USA > West Virginia > The West Virginia pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sermons from living ministers. With personal sketches of the authors > Part 11
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While it is probable that a large measure of human suffering is the result of personal transgression, we are not, therefore, to conclude that those who attain this high state of grace are lifted above the unholy influences of sin in this life. Christ, the "spotless Lamb of God," was a " man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and "the servant is not above his Lord." Neither are the wholly sanctified delivered from temp- tation. Along the line of temptation, sin, as to the
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overt act, commences where the will consents, but sin may exist in the inclination toward the temptation, where no overt act has been committed. Those who are made pure in heart are saved from evil inclina- tions, and the false leanings of the soul; hence the temptations of the fully saved do not come from within, but from without. God's holiest people can not expect, on earth, exemption from external temp- tation, nor will they ever be out of gun-shot of the devil in any state of grace which is possible in this world. We do not maintain that when we reach the experience of entire holiness it will be impossible to relapse into sin. It may safely be affirmed that the more grace we have, the easier it is to keep that which we possess, and that the majority of Christians live too near the border line between the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness. The probabili- ties of falling diminish every step the child of God takes toward heaven, but the possibility of apostacy will exist as long as we are in a state of probation. It is said that a ball passing from the earth to the sun would reach a point where the attraction toward the sun would be greater than toward the earth. So the Christian, passing up the scale of moral being, may reach a point where the tide of his moral nature will run so strongly Godward that the heavenly gravitation will be stronger than that which is earth- ward. In such a state, there may not be much prob- ability of relapsing into sin, yet the possibility will doubtless still exist. It does not make those who at- tain it absolutely perfect. Absolute perfection is that to which nothing can be added, and from which noth- ing can be taken. No Christian on earth, and no re- deemed spirit or angel in heaven can be said to be absolutely perfect.
There is sufficient moral distance between all created beings and the infinite Creator for them to be eternally rising in the scale of being, and vet ever be inferior to him. Those who are fully saved from sin are not, because of this, saved from infirmities and mistakes in judgment. We can no more be infallible than we can be omniscient. What, then, is entire 10
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sanctification ? Bishop Foster defines it thus: "We believe it a Christian privilege to attain to a state in which he will be entirely free from sin, properly, so called, both inward and outward; a state in which he will do no act involving guilt; in which the entire outward man of the life and the entire inward man of the heart will be pure in the sight of God. It is not said that evil and vicious suggestions will not be made to the heart in such a state, but both, that there will be no outward compliance, nor inward sympathy with the suggestions."
II .- HOW MAY IT BE ATTAINED ?
. We answer, by consecration and faith. Consecra- tion has a negative and a positive part : The first refers to that which must be forsaken, and the refor- mation must be complete up to the light possessed at the time, and must thereafter keep pace with the increase of light, which makes manifest that which is sinful. The positive part is what the soul must consent to do. As long as there is an unwillingness to do all that the soul sees and believes to be duty, the consecration is imperfect, and this imperfection will surely prevent the reception of the blessing.
. But it may be asked : "What is the difference be- tween the consecration necessary to justification, and that which is necessary to entire sanctification ?" In most particulars it is the same ; but in some respects there is quite a difference. The first consecration is made with a view to pardon and adoption, simply ; the second is with a view to entire deliverance from the defilement of sin. The powers of the soul first consecrated were not quickened, but in the second they are already quickened by regenerating grace, and a living sacrifice is made to God. The second is more extensive than the first, because the light pos- sessed is so much greater than before. With the in- crease of light new sins are discovered and new duties made known, and the consecration, once com- plete up to the light possessed, must now include much that it did not before in order to be perfect.
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The faith necessary to its attainment must include a clear conviction that the necessary provision has been made, and that God is able, willing and ready to ac- complish the work now. "Added to this," says Mr. Wesley, "there must be a divine conviction that he doeth it now." Again, he says: "Faith is the condi- tion, and the only condition of sanctification exactly as it is in justification. No man is sanctified until he believes; every man, when he believes, is sancti- fied." He adds: "It is important to observe that there is an inseparable connection between these three points. Expect it by faith, expect it now, and ex- pect it as you are. To deny one of them is to deny them all." The faith necessary to justification, and that which is necessary to entire sanctification, is the same in the abstract, but in the objects upon which faith is fixed there is a difference. The object of the penitents' faith is pardon and adoption, but the believer, seeking the higher life, has a clear appre- hension of deliverance from inbred sin as a present privilege, and his faith grasps that. The commands, prayers, and promises of God's Word all clearly prove that this great grace is received instantaneously by faith. Very many of the hymns in our collection, written by Charles Wesley and others, teach the same great truth, and the experience of those who have attained free salvation, corroborates the same.
III .- SHOULD ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION BE MADE A SPE- CIALTY ? THAT IS, SHOULD SPECIAL EFFORTS BE MADE TO PROMOTE IT ?
We shall not hesitate to take the affirmative of this question.
1. We think we can see the necessity of making special efforts to promote its experience now, because for a number of years the Church seemed, to a consid- erable extent, to have lost sight of this great dis- tinguishing doctrine of Methodism ; hence, when the subject began to be agitated within a few years past, the people, in many localities, thought the doctrine entirely new. Many knew nothing of its nature, or how and when it was to be attained. Some under-
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stood, believed, and endeavored to live it, but many blindly opposed it. The masses need more light on the subject; hence the propriety of special efforts to give them the necessary instruction, and also to pro- mote its experience.
2. The work is special in itself, and, therefore, spe- cial efforts should be made for its attainment. Regen- eration and entire purity are the same, perhaps, in kind, but differ in degree, and this distinction has been clearly recognized by the standard writers of Met- hodism. Mr. Watson, in his Institutes, part 2, p. 450, says : " We have already spoken of justification, adop- tion, regeneration and the witness of the Holy Spirit and we proceed to another as distinctly marked and as graciously promised in the Holy Scriptures; this is entire sanctification." He adds : " That a distinc- tion exists between a regenerate state, and a state of entire and perfect holiness, will be generally allowed." The views of many others might be given, but we forbear. The nature of this distinction is clearly shown by a recent writer, as follows : "In regenera- tion sin does not reign, in sanctification it does not exist. In regeneration sin is suspended, in sanctifica- tion it is destroyed. In regeneration, irregular desires, anger, pride, unbelief, envy, &c., are subdued; in sanc- tification, they are removed. Regeneration is salva- tion from the voluntary commission of sin, sanctifica- tion is salvation from the being of sin. Regeneration is the old man bound ; sanctification is the old man cast out and despoiled of his goods. Regeneration is sanctification begun, entire sanctification is the work
completed." We should be careful not to confound Christian purity with Christian maturity. The one is the removal of impurity from the soul, and the other is the continued development of the graces, which may go on more rapidly after the attainment of purity, than before. If, then, entire sanctification in its nature is special, the means for its attainment may be special.
3. The Disciples, by direction of Christ, made it a specialty. "Tarry ye at the city of Jerusalem till ye are endued with power from on high," was the divine
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command. Were the Apostles unconverted men at the time this command was given ? We think not. On this point, Rev, William Arthur, in the "Tongue of Fire," page 46, says : "The Apostles had doubtless received the Spirit in some measure, before the day of Pentecost ; for our Lord had breathed upon them imme- diately after his resurrection, and said, 'receive yethe Holy Ghost,' yet in the time which intervened be- tween that and Pentecost, whatever might have been the advancement of their spiritual condition, beyond what it was before, it rested far behind that which im- mediiately followed upon the baptism of fire. It was then that they were filled with the Holy Ghost." Therefore, if the Apostles tarried at Jerusalem, wait- ing specially for the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost, surely we may do the same.
IV. WE COME NOW TO CONSIDER SOME OF THE OBJEC- TIONS TO ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION.
These are numerous and many of them seemingly plausible. The first we notice is, that so many of the great minds of the church do not believe it, and manyhave lived respectable, pious and useful lives, and were not particularly exercised about entire holi- ness.
"This objection," says Bishop Foster, " is apparent- ly strong, but really feeble, because it carries the doc- trine to an improper tribunal, and it brings incompe- tent evidence." It is not a question dependent on human opinion, however learned and worthy of credit, for the Word of God is the only rule of faith and prac- tice. Therefore the real question is, not whether great and good men believe it, but does God teach it; if so, we should look above all human teachers, to the only infallible one, to decide this and all other doc- trines of faith. Another objection is, that it does not accord with the experience of the Church, for very few have ever even professed it, and they were prob- ably mistaken. This objection is not an appeal to experience, but to non-experience, because it refers to what the Church has not attained, and not to that it has experienced. Would we say, because the sinner
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has not experienced regenerating grace, that it is therefore impossible, surely not. Before we can claim anything for this objection, growing out of what it is assumed the Church has not experienced, we must first demonstrate that it believes, enjoys, and does all that is possible. Is not the very opposite of this true ? As long as the Church is below privilege, it will be un- safe to conclude that because entire sanctification has not been experienced, that, therefore, it is impossible. It is not true, however that there are no witnesses of this great grace. Some have lived, some are still living, and we verily believe many more will live. " Witnesses for Jesus when sin in them is all de- stroved."
The next objection is, that many profess it, who do not give sufficient evidence of its possession. This, alas, is too true ; but it does not affect the doctrine in question. We fear that there are some sincere per- sons who live without a positive assurance of their justification, for months, and even years, and when they become convinced of the possibility of obtain- ing perfect love, they begin at once to seek it, with- out the proper instruction respecting the necessity of justification as the basis of entire sanctification. When such persons obtain justification it is so far su- perior to anything they have ever enjoyed before that they misname it, and call it entire purity, when they have nothing more than regeneration.
One of the greatest difficulties in the way of pro- moting the experience of Christianholiness is the fail- ing to understand that ordinarily, if not invariably, a positive assurance of justification is necessary in order to be successful in seeking full salvation. But if we were to admit that nine out of every ten, who make a profession of this great grace, are mistaken, or insincere, it would not follow that the doctrine is untrue. It would only prove that nine out of every ten are not what they profess to be, but the doctrine would still stand, or fall on its own merits.
It is also urged that presenting entire sanctifica- tion as a distinct work, disparages regeneration. If any of the advocates of holiness have spoken lightly
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of regeneration, which is really a great blessing and worthy of its Divine Author, we cheerfully unite with those who make this objection, in condemning such teaching, and, in turn, ask them to agree with us, when we affirm that the extravagance of some who espouse the cause of holiness, is no argument against the doctrine. A recent writer answers this objection as follows : " Does the teacher disparage the alphabet by urging the pupil to leave it and proceed to com- bine letters into syllables, syllables into words, words into sentences; and sentences into discourses ? Does the architect disparage his foundation by leaving it to erect a beautiful superstructure thereon ?" If not, then these objections are not well founded.
Many seem to think that to insist upon those in a regenerate state to seek entire purity, is calculated to produce dissatisfaction with their present enjoyment. If this objection is well founded, then it would fol- low that to teach the new-born babe, that spiritual manhood is far superior to spiritual childhood, would be followed by evil consequences, or to dwell in glowing terms upon the beatitudes of the heavenly world, is calculated to produce dissatisfaction with the inferior enjoyments of this life. But if presenting entire purity as a blessing much greater than justi- fication, does produce some degree of spiritual depres- sion, and thereby cause some to leave the wilderness and go over into the Canaan of perfect love ; who will object ?
In conclusion, we would say that holiness is the great want of the Church, to give a superior relish for spiritual things, to give stability to Christian charac- ter, to supply the proper motive power for a useful life, to give the necessary unction to impress the ir- religious and bring them to the feet of Jesus. "A holy church would soon make a holy world. Heaven is but a standing monument of its glory, and hell of its necessity."
PERSONAL SKETCH.
IN THE good, old county of Preston, West Virginia, where the Allegheny mountains lift their summits toward the skies, on November 3, 1833, Rev. Joseph B. Feather was born. His pa- rents, Adam and Sabra Feather, were of German extraction, and were well to do citizens of Northwestern Virginia. They were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and in it, Joseph, the subject of this sketch, was baptized and brought up. When he was about seventeen years of age, he attended a revival meet- ing, carried on by the Methodists, near his home, and was con- verted. Shortly afterwards, he was licensed as an exhorter- having connected himself with the Methodist denomination- and at once took a leading part in Sunday School and other pub- lic religious services.
In those days, schools were scarce, but Bro. Feather pursued his studies closely; and by the time he was eighteen years of age, he was himself prepared to teach, and began the business of teaching the young in the public schools-if such they could be called. He taught for two years, but the while was preparing himself for the ministry, as he had satisfied himself fully that he had received the divine call to that great work.
January 1st, 1853, at the age of twenty, full of energy, life and hope, he was licensed to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. This authority was received from the hands of the well known Rev. H. Z. Adams, who has preached in almost every portion of whatnow comprises the territory of West Virginia.
Brother F.'s first Circuit was Barbour county, which he traveled as a "supply," with Rev.R.L.Brooks as preacher in charge. Having served his two years "on trial," he was admitted to the Confer- ence in June, 1854, and sent to Glenville Circuit,with W. L. Hind- man, as senior preacher. The two years following, he traveled Fork Lick and Charleston Circuits respectively, and his efforts on both of them were crowned with abundant success.
In April, 1857, he and Miss Mary Atkinson, of Kanawha county, were united in marriage. Their union was a happy one, as they were devoted to each other, and bore the burdens of life as one. His kind and affectionate wife died June 11, 1881, in the triumphs of a living faith. Brother Feather in writing to me concerning the death of his companion, among other things said, " She was a great comfort to me, and was a valuable assist- ant in bearing the burdens of a ministerial life."
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In addition to those already given, Bro. Feather filled the fol- lowing appointments: Buffalo Circuit, one year; Monticello Mission, one year; Winfield Circuit, two years; Blacksville Circuit, two years ; Monongalia Circuit, two years ; Grantsville Circuit, two years; Brandonville Circuit, two years; Marshall Circuit, two years; Hartford City Station, two years; Evansville Circuit, one year. On account of feeble health, he took a super- anuated relation ; but in the middle of the year, he was sent to Wesley Chapel, Wheeling, by Rev. Franklin Ball, D.D., the Presiding Elder of the Wheeling District. During the time of his pastorate there, he had a grand revival, which about doubled the membership of the station.
Owing to the failing health of his wife, and at his own request, he was sent to Palatine, a small Circuit in the interior of the Con- ference, where he remained three years. From there he went to Pruntytown, where he served one year. Next, he went to Marion Circuit, and remained one year. His last appointment is Pleasant Hill Circuit, where he has been for two years, doing an earnest work for the Master.
Bro. Feather is a plain, earnest, faithful Gospel preacher. He is unassuming-bashful. He never sought a good appointment, nor would he allow any one to do anything looking to his ad- vancement, if in his power to prevent. His rule has always been to go wherever sent, accept the situation, and do his best to spread the Truth among the people. Strange as it may seem, yet it is true, because the writer knows the man, he always pre- ferred circuit to station work. He enjoyed the work of moving among the people, and encouraging them to holy and upright lives. His has not been a brilliant life, but like the deep river, his course has been silent, steady, onward.
SERMON XI.
BY
REV. JOSEPH B. FEATHER.
THEME-THE HALF HAS NOT BEEN TOLD.
TEXT :- " It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit, I believed not the words until I came and mine own eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me."-II. Chron. Ix: 5, 6.
Several things have been conjectured with regard to the visit of this illustrious queen to the Jewish court. Some think she was actuated by idle curiosity. Others believe, and not without reason, that she was prompted by even lower motives. The narrative says, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions.
Whether she was Pagan or Jewess, she had heard of the fame of Israel's King, and of the dealings of the Lord with his chosen people. What she had heard created a desire to know more. There were questions with which her active mind found difficulty. So she was willing to go a great distance, at great expense, to find the true answers to these questions. She de- termined to know the truth of the " reports " she had heard, and, if possible, to know more than the wisest and most faithful messenger could communicate.
When her hard questions were answered, and the wisdom of Solomon was exhibited, she was overcome with surprise. And when the order, wealth and splen- dor, which were seen about his home, his throne and his temple were presented to her gaze, "there was no
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more spirit in her." She could hardly sustain this scene of wonders, Recovering herself she said, "It was a true report that I heard," " but the half was not told me." I suppose it was true Solomon was a very wise man. The grandeur of his reign has never had a parallel among kings. Even the gifted queen un- der the inspiration of the occasion, seemed unwilling to try her powers of description. She believes, con- curs, confesses, and carries back to her distant home, the rich fruitage of the best investment she had ever made.
Many years after these noted characters had passed away, the great Teacher said to the unbelieving Jews that this same "queen of the south " shall rise up in judgment, with the men of this generation, and con- demn them, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." So, it is the privi- lege and duty of the men and women of this genera- tion to examine and enjoy the higher and purer char- acteristics of Christ's spiritual kingdom; for He " hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Now we can study the exhibitions and Illus- trations of divine wisdom, as seen in the work of
man's redemption. We can follow the armies of our Immanuel in their conflicts and achievements. We can number thousands of strange coincidences in the history of the Church, and of individual mem- bers of the Church, which challenge our admiration. We can stop anywhere and read inscriptions that are written on the monuments that mark the path- way of a progressive and increasing host. But when we enter the inner courts of this spiritual temple and examine the beauties and wealth that cluster around its holy altars, we find human language too tame to do the subject justice. There are many evidences to establish the truth of the Christian re- ligion, but the best evidence which one can have on this subject, is his or her own experience. We are not expected to deal exclusively in theories. The Gospel has its doctrines, its examples, its precepts, and its promises, all blending in glorious harmony, and are intended to show us the way, and act as stepping
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stones to bring us to the Author of our salvation. And to know him and enjoy his peaceful presence is the end of all knowledge and the fullness of perfect joy. This is ths substance, and all earthly substance its shadow. For this the great Apostle of the Gentiles counted all things but loss. What is art, or science, or learning, compared with the knowledge which comes from a vital union with Christ? How dim their light is un- til it becomes radiant by the light of the Cross. The greatest of the earthly great, the greatest ever born of woman, Solomon not excepted, is not only less than Christ, but less than the least in the Kingdom of God. The humblest Christian in this world, unknown it may be beyond the limits of his family circle, has at- tained to a knowledge far above all worldly wisdom. All things are so intimately connected with the work of the Cross, that if this had failed, creation itself, and all the types and figures which preceded the coming of the Messiah, would have proved failures also. So if we fail knowing Christ crucified, fail to make the pilgrimage to the temple in which dwells the One who is greater than Solomon, all other efforts, and all other knowledge, are vain. Unbaptised Philosophy is madness; baptized unbelief is sin and death.
This scheme of human redemption is but half told, because we can only see it through a glass darkly. Even the sanctified believer's view of redemption is, in some respects, imperfect. It is written, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit." By that celestial guide we are led to the Cross, and, by the way of the Cross, to the rich experiences of a consecrated life. From that holy spot the humble worshipper looks over the far- reaching fields of revelation, and with his telescope of faith, beholds wondrous things. Yet how much there is that lies beyond the utmost sweep of his trust- ing faith. One of the greatest scholars in the Divine mysteries, confessed that he knew but in part, and all who reach the greatest attainments confess that they know but little.
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