VALUE OF CONFESSION

Five Preachers Seek Holiness -- Public Confession -- Texas Meeting -- Presiding Elder Reclaimed

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

     Some people do not believe in confession, but as a rule these are the very ones that need to do some of it. A number of years ago we were having a Holiness Convention and among the seekers were five preachers. They were in different parts of the hall pouring their hearts out to God.

     One brother was bemoaning the principle of covetousness, and told God that when he built his house and used half a keg of nails, instead of returning the unused portion he let them stand around until the hardware man had forgotten it.

     Another brother was seeing the deceitfulness of his nature and his tendency either to evade or exaggerate the truth. On one occasion, years before, he had killed a neighbor's dog and nobody could find who did it.

     Other brethren were busily engaged, under the light of God, with this or that, when an old brother came in and overheard a seeker praying. The good brother arose and said, "I do not believe these brethren are so bad as they say they are." The following day he came again and some of the seekers were striking fire. This brought conviction and he said, "Though there is something in us that does not like to hear these confessions, yet there is another voice that says the same principle is in you and you ought to acknowledge it."

     Doubtless this is one reason why God uses public altar services. Some things should not be confessed in public, but when the Spirit leads it is safe to follow and let God take care of the consequences. At least two things will be the result: pride will be crucified and conviction will be sent to those who hear.

     I will give an account of another case in a meeting in Texas. It was forty miles from the nearest railroad station. The house at which I was entertained was one mile from the nearest neighbors and we could hear the wolves bark at night.

     A young man was smitten under conviction, came to the altar, then arose and went to another young man to ask pardon. This unlocked things and we had a good meeting. In that meeting God got hold of a backslidden preacher who had formerly been a presiding elder. He said that he had just attended a shallow revival conducted by a noted holiness evangelist, and had gone forward as a seeker. The evangelist urged him to "claim the blessing," and finally declared that there was nothing wrong with him, but what he needed was to "brace up" and not cast away his confidence. This seeker said that at the very time he was guilty of one of the basest forms of iniquity. Oh, the need of doing clean work and not "healing the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, crying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace." After some hearty confessions and writing some forty letters, he was gloriously reclaimed. His entire family moved to Atlanta, where they likewise found God.

     It was at this time I adopted the motto,

     Yours for a Clean rather than a Big Work.