:—

i. ‘If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us’
(1 John i. 8).

This cannot mean that Holiness is impossible, because the previous verse says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ ... cleanseth us from all sin,’ and the following verse says, ‘He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

The right interpretation is that those who say they have no sin, when they have, are self-deceived and assert what is untrue, whether they be sinners who say they have never sinned, or professing Christians who continue sinning and yet say they have no sin because their sins are imputed to Christ.

ii. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again’ (Proverbs xxiv. 16). The correct meaning is shown by the context; it is trouble and not sin, into which a just man falls (see verse 10).

iii. ‘In many things we offend all’ (James iii. 2). The explanation is that the word ‘we’ is frequently used by speakers when referring to people generally with no intent to include themselves as individuals. The context plainly shows that the ‘we’ here used has no reference to James and saved people (see verses 1, 3, and 9).

(c) Some say that if all sin were destroyed the Christian would have no fight, and they quote: ‘The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would’ (Galatians v. 17).

To this we answer that this passage, as the context shows (see verses 7, 16, 24, 25), does not describe the experience proper to saved — not to mention entirely sanctified — people. The sanctified soul has no enemies within, but has a fierce conflict with the Devil outside.

‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith’ (I Peter v. 8, 9).

‘Put. on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil’ (Ephesians vi. II).

(d) Others disbelieve in Holiness because they think that some sin is necessary to keep us humble. Our answer is, that this is simply saying we must sin ‘that grace may abound,’ which is condemned by Paul (Romans vi. 1). To say that sin is necessary to keep us humble, is to infer that sin is more powerful than the grace of God.

(e) Some claim that they have never seen a holy person. We reply that possibly they have avoided the company of, and refused association with, holy people, or it may be that when they have met holy people they have failed to recognise them as such because of their own unbelief in holiness. The Scribes and Pharisees said even of Christ, ‘He hath a devil.’

(f) Some say that an entirely sanctified soul would no longer need the Blood of Christ. We answer that the Blood that cleanses is continually needed to keep us clean, and the power that saves from sin is needed to keep from sin. To assert the contrary is like saying that a fruit-bearing branch no longer needs to be united to the vine, or that a perfectly light room no longer needs the sun.

(g) Many consider Holiness impossible because they misunderstand it. Owing to wrong teaching, or lack of teaching, they confuse it with the idea of sinless perfection or with something else which it is not (see Section I, paragraph 5, of this Chapter).

(h) Sometimes unbelief is due to evil in the person’s own heart. At some time in the past he has been brought face to face with the fact that God wants to cleanse him fully, but his unsanctified nature has made him unwilling for all that this would mean, so he has shut his eyes to the light. If he consecrates himself fully to God, he will soon see that holiness is possible.

(From the 1922 Doctrine Book - complete and unabridged)

Holiness Part 3

5. ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION DOES NOT INCLUDE CERTAIN EXPERIENCES WITH WHICH IT IS SOMETIMES CONFUSED.

In particular—

(a) It is not Absolute Perfection, or the perfection which belongs to God only, and which can never be increased or diminished. Jesus referred to this when He said: ‘There is none good but one, that is, God’ (Matthew xix. 17).

(b) It is not Adamic perfection (sometimes called’ sin less perfection’), or the perfection enjoyed by Adam before he fell, when he, having powers uninjured by sin, could perfectly obey God’s perfect law. Such perfection is impossible to us, for the Fall has rendered us imperfect both in mind and body. God does not require what is impossible, but expects us simply to keep His law of love; in other words, to love and serve Him to the best of our knowledge and ability. Our best service is imperfect, but God is pleased provided it is prompted by pure love.

‘Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind .... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Matthew xxii. 37, 39).

(c) It is ‘/lot infallibility, or freedom from mistakes in judgement. This would require perfect knowledge, which no one but God possesses. Entire Sanctification does, however render people less likely to err in judgment, because they have the guidance of the Holy Spirit; they acknowledge God in all their ways, and He directs their paths.

‘The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’ (John xiv. 26).

(d) it is not freedom from bodily or mental infirmities.

Many of God’s choicest saints have been great sufferers. The blessing of holiness does, however, lead to a fuller sanctification of the afflictions and infirmities from which God’s people suffer, and often to the exercise of faith for their deliverance.

‘He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me’ (2 Corinthians xii. 9).

(e) It is not freedom from temptation. Jesus, although ‘without sin,’ was sorely tempted, and our First Parents were tempted when holy. The more advanced a man becomes in the life of holiness, the more likely it is that Satan will attack him. Entire Sanctification does not bring freedom from temptation, but victory over it.

‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him’ (James i. 12).
(f) It is not a state of grace from which it is impossible to fall. Satan fell from Heaven, and Adam from Paradise, and they were both perfect in a sense in which we never can be here. Entire Sanctification renders falling less probable, but the Bible reveals no state of grace attainable in this life from which we cannot fall.

‘What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch’ (Mark xiii. 37).

‘Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall’ (I Corinthians x. 12).

(g) It is not a state where further advance is impossible.

On the contrary, Entire Sanctification, by removing all the evils from the heart, makes growth in grace more certain and rapid than it would otherwise be. Clearing a garden of weeds is favourable to the growth of the plants. Curing a child of disease is helpful to his future growth and development. Entire Sanctification is purity — not maturity of Christian experience, but the way to it.

‘Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’
(2 Peter iii. 18).

‘Perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Corinthians vii. I).

‘The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day’ (Proverbs iv. 18).

6. WHEN IN THE ARMY WE SPEAK OF SANCTIFICATION WE USUALLY MEAN ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION, AND THE EXPERIENCE IS ALSO KNOWN BY OTHER NAMES, such as: Holiness, a Clean Heart, Perfect Love, Christian Perfection, Full Salvation, The Blessing.

Section II. ITS POSSIBILITY

1. WE BELIEVE THAT GOD’S PEOPLE MAY BE DELIVERED FROM ALL SIN AND ENABLED TO DO GOD’S WILL CONTINUALLY IN THIS LIFE. Many people do not agree with this, but maintain that they must go on sinning and repenting until death, although all admit that they must be made holy before they can enter Heaven.

2. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR BELIEVING THAT ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS POSSIBLE IN THIS LIFE :—

(a) Complete deliverance from sin seems probable. Inward sin is always harmful and a serious drawback to God’s people, if only because it often shows itself outwardly in manner, conversation, arid action. Moreover, it brings condemnation and unhappiness; it damages influence; it renders very difficult the reproving of sin in others; it grieves and dishonours God. Hence God’s love would naturally cause Him to seek to remove sin entirely from His people, just as a father’s love would make him want to remove, from his child’s body, the whole — and not only part — of any poison that had entered it.

God does not always deliver His people from trouble, because trouble may often bring them great blessing, where as sin is never anything but harmful

(b) The Bible promises Holiness to those who seek it, and God would never promise what it
was impossible for us to receive.

‘The very God of peace sanctify you wholly .... Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it’ (I Thessalonians v. 23, 24).

‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ‘ (I John i. 9).

‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you’ (Ezekiel xxxvi. 25).

(c) The Bible commands and exhorts God’s people to be holy, and a God of love would never
command what is impossible.

‘Be ye therefore perfect, even’ as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’
(Matthew v. 48).

‘As He which called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy’
(I Peter i. IS, 16, R.V.).

‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews xii. 14).

‘Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Romans vi. ii).

(d) The Bible records and encourages prayer for Holiness and we know that Christ and the
inspired writers would not have prayed for what is impossible. For example:—

i. Jesus taught us to pray —
‘Deliver us from evil’ (Matthew vi.13).

ii. Jesus prayed for His disciples —
‘Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth’ (John xvii. 17).

iii. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians —
‘The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (I Thessalonians v. 23).
(e) The Bible declares that to save His people from sin was the purpose of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

‘For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil’ (I John iii. 8).

‘Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins’ (Matthew i. 21).
‘Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works’ (Titus ii. 14).

‘Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it ; that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish’ (Ephesians v. 25-27).

(f) Many Bible saints undoubtedly enjoyed the experience. For example:—
Enoch, who ‘walked with God,’ and ‘before his translation ... had this testimony, that he pleased God’ (Genesis v. 24; Hebrews xi. 5).

Moses, with whom God spoke ‘face to face’ (Exodus xxxiii.11).

Job, who was ‘perfect and upright’ (Job i.1).

Stephen, who was ‘full of faith and of the Holy Ghost’ (Acts vi. 5).

Paul, who said ‘Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe’
(1 Thessalonians ii. 10).

(g) Many Christians since Bible days have experienced and testified to the enjoyment of Full Salvation.

Among such may be named Madame Guyon, a Roman Catholic; Charles Finney, a Presbyterian; John Fletcher, of the English Church ; John Wesley, William Bramwell, and other Methodists; The Army Founder, The Army Mother, and thousands of Salvationists.

(h) All truly converted persons desire Holiness, and feel that they ought to be holy. If Holiness were impossible the Holy Spirit would not create such desires, nor would Jesus Christ have promised, as He did, that they should be satisfied.

‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled’ (Matthew v. 6).

Holiness Part 2

4. THE BIBLE DESCRIBES THE GREAT BLESSING OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IN OTHER WAYS AND BY DIF FERENT FIGURES, thereby showing it in various aspects. Entire Sanctification is, for example, spoken of as—

(a) A clean heart, or inward purity.

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me’ (Psalm li.10).

‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’ (Matthew v. 8).

‘Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned’ (I Timothy i.5).

(b) Holiness, or entire freedom from sin. ‘Holiness’ literally means wholeness, or spiritual health.

‘That we might be partakers of His holiness’ (Hebrews xii.10).

‘To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness’ (I Thessalonians iii. 13).

‘God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness’ (I Thessalonians iv. 7).

(c) Perfection, or perfect love. The words ‘perfect’ and ‘perfection’ are frequently used in the Bible in reference to Christian character; they denote being fully fit or quite ready for the purpose appointed, and God’s people are in this condition when filled with love. Christ made it clear that the perfection required is perfection in love, for, after showing that God, in His perfect love, sends sunshine and rain on good and evil alike, He said :—

‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’ (Matthew v. 48).

That is, if we are fully given up to lives of love and goodness in our sphere, and according to our ability, as our Heavenly Father is in His sphere, we shall be perfect before Him. Other Bible passages similarly urge perfection:—

‘That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works’ (2 Timothy iii. 17).

‘That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God’ (Colossians iv. 12).

‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. ‘He that feareth is not made perfect in love’ (I John iv. 18).

‘Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness’ (Colossians iii.I4, R.V.).

(d) Living a blameless life. That is, a life in which God Himself sees nothing to condemn.

‘That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world’ (Philippians ii. I5).

‘Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (I Corinthians i. 8).

(e) Being the dwelling-place of God Himself, or being filled with God’s Spirit.

‘If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him’ (John xiv. 23).

‘Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit’ (Isaiah Ivii.15).

‘To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God’ (Ephesians iii.19).

(f) Fulfilling the law; that is, doing all that God requires. ‘Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law’ (Romans xiii. 10).

(g) Following the Lord fully; that is, like Joshua and Caleb, wholly given up to God and fully trusting Him.

‘Caleb ... and Joshua … have wholly followed the Lord’ (Numbers xxxii. 12).

‘My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went and his seed shall possess it’ (Numbers xiv, 24).

(h) Being’ dead unto sin’ and’ alive unto God.’ That is, completely severed from sin (as a dead body is severed from all previous surrounding connections), and in living union with God (as a live person is in vital touch with things around him).

‘Reckon ye… yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God’ (Romans vi. ii).

‘He that is dead is freed from sin’ (Romans vi. 7).

‘That we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness’ (I Peter ii. 24).

(i) Having sin, or the sinful nature, ‘crucified,’ ‘destroyed,’ ‘put off;’ that is, done away with.

‘Our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed’ (Romans vi. 6).

‘Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds’ (Colossians iii. 9).

‘They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts’ (Galatians v. 24).

(j) Being made altogether good, and hence having a ‘conscience void of offence.’

‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit’ (Matthew xii. 33).

‘For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youward’ (2 Corinthians i. 12).

‘Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men’ (Acts xxiv. (6).

(k) Walking with God; that is, enjoying continually the friendship of God and communion with Him.

‘Enoch walked with God; three hundred years’ (Genesis v. 22).

‘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’ (1 John i. 7).

‘What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Micah vi. 8).

(l) Rest of soul; that is; rest from inward conflict and from anxious care.

‘We which have believed do enter into rest’ (Hebrews iv. 3).

‘Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me: for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls’ (Matthew xi. 29).

‘Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls’ (Jeremiah vi. 16).

(m) Likeness to God in character.

‘Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son’ (Romans viii. 29).

‘Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world’ (1 John iv. 17).

‘Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness’ (Ephesians iv. 24).

(Complete and unabridged from the 1922 Doctrine Book)

Holiness Part 1

There seems to be both a hunger for and a confusion about holiness. So over the next few days I'm going to blog Chapter 10 of the old Doctrine Book - enjoy :-)

CHAPTER X
ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION

SEC. I. — ITS NATURE.
SEC. II — ITS POSSIBILITY.
SEC. III —ITS ATTAINMENT.
SEC. IV — ITS RESULTS

Section I. — ITS NATURE.

1. THE SANCTIFICATION OF GOD’S PEOPLE MEANS THEIR SEPARATION FROM SIN AND THEIR DEVOTION TO GOD. The word ‘sanctification’ always includes the two fold idea of separation and dedication (or devotion).

The frequent use of the word in the Bible, with regard to both people and things, illustrates this. For example:— Concerning the Sabbath, we are told that ‘God ... sanctified it’ (Genesis ii. 3); that is, separated it from other days and dedicated it to His service.

With regard to the priests, Moses was commanded to ‘sanctify them’ (Exodus xxviii. 41); that is, they were separated from ordinary toil and dedicated to the work of God’s house.

Concerning the vessels of God’s house, God told Moses to ‘sanctify them, that they may be most holy’ (Exodus 122 xxx.29); that is, they were to be separated from common work and dedicated to Tabernacle service.

In many passages God’s people are said to be ‘sanctified’ (see 1 Corinthians i.. 2, and vi.11), the word including the two ideas of :— Separation from sin, as in the command-

‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you’ (2 Corinthians vi. 17).

Dedication or devotion to God; that is, being set apart for Him, as the Psalmist says:—

‘The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself’ (Psalm iv. 3).

2. SANCTIFICATION IS LIKE REGENERATION, in that it is the changing or purifying of man’s nature ‘and is a work done within him (see Chapter VIII, Section III, paragraph 2 (d)).

(a) Man’s sinful heart, nature, or disposition (sometimes called ‘inborn’ or ‘inbred sin,’ or ‘the principle of sin ‘) may be compared to the root of a tree, his sinful acts (or ‘actual sin’) being like the fruit. Hence, man has a double need—his sinful acts need pardon; his sinful nature needs cleansing, changing, purifying. When a man is saved, by Justification he receives forgiveness for his sinful acts, and by Regeneration a change of nature. But, as already explained, the change effected in Regeneration is incomplete (see Chapter VIII, Section III, paragraph 2 (f))

(b) Sanctification begins at Regeneration; in fact, Regeneration is partial Sanctification, or holiness begun. The Bible, as well as the experience of Christians generally, shows that Regeneration, although a very great change, is not the complete purifying of man’s nature; thus Paul writes to some of his converts :—

‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ’ (I Corinthians iii. I).

When a man is converted or regenerated (see Chapter VIII, Section III, paragraph 2) he receives from the Holy Spirit power to conquer outward sin, yet sinful feelings and desires may still be present; the love of God is shed abroad in his heart, but love, mingled with lingering love of self, is not yet perfect; his chief purpose is to please God, but sometimes self-pleasing is uppermost. He enjoys the presence and help of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit has not always full control, and consequently cannot fill the soul. He becomes a partaker of God’s nature, but ungodlike inclinations and tendencies may still remain,

(c) The inbred sin, or inclination to evil and selfishness, which still exists in converted people, is apt, unless over powered by divine grace, to rise up and produce actual sin. Such sin needs forgiveness, for no one can continue in the favour of God who allows sin to remain unforgiven or who goes on committing sin (1 John iii. 8). But the forgiveness which God grants to His people for failures of this kind does not deal with the sinful nature from which the wrong acts spring; that nature needs fully cleansing or purifying-in other words, it needs entire sanctification.

3. ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS COMPLETE DELIVERANCE FROM SIN, AND THE DEVOTION OF THE ‘WHOLE BEING, WITH ALL ITS GIFTS AND CAPACITIES, TO THE LOVE AND WILL OF GOD.’

‘God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect’ (I John iv. 16, 17).

‘The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be pre served blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (I Thessalonians v. 23).

‘Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all, filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Corinthians vii. I).

(a) The chief difference between Partial and Entire Sanctification is that— i. Partial Sanctification takes place at conversion and is deliverance from outward sin and the love of it. ii. Entire Sanctification usually takes place after con version, and is deliverance from both inward and out ward sin-from sin in disposition as well as in deed.

(b) Entire, Sanctification does not usually take place at conversion because few then see their need for it. God gives light gradually as people are able to bear it, and most seekers after Salvation are absorbed with the gaining of pardon. Later on, when they discover the true nature of inward sin and earnestly seek deliverance, God sanctifies them entirely.

(c) Unconverted, Converted, and Entirely Sanctified people thus differ from each other as regards their relationship to sin.

i. An unconverted person is under sin. He may see sin to be evil, hate it, and struggle against it; but still he is under its power, and forced to obey it. This explains why unsaved people make resolutions and break them directly. ‘I am carnal, sold under sin’ (Romans vii. 14).

ii. A converted or partially sanctified person is over sin. He is delivered from the power of sin; by the power of God he is able to conquer sin. But sin still exists as a principle or disposition in the soul; it is there, though it does not reign. ‘Sin shall not have dominion over you’ (Romans vi. 14).

iii. An entirely sanctified person is without sin— ‘freed from sin’ (Romans vi. 7). He is delivered from all sin; his disposition is entirely purified; inward sin is done away with or destroyed. ‘Being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life’ (Romans vi. 22).

(Reproduced from the 1923 Salvation Army Doctrine Book complete and unabridged)

Holiness IS conditional

I've been involved in a lively debate recently on an internet forum recently.

In the end I had to withdraw because I've was being accused of arrogance and even rudeness by some of my potractors.

It is very difficult to debate when you possess the truth and it is impossible to sound anything other than arrogant when that is the case!

However, on this occasion I was right and everyone else was wrong!

The debate was whether holiness is conditional or not. I stated that it was. Others argued that it was all the work of grace and that no contribution from us was required. Although I chose my words very carefully I was accused of saying that consecration is holiness whereas what I actualluy said was that holiness is conditional upon consecration.

The 1923 Doctrine Book (the whole chapter on sanctification can be found at bloodandfire.org.uk) says the following:

CHAPTER X
ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION

Section III.-ITS ATTAINMENT

1. THE BESTOWAL OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION, as with every other gift of God’s grace, IS CONDITIONAL — it depends upon the whole-hearted co-operation of the person to be benefited.

Assuming that conversion has already taken place, the necessary conditions are: Conviction, Renunciation, Consecration, Faith.

7. SANCTIFICATION IS THE WORK OF GOD. Man’s consecration and faith do not sanctify; they are simply conditions upon which God’s sanctifying grace is given.

I think the phrase is QED!

I am deeply worried that covenanted Officers in The Salvation Army do not understand this most basic of doctrines!

Love and prayers

A

Holiness alone delivers success!

Folloowing on from my blog a couple of days ago on holiness I came across the following snippet from The Officer Magazine, March 1894...

"The last two or three issues of the USA "Cry" to hand have contained correspondence with reference to "what constitutes a successful field officer?" following figures are given as an example of an officer's work, and as showing the possibility of lifting a "hard go" :-

Seven Months Preceding

Total attendance at meetings 7,532
Total attendance of soldiers 1,655
Number of open-airs 21
Number of soldiers at open-airs 217
Number of souls saved 4
Number of soldiers on roll-call 20
Number of recruits 0
War-Crys 75
Soldiers in full uniform 6
Soldiers wearing S's and badge 8

Seven Months Captain Well Saved

Total attendance at meetings 19,238
Total attendance of soldiers 4,930
Number of open-airs 100
Number of soldiers at open-airs 2,216
Number of souls saved 60
Number of soldiers on roll-call 39
Number of recruits 6
War-Crys 150
Soldiers in full uniform 14
Soldiers wearing S's and badge 32

I think no one would deny that the above record is a success. Now, how was it done? “Visiting," says one. No, not at all, for the captain was alone nearly all her term and had too much other work to make a speciality of visiting. "Open-air work," suggests another and we admit that to a great extent; but the root of the matter is neither visiting, open-air work, soldiers' meetings, singing, speaking or anything else but the grace of God, given to those who seek it to the exclusion of everything else. All other things are branches, leaves and blossoms on the tree of Salvation Army service; but the root, the trunk which makes and holds up the branches, blossoms and fruit is a daily consecrated body, soul and spirit."

Holiness will prove to be the salvation of the Salvation Army.

Love and prayers

A

Derelict, defunct or just undevoted?

Most Christians don’t win. They might win occasionally but they don’t win consistently on a daily basis. In spite of a plethora of scriptural promises that ought to ensure that we are ‘more than conquerors’ we continue to experience the occasional lapse (some more than others).

This tendency towards ongoing defeat is true both on a personal basis and also on a corporate basis. Our Corps do not win battles consistently – we win the occasional skirmish – a soul here and a soul there – but as for revival…

The Salvation Army, together with the wider Church, is also prone to defeat, in fact as I consider the performance of individual Christians, Corps and Denominations the phrase ‘could do better’ seems like a massive understatement – at least it does if you make Acts 2 your benchmark.

A quick review of our personal and corporate performance as believers calls to mind the following words…

“We have not served Thee as we ought,
alas, the duties left undone,
the work with little fervor wrought,
the battles lost or scarcely won!”

This lack luster performance bothers me – in my own life it terrifies me. I have enough knowledge of revival and holiness to know that something is seriously out of kilter.

Why are we so familiar, both personally and corporately, with (at best) half hearted victory and (at worst) defeat? Why is it that we seem to have “been made liable to destruction”

In Joshua 7 we see a contest that ought to have been no contest. We see an Army of superior skill, experience and numbers defeated by a substantially inferior enemy. Had this been a game of football the Israelites would have been odds on to win (that is if you could have found a bookie that hadn’t closed his book). Yet the Israelites lost because they had “been made liable to destruction”. If God has made you “liable to destruction” then you are destined to defeat no matter how much the odds appear to be stacked in your favour.

I believe that the Israelites in Joshua 7 are a metaphor for the contemporary western Salvation Army and Achan is symbolic of many contemporary (western) Salvationists. We have “taken some of the devoted things; (we) have stolen, (we) have lied, (we) have put them with (our) own possessions. That is why (we) cannot stand against (our) enemies; (we) turn (our) backs and run because (we) have been made liable to destruction.” Consequently, God “will not be with (us) anymore unless (we) destroy whatever among (us) is devoted to destruction.”

The early Salvationists were very quick to point out that holiness was the secret to their success; they credited holiness as the source of their consistent victory.

Holiness requires a complete surrender of all we have to God. Those things which God has “devoted to destruction” we must give up – that means everything that is sinful and everything that is doubtful. Secondly, we must surrender all that is left to God. This means all our time, talents, money, passion, influence – even our families and personal relationships – everything we have must be fed into our love for God. We must ‘Love the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength” and the reality of our absolute commitment must be evident to “our children” we must “talk about it when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up.” They must see, our brothers and sisters in Christ must see and the lost must see that Jesus is not only first and last in our lives but also everything in between.

We must respond to the words of Paul, so ably paraphrased in ‘The Message’…

“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.”

I have come to the realisation slowly and painfully that have (individually and collectively) been made ‘liable to destruction’. God will not give us victory until we have dealt with the consecrated things we have hidden away in our everyday lives. Perhaps, if you belong to a church other than the Salvation Army, you might need to prayerfully debate what those things are, however if you’re a Salvationist (especially if you’re an Officer) there is no need for a debate for our covenant demands an absolute surrender.

I've been content to dwell,
while multitudes are dying
and sinking into Hell.
I can no more be careless,
and say there's naught to do,
the fields are white to harvest
And labourers are few.

O hear, thou God of Heaven,
the vows that now I make!
to thee my life is given,
'tis for the lost world's sake.
to serve thee I am ready,
though friends and foes despise,
I now present my body
a living sacrifice.

I want this experience for myself, I fed up with occasional failure, fed up with a hit and miss Christianity that sometimes wins but too often loses.

There is obviously no other way to secure victory than to give God everything - so by his grace that is what I am going to do – no – that is what I am doing from this moment on. I give everything to God. I refuse to be held back any longer by those who say that such a commitment is unreasonable, old fashioned or no longer required. I want to see revival (both in me and around me) I want to see Dartford on fire, I want to see my Corps explode like a scatter bomb of fruitful evangelism – not only successful where it is but also planting cells and outposts in other places too!

I want this, God wants this and he has promised that I will be ‘more than conqueror’ – if I pay the price.

By his grace I will – God help me!

Hallelujah!

Entire Sanctification by Commissioner T McKie (1907)

The following article is reprinted from The Bandsman and Songster October 26th 1907.

If it be asked whether I mean by sanctification or a Personal Pentecost the mighty rushing wind and the tongues of fire, gifts of healing and miraculous power, I answer emphatically, "No!" But I mean the plenitude of the Holy Spirit, the filling of our hearts with the Divine love and power which results in the salvation of many souls. Thank God we may now be so filled with the Spirit, entirely sanctified, made perfect in love, and possessed with a passionate enthu­siasm for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

But in order to come into the enjoyment of this glorious experience certain conditions must be met. Need I point out that God has attached conditions to the bestowal of all His great gifts, and clearly stipulates them in His Word. With these conditions we must cheerfully comply; we must add nothing to them, and take nothing from them. But as soon as we meet the conditions, God undoubtedly will fulfil His pledge. He cannot mock us. He will not go back on His own truth. He lovingly waits now to confer the infinite riches of His Holy Spirit upon His every obedient child.

THE CONDITIONS

But now, putting aside all preliminaries, what are the conditions with which we must comply before Jesus can baptise us "with the Holy Ghost and with Fire," and fill us with all the fullness of God. Briefly, they are these:-

1. THERE MUST BE A GENUINE HUNGER­ING AND THIRSTING FOR THESE GIFTS. "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." This is the initial step - the cornerstone of the whole structure. No hungering, no thirsting - no filling. We may reckon positively that the Holy Ghost will never pour resurrection life and fullness into our lives until we are right dead in earnest about it, and feel we cannot live and work another day without it. Are you hungering and thirsting for this incoming? This is the first step, and we cannot take the second until we have taken this one.

2. THERE MUST BE A SPIRIT OF ABSOLUTE AND UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE. This was the condition attached by Christ to the bestowal of the first apostolic baptism. He commanded them “that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me" (Acts 1:4). This condition of all blessing is expressed in the words of the mother of Jesus, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it" (John2:5). The obedient alone shall eat of, the fat of the land. There must then be prompt, exact, and cheerful obedience if this gift is to be possessed.

3. THE BAPTISM MUST BE SOUGHT SOLELY FOR GOD'S GLORY. Not for my comfort, nor my joy, nor the promotion of neither my in­terests, nor that I may be happy. All these things will come in their natural course. One thought and purpose alone must possess and move me; "Not my glory, but His, and His alone!"

ENTIRE SURRENDER.

4. I MUST YIELD MYSELF UNRESERVEDLY TO GOD. I must “present” my “body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is" my "reasonable service" (Rom 12:1) “What things” are "gain unto me, these I” must count “loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I” must count “all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, and ... count them but dung.”

Another condition upon which the fullness of the Divine blessing is dependent is given in Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, If I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

See also Matthew 19:20; Mark 12:44. To yield is to possess; to lose is to find.

5. LASTLY, I MUST TAKE. One of the most significant words of the whole Bible is that little word TAKE. It is a case of "take it or leave it." You will get no more than you take. Do not remain talking about “trying” to take it. Take it! Help yourself!
THE RESULTS.

The results to any company of people receiving this baptism must be similar to those produced at its first bestowal. Let us see what those first results were, and their present day analogies on our life and work.

1. THE BAPTISM QUALIFIES US FOR AT­TRACTING THE CROWDS. We read that immediately after the first Pentecost, “when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together.” A house on fire always attracts a crowd, so does a man on fire. A Band or Brigade filled with the Holy Spirit and with Fire will not be long without crowds.

2. IT SETTLES THE QUESTION OF " HOW TO GET A MOVE ON - In some places the work of God may be stagnant; almost everything has been tried by way of a remedy, and yet things remain in, many instances as they were. Why not try a Pentecost? You will be certain to create a stir then. We read that when the hundred and twenty were baptised the people “were all amazed and marvelled”, they were “confounded” … "in doubt, saying to one another, what meaneth this?” (Acts 2:6-7 and 12). There is nothing like the Holy Ghost for creating interest, causing a stir, “getting a move on” among the people.

3. IT WILL SETTLE THE QUESTION OF WHAT WE ARE TO PREACH. Read Peter's sermon as recorded in Acts 2 from verse 17 to the finish of the chapter. We must give the people the pure unadulterated truth of God, without trimming or qualification, if, we want to cut men and women to the heart. There must be no withholding the sword from blood, no holding back unpalatable truths about sin or judgment or hell. The Holy Spirit will teach us to deliver “the whole counsel of God.”

4. IT WILL HELP TO SETTLE THE QUESTION OF CONVERTS STANDING. They will remain steadfast -not carried away by every wind of temptation, persecution, or false doc­trine that blows. “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship." (Acts 2:42.)

DIFFICULTIES SOLVED.

5. IT WILL HELP TO SOLVE MANY DIFFICULTIES. “And all they that believed, were together, and had all things common.” They were of one heart and of one soul. Men sometimes call the sacrifices of love of that day fanaticism. Such practice is, perhaps, not possible in these days, but the spirit of it is as necessary now, as then, to the success of God's Kingdom on earth. No stingy man can have the Holy Ghost. The­ work of God is backward in many places, almost solely because of the stinginess of God's people. Nothing but a general and genuine Pentecost will alter such a state of things.

6. IT ALSO BRINGS CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERSHIP. “And ye shall be witnesses unto Me... Unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” A Pentecost brings men and women to that point where their highest joy is to devote all their powers to the publishing of the everlasting Gospel.

In conclusion, let me say that I believe it will help to solve all the problems connected with ourselves and the work God has given us to day. It is your high privilege, and the command of your Lord: - “Be ye FILLED with the Spirit.”