The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-29

the phrase, THAT inward dire disease
meaning inbred sin, gave place at the very
next version Of the hymnal 10 'The seed
OF sins disease" meaning the bent 20
wrongdoing. Besides. though they remain
in the hymnal, no preacher ever announces
Plunged in a Gulf OF Dark Despair" or
"Hark from the Tombs q Doleful Sound
as an opening hymn. but in its stead such
er, my God, TO Thee" and all sermons
dwell more on the duty OF living right than
the importance of dying right.
a SHARP DISTINCTION.
Any candid study OF the doctrine OF the
fulness of Christ must note well the dis
~tinction between sin and Gepravity. a word
wholly unknown in the Bible. but often in
dogma. Depravity is a fact. but it is not
sin. Sin is the transgression OF law. de-
pravity is not, though it leads to trans
gressions. 1t is not even Dhilologically
equivalent to sin. 1t means crookedness or
perversity. a bent to w~rongdoing. but never
sin. 1t is sadly transmissible, but a trans
gression OF law is never transmissible,
though the mental. moral and physical
consequences of transgression are. David
had an experience. He said, 1.-The wicked
are estranged from the womb. they 80
astray as soon as they are born speaking
lies. a depraved child sins early, but not
until he is born and is old enough to tell
lies. David does not say this of the race,
but only OF the wicked. Paul had an ex-
perlence or the very opposite tendency.
Timothy had a good mother and a good
grandmother. and he inherited their faith
and from a child lived right, going right as
soon as he was born. That some people are
totally depraved is a fearful fact, but that
others are born with a bent to right living
IS equally true, who by good education,
holy examples. and restraining and re-
newing grace put the whole of their lives
In the service OF God. without that expert
ence known as conversion.
TO my mind, the greatest hinorance to a
more general seeking after and attaining
TO the fullness of Christ is found in the
mysticism that is. thrown around IL by some
misguided teachers. Ii is represented as
an experience wholly distinct from that
known as conversion or justification. and Is
called by other names, as holiness or sane
tihcation, two words that never are used in
the Bible to represent moral qualities in
man or things, and it is presented by these
teachers as the sole work of the holy spirit
upon the heart of man; whereas sanctifica-
ton is the act Of making holy and is APP
piled equally TO lands, houses, utensils,
water. animals and man. Whatever is set
apart for sacred purposes is sanctihed or
holy, and in every case 1t is the work of
man, not of the holy spirit. Everywhere the
fullness of Christ is presented as the ma
turity of the earlier graces of the spirit
and never otherwise, and it is uniformally
attributed to human. not to divine agen-
cies; and growth is indispensable To attain
10 it. To desire the sincere milk of the
word is the mans work, not the spirits.
To add virtue and the other graces TO faith
is the mans work, not the spirits. To
purify ourselves is mans work., not the
spirits. To present our bodies a living sac
riice is mans work, not the spirits. To
walk worthy our vocation that we may
come lin the unity OF the faith unto a per-
feet man unto the measure OF the stature
Of the fullness of Christ" is mans work,
not the spirits. Conversion is mans work,
SO are all the steps that lead to the ruilness
of Christ, and if believers understood this
better they would better reach after that
fullness.
A QUESTION OF MOTIVE.
Not the least of the hindrances to this
fullness of Christ is the low motive pre-
scented for attaining to it. By Wrestling the
charge to follow after peace and holiness
from its true intent and mutilating the
text so as to read without holiness no
man shall see the LORD and then making
holiness TO mean the so-called second bless
ing the loss of the soul is Dredicated on
not obtaining it, and as the sensuous
preacher appeals to the sensuous sinner
to repent or be damned instead of hold
ing up the joy and usefulness of being good
and doing good, so these would terrify the
timid Christian by a threat of losing his
soul unless he became holy after their pat
tern. 1t was not so with David when he
sought a clean heart and a right spirit.
His motive was a desire TO do good with
that clean heart and right spirit that ne
might teach transgressors the divine way
and that sinners might be converted to
God.
The thought that the fullness of Christ
will promote the usefulness of its possessor
is the only motive that secures it. This
fullness of Christ is Identical with perfect
faith and perfect love. These being only
different names for the same experience.
then why ought we not use the same Bible
terms in speaking of a Bible experience
instead Of using other Bible terms in q
sense never known in the Bible story? How
faith is perfected is distinctly taught. by
works faith is made perfect" this is the
mans work, not the spirits. Whose
keepeth his word in him is the love of God
perfected" This is mans work, not the
spirits.
Happily, we are not without living wit
nesses on all hands and in every walk of
life, among men and women of every social
standing that this fullness of Christ, this
tainable experience. These witnesses are
not in the pulpit only nor only i'm the ranks
of the earnest workers in leagues and en-
deavorS. Whoever wills to do his will shall
know Of the doctrine whatever may be his
opportunity to do that will. Personally we
all know many who are in this category.
In this connection L may be pardoned
for citing an example well known in all
good circles of Indianapolis society. The
late William n. Jackson for nearly fifty
years moved among us a living witness to
the fullness of Christ, with perfect faith
He did not profess 10 be sanctiied in the
technical sense nor to be holy, but all who
knew him or knew of him knew him to be
a consecrated man, living to go about do
ing good like his Master. That few men
and women have o. have had the same
does not suggest that they are few who
possess the fullness Of Christ. The full
ness of Christ is attainable. and many more
will attain TO it when it is preached as the