The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-05
CHRISTIAN ADULTHOOD.
A Sermon Preached in Roberts Park Church,
March 80, by Rev. DR.. HOughtOn.

course on Christian Adulthood, or Christian
Perfection, from the text: Therefore leaving
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
on to observation-disclosures vi l. After stating
the principles involved in the text, DR.. Houghton
said:
Is the state of Christian perfection the bless
ing of entire sanctifcation attainabe in this life2
Certainly it isl To affirm that God either can
not or will not save His people from all sin, and
that 1t is His will-for His own glory and mans
good-that the Christian shall live in sin, is
simply monstrous 1t is neither good Scripture,
good logic, good morals, nor good common-sense.
In no place does the Bible represent death as
the hour or the agent that shall put stop to sin
in the human heart and life. Christ came to
save His people from their SINS" and to save
them to the utternost-and to save them in this
life. He commands His followers to be holy,
and promises to help them to be holy declaring
that His grace is sufficient for all their spiritual
needs True believers are everywhere in Scrip
ture, said to be holy, sanctifed. purified and per-
fected. Abel is pronounced righteous" Enoch
walked with God; Job, it is said, was perfect"
Zacharias and Elizabeth, are pronounced right
eous before God walking in all the command
ments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless."
There is large class OF Scripture passages
which show that all believers are partially, at
least, sancted, and that it is their privilege to
be entirely sanctified When Christ prays for
his disciples, ''Sanctify them through Thy
truth, the necessities of the disciples the terri
BILE nature of sin and the infinite power and love
of God will not permit us to doubt that he meant
fully sanctify Them" make them perfect adult
Christians. Paul prayed that the saints at
Thessalonica might be sanctifed wholly, spirit,
soul and body" He also prayed that God would
make the believing Hebrews perfect in every
good work to do his will" John writes that 1.-THE
blood of Jesus Christ ceanseth from all sim"
that God is mot only faithful and just to forgive
us sins Justification, but to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness," or to regenerate and sane
tfy US.
1t is practical precept which ST. James gives
when he says: Let patience or frmness in
time of trial have her perfect work that we may
be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" Now,
it is idle to say that because of the mperfeetons
and failings of men, men, arising from the
limitations placed upon mind and body,
they cannot, in this sense, be perfect Christians
the love of God and the mature Christian
graces filing, controlling all the heart and life
because God has plainly commanded it, and
promised, by his spirit, to 'do it" for every one
who obediently trusts him, with growing life
and ready service.
The imperfections of the Christians physical
nature will not be entirely removed in this life
The same may be said of his intellectual nature
And the unfavorable effects of these imperfec-
tons will always be seen in the best Christians
moral nature These must, in all fairness, be
set down as infrmities, for which are not
responsible; but, if entirely sanctifed, actual
SIM positive moral corruption, will not remain
And now the question very properly comes
up, How is this grace of Christian perfection
or perfect love- obtained2 First, by prayer
fully studying the subject until we see that it is
our privilege, and God in answer to prayer helps
to feel the absolute necessity of this blessing
if we would be all and do all the Lord requires
of us. The trouble is, too many in the church
know but little and care less about Christian ma
turity. If we continue to ignore this blessing
to which we are called of God, we dishonor God
and His word and His church; we live
far below our privilege, and can never
ha a,,6 ft11 rhf 10 he
Second-We are to obtain sanctifcation by
maintaining regeneration, by honoring the work
God has done for us in conversion, and holding
onto everything that belongs to us in our re-
generated state. Regeneration is not the super
fetal change that many ignorant people would
have suppose. 1t is radical change in
man. 1t is passing from darkness to light
1t is a resurrection; it is passing from death
to life. 1t is having the old heart taken away
and new heart put in its place. Can it posi-
bly, be more difficult for God, or a more radical
change in the soul, for Him to perfect, or bring
to maturity the spirits life than to bestow that
life in the first p]acel
We must not underrate Gods work in genuine
conversion; for it is a work perfect in kind. al
though not in degree. Az one has said, 1.-The
change from grace to glory is not so great as the
change from sin to grace" Now, l really think
mislead people by speaking of Christian per-
lection 1.-THE second blessing" for in that
term, they suppose us to imply, at least, that
God does not give at regeneration n grace which,
persevered in, will certainly issue in perfect
character, perfect communion, and perfect
compliance with the will of God" Certainly,
do believe that if man hold onto
and grow in his justified and
regenerated state before God, he must
(sooner later) come to that adulthoodin Chris
tan experience and character which in Scripture
is called Christian perfection. The trouble, too
often, with us is, we lead a life of SHINING and
repenting day after day, when we ought to stead
lily maintain our conscious acceptance with God
and thus put ourselves in a position to grow, and
receive all God has to give, and become all we
are capable of being made by constant grace
and an increasing knowledge And we must
work If content to talk about simple
reliance and simple dependence on Christ, as
though that were all we need in order to Chris
tian perfection, we shall inevitably fail. We
need, in addition to that to cultivate a sound
minded activity, a faithful perseverance after
every perfection. If | read the Bible Alright. the
truly converted (regenerate) soul should expect
to lead life of continuous victory over sin, and
of freedom from condemnation, and is through
grace, equipped for such life so that the con-
verified man who fails thus to live, falls below
both his high privilege and his bounden duty
Such a man is. of course, still human, possess
ing all the innocent appetites, passions and affec
lions which belong to human nature; and these
though in themselves innocent, need to be con-
trolled by reason and conscience, else they lead
to sim" 1t is the privilege and duty
of man thus connected, and started upon a new
life to grow in grace and in the knowledge of
God gaining day by day in the strength and
beauty OF ms ChrlStlan graceS, uhIll ne IS leu
by The word and the spirit to so trust Christ and
give himself to Christ and submit to the com
plete work of Christ in the soul that he comes to
7love God with all his heart" to serve him with
all his ransomed powers that he becomes per-
feet Christian and reaches the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. This expert
ence, l believe. is what is properly called ma
turity, sanctifcaton or Christian perfection
Use just which term you please, the thing is the
same.
The grace which produces holiness of heart
and life maybe further grace, but it is not differ
ent grace from that which regenerates; and our
having already obtained regeneration ought to
be our encouragement to expect that if seek
verance of faith we shall find entire sanctiica-