The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 290

INTRODUCTION

150

Be ye then perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," does not mean that you, boastful man, puffed up by philosophic madness, must become like God. A creature you will remain even in your highest glory. And in that glory the consciousness that you are nothing and God is all will be cause of your most fervent adoration and deepest delight. No, Christ's word simply means, "Be whole," &\en as your Father in heaven is whole and complete. Saying that an earthen vessel must be as whole and sound as a porcelain vase does not mean that it must become like The former costs but a few cents; the latter is paid for that vase. with gold. It only means that as the vase is whole as a vase, so must the earthen vessel be whole as an earthen vessel. Hence Christ's word means: There are rents in your being; the edges are chipped; you are injured and damaged by sin. This must not be so. There may be no break in your being, nor should "

defect is

mar your completeness.

Behold, as your Father in heaven

unbroken, so must you be wholly sound, unbroken, and perfect.

That is, as God remained perfect as God, so must you remain whole and complete as man, a creature in the hand of your Creator. But generally it is not so understood. The current view is as follows: They?rj/ step in holiness

becomes weak.

Then

tirely cast out.

whole ladder

is

is conflict

with

Third, sin is almost overcome.

sin.

Second, s\n

Fourth, sin

is en-

and the

only, the higher sanctification sets in,

being climbed; higher and higher, ever more holy,

until holiness reaches the clouds.

Of

course, those

who accept

these fancies can not think of

Adam

otherwise than as created on a low plane of holiness and called to

But if there is but one sanctification, and making the broken nature whole, then higher To Adam's sanctification regarding Adam is out of the question. holiness nothing can be added. He would have known his Creator, heartily loved Him, and lived with Him in eternal happiness to glorify and praise Him, in ever-increasing consciousness but all this would not have added anything to his righteousness and holiness. To suppose this would betray a lack of understanding concerning holiness. Thus love is confounded with holiness; righteousness with life state with condition word with being; and the very foundations are wrenched from their place. Yea, worse. Souls are severed from Jesus. For he that fails attain higher sanctification. i.e.,

dying

to sin

;

;

;

to understand original righteousness can not understand

how Christ

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