MY
EXPERIENCE.
[Concluded.]
BY A.W.P.
“Now may the very
God of peace sanctify you wholly… Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also
will do it.”
Our holiness meeting was always from that
time a heavenly place to me, a place where the Lord always approached very near
unto us and when I felt that I stood upon “holy ground.” I cannot sufficiently
praise God for the precious privilege for attending such a meeting weekly, and
do most earnestly urge upon all who read these lines to avail themselves of it,
if possible. You will be more than repaid, beloved friends, for making an
effort to be present, if there be such a meeting within your reach. Your
prejudices (if you have any) against this subject of full salvation will surely
melt away, if the meeting is conducted by those who, having been truly
sanctified by the Spirit, feel themselves to be nothing and desire to live only to glorify God. “For we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
True holiness of heart “vaunteth not itself;
is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not its own; is not
easily provoked; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.”
Yes, if we would be holy as God commands us
to be, we must be filled with that love
which is greater than all knowledge, all faith, and good works, all hope. “The
greatest of these is love.” –(I Cor. xiii:13.) Without it we “become sounding
brass or a clanging cymbal.” We may make a great noise in the world by our good
works, our knowledge, or our might faith, but without a heart full of the love
of Christ “we are nothing.”
In conclusion, I would say that I am
painfully conscious that I have not always triumphed during the past two years
as I might have done, had my trust been more abiding; but the failures which
upon two or three occasions I have made, have served to convince me that I am
only just taking the first steps in the way of holiness, and that there are,
and must ever be, great lessons of faith and of love for me yet to learn, and
have brought me to a still lower place at the feet of Jesus. Mrs. Hannah Smith,
in her remarkable book, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life” (which I
advise every one not only to read but to study), says, in the chapter on
“Failures”: “When a believer who has, as he trusts, entered upon the highway of
holiness, finds himself surprised into sin, he is tempted either to be utterly
discouraged and to give up everything as lost, or else, in order to preserve the
doctrine untouched, he feels it necessary to cover his sin up, calling it
infirmity and refusing to be honest about it. Either of these courses is
equally fatal to any real growth in the life of holiness… A sudden failure is
no reason for being discouraged and giving up all as lost. Neither is the
integrity of our doctrine touched by it. We are not preaching a state, but a walk… We may for a moment turn aside from a path, but the path is
not obliterated by our wandering and can be instantly regained. And in this
life and walk of faith there may be momentary failures which, although very
said and greatly to be deplored, need not, if rightly met, disturb the attitude
of the soul as to entire consecration and perfect trust, nor interrupt for more
than the passing moment its communion with its Lord.
It is difficult to know where to stop when
one begins quoting from this blessed little book. I am tempted to go on from
this point to the end of the chapter, but must content myself with urging you
to get the book and read it for yourself. If the author could know mow many it
has enlightened and cheered and encouraged, I am sure her heart would greatly
rejoice.
Satan tried desperately to make me feel
utterly discouraged over these few defeats, and if I had allowed my mind to
dwell upon them, I should have given up the fight. But I fled instantly to
Jesus and claimed the promise, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And I believed
that He did forgive and cleanse me at once, though the Enemy repeatedly told me
that it was all a delusion, and that there was not the least use in my trying
to walk by faith.
Beloved friends, beware of discouragement!
It is one of the Devil’s strongholds. Our dear Lord gives to see us yielding to
it for one moment, for is not His Word teeming with sweet assurance that He is
our Helper, and with entreaties to “fear not”?
I rejoice to say that my trust is stronger
this day than ever. I see that I have all I can possibly need in Jesus. He says
to me, “All things are yours!” Oh, what an amazing declaration! Have I indeed everything I need? “Bless the Lord, oh,
my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name!” Has Jesus really
purchased all these rich possessions for me?
And have I only to reach out my hand and
“take the cup of salvation” which He
graciously holds out to me? May I come and drink just as often and as long as I
choose? Yes, He tells me that I already have
full salvation, perfect love, “joy and peace in the Holy Ghost”! He does not
say I may or shall have some day, but He says, “All things are yours!” I am richer than a king! I have Jesus, and in Him I
have rest and peace and health and full salvation! “Now unto Him Who is able to
keep me from falling and to present me faultless before His presence with
exceeding joy, to the only wise God, my Saviour, be glory and honor, dominion
and power, world without end. Amen.”
Christ is Himself our “Sanctification.” It
is not that He gives it merely, but becomes this Himself to us. He is this for us in Heaven, and He is this in us on earth. –Rev E.H. Hopkins.
