*127 the career and Christian service of William p. Nicholson, the Irish evangelist, can be accurately summarized in the expression: from sea fever to soul-winning!
born in county Down near Bangor, in North Ireland, he seemed destined to follow the sea. his father was a sea captain in the golden age of sailing ships during the second half of the 19th century and he took his laddie for his first voyage when the latter was only 6 years of age. to this day. Nich has a painting of his father's barque, The Muriel, fully rigged, with every sail set and although the evangelist is now in his eighties, sea fever rises deep within him as he contemplates that ship. could it be that far distant in his background is the heritage of the Vikings, those restless, fearless, ea raiders who ravaged the coasts of Ireland in medieval times? Could be.
school books and common place employment on the land had no place in young William's thinking; so at 15 he sailed away from home as an apprentice seaman, he recalls:
'it was a hard and harsh training. it either made you or broke you. yet I loved it, especially up aloft during the gale of wind - the wind shrieking through the rigging and the ship rolling from side to side, the seas like miniature mountains. it intoxicated me. food was scarce - tough salt beef and salt pork and Liverpool pantiles for biscuits. the regular hours,
*128 fresh air and hard work and instant obedience made you healthy, if mostly unhappy'.
but the Irish sailor lad was taken from the sea to become a fisher of men as dramatically, if not more so, than was Peter of bethsida long ago. on one voyage with a cargo of coal, , the ship on which he sailed ran into a terrific northeaster in the 'roaring forties' after rounding cape Horn. in the tempest the ship tossed and rolled as if it would go under and the cargo began to shift. with mast broken and sails in wreckage there seemed to be no hope. by morning, another sailing ship came near; but the half-frozen men of Nich's ship did not dare jump into the sea because they knew they could never reach the lifeboat. thereupon, the other ship sailed away and left them to their doom.
the crew, however, was able to break into the hold and shift the cargo until the ship righted itself. with what rigging was left they were able to turn back around Cape Horn and reached the Falkland Islands.
the cry to God for mercy made by the crew members, including Nich, when in their extremity, meant nothing to them once they were again in safety. snatched from the sea, but not saved!
after completing his apprenticeship and working for some time on railroad construction in South Africa, he returned home. it was there by the fireside on the morning of May 22, 1899, that he was snatched the second time 'from the sea'; and that time he was really saved. while reading the morning paper and smoking and awaiting the breakfast being prepared by his godly mother, he heard suddenly and without warning, a voice saying, 'Now or never. You must decide to accept or to reject Christ'. in that moment, trembling with fear, he cried out, 'lord, I yield. i repent of all my sin and now accept Thee as my Savior'.
*129 he recalls, 'suddenly and powerfully and consciously, I was saved. such a peace and freedom from fear, such a sweet and sure assurance filled my soul. i turned to my mother and said, 'mother, i am saved. she looked at me and nearly collapsed and said, 'when? I said, 'Just now. 'where? 'here, where i am sitting. she cried with joy unspeakable. she couldn't say a word, but just hugged me and cried.
William Nicholson had been saved and he knew it. 'I have never had any doubts about my salvation, he declares. 'the Blood had been applied and the Spirit answered to the Blood. I never doubted about my dear mother's word about my natural birth and do you think it's strange of me to take God's word without a doubt or fear? i became a new creature and began hating sin. I tried hard to love God, the Bible, the church and prayer; but what a failure I made of it.
the crisis of the deeper life, with the enduement of the Holy Spirit for service, came to young Nich a few months after his conversion.. it is best to let an irishman tell his own story, so here it is.
'the peace and joy and assurance continued, but in a fluctuating way. sometimes doubting, sometimes trusting, sometimes joyful, sometimes sad. all grosser sins dropped off me and I had no sorrow about it or any bother with them, but the sins of the flesh and the spirit continue to plague me greatly: envy, jealousy, malice, hatred. i could crush them down, but they continued to rise up again, more vigorous than ever.
the fear of man was a dreadful snare and i was helplessly caught by it. I was ashamed of Christ and ashamed of being seen with out-and-out Christians. I was a sneak and a coward, if ever there was one. I despised myself, bu was helpless about it....
I attended church twice every Sun and joined the men's Bible class. I read my Bible but didn't get any good out of it, and had little or no desire for it. prayer was a real
*130 penance and seemingly useless. what a wretched, miserable experience i was passing through!
I lived in this distracted state for nearly 7 months after my conversion. some have told me I wasn't converted at all - that i only thought i was. but they were wrong. I was truly born again and a new creature in Jesus Christ. I had the inward witness clear and the outward evidence that i was a changed man....i hated sin, but was continually overcome by it. I love holiness and longed to be perfectly whole, but never experienced it. i was truly a child of God, but a slave of the devil. my life was up and down, but more down that up. i was committing sin and confessing it, but rarely having victory over it. I believed there was deliverance for me, but how to obtain it I didn't know.
i knew some Christians who were living a victorious, joyous, soul-winning life. how i envied them! i am sure if I had only made known to them the fluctuating, failing kind of life i was living, they would have led me into the open secret; but i was ashamed to make my experience known....
thank God, the day of my deliverance was at hand. one of the leading businessmen of the town, an out-and-out man fro Christ and souls, arranged for a 'Convention for the Deepening of the Christian Life. ' my older brother James and a close friend of his in his student days,Rev. J. Stuart Holden, were the convention leaders.
if they had called the conference 'holiness meetings' I would have been frightened and would never have attended. i would have called them wild , blue-stokinged Presbyterian, I would have shunned them.
from the very first sermon I heard, I was sure my brother had told Holden about me, for he made public my miserable condition. it made me feel clean mad! i determined i would
*131 not go to another service; but I was there the next night. I was more sure than ever that my brother had put the preacher up to preach at me. I became more angry every night, but could not keep myself from attendance.
Stuart Holden made the secret of the victorious Christian life so clear and plain. after one has been born again by the spirit of God he can live victoriously only by the holy Spirit. i began to understand that i could not attain this life by self effort or ceremonies, for it was 'not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit'. it was not an ATTAINMENT, but and OBTAINMENT. Christ was God's unspeakable gift to the world. The Holy Spirit was Christ's gift to His church. i had been trying to do what the Holy Spirit Alone could and would, do for me. but i must receive him by faith, on the ground of grace and he would sanctify my heart, and apply the Blood, thus cleansing me from all sin and making the victory purchased by Christ on Calvary experiential. as i walked in the light as he was in the light, he would maintain the life of holiness and victory in my life day by day.
it was all so wonderful and new to me. I had never heard such truth before. Oh, how my heart ached for just such a life, but I was hindered by fear of the consequences. I didn't want to be anything or do anything a presbyterian ought not to be or do. I tried so hard to make the Lord see and understand my fears and feelings, but he had no sympathy for my fears. i couldn't make Him a Presbyterian!
the Salvation Army had come to our town. the Corps was composed of two wee girls in uniform. they held open-air meetings and made a noise with their tambourines. their first soldier was a man called Daft Jimmy. he carried the flag as they marched the streets. on his jersey, a red one, he had hardly enough brains to give him a headache, but he had sense enough to get saved. he carried the flag as they marched the streets. on his jersey, a red one, he had the women put with white yarn these words on his back, 'SAVED FROM PUBLIC OPINION'.
*132 'I was told by satan that i would have to go to the open-air meeting and march down the street with two wee girls and a fool. maybe that didn't fill me with horrible dread! I would be laughed at by all my friends. i would lose my reputation.
i said, 'Lord, I will be willing to go to Timbuctoo or Hong Kong or even die recently as a martyr', I couldn't get out of it. i became more and more miserable and, oh, SO HUNGRY FRO FREEDOM AND VICTORY.
AT LAST I BECAME DESPERATE. the last night of the convention i saw it was a clean-cut, unconditional surrender, or continued wandering in failure, defeat and dissatisfaction. I left the meeting and went down to the shore, and there under a clear sky and shining stars I MADE THE COMPLETE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. i cried out,
'COME IN. COME IN, HOLY SPIRIT.
THY WORK OF GREAT BLESSING BEGIN.
BY FAITH I LAY HOLD OF THE PROMISE AND CLAIM COMPLETE VICTORY OVER SIN'.
Hallelujah! what a thrill, what a peace, what a joy! although an old-fashioned Presbyterian I began to weep and sin and rejoice like an old-fashioned Free Methodist. when I came home, I told my mother, 'the surrender has been made, and I am free and so happy'. she was delighted, for she told me she wondered whether i was really saved or not. she knew the blessing, for she had received it under the Rev. Andrew Murray's preaching held in a convention in Belfast. the wonder to me was that all of the far of what men might say or do had vanished and now i was willing to do anything or go anywhere. the very thing I dreaded most before receiving the blessing, about the Salvation Army meeting, was faced. i couldn't say i was very happy about it; but I TOLD THE LORD I WOULD DO WHAT HE WANTED, COST WHAT IT MAY. so i went to the open-air meeting on a Sat night....
as I walked down the street that Sat it seemed as if every friend and relative I ever had were out and about. when
*133 I came to the open-air meeting and saw the two wee Salvation Army girls singing and rattling their tambourines and poor Daft Jimmy holding the flag. I nearly turned back. talk about dying! I was dying hard that night. I stepped off the footpath and stood in the ring. the soldier looked at me. then to my horror one of them sad, 'the people don't stop and listen: let us get down on our knees and pray' what could I do? I couldn't run away. so down I got on my knees.
the crowd gathered around. I could hear their laughter and jeers. the officer prayed a telegram prayer - short and to the point. I could have wished the prayer had been as long as the 110th psalm. I stood up, blushing and nervous. they go the collection while the crowd was there and then to my horror, she said, 'bother! take this tambourine and lead the march down the street to the Barracks'. I couldn't let a girl beat me, so I took it. THAT DID IT. MY SHACKLES FELL OFF AND I - WAS - FREE; MY FEARS ALL GONE.
I started down the street, whether in the body or out of the body, i can't tell. I LOST MY REPUTATION and the fear of man and found the joy and peace of the overflowing fullness of the Spirit. Hallelujah!'
on street corners and in cottages, in the city and in the villages, in his place of employment on the railroad and in the churches, Nich became a fearless and flaming winner of souls. because of his enthusiasm and effectiveness he was advised by earnest friends to prepare for Christian work. his new friend, Stuart Holden, advised him not to be in a hurry;
*134 rather, to wait on God until a door for Bible preparation would be opened
a glimpse of his service in those days is this reminiscence; 'every Sun I held a meeting in a wee Orange Hall in a village a few miles from Bangor. I visited every home every Sun before the service, inviting them to come to my meeting. i prayed with everyone who would allow me and left a Spurgeon sermon. one dear old lady sitting at the door of her thatched cottage, when asked to come to my service, said, 'God love you, Mr. Nicholson, I don't need to go because you speak so loud the whole village can hear you'. my seafaring life gave me a good voice, so when I got warmed up preaching, you could hear me a mile away or more.
in His won way and time the almighty led His young servant to the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow. under godly and gifted instructors he was taught the wonders of the Scriptures. the Bible became his only textbook and witnessing for the Savior and winning souls his greatest delight. after Bible School days he became an evangelist for the lanakshire Christian union, an interdenominational society of leading Christian businessmen in that part of Scotland. Evangelistic services were held in the coal mining villages during the winter and tent campaigns wer held in the summertime. ther the Lord gave him great favor among the people. many came to a saving knowledge of the Lord jesus and many yielded themselves fully to the Savior and became Spirit-filled, soul-saving Christians.
Friday, June 29, 2018
6.29.2018 TFTS - Adoniram Judson Gordon - The Disciplined life
*75 ....so on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit, as the Comforter, advocate, Helper and Teacher and Guide, was given to the church. the disciples who before had been regenerated by the spirit, as is commonly held, now received the Holy Ghost to qualify and empower than for service. it was another and higher experience than that which they had hitherto known. it is the difference between the Holy Spirit for renewal and the Holy Spirit for ministry. even Jesus, begotten by the Holy Ghost and therefore called 'the son of God', did not enter upon His public service till he had been 'anointed' or 'sealed' with that same Spirit through whom he had been begotten. so of his immediate apostles; so of paul, who had been converted on the way to Damascus. so of the others mentioned in the acts, as the Samaritan Christians and the Ephesian disciples (19.1-8). and not a few thoughtful students of Scripture maintain that the same order still holds good: that there is such a thing as receiving the Holy Ghost in order to qualify for service. it is not denied that many may have this blessing in immediate connection with their conversion, from
*76 which it need not necessarily be separated. only let it be marked that as the giving of the Spirit by the Father is plainly spoken of, so distinctly is the receiving of the Spirit on the part spoken of, so distinctly is the receiving of the spirit on the part of the disciples constantly named in Scripture...
'God forbid, said Gordon, that we should lay claim to any higher attainment that the humblest. we are simply trying to answer, as best we may from Scripture, the question asked above about the baptism of the Holy Ghost. on the whole and after prolonged study of the Scripture, we cannot resist this conviction: As Christ, the second person of the Godhead, came to earth to make atonement for sin and to give eternal life and as sinners must receive him by faith in order to have forgiveness and Sonship, so the Holy Spirit, the third person of the godhead, came to the earth to communicate the 'power from on high' and we must as believers in like manner receive Him by faith in order to be qualified for service. both gifts have been bestowed, but it is not what we have but what we know that we have by a conscious appropriating faith, which determines our spiritual wealth. why then should we be satisfied with 'the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace' (Eph 1.7), when the Lord would grant us also 'according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man? Ephesians 3.16
..Dr. Gordon gave ..illustration: 'Just in front of the study window whee I write is a street, above which i is said that a powerful electric current is constantly moving. i cannot see that current; it does not report itself to hearing, or sight, or taste, or smell, and so far as the testimony of the senses is to be taken, I might reasonably discredit its existence. but i see a slender arm, called the trolley, reaching up and touching it and immediately the car with its heavy load of passengers moves along the track as though
*77 seized in the grasp of some might giant. the power had been there before, only now the car lays hold of it or is rather laid hold of by it, since it was a touch, not a rip, through which the motion was communicated. and would it be presumptuous for one to say that he had known something of a similar contact with not merely a divine force but a divine person? the change which ensued may be described thus: instead of praying constantly for the descent of a divine and ever-present being; instead of a constant effort to make use of the Holy spirit for doing my work there arose a clear and abiding conviction that the true secret of service lay in so yielding to the Holy Spirit that he might use me to do His work...'
the dynamic for discipleship is indeed the gift of God, even the Holy Spirit; yet it is costly to our human nature, even death to self.
it costs much, said Dr. Gordon in one of these convention addresses, 'to obtain this power. it costs self-surrender and humiliation and the yielding up of our most precious things to God. it consists the perseverance, of long waiting and the faith of strong trust. but when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference: that, whereas before it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hardest'.
...'as we become deeply instructed in this matter, we shall learn to pray less about the details of duty and more about the fullness of power. the manufacturer is chiefly anxious to secure an ample head of water for his mills; and, this being found, he knows that his 10,000 spindles will deep in motion without particular attention to each one. it is, in like manner, the sources of our power for which we should be most solicitous and not the results'.
This Is The Dynamic For Discipleship!
*76 which it need not necessarily be separated. only let it be marked that as the giving of the Spirit by the Father is plainly spoken of, so distinctly is the receiving of the Spirit on the part spoken of, so distinctly is the receiving of the spirit on the part of the disciples constantly named in Scripture...
'God forbid, said Gordon, that we should lay claim to any higher attainment that the humblest. we are simply trying to answer, as best we may from Scripture, the question asked above about the baptism of the Holy Ghost. on the whole and after prolonged study of the Scripture, we cannot resist this conviction: As Christ, the second person of the Godhead, came to earth to make atonement for sin and to give eternal life and as sinners must receive him by faith in order to have forgiveness and Sonship, so the Holy Spirit, the third person of the godhead, came to the earth to communicate the 'power from on high' and we must as believers in like manner receive Him by faith in order to be qualified for service. both gifts have been bestowed, but it is not what we have but what we know that we have by a conscious appropriating faith, which determines our spiritual wealth. why then should we be satisfied with 'the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace' (Eph 1.7), when the Lord would grant us also 'according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man? Ephesians 3.16
..Dr. Gordon gave ..illustration: 'Just in front of the study window whee I write is a street, above which i is said that a powerful electric current is constantly moving. i cannot see that current; it does not report itself to hearing, or sight, or taste, or smell, and so far as the testimony of the senses is to be taken, I might reasonably discredit its existence. but i see a slender arm, called the trolley, reaching up and touching it and immediately the car with its heavy load of passengers moves along the track as though
*77 seized in the grasp of some might giant. the power had been there before, only now the car lays hold of it or is rather laid hold of by it, since it was a touch, not a rip, through which the motion was communicated. and would it be presumptuous for one to say that he had known something of a similar contact with not merely a divine force but a divine person? the change which ensued may be described thus: instead of praying constantly for the descent of a divine and ever-present being; instead of a constant effort to make use of the Holy spirit for doing my work there arose a clear and abiding conviction that the true secret of service lay in so yielding to the Holy Spirit that he might use me to do His work...'
the dynamic for discipleship is indeed the gift of God, even the Holy Spirit; yet it is costly to our human nature, even death to self.
it costs much, said Dr. Gordon in one of these convention addresses, 'to obtain this power. it costs self-surrender and humiliation and the yielding up of our most precious things to God. it consists the perseverance, of long waiting and the faith of strong trust. but when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference: that, whereas before it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hardest'.
...'as we become deeply instructed in this matter, we shall learn to pray less about the details of duty and more about the fullness of power. the manufacturer is chiefly anxious to secure an ample head of water for his mills; and, this being found, he knows that his 10,000 spindles will deep in motion without particular attention to each one. it is, in like manner, the sources of our power for which we should be most solicitous and not the results'.
This Is The Dynamic For Discipleship!
Thursday, June 28, 2018
6.28.2018 TFTS - Charles Grandison Finney, The Powerful Life
a farmer lad on fire, an Elijah among lawyers, a pungent and powerful preacher of penitence, such was Charles G. Finney. born in rural Connecticut after the Revolutionary War, reared in a backwoods area of central New York State, he was successively a school teacher and a lawyer before he became a preacher of the Gospel.
Finney's conversion was sudden, startling, dramatic, and dynamic. through his youth he had received so little Christian instruction that at the age of 29 he found himself as ignorant of the gospel as a heathen. he did not understand Bible terms and although some believers labored to show him Christian doctrine he was not convinced. nevertheless he believed the Bible to be the Word of God. that confidence led him to a reading of the Scriptures, which in turn gave him concern about the salvation of his soul.
of his tremendous sense of need, his despair and of overwhelming victory, F tells his own story far better than anyone else could. 'On a Sabbath evening in the autumn of 1821, I made up my mind that i would settle the question of my soul's salvation at once, that if it were possible I would make my peace with god. but as I was very busy in the affairs of the office, i knew that without great firmness of purpose, I should never effectually attend to the subject. I therefor then and there resolved, as far as possible, to avoid all business and
*60 everything that would divert my attention and to give myself wholly to the work of securing the salvation of my soul. I carried this resolution into execution as sternly and thoroughly as i could. I was, however, obliged to be a good deal in the office. but as the providence of God would have it, I was not much occupied either on Mon or Tues and had opportunity to read my Bible and engage in prayer most of the time...
during Mon and Tues y convictions increased, but still it seemed as if my heart grew harder. I could not shed a tear; i could not pray. i had not opportunity to pray above my breath and frequently I felt that if i could be alone where i could use my voice and let myself out, I should find relief in prayer. I was shy and avoided, as much as i could , speaking to anybody on any subject. I endeavored, however, to do this in a way that would excite no suspicion, in any mind, that i was seeking the salvation of my soul.
Tues night I had became very nervous and in the night a strange feeling came over me as if I was about to die. I knew that if I did i should sink down to hell; but i quieted myself as best I could until morning.
at an early hour i started for the office. but just before i arrived at the office, something seemed to confront me with questions like these: indeed, it seemed as if the inquiry was within myself, as if an inward voice said to me, 'What are you waiting for? did you not promise to give your heart to do? and what are you trying to do? are you endeavoring to work out a righteousness of your own?
just at this point the whole question of gospel salvation opened to my mind in a manner most marvelous to me at the time. I think I then saw, as clearly as I ever have in my life, the reality and fullness of the atonement of Christ. I saw that His work was a finished work and then instead of having or needing, any righteousness of my own to recommend me to God, I
*61 had to submit myself to the righteousness of God through Christ. Gospel salvation seemed to me to be an offer of something to be accepted and that it was full and complete and that all that was necessary on my part, was to get me own consent to give up my sins and accept Christ. salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing to be wrought out, by my own works consent to give up my sins and accept Christ. salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing to be wrought out, by my own works, was a thing to be found entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ, who presented Himself before me as my God and my Savior.
without being distinctly aware of it, I had stopped in the street right where the inward voice seemed to arrest me. how long i remained in that position I cannot say. but after this distinct revelation had stood for some little time before my mind, the question seemed to be put, 'will you accept it now, today?' i replied, 'yes; I will accept it today or I will die in the attempt'.
North of the village and over a hill, lay a piece of woods, in which i was in the almost daily habit of walking, more or less, when it was pleasant weather, it was now oct and the time was past for my frequent walks there. nevertheless instead of going to the office, I turned and bent my course towards the woods, feeling that i must be alone and away from all human eyes and ears, so that i could pour out my prayer to God...
but when I attempted to pray I found that my heart would not pray. i had supposed that if I could only be where i could speak aloud, without being overheard, I could pray freely.but lo1 when I cam to try, I was dumb, that is, I had nothing to say to God or at least i could say but a few words, and those without hear. in attempting to pray i would hear a rustling in the leaves, as i thought and would stop and look up to see if somebody were not coming. this i did several times.
finally I found myself verging fast to despair. I said to myself, 'i cannot pray. y heart is dead to God and will not
*62 pray.' I then reproached myself for having promised to give my heart to God before I left the woods. when i came to pray, i found I could not give my heart to God. my inward soul hung back and there was no going out of my heart to God. I began to feel deeply that it was too late, that it must be that i was given up of god and was past hope.
the thought was pressing me of the rashness of my promise,that i would give my heart to God that day or die in thee attempt. it seemed to me as if that was biding upon my soul and yet i was going to break my vow. a great sinking and discouragement came over me and i felt almost too weak to stand upon my knees.
just at this moment I again thought i heard someone approach me and i opened my eyes to see whether it were so. but right there the revelation of my pride of heart, as the great difficulty that stood in the way, was distinctly shown to me. an overwhelming sense of my wickedness in being ashamed to have a human being see me on my knees before god, took such powerful possession of me,that i cried at the top of my voice, and exclaimed that i would not leave that place if all the men on earth and all the devils in hell surrounded me. 'What!' i said, such a degraded sinner as i am, on my knees confessing sins to the great and holy God and ashamed to have any human being and a sinner like myself, find me on my knees endeavoring to make my peace with my offended God!' the sin appeared awful, infinite. it broke me down before the lord.
just at that point this passage of Scripture seemed to drop into my mind with a flood of light: the Shall Ye Go And Pray Unto Me, And I Will Hearken Unto You. The Shall Ye Seek Me And Find Me, When Ye Shall Search for Me With All Your Heart.. I instantly seized hold of this with my heart. i had intellectually believed the Bible before, but never had the truth been in my mind that faith was a voluntary trust instead of an intellectual
*63 state. i was as conscious as i was of my existence, of trusting at that moment in god's veracity. somehow, I knew that that was a passage of Scripture, though i do not think I had ever read it. I knew that it was god's word and god's voice, as it were, that spoke to me, i cried to Him ,'LORD, I TAKE THEE AT THEY WORD. now Thou knowest that i do search for Thee with all my heart, and that i have come here to pray to thee and Thou hast promised to hear me.
that seemed to settle the question that i could then, that day, perform my vow. the Spirit seemed to lay stress upon that idea in the test, When You Search for Me With All Your Heart. the question of when,that is, of the present time, seemed to fall heavily into my heart. i told the lord that i should take him at his word; that he could not lie and that therefore I was sure that he heard my prayer and that He would be found of me...I walked quietly toward the village and so perfectly quiet was my mind that it seemed as if all nature listened, it was on the 10th of Oct, and a very pleasant day. i had gone into the woods immediately after a early breakfast and when i returned to the village i found it was dinner time. yet i had been wholly unconscious of the time that had passed; it appeared to me that i had been gone from the village but a short time....
i went to my diner and found i had no appetite to eat. i then went to the office and found that Squire W====had gone to dinner.I took down my bass viol and, as i was accustomed to do, began to play and sing some pieces of sacred music. but as soon as i began to sing those sacred words, i began to weep. it seemed as if my heart was all liquid and my feelings were in such a state that i could not hear my own voice in singing without causing my sensibility to overflow. i wondered at this, and tried to suppress my tears, but could not. i put up my instrument and stopped singing.
*64 after dinner we were engaged in removing our books and furniture to another office. we were busy in this and had but little conversation all the afternoon.my mind,however, remained in that profoundly tranquil state. there was a great sweetness and tenderness in my thoughts and feeling. everything appeared to be going right and nothing seemed to ruffle or disturb me in the least.
just before evening the thought took possession of my mind, that as soon as i was left alone in the new office, i would try to pray again - that i was not going to abandon thee subject of religion and give it up, at any rate and therefore, although i no longer had any concern about my soul. still i would continue to pray.
by evening we got the books and furniture adjusted and i made up, in an open fireplace, a good fire, hoping to spend thee evening alone, just as dark Squire W---, seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me good-night and went to his home. i had accompanied him to the door and as i closed the door and turned around, my heart seemed to be liquid within me. all my feelings seemed to rise and flow out and the utterance of my heart was, 'I WANT TO POUR MY WHOLE SOUL OUT TO GOD. the rising of my soul was so great that i rushed into the room back of the front office, to pray.
there was no fire and no light,in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. as i went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. it did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. on the contrary,it seemed to me that i saw Him as i would see any other man. he said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. i have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that He stood before me and i fell down at His
*65 feet and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child and made such confessions as i could with a choked utterance. it seemed to me that I bathed His feet with my tears and yet i had no distinct impression that i touched Him, that i recollect.
i must have continued in this state for a good while, but my mind was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that i said. but I know,as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I returned to the front office and found that the fire that i had made of large wood was nearly burned out. but as i turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, i received a mighty baptism of the Holy ghost. without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that i had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world,the Holy Spirit descended upon my in a manner that seemed to go through me,body and soul. i could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. indeed,it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for i could not express it in any other way. it seemed like the very breath of God, i can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.
no words can express the wonderful love hat was shed abroad in my heart. i wept aloud with joy and love and i do not know but I should say, i literally bellowed out he unutterable gushings of my heart. these waves came over me and over me and over me, one after the other, until I recollect i cried out, 'i shall die if these waves continue to pass over me'. i said,'lord, I cannot bear any more' , yet I had no fear of death.
how long I continued in this state, with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. but i know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir - for i was the leader of the choir - came into the office to see
*66 me. he was a member of the church. he found me in this state of loud weeping and said to me, 'Mr. Finney, what ails you/ I could make him no answer for some time. he then said, 'are you in pain? i gathered myself up as best I could and replied, 'No, but so happy that i cannot live....
i soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart. I was so filled with love that i could not sleep. soon I fell asleep again and awoke in the same manner. when i awoke, this temptation would return upon me and the love that seemed to e in my heart would abate; but as soon as I was asleep, it was so warm within me that i would immediately awake. thus i continued till, late at night. I obtained some sound repose.
when I awoke in the morning the sun had risen and was pouring a clear light into my room. words cannot express the impression that this sunlight made upon me. instantly the baptism that i had received the night before returned upon me in the same manner. I arose upon my knees in the bed and wept aloud with joy and remained for some time too much overwhelmed with the baptism of the Spirit to do anything but pour out my soul to God. it seemed as if this morning's baptism was accompanied with a gentle reproof and the Spirit seemed to say to me, 'Will you doubt? will you doubt? I cried, 'No! i will not doubt; i cannot doubt'. He then cleared the subject up so much to my mind that it was in fact impossible for me to doubt that the Spirit of God had taken possession of my soul.
in this state i was taught the doctrine of justification by faith, as a present experience. that doctrine had never taken any such possession of my mind that i had ever viewed it distinctly as a fundamental doctrine of the gospel. indeed, I did not know at all what it meant in the proper sense. but i could now see and understand what was meant by the passage,
*67 'Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ'. I could see that the moment I believed, while up in the woods, all sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind and that from that moment i could not feel a sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort that i could make. my sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone; and I do not thin I felt any more sense of guilt that if i never had sinned.
by the Spirit of God Finney came under deep conviction, learned god's plan of salvation and was born again of the Spirit; then without his knowledge of any such experience was filled to overflowing with that Spirit!
Finney's conversion was sudden, startling, dramatic, and dynamic. through his youth he had received so little Christian instruction that at the age of 29 he found himself as ignorant of the gospel as a heathen. he did not understand Bible terms and although some believers labored to show him Christian doctrine he was not convinced. nevertheless he believed the Bible to be the Word of God. that confidence led him to a reading of the Scriptures, which in turn gave him concern about the salvation of his soul.
of his tremendous sense of need, his despair and of overwhelming victory, F tells his own story far better than anyone else could. 'On a Sabbath evening in the autumn of 1821, I made up my mind that i would settle the question of my soul's salvation at once, that if it were possible I would make my peace with god. but as I was very busy in the affairs of the office, i knew that without great firmness of purpose, I should never effectually attend to the subject. I therefor then and there resolved, as far as possible, to avoid all business and
*60 everything that would divert my attention and to give myself wholly to the work of securing the salvation of my soul. I carried this resolution into execution as sternly and thoroughly as i could. I was, however, obliged to be a good deal in the office. but as the providence of God would have it, I was not much occupied either on Mon or Tues and had opportunity to read my Bible and engage in prayer most of the time...
during Mon and Tues y convictions increased, but still it seemed as if my heart grew harder. I could not shed a tear; i could not pray. i had not opportunity to pray above my breath and frequently I felt that if i could be alone where i could use my voice and let myself out, I should find relief in prayer. I was shy and avoided, as much as i could , speaking to anybody on any subject. I endeavored, however, to do this in a way that would excite no suspicion, in any mind, that i was seeking the salvation of my soul.
Tues night I had became very nervous and in the night a strange feeling came over me as if I was about to die. I knew that if I did i should sink down to hell; but i quieted myself as best I could until morning.
at an early hour i started for the office. but just before i arrived at the office, something seemed to confront me with questions like these: indeed, it seemed as if the inquiry was within myself, as if an inward voice said to me, 'What are you waiting for? did you not promise to give your heart to do? and what are you trying to do? are you endeavoring to work out a righteousness of your own?
just at this point the whole question of gospel salvation opened to my mind in a manner most marvelous to me at the time. I think I then saw, as clearly as I ever have in my life, the reality and fullness of the atonement of Christ. I saw that His work was a finished work and then instead of having or needing, any righteousness of my own to recommend me to God, I
*61 had to submit myself to the righteousness of God through Christ. Gospel salvation seemed to me to be an offer of something to be accepted and that it was full and complete and that all that was necessary on my part, was to get me own consent to give up my sins and accept Christ. salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing to be wrought out, by my own works consent to give up my sins and accept Christ. salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing to be wrought out, by my own works, was a thing to be found entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ, who presented Himself before me as my God and my Savior.
without being distinctly aware of it, I had stopped in the street right where the inward voice seemed to arrest me. how long i remained in that position I cannot say. but after this distinct revelation had stood for some little time before my mind, the question seemed to be put, 'will you accept it now, today?' i replied, 'yes; I will accept it today or I will die in the attempt'.
North of the village and over a hill, lay a piece of woods, in which i was in the almost daily habit of walking, more or less, when it was pleasant weather, it was now oct and the time was past for my frequent walks there. nevertheless instead of going to the office, I turned and bent my course towards the woods, feeling that i must be alone and away from all human eyes and ears, so that i could pour out my prayer to God...
but when I attempted to pray I found that my heart would not pray. i had supposed that if I could only be where i could speak aloud, without being overheard, I could pray freely.but lo1 when I cam to try, I was dumb, that is, I had nothing to say to God or at least i could say but a few words, and those without hear. in attempting to pray i would hear a rustling in the leaves, as i thought and would stop and look up to see if somebody were not coming. this i did several times.
finally I found myself verging fast to despair. I said to myself, 'i cannot pray. y heart is dead to God and will not
*62 pray.' I then reproached myself for having promised to give my heart to God before I left the woods. when i came to pray, i found I could not give my heart to God. my inward soul hung back and there was no going out of my heart to God. I began to feel deeply that it was too late, that it must be that i was given up of god and was past hope.
the thought was pressing me of the rashness of my promise,that i would give my heart to God that day or die in thee attempt. it seemed to me as if that was biding upon my soul and yet i was going to break my vow. a great sinking and discouragement came over me and i felt almost too weak to stand upon my knees.
just at this moment I again thought i heard someone approach me and i opened my eyes to see whether it were so. but right there the revelation of my pride of heart, as the great difficulty that stood in the way, was distinctly shown to me. an overwhelming sense of my wickedness in being ashamed to have a human being see me on my knees before god, took such powerful possession of me,that i cried at the top of my voice, and exclaimed that i would not leave that place if all the men on earth and all the devils in hell surrounded me. 'What!' i said, such a degraded sinner as i am, on my knees confessing sins to the great and holy God and ashamed to have any human being and a sinner like myself, find me on my knees endeavoring to make my peace with my offended God!' the sin appeared awful, infinite. it broke me down before the lord.
just at that point this passage of Scripture seemed to drop into my mind with a flood of light: the Shall Ye Go And Pray Unto Me, And I Will Hearken Unto You. The Shall Ye Seek Me And Find Me, When Ye Shall Search for Me With All Your Heart.. I instantly seized hold of this with my heart. i had intellectually believed the Bible before, but never had the truth been in my mind that faith was a voluntary trust instead of an intellectual
*63 state. i was as conscious as i was of my existence, of trusting at that moment in god's veracity. somehow, I knew that that was a passage of Scripture, though i do not think I had ever read it. I knew that it was god's word and god's voice, as it were, that spoke to me, i cried to Him ,'LORD, I TAKE THEE AT THEY WORD. now Thou knowest that i do search for Thee with all my heart, and that i have come here to pray to thee and Thou hast promised to hear me.
that seemed to settle the question that i could then, that day, perform my vow. the Spirit seemed to lay stress upon that idea in the test, When You Search for Me With All Your Heart. the question of when,that is, of the present time, seemed to fall heavily into my heart. i told the lord that i should take him at his word; that he could not lie and that therefore I was sure that he heard my prayer and that He would be found of me...I walked quietly toward the village and so perfectly quiet was my mind that it seemed as if all nature listened, it was on the 10th of Oct, and a very pleasant day. i had gone into the woods immediately after a early breakfast and when i returned to the village i found it was dinner time. yet i had been wholly unconscious of the time that had passed; it appeared to me that i had been gone from the village but a short time....
i went to my diner and found i had no appetite to eat. i then went to the office and found that Squire W====had gone to dinner.I took down my bass viol and, as i was accustomed to do, began to play and sing some pieces of sacred music. but as soon as i began to sing those sacred words, i began to weep. it seemed as if my heart was all liquid and my feelings were in such a state that i could not hear my own voice in singing without causing my sensibility to overflow. i wondered at this, and tried to suppress my tears, but could not. i put up my instrument and stopped singing.
*64 after dinner we were engaged in removing our books and furniture to another office. we were busy in this and had but little conversation all the afternoon.my mind,however, remained in that profoundly tranquil state. there was a great sweetness and tenderness in my thoughts and feeling. everything appeared to be going right and nothing seemed to ruffle or disturb me in the least.
just before evening the thought took possession of my mind, that as soon as i was left alone in the new office, i would try to pray again - that i was not going to abandon thee subject of religion and give it up, at any rate and therefore, although i no longer had any concern about my soul. still i would continue to pray.
by evening we got the books and furniture adjusted and i made up, in an open fireplace, a good fire, hoping to spend thee evening alone, just as dark Squire W---, seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me good-night and went to his home. i had accompanied him to the door and as i closed the door and turned around, my heart seemed to be liquid within me. all my feelings seemed to rise and flow out and the utterance of my heart was, 'I WANT TO POUR MY WHOLE SOUL OUT TO GOD. the rising of my soul was so great that i rushed into the room back of the front office, to pray.
there was no fire and no light,in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. as i went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. it did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. on the contrary,it seemed to me that i saw Him as i would see any other man. he said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. i have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that He stood before me and i fell down at His
*65 feet and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child and made such confessions as i could with a choked utterance. it seemed to me that I bathed His feet with my tears and yet i had no distinct impression that i touched Him, that i recollect.
i must have continued in this state for a good while, but my mind was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that i said. but I know,as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I returned to the front office and found that the fire that i had made of large wood was nearly burned out. but as i turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, i received a mighty baptism of the Holy ghost. without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that i had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world,the Holy Spirit descended upon my in a manner that seemed to go through me,body and soul. i could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. indeed,it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for i could not express it in any other way. it seemed like the very breath of God, i can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.
no words can express the wonderful love hat was shed abroad in my heart. i wept aloud with joy and love and i do not know but I should say, i literally bellowed out he unutterable gushings of my heart. these waves came over me and over me and over me, one after the other, until I recollect i cried out, 'i shall die if these waves continue to pass over me'. i said,'lord, I cannot bear any more' , yet I had no fear of death.
how long I continued in this state, with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. but i know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir - for i was the leader of the choir - came into the office to see
*66 me. he was a member of the church. he found me in this state of loud weeping and said to me, 'Mr. Finney, what ails you/ I could make him no answer for some time. he then said, 'are you in pain? i gathered myself up as best I could and replied, 'No, but so happy that i cannot live....
i soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart. I was so filled with love that i could not sleep. soon I fell asleep again and awoke in the same manner. when i awoke, this temptation would return upon me and the love that seemed to e in my heart would abate; but as soon as I was asleep, it was so warm within me that i would immediately awake. thus i continued till, late at night. I obtained some sound repose.
when I awoke in the morning the sun had risen and was pouring a clear light into my room. words cannot express the impression that this sunlight made upon me. instantly the baptism that i had received the night before returned upon me in the same manner. I arose upon my knees in the bed and wept aloud with joy and remained for some time too much overwhelmed with the baptism of the Spirit to do anything but pour out my soul to God. it seemed as if this morning's baptism was accompanied with a gentle reproof and the Spirit seemed to say to me, 'Will you doubt? will you doubt? I cried, 'No! i will not doubt; i cannot doubt'. He then cleared the subject up so much to my mind that it was in fact impossible for me to doubt that the Spirit of God had taken possession of my soul.
in this state i was taught the doctrine of justification by faith, as a present experience. that doctrine had never taken any such possession of my mind that i had ever viewed it distinctly as a fundamental doctrine of the gospel. indeed, I did not know at all what it meant in the proper sense. but i could now see and understand what was meant by the passage,
*67 'Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ'. I could see that the moment I believed, while up in the woods, all sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind and that from that moment i could not feel a sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort that i could make. my sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone; and I do not thin I felt any more sense of guilt that if i never had sinned.
by the Spirit of God Finney came under deep conviction, learned god's plan of salvation and was born again of the Spirit; then without his knowledge of any such experience was filled to overflowing with that Spirit!
6.28.2018 TFTS - Oswald Chambers - The Highest Life
*52 the Bible college life at Dunoon 'based on the simplicity of daring faith in God for the provision of needs' became the groundwork of C's life of faith and obedience. he came to know by experience that God answers prayer. likewise there was created in his innermost being a huger and thirst that only the living God can satisfy. that deep desire, almost fathomless, he struggled to express in his diary;
'the Holy Spirit must anoint me for the work , fir me and so vividly convince me that such and such a way is mine to aim at, or i shall not go, I will not, I dare not; I shall just be content to earn my living - but, no, that cannot be.. from my very childhood the persuasion has been that of a work, strange and great, an experience deep and peculiar, it has haunted me ever and ever.... here is the lamb and the wood, but where is the fire? nothing but the fire of the most Holy Spirit of God can make the offering holy and unblameable and acceptable i His sight'.
it was at that time, when his 'soul was in turmoil', that he wrote these lines:
Let me climb, let me climb, I'm sure i've time
'ere the mist comes up from the sea.
let me climb in time to the height sublime,
let me reach where I long to be.
climbing in the Spirit is accomplished by kneeling and not by running; by surrender and not by determination. despair of self leads to utter desperation; but beyond these mists lies the sunshine of God's presence. many a soul will turn back to accustomed marshlands of defeat rather than brave the
*53 fogs of frustration, but the mountain peaks rise high above the rain and gloom.
this pattern in the crisis of the deeper life, followed by its wide outreach, is almost identical with the experience of countless others of God's children. first, there is the huger of heart, often followed y a sense of desperation that leads to utter surrender of self. thereafter there is the meeting of the soul with God in whatever manner the Almighty is pleased to reveal himself to the desperate seeker who, like Jacob at Jabbok, Will Not Let Him Go Until There Is Blessing...
'I was in Dunnon College as a tutor in philosophy, he recalled, when Dr. F. B. Meyer came and spoke about the Holy Spirit. I determined to have all that was going and went to my room and asked God simply and definitely for the baptism of the HS, whatever that meant. from that day on for 4 years nothing but the overruling grace of God and kindness of friends dept me out of an asylum.
God used me during those years for the conversion of souls, but I had no conscious communion with Him. the Bible was the dullest, most uninteresting book in existence and the sense of depravity, the vileness and bad-motivedness of my nature, was terrific. i see now that God was taking me by the light of the Holy Spirit and His Word through every ramification of my being.
the last 3 months of those years things reached a climax, I was getting very desperate. I knew no one who had what i wanted; in fact I did not know what i did want. but i
*54 knew that if what i had was all the Christianity there was, the thing was a fraud. then Luke 11.13 got hold of me - 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to them that ask Him?
but how could I, bad motivated as I was, possibly ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit? then it was borne in upon me that i had to claim the gift from God on the authority of Jesus Christ and testify to having done so. but the though came - if you claim the gift of the HS on the word of Jesus Christ and testify to it, God will make it known to those who know you best how bad you are in heart. and I was not willing to be a fool for Christ's sake. but those of you who know the experience, know very well how god brings one to the point of utter despair, and I got to the place where I did not care whether everyone knew how bad I was; I cared for nothing on earth, saving to get out of my present condition.
at a little meeting held during a mission in Dunoon, a well known lady was asked to take the after meeting. she did not speak, but set us to prayer and then sang 'touch me again, Lord'. I felt nothing, but I knew emphatically my time had come and I rose to my feet. i had no vision of god, only a sheer dogged determination to take god at His word and to prove this thing for myself and I stood up and said so.
that was bad enough, but what followed was 10 times worse. after I had sat down the lady worker, who knew me well, said: 'that is very good of our brother, he has spoken like that as an example to the rest of you.
I got again and said: 'I got up for no one (else's) sake, I got up for my own sake; either Christianity is a downright fraud, or I have not got hold of the right end of the stick'. and then and there I claimed the gift of the Holy Spirit in dogged committal on Luke 11.13.
*55 I had no vision of heaven or of angels, I had nothing. I was as dry and empty as ever, no power or realization of God, no witness of the Holy Spirit. then i was asked to speak at a meeting and 40 souls came out to the front. did i praise God? No, I was terrified and left them to the workers and went to Mr. MacGregor 9 a friend) and told him what had happened , and he said: 'Don't you remember claiming the HS as a gift on the word of Jesus and that He said: 'Ye shall receive power...? 'this is the power from on high'. then lie a flash something happened inside me and i saw that i had been wanting power in my own hand, so to speak, that i might say - Look what i have by putting my all on the altar.
if the 4 previous years had been hell on earth, these 5 years have truly been heaven on earth. Glory be to God, the last aching abyss of the human heart is filled to overflowing with the love of God. love is the beginning, love is the middle and love is the end. after he comes in, all you see is 'Jesus only, Jesus ever'.
when you know what God has done for you, the power and the tyranny of sin is gone and the radiant, unspeakable emancipation of the indwelling Christ has come and when you see men and women who should be princes and presses with God bound up by the show of things - oh,you begin to understand what the apostle meant when he said he wished himself accursed from Christ that men might be saved!
it was with implicit obedience that OC learned, on the basis of Luke 11.13, that By Faith we receive the fullness of God's Spirit, just as by faith we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior.
and what did the immediacy of God mean in the life of Oswald Chambers? he himself said again and again, 'It is no wonder that i talk so much about an altered disposition: God altered mine; I was there when He did it...
*56 as was true of the prophets of old, Chambers was a man of God, but not unapproachable nor other-worldly. he was personable and practical and yet a dreamer, a thinker with a long range view. a pastor wrote of him: 'In friendly intercourse he was one of the most genial and attractive of men. the children in the home love him and his boyish ways....yet he was a might unflinching messenger of God. he never obtruded his views upon others, bu when men sought further knowledge, they soon found they were in the presence of a master mind.
he was a man of prayer, interceding, imploring and believing. he had rare insight into the meaning of the Scripture and from this came pointed and practical preaching. derogatory speaking on the part of others did not deflect his spirit from following his Savior, who likewise knew what is meant to be 'despised and rejected of men'. he was literally 'a bond slave of Jesus Christ' and yet none knew more glorious liberty as a child of God.
'the Holy Spirit must anoint me for the work , fir me and so vividly convince me that such and such a way is mine to aim at, or i shall not go, I will not, I dare not; I shall just be content to earn my living - but, no, that cannot be.. from my very childhood the persuasion has been that of a work, strange and great, an experience deep and peculiar, it has haunted me ever and ever.... here is the lamb and the wood, but where is the fire? nothing but the fire of the most Holy Spirit of God can make the offering holy and unblameable and acceptable i His sight'.
it was at that time, when his 'soul was in turmoil', that he wrote these lines:
Let me climb, let me climb, I'm sure i've time
'ere the mist comes up from the sea.
let me climb in time to the height sublime,
let me reach where I long to be.
climbing in the Spirit is accomplished by kneeling and not by running; by surrender and not by determination. despair of self leads to utter desperation; but beyond these mists lies the sunshine of God's presence. many a soul will turn back to accustomed marshlands of defeat rather than brave the
*53 fogs of frustration, but the mountain peaks rise high above the rain and gloom.
this pattern in the crisis of the deeper life, followed by its wide outreach, is almost identical with the experience of countless others of God's children. first, there is the huger of heart, often followed y a sense of desperation that leads to utter surrender of self. thereafter there is the meeting of the soul with God in whatever manner the Almighty is pleased to reveal himself to the desperate seeker who, like Jacob at Jabbok, Will Not Let Him Go Until There Is Blessing...
'I was in Dunnon College as a tutor in philosophy, he recalled, when Dr. F. B. Meyer came and spoke about the Holy Spirit. I determined to have all that was going and went to my room and asked God simply and definitely for the baptism of the HS, whatever that meant. from that day on for 4 years nothing but the overruling grace of God and kindness of friends dept me out of an asylum.
God used me during those years for the conversion of souls, but I had no conscious communion with Him. the Bible was the dullest, most uninteresting book in existence and the sense of depravity, the vileness and bad-motivedness of my nature, was terrific. i see now that God was taking me by the light of the Holy Spirit and His Word through every ramification of my being.
the last 3 months of those years things reached a climax, I was getting very desperate. I knew no one who had what i wanted; in fact I did not know what i did want. but i
*54 knew that if what i had was all the Christianity there was, the thing was a fraud. then Luke 11.13 got hold of me - 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to them that ask Him?
but how could I, bad motivated as I was, possibly ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit? then it was borne in upon me that i had to claim the gift from God on the authority of Jesus Christ and testify to having done so. but the though came - if you claim the gift of the HS on the word of Jesus Christ and testify to it, God will make it known to those who know you best how bad you are in heart. and I was not willing to be a fool for Christ's sake. but those of you who know the experience, know very well how god brings one to the point of utter despair, and I got to the place where I did not care whether everyone knew how bad I was; I cared for nothing on earth, saving to get out of my present condition.
at a little meeting held during a mission in Dunoon, a well known lady was asked to take the after meeting. she did not speak, but set us to prayer and then sang 'touch me again, Lord'. I felt nothing, but I knew emphatically my time had come and I rose to my feet. i had no vision of god, only a sheer dogged determination to take god at His word and to prove this thing for myself and I stood up and said so.
that was bad enough, but what followed was 10 times worse. after I had sat down the lady worker, who knew me well, said: 'that is very good of our brother, he has spoken like that as an example to the rest of you.
I got again and said: 'I got up for no one (else's) sake, I got up for my own sake; either Christianity is a downright fraud, or I have not got hold of the right end of the stick'. and then and there I claimed the gift of the Holy Spirit in dogged committal on Luke 11.13.
*55 I had no vision of heaven or of angels, I had nothing. I was as dry and empty as ever, no power or realization of God, no witness of the Holy Spirit. then i was asked to speak at a meeting and 40 souls came out to the front. did i praise God? No, I was terrified and left them to the workers and went to Mr. MacGregor 9 a friend) and told him what had happened , and he said: 'Don't you remember claiming the HS as a gift on the word of Jesus and that He said: 'Ye shall receive power...? 'this is the power from on high'. then lie a flash something happened inside me and i saw that i had been wanting power in my own hand, so to speak, that i might say - Look what i have by putting my all on the altar.
if the 4 previous years had been hell on earth, these 5 years have truly been heaven on earth. Glory be to God, the last aching abyss of the human heart is filled to overflowing with the love of God. love is the beginning, love is the middle and love is the end. after he comes in, all you see is 'Jesus only, Jesus ever'.
when you know what God has done for you, the power and the tyranny of sin is gone and the radiant, unspeakable emancipation of the indwelling Christ has come and when you see men and women who should be princes and presses with God bound up by the show of things - oh,you begin to understand what the apostle meant when he said he wished himself accursed from Christ that men might be saved!
it was with implicit obedience that OC learned, on the basis of Luke 11.13, that By Faith we receive the fullness of God's Spirit, just as by faith we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior.
and what did the immediacy of God mean in the life of Oswald Chambers? he himself said again and again, 'It is no wonder that i talk so much about an altered disposition: God altered mine; I was there when He did it...
*56 as was true of the prophets of old, Chambers was a man of God, but not unapproachable nor other-worldly. he was personable and practical and yet a dreamer, a thinker with a long range view. a pastor wrote of him: 'In friendly intercourse he was one of the most genial and attractive of men. the children in the home love him and his boyish ways....yet he was a might unflinching messenger of God. he never obtruded his views upon others, bu when men sought further knowledge, they soon found they were in the presence of a master mind.
he was a man of prayer, interceding, imploring and believing. he had rare insight into the meaning of the Scripture and from this came pointed and practical preaching. derogatory speaking on the part of others did not deflect his spirit from following his Savior, who likewise knew what is meant to be 'despised and rejected of men'. he was literally 'a bond slave of Jesus Christ' and yet none knew more glorious liberty as a child of God.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
6.27.2018 TFTS - Amy Carmichael: The Radiant Life
*43 Amy Carmichael first met the living Lord on the streets of Belfast. she was just a girl then, in her teens. the meeting with the Savior was sudden and startling, wholly unexpected. in god Cord, the autobiographical account of the background and the building of the Christian home for girls and boys at Dohnavur in South India, she relates the meeting, as important in her life as was the revelation of the Lord Jesus to Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus.
'it was a dull Sun morning, she recalled, in Belfast. my brothers and sisters and I were returning with our mother from church when we met a poor pathetic old woman who was carrying a heavy bundle. we had never seen such a thing in Presbyterian Belfast on Sunday , and, moved by sudden pity, my brothers and I turned with her, relieved her of the bundle ,k took her by her arms as though they had been handles and helped her along. this meant facing all the respectable people who were, like ourselves,on their way home. it was a horrid moment. we were only 2 boys and a girl and not at all exalted Christians. we hated doing it, crimson all over (at least we felt crimson, soul and body of us) we plodded on, a wet wind blowing us about and blowing, too, he rags of that poor old woman, till she seemed lie a bundle of feathers and we unhappily mixed up with them. but just as we passed a fountain
*44 recently built near the kerbstone, this mighty phrase was suddenly flashed as it were through the grey drizzle;
'Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. if any man's work abide...'
IF ANY MAN'S WORK ABIDE - I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. the fountain, the muddy street, the people with their politely surprised faces, all this I saw, but nothing else. the blinding flash had come and gone, the ordinary was all about us. we went on. i said nothing to anyone, but I knew that something had happened that had changed life's values. nothing could ever matter again but the things that wee eternal'.
that afternoon the 18 year old Amy shut herself in her room, talked to God and settled once and for all the pattern of her future life. Amy had found the Lord Jesus as her personal Savior 2 years before when a student at school in Harrogate, North Ireland. in the moments of quiet at the conclusion of an evangelistic meeting, the good Shepherd, she said, 'answered the prayers of my father and mother and many other loving ones and drew me, even me, into His fold'.
at the age of 19 she attended a convention in Glasgow. there she heard the 'Keswick testimony' of the life of victory by the Holy Spirit for the first time. she recalled:
'I had been longing for months, perhaps years, to know how one could live a holy life and a life that would help others. I came to that meeting half hoping,half fearing. would there be anything for me? I don't remember feeling there was anything (my fault) in either of the 2 addresses. the fog in the hall seemed to soak into home. my soul was in a fog. then the chair man rose for the last prayer. perhaps the previous address had been about peter walking on the water and perhaps it had closed with the words of Jude 24, for the one who
*45 prayed began like this, 'O Lord, we know Thou art able to keep is from falling'. those words found me. it was as if they were alight and they shone for me.
in exaltation of mind and spirit she left the meeting and went with her hostess to a restaurant for lunch. 'The mutton chop wasn't properly cooked and somebody said so', wrote Amy Carmichael. 'I remembered wondering, 'whatever does it matter about mutton chops? O Lord, We Know Thou Are Able To Keep Us From Falling'.
assurance of salvation at Harrogate ('the one watered moment in an arid 3 years), awareness of eternal values by the Holy Spirit at Belfast ('something had happened that had changed life's values') and the actuality of the new life in Christ at Glasgow ('Thou are able to keep us from falling') - these were the spiritual milestones of Amy Carmichael's awakening and preparation for her long fruitful service for the Lord Jesus.
early did this Irish girl learn the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that is indispensable in a close walk with god. still in her teens she was led to Christian service in a Belfast mission, 'the Welcome'. for some nights there were sols saved night after night, then suddenly the meetings went dead. as she prayed and searched her own heart she remembered 'a rollicking hour when we reached home after the meeting an, as usual, it was my fault. there was nothing wrong in the fun, But It Was Not The Time For It. I have never forgotten the shock of that discovery. Grieve not the Spirit, that was the word then, In His mercy he forgave and the work went on again'.
there was the implicit and wholehearted response to the call for foreign service, quite unthought of even the day before it came, on Jan 13, 1892. obedient to that call of God ye she was appointed the first missionary under the Keswick convention and within a few months went to japan. though her service
*46 there was brief she learned many lessons that were invaluable later in the 55 consecutive years that she served in India.
not long after she arrived in Japan, she learned the importance of simplicity of dress and appearance on the part of missionaries and the value of adaptability to the clothing and the standards of teh people among whom one had come to witness for the Savior.
it was a hare lesson, learned in a sad way. with her Christian fellow worker, misaki San, she had gone to visit an old lady who was ill. in response to Miss Carmichael's word, translated by Misaki San, the needy heart seemed just about to turn to the Savior when the lady noticed fur gloves on the missionary's hands and was distracted from the message. 'i went home, said the young missionary, 'took off my English clothes, put on my Japanese kimono and never again, I trust risked so very much for the sake of so very little....'
another valuable lesson cam out of that experience. said Miss Carmichael: 'the touch of that old lady on my fur gloves set free, though I never imagined it, thousands of hours of time; for the saving of tie is great when a company of people live for many years without having to spend any time in giving thought to their clothes. and it set fee hundreds of pounds; for the saving of money is also great, when at a stroke all the extras of dress are cut off, and nothing need by spent on them. and all this time and money saved has meant just so much the more to give to Him who gave us all. but more than that, as i believe, it led to the opening of doors never opened before. it would have been impossible for one in foreign dress to go to the places to which I had to go if I were ever to discover the truth about things in India. and more, far more than that, it opened doors to hearts. if any question that, I can fall back on this: it made it just a little less easy for the great enemy to distract a soul who was drawing near to its Savior'.
*47 early in her missionary life she also learned the strength of the Strong One. a Buddhist neighbor in the Japanese village of Matsue was possessed by the 'Fox spirit', as they called it. the Japanese knew the reality of demon possession but had heard nothing of deliverance from that dreadful bondage. Miss C and Misaki San went uninvited to pray for a demon-possessed man, only to be driven away, but not before they had assured the wife that they would pray at home until her husband was delivered from the power of the Fox spirit. within an hour a messenger came to say that all the Foxes, 6 or them , were gone; and the next day the man, perfectly well, came with a branch of pomegranate flowers to express his appreciation for their prayers. some months later he died of malaria, peacefully, with his New Testament clasped in his hands. thus she learned in actual combat that 'greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
such was the beginning of her deep acquaintance with the lord and her preparation for service in India. one day in India, while sitting under a wide-spreading tree with her Tamil grammar and dictionary before her, she became conscious of the 'unfolding sense of a presence, a listener'. it seemed to her he looked for some to listen with Him, to listen to the voice of one's brother's blood crying to him from the ground. time ceased for the lady under the tree and she sat all that day in his presence. that day on the hillside influenced all the years that were to follow for Amy Carmichael and gave depth to them all.
when she was called by the Lover of little children to the rescuing of girls from the temple and later of boys in danger, few missionaries or Indian Christians were in sympathy with her. of this she wrote: 'Sometimes it was as if I saw the Lord Jesus Christ kneeling alone, as he knelt long ago under the olive trees. the trees were tamarid now, the tamarinds that i see as i look up from this writing. and the only thing that one who cared
*48 could do, was to go softly and keel down beside Him, so that He would not be alone in His sorrow over the little children'.
the sensitivity to spiritual and eternal values gave her not only insight to discern the presence of her lord. but also outer sight to 'see things as they are'. the publication of a volume by that name, Things As They Are, in 1903, caused tremendous stir in India and also in Britain: so much so that a committee on the field was appointed to ask her to return to England. she found, however, that the Lord of the Harvest overruled in her behalf when others misunderstood her obedience to marching orders and her understanding of the battle.
she had by the Holy Spirit a wonderful gift of teaching others to trust the Faithful One. when the First War brought great hardship and uncertainty to the work in Dohnavur there were opportunities to help the children learn the simplicity and sweetness of faith in god. in her 1915 diary we read:
'Oct 26. had children in field weeding. told them of need of money - a new idea to them. explained a little to older girls bout our way of working and what it involved of careful sensitiveness towards God. finally got them, an all, to the point of willingness to give today 9Festival Day) to weeding. girls splendid over it, children very sweet and good. inwardly prayed for a quick assurance from our Father that he was pleased. it would be like Him to do this.
Oct 27. mail in today and 50 from a friend of Irene Streeter, the soldier brother's money left to her. took letter up to field where children were weeding and we all praised God standing in shadow of cactus hedge. there was other money too - more in one mail than has come for many months. all much cheered and much awed too'.
the Spirit-filled life is a practical one. AC found it so. in the problem of guidance she learned to pray, to trust, to obey and not to look back.
*49 'when decisions have to be made, don't look back and wonder what I would have done. look up and light will come to do what our Lord and Master would have you do.
it may be that decisions which seem to change the character of the work will have to be made. but if the root principles which have governed us from the beginning are held fast, there will be no real change. the river may flow in a new channel, but it will be the same river.
if you hold fast to the resolve that in all things Christ as Lord shall have the pre-eminence, if you keep his will, His glory and His pleasure high above everything and if you continue in his love, loving one another as He has loved you, than all will be well, eternally well'.
Amy Carmichael had a singing heart. sensitive, artistic and radiant, her gift of song found expression in her poetry. few writers in our generation have had the ministry of pen in poetry and also prose as has AC of Dohnavur. these responses of her heart to trials of faith and triumphs of God's faithfulness have been printed and reprinted in every quarter of the globe.
from prayer that asks that I may be
sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
from fearing when I should aspire,
from faltering when i should climb higher,
from silken self, o Captain, free
thy soldier who would follow Thee.
from subtle love of softening things,
from easy choices, weakenings,
not thus are spirits fortified,
not this way went the Crucified,
from all that dims Thy Calvary.
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
*50 give me the love that leads the way,
the faith that nothing can dismay,
the hope no disappointments tire,
the passion that will burn like fire,
let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
and what shall we say of her books:
Things As They Are,
Meal in a Barrel,
God Cord,
If
Though the Mountains Shake to mention a few...
'it was a dull Sun morning, she recalled, in Belfast. my brothers and sisters and I were returning with our mother from church when we met a poor pathetic old woman who was carrying a heavy bundle. we had never seen such a thing in Presbyterian Belfast on Sunday , and, moved by sudden pity, my brothers and I turned with her, relieved her of the bundle ,k took her by her arms as though they had been handles and helped her along. this meant facing all the respectable people who were, like ourselves,on their way home. it was a horrid moment. we were only 2 boys and a girl and not at all exalted Christians. we hated doing it, crimson all over (at least we felt crimson, soul and body of us) we plodded on, a wet wind blowing us about and blowing, too, he rags of that poor old woman, till she seemed lie a bundle of feathers and we unhappily mixed up with them. but just as we passed a fountain
*44 recently built near the kerbstone, this mighty phrase was suddenly flashed as it were through the grey drizzle;
'Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. if any man's work abide...'
IF ANY MAN'S WORK ABIDE - I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. the fountain, the muddy street, the people with their politely surprised faces, all this I saw, but nothing else. the blinding flash had come and gone, the ordinary was all about us. we went on. i said nothing to anyone, but I knew that something had happened that had changed life's values. nothing could ever matter again but the things that wee eternal'.
that afternoon the 18 year old Amy shut herself in her room, talked to God and settled once and for all the pattern of her future life. Amy had found the Lord Jesus as her personal Savior 2 years before when a student at school in Harrogate, North Ireland. in the moments of quiet at the conclusion of an evangelistic meeting, the good Shepherd, she said, 'answered the prayers of my father and mother and many other loving ones and drew me, even me, into His fold'.
at the age of 19 she attended a convention in Glasgow. there she heard the 'Keswick testimony' of the life of victory by the Holy Spirit for the first time. she recalled:
'I had been longing for months, perhaps years, to know how one could live a holy life and a life that would help others. I came to that meeting half hoping,half fearing. would there be anything for me? I don't remember feeling there was anything (my fault) in either of the 2 addresses. the fog in the hall seemed to soak into home. my soul was in a fog. then the chair man rose for the last prayer. perhaps the previous address had been about peter walking on the water and perhaps it had closed with the words of Jude 24, for the one who
*45 prayed began like this, 'O Lord, we know Thou art able to keep is from falling'. those words found me. it was as if they were alight and they shone for me.
in exaltation of mind and spirit she left the meeting and went with her hostess to a restaurant for lunch. 'The mutton chop wasn't properly cooked and somebody said so', wrote Amy Carmichael. 'I remembered wondering, 'whatever does it matter about mutton chops? O Lord, We Know Thou Are Able To Keep Us From Falling'.
assurance of salvation at Harrogate ('the one watered moment in an arid 3 years), awareness of eternal values by the Holy Spirit at Belfast ('something had happened that had changed life's values') and the actuality of the new life in Christ at Glasgow ('Thou are able to keep us from falling') - these were the spiritual milestones of Amy Carmichael's awakening and preparation for her long fruitful service for the Lord Jesus.
early did this Irish girl learn the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that is indispensable in a close walk with god. still in her teens she was led to Christian service in a Belfast mission, 'the Welcome'. for some nights there were sols saved night after night, then suddenly the meetings went dead. as she prayed and searched her own heart she remembered 'a rollicking hour when we reached home after the meeting an, as usual, it was my fault. there was nothing wrong in the fun, But It Was Not The Time For It. I have never forgotten the shock of that discovery. Grieve not the Spirit, that was the word then, In His mercy he forgave and the work went on again'.
there was the implicit and wholehearted response to the call for foreign service, quite unthought of even the day before it came, on Jan 13, 1892. obedient to that call of God ye she was appointed the first missionary under the Keswick convention and within a few months went to japan. though her service
*46 there was brief she learned many lessons that were invaluable later in the 55 consecutive years that she served in India.
not long after she arrived in Japan, she learned the importance of simplicity of dress and appearance on the part of missionaries and the value of adaptability to the clothing and the standards of teh people among whom one had come to witness for the Savior.
it was a hare lesson, learned in a sad way. with her Christian fellow worker, misaki San, she had gone to visit an old lady who was ill. in response to Miss Carmichael's word, translated by Misaki San, the needy heart seemed just about to turn to the Savior when the lady noticed fur gloves on the missionary's hands and was distracted from the message. 'i went home, said the young missionary, 'took off my English clothes, put on my Japanese kimono and never again, I trust risked so very much for the sake of so very little....'
another valuable lesson cam out of that experience. said Miss Carmichael: 'the touch of that old lady on my fur gloves set free, though I never imagined it, thousands of hours of time; for the saving of tie is great when a company of people live for many years without having to spend any time in giving thought to their clothes. and it set fee hundreds of pounds; for the saving of money is also great, when at a stroke all the extras of dress are cut off, and nothing need by spent on them. and all this time and money saved has meant just so much the more to give to Him who gave us all. but more than that, as i believe, it led to the opening of doors never opened before. it would have been impossible for one in foreign dress to go to the places to which I had to go if I were ever to discover the truth about things in India. and more, far more than that, it opened doors to hearts. if any question that, I can fall back on this: it made it just a little less easy for the great enemy to distract a soul who was drawing near to its Savior'.
*47 early in her missionary life she also learned the strength of the Strong One. a Buddhist neighbor in the Japanese village of Matsue was possessed by the 'Fox spirit', as they called it. the Japanese knew the reality of demon possession but had heard nothing of deliverance from that dreadful bondage. Miss C and Misaki San went uninvited to pray for a demon-possessed man, only to be driven away, but not before they had assured the wife that they would pray at home until her husband was delivered from the power of the Fox spirit. within an hour a messenger came to say that all the Foxes, 6 or them , were gone; and the next day the man, perfectly well, came with a branch of pomegranate flowers to express his appreciation for their prayers. some months later he died of malaria, peacefully, with his New Testament clasped in his hands. thus she learned in actual combat that 'greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
such was the beginning of her deep acquaintance with the lord and her preparation for service in India. one day in India, while sitting under a wide-spreading tree with her Tamil grammar and dictionary before her, she became conscious of the 'unfolding sense of a presence, a listener'. it seemed to her he looked for some to listen with Him, to listen to the voice of one's brother's blood crying to him from the ground. time ceased for the lady under the tree and she sat all that day in his presence. that day on the hillside influenced all the years that were to follow for Amy Carmichael and gave depth to them all.
when she was called by the Lover of little children to the rescuing of girls from the temple and later of boys in danger, few missionaries or Indian Christians were in sympathy with her. of this she wrote: 'Sometimes it was as if I saw the Lord Jesus Christ kneeling alone, as he knelt long ago under the olive trees. the trees were tamarid now, the tamarinds that i see as i look up from this writing. and the only thing that one who cared
*48 could do, was to go softly and keel down beside Him, so that He would not be alone in His sorrow over the little children'.
the sensitivity to spiritual and eternal values gave her not only insight to discern the presence of her lord. but also outer sight to 'see things as they are'. the publication of a volume by that name, Things As They Are, in 1903, caused tremendous stir in India and also in Britain: so much so that a committee on the field was appointed to ask her to return to England. she found, however, that the Lord of the Harvest overruled in her behalf when others misunderstood her obedience to marching orders and her understanding of the battle.
she had by the Holy Spirit a wonderful gift of teaching others to trust the Faithful One. when the First War brought great hardship and uncertainty to the work in Dohnavur there were opportunities to help the children learn the simplicity and sweetness of faith in god. in her 1915 diary we read:
'Oct 26. had children in field weeding. told them of need of money - a new idea to them. explained a little to older girls bout our way of working and what it involved of careful sensitiveness towards God. finally got them, an all, to the point of willingness to give today 9Festival Day) to weeding. girls splendid over it, children very sweet and good. inwardly prayed for a quick assurance from our Father that he was pleased. it would be like Him to do this.
Oct 27. mail in today and 50 from a friend of Irene Streeter, the soldier brother's money left to her. took letter up to field where children were weeding and we all praised God standing in shadow of cactus hedge. there was other money too - more in one mail than has come for many months. all much cheered and much awed too'.
the Spirit-filled life is a practical one. AC found it so. in the problem of guidance she learned to pray, to trust, to obey and not to look back.
*49 'when decisions have to be made, don't look back and wonder what I would have done. look up and light will come to do what our Lord and Master would have you do.
it may be that decisions which seem to change the character of the work will have to be made. but if the root principles which have governed us from the beginning are held fast, there will be no real change. the river may flow in a new channel, but it will be the same river.
if you hold fast to the resolve that in all things Christ as Lord shall have the pre-eminence, if you keep his will, His glory and His pleasure high above everything and if you continue in his love, loving one another as He has loved you, than all will be well, eternally well'.
Amy Carmichael had a singing heart. sensitive, artistic and radiant, her gift of song found expression in her poetry. few writers in our generation have had the ministry of pen in poetry and also prose as has AC of Dohnavur. these responses of her heart to trials of faith and triumphs of God's faithfulness have been printed and reprinted in every quarter of the globe.
from prayer that asks that I may be
sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
from fearing when I should aspire,
from faltering when i should climb higher,
from silken self, o Captain, free
thy soldier who would follow Thee.
from subtle love of softening things,
from easy choices, weakenings,
not thus are spirits fortified,
not this way went the Crucified,
from all that dims Thy Calvary.
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
*50 give me the love that leads the way,
the faith that nothing can dismay,
the hope no disappointments tire,
the passion that will burn like fire,
let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
and what shall we say of her books:
Things As They Are,
Meal in a Barrel,
God Cord,
If
Though the Mountains Shake to mention a few...
6.27.2018 TFTS - John Bunyan - The Unchained Life
*34 It could rightly be said that Bedford's tinker is one of those 'of whom the world is not worthy'. like the apostle Paul, who recognized himself as 'the prisoner of the Lord' and not of the Roman government, John Bunyan, though bound with chains for preaching the truth of God, was in spirit free. like Paul also, Bunyan's writings have lived through the centuries and wherever the Bible has gone in hundreds of translations Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress has followed.
*35 ...one day while pursuing his trade as a tinker he observed '3 or 4 poor women sitting at a door in the sun talking about the things of God' and being now willing to hear about God he drew near to listen. 'their talk was about a New Birth, the work of God in their hearts...they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus... Bunyan did not understand what they meant, but was 'greatly affected with their words'.
he made repeated efforts at self reformation. he was admired by others for his ceasing to swear. he thought that the task of ringing the church bell would gain merit for him, but he found no inner change; rather, he became apprehensive that the church bell might fall on him. now that he was married and had learned to read he began to go through the Scriptures, but found no understanding of them. he received help from a Mr. Gifford, a godly pastor in that area, who undoubtedly is represented in Pilgrim's Progress as Evangelist.
B was puzzled about the doctrine of election and troubled by blasphemous thoughts. he was given to frequent depressions and was under sore temptation by the enemy of mankind to 'sell Christ!' finally, in despair of gaining Christ, he said, 'let Him go if He will!'
thereafter, the statement in Hebrews 12.17 regarding Esau filled him with dismay, for the Scriptures said: 'ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears'.
*36 B would gain brief encouragement by remembering that Peter repented and was received back by the Savior; then the dreadful words about Esau would dash him to the ground. there was nothing on earth that he desired so much as assurance of forgiveness and salvation. but where could it be found?
John 6.37 - 'and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out' - was the scriptural key that unlocked the bondage brought on by his blasphemy. it sweetly visited his soul and he said: 'Oh! the comfort that i found from this word, In No Wise! as if he had said, by no means, for nothing, whatever he hath done. but Satan would greatly labour to pull this promise from me by telling me that Christ did not mean me and such as i, but sinners of a lower rank, that had not done as I had done. but I would answer him again, 'satan, there is in these words no such exception: but Him That Cometh, Him, Any Him, Him That h To Me. I will in no wise cast out....' if ever Satan and I did strive for any word of God in all my life, it was for this good word of Christ; He at one end and I at the other. oh! what work we made! it was for this in John, I say, that we did so tug and strive; he pulled and I pulled; but, God be praised, I overcame him; I got sweetness from it'.
although at long length B had deep inner assurance of acceptance with God, he was still unsettled in his mind and deeply troubled by that Scripture about Esau. quietly and painstakingly the Spirit of god taught him that Esau despised the birthright and afterward was refused the blessing. thus he learned that 'the birthright signified regeneration and the blessing the eternal inheritance....' that those who despise regeneration will be denied heaven he understood correctly.
other Scripture also disturbed him such as Hebrews 10.26; 'for if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins'. he learned, however, that his sin was not that open
*37 denial of the Savior and casting off His commandments and thereby he was comforted.
the crisis of the deeper life came to Bunyan one day as he was walking in the fields. 'suddenly, he said, this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy Righteousness Is In Heaven. and me thought, with awe, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, i say, was my righteousness, so that wherever i was, or whatever i was doing, god could not say of me, he wants my righteousness, for that was just before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, 'the same yesterday, today and forever'. hebrews 13.8
forcefully and with finality the Holy Spirit presented to B the reality of the risen Savior who 'is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.' therefore with delight he could say:
'Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me....
oh! me thought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes. i was not now only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of his blood, burial or resurrection, but considering him as a whole Christ, as He in whom all these and all other virtues, relations offices and operations met together and that he sat on the right hand of God in heaven it was glorious to me to see his exultation and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits....'
thus it was that B earned the wonderful reality of 'the life that is Christ'. Ephesians 5.30 became 'a sweet word' to him: 'for we are members of His body, of his flesh and of
*38 His bones'. he could say: 'further, the Lord did also lead me into the mystery of union with the Son of God...by this also was my faith in Him, as my righteousness, the more confirmed in me; for if He and I were one, then His righteousness was mine, His merits mine, his victory also mine. now i could see myself in heaven and earth at once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by me righteousness and life, though on earth by me body and person.
....and what were the results of Bunyan's being unchained from his doubts and fears? in his Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, which ranks with Augustine's Confessions as among the best spiritual chronicles of that kind, he tells of many results. among them he list Grace that could keep him in deepest difficulties, Insight into the Scriptures, No Fear of death, and Assurance of his Lord's presence with him and a Fruitful Service for the Savior both in the pulpit and in the prison.
'I never saw such heights and depths in grace and love and mercy, he declared. 'I had 2 or 3 times at or about my deliverance from this temptation, such strange apprehensions of the grace of God, that i could hardly bear up under it and it was so out of measure amazing, when I thought it could reach me, that i do think if that sense of it had abode long upon me it would have made me incapable for business'.
whereas before he had been perplexed with unbelief, blasphemy and hardness of heart, he could say, 'now was God and Christ continually before my face....the glory of the holiness of God did at this time break me to pieces...'
he added, when facing a deep testing, 'As I was sitting by the fire I suddenly felt this word to sound in my heart: I Must Go To Jesus. at this my former darkness and atheism fled away,
*39 and the blessed things of heaven were set in my view...that night was a good night to me, I have had but few better; I long for the company of some of god's people, that i might imp0art unto them what God had showed me. Christ was a precious Christ to my soul that night; I could scarce lie in my bed for joy and peace and triumph, through Christ.
the fears that had beset him about death were banished and he could testify: 'I saw myself within the arms of grace and mercy and though I was before afraid to think of a dying hour, yet, now I cried, Let me die; now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight, for I saw we shall never live indeed until we be gone to the other world... God Himself is the portion of His saints. this i saw and wondered at, but cannot tell you what i saw'.
his neighbors and friends were aware of a great change in his life and urged him to preach the Word to them and to others. he was timid to do so but then was persuaded that God had given him the ministry of preaching and teaching. at first his message was altogether about sin and the Savior. '...the terrors of the law and guilt from my transgressions lay heavy on my conscience; i preached what i felt, what I smartingly did feel....indeed, I have been as one sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains, to preached to them in chains and carried that fire in my own conscience that i persuaded them to be aware of'.
then his preaching took on more of an exaltation of 'Jesus Christ in all His offices, relations and benefits unto the world' then he began to teach 'the mystery of the union of Christ'. after 5 years of fruitful ministry, in which many found the Savior, he was imprisoned; but during those 2 terms in Bedford Jail he completed the immortal allegories of Pilgrim's Progress and The Holy War.
the Scriptures also were wonderful to me, he stated earnestly after he had learned the reality of union with the
*40 risen Savior ; 'I saw that the truth and verity of them were the keys of the kingdom of Heaven'. while in prison he could write: 'I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as now: those Scriptures that i saw nothing in before are made in this place and state to shine before me; Jesus Christ also was never more real and apparent than now....
'I never knew what it was for God to stand by me at all times and every offer of satan to afflict me, as I have found him since i came in hither; for, lo! as fears have presented themselves, so have supports and encouragements; yea, when i have started even as it were at nothing else but my shadow, yet God, as being every tender of me. hath not suffered me to be molested, but would with one Scripture or another strengthen me against all; insomuch that i have often said, were it lawful I could pray for greater trouble for greater comfort.sake'....
*35 ...one day while pursuing his trade as a tinker he observed '3 or 4 poor women sitting at a door in the sun talking about the things of God' and being now willing to hear about God he drew near to listen. 'their talk was about a New Birth, the work of God in their hearts...they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus... Bunyan did not understand what they meant, but was 'greatly affected with their words'.
he made repeated efforts at self reformation. he was admired by others for his ceasing to swear. he thought that the task of ringing the church bell would gain merit for him, but he found no inner change; rather, he became apprehensive that the church bell might fall on him. now that he was married and had learned to read he began to go through the Scriptures, but found no understanding of them. he received help from a Mr. Gifford, a godly pastor in that area, who undoubtedly is represented in Pilgrim's Progress as Evangelist.
B was puzzled about the doctrine of election and troubled by blasphemous thoughts. he was given to frequent depressions and was under sore temptation by the enemy of mankind to 'sell Christ!' finally, in despair of gaining Christ, he said, 'let Him go if He will!'
thereafter, the statement in Hebrews 12.17 regarding Esau filled him with dismay, for the Scriptures said: 'ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears'.
*36 B would gain brief encouragement by remembering that Peter repented and was received back by the Savior; then the dreadful words about Esau would dash him to the ground. there was nothing on earth that he desired so much as assurance of forgiveness and salvation. but where could it be found?
John 6.37 - 'and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out' - was the scriptural key that unlocked the bondage brought on by his blasphemy. it sweetly visited his soul and he said: 'Oh! the comfort that i found from this word, In No Wise! as if he had said, by no means, for nothing, whatever he hath done. but Satan would greatly labour to pull this promise from me by telling me that Christ did not mean me and such as i, but sinners of a lower rank, that had not done as I had done. but I would answer him again, 'satan, there is in these words no such exception: but Him That Cometh, Him, Any Him, Him That h To Me. I will in no wise cast out....' if ever Satan and I did strive for any word of God in all my life, it was for this good word of Christ; He at one end and I at the other. oh! what work we made! it was for this in John, I say, that we did so tug and strive; he pulled and I pulled; but, God be praised, I overcame him; I got sweetness from it'.
although at long length B had deep inner assurance of acceptance with God, he was still unsettled in his mind and deeply troubled by that Scripture about Esau. quietly and painstakingly the Spirit of god taught him that Esau despised the birthright and afterward was refused the blessing. thus he learned that 'the birthright signified regeneration and the blessing the eternal inheritance....' that those who despise regeneration will be denied heaven he understood correctly.
other Scripture also disturbed him such as Hebrews 10.26; 'for if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins'. he learned, however, that his sin was not that open
*37 denial of the Savior and casting off His commandments and thereby he was comforted.
the crisis of the deeper life came to Bunyan one day as he was walking in the fields. 'suddenly, he said, this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy Righteousness Is In Heaven. and me thought, with awe, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, i say, was my righteousness, so that wherever i was, or whatever i was doing, god could not say of me, he wants my righteousness, for that was just before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, 'the same yesterday, today and forever'. hebrews 13.8
forcefully and with finality the Holy Spirit presented to B the reality of the risen Savior who 'is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.' therefore with delight he could say:
'Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me....
oh! me thought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes. i was not now only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of his blood, burial or resurrection, but considering him as a whole Christ, as He in whom all these and all other virtues, relations offices and operations met together and that he sat on the right hand of God in heaven it was glorious to me to see his exultation and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits....'
thus it was that B earned the wonderful reality of 'the life that is Christ'. Ephesians 5.30 became 'a sweet word' to him: 'for we are members of His body, of his flesh and of
*38 His bones'. he could say: 'further, the Lord did also lead me into the mystery of union with the Son of God...by this also was my faith in Him, as my righteousness, the more confirmed in me; for if He and I were one, then His righteousness was mine, His merits mine, his victory also mine. now i could see myself in heaven and earth at once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by me righteousness and life, though on earth by me body and person.
....and what were the results of Bunyan's being unchained from his doubts and fears? in his Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, which ranks with Augustine's Confessions as among the best spiritual chronicles of that kind, he tells of many results. among them he list Grace that could keep him in deepest difficulties, Insight into the Scriptures, No Fear of death, and Assurance of his Lord's presence with him and a Fruitful Service for the Savior both in the pulpit and in the prison.
'I never saw such heights and depths in grace and love and mercy, he declared. 'I had 2 or 3 times at or about my deliverance from this temptation, such strange apprehensions of the grace of God, that i could hardly bear up under it and it was so out of measure amazing, when I thought it could reach me, that i do think if that sense of it had abode long upon me it would have made me incapable for business'.
whereas before he had been perplexed with unbelief, blasphemy and hardness of heart, he could say, 'now was God and Christ continually before my face....the glory of the holiness of God did at this time break me to pieces...'
he added, when facing a deep testing, 'As I was sitting by the fire I suddenly felt this word to sound in my heart: I Must Go To Jesus. at this my former darkness and atheism fled away,
*39 and the blessed things of heaven were set in my view...that night was a good night to me, I have had but few better; I long for the company of some of god's people, that i might imp0art unto them what God had showed me. Christ was a precious Christ to my soul that night; I could scarce lie in my bed for joy and peace and triumph, through Christ.
the fears that had beset him about death were banished and he could testify: 'I saw myself within the arms of grace and mercy and though I was before afraid to think of a dying hour, yet, now I cried, Let me die; now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight, for I saw we shall never live indeed until we be gone to the other world... God Himself is the portion of His saints. this i saw and wondered at, but cannot tell you what i saw'.
his neighbors and friends were aware of a great change in his life and urged him to preach the Word to them and to others. he was timid to do so but then was persuaded that God had given him the ministry of preaching and teaching. at first his message was altogether about sin and the Savior. '...the terrors of the law and guilt from my transgressions lay heavy on my conscience; i preached what i felt, what I smartingly did feel....indeed, I have been as one sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains, to preached to them in chains and carried that fire in my own conscience that i persuaded them to be aware of'.
then his preaching took on more of an exaltation of 'Jesus Christ in all His offices, relations and benefits unto the world' then he began to teach 'the mystery of the union of Christ'. after 5 years of fruitful ministry, in which many found the Savior, he was imprisoned; but during those 2 terms in Bedford Jail he completed the immortal allegories of Pilgrim's Progress and The Holy War.
the Scriptures also were wonderful to me, he stated earnestly after he had learned the reality of union with the
*40 risen Savior ; 'I saw that the truth and verity of them were the keys of the kingdom of Heaven'. while in prison he could write: 'I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as now: those Scriptures that i saw nothing in before are made in this place and state to shine before me; Jesus Christ also was never more real and apparent than now....
'I never knew what it was for God to stand by me at all times and every offer of satan to afflict me, as I have found him since i came in hither; for, lo! as fears have presented themselves, so have supports and encouragements; yea, when i have started even as it were at nothing else but my shadow, yet God, as being every tender of me. hath not suffered me to be molested, but would with one Scripture or another strengthen me against all; insomuch that i have often said, were it lawful I could pray for greater trouble for greater comfort.sake'....
6.27.2018 TFTS - Samuel Logan Brengle: The Cleansed Life
*25 In the Salvation Army and in every place where he was known, Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle was loved...
*26 ..for two years he was a circuit preacher of the Northwest Indiana Methodist conference, after which he went to Boston for his seminary training.
there were humbling experiences in his first years of ministry and as a result there came to his heart a hunger for complete consecration to the Savior and for holiness of life. he saw that he himself was his greatest enemy in effective service for the Lord. as he sought the truth of God in the Scriptures and searched his own heart, he found that consecration meant emptying of all that he was in himself before he could be filled with the spirit. of that heart searching he wrote:
'I saw the humility of Jesus and my pride;
the meekness of Jesus and my temper;
the lowliness of Jesus and my ambition;
the purity of Jesus and my unclean heart;
the faithfulness of Jesus and the deceitfulness of my heart;
the unselfishness of Jesus and my selfishness;
the trust and faith of Jesus and my doubts and unbelief;
the holiness of Jesus and my unholiness.
I got my eyes off everybody but Jesus and myself and I came to loathe myself.
his ambition was to be a great preacher and he sought the power of the Holy Spirit to that end. he rationalized that a great preacher would do more for the glory of God than one who was mediocre. finally, in utter desperation, he prayed , 'Lord, I wanted to be an eloquent preacher, but if by stammering and stuttering I can bring greater glory to Thee than by eloquence, then let me stammer and stutter!'
with the problem of pride settled, there remained the matter of cleansing from sin. his heart was hungry. though emptied of self and self-seeking, he was not filled with God. then it was that i John 1.9 became clear to him: 'if we confess our
*27 sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness'.
years later he recorded his experience in the little volume, When The Holy Ghost Is Come, in these words:
I shall never forget my joy, mingled with awe and wonder when this dawned upon my consciousness. for several weeks I had been searching the Scriptures, ransacking my heart, humbling my soul and crying to God almost day and night for a pure heart and the baptism with the Holy Ghost, when one glad, sweet day (it was Jan 9, 1885) this text suddenly opened to my understanding: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' and I was enabled to believe without any doubt that the precious Blood cleansed my heart, even mine, from all sin. shortly after that, while reading these words of Jesus to Martha: 'I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth on Me shall never die', instantly my heart was melted like wax before fire; Jesus Christ was revealed to my spiritual consciousness, revealed in me, and my soul was filled with unutterable love. I walked in a heaven of love. then one day, with amazement, I said to a friend: 'this is the perfect love about which the Apostle John wrote, but it is beyond all I dreamed of; in it is personality; this love thinks, wills, talks with me, corrects me, instructs and teaches me'. and then I knew that God the Holy Ghost was in this love and this love was God, for 'God is love'.
*28 ...all danger will be avoided by meekness and lowliness of heart; by humble, faithful service; by esteeming others better than ourselves and in honor preferring them before ourselves; by keeping an open, teachable spirit; in a word, by looking steadily unto Jesus, to whom the Holy Spirit continually points us; for he would not have us fix our attention exclusively upon Himself and His work In us, but also upon the Crucified One and His work For us, that we may walk in the steps of Him whose blood purchases our pardon and makes and keeps us clean...
'2 mornings after his sanctification the honey pots were spilled into is heart. he had honored god; he had stood the test of bearing faithful witness. and since his man has exercised fullness of faith, God would now vouchsafe to him fullness of feeling. he has mirrored this experience for us in the following:
*29 'I awoke that morning hungering and thirsting just to live this life of fellowship with God, never again to sin in thought or word or deed against Him, with an unmeasurable desire to be a holy man, acceptable unto God. getting out of bed about 6 o'clock with that desire, I opened my Bible and, while reading some of the words of Jesus, he gave me such a blessing as i never had dreamed a man could have this side of heaven. it was an unutterable revelation. it was a heaven of love that came into my heart, my soul melted like wax before fire. I sobbed and sobbed. I loathed myself that i had ever sinned against Him or doubted Him or lived for myself and not for His glory. every ambition for self was now gone ...
'I walked out over Boston Commons before breakfast weeping for joy and praising God, Oh, how I loved!...
I have never doubted this experience since. I have sometimes wondered whether I might not have lost it, but I have never doubted the experience any more than I could doubt that i had seen my mother, or looked at the sun or had my breakfast. it is a living experience.
In time, God withdrew something of the tremendous emotional feelings. He taught me I had to live by my faith and
*30 not by my emotions. I walked in a blaze of glory for weeks, but the glory gradually subsided and He made me see that I must walk and run, instead of mounting up with wings. He showed me that i must learn to trust Him, to have confidence in His unfailing love and devotion, regardless of how i felt. '
and what resulted from the continuance of that crisis experience of cleansing and the filling of God's Spirit? Brengle's preaching changed perceptibly. before this he had preached for human appreciation, now alone for the exaltation of the Savior. he preached to disturb and not to please. the reaction of his audiences was conviction of sin rather than commendation of the preacher.
*26 ..for two years he was a circuit preacher of the Northwest Indiana Methodist conference, after which he went to Boston for his seminary training.
there were humbling experiences in his first years of ministry and as a result there came to his heart a hunger for complete consecration to the Savior and for holiness of life. he saw that he himself was his greatest enemy in effective service for the Lord. as he sought the truth of God in the Scriptures and searched his own heart, he found that consecration meant emptying of all that he was in himself before he could be filled with the spirit. of that heart searching he wrote:
'I saw the humility of Jesus and my pride;
the meekness of Jesus and my temper;
the lowliness of Jesus and my ambition;
the purity of Jesus and my unclean heart;
the faithfulness of Jesus and the deceitfulness of my heart;
the unselfishness of Jesus and my selfishness;
the trust and faith of Jesus and my doubts and unbelief;
the holiness of Jesus and my unholiness.
I got my eyes off everybody but Jesus and myself and I came to loathe myself.
his ambition was to be a great preacher and he sought the power of the Holy Spirit to that end. he rationalized that a great preacher would do more for the glory of God than one who was mediocre. finally, in utter desperation, he prayed , 'Lord, I wanted to be an eloquent preacher, but if by stammering and stuttering I can bring greater glory to Thee than by eloquence, then let me stammer and stutter!'
with the problem of pride settled, there remained the matter of cleansing from sin. his heart was hungry. though emptied of self and self-seeking, he was not filled with God. then it was that i John 1.9 became clear to him: 'if we confess our
*27 sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness'.
years later he recorded his experience in the little volume, When The Holy Ghost Is Come, in these words:
I shall never forget my joy, mingled with awe and wonder when this dawned upon my consciousness. for several weeks I had been searching the Scriptures, ransacking my heart, humbling my soul and crying to God almost day and night for a pure heart and the baptism with the Holy Ghost, when one glad, sweet day (it was Jan 9, 1885) this text suddenly opened to my understanding: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' and I was enabled to believe without any doubt that the precious Blood cleansed my heart, even mine, from all sin. shortly after that, while reading these words of Jesus to Martha: 'I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth on Me shall never die', instantly my heart was melted like wax before fire; Jesus Christ was revealed to my spiritual consciousness, revealed in me, and my soul was filled with unutterable love. I walked in a heaven of love. then one day, with amazement, I said to a friend: 'this is the perfect love about which the Apostle John wrote, but it is beyond all I dreamed of; in it is personality; this love thinks, wills, talks with me, corrects me, instructs and teaches me'. and then I knew that God the Holy Ghost was in this love and this love was God, for 'God is love'.
*28 ...all danger will be avoided by meekness and lowliness of heart; by humble, faithful service; by esteeming others better than ourselves and in honor preferring them before ourselves; by keeping an open, teachable spirit; in a word, by looking steadily unto Jesus, to whom the Holy Spirit continually points us; for he would not have us fix our attention exclusively upon Himself and His work In us, but also upon the Crucified One and His work For us, that we may walk in the steps of Him whose blood purchases our pardon and makes and keeps us clean...
'2 mornings after his sanctification the honey pots were spilled into is heart. he had honored god; he had stood the test of bearing faithful witness. and since his man has exercised fullness of faith, God would now vouchsafe to him fullness of feeling. he has mirrored this experience for us in the following:
*29 'I awoke that morning hungering and thirsting just to live this life of fellowship with God, never again to sin in thought or word or deed against Him, with an unmeasurable desire to be a holy man, acceptable unto God. getting out of bed about 6 o'clock with that desire, I opened my Bible and, while reading some of the words of Jesus, he gave me such a blessing as i never had dreamed a man could have this side of heaven. it was an unutterable revelation. it was a heaven of love that came into my heart, my soul melted like wax before fire. I sobbed and sobbed. I loathed myself that i had ever sinned against Him or doubted Him or lived for myself and not for His glory. every ambition for self was now gone ...
'I walked out over Boston Commons before breakfast weeping for joy and praising God, Oh, how I loved!...
I have never doubted this experience since. I have sometimes wondered whether I might not have lost it, but I have never doubted the experience any more than I could doubt that i had seen my mother, or looked at the sun or had my breakfast. it is a living experience.
In time, God withdrew something of the tremendous emotional feelings. He taught me I had to live by my faith and
*30 not by my emotions. I walked in a blaze of glory for weeks, but the glory gradually subsided and He made me see that I must walk and run, instead of mounting up with wings. He showed me that i must learn to trust Him, to have confidence in His unfailing love and devotion, regardless of how i felt. '
and what resulted from the continuance of that crisis experience of cleansing and the filling of God's Spirit? Brengle's preaching changed perceptibly. before this he had preached for human appreciation, now alone for the exaltation of the Savior. he preached to disturb and not to please. the reaction of his audiences was conviction of sin rather than commendation of the preacher.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
6.26.2018 THEY FOUND THE SECRET (TFTS) - V. Raymond Edmond (Intro and J. Hudson Taylor, 'The Exchanged Life
vior. said the Lord Jesus: 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink'. we are told to come to Him, not to some friend, not to some experience, not to some feeling or frame of mine. we are not even to come just to the word of God: rather, we are to go through that to the person of the Lord Jesus Himself.
the way to heart satisfaction and rest of spirit for Hudson Taylor was learned from a fellow missionary, John McCarthy, in a letter to Mr. Taylor he wrote:
*19 'to let my loving Savior work in me His will,
my sanctification is what I would love for by His grace.
abiding, not striving nor struggling;
looking off unto Him;
trusting Him to subdue all inward corruption;
resting in the love of an almighty Savior, in the conscious joy of a complete salvation, a salvation 'from all sin' (this is His Word);
willing that his will should truly be supreme- this is not new and yet 'tis new to me. I feel as though the first dawning of a glorious day had risen upon me. I hail it with trembling of a glorious day had risen upon me. I hail it with trembling, yet with trust. I seem to have got to the edge only, but of a sea which is boundless; to have sipped only, but of that which fully satisfies. Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy. may he lead us into the realization of His unfathomable fullness'.
the Lord used this letter literally to lead Mr. Taylor 'into the realization of his unfathomable fullness'. it was read in the little mission station at Chin-kinang on Sat, Sept 4, 1869. the missionary was always reticent about telling details of his transforming experience, but he did say, 'As I read, I saw it all. I looked to Jesus and when i saw, oh how the joy flowed!'
his fellow missionaries said of him, 'Mr. Taylor went out, a new man in a new world, to tell what the Lord had done for his soul.
let the man of God speak for himself regarding The Life That Is Christ. writing to his sister in England he said:
'as to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible or so difficult; but the wight and strain are all gone. the last moth or more has been perhaps, the happiest of my life and I log to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul. I do not know how far i may be able to make myself intelligible about it, for there is nothing new or strange or wonderful-
*20 and yet, all is new! in a word, 'whereas once I was blind, now I see...'
when my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes and the spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before i did, wrote (I quote from memory): 'but how to get faith strengthened? not by striving after faith, but by resting in the Faithful One'.
as I read I saw it all! 'If we believe not,k He abideth faithful'. I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that he had said, 'I will never leave you'. Ah, there is rest! i thought . 'I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. for has He not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me? and, dearie, He never will!
but this was not all He showed me, nor one half. as I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul ! how great seemed my mistake in having wished to get the sap, the fullness out of Him. I saw not only that Jesus would never leave me, but that I was a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. the vine now I see, is not the root merely, but all - root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves , flowers, fruit: and Jesus ins not only that ; He is soil and sunshine, air and showers and 10,000 times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for or needed. oh, the joy of weeing this truth! i do pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ...
the sweetest part, if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification with Christ brings, I am no longer anxious about anything, as i realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His
*21 will is mine. it makes not matter where He places me, or how. that is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient'.
God's grace is indeed sufficient and the heart that has come to know personally and intimately the risen Lord Jesus my the outflow of His spirit experiences the reality of 'rivers of living water'. with Isaiah he knows that 'thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee'.
many years after Hudson Taylor's meeting with the Lord Jesus in 'the little crowded house in Chin-kiang', an Anglican clergyman, the rev. H. B. Macartney of Melbourne, Australia, added this testimony to that of many others regarding the missionary's possession of the Life That Is Christ.
he was an object lesson in quietness. he drew from the Bank of heaven every farthing of his daily income - 'my peace i give unto you'. whatever did not agitate the savior, or ruffle His spirit was not to agitate him, the serenity of the Lord Jesus concerning any matter and at its most critical moment, this was his ideal and practical possession. he knew nothing of rush or hurry, of quivering nerves or vexation of spirit. he knew there was a peace passing all understanding and that he could not do without it.
now I was altogether different. Mine is a peculiarly nervous disposition and with a busy life I found myself in a tremor all day long, I did not enjoy the Lord as I knew i ought. nervous agitation possessed me as long as there was anything to be done. the greatest loss of my life was the loss of the light of the Lord's presence and fellowship during writing hours. the daily ail robbed me of His delightful society.
I am in the study, you are in the big spare room, I said the Mr. Taylor at length. 'You are occupied with millions, I with tens.
*22 your letters are pressingly important, mine of comparatively little moment. yet i am worried and distressed, while you are always calm. do tell me what makes the difference.
my dear Macartney, he replied, the peace you speak of is in my case more than a delightful privilege, it is a necessity.
He said most emphatically, 'I could not possibly go through the work I have to do without the peace of God 'which passeth all understanding' keeping my heart and mind'.
Keswick teaching' as it is called was not new to me at the time. I had received those glorious truths and was preaching them to others. but here was the real thing - and embodiment of 'keswick teaching' such as i had never hoped to see. this impressed me profoundly: - here is a man almost 60 years of age, bearing tremendous burdens, yet absolutely calm and unruffled, oh, the pile of letters! any one of which might contain news of death or shortness of funds or riots or serious trouble. yet all were opened, read and answered with the same tranquillity - Christ his reason for peace, His power for calm. dwelling in Christ he partook of His very being and resources , in the midst of and concerning the very matters in question. and he did this by an act of faith as simple as it was continuous.
yet he was delightfully free and natural. I can find no words to describe it save the Scriptural expression 'in God'. He was 'in god' all the time and God in Him. it was that true 'abiding of John 15.
with good reason could the clergyman add the exhortation to all: '
Are you in a hurry, flurried, distressed? Look u! See the Man in the Glory! Let the face of Jesus shine upon you - the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ. is He worried, troubled, distressed? there is no wrinkle on His brow, no least shade of anxiety. yet the affairs are His as much as yours.
it is the abiding life that is fruitful, just as it is the soul drinking deeply of the water of life that realizes 'shall never
*23 thirst'. the Life That Is Christ is abiding and abounding, it is satisfying and overflowing. HT could not find words more adequate to express the truth of the Scriptures he had proved by experience than those in the little booklet by Harriet Beecher Stow, How to live on Christ, a copy of which he sent to every member of the mission. in part Mrs Stowe stated:
'How does the branch bear fruit? not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles for those vivifying influences which give beauty to the blossom and verdure to the leaf: it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneous growth.
how, then, shall a Christian bear fruit? by effort and struggles to obtain that which is freely given; by meditations on watchfulness, on prayer, on action, on temptation and on dangers? no: there must be a full concentration of the thoughts and affections on Christ; a complete surrender of the whole being to Him; a constant looking to Him for grace. Christians in whom these dispositions are once firmly fixed go on calmly as the infant borne in the arms of its mother. Christ reminds them of every duty in its time and place, reproves them for every error, counsels them in every difficulty, excites them to every needful activity. in spiritual as in temporal matters them take no thought for the morrow; for they know that Christ will be as accessible tomorrow as today and that time imposes no barrier on His love. their hope and trust rest solely on what He is willing and able to do for them; on nothing that they suppose themselves able and willing to do for Him. their talisman for every temptation and sorrow is their oft-repeated child-like surrender of their whole being to Him'.
such is the 'exchanged life', the abiding, fruitful life, The Life That Is Christ, which should be the possession of every believer. Galatians 2.20 should be and can be a glorious reality.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh i live by the faith of the Son of god, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
the way to heart satisfaction and rest of spirit for Hudson Taylor was learned from a fellow missionary, John McCarthy, in a letter to Mr. Taylor he wrote:
*19 'to let my loving Savior work in me His will,
my sanctification is what I would love for by His grace.
abiding, not striving nor struggling;
looking off unto Him;
trusting Him to subdue all inward corruption;
resting in the love of an almighty Savior, in the conscious joy of a complete salvation, a salvation 'from all sin' (this is His Word);
willing that his will should truly be supreme- this is not new and yet 'tis new to me. I feel as though the first dawning of a glorious day had risen upon me. I hail it with trembling of a glorious day had risen upon me. I hail it with trembling, yet with trust. I seem to have got to the edge only, but of a sea which is boundless; to have sipped only, but of that which fully satisfies. Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy. may he lead us into the realization of His unfathomable fullness'.
the Lord used this letter literally to lead Mr. Taylor 'into the realization of his unfathomable fullness'. it was read in the little mission station at Chin-kinang on Sat, Sept 4, 1869. the missionary was always reticent about telling details of his transforming experience, but he did say, 'As I read, I saw it all. I looked to Jesus and when i saw, oh how the joy flowed!'
his fellow missionaries said of him, 'Mr. Taylor went out, a new man in a new world, to tell what the Lord had done for his soul.
let the man of God speak for himself regarding The Life That Is Christ. writing to his sister in England he said:
'as to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible or so difficult; but the wight and strain are all gone. the last moth or more has been perhaps, the happiest of my life and I log to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul. I do not know how far i may be able to make myself intelligible about it, for there is nothing new or strange or wonderful-
*20 and yet, all is new! in a word, 'whereas once I was blind, now I see...'
when my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes and the spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before i did, wrote (I quote from memory): 'but how to get faith strengthened? not by striving after faith, but by resting in the Faithful One'.
as I read I saw it all! 'If we believe not,k He abideth faithful'. I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that he had said, 'I will never leave you'. Ah, there is rest! i thought . 'I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. for has He not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me? and, dearie, He never will!
but this was not all He showed me, nor one half. as I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul ! how great seemed my mistake in having wished to get the sap, the fullness out of Him. I saw not only that Jesus would never leave me, but that I was a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. the vine now I see, is not the root merely, but all - root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves , flowers, fruit: and Jesus ins not only that ; He is soil and sunshine, air and showers and 10,000 times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for or needed. oh, the joy of weeing this truth! i do pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ...
the sweetest part, if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification with Christ brings, I am no longer anxious about anything, as i realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His
*21 will is mine. it makes not matter where He places me, or how. that is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient'.
God's grace is indeed sufficient and the heart that has come to know personally and intimately the risen Lord Jesus my the outflow of His spirit experiences the reality of 'rivers of living water'. with Isaiah he knows that 'thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee'.
many years after Hudson Taylor's meeting with the Lord Jesus in 'the little crowded house in Chin-kiang', an Anglican clergyman, the rev. H. B. Macartney of Melbourne, Australia, added this testimony to that of many others regarding the missionary's possession of the Life That Is Christ.
he was an object lesson in quietness. he drew from the Bank of heaven every farthing of his daily income - 'my peace i give unto you'. whatever did not agitate the savior, or ruffle His spirit was not to agitate him, the serenity of the Lord Jesus concerning any matter and at its most critical moment, this was his ideal and practical possession. he knew nothing of rush or hurry, of quivering nerves or vexation of spirit. he knew there was a peace passing all understanding and that he could not do without it.
now I was altogether different. Mine is a peculiarly nervous disposition and with a busy life I found myself in a tremor all day long, I did not enjoy the Lord as I knew i ought. nervous agitation possessed me as long as there was anything to be done. the greatest loss of my life was the loss of the light of the Lord's presence and fellowship during writing hours. the daily ail robbed me of His delightful society.
I am in the study, you are in the big spare room, I said the Mr. Taylor at length. 'You are occupied with millions, I with tens.
*22 your letters are pressingly important, mine of comparatively little moment. yet i am worried and distressed, while you are always calm. do tell me what makes the difference.
my dear Macartney, he replied, the peace you speak of is in my case more than a delightful privilege, it is a necessity.
He said most emphatically, 'I could not possibly go through the work I have to do without the peace of God 'which passeth all understanding' keeping my heart and mind'.
Keswick teaching' as it is called was not new to me at the time. I had received those glorious truths and was preaching them to others. but here was the real thing - and embodiment of 'keswick teaching' such as i had never hoped to see. this impressed me profoundly: - here is a man almost 60 years of age, bearing tremendous burdens, yet absolutely calm and unruffled, oh, the pile of letters! any one of which might contain news of death or shortness of funds or riots or serious trouble. yet all were opened, read and answered with the same tranquillity - Christ his reason for peace, His power for calm. dwelling in Christ he partook of His very being and resources , in the midst of and concerning the very matters in question. and he did this by an act of faith as simple as it was continuous.
yet he was delightfully free and natural. I can find no words to describe it save the Scriptural expression 'in God'. He was 'in god' all the time and God in Him. it was that true 'abiding of John 15.
with good reason could the clergyman add the exhortation to all: '
Are you in a hurry, flurried, distressed? Look u! See the Man in the Glory! Let the face of Jesus shine upon you - the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ. is He worried, troubled, distressed? there is no wrinkle on His brow, no least shade of anxiety. yet the affairs are His as much as yours.
it is the abiding life that is fruitful, just as it is the soul drinking deeply of the water of life that realizes 'shall never
*23 thirst'. the Life That Is Christ is abiding and abounding, it is satisfying and overflowing. HT could not find words more adequate to express the truth of the Scriptures he had proved by experience than those in the little booklet by Harriet Beecher Stow, How to live on Christ, a copy of which he sent to every member of the mission. in part Mrs Stowe stated:
'How does the branch bear fruit? not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles for those vivifying influences which give beauty to the blossom and verdure to the leaf: it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneous growth.
how, then, shall a Christian bear fruit? by effort and struggles to obtain that which is freely given; by meditations on watchfulness, on prayer, on action, on temptation and on dangers? no: there must be a full concentration of the thoughts and affections on Christ; a complete surrender of the whole being to Him; a constant looking to Him for grace. Christians in whom these dispositions are once firmly fixed go on calmly as the infant borne in the arms of its mother. Christ reminds them of every duty in its time and place, reproves them for every error, counsels them in every difficulty, excites them to every needful activity. in spiritual as in temporal matters them take no thought for the morrow; for they know that Christ will be as accessible tomorrow as today and that time imposes no barrier on His love. their hope and trust rest solely on what He is willing and able to do for them; on nothing that they suppose themselves able and willing to do for Him. their talisman for every temptation and sorrow is their oft-repeated child-like surrender of their whole being to Him'.
such is the 'exchanged life', the abiding, fruitful life, The Life That Is Christ, which should be the possession of every believer. Galatians 2.20 should be and can be a glorious reality.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh i live by the faith of the Son of god, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
6.17.2018 John Wesley Works, Vol. 6; SERMON # 43 - Christian Perfection, p1
*1 'not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect'. phil. 3.12
1. there is scarce any expression in holy writ, which has given more offence than this. the word perfect is what many cannot bear the very sound of it is an abomination to them; and whoever Preaches perfection, (as the phrase is) that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican.
2. and hence some have advised, wholly to lay aside the use of those expressions 'because they have given so great offence'. but are they not found in the oracles of god? if so, by what authority can any Messenger of god lay them aside, even though all men should be offended? we have not so learned Christ; neither may we thus give place to the devil. whatsoever God hath spoken, that will we speak, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear, knowing that then alone can any Minister of Christ be 'pure from the blood of all men', when he hath 'not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God'.
3. we may not, therefore, lay these expressions aside, seeing they are the words of god and not of man. but we may and ought to explain the meaning of them, that those who are sincere of heart may not err to the right hand or left, from the mark of their high calling. and this is the mere needful to be done, because, in the verse already repeated,
*2 the apostle speaks of himself as not perfect. not, saith he, 'as though i were already perfect'. and yet immediately after, in the 15th verse, he speaks of himself, yea and many others, as perfect: 'Let us, saith he, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.
first, in what sense Christians Are Perfect.
secondly, in what sense they Are, Perfect.
I.1. In the First place, I shall endeavour to show, in what sense christians are Not Perfect. and both from experience and Scripture it appears, First, that they are not perfect in knowledge: they are not So perfect in this life as to be free from ignorance. they know, it may be, in common with other men, many things relating to the present world and they know, with regard to the world to come, the general truths which God hath revealed. they know, likewise, (what the natural man receiveth not; for these things are spiritually discerned.) 'what manner of love' it is, wherewith 'the Father' hath loved them, 'that they should be called the sons of god. they know the mighty working of His Spirit in their hears and the wisdom of his providence, directing all their paths and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea, they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord requireth of them and how to keep a conscience void of offence both toward God and toward man.
2. but innumerable are the things which they know not. touching the Almighty Himself, they cannot search Him out to perfection. 'Lo, these are but a part of His ways, but the thunder of His power, who can understand? they cannot understand, i will not say, how 'there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit and these Three are One' or how the eternal son of god 'took upon Himself the form of a servant' - but not any one attribute, not any one circumstance, of the divine nature, neither is it for them to know the times and seasons when god will work His great works upon the earth; no, not even those which he hath in part revealed by His servants and Prophets since the world began . much less do they know when God, having
*3 'accomplished the number of His elect, will hasten His kingdom' when 'the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat'.
3. they know not the reasons even of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men, but are constrained to rest here, - though 'clouds and darkness are round about Him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His seat'. yea, often with regard to His dealings with themselves, doth their Lord say unto them, 'what i do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter'. and how little do they know of what is ever before them, of even the visible works of His hands! - how 'He spreadeth the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing? how He unites all the parts of this vast machine by a secret chain, which cannot be broken? so great is the ignorance, so very little the knowledge, or even the best of men!
4. no one, then, is so perfect in this life, as to be free from ignorance. Nor, Secondly, from mistake; which indeed is almost an unavoidable consequence of it; seeing those who 'know but in part' are ever liable to err touching the things which they know not. it is true, the children of god do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation. they do not 'put darkness for light or light for darkness' neither 'seek death in the error of their life'. for they are 'taught of God'. and the way which He teaches them the way of holiness is so plain, that 'wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein'. but in things unessential to salvation they do err and that frequently. the best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken even with regard to facts; believing those things not to have been which really were, or those to have been done which ere not. or, suppose they are not mistaken as to the fact itself, they may be, with regard to its circumstances, believing them or any of them, to have been quite different from what, in truth, they were. and hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. hence they may believe either past or present actions which were or are evil, to be good and such as were or are good, to be evil. hence also they may judge not according to truth with regard to the characters of men and that, not only by supposing good me to be better, or wicked that, not only by supposing good men to be better or wicked that, not only by supposing good men to be better or wicked men to be worse, than they are, but by believing them to have been or to be good men, who were or are very wicked; or
*4 perhaps those to have been or to be wicked men, who were or are holy and unreprovable.
5. Nay, with regard to the Holy scriptures themselves, as careful as they are to avoid it, the best of men are liable to mistake and do mistake day by day; especially with respect to those pars thereof which less immediately relate to practice. hence, even the children of god are not agreed as to the interpretation of many places in holy writ, nor is their difference of opinion any proof that they are not the children of god on either side, but it is a proof that we are no more to expect any living man to be infallible, than to be omniscient.
6. if it be objected to what has been observed under this and the preceding head, that St John, speaking to his brethren in the faith, says, 'Ye have an unction from the Holy One and ye know all things. I Jon 2.20 the answer is plain: 'Ye know all things that are needful for your souls' health'. that the Apostle never designed to extend this farther, that he could not speak it in an absolute sense, is clear, First, from hence - that otherwise he would describe the disciple s 'above his master', seeing Christ Himself, as man, knew not all things. 'Of that hour, saith he, knoweth no man; no, not the son, but the Father only. it is clear, Secondly, from the apostle's own words that follow: 'These things have i written unto you concerning them that deceive you' as well as from his frequently repeated caution, 'Let no man deceive you', which had been altogether needless, had not those very persons who had that unction from the Holy One been liable, not to ignorance only, but to mistake also.
7. even Christians, therefore, are not So perfect as to be free either from ignorance or error. we may, Thirdly, add, nor from infirmities. only let us take care to understand this word aright. only let us not give that soft title to known sins, as the manner of some is. so, one man tells us, 'Every man has his infirmity and mine is drunkenness'. another has the infirmity of uncleanness; another that of taking God's holy name in vain and yet another has the infirmity of calling his brother, 'thou fool' or returning 'railing for railing'. it is plain that all you who thus speak,if ye repent not, shall, with your infirmities, go quick into hell! but i mean hereby, not only those which are properly termed Bodily Infirmities, but all those inward or outward imperfections which are not of a moral
*5 nature. such are the weakness or slowness of understanding, dullness or confusedness of apprehension, incoherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination. such (to mention no more of this kind ) is the want of a ready or retentive memory. such, in another kind, are those which are commonly, in some measure, consequent upon these; namely, slowness of speech, impropriety of language, ungracefulness of pronunciation; to which one might add 1000 nameless defects, either in conversation or behaviour. these are the infirmities which are found in the best of men, in a larger or smaller proportion. and from these none can hope to be perfectly freed, till the spirit returns to God that gave it
8. nor can we expect, til then, to be wholly free from temptation. such perfection belongeth not to this life. it is true, there are those who, being given up to work all uncleanness with greediness, scarce perceive the temptations which they resist not and so seem to be without temptation. there are also many whom the wise enemy of souls, seeing to be fast asleep in the dead form of godliness, will not tempt to gross sin, lest they should awake before they drop into everlasting burnings. I know there are also children of God who, being now justified freely, having found redemption in the blood of Christ, for the present feel no temptation. god hath said to their enemies, 'Touch not Mine anointed and do My children no harm'. and for this season, it may be for weeks or months, he causeth them to ride on high places, He beareth them as on eagles' wings, above all the fiery darts of the wicked one. but this state will not last always: as we may learn from that single consideration, - that the Son of God Himself,, in the days of His flesh, was tempted even to the end of His life. therefore, so let His servant expect to be; for 'is is enough that he be as his Master'.
9 Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance, or mistake or infirmities or temptations. indeed, it is only another term for holiness. they are 2 names for the same thing. thus, every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect. yet we may, lastly, observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. there is no Perfection Of Degrees, as it is termed; none which does not admit of a continual increase. so that how much soever any
*6 man has attained, or in how high a degree soever he is perfect, he hath still need to 'grow in grace' and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Saviour.
II. 1. in what sense, then, are Christians perfect? this is what I shall endeavour, in the Second place, to show. but it should be premised, that there are several stages in Christian life, as in natural; - some of the children of God being but new-born babes; others having attained to more maturity. and accordingly St. John, in his First Epistle, )2.12 etc) applies himself several to those he terms little children, those he styles young men and those whom he entitles fathers. 'I write unto you, little children', saith the Apostle, 'because your sins are forgiven you', because thus far you have attained, -being 'justified freely' you 'have peace with God through Jesus Christ'. 'I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one' or, (as he afterwards addeth) because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you'. ye have quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one, the doubts and fears wherewith he disturbed your first peace and the witness of God, that your sins are forgiven, now abideth in your heart. 'I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning'. ye have known both the Rather and the Son and the Spirit of Christ, in your inmost soul. ye are 'perfect men'., being grown up to 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'
2. it is of these chiefly I speak in the later part of this discourse: for these only are perfect Christians. but even babes in Christ are in such a sense perfect or born of God, (an expression taken also in divers senses) as, First, not to commit sin. if any doubt of this privilege of the sons of God, the question is not to be decide by abstract reasonings, which maybe drawn out into an endless length and leave the point just as it was before. neither is it to be determined by the experience of this or that particular person. many may suppose they do not commit sin, when they do, but this proves nothing either way. to the law and to the testimony we appeal. 'Let God be true and every man a liar'. by His word will we abide and that alone. hereby we ought to be judged.
1. there is scarce any expression in holy writ, which has given more offence than this. the word perfect is what many cannot bear the very sound of it is an abomination to them; and whoever Preaches perfection, (as the phrase is) that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican.
2. and hence some have advised, wholly to lay aside the use of those expressions 'because they have given so great offence'. but are they not found in the oracles of god? if so, by what authority can any Messenger of god lay them aside, even though all men should be offended? we have not so learned Christ; neither may we thus give place to the devil. whatsoever God hath spoken, that will we speak, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear, knowing that then alone can any Minister of Christ be 'pure from the blood of all men', when he hath 'not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God'.
3. we may not, therefore, lay these expressions aside, seeing they are the words of god and not of man. but we may and ought to explain the meaning of them, that those who are sincere of heart may not err to the right hand or left, from the mark of their high calling. and this is the mere needful to be done, because, in the verse already repeated,
*2 the apostle speaks of himself as not perfect. not, saith he, 'as though i were already perfect'. and yet immediately after, in the 15th verse, he speaks of himself, yea and many others, as perfect: 'Let us, saith he, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.
first, in what sense Christians Are Perfect.
secondly, in what sense they Are, Perfect.
I.1. In the First place, I shall endeavour to show, in what sense christians are Not Perfect. and both from experience and Scripture it appears, First, that they are not perfect in knowledge: they are not So perfect in this life as to be free from ignorance. they know, it may be, in common with other men, many things relating to the present world and they know, with regard to the world to come, the general truths which God hath revealed. they know, likewise, (what the natural man receiveth not; for these things are spiritually discerned.) 'what manner of love' it is, wherewith 'the Father' hath loved them, 'that they should be called the sons of god. they know the mighty working of His Spirit in their hears and the wisdom of his providence, directing all their paths and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea, they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord requireth of them and how to keep a conscience void of offence both toward God and toward man.
2. but innumerable are the things which they know not. touching the Almighty Himself, they cannot search Him out to perfection. 'Lo, these are but a part of His ways, but the thunder of His power, who can understand? they cannot understand, i will not say, how 'there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit and these Three are One' or how the eternal son of god 'took upon Himself the form of a servant' - but not any one attribute, not any one circumstance, of the divine nature, neither is it for them to know the times and seasons when god will work His great works upon the earth; no, not even those which he hath in part revealed by His servants and Prophets since the world began . much less do they know when God, having
*3 'accomplished the number of His elect, will hasten His kingdom' when 'the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat'.
3. they know not the reasons even of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men, but are constrained to rest here, - though 'clouds and darkness are round about Him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His seat'. yea, often with regard to His dealings with themselves, doth their Lord say unto them, 'what i do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter'. and how little do they know of what is ever before them, of even the visible works of His hands! - how 'He spreadeth the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing? how He unites all the parts of this vast machine by a secret chain, which cannot be broken? so great is the ignorance, so very little the knowledge, or even the best of men!
4. no one, then, is so perfect in this life, as to be free from ignorance. Nor, Secondly, from mistake; which indeed is almost an unavoidable consequence of it; seeing those who 'know but in part' are ever liable to err touching the things which they know not. it is true, the children of god do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation. they do not 'put darkness for light or light for darkness' neither 'seek death in the error of their life'. for they are 'taught of God'. and the way which He teaches them the way of holiness is so plain, that 'wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein'. but in things unessential to salvation they do err and that frequently. the best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken even with regard to facts; believing those things not to have been which really were, or those to have been done which ere not. or, suppose they are not mistaken as to the fact itself, they may be, with regard to its circumstances, believing them or any of them, to have been quite different from what, in truth, they were. and hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. hence they may believe either past or present actions which were or are evil, to be good and such as were or are good, to be evil. hence also they may judge not according to truth with regard to the characters of men and that, not only by supposing good me to be better, or wicked that, not only by supposing good men to be better or wicked that, not only by supposing good men to be better or wicked men to be worse, than they are, but by believing them to have been or to be good men, who were or are very wicked; or
*4 perhaps those to have been or to be wicked men, who were or are holy and unreprovable.
5. Nay, with regard to the Holy scriptures themselves, as careful as they are to avoid it, the best of men are liable to mistake and do mistake day by day; especially with respect to those pars thereof which less immediately relate to practice. hence, even the children of god are not agreed as to the interpretation of many places in holy writ, nor is their difference of opinion any proof that they are not the children of god on either side, but it is a proof that we are no more to expect any living man to be infallible, than to be omniscient.
6. if it be objected to what has been observed under this and the preceding head, that St John, speaking to his brethren in the faith, says, 'Ye have an unction from the Holy One and ye know all things. I Jon 2.20 the answer is plain: 'Ye know all things that are needful for your souls' health'. that the Apostle never designed to extend this farther, that he could not speak it in an absolute sense, is clear, First, from hence - that otherwise he would describe the disciple s 'above his master', seeing Christ Himself, as man, knew not all things. 'Of that hour, saith he, knoweth no man; no, not the son, but the Father only. it is clear, Secondly, from the apostle's own words that follow: 'These things have i written unto you concerning them that deceive you' as well as from his frequently repeated caution, 'Let no man deceive you', which had been altogether needless, had not those very persons who had that unction from the Holy One been liable, not to ignorance only, but to mistake also.
7. even Christians, therefore, are not So perfect as to be free either from ignorance or error. we may, Thirdly, add, nor from infirmities. only let us take care to understand this word aright. only let us not give that soft title to known sins, as the manner of some is. so, one man tells us, 'Every man has his infirmity and mine is drunkenness'. another has the infirmity of uncleanness; another that of taking God's holy name in vain and yet another has the infirmity of calling his brother, 'thou fool' or returning 'railing for railing'. it is plain that all you who thus speak,if ye repent not, shall, with your infirmities, go quick into hell! but i mean hereby, not only those which are properly termed Bodily Infirmities, but all those inward or outward imperfections which are not of a moral
*5 nature. such are the weakness or slowness of understanding, dullness or confusedness of apprehension, incoherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination. such (to mention no more of this kind ) is the want of a ready or retentive memory. such, in another kind, are those which are commonly, in some measure, consequent upon these; namely, slowness of speech, impropriety of language, ungracefulness of pronunciation; to which one might add 1000 nameless defects, either in conversation or behaviour. these are the infirmities which are found in the best of men, in a larger or smaller proportion. and from these none can hope to be perfectly freed, till the spirit returns to God that gave it
8. nor can we expect, til then, to be wholly free from temptation. such perfection belongeth not to this life. it is true, there are those who, being given up to work all uncleanness with greediness, scarce perceive the temptations which they resist not and so seem to be without temptation. there are also many whom the wise enemy of souls, seeing to be fast asleep in the dead form of godliness, will not tempt to gross sin, lest they should awake before they drop into everlasting burnings. I know there are also children of God who, being now justified freely, having found redemption in the blood of Christ, for the present feel no temptation. god hath said to their enemies, 'Touch not Mine anointed and do My children no harm'. and for this season, it may be for weeks or months, he causeth them to ride on high places, He beareth them as on eagles' wings, above all the fiery darts of the wicked one. but this state will not last always: as we may learn from that single consideration, - that the Son of God Himself,, in the days of His flesh, was tempted even to the end of His life. therefore, so let His servant expect to be; for 'is is enough that he be as his Master'.
9 Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance, or mistake or infirmities or temptations. indeed, it is only another term for holiness. they are 2 names for the same thing. thus, every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect. yet we may, lastly, observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. there is no Perfection Of Degrees, as it is termed; none which does not admit of a continual increase. so that how much soever any
*6 man has attained, or in how high a degree soever he is perfect, he hath still need to 'grow in grace' and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Saviour.
II. 1. in what sense, then, are Christians perfect? this is what I shall endeavour, in the Second place, to show. but it should be premised, that there are several stages in Christian life, as in natural; - some of the children of God being but new-born babes; others having attained to more maturity. and accordingly St. John, in his First Epistle, )2.12 etc) applies himself several to those he terms little children, those he styles young men and those whom he entitles fathers. 'I write unto you, little children', saith the Apostle, 'because your sins are forgiven you', because thus far you have attained, -being 'justified freely' you 'have peace with God through Jesus Christ'. 'I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one' or, (as he afterwards addeth) because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you'. ye have quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one, the doubts and fears wherewith he disturbed your first peace and the witness of God, that your sins are forgiven, now abideth in your heart. 'I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning'. ye have known both the Rather and the Son and the Spirit of Christ, in your inmost soul. ye are 'perfect men'., being grown up to 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'
2. it is of these chiefly I speak in the later part of this discourse: for these only are perfect Christians. but even babes in Christ are in such a sense perfect or born of God, (an expression taken also in divers senses) as, First, not to commit sin. if any doubt of this privilege of the sons of God, the question is not to be decide by abstract reasonings, which maybe drawn out into an endless length and leave the point just as it was before. neither is it to be determined by the experience of this or that particular person. many may suppose they do not commit sin, when they do, but this proves nothing either way. to the law and to the testimony we appeal. 'Let God be true and every man a liar'. by His word will we abide and that alone. hereby we ought to be judged.
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