“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Dan. xii, 10.
Shall you and I, dear reader, be among the purified ones? is the all-absorbing question which should engage our earnest attention. Let us appeal to the infallible guide to know our duty in this matter and compare our hearts, our thoughts, our conversation, our habits, with the book of God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Here is a precious promise. Again, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” How free! how full! Truly the tender mercies of our God are over all his works. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him [Christ] purifieth himself even as he is pure.” 1 John, iii, 2, 3. It is a great thing to be a son or daughter of the Lord Almighty. The apostle Paul makes a most affectionate appeal to his Corinthian brethren in view of what the Lord had promised, namely, “I will be their God and they shall be my people; wherefore come out from among them, and touch not the unclean thing.” 2 Cor. vi. In view of this he continues, “Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
The word, all, in the text comprehends, to my mind, every filthy habit, every unholy passion that the carnal mind is subject to. It is stated by those who know that in the rural districts of England the poor peasantry are remarkable for their cleanliness, especially in the cottage where God is revered and worshiped. No matter how poor, you will find their scanty clothing clean and whole, and an air of neatness and order within doors and all pertaining to them.
Wesley and his coadjutors did much to bring about this happy state of things. I call to mind one or two of his admonitions: On seeing some ragged members he called out, “Mend your clothes, or I shall never expect you to mend your lives.” Cleanliness is next to godliness, is another; but I would go further and say it is a part of godliness.
Again, we find him quoting from an old poet,
“Let thy mind's sweetness have its operation,
In thy clothes, person and thy habitation.”
Some have entertained the view that a general slovenly appearance was an evidence of humility. This is a great mistake. Trace the history of God's people in the typical dispensation. We find that God required them to cleanse and purify their persons and dwellings, and to my mind nothing destroys one's influence for good more than a filthy exterior, especially among strangers. Does God require less of us in this respect than he did of his people anciently? Let us see, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, adultery, fornication, uncleanness.” Gal. v, 19.
In short, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Is it not reasonable to expect if the old man has been indulged in filthy habits, the new man will be striving to overcome them, or else what evidence have we that he is a new creature? If old things have not passed away he is the same man still.
I am satisfied, dear brethren, that many of us are occupying too low ground. Quite a number whom I know personally, and among them those I love tenderly, are indulging in the use of tobacco. The Methodists in the days of Wesley and Clarke, when God was with them as a body, would not fellowship any who would not give up the use of tobacco; but now in her fallen state, from her bishops down to laymen, use it without rebuke. I speak what I know. Some eight years ago I was personally acquainted with Bishop S., of C. W. He used the filthy weed to that extent that he was scarcely ever without a pipe in his mouth except when preaching or asleep. How are the mighty fallen! Nine men out of ten even in the world will acknowledge it to be a bad habit. I have heard many say they would give half they were worth if they could only give it up, or had never commenced.
Brethren, think of the position we occupy before this ungodly age, called to be burning and shining lights, God's peculiar people. Be entreated by one who loves you, to overcome this habit. Commence now. Use means you spend in this way, to the glory of God. Lay it up in heaven. I know that old habits are hard to overcome. But remember you have the same Saviour that Paul had when he declared, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Do not trust in your own strength. Overcome in Jesus' name. If we do not overcome these things soon, it will be said, Let him that is filthy be filthy still. Now is the time to separate the precious from the vile. Now we may have all the dross taken away while the refiner is at the crucible. The trying time is just before us, and who shall be able to stand when the storm that is gathering shall burst? We cannot be too pure.
“And does one short, preparing hour—
One precious hour—remain?
Rouse then, my soul, with all thy power,
Nor let it pass in vain.”
GEO. WRIGHT.
Lapeer, Mich.