Church of England -- Sermons; Sanctification; Sermons, English -- 19th century
4. That believers attain to ‘perfection up to the measure of to-day’s
consciousness.’ As nothing of the kind is found in Scripture, it is
difficult to understand exactly what the expression means. But if it
mean that believers are kept so holy that there is nothing in either
their hearts or lives which their own conscience condemns, the statement
is directly opposed to such passages as Heb. ix. 14, x. 2, &c., which
show that one great purpose of the precious blood of Christ is to provide
a continuous purging of the conscience. If there is never anything on
the conscience which requires purging I cannot see that we have any need
for the purging blood.
5. That we are to be assured of the existence of our personal holiness
through faith, as we are of our justification. Faith is the evidence of
things not seen, and, therefore, the only direct evidence of our
justification: but personal holiness is within sight of conscience, and
it would be an abuse of faith to reckon ourselves holy when conscience
shows us that we are not really so. We believe ourselves to be accounted
righteous, though we know that we are really guilty; but we must not
believe ourselves to be actually holy when our own conscience condemns us
of sin.
1 John, iii. 19–24.
6. That our believing reception of the promise of holiness from the Lord
Jesus will supersede prayer.
Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, 36.
7. That our trust in the Lord Jesus for holiness will supersede personal
exertion and the diligent use of the means of grace.
Acts, xxiv. 16; 1 Cor. ix. 27; Jude, 21, 24.
8. That there is a higher life distinct from that of which we are made
partakers when first brought into union with the ‘Lord Jesus Christ,’
into which we may enter by a definite act of entire consecration.
No Scripture on this subject.
9. That entire consecration is the means whereby we are to attain to
union with the Lord Jesus Christ. The consecration of Scripture follows
that union, and does not precede it. The Christians at Rome were first
‘baptized into Jesus Christ,’ and afterwards, when they were ‘alive from
the dead,’ were exhorted to ‘yield themselves to God.’
Rom. vi. 3, 13.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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