The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-12-21
Published by rOQuest.
VIEWS On s1ACTIBICGfION.

: fore, perfect sven, etc, etc. !" Til
y text is broad CON uand, coupassin
1 al sustQ0slt time AMI eseh an
}, every Individual There is esrtainl
sense in which its Strainmspt 4
: possible, or the inJuBetf9n woaId nc
have been given. as-1
Bot what does the text msan . Il
what sense can We BE-. and in wha
I sense are We to be, ''psrfsct men, q
& eur Father in heAVsn Is perfect ?
The text, lst Pstsrl I, I5 tOIe-t-But :
) be Whieh hath called ron b hoIy
etc >" may tend tn sxpsaIn III
{ matter; BE ys holy IN A.
manner Of conversation" not onI,
10 words, but 10 actions auc
affections. HOLINESS Il the direct Dur
2 pose OF ehTiatiaa labor and OF tn
! christian life; hence, All chriskial
J meetings are holiness msstiugs. Kne
, ali christian preachi1K, prayer. faith
work and sacrifice Is for tue Drorn, }
ton Of holiness and the psrfpctlnR ot
the sAints-Eph. 4, 10 10 rs. ThI
work Of holiness, like evsry othe
A-1as A3NG Ak1 OCAluUIQK. liz
progress, aud it, cOmplstsO1.
LIST "a hrst consider its bsginnlES:
Man, by gracious operation, Il mad,
70 realize his Christless, carnsi, un
saved state. he seeks salvation
needing two thlngS l. ForRiveuess
or JustlncatiOn aud 2 Conversion
or the creating anew In Christ Jesus
He trusts in Christ, and by faith em.
braces salvation. He Is ssvsj by
grnee-forgivsn and renewed, or jlstI.
ned and rogenerAted. His aius Ars
forgiven. That is work done k,I
him. He ls regeneratsd. That Is I
work done IN him. He is now Z
child Of God, saved fr0n his sins. and
is an beir OF heaven. accepted OF God,
and has the witness Of that Accepta.
ton yet he is ouly chiid. BE has
yet to HEtain unto the stature Of the
fullness Of COEist-Eph. A. 10 10 Il.
and Eph. 3, IA to 21. I think the
work Of holiness. perfection, sAnctin
cation, or WhAtsvsr word you please
4 to use TO designate the highest possi-
bls christian nttAinment, h now be-
Euu, and ali further progress 40 Dot
the perfection Of this gracious STATE,
the develOpsmeDt OF the seed nov
germinatsd 10 the soul.
Should the subject Of thu gracioas
Rttainment have described die, be
will be received up int0 glory, and ghs
work OF perfecting his spiritual nafnrs
will be graetously eOmplsts,f, En ] so
with every one dying Ia state OF ius
tihcaEiOn- All who die Justified win
most certainly be saved See RO-
mans 5. 8 t1 Is and g to 80
But let "a think Of the pro- sFess and
end Of this work Of holiness. The
text mOst certainly sDJOins = very
gracious state. yet one ~ which We
may certainly attain. This, state
Is now denominatsd d BY many dif.
ferent terms and phrases as follow
ton, perfect love, purity, sAnctlfca-
ton, entire sanctiheatiOn. the highest
life, the second blessing, etc. Some
Of these are entirely unscriptutAI, and
/ consider their use unfortunats. ss-
PeeiAlly this modern specialist talk Of
the "highest lite,h second blessing, u
etc. Tue Lord has blessed me many
times, and will bless me, u be lets me
live. many times more. Sttll there Is
3 going on to psrfeeti0n-a perfection
that may aud should be attained un-
TO In this life. It Is not = work, how
ever, begun entirely separate and dis
tinct from our conversion, but it "a
the nnishiDg, or rather the perfectlng z
OF the work begun In conversion. Il
IL our being made perfect In christian
4 gFzees-in love. We were not mad .
even to b absolutely psrfset OF sin
lsssly perfect ia this life. C0riatIae
perfection 3 not an absolute perfsc-
tlon, or q sinless perfection, bot is
simply . comparative Perfection
christian perfection. It q not physI-
cal, iBtsllsetlAl or angelic perfection.
It Is the perfection from Disty-Vs
are not to be either sRgels or q IDS.
We can only be men, but we may be
perfect christian men. This we GER
tainly ought TO be. This VIII moi
give Us the perfection of Adams pre-
fallen condition. lie the perfection
Of christian gracss IN the Surround.
ings and conditions CT our fallen
state; hence IL IL simpiy the
perfection OF christian RrEees, and
II thinE / have already said
the being made perfect In
love hence this perfection is not q
perfection ia the Atlantic iaE Of
works, but = perfection in Chrsst Jesus,
See Coil. l, %. It IL the filling OF
the 81 al OF the humble, trusting be.
llevEr, laying his all up1a the altar,
coDseeratlng his all OF fortune, talent,
time, will and interest 20 theservges OF
Christ Jesus. And the being so made
perfect while the trusting soul con-
fides wholly in rsdesmIng blood By
I arTnh = hfufwa
love that ne can say sureIy "Psrfes.
love casteth out fear ~ and He, in
whom he trust, &C. aansssi iin from al
unriehtsOusuess. The soul in thia
state Is filed With love. q d is lOVssf
supremely. This love works 20 90 a
soul full Of Il bas none but kindly in
tentions and desires. The affections
ars all Christ-likP, and thus love q
the fulfilling Of the law. There may
be wrongs IN the head there msy 6r
lack OF knowledge (; there nay % sr-
rors Ia actions that others may con-
demn. We are not 70 be saved in this
life from lmperfeet knoWiedge and In
drmity Of judgment, but there is 10
this saved souls, trusting Ia Christ,
gracious, gioriOus heaven, given
serenity and peAee---a rest, 3 biessed
rest In Christ. But this peFfeetion
does not lift us abpVs impsnchability,
that 10 possibility Of being tempted,
and the commission Of sin, or the ne
cessity OF earnest waschfulnsss. PRAY.
er, sslf-dsnial and trusting faith-
such q State I understand 70 os sane
tiiicAtion-to be christian psrfeetion.
understand It 10 be 30 advance from
the state attained unto Ia our conver-
sion. I understand it to be attained
unto BY earnest eOnseeratlon and
trusting faith 10 the precious blood OF
the Lamb OfCalyary. Hence there Il
. print on our expsrience when We
step Into its possessions, when We can
say that We have entered into the
hOlisst, by the blood Of Jesus; that
"CfOd dWelleth IN Us and his love d
perfected In us." This gEacs will not
make the soul bOastful or self cOnfi.
dent, but will lsad 70 . fuller reYOIa-
ton Of our inirmlties, aud lead us
more closely 70 the eross. such 9
soul will ever say, every moment,
"Lord, l need the virtue Of thy
death" In q sense We have nov
noticed the beginning. the prOgres.
and the completion OF our sanetifica-
LtOu1 ysS OuE B4IebduC4LtOn - ttOL QQt
Qualification, our full, And flnal hsaV.
enly salvation Great errors result
from fumbling these things tozsth0r
Sanctifeation is only . step IN the
great work Of salvation. Hence / DC
not like the practice some hAys oI
calling sAnetihcztiOn fun salvation
There may be . sense In which
sanctidcation Is full salvation, but Il
II . limited sense, and the uss Of thil
human invented cOgnOnon leada q
wrong impressions. II the Roul is nos
sanctl6ed Il il not glOrifieG, hut ther,
, are battles 70 BE- fought there ~,
victories 70 be Won there are coD.
hicts and tria,s e be horne. Each
day Of subsequent life presents II
, duties, trials, crosses. AggraVEtisnI
and dlsappoiutments- Patient. per
ssvering, vatehfuiness and praysl
vii be ever necessary. We are pet Il
grow IN grace and ia the knoVledgl
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. We are 4
20 on adding 10 our faith, virtue, etc
(See 2-Peter ist 4 to s. We anal
not begin erown-wearing until vi
pass from eross-bearing snd enter tn
rest Of the giOrihed.
In the sense have tried 70 deseribe
we can be perfect even as our Faths
which is In heaven Is perfect, not Il