HOLINESS TO THE LORD by D. F. Newton

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 17, 1859

"HOLINESS TO THE LORD."

By D. F. Newton

Dear Editor: Why is it that very many who believe in the doctrine of holiness, or entire sanctification in this life, manifest an anxious desire to embrace it, and still linger in unbelief week after week, month after month? Why this halting? Is it not mainly owing to the incompleteness of the consecrating act? An unwillingness to give up all, submit entirely to Christ's requisition? Or the keeping back some part of the price?

The condition on which the promises are based, must be complied with. "Come out from among them, be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a father to you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Readers, beloved, how is it with you? Are you hungering and thirsting after the inner life, "holiness to the Lord," the baptismal fire pentecostal? Have you any difficulty in believing, in coming to Christ by faith, in claiming the promises for this full salvation?

Have you complied with the condition? Cut off every right hand? Plucked out every right eye? Searched out the Achans, slain the Agags? Exterminated the Canaanites? Is all on the altar Christ Jesus, unreservedly?

Christ is the Christian's altar. Is all on this altar? Time, talent, property, health, pride, unbelief, reputation? Are homes, houses, lands, husbands, wives, parents, children, brethren, sisters, fathers, mothers, all on this altar Christ Jesus? Are they, enquiring readers, your will also? Your will and your willing? Are you ready and willing to go any where and every where when God speaks, says go? Are you willing to do any thing and every thing for Christ? Can you say with Paul, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do," and go forward cheerfully and do it? At home or abroad in domestic duties, social duties, public duties, even to the cutting off a right hand or the plucking out a right eye? Are you willing to renounce all things for God and his cause? Present your body a living sacrifice to him, even to the dying on the cross, if so be God wills it? Are you willing to follow Christ at all times, under all circumstances, through evil report as well as good report, come life or death?

Are you not only willing to deny yourself thus and take up your cross daily, but are you now doing it according to the light of grace bestowed? Have you made up your mind fully and heartily to endure unto the end? Well, this is consecration entire, presenting the body a living sacrifice holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Any thing short of this, here specified, is not entire consecration.

When all is thus unreservedly on the altar Christ Jesus, the Christian's altar, when your will is God's will, and God's will is your will, when you have forsaken all for Christ,—friends, relatives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, houses, lands, homes; laid all at the feet of Jesus,—your joys and your sorrows, your life and your health, you are now precisely where Paul was when he said, "I am crucified with Christ." "I count not my life dear." "I bear about in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus." "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." When the consecration is thus made, when you have come out from the world, its pride, its lusts, its follies, its fashions, its love of gain, its pleasures, honors, and applauses, and are seeking that honor which cometh from God only, you will find it easy, very easy to exercise faith. The sky is now clear, bright, shining; now you approach God with humble confidence, come boldly to a throne of grace with a true heart in full assurance of hope. "Beloved," says the apostle John, "if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

Yes, reader, when all is thus consecrated, it is easy to believe, easy to exercise faith on the Son of God. Indeed, faith is already exercised. When all is consecrated upon God's altar, the altar sanctifieth the gift. The moment the conditions are complied with, the consecration is complete, the will, all unbelief yielded, given up, faith follows necessarily. The witness also, and in due time joy, may be joy unspeakable and full of glory.

But whether joy or sorrow, trouble or perplexity, in the fire or in the water, the word is there, sure and steadfast, the word of promise on which the soul rests. Hold on. "Cast not away your confidence."

Through unbelief I stagger not, For God hath spoke the word, 'Tis done, thou dost this moment save, With full salvation bless; Redemption through thy blood I have, And spotless love and peace.

Beloved, is not this gospel? Holiness to the Lord, entire sanctification; full assurance of faith, the inward life. Now this pearl of pearls is yours, and will be yours if so be you "follow on to know the Lord," witness for him, open your lips wide, make confession unto salvation, testify meekly and publicly to the efficacy of the precious blood of Jesus in cleansing from all sins: live the life of faith moment by moment. "Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord." "The just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Heb. x, 38.

D. F. Newton. Ed. Golden Rule, New York.

REMARKS. We avail ourselves of this opportunity of making a few remarks which we meditated appending to Bro. Newton's former communication. We heartily bid all efforts Godspeed, which have for their object, to lead men to holiness of heart, and full and entire consecration to God. The Scriptures are plain enough on this point. Seek first, says the Saviour, the kingdom of God and his righteousness. But in order to make this work effectual and permanent, we must keep in view the standard of righteousness (or right-doing) which God has given us, which is none other than the ten commandments. The claims of this law we must realize, and to its precepts, not only in letter but in spirit too, conform our lives. "No reform," says the Gen. Evangelist, "can be successful and complete which is not founded on the great fundamental principles contained in the Ten Commandments." Especially do we regard this to be true in reference to conversion. Many have doubtless been led, during the recent religious movement, to amend, for the time being, their lives. But we fear that no conversion will be permanent, where the law does not perform its office in the conviction of the sinner. This was the instrument that slew Paul. Rom. vii. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to enlighten our minds on the exceeding breadth of these commandments, and convict us of sin against God. The gospel furnishes the remedy for our past transgression, and through the assistance of divine grace we start on a life of holiness, consecration, obedience, for the future. We commend this standard, by which we can form a true estimate of holiness of heart and life, to the attention of Bro. Newton, and the revivalists of the present time, with an earnest inquiry whether they can reconcile their course in all things with the letter and spirit of the fourth commandment—Ed. Review.