HINDRANCES TO OBTAINING THE BLESSING
Holiness
has not legs and does not go walking about visiting idle people, as
a lazy Christian seemed to think who told me that he thought the
experience would "come" to him "some day." A
sister aptly remarked: "He might as well expect the hall to come
to him." The fact is, there are hindrances in the way of
holiness with most people; but you that are seeking the experience
must put from you, for ever, the thought that any of these hindrances
are in God, or in your circumstances, for they are not, but are
altogether in yourselves. This being true, it is the extreme of folly
to sit down with indifference and quietly wait, with folded hands,
for the blessed experience to come to you. Be sure of this, it will
not come, any more than a crop of potatoes will come to the lazy
fellow who sits in the shade and never lifts his hoe, nor does a
stroke of labour through all the spring and summer months. The rule
in the spiritual world is this: "If any would not work, neither
should he eat," and, "Whatever a man sows, that shall he
also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
Therefore,
the part of wisdom is to begin at once, by a diligent study of God's
word, much secret prayer, unflinching self-examination, rigid
self-denial, hearty obedience to all present light and a faithful
attendance at the meetings of God's people, to find out what these
hindrances are, and, by the grace of God, to put them away, though it
cost as much pain as to cut off a right hand or to pluck out a right
eye. Now, the Bible tells us - and the testimony and experience of
all holy people agree with the Bible - that the two great practical
hindrances to holiness are: First, imperfect consecration; and,
second, imperfect faith.
Before
a watchmaker can clean and regulate my watch, I must give it
unreservedly into his hands. Before a doctor can cure me, I must take
his medicine in the manner and at the time he requires. Before a
captain can navigate me across the trackless ocean, I must get on
board his ship and stay there. Just so, if I would have God cleanse
and regulate my heart with all its affections, if I would have Him
cure my sin-sick soul, if I would have Him take me safely across the
ocean of time into that greater ocean of eternity, I must put myself
fully into His hands and stay there. In other words, I must do what
He tells me to. I must be perfectly consecrated to Him.
A
Captain knelt with her soldiers, and sang: "Anywhere with Jesus
I will go," adding: "Anywhere but to H____, Lord." Her
consecration was imperfect, and today she is out of Salvation Army
work. There were some things she would not do for Jesus, and
therefore Jesus would not cleanse or keep her. The other day, a poor
backslider told me that he knew, at one time, that he ought to give
up tobacco. God wanted him to do so, but he held on to it and used it
secretly. His imperfect consecration kept him from holiness and led
to his downfall, and today he walks the streets a common drunkard, on
the open road to Hell. In his heart was secret disloyalty, and God
could not cleanse or keep him. God wants perfect loyalty in the
secret of your own heart, and He demands it, not only for His glory,
but also for your good; for, if you can understand it, God's highest
glory and your highest good are one and the same thing.
This
consecration consists in a perfect putting off of your own will, your
disposition, temper, desires, likes and dislikes, and a perfect
putting on of Christ's will, Christ's disposition, temper, desires,
likes and dislikes. In short, perfect consecration is a putting off
self and a putting on Christ; a giving up your own will in all things
and receiving the will of Jesus instead. This may seem well-nigh
impossible and very disagreeable to your unsanctified heart; but if
you mean business for eternity, and will intelligently and
unflinchingly look at this strait gate through which so few enter,
and tell the Lord that you want to go through that way, though it
cost you your life, the Holy Spirit will soon show you that it is not
only possible, but easy and delightful thus to yield yourself to God.
The
second hindrance in the way of him who would be holy is imperfect
faith. When Paul wrote to his corps of Salvationists in Thessalonica,
he praised them for being "examples to all that believe in
Macedonia and Achaia," and added, "in every place your
faith to Godward is spread abroad" (I Thess. 1:7, 8). That was
the best believing corps in all Europe, and so real and sturdy was
their faith that they could endure much persecution, as we see from
chaps. 1:6, 2:14, and 3:2-5; so that Paul says, "We were
comforted over you, in all our affliction and distress by your faith"
(3:7). Strong faith that, but it was not perfect, for Paul adds,
"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face,
and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith" (3:10).
And because of their imperfect faith they were not sanctified; so we
find the Apostle praying, "And may the God of peace himself
sanctify you wholly" (v. 23).
All
who are born of God and have the witness of His Spirit to their
justification know full well that it was not through any good works
of their own, nor by growing into it, that they were saved, but it
was "by grace through faith" (Eph. 2:8). But very many of
these dear people seem to think that we are to grow into
sanctification, or are to get it by our own works. But the Lord
settled that question, and made it as plain as words can make it,
when He told Paul that He sent him to the Gentiles to "open
their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me"
(Acts 26:18). Not by works, nor by growth, but by faith were they to
be made holy.
If
you will be holy you must come to God "with a true heart in full
assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22), and then, if you will wait
patiently before Him, the wonder-work shall be done. Consecration and
faith are matters of the heart, and the trouble with most people is
there; but, no doubt, there are some people whose trouble is with the
head. They fail to get the blessing because they are seeking
something altogether too small.
Holiness
is a great blessing. It is the renewal of the whole man in the image
of Jesus. It is the utter destruction of all hatred, envy, malice,
impatience, covetousness, pride, lust, fear of man, love of ease,
love of human admiration and applause, love of splendour, shame of
the Cross, self-will and the like. It makes its possessors "meek
and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29), as Jesus was; patient, kind,
full of forbearance. pitiful, full of tender compassion and love;
full of faith, benevolent and zealous in every good word and work.
Now
I have heard some people claim the blessing of holiness because they
had given up tobacco, feathers or something of that sort; while they
were still impatient, unkind or absorbed with the cares of this life.
The result was, they soon got discouraged, concluded there was no
such blessing, and became bitter opponents of the doctrine of
holiness. Their trouble was in seeking too small a blessing. They
gave up certain outward things, but the inward self-life was still
uncrucified. The gold miner washes the dirt off his ore, but he
cannot wash the dross out of it. The fire must do that, and then the
gold will be pure. So the laying aside of outward things is
necessary; but only the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire can
purify the secret desires and affections of the heart and make it
holy. And for this you must earnestly seek by perfect consecration
and perfect faith.
There
are other people who fail to obtain the blessing because they are
seeking something altogether distinct from holiness. They want a
vision of Heaven, of balls of fire, of some angel; or they want an
experience that will save them from all trials and temptations and
from all possible mistakes and infirmities; or they want a power that
will make sinners fall like dead men when they speak. They overlook
the verse which declares that "the end of the
commandment
is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of sincere
faith" (I Tim. 1:5); which teaches us that holiness is nothing
more than a pure heart filled with perfect love, a clear conscience
toward God and man, which comes from a faithful discharge of duty and
simple faith without any hypocrisy. They overlook the fact that
purity and perfect love are so Christ-like and so rare in this world,
that they are in themselves a great, great blessing. They overlook
the fact that while Jesus was a great Man, King of kings and Lord of
lords, He was also a lowly Carpenter and "made Himself of no
reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant ... and humbled
Himself" (Phil. 2:7, 8). They overlook the fact that they are to
be as Jesus was, "in this present world," and that "this
present world" is the place of His humiliation, where He is
"despised and rejected of men"; a "man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief"; with "no (outward) beauty that we
should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2, 3). "In this present world"
His only beauty is that inward "beauty of holiness" (I
Chron. 16:29), that humble spirit of gentleness and love, that
"ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
God of great price" (I Pet. 3:4).
Is
your soul hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of perfect
love? Do you want to be like Jesus? Are you prepared to suffer with
Him and to be "hated of all men for His name's sake" (Matt.
10:22)? Then, "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset" you (Heb. 12:1); present your body "a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service"
(Rom. 12:1), and "run with patience the race which is set before
you, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith"
(Heb. 12:1, 2). Come to the Lord with the same simple faith that you
did when you were saved; lay your case before Him, ask Him to take
away all uncleanness and to perfect you in love, and then believe
that He does it. If you will then resist all Satan's temptations to
doubt, you will soon find all your hindrances gone, and yourself
rejoicing "with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Pet.
1:8). "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless to the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls you, who
also will do it" (I Thess. 5:23, 24).
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