The inner life of holiness is, as remarked in a former chapter,
pre-eminently a life of faith. There are other phases of this
subject that it is important to present. The life of trust implies a
continuous and a steadfast faith. It also implies a very high degree
of faith, or what is called by Paul, and by certain uninspired
writers, "the full assurance of faith." The Christian begins to live
by faith, and his spiritual vitality is increased and strengthened
in direct proportion to the increase and strengthening of his faith.
And thus when faith becomes perfect, love becomes perfect, and the
inner life of holiness is also the inner life of faith
Now faith, like other principles of the human mind, such as memory,
perception and reasoning, increases by exercise. It is to some
extent at least influenced by the law of habit. This law is whatever
we do frequently or persistently becomes comparatively easy.
Now in the inner life of holiness it becomes the holy habit of the
soul to trust in God -- to believe His promises -- to appropriate
with thankfulness all His blessings, both spiritual and temporal, as
they are showered down from above day by day, and to expect them to
continue. Such a soul knows what it is to rest in Jesus. And if any
Christian heart is not resting, it is because it is not believing.
The inner life of holiness is free from all agitating and
disquieting reasonings. Not that faith -- even reckless faith -- is
unreasonable, or contrary to reason. No, far from it. But the
sanctified man has learned that it is the most reasonable thing in
the world to believe God. He has learned that his "doubts are
traitors" and therefore when he has once planted his feet upon the
sure promises of God, he refuses to be driven from his position by
the suggestions of natural reason, which attaches itself to what is
seen and temporal, while faith, on the contrary, attaches itself to
what is unseen and eternal.
The language of the holy soul is, "Let God be true, but every man a
liar, " and "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Faith is
never opposed to true and right reason, although it may be beyond
it. As reason is paramount in the sphere of reason, so must faith be
paramount in the sphere of faith. The two principles occupy each its
own territory, and neither should infringe upon the other's rights.
There need be and should be no quarrel between them. When rightly
understood and rightly exercised they are in perfect harmony.
The mystical writers distinguished between meditation and
contemplation -- regarding the former as a voluntary active exercise
of the perceptive and rational faculties, and the latter as a
passive condition of the soul in which it just receives the thoughts
and communications which God originates. "The ship's navigation
ceases," says Molinos, "when it enters the port." Thus the soul
after the fatigue of meditation, finding itself in the calm of
contemplation, a state of mind resulting from the highest faith,
ought to quit all its own reasoning, and remain peaceful and silent
with its eye fixed simply and affectionately upon God." Do not the
possessors of the inner life of holiness know something of this
blessed experience even in our day?
But if the life under consideration is a life of faith, it is no
less certainly a life of consecration. As an act of faith is
necessary to the reception on our part of the experience of
holiness, so also a previous act of consecration is necessary in
order to bring us on believing ground. We must surrender in order
that we may believe, and we must believe in order that we may be
holy. And as consecration and faith are necessary for the obtaining
of entire sanctification they are necessary for the retaining of it
as well. The inner life of holiness, therefore, is characterized by
a continuous surrender and a continuous trust. We must yield, we
must trust, we must obey and that perpetually.
compared by the Saviour to plucking out the right eye: to cutting
off the right hand: to laying down the natural life and such most
truly it is in relation to sin, and in relation to worldly pleasures
and worldly things. It implies a surrender that is absolute,
unconditional, unreserved and for all future duration. The greatest
struggle is usually in the final definite act to surrender in which
we place ourselves and all our interests implicitly in God's hands,
and enter into covenant that we will be, do and suffer all that He
requires of us.
But after the one formal definite act of consecration, there will
be, most likely, in our experience many unexpected tests of
obedience and surrender; many questions which we had not looked for
or thought of when we first gave up all to God. And the continuous
daily inner life will therefore be a continuous daily submission to
God, with the language expressed or implied "Thy will, not mine be
done." And this will also become more and more easy by frequent
repetition until there will be scarcely, if at all, even the
consciousness of a struggle in this perpetually yielding ourselves
in all things to His sweet will. To substitute His will for our own
will at length becomes our highest delight.
The inner life of holiness is further characterized by the complete
subjection and regulation of the appetites, propensities and
affections. All these sensibilities of our nature, are in themselves
under proper restrictions, innocent -- but in man's fallen condition
they have all been corrupted by sin. And in his unregenerate state
the human being is of ten enslaved by these desires which God gave
him for a good purpose. Instead of subjecting them, he is subjected
by them. Under the influence of inbred sin the normal desire for
food degenerates into gluttony and drunkenness -- the proper
conjugal attraction which brings opposite sexes together in wedded
love becomes gross licentiousness -- the social principle becomes
excessive or perverted -- the lawful desire for happiness becomes
excessive and makes too much of personal happiness regardless of the
happiness of others -- self-love becomes selfishness -- the proper
desire for knowledge becomes idle curiosity -- the lawful wish to
accumulate becomes sinful covetousness -- the right desire of life
perverted into a slavish fear of death on the one hand, or into a
reckless disregard of danger on the other.
But the inner life of holiness regulates all these sensibilities and
keeps each in its proper place and its proper exercise. All the
disorderly passions which arise out of the excessive or perverted
action of the propensities are quelled and calmed by the indwelling
Spirit, and brought into happy union and harmony with the law of
God.
Some thoughtful writer has remarked that the hardest principles to
regulate in the human heart are anger and love. This is probably
correct. There are too few certainly who know how to be angry and
sin not -- and too few who know how to love purely, rightly,
unselfishly and holily. But in the inner life of holiness there is
no sinful anger and there is no sinful love.
And yet the sanctified man or woman must abhor that which is evil.
There is an indignation, yea, an anger which is righteous and of the
same kind as that which the Saviour felt as He beheld the wickedness
and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees. But it is a delicate
matter for a Christian to be angry at all, lest the element of
selfish vindictiveness and unholy resentment may enter into and
spoil the righteousness indignation of his wrathful soul.
And again, how blessed it is to love aright. Not that the Christian
or even the holy Christian, is required to love all people alike --
not that we are required to like everybody -- as we are required to
love everybody. But it is our privilege and duty to love all men
with a right and appropriate love and this will be only possible
when we love God supremely and love our fellow-men in God and for
God. That is to say, when we recognize in every human being the
image of God however much marred by sin, and love them with a love
which desires their welfare and salvation. |