The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 472

SANCTIFICATION

432

growth in holiness? but never with faulty confessing, with faulty views of the doctrine; for sanctification is not doctrine, but life." In this way they have come to deny it the value and dignity of a

dogma

or doctrine

of life

hence to make it the

;

to

;

make

it

almost synonymous with bettering

common

property of

all

that try to lead

earnest and pious lives.

grew that many persons of unsound more spiritual lives. This supposed fact was even fortified with the word of Jesus, that publicans and harlots go into the Kingdom of God before us; and the congregations often

Then the idea

naturally

doctrine might lead

received the impression that rationalism itself might lead to better

sometimes flow from an orthodox belief. And the rewas that this so-called sanctification led to a weakening of the

results than sult

a considering of purity of doctrine as immaterial; until

faith, to

assumed a hostile attitude toward the mysteries of the This was the natural effort of confounding self-betterment with sanctification, and of opposing life to doctrine as gold to tinsel. The spread of these false ideas of sanctification has not benefited finally it

truth.

Christianity in these provinces, but, as in pre-Reformation days,

has led the people astray from

Rome as tho

it

its

it

pure doctrine.

once suffered and suffers

still

surrendered or even slighted

its

from the same doctrine

;

but,

Not

evil.

even in the

flourishing days of its hierarchy, the necessity of reformation of life

was so strongly

felt that it

resulted in a one-sided urging of sancti-

motto was: "Good works." They were of greatest importance: not words, but power; not the confession, but the earnestness and willingness to do good, not merely in secret, but openly so that men could see it This was carried so far that finally Rome ceased to be satisfied with good works as fruit of conversion, and even began to look upon them as a primary and meritorious cause of salvation and thus it broke down the mystery of faith by a false preaching of sanctification. As now, unintentionally, by the cry, " Not doctrine, but life," men are driven, as Its favorite

fication.

!

;

by iron

necessity,

to disapprove of

first

to underestimate the value of doctrine, then

and

pronounce it injurious, yea, even good works induce Rome gradually to divorce the mystery of the forgiveness of sin from the cross of Calvary, not in the confession, but in the conscience of its members. For the sake of clearer insight and safer procedure, we must redangerous

;

it,

lastly to

so did the cry for

turn to the definite teaching that sanctification

is

a

doctrine,

an

in-

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