The term “perfection,” refers especially to the completeness of Christian character; its freedom from all sin, and its possession of all the graces of the spirit; completeness in kind. “Let us go on unto perfection.”
The term perfect love points more directly to the spirit, temper, and element in which the wholly sanctified and perfect Christian lives. “God is love,” and they that dwell in God, dwell in love.
In regeneration sin does not reign; in “sanctification,” it does not exist. In regeneration, sin is suspended; in sanctification, it is destroyed. In regeneration, irregular desires, anger, pride, unbelief, envy, malice, are subdued; in “sanctification,” they are removed.
Regeneration is salvation from the voluntary commission of sin; “sanctification” is salvation from the being of sin. “It is the will of God, even your sanctification.”
This state of grace is both permissive, and authoritative. The cleansing stream is in reach of every believer, and the declaration has gone out, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. It is gloriously possible to touch the hem of his garment, and be made whole every whit.” But secondly, it is the will of God in an authoritative sense. He requires us, to seek entire holiness. The length and breadth of the evangelical law, is this: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and what is this but a state of entire sanctification,” and what less could God require? I believe that all real Christians accept this statement, but disagree in regard to the time when this blessed work shall be accomplished. Many putting it at, or near death, while we, upon the authority of God’s word say that now, is the acceptable time, “To day, is the day of salvation.” This state of grace, bears its own legitimate fruit; and when Christians love the Lord with all their hearts, love the souls of men more than their own ease, or emolument, “and love each other with pure hearts fervently,” their example speaks volumes, and preaches more effectively than words in favor of the cause they profess to love.
“Then they put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Then the gospel acquires an influence which wins its way to the heart of the multitude. The sacramental host of God’s elect, clad with the panoply of God, saved from the corruptions which are in the world, and armed with holy faith and mighty prayer, hold in check the powers of hell, and triumphs over the most formidable, and appalling obstacles. In her infancy, when few in number, the church by her purity,silenced the objections of philosophers, and the power of persecution; successfully assailed the strongholds of superstition, and finally demolished the whole fabric of idolatry, which had been rendered venerable and sacred by the lapse of ages. She “quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness was made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” The simple preaching of the cross, by men “sanctified” wholly, baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, backed up by a holy and self denying life, like an earthquake struck dumb a giddy and clamorous world, and carried terror to the very gates of hell!
Who can look back to the period when Christianity achieved her noblest triumphs, and see altars and temples crumbling to dust, and the Gods of the heathen given to the moles and the bats, the church multiplied and increased under the bloodiest persecutions, martyrs going to the stake in ecstacy, and their very executioners converted by the grandeur of their example, and in their turn following them to the possession of the martyr’s crown—who I say, can survey these scenes without feeling convinced that there is a power altogether unearthly in a life of purity and self-denial. A life, wholly consecrated, and completely “sanctified,” heart and tongue set on fire with God’s eternal love.
When the purity and simplicity of the apostolic age shall characterize the great mass of Christian believers—when the institutions of Christianity shall be strictly conformed to the original plan, and the members of the church shall stand forth completely armed with the “armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,” then will the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven be given to the people of the Most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Daniel 7:27.
If these be facts and who can say they are not? then, what is the duty of every believer? and especially every minister of the gospel, but to seek until he, or she obtains the blessing?
After the paper was read the chairman called on the clergy to go tell what they thought of the paper. Brother “B.” was first called on. He was a Congregationalist. Said Brother B., “I was brought up on that cream, but I don’t believe a word of it now.”