The Dawson journal., 1885-07-23
HOLINESS QUESTION.
Written FOR the DAWSON JeuRNA1

questions and methods is one of
the promising signs of these times.
1t shows a growing interest in
these things by the people and a
gust conception of duty by the
newspaper managers. That very
crude and occasionally very false
views of religion should be ad-
yanced by these neophytes in re-
hglous composition can be re-
garded with charity when we con-
slder the fact that anything that
provokes thought ultimately leads
to the truth.
The question which has recent
ly been aired by our metropolitan
Gailies is that of holiness. With
out recalling the views of others,
We present few thoughts of our
own upon the subject
Can man be holy in this life2
Holiness does not imply, as many
think, freedom from temptation,
mistakes of Judgment, imperfec-
tion of knowledge. All these are
involved in the structure of our
souls and the finiteness Of our ma
ture. 1t does not, therefore, mean
that man ever gets beyond the
possibility of SHINING, He may
for months be full of religious
JOY, free from actual sin, close in
communion to God and afterwards
yield to temptation and wander
farther and farther from God until
he sips disgracefplIy. Holiness
means perfect consecration TO
God and his service and freedom
from all sinful thoughts, feelings,
DESIRES words and ways. The
scriptures contemplate such life
for man on this earth. "Be ye
perfect even as your Father IN
heaven is perfect" 'Be ye holy
for am holy "Tbe blood of
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all
sin" Paul to Titus writes: "The
grace Of God that bringeth saliva
tion hath appeared to all men,
teaching us that denying ungodli-
ness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly ly,righteously and godly,
in this present world y y
who Christi gave himself for us
that he might redeem US from all
iniqrity and purify unto himself a
peculiar people Jealous of good
works" Our Lord teaches us to
pray, "Thy will be done on earth
as 1t is done by the angels in heav-
en-" Would he teach us to pray
for a foolish or an impossible lie
thing?
Other passages of scripture are
urged to prove the other side of
this question. Two may be
quoted: "There is none good; no.
not one "If we say we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves and the
TRUTHS not in u.s." The two class
es Of scripture may be easily rec
onciled. The latter class de-
scribes the actualities of nature,
the former the possibilities of
grace. BY nature we are all sim
ners, but by allowing ourselves to
become the objects of divine grace
the atonements of Christ and the
indwelling of Gods spirit can
cleanse, purify and keep the soul
of man from all iniquity.
There are other questions in
the main issue, such as when and
how can men enter on this state
of grace? The first question has
established four schools. They
afe as follows: 1. At the moment
Of regeneration. 2. Subsequent
to regeneration, (the Second
Blessing theory. q. In articulo
mortis, in pdrgatory. We are IN
clined to the second opinion. Re
generation does exist without the
fullness of consecration and the
perfect purity Implied in sanctifi-
cation. WeEhave proved that it
can and ought to be experienced
in this life; therefore, it must be
subsequent to regeneration. An
other reflection will show the phi
losophy Of its being q work of the
spirit additional to regeneration.
When one enters on the divine
life, his is a state Of merely lgsti-
fcation as to the law of God, he
bisno sense of personal impurity