At Claremont, New Hampshire, we were told that there were two parties of Adventists, one party denying their former faith, and another, a small number, who believed that in their past experience they had been led by the providence of God. We were directed to two men especially as holding views similar to our own. We found that there was much prejudice against these men, but supposed that they were persecuted for righteousness' sake. We called on them, and were kindly received and courteously treated. We soon learned that they claimed perfect sanctification, declaring that they were above the possibility of sin.
A Little Ragged Boy
These men wore excellent clothes, and had an air of ease and comfort. While we were talking with them, a little boy, about eight years old, and literally clad in dirty rags, entered the room in which we were sitting. We were surprised to find that this child was the son of one of these men. The mother looked exceedingly ashamed and annoyed; but the father, utterly unconcerned, continued to talk about his high spiritual attainments, without the slightest recognition of his little son.
His sanctification had suddenly lost its charm in my eyes. Wrapped in prayer and meditation, throwing off all the toil and responsibilities of life, this man had failed to provide for the actual wants of his family or give his children the least fatherly attention. He seemed to forget that the greater our love for God, the stronger should be our love and care for those whom He has given us. The Saviour never taught idleness and abstract devotion, to the neglect of the duties lying directly in our pathway.
This husband and father declared that the attainment of true holiness carried the mind above all earthly thoughts. Still, he sat at the table and ate temporal food. He was not fed by a miracle. Someone had to provide the food that he ate, although about this matter he troubled himself little, his time being so entirely devoted to spiritual things. Not so his wife, upon who rested the burden of the family. She toiled unremittingly in every department of household labor to keep up the home. Her husband declared that she was not sanctified, that she allowed worldly things to draw her mind away from religious subjects.
I thought of our Saviour, who labored so untiringly for the good of others. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," He declared. The sanctification that He taught was shown by deeds of kindness and mercy, and the love that leads men and women to regard others better than themselves.
In speaking of faith, one of them said, "All that we have to do is to believe, and whatever we ask of God will be given us."
Elder White suggested that there were conditions attached to this promise, "If ye abide in Me," Christ said, "and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.""Your theory of faith," he continued, "must have a foundation. It is as empty as a flour barrel with both heads out. True charity never covers up sins that are unrepented of and unconfessed. She drops her mantle over those faults only that are confessed and renounced. True charity is a very delicate personage, never stepping outside of Bible truth."
Protected from an Unholy Influence
A sister of one of these men requested a private interview with me. She had much to say concerning entire consecration to God, and endeavored to draw out my views in regard to this subject. While talking, she held my hand in hers and with the other softly stroked my hair. I prayed that angels of God might protect me from the unholy influence which this attractive young woman was seeking to exercise over me with her fair speeches and gentle caresses. She had much to say in regard to the spiritual attainments and great faith of her brother. Her mind seemed to be wholly occupied with him and his experience. I felt that I must be guarded in what I said, and was glad when the interview was ended.
These men, who made such lofty professions, were deceiving the unwary. They had much to say about charity covering a multitude of sins. I could not agree with their views and feelings, and felt that they were wielding a terrible power for evil, and was glad to get away from their presence.
In the afternoon we went to the house of Brother Collier, where we proposed to hold a meeting that evening. We asked Brother Collier some questions regarding these men, but he gave us no information. "If the Lord sent you here," he said, "you will ascertain what spirit governs them, and will solve the mystery for us."
A Foul Spirit Rebuked
At the meeting, while I was earnestly praying for light and the presence of God, these men began to groan and to cry, "Amen!" apparently throwing their sympathy with my prayer. But my heart was immediately oppressed with a great weight. The words died upon my lips, and darkness overshadowed the whole meeting.
Elder White arose, and said, "I am distressed. The Spirit of God is grieved. I resist this influence in the name of the Lord. O God, rebuke this foul spirit."
I was immediately relieved, and rose above the shadows. But again, while I was speaking words of encouragement and faith to those present, their groanings and amens chilled me. Once more Elder White rebuked the spirit of darkness, and again the power of God rested upon me while I spoke to the people. These agents of the enemy were then so bound as to be unable to exert their baleful influence again that night.
After the meeting, Elder White said to Brother Collier, "Now I can tell you concerning these two men. They are acting under a satanic influence, yet attributing all to the Spirit of the Lord."
"I believe God sent you to encourage us," he replied. "We call their influence mesmerism. They affect the minds of others in a remarkable way, and have controlled some to their great damage. We seldom hold meetings here; for they intrude their presence, and we can have no union with them. They manifest deep feeling, as you observed tonight, but they crush the very life from our prayers, and leave an influence blacker than Egyptian darkness. I have never seen them tied up before tonight."
The "Cannot-sin" Theory
During family prayer that night, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I was shown many things in vision. These men were presented to me as doing great injury to the cause of God. While professing sanctification, they were transgressing the sacred law. They were corrupt at heart, and those in union with them were under a satanic delusion, obeying their carnal instincts instead of the word of God.
They held that those who are sanctified can not sin. And this naturally led to the belief that the affections and desires of the sanctified ones were always right, and never in danger of leading them into sin. In harmony with these sophistries, they were practicing the worst sins under the garb of sanctification and through their deceptive, mesmeric influence were gaining a strange power over some of their associates, who did not see the evil of these apparently beautiful but seductive theories.
Terrible was their power over the people, for while holding their attention and winning their confidence through a mesmeric influence, they led the innocent and unsuspecting to believe that this influence was the Spirit of God. Therefore those who followed their teachings were deceived into the belief that they and their associates, who claimed to be wholly sanctified, could fulfill all the desires of their hearts without sin.
Clearly the deceptions of these false teachers were laid open before me, and I saw the fearful account that stood against them in the book of records, and the terrible guilt that rested upon them for professing complete holiness while their daily acts were offensive in the sight of God. Some time after this, the characters of these persons were developed before the people and the vision given in reference to them was fully vindicated.
"Believe in Christ," was the cry of these claimants of sanctification. "Only believe; this is all that is required of you. Only have faith in Jesus."
Self-distrustfulness the Mark of a True Christian
The words of John came forcibly to my mind, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," I was shown that those who triumphantly claim to be sinless, show by their very boasting that they are far from being without taint of sin. The more clearly fallen man comprehends the character of Christ, the more distrustful will he be of himself, and the more imperfect will his works appear to him, in contrast with those which marked the life of the spotless Redeemer. But those who are far from Jesus, those whose spiritual perceptions are so clouded by error that they cannot comprehend the character of the great Exemplar, conceive of Him as altogether such a one as themselves, and dare to talk of their own perfection of holiness. But they are far from God; they know little of themselves, and less of Christ.
None of the apostles or prophets claimed to be without sin. Men who have lived nearest to God, men who would sacrifice life itself rather than knowingly commit a wrong act, men whom God has honored with divine light and power, have confessed the sinfulness of their own nature. They have put no confidence in the flesh, have claimed no righteousness of their own, but have trusted wholly in the righteousness of Christ. So will it be with all who behold Christ.
Those who have experienced the cleansing efficiency of the blood of Christ upon their hearts, will be like their Master, pure, peaceable, and lowly. No matter how bold one may be in his claims of spiritual soundness and perfection of character, if he lacks Christian grace and humility, sin is still in his nature, and unless it is purged from him, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The truly holy, those who walk with God, as did Enoch, will not boast of their piety, but will be free from spiritual pride and self--exaltation. Those who know most of God, and who keep their eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of their faith, will see nothing good or great in themselves. After they have done all in their power to be faithful, they will still feel that they are unprofitable servants.
The Pharisee and the Publican
Those who claim to be sinless are in the condition of the Pharisee, who boasted of his almsgiving, thanking God that he was not like the publican. The poor publican had no piety or goodness to boast of. But bowed down by grief and shame, he sent up from his stricken soul a longing cry for God's mercy. He dared not even lift up his eyes toward heaven, but beat upon his breast, praying; "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." The sin--pardoning Redeemer tells us that this man went to his house justified rather than the other.
Those who are whole need not a physician; those who look upon themselves as sinless do not feel a yearning desire for the wisdom, light, and strength of Jesus. They are content with their own attainments, and hear not the blessed words, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." They feel no necessity for growth in grace. They do not feel, as did Paul, that he must keep his body under, lest; after preaching to others, he himself should be a castaway. The apostle declared that he died daily. Every day he battled with temptations and hid himself in Christ. Men who boast of their holiness are far from God. They have not Jesus in their hearts, and do not realize their own unworthiness.
Spurious sanctification leads directly away from the Bible. Those who claim this sanctification reduce religion to a fable, and make feelings and impressions their criterion. They profess to be sinless, and boast of their righteousness, but they teach that men are at liberty to transgress the law of God. A presentation of the claims of the law arouses their opposition and excites their anger and contempt.
A Last-day Delusion
This error is one of the delusions of the last days, and has its origin in will-worship, rather than in submission to the will of God. Those whose faith is not firmly established upon the word of God will be misled by it; and the saddest part of all is that so few who are deceived by this error ever again find their way to the light.
Sanctification is not the work of a moment, but of a lifetime. It is the result of yielding the heart to Christ, and accepting the conditions of salvation. It is a refining process, that day-by-day God carries on in the hearts of all true believers, until they are complete in Him.
Let a living faith run like threads of gold through the performance of even the smallest duty. Then all the daily work will promote Christian growth. There will be a continual looking unto Jesus. Love for Him will give vital force to everything that is undertaken. Thus through the right use of our talents we may link ourselves by a golden chain to the higher world. This is true sanctification; for sanctification consists in the cheerful performance of daily duties in perfect obedience to the will of God.