' J. A. i'loude.
A Prayer for Sanctity.
Literature.
Abbott (L.), Signs of Promise, 274.
Cairns (J.), Sanctification, 1.
Chadwick (S.), Humanity and God, 67.
Evans (T. S.), Body, Soul, and Spirit, 1.
Fairbairn (R. B.), College Sermons, 282.
Farrar (F. W.), The Witness of History to Christ, 129.
„ „ Words of Truth and Wisdom, 54.
„ „ In the Days of Thy Youth, 349.
Goodwin (H. M.), Christ and Humanity, 125. Harris (H.), The Two Blasphemies, 74.
Hopkins (E. H.), TJie Law of Liberty in the Spiritual Life, 201. Hull (E. L.), Sermons, i. 225, Ingram (A. F. W.), Secrets of Strength, 207. Leifchild (J.), in Pulpit Memorials, 105. Meyer (F. B.), The Soul's Pure Intention, 1. Pulsford (J.), Our Deathless Hope, 41. Robertson (F. W,), Sermons, iii. 43. Rowland (A.), The Burdens of Life, 139. Selby (T. G.), The Strenuous Gospel, 400. Trumbull (H. C.), Our Misunderstood Bible, 108. Welldon (J. E. C.), The School of Faith, 121. Wood (W. S.), Problems in the New Testament, 113. Cambridge Review, iii. Supplement No. 66 (T. G. Bonney). Christian World Pulpit, xx. 8 (A. Barry) ; xlviii. 292 (J, Stalker). Churchman's Pulpit : Wbitsunday, ix. 231 (A. P. Forbes), 237 (T«
Arnold). Homiletic Review, Iv. 136 (A. Kuyper). Kesxvick Week, 1901, p. 190 (E. W. Moore). Penuel, iii. 64 (G. Warner).
A Prayer for Sanctity.
And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly ; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. — i Thess. v. 23.
Very beautiful is St. Paul's affection for the Thessalouians. It may have been the more tender because they had treated him with kindness, a kindness the more appreciated as a contrast to his experience at Philippi, whence he had just escaped on the occasion of his visit to their city. Be that as it may, he himself likens the love he felt for them to that of a father towards his children, or of a mother nursing her own little ones. And the purer his love, the higher were the blessings he longed for on their behalf. Hence he prays here not that his friends may escape persecution, or have worldly prosperity, but that in Christian character they may be wholly God's. To desire such a benediction for others is one of the best signs of newness of life, for this is what Jesus Himself was seeking when He came here to save His people from their sins, and to present them fault- less before His Father's face in glory.
Human love is so mixed with alloy that we are not naturally anxious that our friends should be faultless, but are rather gratified when we see that they are no more perfect than our- selves, and are not always displeased when their failings are pointed out. It seems to raise us higher if they are just a little lowered, for a tree which is by no means tall begins to look tall when all those around it are cut down to a lower level. And in addition to this common yet sinful tendency to disparagement, prejudices and animosities play a very important part in our judgment of others, and in our desires for them. This prevalence of prejudice, and this wish to be thought better than our neighbours, often prevent us from earnestly desiring their true ennoblement, and from praying for their redemption from all evil, that they may
46 A PRAYER FOR SANCTITY
be blameless until the coining of our Lord Jesus Christ. From all this jealousy St. Paul is singularly and nobly free. His prayer for his friends is that they may be found blameless, tliat they may be sanctified wholly.
^ Jealousy is a terrible thing. It resembles love, it is pre- cisely love's contrary. Instead of wishing for the welfare of the object loved, it desires the dependence of that object upon itself, and its own triumph. Love is the forgetfulness of self; jealousy is the most passionate form of egotism, the glorification of a despotic, exacting, and vain ego, which can neither forget nor subordinate itself. The contrast is perfect.^
^ He rarely spoke contemptuously of any one's views or methods. When Evan Roberts, the Welsh revivalist, was hold- ing his meetings at Liverpool, a fellow-clergyman spoke disparag- ingly of his efforts to Watson, who replied : " Well, I don't know anything about that, but remember we don't draw these audiences, so let us keep quiet," He was present himself with Roberts on the platform a few weeks after. When Dr. Torrey and Mr. Alexander were conducting their mission in Liverpool, a wave of criticism swept over them. One afternoon Watson attended a service, and the next day a Liverpool paper had a warm yet discriminating eulogy on the missioners, signed " A City Pastor." The style proclaimed the author, and later on Watson owned to having written that kind letter of encouragement.^
The Meaning of Sanctification.
1. What does the Apostle mean by this prayer for sanctity ? Sanctification may be looked at from different standpoints.
(1) There is a true sense in which Christ is made to us, judicially, sanctification. That is to say, Christ's perfect holiness covers the failures and the defects of believers after their con- version, as well as the sins of the soul when it first draws near to Him. It is not an imputed sanctification that the Apostle is dealing with here. If it were an imputed sanctification, it could not be the subject of prayer ; because they would have it already. Nor does he mean by sanctification here — and it is important to