Holiness, they recognize that it is a state of being cleansed, filled
with the love of God, and kept by the indwelling Holy Ghost. They see
it as a very desirable thing and a possible experience. But, somehow or
other, they sit and listen, come and go, and seem to have the idea that
it is quite left to themselves whether they should obey the call and
claim this blessing or not.

Some talk as if there were two roads to Heaven; I mean the sinning and
repenting life; falling down and getting up again; persevering in their
journey with just enough religion to make them want to save their souls
from going to Hell, in contradistinction to the experience of the
saintly man or woman who says, 'By God's help I am going to live a life
without sin! I am going to have my heart fully sanctified, and walk in
the will of God.'

Some, I am afraid, even go so far as to deliberately say, 'Holiness is
a very good thing if you want it; but I am not quite prepared for this,
or to give up this, that, and the other. I think I shall get on very
well as I am. If _you_ want the blessing I am glad to see you go in for
it.'

That is what I mean when I talk about people regarding the matter as if
it were optional; and I like these words of Peter's because they show
us a direct command: 'Be ye holy, for I am holy'. They fit in also with
the other injunction: 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,
and touch not the unclean thing'.

It is a grand and glorious privilege to have a clean heart; to have God
Almighty coming and taking full possession of you; and to have His Holy
Spirit day by day, filling your heart with love and keeping you in
Divine fellowship. But I want you also to realize that it is a binding
duty upon every follower of Jesus Christ to seek to become holy.

I think it was John Wesley who said something to the effect that
professing Christians who had not got the blessing of a clean heart, or
were not earnestly seeking to be delivered from sin, could not
consistently be regarded as Christians at all. I do not put it as
strongly as that; but I do, from deep conviction, say this to you, that
every Salvationist, and other persons who, in Meetings of this kind,
are taught that the will of God is that they shall be delivered from
all sin, that they shall live a life of purity and Holiness, that they
shall walk in the enjoyment of a Full Salvation, and yet are not
willing to follow the light, and do what they know God wants the