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Chapter 4
THE METHOD -- TWO WORKS OF GRACE
The great results of the divine redemption work are to be made real in the personal experience of the child of God; and this, according to the plain teaching of Scripture and the testimony of reliable witnesses, by two distinct spiritual crises, which, for the sake of convenient expression, we shall call being justified freely and sanctified wholly. The Scriptures teach a distinction between these two works of grace. See John 1:12,13, with John 17:14-19; Acts 1:2-5; 8:5-8, 14-17; 19:1-7; 26:18; 1 Cor. 3:1-4; Eph. 1:13; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; 5:22,23; 1 John 1:9.
The Christian church, and especially that section known as Methodism, recognizes this distinction. Dr. T. C. Upham writes: "The gospel evidently contemplates, in the case of every individual, a progress from the incipient condition of mere forgiveness and acceptance, immensely important as it is, to the higher state of interior renovation and sanctification throughout.... The distinction which is made in the Scriptures between the two is regarded as so obvious and incontrovertible by most writers that it has naturally passed as an established truth into treatises of theology" (Principles of the Interior or Hidden Life, pp. 17, 174).
Rev. J. A. Wood, answering the question, "Does the Methodist Church teach such a distinction?" replies (Perfect Love, pp. 21-24) : She does very clearly in her Discipline, Catechism, hymn book, and by all her standard authorities. (Rev. Wood is referring to the older editions). The Discipline recognizes a state of entire sanctification as attainable subsequent to regeneration and previous to death. Every minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church has affirmed, by his ordination vows, that entire sanctification is a distinct work, subsequent to regeneration.
In the Discipline, Part II, sec. 11 are the following questions: 'Have you faith in Christ? Are you going on unto perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life? Are you groaning after it?' These questions suppose that 'perfection' or 'perfect love' is distinct from and subsequent to regeneration. The official Catechisms of the Methodist Church were revised by Bishop Hedding, Nathan Bangs, Stephen Olin, and Joseph Holdich, and then examined and indorsed by the General Conference in 1852. These Catechisms define regeneration The new birth of the soul in the image of Christ, whereby we become the children of God; and entire sanctification The state of being entirely cleansed from sin, so as to love God with all our heart and mind, and soul and strength.
The hymn book teaches a distinction. Every edition from the first has contained a specific class of hymns on sanctification. These hymns, more numerous than those on any other subject, were written principally by the Wesleys to define, defend, and promote entire sanctification in early Methodism when it was greatly controverted. In the changes made in the hymn book from time to time during the past century many sweet and clearly defined hymns on this subject have been left out; still our hymnal contains a beautiful and choice selection.
'Speak the second time, Be clean'
Take away my inbred sin;
Every stumbling-block remove;
Cast it out by perfect love.'
'The seed of sin's disease,
Spirit of health, remove,
Spirit of finished holiness,
Spirit of perfect love.'
'Refining fire, go through my heart,
Illuminate my soul;
Scatter thy life through every part,
And sanctify the whole.'
-- Charles Wesley
"All the leading writers and standard authorities of Methodism teach a distinction.
Mr. Wesley might be quoted very largely; we will insert only a few lines from him. He says: sanctification begins in the moment a man is justified. Yet sin remains in him, yea, the seed of all sin, till he is sanctified throughout' (Works, vol. vi, p. 496. See Plain Account -- Sermons, vol. i, p. 124; also vol. i, p. 119).
Rev. Richard Watson: 'That a distinction exists between a regenerate state and a state of entire and perfect holiness will be generally allowed' (Institutes, Part II, chap. 29).
Rev. John Fletcher: 'We do not deny that the remains of the carnal mind still cleave to imperfect Christians. This fault, corruption or infection, doth remain in them who are regenerated' (Last Check, p. 507-541).
Dr. Adam Clarke said to a friend who had been misinformed in regard to his views of entire sanctification: 'As to the words which you quote as mine, I totally disclaim them. I never said, I never intended to say them. I believe justification and sanctification to be widely distinct works.' He used the term justification as including regeneration (Everett's Life of Dr. A. Clarke.)
'Regeneration also, being the same as the new birth,' says Bishop Hedding, 'is the beginning of sanctification, though not the completion of it, or not entire sanctification. Regeneration is the beginning of purification; entire sanctification is the finishing of that work' (Address at New Jersey Conference).
Bishop Hamline: 'That this perfect love, or entire sanctification, is specifically a new state, and not the mere improvement of a former state, or of regeneration, is plainly inferred from the Bible' (Beauty of Holiness, 1862, p. 264).
Bishop Foster: 'Regeneration is not entire sanctification; the merely regenerate are not sanctified; they are not entirely free from sin; they are not perfect in love' (Christian Purity, p. 69).
Dr. George Peck: 'The doctrine of entire sanctification, as a distinct work wrought in the soul by the Holy Ghost, is the great distinguishing doctrine of Methodism. This given up, and we have little left which we do not hold in common with other evangelical denominations. The position that justification and entire sanctification take place at one and the same time, and that regeneration and entire sanctification are identical, is clearly contrary to the position taken by our standard theologians' (Christian Perfection, p, 363).
Rev. William McDonald: 'Regeneration and entire sanctification are not received at one and the same time, except, perhaps, in a few extraordinary cases, if, indeed, the case ever occurs' (New Testament Standard, p. 44).
Bishop Thomson, at the West Virginia Conference, in his last clerical address a few days before his death said: 'The justified and regenerate discover in themselves the remains of the carnal mind. If you accept the theory that you are sanctified when you are justified, if you find the remains of sin after you experience regeneration, you will be led to a melancholy conclusion. The opposite view, that we cannot be made pure, is equally pernicious.'
Dr. Raymond: 'Entire sanctification is not usually, if ever, contemporary with regeneration. Regeneration is, in most cases of Christian experience, if not all, initial sanctification, not complete, perfect renewal. The regenerated person is not, at the moment of regeneration, wholly sanctified. (Systematic Theology, Article on Sanctification, Vol. 2, p. 375).
Dr. Lowrey: 'The position is supportable on Scripture grounds, that true believers, born of the Spirit, and loving God, may be, and ordinarily are, the subjects of a residuum of inherent sin' (Positive Theology, p. 234).
Bishop M. Simpson: 'Sanctification is not regeneration... Methodism differs from Moravianism in that it does not hold regeneration and entire sanctification to be identical' (Christian Perfection, in Encyclopedia of Methodism). To this already lengthy list given by Rev. Wood, we append the following:
Bishop William Taylor: "It is not optional with a to go on to perfection or not. It is his imperative duty just as fast as the Holy Ghost gives him light and applies the command to his conscience. After the soul is established in the grace of pardon wherein he stands, the Holy Sanctifier sheds increasing light into the heart of the young believer and reveals its inherent depravity to an alarming degree.... Our only safety is to obey God and go on to perfection."
Dr. Asa Mahan (president of Oberlin College) : "Both blessings, justification and entire sanctification, stand distinctly revealed in the Word of God as available on the same conditions, and for the same identical reasons; they are objects of faith and expectation, and the individual who professes to have received the one blessing makes no more incredible profession than he who professes to have received the other. Through faith, it is the privilege and duty of every believer to be saved to the uttermost, sanctified wholly, and his spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless; for after regeneration, there awaits the faith of the believer 'the promise of the Father,' the Holy Ghost."
Dr. A. J. Gordon: "Logically and chronologically, the gift of the Spirit is subsequent to repentance."
Bishop Mallalieu: "From the very first years of my ministry I have held with Adam Clarke, Richard Watson, John Fletcher, and John Wesley that regeneration and sanctification are separate and distinct one from the other and therefore received at different times. They are both received by faith, and the last one is the privilege of every believer as the first is of every penitent."
Bishop Wilson T. Hogue: "But what is complete sanctification? and wherein does it differ from the experience of regeneration? Entire sanctification is deliverance from all inward sin-from evil thoughts and evil tempers. It is a state in which no wrong tempers, dispositions, or affections remain in the soul; but in which all the thoughts, words and actions are governed by pure love. "Regeneration is a work of grace within the heart which effects a change of our moral state and character, emancipating us from the dominion and love of sin, planting the principle of obedience in the heart, and restoring the soul to the image of God" (The Holy Spirit-A Study, pp. 267, 268).
Dr. Jesse T. Peck: "Now here are two things totally distinct from each other, as much so as a fact and a quality of a fact, a thing and an accident of a thing can be; and here are two terms, of entirely different import, completely adapted to represent these two things respectively:-regeneration, the production of spiritual life; sanctification, the treatment of the soul spiritually alive-neither of which can, without violence to the laws of language, perform the office of the other. We humbly submit, therefore, that they ought not to be used interchangeably, and that attempts so to use them have caused nearly all the confusion which has embarrassed these great points of theology" (The Central Idea of Christianity, p. 16).
Rev. Thomas Cook: "Regeneration is holiness begun. Whatever is of the essence of holiness is found in germ in all who are children of God. But though all the elements of holiness are imparted, the work of inward renewal is only begun, not finished, by regeneration ... Regeneration is the beginning of purification. Entire sanctification is the finishing of that work" (New Testament Holiness, pp. 33-35).
Commissioner S. L. Brengle: "The Son of God came into the world, and lived, and toiled, and taught, and suffered, and died, and rose again, in order to accomplish a twofold purpose. The Apostle John explains this twofold purpose. In 1 John 3:5, speaking of Jesus, he says, 'Ye know that he was manifest to take away our sins.' That is justification and regeneration, which are done for us and in us. In verse eight he adds, 'For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.' That is entire sanctification, which is a work done in us. First, the sinner needs to get rid of his own sins and have a new principle of life planted in him .... The man is born of God and receives what Paul calls the washing of regeneration, which washes away all man's guilt and the sin for which he is responsible..... He soon finds that sin's disease is deeper and more deadly than he thought, and that behind and below his own sins are the works of the devil that must be destroyed before the grace of God in his soul can be complete.... God does not admit that we get rid of this at conversion, for all His teachings and exhortations concerning it are addressed to Christians" (Heart Talks on Holiness, pp. 1-5).
Dr. Samuel Chadwick: "The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a definite and distinct experience, assured and verified by the witness of the Spirit.... The experience is distinct from that of regeneration. Of those who had believed and been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, it was said they had not yet been baptized with the Holy Ghost. It is evident, therefore, that a man may be born again of the Spirit and not be baptized with the Spirit" (The Way to Pentecost, p. 37).
Dr. R. Newton Flew: "It is for such a life as this that Paul directs his intercessions to God. For the Thessalonians he prays that God may 'fix' or establish their 'hearts in holiness," (The Ideal of Perfection in Christian Theology, P. 55). But," inquires some perplexed soul, "why this stress of difference between these two divine works? Could not an almighty God bestow a full salvation all at once without dividing it into two sections? Do not some, even Christian teachers, ridicule the idea of 'a Second Blessing,' insisting that they have had a third blessing, and a fourth, and in fact thousands of blessings?" Such sneering remarks are often made, but they indicate one of two things, namely: ignorance concerning the teaching of the second work of grace, or deliberate desire to misrepresent it. No well-informed person who sincerely desires to present the case as it really is will talk about "a second blessing," as though there could be a third, a fourth, a fiftieth, and so on. It is rather, "The Second Blessing," each word being capitalized to indicate its nature as being entirely different from all other blessings. Just as when the risen Lord commanded His disciples to wait for "The Promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4) they immediately understood that such an expression did not indicate that they were never to expect the fulfillment of any other promise, but rather that here was a promise of a totally different nature from the rest, and while there "are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature," this "Promise of the Father" was to be distinguished from all others, and in a peculiar way sought and received; hence the happenings on the Day of Pentecost. In answer to the question we reply: "No! not even an almighty God, things being constituted as they are, could bestow this full salvation without two works of grace." Here are reports of experts on the subject:
Rev. J. A. Wood: "In all our acquaintance with many thousands of the purest and best Christians in all the various churches we have yet to find a clear case of entire sanctification at conversion. While multitudes claim that their souls have been cleansed from all sin subsequent to their justification, we do not recollect a single instance of a distinct witness of entire sanctification at conversion" (Perfect Love, p. 25).
John Wesley: "But we do not know of a single instance, in any place, of a person's receiving in one and the same moment remission of sins, the abiding witness of the Spirit, and a new and clean heart" (Plain Account of Christian Perfection). In giving an account of Grace Paddy, who was convicted of sin, converted, and purified within twelve hours, he says: "Such an instance I never knew before; such an instance I never read; a person convinced of sin, converted to God, and renewed in love within twelve hours! Yet it is by no means incredible, seeing one day is with God as a thousand years."
Adam Clarke: "I have been twenty-three years a traveling preacher, and have been acquainted with some thousands of Christians during that time, who were in different states of grace; and I never, to my knowledge, met with a single instance where God both justified and sanctified at the same time" (Everett's Life of Dr. A. Clarke).
The plain statements of the Word of God and the testimonies of an ever-increasing number of God's people leave no doubt in an honest mind which is prepared to think things through, that between these two works of grace there is, not only a verbal distinction but also a vital difference.
1. There is a difference in the recipients. Being totally different experiences, they are for totally different classes. The first is for a perishing world, while the second is for a polluted church. The "Second Blessing" is not a "patch" wherewith to mend a faulty first experience. God is not in the tinkering business. Each experience is complete and perfect within its own limits, but it can be appropriated only by the peculiar class for whom it is designed.
a. That the first of these two blessings, is designed for and offered to a perishing world, all evangelical Christians are agreed. On it the Word of God is exceedingly clear. See such Scriptures as John 3:16; 5:24; 10:9; Luke 19:10.
b. That the second of these two blessings is designed for and may be received only by those who are already in possession of the first is also clearly shown in the Word of God. See John 7:39; 14:17; Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-7; Eph 1:13; 5:25-27; I John 1:9.
2. There is a difference in their representation. The words used to describe them are always definite an clear and cannot be mistaken the one for the other. The first crisis, which concerns the sinner, is referred to in differing terms according to the aspect from which it is viewed, but it is never confused with the terms which are used to designate the later experience. The repentant sinner is spoken of as being:
(a) "Justified." That is, the judicial aspect; the adjustment of the penitent in his legal relationships, bringing him into harmony with the law of God and thereby securing peace. See Rom. 5:1, 9, 16; 8:33; Gal. 2:16; Tit. 3:7.
(b) "Forgiven." That is, the sovereign aspect; heaven's Monarch showing mercy to the rebel. See Acts 26:18; 1 John 1:9.
(c) "Born again." That is, the parental aspect; the believer is begotten again" by an act of divine grace and power and receives "newness of life." See John 3:1-8; I Peter 1:23.
(d) "Adopted." That is, the family aspect; God taking the repentant soul as His own child. See Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5.
To these great spiritual facts the Holy Spirit bears witness within the believer. That "witness" is the birth certificate of the soul. See Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6; 1 John 5:10. The second crisis, which concerns only the child of God, is also stated in differing terms according to the aspect from which it is viewed, but its designations are always distinct from the above. The soul wholly sanctified is spoken of as: having been "baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire" (Matt. 3:11): "having the body of sin destroyed" (Rom. 6:6): being "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20): being "dead unto sin" (Rom. 6:11): being "sanctified wholly" (I Thess. 5:23): being "pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8): having "a clean heart" (Psa. 51:10): having "iniquity taken away" (Isa. 6:7): being "cleansed from all filthiness" (Ezek. 36:25; II Cor. 7:1): being "cleansed from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). Other expressions are also used for this "Second Blessing," as a careful reading of the Word of God will show, but here are enough to prove to any thoughtful mind the difference of the divine representation between the two works of grace. The designations are always kept clearly apart, and the classes addressed are always recognized.
3. There is a difference in their results. Rev. C. W. Ruth has set forth twenty-three distinctions, each of which will be seen to indicate this difference:
"In justification there is life: In sanctification there is life more abundant.
"In justification there is love: In sanctification there is perfect love which casteth out fear.
"In justification the 'old man' is repressed: In sanctification the 'old man' is destroyed.
"In justification there is 'peace with God: In sanctification there is 'the peace of God.
"Justification destroys the 'shoots' of sin: Sanctification destroys the 'roots' of sin.
"Justification gives the right to heaven: Sanctification gives the fitness for heaven.
"In justification we put on the new man: In Sanctification we 'put off the old man with his deeds.'
"In justification there is joy-intermittent joy: In sanctification there is fullness of joy-abiding joy.
"Justification includes pardon, which is a judicial act: Sanctification includes a cleansing, which is a priestly function.
"Justification is obtained by surrender, repentance, and faith: Sanctification is obtained by obedience, consecration, and faith.
"Justification delivers from guilt and condemnation: Sanctification delivers from unholy tempers and abnormal appetites.
"Justification comprehends adoption; making us children of God: Sanctification comprehends anointing, making us kings and priests unto God.
"Justification is illustrated by the rescue of the sinking man from the water: Sanctification is getting the water out of the lungs of the drowning man.
"Justification is conditioned on confession of sin (1 John 1:9) : Sanctification is, conditioned on walking in the light as he is in the light (I John 1:7).
"Justification has to do with sin as an act -- sins committed: Sanctification has to do with sin as a principle -the sin nature we inherited.
"Justification comes by the birth of the Spirit -- when the repentant sinner is born again: Sanctification comes by the baptism with the Spirit when the believer has a personal Pentecost.
"Justification restores to us the favor of God which we had lost through our own disobedience: Sanctification restores to us holiness or the moral likeness of God, which we had lost through Adam's disobedience.
"Justification is the impartation of a spiritual nature, bringing us into possession of eternal life: Sanctification is the crucifixion and destruction of our carnal nature, making us dead indeed unto sin.
"Justification separates us from the world, so we are no longer of the world: Sanctification takes the world out of us; worldly desires and ambitions.
"Justification makes us free-free from outward sin and condemnation: Sanctification makes 'free indeed.' Gives the 'deed' to our freedom with all the mortgages paid off. Freedom from fear, doubt, pride, etc.
"In justification we are united to Christ as the branch to the vine: In sanctification we receive the purging promised to the living, fruitful vine, that we may 'bring forth more fruit' (John 15:2).
"In justification the experience is a 'well of water' (John 4:14). A well is for personal use. In sanctification there is a fullness of blessing so that out of our inward parts 'shall flow rivers of living water' (John 6:38, 39). A river cannot be confined to personal use, but will bless and fructify wherever it flows" (Entire Sanctification a Second Blessing, pp. 31-34).
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