Standards of Life and Service.
by T. H. Howard.
PREFACE
The following pages contain reports of addresses delivered by Commissioner Howard, of our International Headquarters, during an important series of Holiness Meetings held in the Congress Hall, London, princ.i.p.ally in 1908. Those Meetings were widely used by G.o.d, and at my request the Commissioner has revised the shorthand reports of his words for this volume. We now send forth his messages in the hope of still further extending their usefulness.
Christianity is a present-day call to a good life. If it be anything less than that, it is really not worth troubling about. It is, of course, rich in holy memories, and venerable in its a.s.sociation with all that is true and best in the past. But it is not only ancient in its origin and triumphs--it is intensely modern in its touch with human need, and in its demand that the spirit of righteousness should be the controlling force in human life--in the common life of to-day. It is the aim of the following addresses to bring that truth home to us, and to help us to go direct to JESUS CHRIST Himself for power to respond to that claim.
Cast in popular form, as was necessary for meeting such occasions as those which called them forth, these addresses do not attempt any comprehensive statements of the philosophy of Holiness. Anything of that kind, no matter how successful, would have been the undoing of the whole effort. Nevertheless, the diligent reader will, I think, find underlying these practical counsels certain valuable principles. In particular, he will find implied, when not actually expressed, an important distinction between the work of G.o.d in the justifying and purifying of the soul, and the work of man in walking in obedience to the laws of G.o.d. It is that obedience I am thinking of when I say that Christianity is a demand for righteousness. It is that obedience we mean when we talk of Holiness--in its practical aspects.
One of the dangers to which all deeply spiritual teaching is open, is a kind of antinomianism--a species of religious bargaining between the soul and G.o.d; and that is a thing which is, of course, totally alien to His will, and completely ruinous to true progress. The process of such thought is something like this: "Christ has performed for me a work of infinite love and merit. If I confess and deplore evil, I may claim pardon for it and purifying from its guilt by faith in the Divine Sacrifice made for me. That will ease my burdened soul and free me from apprehension as to future peril--peril which would otherwise have proved very real. As to temptation to further evil, I must watch against it; but if by chance or evil impulse, or even wilful choice, I fall into it, let me not be too deeply concerned. I can easily obtain again what I have obtained before."
Now, that is not only a false position, but it involves an extremely dangerous error--an error which in practice is ultimately destructive of real faith. Salvation--indeed, all spiritual experience, is entered into by faith, of course; but it can only be maintained by hearty, determined obedience on our part. Christ has died for us, but He has not obeyed for us. The "new heart" is by faith in Him--but the new life can only be lived by watchful and often painful obedience to the law of love. "I counsel thee to buy of Me", saith He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, "white raiment that thou mayest be clothed"; and "Blessed", He says also, "is he that watcheth, and _keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked_". Paul prayed for the saints of his day "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith"; but he prayed also that they "might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, _being fruitful in every good work_, strengthened _with all might_ unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness".
It is towards standards for this life of rightly living that Commissioner Howard is working in the following chapters. May the blessing of the great Standard-Bearer rest upon his words, and give the light and grace which He alone can afford to every reader.
BRAMWELL BOOTH.
THE SALVATION ARMY, LONDON, _April, 1909_.
FOREWORD
I wish that these Addresses could, in their present form, be marked by those personal experiences which made the thoughts so alive to me when the words were uttered in public Meetings. If the flashes of light, the intensity of conviction, and the sense of Divine help which were mine when speaking, could be reproduced in cold type, the impression upon the readers would be much more effective. That may not be fully possible, but I pray that in His own way G.o.d may use the book to the helping of many souls in the things which make for Holiness and happy service.
T. H. H.
_Thou hidden love of G.o.d, whose height, Whose depth unfathomed no man knows; I see from far Thy beauteous light, Inly I sigh for Thy repose: My heart is pained, nor can it be At rest till it finds rest in Thee._
_Is there a thing beneath the sun That strives with Thee my heart to share?
Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone, The Lord of every motion there!
Then shall my heart from earth be free, When it hath found repose in Thee._
_Oh, hide this self from me, that I No more, but Christ in me, may live; My vile affections crucify, Nor let one darling l.u.s.t survive!
In all things nothing may I see, Nothing desire or seek, but Thee!_
_Each moment draw from earth away My heart, that lowly waits Thy call: Speak to my inmost soul, and say, "I am thy Lord, thy G.o.d, thy All!"
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice, To share Thy cross be all my choice._
"WE believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be "wholly sanctified", and that their "whole spirit and soul and body" may "be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ".
That is to say, we believe that after conversion there remain in the heart of the believer inclinations to evil, or roots of bitterness, which, unless overpowered by Divine grace, produce actual sin; but that these evil tendencies can be entirely taken away by the Spirit of G.o.d, and the whole heart, thus cleansed from everything contrary to the will of G.o.d, or entirely sanctified, will then produce the fruit of the Spirit only. And we believe that persons thus entirely sanctified may, by the power of G.o.d, be kept unblameable and unreprovable in His sight."--_The Doctrines of The Salvation Army._
STANDARDS OF LIFE AND SERVICE
I
G.o.d"s Call
_"What manner of persons ought ye to be?"_ (2 Peter iii. 11.)
_"As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."_ (1 Peter i. 15, 16.)
When we set up standards for life and character we must be quite clear that our teaching fits in with G.o.d"s purpose as revealed towards His people. Therefore, when we enforce the doctrine of personal Holiness, there is no reason more weighty than that which Peter gives us in the verses quoted, namely, that G.o.d calls us to Holiness.
The statement I have read seems to me to show that _it is a mistake to suppose that personal Holiness is left optional_. Many people go to Meetings, and, when they are shown the teachings of the Bible about Holiness, they recognize that it is a state of being cleansed, filled with the love of G.o.d, and kept by the indwelling Holy Ghost. They see it as a very desirable thing and a possible experience. But, somehow or other, they sit and listen, come and go, and seem to have the idea that it is quite left to themselves whether they should obey the call and claim this blessing or not.
Some talk as if there were two roads to Heaven; I mean the sinning and repenting life; falling down and getting up again; persevering in their journey with just enough religion to make them want to save their souls from going to h.e.l.l, in contradistinction to the experience of the saintly man or woman who says, "By G.o.d"s help I am going to live a life without sin! I am going to have my heart fully sanctified, and walk in the will of G.o.d."
Some, I am afraid, even go so far as to deliberately say, "Holiness is a very good thing if you want it; but I am not quite prepared for this, or to give up this, that, and the other. I think I shall get on very well as I am. If _you_ want the blessing I am glad to see you go in for it."
That is what I mean when I talk about people regarding the matter as if it were optional; and I like these words of Peter"s because they show us a direct command: "Be ye holy, for I am holy". They fit in also with the other injunction: "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing".
It is a grand and glorious privilege to have a clean heart; to have G.o.d Almighty coming and taking full possession of you; and to have His Holy Spirit day by day, filling your heart with love and keeping you in Divine fellowship. But I want you also to realize that it is a binding duty upon every follower of Jesus Christ to seek to become holy.
I think it was John Wesley who said something to the effect that professing Christians who had not got the blessing of a clean heart, or were not earnestly seeking to be delivered from sin, could not consistently be regarded as Christians at all. I do not put it as strongly as that; but I do, from deep conviction, say this to you, that every Salvationist, and other persons who, in Meetings of this kind, are taught that the will of G.o.d is that they shall be delivered from all sin, that they shall live a life of purity and Holiness, that they shall walk in the enjoyment of a Full Salvation, and yet are not willing to follow the light, and do what they know G.o.d wants them to do, are probably heart-backsliders, and in a fair way to backslide altogether.
I tell you, G.o.d has called you, not unto uncleanness, not to remain in a state of impurity, but to Holiness; and he that despiseth that calling despiseth not man, but G.o.d. Therefore, I beg of you not to imagine that, with clear light as to your duty, and the possibility of Full Salvation, you can either take it or leave it, and yet remain in the favour of G.o.d.
Then these verses are very useful because they _set the standard for our personal spiritual condition_. Need I explain what I mean by this?
Let your minds turn to weights and measures, and you will see my meaning exactly. If you went to a draper"s shop, and asked for so many yards of material, you would not be satisfied by his guessing the quant.i.ty--you would want it measured by the yard-stick, the proper standard of measurement. So with weights. If you ask for so many pounds of sugar or potatoes, it would not be for the shopman to say to you, "Will that do for you? Put another in? All right! Will that do?" You would say, "Please weigh them properly according to standard".
Now it seems to me that in spiritual character we must have something by which we can measure and compare ourselves, and Peter gives us just such a standard when he says, "As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy". The standard is the character of G.o.d.
If Peter had said, "As He is almighty, so be ye almighty", or, "As He is infallible, so be ye infallible", then at once you would know that the standard was altogether out of your reach, and could not be realized. But, if you are a Christian at all, your inmost conviction tells you that to be holy is a reasonable requirement, and the law of consistency endorses it.
As you study your Bibles you will find many references to this standard of conformity with the Divine character, and will quickly see that nothing short of that can satisfy. It is not only the standard that exists in the Divine mind, but the world rightly expects that we, as Christian men and women, shall be holy. I know the world is very often disappointed, and that, unfortunately, the failures of some so-called Christian people are used as an excuse for disregarding the claims of G.o.d, but the world is right in expecting us to live holy lives.
That pa.s.sage of Peter"s contains a significant reminder in the sentence, "Be ye holy in all manner of conversation". Now, that word, "conversation", has a much broader meaning in old English than the sense attached to our common use of it, generally limiting the word to mean intercourse between each other by speech. Here it really means the whole manner of living.
To me it is a matter of unspeakable joy to think that there is no right a.s.sociation, no duty, and no proper relationship in life that cannot be wholly sanctified and have G.o.d"s smile upon it. Your eatings and drinkings, your speakings, your workings, your dressings, your courtings and marriages, also many other things, such as business and recreation, can all be sanctified, and the functions performed in harmony with the profession of Holiness and the maintenance of a clean heart.
But do not miss _the true inwardness of this command_: "Be ye holy, for I am holy". It is this--we cannot live up to the true standard, we cannot fulfil life"s obligation, without a sanctified heart.