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.’