01.03. The Fountain of surrender, of temperance, of harmony, of godliness, of prayer
THE FOUNTAIN OF SURRENDER
Again let us now drink from Him — from the Fountain of Surrender. This involves a unity of purpose and mind with the divine, which can never be unless there first is an act of full surrender to the will of God. We must not only come to a definite place and time of full consecration, but we must live a surrendered life. A daily continuous submission is the life of the sanctified. Surrender must be complete. In it is an eternal abandonment to God of our whole spirit, soul, and body. Madam Guyon states, “A will surrendered is not always a will abandoned.” A surrender could be conditional, but an abandonment is final. This is an act of faith that is needful to receive sanctification, and also needful to keep the blessed experience. So deep must be the surrender that it is absolute, unreserved, unconditional, and for eternal duration. This may, and without question, will be a painful process. It is a laying down of our natural life. It is likened to plucking out of an eye, a cutting off of a hand. But deeper than this it is a crucifying of self, a delivering up of Isaac, a presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, all of which is our reasonable service. Our part involves going forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach This is the way of the cross; the way of death, but by faith we know if we are buried in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. The Old Methodists sang this truth in the old altar song:
“I must be dead from day to day Let me die; let me die!
Dead to the world and its applause, To all the customs, fashions, laws, Of those who hate the humbling Cross.
Let me die! Let me die!
“My friends may say I’ll ruined be, If I die, if I die, If I leave all to follow thee, But I’ll die, But I’ll die, Their arguments will never weigh, Nor stand the trying judgment day, Help me to cast them all away.
Let me die! Let me die!
“Oh I must die to scoffs and sneers, Let me die! Let me die!
I must be freed from slavish fears, Let me die! Let me die! So dead that no desire will rise, To appear good, or great, or wise, In any but my Savior’s eyes:
Let me die! Let me die!
“If Christ would live and reign in me, I must die! I must die!
Like him I crucified must be, I must die! I must die Lord, drive the nails, nor heed the groans, My flesh may writhe and make its moans, But this the way and this alone.
I must die! I must die!
“Begin at once to drive the nail, Let me die! Let me die!
O suffer not my heart to fail, Let me die! Let me die!
Jesus, I look to for power. To enable me to endure this hour. When crucified by sovereign power, I shall die! But I shall live!” The resurrected life is a life of glory, a new creation, a rest of will and purpose. There will be a consciousness of a yielded, restful spirit. Our highest delight will be to place our will into His will, and rest on the knowledge we are one in Him. THE FOUNTAIN OF TEMPERANCE The Fountain of Temperance is flowing for us. Let us drink! The life of holiness is lived in obedience and subjection to moderate appetites, and affections. Much of our life’s desires and natural drives under proper restrictions are legitimate and innocent, but sin has corrupted the nature; therefore the natural appetites become corrupt, sinful and bring enslavement to the unregenerate. Instead of being for good, they become a means of evil actions. The unholy, many times, takes the natural desire for food to be a means of gluttony and drunkenness. The natural attraction of the opposite sex, that should bring man and woman together in holy wedlock, becomes a means of wicked licentiousness. The normal desire to accumulate causes the carnal to become covetous, greedy and possibly a thief. The desire for happiness may be the expression of selfishness. All of the legitimate desires of life that were planned for humanity’s happiness sin has perverted into a law working within us to wreck and damn the soul. The power of Pentecost regulates our sensibilities, and keeps all things in proper place and value. The Holy Ghost brings and enriches proper desire. Each is brought into harmony with the perfect law of God. THE FOUNTAIN OF HARMONY
Let the Fount of Harmony energize our life, and holiness will rule every emotion; purity will regulate every motive. Selfishness or sin finds nothing in us The Spirit of God, in the baptism of Fire, does not destroy our personal traits, but sanctifies, regulates and controls them entirely Who, but the holy, may be angry and sin not? Who else can love, yet not love selfishly? The pure in heart possesses or expresses no sinful anger or sinful love. There is an anger which is legitimate and righteous the same kind as our Savior expressed toward wickedness, and hypocrisy, and also toward the greed of money changers in the temple. Let the Christian beware, lest selfishness or pride find a place in his heart and be justified under cover of righteous wrath. As God’s wrath is holy, so must ours be if we are to maintain the life of holiness. Thus the love life of the sanctified is a holy life, harmonized by the spirit into perfect love for God and souls We love everyone as Christ loved, and are willing to give all to save the lost No sacrifice should be thought too great, if it would lift the sinner out of sin Every human being’s worth should be considered in the possibility of divine grace.
“Down in the human heart;
Crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried, That grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, Wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken, Will vibrate once more.”
FOUNTAIN OF GODLINESS
There is another fountain flowing freely from which the holy love to drink. This is the Water of Godliness (God likeness). The desire of the regenerate, as well as the holy, should be to be more like Jesus. Godliness is the opposite of selfishness Every man’s life revolves around either self or God. The inner life’s promptings and thoughts of the pure in heart flow from a holy source. The basis of all man’s wanderings from God is selfishness. Independence, the foundation of a myriad sins, has its beginnings in selfishness. The driving force of self gratification causes man to restlessly run to and fro to satisfy the desires of lust, and other carnal, sinful passions, only to bring disappointment and remorse. The things earthly were never designed to satisfy the burning thirst of the soul. “If any man thirst, let him come unto me,” said Jesus. Let that discouraged sinner; let that thirsty traveler; let the despondent; let the heart broken; let the one bound by habits; let he whom Satan hath bound; yea, let all come to Jesus.
“Never a burden that he doth not carry, Never a heartache that he doth not share, Whether the day will be sunny or dreary, Jesus is always there.” The writer of the Roman Epistle instructs those believers who know that the old man is crucified and that the body of sin is destroyed — that they should not from thenceforth serve sin. How strongly he teaches that the members of our body are to be used for God and yielded unto him. Our body and its members are instruments of righteousness unto God. Our self life is dead and our all is yielded to the purpose of God. No member digresses or opposes another, but the unity of spirit, soul, and body is expressed in, “Let all things be done for the glory of God.” Oh! what peaceful rest. The strife is destroyed. A holy calm soothes the soul. The members that were once used to gratify selfish desire — the natural drives that were to be used for happiness, holiness, and good, but were perverted by selfishness, now are directed by a holy nature, prompted by holy desires, yielded to become servants of God, now bare fruit unto holiness. The carnal heart is the seat of all unregulated and unrestrained desire. How simple is our desire, when selfishness is removed. No longer does the heart clamor for self gratification, but centers all desire on one supreme object, and that is Christ. The idol of the natural man’s heart is broken, Jesus becomes the adorable one, the fullness of all desire. Hallelujah! The soul’s desire is expressed thus:
“Oh! to be like thee, Blessed Redeemer, This is my constant longing and prayer, Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s pleasures, Jesus, thy perfect likeness to wear.”
Oh, dear reader, let us pause and quench the longing of our soul, as we drink again from the Fount of Godliness. We have turned away from anxiety, passions, aversions, attachments, hatred and selfishness. We dwell in the graces of the Holy Spirit — long suffering, compassion, forgiveness, meekness and love. We, the sanctified guard, the members, the body, the mind, and allow nothing to enter that opposes love, Godlike love. Sad is the fact that many professing Christianity do not desire to be godly. They stand as a testimony for sin and worldliness. The poor sin-cursed, hell-bound sinner looks for help, and finds no healing balm, no divine compassion, no holy lives, and goes into perdition weeping, “No man cares for my soul.” “The love of the world is the characteristic weakness of the Church of our time. The bulk of its membership is in torpid conformity with the world. It is swayed by the world’s ambitions; delighted by the worlds pleasures, intoxicated by the world’s applause, ruled by world’s customs, fashions and laws. They measure themselves by the world’s standards, and try to slack the thirst of their soul at the world’s fountains of pleasures. God knows it! Angels know it! Devils know it! Unregenerated men know it! And unanimously vote that such mawkish piety is only a detestable cant and hypocrisy.”
— A. M. Hills THE FOUNTAIN OF PRAYER The life of Christ flows to us through the Fountain of Prayer. Few drink enough from its cool waters. Prayer is more, by far, than petition. It is the voice of dependence. The life of the pure in heart has lost all earthly dependence, and human props. This believer remembers the time that from the heart he said, “Fade, Fade each earthly joy,
Jesus is mine!
Break every tender tie, Jesus is mine!” His soul has leaned upon the strong arm of the Almighty, unashamed to admit that he needs the Spirit’s counsel, his strength, his guidance, and his comfort. He has found the secret “Man does not live by bread alone: but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Prayer is our acknowledgment of dependence, therefore we pray without ceasing. Andrew Murray tells us, “Faith in a prayer answering God makes a prayer loving Christian.” We love to resort to him, consult him, to commune with him, to worship and love him. Our whole life is centered in him. We are drawn to him in holy love. We manifest the love by living moment by moment by the words proceeding out from his mouth. Prayer is more precious than our constant lip service, but is constantly, with love and confidence, drawing from him. The ears are open to His words; the heart is open to his filling; the will is submitted to his direction. We may come boldly and often to him to find grace to help in every time of need. How open is His throne; the veil is rent, the bloodwashed may enter. Hallelujah! We would warn the reader, regardless of experience or profession, if your heart is not open to the law of God; if you have not walked in all the light that the blessed Spirit has given; if you have delayed in your obedience to the known will of God, that the Lord despises your prayers. He calls you to repentance! “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayers shall be abomination.” Proverbs 28:9. God calls the sinner to repentance. “He that covereth his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Our Lord’s model of prayer, teaches us that the prerequisite of prayer is proper relationship to the Father and our fellowman. “Our Father” is addressed. Who, but the peacemakers, are children of God? (Matthew 5:9) Can we meet the qualifications of the forty-forth verse? “Love your enemies, bless them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” Let us drink long at the fount of prayer.
“Oh! what peace we often forfeit, Oh! what needless pain we bare, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.”
It would be well to examine ourselves before coming into the holy place, into His presence. The ceremonial priesthood of the old dispensation conveys this truth, that one must be holy, cleansed, washed, sprinkled, set apart — before meeting with the Holy God. The ceremony passed, but the truth remains. Only those who know that the veil was rent, come boldly before Him. We must be sinless to pray, “Our Father.” We note the tenor of the Lord’s prayer and the verses following are leading the children into asking, seeking, knocking, for the incoming Holy Ghost. John used strong words to tell us that not all who professed to believe were children of God. “He that committeth sin is of the devil” Nothing could be plainer. Let the liberals rage, modern theologians imagine a vain thing, but this fact remains in the eternal word. Thank God! Our sins of the past can be blotted out; our hearts purified by the indwelling Spirit. We may come anytime, anywhere, and be instant in prayer. “Beloved if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” Do you long for him? Come and drink; there is room for you. The writer has learned a secret, that may help someone who at times has difficulty in prayer. We find that we tend to pray more earnestly or more often for relatives, friends, and needs prevalent in our daily life; but if we do not pray for our enemies, who will intercede for them? We find heaven opens and prayer becomes more real when we first bring to Jesus those who oppose us; those who ridicule; those who have persecuted. We find this not only practical but scriptural. Praise His name, He is nigh unto His children that call upon Him. Prayer is the voice of submission. The life of the sanctified is submitting to the directives and leadings of Jesus; listening to his desires and on bended knee, praying, “Sweet will of God, hold me closer until I am wholly lost in thee.” One who daily walks in communion with the Lord, calmly follows his bidding, not agitated by commotions of the world, not restless, not worried or dismal with forebodings of the future. Such is the life, and only the life, that is constantly indwelt by the Holy Ghost. To maintain this indwelling Heavenly Guest, there is an inward meekness and quietness of trust, free from worldly anxiety and troublesome care. Blessed is he that is free from all selfish desire he cherishes the checks and promptings of the Spirit that he may not grieve the Lord, and possess an inward willing obedience to the tender intimations of our heavenly Father.