POPULAR AND RADICAL HOLINESS, CONTRASTED

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CHAPTER IX

Holiness-What is it?

The terms "holiness," "entire sanctification," "perfect love," "Christian perfection," etc., are all synonymous terms and are used to ex­press the same experience. "It is a state of being which through the agency of the atone­ment, brings us back to the purity of the human race before the fall. When souls are wholly sanctified they are as pure as angels, and re­latively as pure as God. "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This does not mean absolute per­fection, but relative or conditional purity or perfection. They may become impure. They are not perfect in judgment but in purpose. Not perfect in knowledge but in obedience." Therefore when God says, "Be ye holy," He means be complete in Jesus, restored to the moral image of God, lost by the fall. Then every evil temper and unholy tendency of the heart will not only be restrained by grace (as in the case with every justified soul) but ev­ery temper contrary to pure love cast out of the soul by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God."

In order to make it more interesting and prof­itable, it might be well for the reader to com­pare his experience with the thirteenth Chapter of I. Corinthians. Have you the degree of love that-

"SUFFERETH long and is kind?" "Suffers all the weaknesses of the children of God, all the wickedness of the children of the world and that not for a little time only but as long as God pleases." Some can suffer long but are not always kind. This love will at once inspire you "with the most amiable sweetness and the most fervent and tender affection to­ward the one that knowingly injures you," and amid it all, you will feel and manifest a mild, tender, longsuffering spirit in every look, action and tone of voice. Do you always do this? Do you receive reproof, reproach, yea contradictions and misrepresentations without a feeling of resentment or retaliation? Per­fect love will do this.

LOVE "envieth not." Do you ever feel a secret spirit of envy or prejudice shut up in your heart? A jealous feeling when another becomes noticed and appreciated more than you? An unpleasant sensation in view of the great prosperity and success of another, especially your inferiors or those with whom you disagree? Have you ever felt secretly pleased when another more gifted and talent­ed than yourself made a failure? Do you ever find yourself dwelling upon such a one's faults and failings rather than his gifts and virtues? Do not mistake these for temptations. They are traits of carnality.

LOVE "vaunteth not itself." "Acteth not rashly in a violent headstrong manner, nor passes any rash or severe judgment" on the most guilty person. Its possessor is not harsh or pressing in his manner. When contradict­ed or pressed beyond reason or put in a wrong light, he bears it with meekness rather than use many words to excuse, evade, or clear him­self. He is slow to speak, slow to accuse, easily convinced when in fault, and quick to ask forgiveness. How is it with you?

LOVE "is not puffed up." 'Do you ever feel exalted and important because of your abili­ties, success or position? A desire at times to have others notice, sympathize or speak well of you; on the other hand, do you feel hurt when set aside and unnoticed? Do you love to speak of your special free times in preaching, exhorting or praying and thus draw attention to self? Do you feel humbled, or lifted up when praised and preferred above others? In short, are you dead to self? "So dead that no desire does ever rise, to appear good or great or wise, in any but your Saviour's eyes."

LOVE "doth not behave itself unseemly." Ifyou have this love you are careful to avoid all such behaviour that you think might grieve, offend, or be a source of temptation to another. Your reproving the forward and those who are a trial to you will not be prompted or tinged with a desire to take re­venge or make them feel little and ashamed. Your only object will be to seek their good. Do you always do this?

LOVE "seeketh nother own." This love will do away with selfishness of all kinds in eating, sleeping, riding, etc, whether at home or abroad, its possessor continually practices self-denial, doing to others as he would be done by. He seeks to promote the interests and happiness of others as sincerely as his own, and often at the expense of his own, though it may not be appreciated or re­turned. This is your experience if you have perfect love.

LOVE "is not provoked." When under a pressure or in a hurry do you ever feel anger and impatience stir at the ignorance, slowness or stubbornness of others? Do not ex­cuse it as nervousness, temptation or holy indignation. Do you worry, murmur or com­plain in the midst of pain, poverty or at the dispensation of Divine Providence? Are you touchy and sensitive, especially when some­thing contemptuous is said or done against your church, relatives or nationality. Do you not feel a distant, independent feeling at times toward those who Ignore and set aside your ideas; treat with contempt your plans and convictions? These look very much like traits of carnality, and if so, must be cast out before love can reign without a rival.

LOVE "thinketh no evil."This will do away with all uncharitable suspicions. Do you ever find yourself surmising or mistrust­ing that another has done wrong or is guilty of some charge when you do not positively know it to be so? The ancient heathen's rule was: "I am so far from lightly believing what one man says against another that I will not easily believe what a man says against himself. I will always allow him second thoughts and many times counsel too." Do you live up to this?

LOVE "rejoiceth not in iniquity."If you possess this love you never have a feeling of satisfaction in detecting, hearing or speaking, (though in a truthful and warning manner) of the failings and inconsistencies of others. You do not only weep over the sins and fol­lies of an enemy, take no pleasure in repeat­ing or hearing his faults spoken of, but you desire that they should be forgotten forever. You feel as properly affected at the infirmi­ties and misfortunes of another as if it were yourself or nearest friend.

"Rejoiceth in the truth." Is not sectarian or bigoted, but rejoices just as much over the salvation of souls in the midst of others as if it were in your own ranks. "Rejoices to find that even those who oppose you wheth­er with regard to opinions, or some points of practice are (in some cases) lovers of God, and in other respects unreprovable: glad to hear good of them and to speak all you can consistently with truth and justice."

"Beareth all things." Covers a multitude of sins, mistakes, imperfections and weak­nesses of another: speaks evil of no man.

"Believeth all things." Always willing to think the best, to put the most favorable con­struction on everything; ever ready to believe whatever may tend to the advantage of an­other's character.

"Hopeth all things." On being informed of the sins, faults or failures of another, perfect love hopeth it is not so bad after all.

"Endureth all things." Endures with "un­wearied patience anything that God can per­mit, or men and devils inflict."

Dear reader, do you possess this love? It is for you. You ought to have it in order to be successful for God. Nothing short of it will enable you to face and penetrate through the awful pride, lust, formality and unbelief of this twentieth century, Eloquence and theoretical preaching will utterly fail, but this melting all-conquering love "never faileth." Hallelujah!

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